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RosicrucianEuropean ConventionBarcelona1 st to 3 rd May 2009The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


Published quarterly by theEnglish speaking jurisdictionfor Europe, the Middle Eastand Africa of theROSICRUCIAN ORDER A.M.O.R.C.Greenwood Gate, Blackhill,Crowborough TN6 lXEUnited KingdomTel: 01892-653197Fax: 01892-667432Email: RCBeacon@amorc.org.ukWeb: www.amorc.org.ukJune 2009, Vol 18, No. 3CONTENTS2 What Is Mysticism? - by Ralph M Lewis, FRC6 Cosmic Energy - by Brian Doyle, FRC12 Life’s Adventure - by Clare MartinOfficial English LanguageMagazine of theRosicrucian Order, <strong>AMORC</strong>(Europe, the Middle Eastand Africa)Issued free to members as anincidence of membershipEditor:Bill AndersonSub-Editor:Paul GoodallDesign and Layout:Richard Bonwick13 Use Your Will Wisely - by Ronald Anjard, FRC14 Borobudur - by Bill Anderson, FRC19 Progress and Inner Development - by Robert E Daniels, FRC23 Experiencing the Absolute - by Amorifer26 Pythagoras the Teacher - by Mary Jones , SRC34 Prosperity - by Cynthia Kawiza, SRCStatements made in this publicationare not the official expressions ofthe organisation or its officersunless declared to be officialcommunications.All material in the RosicrucianBeacon is copyright and may not bereproduced in any form without theprior consent of the publishers andindividual contributors.Changes of address must reach usby the first of the month preceedingpublication.35 For Meditation - by Zhuāng Zī36 The Crystal - by Fraser Lawson, FRC37 Serenity - by Avril Hugo, SRC41 The Rosicrucian Legacy of the Wissahickon Hermits- by Lucy Carroll, SRC45 The Story of Colour - by Kenneth Harrolds, FRCCOVER SPREAD“A Garden Is Never Finished"The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20091


y Ralph M. Lewis, FRCWhat is Mysticism? The answers tothis question can be quite varied. Mostprobably, you would get the answer thatmysticism is a religion, a philosophy, aform of metaphysics or some kind ofEastern occultism. In truth, the waymysticism is more popularly taughttoday by various groups, it’s a synthesisof all of the above.t this time I don’t intend to gointo a detailed investigation of the originof mysticism, as this has been done quiteextensively before. However, I will touchon the origin of the word itself. TheGreek word mystes referred to initiates in theancient mystery schools, and from this eventuallyevolved the word mysticism.Not all of those termed mystes in ancientwritings were mystics however…, not in the truemeaning of the word “mysticism.” The ancientrites of the Egyptian mystery schools are oftenreferred to as “mystical” but even though theinitiates were known as mystes, their rites werenot mystical in the strict sense of the word.If we consider the Osirian mysteries of Egypt2The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


