MASTER MONOGRAPH ‘TEMPLE SECTION | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER } This monograph always remains the property of the ‘Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh Eleventh Degree Degree Monograph Monograph Twenty-six Twenty-sixTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion i dal a Vaio Se eee pe re, te means of wakening the spiritual forces within us, and the siainhg et Retaltieel the Tifa’ The following ex: cerpt from the writings of Plotinus, gives various means of attaining Illumination, and the resulting ecstasy and power from such an experience: You ask, how can we know the infinite? I answer, not by reason. It is the office of reason to distinguish and define. The Infinite, therefore, cannot be ranked among its objects. You can only apprehend the Infinite by a faculty superior to reason, by entering into a state in which you are your finite self no longer—in which the divine essence is communicated to you. This is ecstasy, It is the liberation of your mind from its finite conscious. ness. Like can only apprehend like; when you thus cease to be finite, you become one with the Infinite. In the reduction of your soul to its simplest self, its divine essence, you realize this union—this identity. All that tends to purify and elevate the mind will assist you in this at- tainment, and facilitate the approach and the recurrence of these happy intervals. There are, then, different roads by which this end may be reached. The love of beauty which exalts the poet; that devotion to the One and that ascent of science which makes the ambition of the philosopher, and that love and those prayers by which some devout and ardent soul tends in its moral purity towards perfection—these are the great highways con- ducting to the height above the dctual and the particular, where we stand in the immediate presence of the Infinite, who shines out as from the depths of the soul. —PLOTINUS, 205(?)-270 AD.‘Weekly Master Monograph ——__——A M 0 R C———__—The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH De ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SIX PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! Last week I started to give you a few more extracts from the ac- tual writings, but I suddenly realized that it was necessary to make plain to you that certain parts of our teachings and instructions were for the purpose of developing the psychic and spiritual part of you, @ and not wholly for the mental development. That explanation took longer than I expected and contained so much food for thought that I decided to withhold some of the extracts that I was going to give you and save them for this week's talk. Now let me give you a few of these highly spiritual and mystical principles from the ancient writings, so that you can meditate upon them and thus feed the spiritual and psychic self with a real banquet. It may take several days for you to discover how important these ex- tracts are; it may be months before you have any manifestation of the nourishing effect they will have upon the spiritual and psychic part of yourself. First, we have a very old and highly praised statement by a mem- ber of the Egyptian Supreme Council of ancient days who said in one of his famous communications of instructions to pupils: "There are three ranks of workers in the secret brotherhood; first, those who are simple Neophytes; secondly, those who have been accepted and tested and proven worthy of advancement; and third, those who are the Masters. These latter live in personal communion with the Divine or Cosmic Masters and are not bound to live in the flesh for the same length of time as those who are living a purely earthly, ma- terial life. In fact, their earthly lives are determined by two laws. First, the law of their own will, which they may exercise to release themselves from physical bodies and transcend to the Cosmic through transition and there carry on the remainder of the work. Second, the -law of the Cosmic by which they are held on the earth plane only so long as they are required as teachers. When they have completed their task and the Cosmic believes the task to be completed, they will be raised to the Cosmic plane. Or, if they themselves decide that they have completed their earthly mission, they may use their will to break the earthly contact and through transition ascend. Very often their transition and ascension through their will power enables them to € dematerialize or become invisible and ascend ina cloud. Many of the great masters have left the earth plane in this manner and the going into a cloud has seemed to the adepts and students a miracle." This very remarkable thought makes us wonder if the Master Jesus believed that His earthly mission had been completed because of His attempted crucifixion by the multitude and if therefore He called His Disciples together and dematerialized before them only to materialize again in secrecy at some other place so‘Weekly Master Monograph -A M OR C———————Thee Roosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D—. ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SIX PAGE TWO as to prepare His Disciples for further work. However, this ancient statement explains how and why some of the great Masters in the past disappeared ina cloud or in the midst of their advanced Disciples and now appear to us only as Invisible Cosmic Masters. In another address made by one of the great Masters of the past, we find this gem of instructions marked as a rare jewel: "In meditation, contemplation, and ecstasy, the human spirit seeks to free itself from earth and rise to the greatest heights of which it is capable. But the human brain is limited in its ability to take the spiritual thoughts and transmit them into space unless it be- comes attuned with another mind capable of vibrating in harmony with it. Prayer is somewhat different in this regard because, since it is directed to the Supreme Mind—which Mind is capable of attunement with every human mind—it brings the individual into direct communion with God and it wakens and formulates certain spiritual forces within our being which are dormant at other times." © Another gem that is indicated as helpful to the higher students is as follows: "The invisible Cosmic Masters are constantly passing us or coming close to us if we are advancing on the Path. In passing us they drop their messages swiftly, or they touch us with their auras or they may swoop past us causing merely a magnetic change in the atmosphere around us so that for a moment we are aware of some peculiar sensation. Their purpose is to increase the magnetism of our auras and to give us addi- tional spiritual strength that they believe we need. They are in- clined not to speak unless words are absolutely necessary, and then they prefer to do it in a manner that leaves us more in doubt as to the source of the words than the importance of what is said. For they are not inclined to want to give us demonstrations or convince us against sour will of their existence. They prefer to inspire us, to help us by their contact, or give us a message the source of which we may not understand, but the value of which is unquestioned. In such mysteri- ous and wonderful moments they leave within our consciousness a mes- sage that is divine, and we miss a great opportunity to advance and to carry out what is best for us if we do not accept these messages or impressions, and meditate upon them. However, we lose the power of the message and often confuse its wording and meaning by devoting our attention to an analysis of how or by whom the message came to us in- stead of meditating upon the message itself. We should keep our ears alert, and our éyes open, and never fear the lights or other sen- sations that impress us when in meditation or concentration. So long as we keep our heart and mind attuned and in perfect love, we need have no fear and certainly no doubt." With these few quotations to meditate upon during the ©Weekly Master Monograph_——___A M OR C_______The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SIX PAGE THREE coming week, I believe that all of the members of this class—regard- less of whether they have contacted the Dawn or not—will find some- thing to use in their contemplations and meditations that will be ex- tremely helpful to them and prepare them for some experiences they may have very shortly. e We shall have more of these quotations in future lessons. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER SELF-EXAMINATION AND ANALYSIS The following suggestions are for your personal analysis. DO NOT send your answers to the Grand Lodge. 1. For many people, one of the "peculiar sensations" mentioned on Page 2, Par. 5, is that internal ripple of response loosely called "chills up and down the spine." It is involuntary, and, Paradoxically, mast be prepared for and yet be unexpected. You yourself perhaps have experienced certain sensations that you classify as part of that peculiar awareness alluded to throughout Par. 5. 2. When one reflects that only occasionally and almost casually do the above-mentioned sensations occur, we should appreciate the inspired goal of those artist-pioneers of today who are far in advance of this century in their preparations of rituals designed to awake inner response.Summary of This Monograph Va Ven Vv Below is a s of the imy it princi of this me It contains the essential Seated Which You tsbabiiata forget Attatyos have eoclilly roa maaan neta sb Gy 0 recallsne minagcascyos can of thgelmmportmnt points you cede Emernent eo summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. @ There are three ranks of workers in the secret brotherhood: first, Neophytes; sec- ‘ond, those proven worthy of advancement; and third, Masters. The carthly lives of the Masters may be determined by two laws: First, by their free will they may release themselves from physical bodies to carry on their work in the Cosmic. Second, by the law of the Cosmic, they remain on the earth plane so long as they are required as teachers. @ Through meditation and ecstasy, the human spirit seeks to free itself from the earth. The human brain is limited in transmitting spiritual thoughts into space. @ Spiritual forces within us are awakened through prayer. Spiritual strength, knowledge, and information may be obtained from invisible Masters. € Through too much analysis, messages from Masters lose their importance. @ During meditation, have no fear and keep alert for any manifestations.MASTER MONOGRAPH ‘TEMPLE SECTION q ROSICRUCIAN ORDER k This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Ledge of A.M.O.R,C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh Degree Degree Monograph Monograph — | Twenty-seven Twenty-seven — decouves, 1d by the Imperator of A.M. 0. B,C. Allmalters barein contained are sy confidential to the member receiving, and re imperted oly oxen nidert 0 membership. The ovrarship of, the legal file 1 height of pontine ths monographs ond shal erin rome Grond Lodge of AM.O.R. nd Toored tobe uid fr the sole and ‘ech or atempted we does, eso facto, terminate all ight ofthe member, en or aM only ergerizeion authorized to we egitered name end sys end the Inpettor hot ole right fo grant the ote ef tham fo ther allied = 6r movements.THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion Vv Vv Vv @ As long as we remain on the earth plane, we must take into account the dual aspect of things: the positive and negative manifestations, the spiritual and the material constituents of things. That man must regard both the $ world and the Source is pointed out by Laotse, the great Chinese mystic and poet of the sixth century B.C.: Tao existed before the creation, Yet Tao mothered all the sons of the world. Know the Mother, Enter into the brotherhood of the sons; Know brotherhood, ‘You are at one with the Mother; Then can you meet no harm... To understand the small, yet, exalt the great, To be strong in guarding tenderness; To employ the earthlight, Yet share in Heaven's illumination: This is to escape earthly cares, This is to merge in the ageless. —LAO TSE, 604-531 B.C.Weekly Master Monograph A M © R C——______—Thee Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH Bs ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! We have reached a point where some special information is to be given to you. It is necessary to approach this matter carefully, and I trust that those few members, in different parts of the country, who elong to this class and who come together for the purpose of united ttudies and comparison of experiences, will make sure that no other person near them or around them overhears any parts of this present lesson. Those who are studying at home privately and quietly and who do not come in contact with other members of the lower Degrees need not take this precaution, for they have no one near them to overhear what may be said out loud. In other words, what I am about to say to all of you must be kept secret, and sacredly so. In this class, therefore, we have two kinds of members at the present time: Those who have already outwardly or objectively sensed the Dawn of the new day and those who are still on the Threshold or borderline and are not yet outwardly conscious of the great change that is taking place inwardly. If you are receiving a copy of this lesson, you will know that from my personal contact, psychically and otherwise, and from the con- tact made by two others of this class who are helping me in this work, we all three agree that each one who is receiving this lesson is quali- fied inwardly for this special announcement and for the next step in the progress of this class. Regardless of whether you actually have sensed anything of an objective nature or whether you have had the ex- perience that you expect to have and which you will probably soon have, the fact remains that your adherence to the general instructions of the recent lessons has brought about a development and progress within you of a spiritual and psychic nature that is satisfactory to us and satisfactory to you. Now let me touch upon the principal high lights of the special announcement, and then in a future number of lessons, we will take up each one of these high lights in greater detail and benefit by the knowledge it reveals. I am going to refer to and utilize some of our oldest Rosicrucian facts and tell you facts which are not revealed in any printed books @)f the Order, and which the general public, and even the most advanced research workers in Rosicrucian history, have never had revealed to then. Occasionally, some new book on mysticism or occultism published in Europe reaches America and gets into some of the libraries, and then hundreds of persons write to us and say that they read in such a book a statement that the Rosicrucian organiza- tion is an invisible organization and, therefore, our AMORC‘Weekly Master Monograph_———A M 0 R C_—_—_—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH nee ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE TWO must be wrong in claiming to be the true Order. No doubt, you have heard this criticism made many times and have wondered about it, and wondered why such statements were made by foreign authorities and what the AMORC had to say about it. Now we can compare this statement with some others. Let us ~ say that someone was to claim that a little one-year-old child is not human being because all human beings are grown up and strong, and able to read, write, talk, and carry on great work, and support themselves, and so forth. You would say to such person that the average concep- tion of a human being is as an adult but a child also can be a human be- ing in process of developing into an adult. You remember that one of the great professors of comparative religions once said that: "If the early religions were false religions, then a child is a false man." If there is a great and true Rosicrucian organization that is wholly invisible, as so many thousands of persons believe, then common sense should tell them that there must be some pathway, some process, some system that leads from the visibility to the invisibility, and that these invisible members of the invisible fraternity of Rosicrucians must have had some definite method of becoming members of the invisi- ble fraternity. In other words, the invisible fraternity that they talk about could not have been born overnight and could not take mem- bers into its invisible body by mere absorption and without prepara- tion. I think that even a child would say, "How did persons get into the invisible fraternity of the Rosicrucians?" That is a point that is never explained in any of these foreign books. Now I want to say to you definitely that the true Rosicrucian Brotherhood, or, in other words, the true fraternity or secret as- sembly of Rosicrucians IS an invisible organization, just as thousands of books have referred to it. Why this is so and how it is so will be discussed in detail in later monographs. Next, I want to say to you definitely that the A.M.O.R.C. in all of its outer, objective, material operations is a part of that invisi- ble brotherhood. It is peculiar how many persons are always seeking to join something that is very old, authentic, and genuine. I think that out of thousands of inquiries a month that come to our Grand Lodge asking for literature about our organization, there are at least three or four hundred of these letters which plainly state: "I have been seeking for the genuine, ancient, true Rosicrucians for many years andy I hope that at last I have found them, although I always understood that the organization was an invisible fraternity." We ignore all those kinds of statements and send our books and literature to such inguirers just as though they had said nothing about what they wanted or what they expected to find. I often feel like saying to such foolish persons something like this: "If you are not going to study anything or join anything unless it is the true, real, genuine, invisible Rosicrucian organization, howWeekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C__——_—The Rossierucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —B ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE THREE are you ever going to be able to tell which is the true ancient, genuine organization, and which is a modern imitation of it?" I would like to ask these persons, how they ever expect to find the invisible fraternity, or the genuine Rosicrucian Order, and by what signs or symbols they would be able to tell the real organization from the un- @ "eal. If they believe that the real organization is invisible, why are they seeking literature and reading books? Certainly an invisible organization, such as they think it should be, wouldn't have any books or offices, or any place to which they could write letters or apply for membership. When I have asked this kind of person such a question as that, he invariably states that he had never given the matter any real thought. Can