for example, these were the most elaborate ofa people who were extremely religious. Themurder of Osiris and his resurrection as a godwere a virtual passion play, a dramatic portrayalof our immortality and how our immaterial beingsurvives after death. It expounded the conceptthat following certain tests and trials provingworthiness, our soul could rise to a sublimeexistence with the immortals, the gods. Thisancient mystery drama, and the lessons which ittaught, became a great influence upon religiousdoctrines down to our own time.Historically, the followers of PharaohAkhenaten are said to be one of the mostenlightened of the mystery schools of Egypt. Yet,according to tradition, not all that was taughtwithin their temples was confined to what wewould call mysticism. The Eleusinian Mysteriesof Greece had the greatest following of any ofthe ancient mystery schools. History relates thatover 100,000 candidates were initiated into thesemysteries annually. But again, their rites anddoctrines cannot be assigned as all mystical. Infact, they were also metaphysical and occult incontent. They expounded the values of moralsand tried to define the purpose of life and explaincertain natural phenomena.Real Purpose of MysticismThe real purpose of mysticism can be quiteconcisely stated. Here are the basic tenets:• One: The soul of all humanity is of the samedivine essence.• Two: The soul of no human being is everseparated from its Divine Source, orGod.• Three: Not all of humanity is equallyconscious of their divine nature, theirsoul. This accounts for the varied spiritualenlightenment and moral behaviour.• Four: Every human being can seek divine aidfor personal regeneration, that is, to quickenthe consciousness of their own spiritualessence, their soul. This divine aid is theSource which permeates all reality.• Five: No one is deprived of the right ofpersonal approach to this Source. It isintimate and direct. One thing that is ofparticular importance, and which constitutesthe essential doctrine of mysticism, is that weneed no intermediary, no shaman, priest orclergyman to act as the channel of spiritualHorus giving life to Osiris. The murder of Osiris and hisresurrection as a god is probably the oldest "passion play."communication if we seek this oneness withthe “God of our Heart.”• Six: When we experience an exalted stateof consciousness, a momentary sensationof liberation of body and mind from themicrocosm, we are then said to have attainedoneness with the Source. This state ofabsorption with the wholeness of the Divineis termed “the mystical experience.”• Seven: In the previous six points I’vegeneralised on the nature of the supremeIn pure mysticism no sect or creed isnecessary for you to have a direct mysticalcommunion with your God.mystical experience. However, there is nosingle precise definition which applies toevery person. It is like trying to describe abeautiful sunset or sunrise in an unusuallyscenic area. No one else’s description wouldever provide the same sensation as your ownexperience.• Eight: Mysticism is not an abstract idealism.It has a pragmatic value that can contribute toour everyday living. The mystical experiencecan be the sublimity of spiritual ecstasy, acertain happiness or a tranquillity, a peacewhich the appetites or lower emotions, cannotpossibly provide.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20093


practices? No, not at all. Mysticism is related tometaphysics, philosophy and psychology. Thoughin these other categories it may not be termedmysticism, certain of their fundamental elementsare similar to it.In religion, prayer is made to be the keyto mysticism. It is understood to be a bridgebetween you and how you conceive your Godto be. Yet in most formal religious sects, thereis a distinct difference between the followers’practice of mysticism and the fundamentals ofits true nature. As a rule, religions generallydefine God for their followers, and it is often saidthat prayers must be directed to certain sacredpeople e.g. saints. These people are claimedto be intermediaries between the individual andGod; whereas in pure mysticism no sect or creedis necessary for you to have a direct mysticalcommunion with your God.Religion encourages prayer as an instrumentfor the ascent of the consciousness to what istermed “God awareness.” But the insistence offormalised religion that this experience can beattained only through its own channels and ritualsis contrary to pure mysticism and the personalimmediacy which it provides.The Pharaoh Akhenaten discarded the Egyptian pantheon forthat of the Aten disc.This sense of union with the Cosmic orSource can provide a regeneration of the selfresulting in an influx of inspiration, as wellas stimulating the imagination and the powerof creativity. These values, in the scholarlyand psychological explanations of mysticism,are termed noetic; simply, it means when youexperience a sudden illumination that floods yourconsciousness and clarifies any former doubts. Itis an inspiration that provides a practical chain ofthought.It may seem to you as though a curtain hasrisen in your mind. This is the noetic aspect ofthe mystical experience. The so-called mysteriesof life to which you may never have giventhought, will now challenge your reason andinvite inquiry. Therefore, the mystical experiencecan be an illuminating one for better preparingyou to confront the vicissitudes of your daily life.Formalised ReligionShould we view mysticism categorised as primarilya religious element that is restricted to theologicalDetail from a Greek vase c.350 BCE: Demeter the goddess ofgrain is depicted as the Queen of the Eleusinian Mysteries,with a four-headed Eleusinian torch in her hand. Her sonPloutos, here labelled Eniatos (Year), holds a cornucopia(horn of plenty) in his hand.4The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