you imagine someone living on one of the islands of the Pacific who never saw a diamond in his life but who looked at some glass beads for the first time and said, "I don't want to buy any of these stones or beads unless I know it is a genuine diamond." Anyone would say to such man or woman, "How will you recognize the genuine diamond when you do see it; or if you had one right in your hands now, how would you know it was genuine?" You see, such persons are seeking for some strange, indefinite, peculiar thing about which they have no definite idea in their minds, and they are only making parrotlike statements. The arguments of these persons are foolish from another point of view also. Why is it that such persons think that a thing can be good or beneficial only if it is very antique? A few years ago, I was happy in being invited to join the Kiwanis club of San Jose where we have our general offices located, and thereby almost daily come in contact with a hundred or more of the managers or owners of the leading stores and lines of business in the city. The benefits of membership in the Kiwanis to a businessman of the community are unlimited, for, at least once a week, he associates with all of these men on an equal basis. The biggest bankers, department store owners, the city mana- ger, government officials, wealthy physicians, and lawyers, and others call each other by their first names such as Bill, or John, and they compare notes, compare experiences, plan ways of improving the city, of taking care of some of the city's problems, looking after the poor, having new rules and regulations made for the best interests of the people of the commmnity, and of being truly friendly in every business and social way. The benefits of such membership are definite, con- © crete, and unmistakable. Now when I was invited to be a member of this club, limited exclusively to just one hundred members, and learned of all the benefits that would come from such membership, I did not turn around to the two businessmen who invited me to join and say to them, "I want to know if this club is an ancient organization or if it is something new, because if it is something new I don't want to join it." Each one of them would have said to me: "What difference does it make how old it is if you are getting the benefit you expected?” i ee‘Weekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C——___—Thee Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH se ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE FOUR The same thing might be said to these seekers for new knowledge, new light, and new wisdom. If the lectures and lessons will benefit you and if the membership in the Rosicrucian organization will help you, what difference can it make whether it is a part of a very old, ancient organization, or a modern form of it? But you will find that the average person will say to you that he or she would feel disap- pointed and unhappy if he thought that the organization was just a Y new one and not the continuation of a very old one. Such persons are overlooking the fact that if the Rosicrucian Order is as old and as select and as hard to get into as they have always heard, then there must be some method of preparation whereby persons can become quali- fied and ready for such membership. This is precisely what the A.M.O.R.C. is today. Therefore, I repeat again that the present A.M.O.R.C. in America, Canada, Mexico, and twenty or more other coun- tries throughout the world is the preparatory organization of the great invisible brotherhood. I may be mistaken but I do not think there is anyone in our pres- ent class of this Eleventh Degree who has been a Rosicrucian student for more than twenty some years. We have a few members in our Order who have been studying Rosicrucianism under competent and reliable guides for twenty-five or thirty years, but they came to us from other foreign jurisdictions and are now very high Degree members. Practi- cally every one in our present class, however, joined the AMORC since I became its Imperator in 1915.* That means that the longest period that any of you have been preparing or studying for your present posi- tion is between twenty and twenty-five years. I know also that some of you have been studying for a much shorter period than that and yet you are in the same class with those who have been studying for a long time. However, even if all of you had been studying for twenty, twenty-five, or even thirty years and were now told you were ready for admission into the invisible fraternity, would you think that these years constituted too long a preparation to attain such membership? You know that some of the ancient philosophers and mystics plainly stated that they spent an entire lifetime in preparation for admission to the first outer portals of the fraternity. When you come to real- ize that your membership in the invisible fraternity is not for just the balance of this incarnation but will last throughout many incarna- tions and for as long a time as you prove worthy, then twenty-five or even thirty years of preparation seem like a very short time indeed. n Therefore, I make my next positive statement; namely, that each ws one of you has been in preparation and in guidance as an adept for ad- mission into the higher and the highest invisible fraternity of the Rosicrucians. The how and the why of this will be explained to you later on in future monographs. Sy *This monograph was written by the late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis.Weekly Master Monograph. -A MO R C—————___The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —B— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE FIVE The next important announcement is that this invisible fraternity has two great functions. First, it is the mass of prepared members out of which are selected the future members of the Great White Brotherhood, and second, those who reach the invisible brotherhood or fraternity have definite work to do on both the Cosmic plane and earth plane, and they support the moral, spiritual, and mystical work of the preparatory organization known as A.M.0.R.C. All of this also will be explained to you in future monographs. Now this is all that I am going to explain to you this week, for I want you to contemplate, and through prayer and meditation cleanse yourself and make yourself ready for the processes of admission to the invisible fraternity—for this admission will occur within the next few months in accordance with a very definite plan and after you have been told more about it. I want you to remember this twenty- seventh monograph of this Eleventh Degree to which you will have to refer at times in order to read over again the definite statements that I have made in it. You can remember the number twenty-seven by remembering that the digits in it added together make a total of nine, which is the key number of the first lessons of instruction regarding your admission to the invisible fraternity. Please remember that you are not to say anything about your ad- mission into the invisible fraternity, or that you know mich about its details. If you are ever questioned, or there is an opportunity for you to make the statement, you may say to other members, or in a lodge meeting or in anything that you may write to anyone, that you know that there is an invisible fraternity of the Rosicrucians just as there is a visible brotherhood, but that more than this you cannot say, and that anyone who does know anything about the invisible fra- ternity will not tell anything that he does know. If you are asked any further questions, you may simply say that every seeker and every person desiring to know more about the invisible fraternity must begin first to work through the visible fraternity known as A.M.O.R.C. I hope that this information will make you extremely happy and give you much to think about and to discuss in your own mind during the coming week. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER. : Summary of This Monograph Vv Vv Vv Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the en ee ee not forget. Atte ye have carefully sae complete monograph, try to r as many as you can important points . Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. ‘Aiko refek to thi ORES during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. @ The Rosicrucian organization consists of an outer and of an inner spiritual assembly. @ The true Rosicrucian brotherhood is an invisible organization dating back to antiquity. © The material operations of the A.M.O.R.C. is a part of that invisible organization. @ The present A.M.O.R.C. is a preparatory organization for the great invisible brother- hood. @ The actual age alone of an organization does not indicate the greatest source of wis- dom and light. @ The time spent in preparation for membership in the invisible organization through- ‘out many incarnations is relatively short. @ Admission into this invisible organization may come soon.THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ROSICRUCIAN ORGANIZATION Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California, U.S. A. “Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian"MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION f ROSICRUCIAN ORDER b This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned fo, the receiving member. Eleventh Eleventh Degree J Degree Monograph Monograph 28 8 sane 2h nd it tall be returned foi in ‘ole and chsh iempteTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion MoE LIEV G Through attunement with the Cosmic, by means of ps" lben the detachment of meditation, we lose all sense of the pet” Len tiness of political intrigues and of the limitations of nar- ‘Sexe LS: row physical boundaries; instead, we become universal ininded, with the knowledge that we are a segment of the macrocosm, afi functions perfil chrogh ae aw This iwi: hs een preted ine tises lastic, Albertus Magnus. The following paragraph is taken from the short treatise, De Adhaerendo Deo: When St. John says that God is a Spirit, and that He must be worshipped in Spirit, he means that the mind must be cleared of all images. When thou prayest, shut thy door—that is, the doors of thy senses .. . keep them barred and bolted against all phantasms and images . . . Nothing pleases God more than a mind free from all occupations and distractions . . . Such 4 mind is in a manner transformed into God, for it can think of nothing, and understand nothing, except God; other creatures and itself it only sees in God... He who penetrates into himself, and so transcends himself, as- cends truly to God . . . He whom I love and desire is above all that is sensible and all that is intelligible; sense and imagination cannot bring us to Him, but only the desire of a pure heart. This brings us into the darkness of the mind, whereby we can ascend to the contemplation even of the mys tery of the Trinity .. . Do not think about the world, nor about thy friends, nor about the past, present, or future; but consider thyself to be outside the world and alone with God, as if thy soul were already separated from the body, and had no longer any interest in peace or war, or the state of the world, Leave the body, and fix thy gaze on the uncreated light . . . Let nothing come between thee and God. —ALBERTUS MAGNUS, 1193(?)-1280Weekly Master Monograph-——————A M O R C——_——Thee Rossicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! It is my pleasure now to make a few definite remarks relating to the details of some of the points presented in the last monograph sent to you. I have received a number of telegrams from members in this ees saying that they have been surprised at the statements, although joping and praying for the time to come when they would enter into the higher membership which they fully believed existed. On the other hand, some telegrams admitted that a few members did have psychic im- pressions of these facts but they were so indefinite and vague that they could not quite understand them. All of you will have interest- ing experiences in the very near future, and very often you will feel in the morning that you have had some peculiar dream or vision, but will not be able to recall all of its details. You should not be wor- ried or deeply concerned about this, for much of the psychic develop- ment that will go on within you is in relation to your soul and the inner self and is not for the benefit of the outer self at all. Cer- tainly none of us can explain any of these experiences to you or interpret any of the symbolism that you may receive; and the best thing you can do is to keep a notebook for the purpose of writing down the dates and vague facts that you recall from any of these experiences or dreams. Preserve these notes so that you can compare them and check up with them later on. The first point, or detail, with which I wish to deal as promised in the last monograph is in regard to why and how it is that the true fraternity of the Rosicrucians is an invisible organization instead of a visible one. I feel just at this moment as though I were going to attempt to argue a point that all of you agree in and to which I had no opposition whatsoever. I feel as though I would hear each one of you say when I am through with this explanation, "I can understand that, and it is what I always believed." However, as a matter of rec- ord, and to be sure that all of you do understand, I am going to make the following comments: In the first place, you will have to admit that any organization of human beings intending to carry on any real specific work among human beings without appearing to be reformers or preachers, or at- tempting to compel others to do things, must be a more or less secret organization. In other words, you cannot take four or five hundred gown or men in any country and send them out in uniforms, with a brass and, and have them go into various communities and start to explain to persons how they should live or what they should do, because imme- diately the human minds in the multitude would think that this group of special workers is trying to force something on them or trying to compel them to do certain things. The safer and better way is for these four or five hundred persons to work secretly and more or less silently in various ways, without revealing themselves and without attracting too much attention. In this‘Weekly Master Monograph: AM OR C—__—_—The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE TWO way they can speak personally to many individuals ana make recommenda- tions; in addition, they can do certain things without attracting at- tention, and can demonstrate by their lives what is the best thing to do. I am sure that all of you will agree with me in this regard. There are many branches of every government that are busily engaged in doing things for the betterment of the country, and these commis- ) sions, or committees, or groups, often work in complete secrecy and silence. In every community there are a few persons who have either wealth, or power, or intellect, who devote themselves to trying to help the community without telling the community about it. They find that they can do more and succeed better by remaining unknown. You will agree with me also that this is the better plan. Now, the Rosi- erucians have always looked upon themselves as Cosmically appointed to do certain things in life. Each member who reached the highest ranks and was capable of using great psychic power and of directing some of the natural laws to carry out his wishes was admitted into the secret fraternity of the Rosicrucians, where he could cooperate with others in doing similar work and thus work without attracting the attention of the public and without raising objections or criticisms. When the Rosicrucian Order was a very small organization in the Oriental lands it was wholly and completely secret. No member admitted that he was a Rosicrucian, nor did he ever tell where the meeting places were, where he went or what he was doing. There were several reasons, a principal one being that the government was usually in the hands of a priesthood or a group of persons who were selfish and ty- rannical and who did not like the idea of anyone taking the part of the public and helping the people to become acquainted with the real facts of life. The brotherhood had to be very careful, therefore, as to whom it admitted into its ranks, so as to avoid persecution at the hands of the government officials. For this reason they carefully se- lected persons here and there whom they could trust, and prepared them quietly and secretly for the great work without ever letting them know what they were being prepared for. In such days the fraternity had to be small, for there would have been no advantage in a great number of members, and the masses were not intelligent enough to be admitted to any outer circle or preparatory school. Therefore, we find that for several centuries the Rosicrucian fraternity was very secret, and even covered up its name and symbols. But as the work spread to other lands it was found inadvisable to keep up such secrecy for it was nec- essary to enlarge the Fraternity to take care of the great work that @ had to be done. In the second place, it was impossible for the most advanced mem= bers to go into every community of every country and live there long enough to become acquainted with people and thus learn who should and who should not be admitted. For this reason the Fraternity gradually allowed some of its workers to speak of the organization, telling of it in a way that would attract the‘Weekly Master Monograph: AM OR C——————The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE THREE attention of intelligent men and women. Then these persons were care- fully tested and qualified for membership. As conditions improved in the Orient and in Europe, and heathen priesthoods and selfish politi- cians lost their control of the governments of these countries, the secret brotherhood gradually allowed itself to become known, for there was no danger of persecution. In this way the organization did become known to a large portion of the public. Finally, in 1614, the famous book called Fama Fraternitatis and others of like nature were pub= lished, with a veiled message in them to all persons who believed that they were qualified to do some great work in behalf of the Cosmic. This was the first outer form of activity and, if you will recall, the Fama Fraternitatis was translated into many languages and distributed freely throughout many countries. Such publicity, however, brought thousands of persons to the doors of the organization seeking membership, and the organization was face to face with a problem such as we have to face here at the Grand Lodge. Many hundreds of letters and post cards come to us each day from per- sons who think that they are properly qualified to be Rosicrucian stu- dents, and qualified to join the organization. It is impossible to investigate all of the applicants personally today, just as it was im- possible to investigate them in the years gone by when the organiza- tion became publicly known in Europe. So we have followed the same plan that was adopted in Europe in 1614 when all of the books were translated and distributed. An outer or public form of membership was immediately established called the "Outer Congregation," or the "Outer Circle." All the new seekers and inquirers were introduced to this "Outer Circle" and taken into it on probation. Most of these seekers never knew there was an inner circle, and did not care any- thing about the inside part of the Fraternity as long as the outer part gave them helpful instructions and guided them in their seeking. Gradually, the real inner circle became completely hidden until, at the beginning of the 19th century, it was hard to find any trace of the inner circle; and at the beginning of the 20th century—or in the year 1900—it was almost impossible to find any really high officer of the inner circle anywhere in Europe or the Orient who would admit that he was an officer or member of the inner circle. In this way the really secret work and power of the organization were preserved. The outer circle of membership was the circle that had to contact the world and stand all of the rebuffs, criticisms, and heavy work, Naturally there was much unrest and disturbance in the outer circle. Our records show that during the 17th and 18th centuries, there were men and women of the outer circle of the Order who acted exactly like some of those who are in the outer circle of the Rosicrucian Order today. They felt that they were not getting enough instruction or developing enough power, or that the principal officers they met were not advancing the pupils fast enough, and so on. Therefore many of these dissatisfied persons resigned andWeekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C—____—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH pe ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE FOUR @ropped the studies altogether or, in some cases, started a Rosicru= eian organization of their own with the idea that they could help others more than the real outer circle was helping men and women. For this reason we find traces of hundreds of independent Rosicrucian groups existing in Europe and the Orient during the 17th and 18th cen- turies. A few of these took the name "Rosicrucian," while a great many others took some other name or a slightly different name. Even- @ tually, however, these independent groups discovered their mistakes, or their leaders abandoned them to start something else, and we find that these independent groups soon died out. A few of them were strong enough and intellectual enough to remain for a number of years and were gradually absorbed into the real organization. None of these people knew anything of the secret inner circle and, in fact, did not believe that there was any real secret brotherhood of the organiza- tion. They looked upon the officers and members of the outer circle as being all there was to the Rosicrucian organization and for this reason they never hesitated in jumping out of the Rosicrucian organ- ization into something else. We have the same situation to deal with today. We have members in every community who feel that they could conduct the Order better than we can and if they have half a chance they want to start independent groups and movements of their own. Only two things prevent a good many of them from starting new move- ments. First, they know that they dare not use the Rosicrucian teach- ings; and second, they dare not use any of the symbols. A few, however, do not think of these things and they rush ahead into forming what they call a true Rosicrucian Brotherhood. Now the outer circle of the organization today is naturally the biggest circle of members we have. It is composed of all the seekers and inquirers who think they are ready to join the Rosicrucians and study with them and become prepared. They do not know anything about an inner circle and, therefore, they do not try to force themselves into it. They remain students of the outer circle and advance slowly and successfully or drop out of the work altogether. Out of those who advance and who have been loyal and devoted for many years a few are selected each year to join the inner circle. This should make plain to you in a few words what is going on in the secret branch of our work. Of course, it is necessary to keep the activities of the inner circle quiet and secret, otherwise every member in the outer circle will grow anxious and restless and want to demand initiation into the inner circle. None of you probably realizes how many letters we re- ceive each week from members in the First or Second Degrees who say that they believe they have sufficient knowledge of their own, and sufficient understanding, to jump over the first four or five Degrees of our work and go right into the higher Degrees. It is a difficult thing to hold some of these members down. When they are too anxious and become insistent that they are tooWeekly Master Monograph M 0 R C————The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE FIVE smart to be held in the lower Degrees, we have to let them out of the organization altogether, because they do not study, do not try any of the experiments, and therefore are undesirable in every way. On the other hand, the really sincere student who writes to us and thinks he ought to be advanced more rapidly has to be handled very carefully. We want to help these students to get into the higher Degrees, and at ‘the same time we do not want them to skip a single lesson. It would be a detriment to them and would check their proper inner development to let them skip over any of the lessons or lectures. Therefore, we have a problem on our hands in trying to hold them down to the les- sons or lectures of the lowest Degrees, and yet keep thom interested enough so that they will develop and really be worthy of the higher teachings. We can usually tell after a member has been with us for a year whether that person is ever going to reach the higher work or not. When we find that he or she is the kind who will reach the higher Degrees, then we have trouble in keeping him from wanting to jump over and beyond the lessons that we are sending to him. If it were only a matter of reading the monographs or understanding the lessons we could send him eight or ten lessons in one week and let him read them. But although that would help us considerably to enlarge our organization and prevent us from losing many impatient members and losing the in- come from their dues, on the other hand, such members would not prop- erly develop inwardly and would never become useful Rosicrucians in any sense. Therefore, we allow the old statement to be made that the secret fraternity is an invisible one. Nobody wants to belong to something that is invisible unless he understands what is meant by "invisible." If you spoke to the average member in the First Degree and asked him if he would like to be placed in the invisible class of students he would be very much surprised, and would probably say he would rather remain visible and enjoy some of life. We do not refer to the "inner circle" because immediately members would think that the inner circle consisted of just a select few who were chosen because of loyalty or the amount of dues they pay, whereas the truth of the matter is that the dues are no different for them than the dues paid by the outer circle and there is no initiation fee. Money cannot have any influ- ence in selecting the persons who are to go into the inner circle. Now, as far as you are concerned you must be careful in all of our conversations and talks to other members not to refer to any inner circle or select group of advanced students. As I told you before, you should not admit that you have had any temple initiation other than the Ninth Degree because this is the truth. Furthermore, your not mentioning it will keep others from asking you questions about the higher Degrees. Simply state that the last temple initiation Eo9 you had was the Ninth Degree and that you are still a member of the Ninth Degree of the Order. The fact that you are a member of the Illuminati, or that you are studying beyond the‘Weekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C———_—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH oe ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT PAGE SIX Ninth Degree, does not take you out of it so far as temple membership is concerned. Therefore, never admit that you are in any higher se- eret or inner circle, If, on the other hand, anyone asks you whether or not it is true that the real Rosicrucian fraternity is an invisible fraternity you may safely say, "yes." You may explain that the invis- ible fraternity is composed of those members who carry on their work unknown and unconnected with any lodge and who are not a part of the visible organization, If they ask any questions about the visible group, you may truthfully state that the visible organization is the active organization of the workers here on the earth plane who are carrying out the instructions of the invisible workers, for this is really true. As you will learn later on, all of the officers, members, and workers in the outer organization, from which you have just re- cently graduated, are carrying on the principles and ideals of the in- visible fraternity. After you are fully acquainted with the invisible fraternity, it is your duty to help in making plans and in arranging details of the work throughout the world, which the outer circle car- ries into effect. Now I hope you will read this very carefully and understandingly, so that I will not have to touch upon it again. Continue the most helpful experiments in your contemplation work in preparation for the climax in the change taking place within you, Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTERSummary of This Monograph ey aw Below is a summary of the important principles of this It contains the essential Statements which you should not forget. ‘After you have carefully read the complete mono- @ Through fear of persecution, the original activities of the Rosicrucian organization were secret operations. Its membership was very select. This was the inner circle, @ An outer form of activities resulted from the requests for membership following the publication of the Fama Fraternitatis, in 1614. @ The inner circle became completely hidden until the beginning of the nineteenth century. From the outer circle, there sprang up many spurious, short-lived organizations. @ From the large membership of the outer circle of today, a few are chosen for the inner circle. @ Advancement does not depend upon the number of monographs read, but upon the extent of inner development. @ Do not reveal that you are a member of the inner circle, nor that you have passed the Ninth Degree.THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ROSICRUCIAN ORGANIZATION Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California, U.S.A. “Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian”MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION c | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER 3 This monograph always remains the property of the ‘Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh Eleventh Degree Degree | Monograph Monograph Twenty-nine Twenty-nine ni ne contents, Information of rromber ond igen ive : oF the member, ond Tee he ib, tne nn. ltd ak ot hr Sha ts Teron re or other fo grant the use ‘of them to. healTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion we Vand: @ The fact that there are many within the outer circle of the Rosicrucian ization, and only few who reach the advancement of the inner circle, is made more under’ pap h the emanation theory, as expounded if Philesonhers such as is illustrated in the wri eapecaseee Greek Orthodox Church, Avva Dorotheus: Imagine a circle, and in the middle of it a centre; and from this centre forthgoing radiirays. The farther these radii go from the centre, the more divergent and remote from one another they become; conversely, the nearer they approach to the centre, the more they come together among themselves. Now suppose that this circle is the world; the very middle of it, God; and the straight lines going from the centre to the circumference, or from the circumference to the centre, are the paths of life of men. And in this case also, to the extent that the saints approach the middle of the circle, desiring to approach God, do they, by so doing, come nearer to God and to one another . . . Reason similarly with regard to their withdrawing from God . they withdraw also from one another, and by so much as they with- draw from one another do they withdraw from God, Such is the attribute of love: If we love God then to the extent that we approach to Him through love of Him, do we unite in love with our neighbors; and the closer our union with them, the closer is our union with God also. —AVVA DOROTHEUS, VII CENTURY AD.‘Weekly Master Monograph ————A M 0 R C———_—The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —DS ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-NINE PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! The next important point that I want to take up in detail is in regard to the activities of the present, outer, visible organization and your relationship to it, and why it carries on its work in the way it does. Keeping in mind that there are actually two branches of the Rosi- erucian Order, the real invisible fraternity and the outer visible brotherhood, and keeping in mind that the invisible one is the real controller and director of the visible one, you will see at once that there are many complications and problems to be solved in at- tempting to maintain a nationwide visible brotherhood along material lines. Now this brings me to the one important point that I think each one of you should have clearly fixed in your mind before you proceed much further. This point deals with the origin and authenticity of the present AMORC. I am not going to take time and space to tell you good members about the documents and charters, legal papers, and pa- pers of authority which are in our possession, proving the genuineness of the AMORC. Even if we didn't have any single piece of paper of this kind, we would still be able to prove that the AMORC is the gen— uine Rosicrucian Order. It appears that in several court inquiries instituted by us, we have had our documents and papers, charters, and other incontestable proofs ready for examination, and at our various international conventions at the Grand Lodge, hundreds of delegates have examined these things. Many committees voluntarily organized for the purpose of examining our documents of authority have looked at them and have returned a report stating that the AMORC possesses in- contestable proof of its official origin and genuineness. But aside from these papers, there are several factors which prove that the AMORC is the outer, visible organization of the inner, invisible one. In the first place, the Rosicrucian organization has been known to thousands of persons for many, many years. Back in 1902 and 1903 and thereafter, I was thoroughly familiar with the fact that the Rosicrucians had once existed and that they had wonderful teachings, which had been carefully preserved somewhere, I wasn't the only per- .son in New York City who knew these facts, and at the great public library in New York there were many books at that time which referred to the Rosicrucians and their history and great work, and occasionally there was a magazine article referring to them. I remember very well that I was in contact with hundreds of men and women who were investi- gating psychic laws and studying New Thought principles, who con- stantly heard "the Rosicrucians" mentioned. All of us be- lieved that the Order still existed somewhere, but we could not discover how to get in touch with it. Now it seems that there must be some reason why any one individual in| ‘Weekly Master. Monograph A M O R C—————Thee Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH == ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-NINE PAGE TWO America should be drawn toward the Rosicrucian organization and even- tually announce that he was appointed to establish its activities once again on the American continent. If anyone could do this sort of thing (as some of our enemies say) and if it were merely a matter of making up your mind that you would start a Rosicrucian organization of your own without any authority, or help, or training from official Sources, how is it that for years and years thousands of people in @ America were waiting and looking for the Rosicrucian Order, yet nobody started one? Of course, some did go to Europe and tried to get in touch with the original Order, and did find out some facts about the Rosicrucian principles; and they did return to America and write a few books which they claimed outlined the Rosicrucian teachings, but the difference between publishing a few books and starting the organiza- tion in its regular and proper form is very great. Even today, after the above-mentioned books have been on sale in America for a number of years, there is still no genuine Rosicrucian organization back of them. There was also a Mr. Clymer in Pennsylvania who published a few books claimed to be Rosicrucian, but he never did anything more than turn his farmhouse into a headquarters for the writing and printing of his books. Even today, after many years of book selling, he has no actual lodges in any city or part of America conforming to the Rosi- erucian standards. How is it, then, that one individual like myself should suddenly come forward and announce that he is going to estab- lish the true Rosicrucian Order and create lodges and maintain them, and carry on the work with a constant growth, and constant increase of power, without any interruption, and without any serious interferences of any kind? Naturally, if there is a genuine organization of the Ro- sicrucians anywhere in the world, visible or invisible, such an or- ganization would not permit some individual to create a false organi- zation in America, and establish lodges and claim connection with the genuine organization. The genuine organization would see to it that his work failed, that he was stopped in his misleading activi- ties, and prevented from defrauding anyone. If there is no genuine invisible or visible organization anywhere in the world that could stop pretenders and wrongdoers from establish- ing lodges all over the country, then whoever would start one in America that would be the only and exclusive Rosicrucian organization in the world, and he would have a right to do ashe pleased. Therefore, either way you look at it, the fact that AMORC started and established real lodges, and has done its utmost to spread the light, and has