MetaphysicsMetaphysics is varied in its doctrines anddiffers from its ancient construct by Aristotle.But in general, metaphysics does not postulatean external, personal deity with humanlikeattributes. God is expounded as manifesting asMind, a Universal Consciousness, which may bereferred to as a Cosmic Consciousness. Thus Godand the creative Divine Force, as the phenomenaof nature, are a unity composing the whole ofreality. This God-Mind, functioning as a directingintelligence, can be approached by the humanconsciousness. In other words, you can appealto, or become in harmony with it and its superiorjudgment. The human consciousness is said tobe a stream of varying levels, the highest levelof such consciousness being the state of unionbetween you and the Supreme Intelligence (orGod).Metaphysics recommends meditation as theway to commune with this God-Mind-Force. YetMetaphysics states that the God-Mind can be approached by the humanconsciousness.again, the procedure or technique for meditationcan be varied. Various methods are advocated forthe attainment of this oneness of consciousnesswith the Absolute or God. Yet some peoplearen’t able to differentiate between concentration,contemplation and meditation, even though theyare very different and distinct processes.Nevertheless, metaphysics does advocatea superior form of instruction said to provide apersonal unity between you and your conceptof the Divine. You may study a differentprocedure, but you need no other channel forsuccess than your own consciousness. This isthe basis of mysticism.Modern PsychologyIs there a relationship between modernpsychology and mysticism? Modern psychologytexts do not refer to mysticism. There are fewreferences to meditation and most texts referto the subject of insight. And both meditationand insight are classified by psychology as“altered states of consciousness.”A common altered state of consciousnessis sleep, which is a sizable portion of ourlife…, and hypnosis is another. PsychologyIn most formal religious sects, there is a distinct differencebetween the followers’ practice of mysticism and thefundamentals of its true nature.considers practices such as meditation as beingbut a volitional state of altered consciousness. Itis said to be the reaching beyond the objectiverealm to your psychic side. Psychology recognisesthe subliminal as psychic, that which is behind orbeyond the consciousness of the peripheralsenses.Modern psychology has showna divergent interest in the phenomenaof altered consciousness, or our attemptto experience the Absolute and to explainthe mystical experience. However, it was thephilosopher and psychologist William Jameswho, it is said, established the first laboratoryof psychology, and whose work, The Varieties ofReligious Experience (first published in 1902), gavethe first accounts from an objective scientific pointof view, of the mystical experience. His work issaid to explain the phenomena from a rational,noncritical ground.In psychology the act of meditation and sleep are considered as“altered states of consciousness.”The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20095


y Brian Doyle, FRCystical LORE TEACHES THATevery cell in our body possesses aconsciousness all of its own. Knowingthis can be a powerful factor in our livesbecause inevitably, there will be timeswhen we require additional energy and powerto see us through a crisis or some particular task.Certainly for those students who are interested indrawing on the psychic power within them, thisis a vital principle and one which mystics haveunderstood for centuries.A Potent EnergyAll of life is bound together by a potent energy;a compelling force that weaves its way throughevery form of life, sustaining it, nourishing it and6The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