continued @ to grow all these years without any interferences, without any scandal, without being stopped in any of its activities, is sufficient proof that it is either sponsored by the true, invisible organization, or there is no invisible or other organization of any kind except the AMORC in America. WwW But the genuineness of our work lies in the results we are producing. Good cannot come out of evil except as itWeekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C___—____—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH pe ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-NINE PAGE THREE evolves. You cannot take a fraudulent, scheming, evil plan and carry it on and yet have it produce good fruit. The whole history and en- tire records of AMORC in the United States since I established its first meetings in 1909 are absolutely clean and approved by every mem- ber who has been in the organization long enough to understand it. This is the important thing for each one of you to keep in mind. Why the AMORC does certain things as it does is another matter. I know that some of our very conservative and dignified members occasionally have criticized some of our advertising. They think that our propaganda is becoming a little too bombastic. They say that when we first started our advertising our literature was more conservative, and not so widespread. Now all of this is true. In the early days, we put only small advertisements in one or two magazines, and I think our records show that we received more answers from those two or three small advertisements than we receive today from the many advertisements that we put in different magazines and newspapers each month. But there is this great difference. Today we find each and every magazine crowded with advertisements of lecturers, teachers, and schools offer- ing their courses of study in a very bombastic and circus-advertising style. Each one of these organizations and teachers and leaders makes more noise than a circus band, and if we would put our same old small advertisements in our magazines today, with all of the noise of adver- tising around us, we would be absolutely lost and no one would see the advertisement. So long as the outer organization of AMORC has to carry on the outer worldly activities and be a physical, material or- ganization, it has to operate like any physical, material business, so to speak. Any dry goods shop or shoe shop, candy store, or hardware store in any place today that advertises only in a small way while its competitors advertise in a big way is sure to pass out of existence soon. In the march of progress, every successful and growing organi- zation or business proposition must keep pace with its competitors. The seeker mst have his attention attracted and that is what we are trying to do with our propaganda. The invisible organization, of which you are now a member, does not need any advertising or any propaganda because it will always de- rive its members from the selected ones in the outer organization. However, this outer organization has no place from which to draw its members except out of the mass of seeking minds, most of which do not know exactly what it is that is being sought. Seventy-five per cent of the persons who write to us for copies of The Mastery of Life or our literature, after reading our advertisement, frankly state that they are seeking for something in life, but they cannot name it or describe it. They hope that the Rosicrucian literature will help them to discover what it is they want. Each month out of thousands of copies of The Mastery of Life that we mail to in- quirers, a few hundred of them become members. The rest‘Weekly Master Monograph -A MO R C——————Thee Rossicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-NINE PAGE FOUR of them say either that they cannot afford to become members or that they do not know whether the Rosicrucian work is what they want or not. Think of it! Ten thousand people every month reading adver- tisements and hoping to find the thing they are looking for, but not sure of what it is they want, and out of the ten thousand, six or seven hundred hope to find it in the Rosicrucian organization. e If we did not advertise in such way as to attract the attention of these ten thousand persons, we would not get the few hundred new . members each month. If we do not get this many new members, we cannot grow; we cannot expect in one lifetime to reach enough people to carry on the work. You will remember that the same criticism was made of the work done by Jesus. Some of his enemies accused him of going among publi- | eans and sinners and seeking for followers there instead of holding | himself exclusively for the cultured and refined persons. We have to reach all types of minds in order to find the few who are looking forus. After all, it isn't our advertising or our literature that constitutes what we are doing, but the work that we are doing for our members after they join the organization—that is the great work and that is the principal thing to take into consideration, Month after month, for the past ten years, between eight and twelve thousand copies of The Mastery of Life have been mailed to people at their homes. That means that hundreds of thousands of copies of The Mastery of Life are somewhere in the homes of persons who wanted this information, or at least have been read once or twice by many thousands of people, who will always remember what the name Rosicrucian means and what it stands for. This is preparing the way for the future. I mean that gradually more and more persons will know something about the Rosicrucians, and if this continues long enough, in a few years we will find the Rosicrucians recognized by their name | or by the symbol of their organization in every part of this | ‘jurisdiction. You are, therefore, workers in the outer organization as well as in the inner organization, and you should allow no one to criticize the methods that are being used by the outer organization, for it is © like the Salvation Army and its band that goes out and pleads and plays on the street corners. The purpose of that band is not to represent the highest spiritual work of the Salvation Army but to go out with a simple, easily understood, human plea and present this plea among the multitudes where the seeker will easily find it; and then, after hav- ing made this contact bring him back into the fold and give him the spiritual truths that he wants. If we were to judge the Salvation Army only by what we see of it on the street corners, or when we see their workers going in and out of drinking places or gambling places, we would say that the Salvation Army was nothing more than a circus band with a lot of persons beggingWeekly Master Monograph ————__A MO R C_______The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH = ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER TWENTY-NINE PAGE FIVE for money. That would be a horrible mistake and an absolute in- justice. So please keep these things in mind ana always be ready to de- fend the outer activities as being purely ona material basis, prepar- ing the student for the higher spiritual things. We have to begin with all beginners in the same way, whether they are children just learning to walk and talk, or adults learning to walk on the right Path, We have to attract the attention of babies and little children with msic and noise, with bright colors and things in which they Gan quickly find some interest; otherwise we fail to attract them. With the public we must deal in the same way regarding our work. Having made these points clear to you, we will now drop this sud- ject, and in our next monograph take up some of the significant Points of the higher spiritual teachings of the invisible fraternity. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER6 Summary of This Monograph Vi Vea: Below is a summary of the important principles of this It contains the essential statements which you should not forget, ‘tr you have erly read the complete mono- raph, try to recall as many ay you ean of the read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. ‘Als fefer to ta eubemnary ice te easing week to refresh your memory. @ The invisible branch of the Rosicrucian organization is the real controller and di- rector of the visible branch. @ The AMORC possesses uncontestable proof of its official origin and genuineness. Results also prove its authenticity. @ No authentic Rosicrucian organization has resulted from the spurious books pub- lished. @ The growth of the outer organization depends upon material activities much as does any other business organization. @ All types of minds must be reached to contact the few ready for growth. The in- visible organization needs no advertisement. The results of advertising offer proof of the worth of advertising. q Defend the outer organization as being a material basis preparing the students for og bighee spvicual ching . x G4MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION c| ROSICRUCIAN ORDER b This monograph shways remains the property of the Supreme Grend Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh Degree Degree Monograph iS Monograph Thirty 6 Thirty EleventhTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion Vea Vise. 'G Te adipe who hs ebtered the Path of ke) and now is a member of the inner circle, ele Iecooel a praoices aRicaistaestetis' oan boca ay tole and prektermied here upon this plane of exist- ence. First, he must form for himself a purpose. The following selection from the Upanishads, one of the oldest examples of mystical literature, should serve as an inspiration in establishing that purpose: Verily, this whole world is Brahma. Tranquil, let one worship It as that from which he came forth, as that into which he will be dissolved, as that into which he doth breathe. He who consisteth of mind, whose body is life, whose form is light, whose conception is truth, whose soul is space, containing all works, all desires, encompassing this whole world, smaller than a grain of millet or the kernel of a grain of millet, greater than the earth, the atmosphere, these worlds. ‘This is the Soul of mind within the heart, this is Brahma. Into Him I shall enter on departing hence. Now verily, man is a creature of will. According to what his will is in this world, so will he become when he departeth hence. Let him therefore form for himself a purpose! That verily, whence beings here are born, that by which when born they live, that into which they enter at their death, that try to understand. That is Brahma! —UPANISHADS‘Weekly Master Monograph HA MO R C_——————The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! We must now take up some of the spiritual points connected with your progress and development in the new Path upon which you are about to tread, or upon which you have taken the first steps. In many of the monographs and in all the literature of the Rosi- erucian Order, you find reference to the fact that somewhere during your studies and development as a Rosicrucian, you will have some control and direction over your future destiny and your true mission in life. Infact, considerable emphasis is given to the possibility of every spiritually developed Rosicrucian creating and controlling his fate and destiny. Throughout all of the early lessons and early Degrees, many simple methods are given whereby the Rosicrucian student does actually lay out a course of procedure. His lifework has a dis— tinct bearing upon his fate and his destiny, and every Rosicrucian learns sooner or later that he is master of his own life to a very considerable extent. The wonderful result attained by most of our members in this regard is what has made them so enthusiastic and such sincere supporters of the work. You and the others of this Eleventh Degree, however, are now in @ more prepared position to map out your future and create a destiny for yourselves than are the members in the lower Degrees of our work. To put the matter briefly in this one particular talk so that you can have time to think it over, and in order to keep this one subject separated from others which are to follow, I will explain my ideas and the principles of this Degree in the following manner: Since each one of you has entered upon the Path of regeneration and will become an important worker in connection with the inner circle of the organization, you will be given the methods and the privilege of determining now what principle work or definite place in the world you wish to carry on, and fill in your next incarnation. This does not mean that you may decide upon anything you please and that the Cosmic is obliged to follow your decision and carry out your wishes to the very letter. But it does mean that all things being equal, if you maintain the same devotion and enthusiasm as you have shown in the past years, the Cosmic will be inclined to grant your peti- tions and wishes while, on the other hand, you will be able to lay the p very foundation of your future through what you do here and now in the next years, or between now and the time of your transition. In other words, it is not going to be wholly a matter of wishing or desiring, or asking, that the Cosmic carry out your wishes; it will be partly a process of creating and establishing your future here and now by lay- ing the proper foundation for it. You realize that just prior to the period of reincarna- tion for each one of us our soul-personalities are directedWeekly Master Monograph______-AMOR C—_______—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH we ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY PAGE TWO toward certain physical bodies about to be born where we will rein- carnate again in circumstances and under certain conditions that will enable us most fittingly to carry out the work that we are destined to do, and at the same time compensate for any wrong we have done, and receive rewards for any good we have done. In other words, when it comes time for each one of us to be reborn in a physical body as a child, the Cosmic brings this rebirth in such a family or in such cir- cumstances and conditions as will enable us to carry out the Cosmic plans. If we have earned in this life certain Cosmic benedictions and blessings, the Cosmic will see to it that we are reborn again in such circumstances and conditions as will give us even in our child- hood and youth the blessings and benefits that we have deserved. If, on the other hand, we have failed to labor properly or to create as we should or to benefit by the things we have enjoyed, we will be born in such conditions and circumstances as will force us to work and learn to support ourselves, and eventually learn the lesson of the proper value of life, and what things we require. In the same way, if one of us who is now a man fails to learn the lesson of sympathetic attunement toward women and fails to be appre- ciative of the female problems and female position in this world, it is very likely that in another incarnation sometime in the future he will be born of the female sex instead of the male sex in order that he may learn through many experiences the important lesson that he failed to learn as aman. If any of our sorores at the present time fail to give proper value and position and place to the male of the race, there will surely come a time when the Cosmic will decree that such a person be born as a male. Those who fail to use their political or social power properly but use it to bring pain and suffering to the working classes and the poor will find themselves in a similar position of limitation and suffering some time in the future. So we plainly see that according to the law of compensation and adjustment, many things that we do and think here and now are having a definite bearing upon our future experiences. Certainly, we are responsible every day for what we are building in our own futures in regard to our ultimate destinies. Taking all of this into consideration, it is only logical that if we understand the law and work with the law, and map out the proper course of procedure, we will more than likely have the results that we desire. In other words, if we are going to discover that as we act and think and cooperate, or fail to cooperate with the Cosmic laws and principles here and now, so we will reap conditions in the future, it is only reasonable to believe and understand that we can proceed at once to take these laws and principles into consideration and con- sciously cooperate with them instead of doing so unconsciously. Undoubtedly, each one of you has given some thought in the past months or years to what you would like to have beenWeekly Master Monograph____A MOR C—_——The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY PAGE THREE in this life and what you would have done for your present situation and conditions if you had had the opportunity of going back to child~ hood and starting life over. One clergyman in this class wrote to me stating that if he had his life to live over again and could start back in his youth, he certainly would pave the way for a different position in life from the one he now occupies. He says he would pre- pare himself in every way to be a teacher of sciences or the philoso- phies in high school among boys and girls in their youth. He finds his present church work falling just short of the goal he would like to reach, and he has a strong desire to deal with children or young people rather than with adults, but, also, he wishes to work with them in broader subjects of education than religion permits. Suppose that each one of you had the privilege of stating to some fairy queen your wish as to what you would like to be today, or what you would like to become in the near future. Would not each one of you have some definite goal or definite position in life as a real wish to give to this fairy queen? Of course, there are probably some of you who would wish for no better position in life than you now have, and for no better opportunity to serve and work than you now have, but the majority would most certainly have a beautiful wish to express, and I am quite convinced that very few, indeed, if any of the members of this class, would wish for wealth or social position above every- thing else. Instead of a fairy queen coming to you and saying that your wish will be fulfilled, the Cosmic promises that if you carefully plan your life and try to give it more or less unselfishly to the bene= fit of others, or discover some line of activity in which you could meet with the greatest success and through which you would contribute most to the happiness of others, there is a possibility, and evena great probability, that the Cosmic will help you to bring this wish or these desires into realization. It may also be that some of these wishes will be fulfilled here and now in the present earthly exist- ence, and that, in fact, you may be making progress toward that very thing, or those very desires, from now on. The Cosmic will surely see to it that your unselfish and noble desires will be given their ex- pression of realization at the time of your start in the next incarna= tion, for this will give the Cosmic an opportunity to have you reborn in such environment and in such a family and with such associations and connections, as will contribute to the material and physical ne- cessities of your desires. Therefore, looking at the matter broadly, we find this very beau- tiful spiritual picture unfolded to the members of this class, who are about to enter the great inner temple and study the highest laws and principles known to the organization. This is a picture of your fu- ture, not only your present life's future, but the future of your next incarnation, and this picture can be painted and colored and perfected by your own desires and wishes here and now. The picture includes the fact that you are now entering‘Weekly Master Monograph_—____AMOR C—____—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY PAGE FOUR the inner circle of the Rosicrucian fraternity, and that you will be a director and principal worker in the great work of this brotherhood in your next incarnation. It also includes, as part of the picture, the fact that you may also select and prepare for your other daily and hourly activities in your future life, thereby creating the family en- vironment, the nationality, the social, financial, and other condi- tions that make your worldly status. 2 The important thing for you to think about this week is what you have experienced in your present life in the way of work, labor, study, business efforts, social efforts, education, and so forth—those things you have not enjoyed and those which you have enjoyed. You should take a sheet of paper and a pencil, sit down some evening this week and analyze your past years, your present years, and the possible future years of your present incarnation. See whether you have filled the niche or groove best suited to you, and how you would improve it or change it if you had the power to create a new life for yourself, beginning with tomorrow. Then also put down what you conclude would be the best position for you to occupy in the next incarnation. Do you think that you would succeed as a clergyman, a lawyer, a teacher, a carpenter, a physician, a chemical expert, a research worker, a slum and social betterment worker, a manufacturer, or a salesman? You should keep in mind that regardless of what business or so- cial position you may select, you are also being prepared to be a si- lent, or more or less private, worker in the highest ranks of the Rosi- erucian fraternity, but this does not mean that you will not be able to earry on certain worldly affairs with great success, great happiness, and great profit to yourself and others. Think these things over and try to discover whether you would be better in some other social and business position than your present one, or what line of activity would give you the greatest opportunity to reach people, study them, and work with them. Try to reach a conclusion during the coming week, regarding these points, so that with next week's talk, you will be prepared to see the various angles of this matter and realize what is the first step toward bringing your wishes into realization. Cer- tainly, such analysis of your present and past experiences, with an outline of what you would like to be in the future, is the most inter= esting and most profitable way that you can spend several evenings. Do not be hasty, do not be selfish, and do not be impractical. Try to choose some practical life for yourself in the future, while at the e same time you would be helping to carry on the great work. In next week's monograph, I will take up some of the other spir- itual points relating to this important subject. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER® Summary of This Monograph Volwe 7 Below is a summary of the important principles of this m It contains the essential Mafeleha. which should moe forget After you have ly read the complete mono- sraph, try to,recll as many ag you ean of the Important points you read, ‘het ead tse s and see if you have f any. Also refer to this the summary gnd se if you have forgoten any summary during the ensuing @ Prior to reincarnation, the soul-personality is attracted to the parents best suited to offer the experiences necessary for its further development. @ As members of the inner circle, you will be able to fulfill and perfect your desires for good, during this as well as future incarnations. You are laying the foundation for future incarnations now. The present members of the inner circle will become the future directors of the Ro- @ Try to discover what occupation may be best suited for your position as a silent, pri- vate worker in the Rosicrucian fraternity,THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ROSICRUCIAN ORGANIZATION Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California, U.S. A. “Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every RosicruciaMASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION c | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER \ This monograph always romsins the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh Eleventh Degree Monograph Thirty-one Degree Monograph Thirty-oneee ye THE CONCURRENCE ee ‘ This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion Weta Seay, Gradually, the Christ consciousness has been increased in each member and’at the same time certain perceptive faculties and powers have been quickened, Of this quick- ening, or spiritual marriage of the soul to Christ, St. @ Bernard, Christian mystic and monk of the early twelfth century, writes: If this love be perfected the soul is wedded to the Word. What can be more replete with joy than this union? If one among us feels that it is a blessing to draw near to God, if he j longs for that meeting, if he desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ, such a one, thirsting for it ardently, dwelling upon the thought of it cease- lessly, shall receive the Word. This visitation will be the Bridegroom come to the soul. That is, he shall feel himself inwardly embraced, as it were, by the arms of Wisdom, and then he shall receive an inpouring of the sweet- ness of Divine Love. Thus is the desire of his heart granted him, though he is still in the body, a pilgrim on earth, —BERNARD DE CLAIRVAUX, 1091-1153Weekly Master Monograph —————A M O R C________—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH a ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-ONE PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! Let us now take up some of the very highest of the spiritual points in the Rosicrucian doctrines and relate them to laws and prin- ciples, which we will touch upon in future monographs, and become ac- quainted with the best application of these principles to our present processes of development. The moment the highest students of our teachings delve into the ancient secret manuscripts of the inner circle of our organization, they become surprised at the many pictures and many references relat- ing to the Christ. At first it appears as though the Rosicrucians were great students of Christian doctrines and were analyzing the life and teachings of Jesus in a purely Christian way. But after some thought and examination of these manuscripts, the student discovers that the Rosicrucians are dealing with the Christ and not with Jesus, and that there is a considerable distinction in this. It is recalled then that the Christ idea, including the Christ consciousness, became known to the mystics many centuries before the birth of Jesus, and, in fact, the Rosicrucian manuscripts speak of the Christ without associating the Christ consciousness exclusively with Jesus. This would tend to show that the Rosicrucians have always been students of Christ or the Christ teachings—but not necessarily of the present Christian teach- ings founded exclusively on what Jesus said and did. To the mystics, Jesus was undoubtedly the greatest demonstrator and the greatest master of the Christ consciousness. All of the early mystic writings produced during the time of Jesus, or after His life, distinctly stated that Jesus was the most recent and the greatest of the Initi- ates. Looking at the matter very fairly and honestly, we see that the early Fathers of the Christian church made the serious mistake of basing the Christ teachings on a system surrounding the Man, Jesus, exclusively. The mystics always knew that great Avatars, or special "Sons of God," were born through what the mystics called immaculate conception, and it was not surprising to the mystics when the an- nouncement was made that Jesus was born of immaculate conception. Where the early Church Fathers made their mistake was in the fact that, being unfamiliar with the entire history of mystical literature and mystical doctrines, they believed that Jesus was the first and only Son of God that was born on earth and, therefore, the only one who had ever been born of immaculate conception. Taking this as their ¢lue they built up an elaborate set of doctrines based upon such an assumption or such a belief. From the mystical point of view, the Christ consciousness is in every one of us to some degree. It is this consciousness that makes us living images of God. Undoubtedly, many attain higher de- $¥/ srees of the Christ consciousness through development, and none of us are equal in this regard. That Jesus attained the highest degree of development is acceptable and understandableWeekly Master Monograph _—————A M 0 R C__——The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —B ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-ONE PAGE TWO to all mystics. But to pick out one of these great Avatars, such as Jesus, and describe Him as the only child born of immaculate concep- tion and as having attained such Christhood is a serious mistake, and one which is being rapidly recognized as a mistake throughout the world, The Christian church insists that the orthodox Christian must subscribe to the idea that Jesus was a unique Son of God and this the e mystic cannot accept because of his better knowledge. The Christ consciousness is the very heart and essence of the soul of man. It is the consciousness or personality around which the soul of man accumlates its additional knowledge and builds up its great strength. Through the teachings and exercises of recent months, you have been building up the Christ consciousness within you and, from another point of view, you have also been building up a still higher consciousness, or power to do things, which can hardly be touched upon at the present time. Until these additional powers are ready to manifest, they must remain unknown and unblemished by any speculation or attempt to force them into manifestation. During this coming week it is going to be my pleasure to have one or two of the great Masters cooperate in getting in touch with each one of you to quicken a certain perception or perceptive faculty in Your consciousness, and thereby assist you in realizing some of the powers that are lying dormant in your being at the present time. I do not know at the present moment just how we will contact you or when, or what we will do after we make such contact, but you may feel sure that whatever you have in mind that is good and noble, and which is not taken from your mind by causing you to forget certain things, must be approved by the Masters and will, therefore, be strengthened and encouraged as time goes by. Do not speculate upon what may happen or will happen, but just go about your affairs during the coming week as you do normally, and simply make a notation in your notebook if there appears to be any outer manifestation or vision of any kind. The real work will be done inwardly and you will have a gradually increasing sense of holiness in your being and of a stronger character along cer- tain fundamental lines. Remember what has already been said about the marriage of the self with the Christ consciousness, and remember that many of the alchemi- eal references in the early lessons and old manuscripts were allegori- eal, and referred to spiritual attunement rather than to physical or © chemical attunement. Do not speak to other persons about your experi- ences this coming week or hereafter, and do not write to me about them unless there is something important you want to say concerning them or ask about them. I mean by this that I will be delighted to have you let me know whenever you have an unusual experience but, on the other hand, do not look forward to personal contacts with individuals. This week should be a period of careful watching and waiting, meditating and prayer, and a very profitable week‘Weekly Master Monograph M 0 R C___—__The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —B ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-ONE PAGE THREE for your inner self, even though you sense little of it from the outer self. This is all for the present, for there is nothing you can do except to continue the most helpful of the exercises that have been given to you in the past year and wait for the Cosmic to adjust many @ cr the present-day conditions so that you will be better situated in all of your activities and plans. . Remember that you are going to come close to an understanding of the Christ consciousness and of the real nature of Him who was Jesus, and of others who were also "Sons" of God. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTERe Summary of This Monograph Vv Vv v Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forges. 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 Christ consciousness was known to ‘the mystics centuries before the birth of Jesus. @ Oftthe many Avatars possessing the Christ consciousness to a high degree, Jesus was the most recent and the greatest. © The Christ consciousness within each individual makes him the living image of God. @ The Christ consciousness is the essence around which the soul of man accumulates additional knowledge and strength; this will manifest in due time. @ Some of the powers dormant within you will be quickened through outside meta- physical assistance. @ Do not discuss your psychic experiences with others. Write to the Grand Lodge only when there is an unusual experience you wish to relate or ask about. © Do not expect manifestations of personal contacts with individuals. This week should be a period of watching, meditating, and prayer, from which the inner self should benefit.MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION r | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER k This monograph always romaine the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned fo, the receiving member. Eleventh Degree Monograph Thirty-two Eleventh Degree Monograph Thirty-two fe Imperator sered Inco os) Shatter ot os ale gerTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion Mo We v @ The founders of the Christian church have erroneously stressed that Jesus was the only one to receive the Holy Ghost. However, that many Avatars, centuries before Christ, have known and felt the power of the Holy Ghost 3 is clearly seen in the following extract from the Indian Bhagavad-Gita, one of the earliest known records of religious truths: An external ray from myself, having attained a distinct existence in the world of personal life, draws around itself the five senses and the individual soul, which belong to nature. When the spirit, shining from above, em bodies itself in space and time, or when it quits embodiment, it seizes upon things and carries them away with it, as the zephyr seizes the perfumes of the flowers and bears them away with it. The inner light rules the ear, touch, taste and smell, as also the emotions: it knits together the link be- tween itself and the objects of the senses. The ignorant know not when the inner light shines forth or is extinguished, nor when it is married to objects; only he who partakes of the inner light can know thereof. —BHAGAVAD-GITA eWeekly Master Monograph _—_——A M 0 R C-__——Thhe Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! Before we continue the discussion of our understanding of the spiritual processes now taking place in each one who is on the Path toward regeneration, I want to go back for one moment and have you recall what was said about the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit descending upon man and ringing him the new life and new power that constitute his regeneration. Many Avatars in the past have received the Holy Spirit, but unfortunately for the proper understanding of this great spiritual and mystical prin- ciple, the organizers of the present Christian church have given a very limited interpretation and association of the principle of the Holy Ghost in the Christian doctrines, and have emphasized the descent of the Holy Ghost into the being of Jesus as though it were a unique or entirely different principle. Of course, in a careful reading of the Bible, even with the many passages eliminated that were originally in the text, and even with the emphasis that has been placed on certain parts by the addition of a few phrases, one will still note that the descent of the Holy Ghost upon Jesus at the time of his baptism was not the only incident of this great law re- corded in the lives of persons mentioned in the Bible. In fact, the same incident is very clearly pictured later when Jesus told his Disci- ples that a time was coming when they would be empowered and prepared to carry on his work and do even greater things than he had done. He told them this when they were assembled with him ina little room and in strict pri- vacy. We know from reading between the lines of the Gospels that the Disciples were waiting with patience for the coming of this Holy Ghost or Cosmic power. Then later on when Jesus was ready to ascend, symbolically, from all earthly activities, the Disciples anticipated the descent of this Cosmic power into their beings coincident with the ascent of it from the being of Jesus. According to the words of Jesus, this incident con= stituted not a transfer of his power to the Disciples but the establish- ment of a new Cosmic power among the Disciples thereby making them quali- fied to carry on his great work. Several centuries later when the founders of the Roman Church sought for some Biblical authority for the establishment of their earthly church, they used this incident of the descent of Cosmic power into the beings of the Disciples as proof that the Disciples were divinely author- ized to be the founders of a new religion. Peter was considered as the eader and, therefore, the first pope or vicar of Jesus, but every stu- lent of mysticism, and most students of theology, hesitate to say that there is any reason for believing that Peter was given any more authority or Cosmic power than were the other Disciples. It is true that one of the group had to be