urging it on to fulfilment or completion. It can beseen working quietly in all mineral, vegetable andanimal life. This great energy and power has beenworking silently in all forms of life ever since thefirst speck of protoplasm dwelt in the waters thatcovered the earth.The Hungarian scientist and author ErwinLászló in his bestseller Science and the Akashic Field(2004) gives us compelling reasons why this is so,Whatever happens, this power is alwaysthere, seeking expression and movement.It is never static.as well as a possible mechanism through whichall living things are guided or compelled to followtemplates of creation into which they evolve. Itis as if we are born to evolve into copies of thosetemplates of perfection, though no two templatesare ever identical. Rosicrucians call the templatethe soul and the perfection they aspire to as thesoul personality, namely the personality that thesoul adopts whilst incarnated in material reality.There are certain creepers in the gardenwhose tendrils grow along the surface of the soillooking for something, often your best plants, towrap around. If you place a stake in the ground,the creeper will climb up it. And if you move thestake, the creeper will alter its direction towardit. It seems as if a life force urges the creeper tocompletion and realisation, and acting within thebounds of its “template of creation,” the creeperacts only in the way all other creepers of itsspecies do.The same can be seen in animal life, whichranges from the tiny amoeba to the blue whale.We can see this illustrated particularly well in thelife of the swallow. The bird couple build theirnest under the eaves of a village church or, if youare lucky, the ledge of your bedroom window.The birds mate, the female lays her eggs and thecouple patiently take turns in sitting on the eggsuntil the young are hatched. Then, equally aspatiently, they feed them until they are able tofend for themselves. At summer’s end, an innerimpelling life force urges then family southwardover thousands of miles of land and open sea totheir winter home. When spring comes, the samelife force calls the couple back to the same place tobegin another cycle, responding rhythmically tothe laws of their being, acting always within thebounds of their template of creation.If circumstances interfere with theirresponse to this urge, they double their effortsto obey it. If their nest is destroyed, they buildanother without delay. If the nest is robbed ofits eggs, the female will lay more. And if theyoung are threatened, the couple will protect theiroffspring with all their energy, even to the pointof giving their lives to save them. A swallow maybe temporarily caged in a large pen, but whenit hears the mysterious call southward, itwill beat against the bars of the cage untilit escapes or is exhausted. Rob the femaleof her mate and she will pine and possiblydie. This is true of many other creatures andclearly shows the indomitable life urge whichpermeates all living things. There is a templateunique to every living thing, and within itsbounds, creatures of each species are born, evolveand occasionally achieve perfection.Urge for LifeFormer Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, RalphM Lewis once said: “All living things are compelledto live.” When we consider our own self, the urgeis more compelling still. If we cut a finger, thereis an immediate reaction of the physical organismto restore the injury and create new tissue to bringthe affected part back into the harmonious streamof the rhythm of our being.Whatever happens, this power is alwaysthere, seeking expression and movement. It isnever static. Try and repress the flow of this energy,and it will make its power felt in unpleasant wayssuch as dreams, depression, fantasies, morbidProfessor Erwin LászlóThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20097


Disharmony at the physical, mental and soul level isrepaired by deliberate contact with the Cosmic.curiosities and even nervous disorders. We soonlearn to harness the life force and to transformthis wonderful energy into something practicaland useful in daily life. In fact we can becometransmitters of the life force too. Within each ofus is this dual urge to emit and absorb, to learnand to teach. Physically we express ourselvesand spiritually there is a craving for God, acontinual flow of energy, back and forth. Theseare symptoms of the same yearning; our urge toseek a union with the Cosmic, with the mind ofGod. This impelling urge is universal and basicto all forms of life and what’s more, it shouldbe respected, for it is a privilege to have thatgreat quality which surpasses all others, namely,consciousness.Why is it that we are so reluctant torecognise our fundamental need of a supremeCreator, a God that is greater than anythingwe can conceive? When we are physicallytired, we yield to the urge to rest. When wefeel the need of companionship, we seek outnew friends. We know what troubles us and wedo something about it. Yet it seems so much moredifficult to diagnose the “unrest of the soul.”If our body is out of harmony with itsenvironment, we become physically ill. If ourmental faculties are out of harmony with ourenvironment, we become neurotic or mentallyill. But when our soul is out of harmony withits environment, in other words, when we areattempting to pass beyond the bounds of thetemplate from which we were made, we don’tthink it abnormal. There are many individualswho have no idea what is wrong with them, yetfind the peace and harmony they seek in a returnto their God, without whom they can neverexperience the fullness of life and the purpose ofbeing.A friend once confided to me that therewere times in his life when he was overcomewith a feeling and keen awareness of the constantebb and flow of life within and around him.He was overwhelmed with the vastness of itall and later told me that he had found theanswer to his enquiries in the words of an ancientGreek philosopher: “all things are becoming.” Thischanged his ideas and he realised that the powerbehind the great movement throughout nature isthe spirit of the Cosmic, quietly impelling all oflife toward self-awareness. The voice that urgesus to satisfy the hunger of the soul calls to us inmany ways, not least of which is through scenesof beauty, words of beauty, music of beauty.The poet Wordsworth heard it and said, “I havefelt a presence that disturbs me with joy of elevatedthoughts.”Cosmic ImpulseIt will come to others, though not necessarily asit comes to a poet. In a thousand ways its serenecall may be heard: To the scientist it may bethrough a sudden and profound appreciation ofthe orderliness and symmetry of the universe, ora sudden revelation of some higher form of logic.To a doctor it may be through an influx of loveand compassion for the people s/he has attemptedto heal over the years. To others it may comeThe reality of God in our lives is inwhatever form most deeply inspires andmove us.through the love and caring one has for certainothers, a love greater than life, indeed a love thatalone makes life worth living. To another, it maycome not during “the golden moment of love’svacation” but in an hour of deep sorrow whena little life is released from its pain and borneback to the heart of God. And to others it maycome in the sunset years of life in a moment ofoverwhelming gratitude for the mere honour ofhaving been allowed to spend so many years inthis lovely world. And finally it may be in one ofthose never-to-be-forgotten moments of silencethat changes the whole course of one’s life.It will come to those who work in thehome, ministering to little children in the many8The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