the chief or the prime leader, and it was probably fair to select Peter for this traditional honor. Of course, all this was done long after these Disciples had passed through transition. However, we read on the pages of church history that Paul and John were looked upon as equal with Peter and the others in power‘Weekly Master Monograph_——A M OR. C————The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE TWO and authority, and we have today many Christian churches named after Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and Saint John. Why the other Disciples are not as popularly named in connection with churches and cathedrals is ex- plained by the fact that Saint John and Saint Paul were especially bril— liant in their interpretations of the Christian principles. Saint John was especially mystical in his presentation of what Jesus had taught. There also are many churches named after Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, y Saint Luke. You realize, of course, that these men were canonized or hon— ored with the title of "Saint" many centuries after their transition, and not at the time they received the Holy Ghost. The point I wish to make is that the descent of Cosmic power upon Jesus, or into his consciousness at the time of his baptism, was not the first nor the only incident of its kind in even the Christian accounts of sacred history. The same thing had occurred to many great Avatars in the past and even John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus, had been thus empow- ered before Jesus was blessed with the Holy Ghost. Of course, you must also realize that the term Holy Ghost is really a symbolical term and, personally, I think it is a poorly translated phrase. The real term in the original text is more correctly translated as Holy Spirit. We must keep in mind, however, that in Latin the word spirit is practically the same as the word for "breath of life" and for "soul" and for the soul's aura. Only a childlike interpretation of soul aura would turn the word into the unpleasant term ghost. In the Vulgate, the word is "spiritus" and in the Hebrew the word is "ruach." From the etymo~ logical origin and meaning of these words we get the thought of "blowing," referring, of course, to breathing and to the original entrance of the breath of life into the body of man at the time of the original creation. It is interesting to note, however, through a close study of the Hebrew theological writings, that the word ruach finally became a Hebrew theo- logical term denoting exclusively the personal energy or personal con- sciousness of God. The Greek word equivalent to ruach was pneuma, and in the Greek philosophy and medical science this term gradually developed into the exclusive idea of a permeating power much like our present word ether. The Latin word spiritus became the equivalent of the Hebrew and Greek words and is, therefore, the most modern of the three; it has gradu- ally developed an exclusive religious meaning from which we now have the English word spirit. I am going as far as possible at this time in elucidating the subject for I feel that each one of you is somewhat as I was at the time I first delved into the Rosicrucian teachings. I became fascinated with the logi- eal and scientific manner in which the Rosicrucians selected their terms and words. I was interested also in the many explanations of why the Rosi- erucians had decided upon certain words and terms. These expla- oy nations often gave me better ideas of some of the mystical prin- ciples than anything else that I had read. I consider the members of the present Eleventh Degree class as being of the highly intel-Weekly Master Monograph -———————-A M 0 R C————__—Thee Rossicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE THREE ligent and intellectual type whose minds readily grasp the deeper and more intellectual ideas in our teachings as a hungry person grasps a mor- sel of food or a person dying of thirst reaches for a drink. The typical Rosicrucian attitude of asking, why, why, and why, always leads to a bet- ter understanding of things. Since we are dealing with a subject that the Christian church and some others consider as one of the most holy, as well as the most mysterious gifts of God to man, I think that we, who are on the Path toward the reception of this same holy gift, should know as mich about it as is possible to learn from the experience of those in the past. For this reason, I am going to continue telling you about what is under- stood of the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. In regard to the 01d Testament and the original Hebrew records, we find an explanation made in a Rosicrucian record that is extremely inter- esting. It is especially interesting to Rosicrucians who realize that the great foundation of our mystical teachings was brought to a high period of development at the time of the life of Amenhotep IV, the ruling Pharaoh of Egypt during the exodus of the tribes of Israel from Egypt. In the Tenth Degree, historical reference has been made to these people, but I wish now to call your attention to the fact that until the time that these tribes of mystically inclined Aryans came in contact with the mystery teachings of Egypt, they had not organized or systematized their mystical or religious beliefs. We find them readily absorbing the teachings which Amenhotep was promulgating among the sympathetic listeners and students inhis country. There was, of course, the pagan priesthood which was very active and powerful in Egypt and which was attempting to force its teach- ings upon all persons. But under the Pharaoh's ruling those who did not want to accept the pagan principles could accept the newer principles, which he had openly praised after his forebears had been secretly and pri- vately presenting them in a limited way. At the same time, in the countries of Palestine and Syria, there were those who had still other religious beliefs. When the tribes of Israel left Egypt and journeyed to Palestine, they carried with them the ele- ments of a new religion, and you will recall that their great leader had diffioulty indeed in maintaining the new conception of God and religious principles among his tribes, even after miracles had been performed en- abling them to leave Egypt and reach Palestine. A majority wanted to return to the pagan religions or the pagan practices they had seen in Egypt, and, during their leader's absence on a mountaintop for new inspi- ration, they attempted to build idols of gold and to worship in pagan form. But from that time on the new idea of a "sole ever-living God," as promulgated by Amenhotep, was gradually established by the Israelites in Palestine, and here began a new Hebrew religion. Now it is a notable fact that in the earliest Hebrew writings the word ruach is not used in any sense to indicate the processes of human breathing or any connec- tion with psychic, mystical or divine energy. In the early writ- ings the word ruach refers exclusively to the wind and to the blowing of wind with the thought that it was a mysterious force.Weekly Master Monograph ——————A M O R C—————_Thee Rossicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH Sa ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE FOUR I am sure that you can realize why they would look upon strong winds as the result of some very mysterious and invisible power. Even our present-day scientists are still mystified about it. However, after the development of the Amenhotep teachings among the Hebrews, the word ruach ceased to re- fer to the blowing of earthly winds, and was used exclusively to mean a superhuman, divine spirit energy that entered into the human body through the processes of breathing. This, therefore, definitely marks the begin- ning of an understanding of mystical principles. Coincident with this understanding was the development in the Hebrew religion of the existence of a sole ever-living God from whom this energy proceeded, and this God was named Yahweh. Therefore,the energy was called a holy one since it proceeded from a holy source. Through the translation of words into other languages the Latin word spiritus supplanted the Hebrew word ruach because Latin was becom ing and did finally become the international language. Out of "spiritus” we have the English word spirit and thus the Holy Spirit today is merelya translation of the original Hebrew word ruach which, itself, was a word selected out of the Hebrew language to explain the thought picture of the Egyptians which they taught in their secret schools out of which the Rosicrucian movement had its origin. Ina further analysis of the sacred writings of the Orient from which were selected the main books and passages now assembled in the Old Testa- ment of the Christian Bible, we find many references to this Holy Spirit, or Cosmic Power as we now call it, coming upon persons who were qualified by prayer and right living, or otherwise, to be especially charged with this power. By reading Judges 14:6 to 19, and Chapter 15, Verse 14, and Ezekiel, Chapter 36, Verses 26 and 27, we will find that even changes of the heart in a moral sense were manifestations of this Cosmic power real- ly bringing about a degree of Cosmic consciousness. Further reference to this Cosmic consciousness and the ability it gave to prophesy will be found in First Samuel, Chapter 19, Verses 18 to 24, and in the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, Verses 28 and 29, and also in Jeremiah, Chapter 31, Verses 31 to 34. In reading the Bible, however, we must remember that translators wilfully or unconsciously made many mistakes and often used the word spirit in a sense that had no connection with ruach or with what was meant by the Holy Spirit, and wherever the word spirit is used in this wrong sense, we must not understand it as having anything to do with the Holy Spirit or the Cosmic power. At the time of the coming of Jesus, the Jewish people were expecting a great Messiah who would be abundant ly endowed with this Cosmic power of the Holy Spirit. Since they had seen evidence of great and learned leaders possessing a small degree of it, they expected that the true Messiah or world leader would have such an abun- dance of this Cosmic power that he would be equal to a god onWeekly Master Monograph_——____A M O R C——______The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE FIVE earth. This is plainly indicated in such passages as Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verses 1 and 2. We need not be surprised, therefore, that when Jesus appeared among these people after his study and preparation in the mystery schools, and his holy preparation in every sense, that many believed that he was the chosen One filled with the Holy Spirit. This belief was further strength- ened by the statement made by those who witnessed his baptism, claiming that they saw during the processes of this mystical ceremony the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him, We will find some interesting points about this matter by consider- ing how the Christian church seized hold of the metaphysical principles involved and translated them into purely dogmatic religious principles without ever really understanding the metaphysical origin or nature. After many years of reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit into the chosen Disciples and followers of Jesus, the idea developed that the Holy Spirit was a blessing that was given to all believers. This gradually brought about a discussion in the early Christian church as to whether all believers would receive the Holy Spirit or not, and it was finally argued that this could not be true because then there would be innumerable per= sons endowed with Cosmic power or superhuman power, and it would become so common as to be of no particular honor or distinction. Evidently the idea that any man or any woman might become holy and endowed with Cosmic power did not please the leaders of the Church, for they wanted to establish some very high and distinct honor that would be reserved only for themselves, or for those whom they wished to canonize as saints. Immediately, therefore, the Church leaders began to limit the definition and to make the Holy Spirit an exclusive power, as though it were something that was under their control and which they could bestow on any person as an honor, just as a medal or cross is pin- ned on the breast of a soldier. This is one of the illustrations of the weaknesses of religious dogmatism whereby artificial and purely arbi- trary interpretations, limitations, and distinctions are made by men regarding things that are of a Cosmic nature. Therefore, we see that in their desire to keep the thought and idea of the Holy Spirit mys- terious and quite out of reach of the average person, the great Church Couneil of Nicaea in 325 A.D. spent a great deal of time in preparing the elaborate definitions of what was meant by the Father and by the Son in a description of the Trinity, but there is no definition given of what is meant by the third point of the Trinity known as the Holy Spirit. Infact, the third point is simply named and left without any description or definition. Finally, however, in the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent de- cided that something must be said about the nature and power of the Holy Spirit. It determined that the Holy Spirit, when present ina being, inspired that being to speak with authority and wisdom equal to that contained in the Holy Scriptures. InWeekly Master Monograph AMO R C—————The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-TWO PAGE SIX other words, in a metaphysical sense, when a person was really infused with the Holy Spirit or Cosmic consciousness that person was an inspired and attuned representative of God, and what he said or what he thought, or what was implanted in his consciousness through this attunement, was to be accepted as equal to anything that had been written or inspired in the Holy Gospels in previous centuries. Metaphysically, this meant that any man or woman receiving the Holy Spirit and being thus Cosmically attuned with God would at times, under inspiration, speak with such holy author- ity and wisdom as would be equal to anything that had been said by similar- ly inspired beings in the past; that is, truth spoken through such in- spired persons was always the truth and equal to any truth ever spoken by inspired ones of previous ages. All of us can agree that this was an excellent understanding, but the Church leaders soon narrowed this definition because it permitted some of their selected holy leaders to rise and say that since they were admitted by the Church as being holy, the Church would have to accept anything they said as being of divine authority. Thus some of the popes forced the Church to accept their statements as equal to any- thing that Jesus or any inspired leader had ever said, even though it was contradictory or inconsistent—or even detrimental to the activi- ties of the Church. So we see that once again man's attempt to put a limit- ed meaning on the Cosmic powers and qualities was futile. The eventual interpretation, however, of the Holy Spirit as it was developed and un- derstood by the mystics of the Middle Ages, was that the Holy Spirit—when it came upon a human being who deserved it and had earned it through Cos- mic attunement—constituted the indwelling presence of God through the surrender of the human will to Him. While we are on the subject of spirit, let us note how perfectly this word applies to the underlying source of all matter. You will recall that in the First Degree we stated that the electrons are particles of "spirit." By tracing the word spirit back to its origin, as was done in this monograph, you see it has a parallel meaning to energy. Science to- day is searching for the fundamental energy in which all radiation has its beginning. Weare, therefore, proper in calling such basic energy spirit. Thus we have reached the first step of the true mystical understand- ing of what is about to take place in each one of you who is striving for this regenerative power and offering himself as a channel for its expres- sion. From this point on, our future talks will deal with the processes and the principles involved that will help you to attune yourself more closely with this Cosmic power. Next week I will take up more of the modern mystical understanding of it, and gradually lead to definite ex- amples and illustrations. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER &0 & Summary of This Monograph Vv Vv Vv Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential oe ich you should not forget. Bet have carefully read he complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the imy it points you Then ad read this is and see if you have forgotten any. ‘Aloo tele be on during the ensuing to refresh your memory. @ Many Avatars have received the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost: Jesus was not a unique example, @ The Disciples of Jesus awaited the influx of the Holy Ghost at the time of the as- cension of Jesus. @ Although Peter was selected arbitrarily to become the first pope of Jesus, no one Disciple received more divine authority than any other Disciple. @ The “Saints” were canonized many centuries after their transition, not at the time they received the Holy Ghost. @ The early Christian church, consciously or unconsciously, translated the metaphysi- cal principles into dogmatic, religious principles. @ The term Holy Spirit became an exclusive terminology received by church dignitaries to bestow upon a chosen few. @ The mystics of the Middle Ages interpreted the Holy Spirit as the indwelling pres. ence of God through the surrender of the human will to Him. Many misunderstandings have resulted from material interpretations and evaluation of the Holy Scriptures such as were imposed upon the Church at the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Trent.THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ROSICRUCIAN ORGANIZATION Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California, U.S.A. “Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian ooMASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION c | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER 3 ‘This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It it not Purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Eleventh ? Eleventh Degree Degree Monograph | Monograph | || Thirty-three ie Thirty-threeTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion Vo Vaav @ More and more aoe discovered that mind plays : a great part in the diseases, both of the mind aon Cao ERR ESS pacienaIaE Ging given greater consideration tad’ ewe before) Acgreat many of the: & healing demonazations ertred by Tess the Chri first removing the mental scombling blocks. The power of ‘tid ity Sib ae 6 sd a eelinfiocciee t muaterislity is Ulverrated in thesfollcar ing quotation from the Brkies OF Bartel Spite Portigtcs:, Jewish philoeopher of the seventeenth century: Here is concluded that which I aimed to bring forward in regard to the power of the soul over its affections or in regard to the freedom of the soul. Hence it is clear how very greatly the wise man is superior to the ignorant, and how much more powerful than he who is ruled only by his lusts, For the ignorant is not merely driven hither and thither by extemal causes in many ways and never attains to the true peace of soul, but he also lives in ignorance of himself, of God. and of things, and when his suffering ceases, his existence ceases also; while on the other hand, the wise man, as such, feels hardly any disturbance in his spirit and ever enjoys the true peace of the soul. Even if the road which I have outlined as leading thereto appears very difficult, still it can be found, And well may it be difficult because it is so seldom found. For how could it be possible, if salvation lay close at hand and could be found without great trouble, that it should be neglected by almost all? Yet all that is er is as difficult as it is rare. —BARUCH SPINOZA, 1632-1677Weekly Master Monograph______-A M 0 R C—_______—Thee Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY.THREE PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! Before we continue our talk about regeneration and the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the body, it might be well for us to stop a mo- ment and consider the very opposite of this sublime and transcendental blessing. There is always an opposite to all effects and conditions of man and the universe. Very often we learn more about the positive side of any condition, argument or discussion, by momentarily study- ing the negative phase. Men learn more about light by analyzing dark- ness; more has been learned about health through a careful study of disease, its causes and manifestations. The incoming of the Holy Spirit is regarded as a positive mani- festation of Cosmic power. Therefore, we must look upon men and women who do not have this Holy Spirit within them as being in a neutral condition so far as Cosmic or spiritual power is concerned. The nega- tive side, however, is what we must consider for a few minutes. The negative side would be the very opposite of the positive and, there- fore, would imply some sort of power or condition in the human body that is of the very opposite nature of that which exists when the Holy Spirit is in the body. This negative condition is evidenced in all the ancient records and sacred writings of every land, and of all peoples and religions. This negative condition would manifest in as many different ways as the positive condition would manifest; therefore, the ancient minds would describe it in different ways and give it different names. One of the most common expressions regarding the negative condition, found in the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, is called Being Possessed. This is illustrated in the numerous cases in which Jesus dispersed the evil spirit from persons "possessed" of the evil spirit. In all of the ancient races and countries we find constant refer- ence to evil influences, evil powers, and evil conditions, which had taken hold of the bodies and minds of persons and absolutely dominated them. Of course, the further back we trace this matter, the more pe- culiar, exaggerated and misconceived the impressions, Primitive man had the tendency to personalize every power and personify every prin- ciple, even to the extent of having personified gods for the winds and the storms, the heat and cold, and other conditions of the universe and of human life. It is only natural then to find the tendency to personify this evil power that seemed to get into some human bodies and cause all kinds of trouble. Here is where we have the origin of various gods and characters of a mythological nature finally result- ing in the universal adoption of the name of the "devil" as a personifi- cation of the evil forces working in man. \/ This evil power in man manifested itself in various ways, as I have said. At first, the primitive minds of men and‘Weekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C———__—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH pe ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY.THREE PAGE TWO women attributed to this evil power every unfortunate circumstance in life. They considered that this evil power not only existed in the universe and could cause storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, famines, and general disasters, but after it once entered into a human body, it was responsible for disease and especially for extra- ordinary or unknown diseases, or for very unfortunate happenings to the physical body such as sudden blindness or deafness, or the break- @ ing out of boils and skin diseases, or the birth of children without life. Such strange mental and physical conditions as epilepsy, fits, insanity and hallucinations were certain signs of evil influence, in their conception. As man's education advanced, he became better acquainted with the laws and principles of the universe and the real cause of many things. As he became better acquainted with the laws of health and disease, he gradually took away from this evil power the many things originally eredited to it. For instance, he soon learned that fires of the for- ests were not caused by this evil power, but were caused through other natural agencies; that famine might be due to the destructive power of insects which would destroy his crops; and that boils and skin dis- eases were the result of neglect of his body. Even up to this very day, millions of persons still attribute to this evil power within them the cause of some of the physical and mental ailments which medi- cal science has not been able to classify properly. Therefore, even though the list of terrible things for which the evil power is re- sponsible gradually has been reduced to almost nothing compared to the original beliefs, still such strange conditions or maladies as epilepsy, fits, and some forms of skin diseases, such as leprosy, and some forms of insanity, are attributed ignorantly to the existence of the evil power within the human body. Analysis of the work that Jesus did shows that many of his cures merely consisted of removing this evil influence from the lives of persons, thereby changing their afflictions. With great seriousness Jesus referred to this possession of evil power. It has been argued that these persons only believed that they were "possessed," that there was no real power affecting them, and that Jesus, knowing this, simply agreed with their false belief in order to use the psychologi- cal methods of removing that which they believed. It is argued that had he told them there was no such evil influence within them, they would have had no faith in him and would have benefited in no way from @) his work. This argument reduces the healing power and healing work of Jesus to purely psychological methods, or to processes of suggestion; it takes his great work entirely out of the field of divine heal- 2, ing through divine power. If you admit that Jesus had any divine power superior to the psychological actions of the mind, then it is absurd to argue that he found it necessary toe Weekly Master Monograph —————A M.0 R C—_______—The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —D— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-THREE PAGE THREE agree with their false beliefs. He easily could have told them their diseases and troubles were not due to an evil power, and, regardless of their lack of faith in him, he still could have healed their con- ditions. The fact that Jesus admitted that these suffering persons were "possessed" and had some evil influence that must be removed, seems positive proof that such a condition actually existed. Further- more, we cannot conceive of this great Avatar making false statements or agreeing with false beliefs merely to work a trick with the human mind. One of the unusual physical or nerve conditions generally at- tributed to the effects of an evil power within the human body is palsy. It is noticeable that palsy, epilepsy and similar conditions have evaded the scientific and medical minds for all these centuries. Now the mystics claim that this so-called evil power within the human body is entirely opposite to the Holy Spirit. It is negative, destructive, unsystematic, spasmodic, devitalizing; it causes despond- eney and a breaking down of the harmonium of the body; it causes wrong thinking and incomprehension of right and justice; it creates a desire to do evil, a liking for the sordid and unhappy things of life, and a general inhuman, unspiritual attitude of mind. Certainly it is very fortunate for human civilization that there is a neutral condition be- tween being "possessed" of the evil power and that of being possessed of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, all of mankind would be either in the negative or the positive classification and would be either wholly evil, sickly, unbalanced, and sinful, or wholly spiritual and healthy. As the world exists today, the large majority is in the neutral posi- tion; however, taking the entire civilization of the world as a unit, we find that there are more individuals in possession of the Holy Spirit to some degree than there are in possession of the evil Spirit. If we understand what this so-called evil power can do to an individual, we can realize what the opposite in the form of the Holy Spirit also will do for an individual. We must remember that some persons have only a minute dogree of this evil spirit within them, In such cases it may not be enough to affect their health very seriously, but it does cause evil thinking and evil desires, and consequently some occasional attacks of ill-health. Such persons are very difficult to differentiate from the ones who are in a practically neutral posi- tion, who are possessed of neither much of the evil nor much of the good spirit. On the other hand, there are millions of persons who have some slight degree of the Holy Spirit awakened within them and guiding them in their affairs. These persons have fairly good health and fairly good positions in life. There is only one criticism that can be made of this type of person. They have just enough of the Holy Spirit or the spirit goodness and Cosmic power awakened within them to let them occasionally enjoy some of the Cosmic bene- fits and to keep them in fairly good health and fairly happy. They, therefore, look upon themselves as fortunate and as per- fectly contented; they do not seek for any further CosmicWeekly Master Monograph ——————A M 0 R C———_—The Rosicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH ons ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-THREE PAGE FOUR benefits. In fact, as they compare themselves with those who are con- stantly sick and in trouble, they think themselves superior beings, and, therefore, never seek self-improvement. Because these persons do not realize that all of the goodness they have is only a fraction of what is possible, it is difficult to interest them in any methods of improvement or further spiritual development. Also, we find that those who start upon the Path of development gradually increase the spirit- @ ual power and Cosmic spirit in such manner that they hardly notice the inerease at all. They do not realize that there is just a slow change taking place ana that when this change goes far enough and the entire being is ready for a sudden unfoldment of power, they then will begin to enjoy the real life of regeneration and rebirth. Each one of you is just in this very position. For many months and years now you have been gradually attuning yourself with more and more of this Holy Spirit. It has been cleansing your body, remaking many of the functions and organs of your body, and getting ready the temple within to hold the awakening power that will suddenly unfold itself and take complete possession of you. This gradual change that has been taking place is difficult for you to analyze or understand, or appreciate in any way. As you look back now over the past several years, you will notice probably that your health has been gradually improving and that you have been subject to fewer of the conditions that come within, and that your vitality has been improving. You will notice also that you have been gradually changing in a mental and spiritual way. For instance, many of the friends that used to be of great interest or consolation or enjoyment to you now seem undesir- able. Your selections of books or plays now have changed, and perhaps you may even feel disdainful toward your former choice of literature. Many of your ways of thinking and of reasoning have been changed. Your viewpoint of life and the viewpoint of your human associations have been changed. All of these changes are preparatory to the coming of the new life and the new power that will have unlimited possibilities. In fact, you are going through the same changes that Jesus went through in his studies and periods of development in the mystery temples of Egypt and other lands prior to his baptism when the Holy Spirit sud- denly enveloped him and shone like a great light around him. Do not think that I am in the least sacrilegious in saying anything like this, for even Jesus, himself, said that he was the Way and that if e you followed in his path, you would be able to do even greater things than he did. Along with the development of this power comes complete absence and lack of boastfulness or self-aggrandizement. With this picture in mind, and with the many thoughts upon which to meditate, I close this week's talk. I will touch upon this subject fur- ther next week. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTERSummary of This Monograph VV Below is a summary of the important principles of this . It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you pe tp read the complete mono- graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. ‘Then read this Summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary dating the ensuing week to refresh your memory. The opposite of the positive manifestations in the Universe results in a negative condition. The Bible terms this condition as “Being Possessed.” The “devil” is the personification of evil forces at work. @ As primitive man evolved, he gradually learned the real cause of many occurrences attributed to evil. The negative force manifests in evil thoughts and actions, which often appear as disease. q Jesus healed the body and mind by remdving evil influences from the lives of those afflicted. By understanding the reactions of the so-called “evil power,” we may realize more fully the powers of the opposite, that is, the Holy Spirit. @ Unawareness of the great potentialities of the spiritual power within causes self.” satisfaction and stagnation. @ The spiritual development of those on the path is so gradual that it is not percepti- ble until one is ready for the sudden unfoldment of power at rebirth. In retrospection, many members may see beneficial changes in their tastes, health, and mental growth. These changes are preparatory for the coming of the new life.THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ROSICRUCIAN ORGANIZATION Rosierucian Park, San Jose, California, U.S.A. “Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian"MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION c | ROSICRUCIAN ORDER 3 AMOR ‘This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to, th Sa Nere EE cde Eleventh g Eleventh Degree AR = Degree Monograph Monograph | Thirty-four |@ Thirty-fourTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion iv | RRR. @ There are many beautiful references in the sacred literature referring to the divine heritage of God's power as the most sublime gift from God. This heritage is fore- told in the Ay ‘a of the Old Testament, which may 4 be found in I Baruch, LI:7-10: But those who have been saved by their works, And to whom the law has been now a hope, ‘And understanding an expectation, And wisdom a confidence, Shall wonders appear in their time. For they shall behold the world which is now invisible to them, And they shall behold the time which is now hidden from them: And time shall no longer age them. For in the heights of that world shall they dwell, And they shall be made like unto the angels, And be made equal to the stars, And they shall be changed into every form they desire, From beauty into loveliness, And from light into the splendour of glory. ~The APOCRYPHA of the OLD TESTAMENT, II BaruchWeekly Master Monograph A M 0 R Che Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! . This week I want to give emphasis to a few thoughts mentioned in my last talk with you, and then pass on to the next interesting subject. I would call your attention to the fact that what Jesus said to his Disciples was not intended for them alone; for, in such a case, he would have been speaking to only a few, and would have been limiting the continuance of his work to the period of his lifetime. Certainly, nothing else that Jesus said intimated that his great work and his new light for human beings was to enlighten the world for just a genera- tion or two, and then cease to illuminate. He knew, as his Disciples knew, that his modern messages and modern interpretations of spiritual laws were to continue for ages, or until the light was added to by newer revelations from God, and thus made even more illuminating. Therefore, when Jesus said to his Disciples and to his followers that they would be able to do even greater things than he did, he did not mean that just these few trained workers would do this, but that all his followers—or the followers of the Christ principle in all succeeding generations and centuries—would be able to do what he had done, and even greater things. I dislike to quote the words of Jesus in quotation marks as though such words were precisely the ones spoken by him, for I realize that we have only the records from memory to deal with, and that Jesus never wrote anything nor did he authorize anything to be written for him in the form of a definite statement. Some clergymen and high church authorities often explain this point by saying that because of the antiquity of that period, and because of the early age of civili- zation, there were no written records and that the records we have of Jesus are just as exact as any we have of anyone else. But that is entirely wrong and it is so misleading that it is unfair to use such an argument. We have, for instance, the definite statements of Amen- hotep who lived and ruled thirteen centuries before the time of Jesus. These statements and thoughts of Amenhotep were well preserved and were written and carved during his lifetime under his authority, under his direction, with his approval and endorsement ; and we know, there- fore, that they represent precisely his