quiet acts of service and love. In a thousand waysin all the things we do, the things we see, thepeople we meet, God is there. Truth, love andbeauty are trying to break through. So when youfeel restless, never despair, but know that itis the urge of this power trying to sweep youinto harmony with the Cosmic will and withthe noble, true things of life.In our still, quiet moments, I believeit is possible to have direct, intimatecommunion with God in whatever form we areable to perceive Him or Her. God is of course notan absolute reality even if it must of necessitybe an absolute actuality. Therefore the realityof God in our lives is in whatever form mostdeeply inspires and move us and our experienceof God is a communion so thorough that all thehighest tendencies of the personality are gatheredtogether in deep, deep harmony with each otherduring such an unforgettable moment.When God enters your life, there will beno doubt that you are experiencing the mostsacred, gentle, beautiful presence you could everconceive, and the power it imbues you withremains with you for the rest of your life. Youknow that something unique and special has beenadded to your body, something you cannot see,something which speaks to you but in a way thatis different from your senses. And as the years areadded to your life, you get to know this hiddenmystery better and realise with joy how you arethe link uniting divinity with matter.In our still, quiet moments, I believe it is possible to have direct, intimatecommunion with God…The power I speak of is not the powerof worldly men: that sort of power corrupts.The power I speak of is the power of holiness,the power that motivates true love…, the loveEverything is alive in nature, vibratingand organising according to a mastertemplate.that finds form in music, painting, poetry andwork. Such love is divine and beneficent beyondwords.Cosmic Ebb and FlowWhat a powerful principle this is: let motionequal emotion! It tells us to balance the greatenergy which permeates our being and whichpervades the universe. It calls our attention tothe myriad forms that exist in the atmosphere,the hydrosphere and the lithosphere, the air,the water and all matter, which are the stage fornature’s eternal programme of becoming.Everything is alive in nature, vibratingand organising according to a master template.Things are either coming or going, they havebeen or are becoming and nothing is static. It isthe business of nature to attract and repel, to giveand take in equal measure. We have a wonderfulpartnership with nature. We take in oxygen,absorb vital life force in the process, and give offcarbon dioxide. In a similar way plants take in thecarbon dioxide and give off oxygen, somethingwe take for granted, but what agreat partnership! Everything is inmotion, there is an ebb and flow,action and reaction, cause andeffect, all combined to make ourlife on earth possible.Hidden EnergyThis leads on to the very importantrealisation that we are transformersof all this wonderful energy. Asyoung children the energy withinus is produced very quickly and thewise parent knowing the need toexpend such energy will direct thechild’s attention to sports or somerobust activity. There, the childhaving found an outlet and havinglet off steam in some field event,equilibrium in the young body willThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20099


y Bill Anderson, FRCThe beautiful volcanic island of Java in Indonesia has been theseat of civilisations and many Buddhist and Hindu Kingdomsand Islamic Sultanates down through the centuries. There areremains of each of these eras of history, but none so enigmaticas the greatest Buddhist monument outside of the Indiansub-continent: Borobudur.he STRUCTURE KNOWN ASBorobudur was not designed andbuilt to a single plan, but rather itevolved through at least five differentphases of construction over a 50 yearperiod. Begun around 780 CE with restructuringcontinuing until sometime between 835 and 850CE, it was built under the Śailendras (Sanskrit:Lord of the Mountain), the name of the influentialIndonesian dynasty that emerged in 8 th centuryJava. The Śailendras were active promoters ofMahayana Buddhism and covered the plains ofCentral Java with Buddhist monuments, includingthis world-famous one.14The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


Symbolic ArchitectureIt seems that Javanese Buddhistconcepts changed or became morecomplex around 800 CE and that thestructure was altered to harmonisewith these new ideas. Borodudurhas a pyramid-like structure and isbuilt on and around a natural hill. Inplan, it resembles a tantric mandalawith six square terraces supportingthree circular ones. It has been calleda three dimensional rendering ofthe Buddhist conception of thecosmos. The square terraces arecovered with carved relief’s that canbe read as an “instruction manual”for attaining enlightenment.It is difficult today to unravelits complex symbolism as it does not embody asingle overarching concept. The form we see itin today is the result of an elaborate interplayof many disparate elements, each with its ownconcepts and messages:• In the first phase, a smaller building threeterraces high was erected. It seems that thebuilding was initially designed as a steppyramid, perhaps showing the influence of alocal mountain cult.• In the second phase, the foundations werewidened and raised, and the stairwayswere redesigned. It now had five squareterraces and a round structure on the top.• In the third phase, more changes were made.The round structure on top was taken apartand a new set of three round terraces andstupas or structures containing Buddhist relicswere built.• In the fourth and fifth phases, there wereonly minor alterations including new reliefsand changes in the stairways. The symbolismof the whole monument was unchanged,and what changes there were, were purelydecorative.The completed monument will have lookedmore impressive than it does today. Originallyit was crowned by a tall, multi-tiered spiresymbolising the Buddhist cattra or parasol foundon stupas in other countries.Its builders constructed the monumentat the confluence of two rivers, the Progo andthe Elo, which run south into the Indian Ocean.Today, Borobudur stands on a hill in the centre ofThe form we see it in today is the result of an elaborate interplay of manydisparate elements, each with its own concepts and messages.a lowland plain covered in palm groves and ricepaddies. But this was not always the case. Recentinvestigation has shown that this lowland used tobe flooded by the river Progo. Borobudur has oftenbeen compared to a flowering lotus. It is thoughtthat the builders may have selected this very spotto use the two rivers to create a lake around themonument. The resulting appearance would thencorrespond to the Buddhist image of the world:the earth resting upon the world’s ocean or theBorobudur has often been compared to aflowering lotus.Lotus of the Jewel on the Lake, corresponding toMt. Meru rising from the waters.Cosmic MandalaBuilt on a natural hill as a single large stupa,when viewed from above, Borobudur looks likea giant mandala, simultaneously representing theBuddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. Thefoundation is a square approximately 118 metreson each side. There are nine platforms, of whichthe lower six are square and the upper three arecircular. The top platform features 72 small stupassurrounding one large central stupa. Each stupa isbell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorativeopenings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside thepierced enclosures. With no inner space as inother temples, and its general design similar to theshape of a pyramid, Borobudur differs markedlyfrom other structures built for this purpose.The narrative panels in the external galleriestell the story of Prince Sudhana and Manohara.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200915