ideas. The prayers of adora- é2: which Amenhotep authorized to be carved on the walls of his mple and on the great pylons and obelisks, represent in hiero- glyphics his precise thoughts. They are just as much his authorized statements as though he had written them in manuscript form. Jesus authorized nothing like this. We have to depend upon the memory of his followers for any definite statement that he made. Although Paul, one of Jesus' most enthusiastic supporters, never saw Jesus nor heard him speak, he recorded‘Weekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C________—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR PAGE TWO what Jesus said and did as learned froma third person. So you see we cannot expect to have any direct statements from Jesus himself. But even in the case where the records were authorized and made at the time the person was living, as in the case of Amenhotep, we have the additional factor of translation and interpretation. Notwithstanding the fact that Amenhotep's statements and thoughts are carved indelibl@ in stone and have remained unaltered for over thirty centuries and will probably remain for another thirty centuries, nevertheless, the very best authorities in the study of the Egyptian language disagree on the precise interpretation or translation of some of Amenhotep's statements. This is due to the fact that we have no perfect diction- ary of Egyptian words, nor a perfect interpretation of the Egyptian alphabet. For example, the Egyptian alphabet as carved in stone, would not always include the vowels. Thus, there is considerable dis- agreement as to whether Amenhotep changed his name to Akhnaton or Ikhnaten, or Chunaten. The absence of vowels will sometime form a problem in interpreting the precise shade of meaning in some of the words used. The most we can depend upon, therefore, is a general pic- ture or general thought of interpretation from what was intended. Thus in reading the Christian Bible and the records of the state- ments of Jesus, it is foolish to quote any of his words in quotation marks, except ina very few instances. The best that we can do is to give a broad interpretation of that translation. The orthodox church people will interpret the word Way quite differently from that in which the mystics interpret it, although all of us agree upon the translation of the original word into the word Way. Mystics quite logically would interpret the word Way to mean "Path." In much mysti- cal sacred literature of the time of Jesus and before his time, there was reference to "the Path" and "the Way," showing that both words were used synonymously. However, the very strictly orthodox church people will not interpret the word Way as meaning the "Path" because they know very well that such an interpretation immediately transfers the thought of Jesus out of the purely religious, doctrinal interpre- tation into a broad, mystical, and metaphysical interpretation. They want to claim that when Jesus said "I am the Way" it meant that ac- cepting him as a personal Savior and accepting his blood as a redeem- ing power and accepting the other doctrines of the Church was the only way to salvation. With the mysties, however, the phrase, "I am the Path," has an entirely different meaning, not associated with any per. sonal acceptance of Jesus as an individual Savior. The mystical mean®™ ing of "I am the Path" is that "I am the Leader or Pathfinder of a Way that I am pointing out to you whereby you can follow in my footsteps along the same Path or through living the same life I lived attain what I attained." In fact, the mystical interpretation would prohibit the acceptance of Jesus as a God in the sense of his being theWeekly Master Monograph —————A M O R C—________—The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR PAGE THREE only divine Savior sent to man. Whereas the orthodox statement in the doctrinal sense is just the reverse of this. I have explained all of this solely for the purpose of helping you to realize that in reading any parts of the Christian Bible deal- ing with the statements of Jesus, you should not accept any of the statements or words as being absolutely correct and beyond individual interpretation or translation. You must merely get the sense of his quoted words and not try to hang your argument, or pin your faith, on any one word as being exact. It is unfortunate that in the past centuries wars have been conducted and millions have lost their lives, while hundreds have been burned at the stake over arguments regard- ing the precise meaning of individual words in the statements made by Jesus. In the past hundred years, the greatest theoretical experts and linguistic students have agreed that many of the words in the Bible have been mistranslated or misinterpreted, and yet thousands have lost their lives in past centuries because the Church insisted that not one dot over a single letter of any word was to be translated differently from the way the Bible had it. With this in consideration, I want you to recall one Biblical statement made by Jesus: "I am the fruit of them that sleep." Now, as I have said, this is not the precise wording in the Bible, nor are they the precise words that Jesus used, whatever these may be. I do not care what words appear in the present Bibles or in the ancient manuscripts from which they were translated, for in each case the words are written from the memory of someone who heard Jesus say some- thing of this kind, but the thought is there and the thought is an ancient one, and one which Jesus undoubtedly used in talking to his Disciples. The point that is of interest to us is what Jesus meant when he expressed such a thought, regardless of the words that he used. In the first place, as I have just said, the thought is an an- cient one. In other words, we have a very old custom in speech, of speaking of the results of actions or the results of things as the fruits thereof. One of the old Rosicrucian slogans is "By their fruits ye shall know them." This is quoted from some Biblical or sacred literature and plainly indicates what is meant by the word fruit. When Jesus said, therefore, that he was the fruit of them that Sleep, he meant just what other Avatars meant when they said that their work, their development, their progress was the result of the great work and great development on the part of Avatars who preceded them. Jesus was undoubtedly the culmination of the development of hundreds of great mystics and inspired beings in the preceding centu- ries. His reference to "them that sleep" meant those who had passed on, and who were in a spiritual state and at that time not active on the earth plane. It was a direct reference to his devel- opment in the mystery schools at the hands of teachers, and especially his development through the studies of the teach-Weekly Master Monograph A M 0 R C——____—Thee Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR PAGE FOUR ings and principles left by the great teachers of past ages. There is no other way to give a logical and sane explanation of the thought con- tained in his statement. The significant point, however, is that today it clearly illus- trates to us another principle that the Church has adopted in a purely ma- terialistic sense while overlooking the mystical or metaphysical. This @) point is the divine succession, or as the Church calls it, the apostolic succession. The Church claims today that all of its popes and all of its bishops and cardinals, even the bishops in the protestant churches, de- rive their divine authority or ecclesiastical power through the divine heritage given to Saint Peter by Jesus, which has continued down sueces- sively through all of the apostles to all of the present authorities of the Church, just as the ownership of an estate or a castle passes from father to son and son to brother or cousin, and all through a more or less straight line on the male side of the family. Surely, this is interpret- ing a great principle in a purely materialistic sense. Metaphysically, the divine heritage is the heritage of God's power given to man through His Avatars and specially selected messengers to reveal that power and heritage. If Jesus was the receiver of this divine heritage from the messengers of the past and his life and his acts were the fruits of their efforts, then the Disciples of Jesus and all of his followers, and all who are to succeed to his power in the future likewise would inherit this divine power as a divine heritage. There is no reason to think that God intended this divine heritage to culminate for all time in the life of Jesus. Hundreds of the thoughts expressed by Jesus are contrary to this, for his whole mission cen- tered around the purpose of awakening the minds of the people to the fact that every one of them could become spiritualized and filled with the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost just as he was filled with it. His mission would have been futile had he believed that with his transi- tion, the inheritance would have ended or that when the Holy Ghost came upon his Disciples and his followers at the time of his ascension it would never go any further than those few men living at that time. Certainly another fifty years would have wiped out the inheritance if it had been limited to that group of followers. Furthermore, we have many passages in sacred writings proclaiming that all of us are joint heirs of God. The use of a word meaning "heirs" implies that there is a heritage to be inherited. There can be no heirs if there is no estate. A person may leave relatives behind and children and others who may continue his name but, in every true sense of the © word, there can be no heirs unless there is something to inherit of a very definite nature. Certainly, we could not be heirs of God un- less there was something of Himself or of His divine estate to in- herit. There are many beautiful references in all sacred literature aside from the Christian Bible expressing the thought that we can inherit God's power as the most sublime gift of God.e Weekly Master Monograph —————A M O R C———____The Rossicrucian Order ‘TEMPLE MONOGRAPH oe ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR PAGE FIVE Personally, I like to think that the purpose of my individual creation, whereby I was permitted by the Cosmic to be conceived and born, and live here through many experiences, trials, and tribula- tions, is in order that I might earn and attain some divine heritage which I would not otherwise attain. I think a beautiful sermon could be written that would parallel the story of the prodigal son, by pic— turing God as the great, beneficent, and wise father, permitting a child of His consciousness to be born in a material world for the pur- pose of earning the great estate that he can acquire if found worthy. The story would be like unto a king having a child born, but immedi- ately upon birth sending it to the family of some poor people far from his Kingdom where the child was to be reared and educated, without knowing for a long time that it was a son of the king; and having the child pass through every trial and experience of poverty, illness, suffering, test, experiment, experience, that would make the child develop its best faculties and prove that it was worthy of the heritage which was its natural one. After the child had shown that he could earn his own way through life, provide for his own necessities, knew the value of money and power, knew how to be tolerant, good, sympa- thetic, and loving, was acquainted with the viewpoint of the populace toward authority and privilege, then, when all these experiences were completed, the king would send for the son and crown him as his son and joint heir to the throne. This is precisely the position in which we find ourselves today. It is the picture that I like to hold in regard to myself. I like to think that I am constantly being tested and tried, that someday I will be advanced one step nearer to that degree of perfect develop- ment, then transition will carry me into another stage where I will learn a little more, and ultimately, in some incarnation if not in this one, I will be a joint heir to the divine kingdom with all of its Power and all of its beauty, and all of its goodness. This gives me courage and strength in meeting the obstacles and conditions of this life and it points out a perfect picture of the reason for my existence. With these thoughts in mind, therefore, I urge each one of you to meditate upon the advantage that you now have of contacting the in- coming of the Holy Spirit, which will be the first awakening of your heritage. It will not bring you the ultimate gift that is to be yours, but it will be like the king sending for the son, recognizing @nim as his son and telling him. "Now that you are acquainted with the fact of your heritage and are enjoying some of my power and some of my blessings, the rest remains in your hands, and you are now on the Path, or on the Way, to that time when all will be yours." Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTERSummary of This Monograph v Vv v Below is a of the important principles of this monograph, Tt contain the essential etatements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the ert eg any sb gent can of the ity tant points you read, and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. @ We have no direct statements made by Jesus: all His words, works and deeds were recorded by His followers. @ Mystics and heads of the orthodox churches differ in their interpretations of the Christian Bible. @ Many lives have needlessly been lost because of differences of opinion concerning the translated Scriptures. @ The promises that Jesus made were intended for all generations. @ Jesus indicated that He was the culmination of the development of many great mys- tics of the past, and referred to His development in mystery schools. @ The divine heritage, materialistically interpreted by the Church as apostolic succes- sion, metaphysically signifies the heritage of God’s powers given to man through His Avatars. @ Meditate upon the advantage of contacting the incoming of the Holy Spirit.MASTER MONOGRAPH TEMPLE SECTION f ROSICRUCIAN ORDER k ‘This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C. purchased by, but loaned to, the Eleventh Eleventh Degree x Degree Monograph : Monograph Thirty-five Thirty-fiveTHE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion y-' Vieeey, q IV, Pharaoh of Egypt at the time of Moses uate Rat to eaablahmsncthcisis religion, ‘After changing to the worship of the one God Aton, he changed his name to Akhnaton in honor of that God. This following Hymn of Praise is a magnificent tribute to that one living God: Thou risest gloriously, O Thou Living Aton, Lord of Eternity! Thou art radiant, beautiful and strong. Thy love is mighty and great; Thy light, of divers colours, leadeth all faces captive. Thou fillest the Two Lands with Thy love, O Thou self-created God, Maker of every land and of whatsoever there is upon it, Men and cattle, beast of every sort, and trees of every kind that grow. Thou art the mother and father of all that Thou hast made; their eyes, when Thou risest, turn and gaze upon Thee: their hearts beat high at the sight of Thee, for Thou risest as their Lord; their hands are ifeed up in adoration of Thy person. Thou quickenest hearts with Thy beneficent acts which are life. Thou sendest forth Thy beams, all the creatures Thou hast made leap toward Thee, and there is jubilee in every land. Thy honoured son rejoiceth, his heart is glad, O Thou living Aton, who appearest in heaven. I am Thy son, satisfying Thee and exalting Thy name. Thy strength and Thy power are caeablished in my heart. Eternity is Thine emanation. Thou Thyself art alone, but there are millions of powers of life in Thee to make Thy creatures live. Buds burst into flower, the plants that grow on waste lands send up shoots at Thy rising. —AKHNATON (AMENHOTEP IV), reigned about 1375-1358 B.C.‘Weekly Master Monograph: AMOR C———————The Rosicrucian Order TEMPLE MONOGRAPH —c— ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! This week we continue our study of the nature of the Holy Spirit and what it means to those who are infused with it. I would call your attention to several other passages in sacred writings which intimate that the Holy Spirit is a power that comes only to a few, yet is really @vailable to all. You will recall that before Jesus was born, the entire Jewish na- » tion was anticipating a Messiah. The word Messiah means in the Hebrew language the same as the word Christ in the Christian language. It means the Anointed One or an Anointed One. The anointment does not refer to any material anointment but to some spiritual anointment or spiritual power that has bathed and enveloped and infused the body of some pure and noble character. Thus the Jews were looking for a Messiah. The fact that they were looking for one among their own race or who was a descendant of Abraham or of their early people, does not mean anything, because each race of people in various times of the past had expected an anointed one of their own race. History shows that they were justified in this, for there had appeared at various times in each and every race and in each country, a Messenger of God, who demonstrated that he had been especially anointed by the Holy Ghost to serve his people at the time in which he was living. The only mistake that the Jewish people made was in visualizing and anticipating a certain character of a certain quality and nature to be the Messiah. They had made up their minds that the anticipated Mes- siah would be of just the kind they expected, and this blinded them to the possibility of any other kind of Messiah. It is much like the attitude of those today who ask the Cosmic to help them out of their problems ana before asking the Cosmic, they visualize the means by which their problem can be solved and the manner in which the Cosmic can assist. Then, after asking the Cosmic for help, they seek for and await just the kind of help that they had visualized and anticipated, ignoring any other kind of help that might come their way or that might be close at hand, because it does not conform to their anticipa- tions. Nearly all of us neglect wonderful opportunities that the Cos- mic daily presents just because we anticipate other things and do not realize that what we are anticipating may be entirely different from what the Cosmic has planned and, therefore, we are waiting vainly and ill never see our realizations. It is doubtful if we can ever tell exactly what the Jewish people were anticipating, because they left no record of their wishes or de- sires. It is more than likely that in the various synagogues, and among the various sects of the Jews, there was a difference of opinion as to the kind of Messiah that should come to them. Then again, the individuals themselves may have variously in- terpreted what the learned Rabbis said to them in their holy