They are grouped into 11 series encircling themonument with a total length of 3,000 metres.The hidden foot of the monument contains thefirst series with 160 narrative panels and theremaining 10 series are distributed throughoutwalls and balustrades in four galleries startingfrom the eastern entrance stairway. Narrativepanels on the wall read from right to left, whileUnlike most Javanese temples, Borobudurhas no inner sanctuary.those on the balustrade read from left to right.This conforms with pradakshina, the ritual ofcircumambulation performed by pilgrims whomove in a clockwise direction while keeping thesanctuary to their right.The hidden foot of the monument depictsthe workings of karmic law. The walls of thefirst gallery have two superimposed series ofreliefs, each consisting of 120 panels. The upperpart depicts the biography of the Buddha, whilethe lower part of the wall and balustrades in thefirst and the second galleries tell the story of theBuddha’s former lives. The remaining panels aredevoted to Prince Sudhana’s further wanderingsand searches, ending with his attainment of“Perfect Wisdom.”The 160 hidden panels do not form acontinuous story, for each panel providesa complete illustration of a single cause andIts builders constructedthe monument at theconfluence of two rivers,the Progo and the Elo,which run south into theIndian Ocean. Today,Borobudur stands on a hillin the centre of a lowlandplain covered in palmgroves and rice paddies.effect. There are depictions ofblameworthy activities, from gossipto murder, with their correspondingpunishments, and there are alsopraiseworthy activities, includingcharity and pilgrimages tosanctuaries, and their subsequentrewards. The pains of hell andthe pleasure of heaven are alsoillustrated. There are scenes ofdaily life, complete with the fullpanorama of samsara (the endlesscycle of birth and death).Form and SymbolismAt first sight the monument itselfdoes not seem as impressive as onemight think. It doesn’t soar intothe air like a cathedral, nor doesit have an awe-inspiring profile;for Borobudur was designed toappeal to the intellect rather thanthe emotions. It is only after one has retraced thelong and arduous route of the ancient pilgrim,past the 1,460 carved stone relief panels, thatone reaches the top of the structure and can fullyappreciate the extraordinary power and beauty ofthis temple.Unlike most Javanese temples, Borobudurhas no inner sanctuary. This tells us thatit was not designed for the worship of aparticular deity or person, but was rathermeant to foster a very unique form ofpersonal spiritual education. In an inscriptiondated to 842 CE, the name of the structure isgiven as Bhumisambharabhudara or “Mountain ofthe Accumulation of Merit.” The Javanese of thisperiod practised the Mahayana or Greater Vehicleversion of Buddhism. They believed not only inthe moral value of the Buddha’s teachings, but alsoin the existence of a large number of supernaturalbeings known as bodhisattvas, who help ordinarypeople attain their goal of nirvana.Like a mandala or sacred diagram,Borobudur played an important part in ritualsto initiate people into higher levels of spiritualawareness and power. The first of the three topcircular terraces has 32 stupas, the second has 24stupas, and the third and uppermost terrace has 16stupas. The large dome of the main stupa, nearly11 metres in diameter, stands in the centre.Another part of the symbolism of this16The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


The upper platform features 72 small stupas surrounding one large centralstupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorativeopenings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures.“monument to karma” is that it represents amountain. The square terraces represent the initialslopes of the mountain, and the many Buddhaimages in their niches resemble hermits livingin mountain caves. According to Javanesethought, mountain peaks and caves are placeswhere contact with the source of ultimatetruth and supernatural power may be made.The scenes portrayed on Borobudur wereprobably meant to be viewed by lay pilgrimsaccompanied by priest-teachers.Southwest of the monument, remains havebeen discovered of a monastery complex andanother complex has been found onthe same hill as Borobudur. It is thecustom to divide the monument frombottom to top into three stages or dhatus,corresponding to the three stages ofBuddhist thought on the way to Nirvana.The first and lowest stage correspondsto Kamadhatu or the “Realm of Desire.”This represents the state of a personbefore s/he has acquired knowledge ofmorality, namely before the teachingsof the Buddha have been discovered.In this part we see reliefs illustratingthe Law of Karma or Cause and Effectand here people are bound by sensualdesires that cause them suffering.The second stage is known asRupadhatu or the “Realm of Forms.” Thisis the realm of physical forms where thebodies of its inhabitants are composedof a subtle substance which is of itselfinvisible to the inhabitants of the Kamadhatu.Mankind is becoming more enlightened about themeaning of life, the need to sacrifice themselvesThe pilgrim who reached the upper partsof Borobudur would have experienced astartling physical transition.for others and the ultimate reward for rightbehaviour, namely the escape from rebirth.The third and highest stage is known asArupadhatu or the “Realm of Formlessness.”Borobudur’s plan is without doubt an amazing mandala orsacred diagram in stone, meant to assist initiates to reachhigher levels of spiritual awareness.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200917


One of the many reliefs at Borobudur; they were probablymeant to be viewed by lay pilgrims in the company of priestteachers.The beings inhabiting it have neither shape norlocation, and enjoy the fruits of good Karma.On the three upper terraces with their stupas itwas considered that having reached this leveland having been taught by the various teachersin the lower galleries, the pilgrim no longerneeded external guidance. All that remained wasto complete the journey at their own pace.The pilgrim who reached the upper partsof Borobudur would have experienced a startlingphysical transition, one of the greatest marvels ofBorobudur. While circumambulating the galleriesbelow, apart from seeing the scenes depictedon the walls, all the pilgrim would have beenable to see was the sky and the tops of nearbymountains. In other words, from thatlevel on, the pilgrim was completely cutoff from the outside world. But whenpilgrims reached the round terraces atthe top, they entered a large open spacefrom which they had expansive viewsout across the Kedu Plain. It is thoughtthat the architects deliberately createdthis sensation to represent the pilgrim’snewly expanded view of the world.RediscoveryBorobudur lay hidden for centuriesunder layers of volcanic ash and junglegrowth. During the Napoleonic Wars,following the Anglo-Dutch War in Java,the island of Java came under Britishadministration from 1811 to 1816. Theappointed governor was LieutenantGovernor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles(1781-1826), the founder of Singapore,who took great interest in the history of Java.He collected Javanese antiques and made notesthrough contacts with local inhabitants duringhis tour throughout the island. On an inspectiontour to Semarang in 1814, he was informed abouta big monument deep in a jungle near the villageof Bumisegoro. As he was not able to make thediscovery himself, he sent the Dutch engineerH.C. Cornelius instead to investigate the site.However, the man who history has credited withthe monument’s recovery was Raffles, who wenton to bring this magnificent site to the attention ofscholars throughout the world.In the modern Indonesian province of JawaTengah (Central Java), the closest city to thepresent-day village of Borobudur is Yogyakarta,a great cultural centre. Yogyakarta is the maintourist destination in Central Java, with manyother sites nearby in addition to Borobudur. Fromthe city, it takes about one hour to reach the maintemple of Borobudur.A thorough restoration was undertakenbetween 1975 and 1984, sponsored by UNESCOand the Indonesian government. The intricategalleries were taken apart piece by piece. Inall, a million stones were individually cleaned,treated and replaced on new foundations. Mostvisitors will bypass Java to visit the neighbouringisland of Bali, but what a jewel they are missing,for Borobudur has been reborn and is ready toreceive pilgrims once more.When visitors reached the round terraces they entered a large openspace from which they had expansive views out across the Kedu Plain.It is thought that the architects deliberately created this sensation torepresent the pilgrim’s newly expanded view of the world.18The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


y Robert E Daniels, FRChe ROSICRUCIAN SYSTEM OFinstruction has three phases of studyand application. The first is a physicalphase where we study the physicalnature of the human being and theapplication of certain principles to bring about acondition of harmony within the physical body.The second is a mental one, where we gainan intellectual comprehension and understandingof Rosicrucian philosophy in general, and developan understanding of the laws and principlesgoverning our human species, the universe itself,and how they relate to each other.The third phase is an emotional one. Thepurpose of this phase is to enable each of us tofully understand our emotional, psychic andThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200919


any misconceptions in mind about ourselves orothers, or even the efforts we make to improveourselves on every level.Spiritual CourageMany have expressed the view that we shouldalways be kind, thoughtful and hold a peacefuloutlook on life. They feel that we should avoidall strife and unpleasantness because theyare detrimental to our mystical outlook anddevelopment. However, as was hintedearlier, if we hold this attitude we make themistake of not realising that the oppositionof circumstances very often are the very meansby which we gain a deeper understanding oflife. Opposition and the reasonable level ofstress this results in, forces us to face up toand overcome our problems. This is where weneed to develop, in our daily attitude to life,the characteristic which is often thought to bediametrically opposed to the mystical life. Thischaracteristic is courage.Unless we develop a courageous anddetermined spirit, we cannot face the turmoiland strife confronting us in every step of thepath we have chosen. The mystical way is notan easy road. It is fraught with challenges to ourstrength of character, to our insight and to all wehave and hold dear. If we don’t have the spiritualcourage to face these challenges, in whateverguises they may appear, we will simply fall bythe wayside. We will then have to wait until wehave gained the strength of character to face allthe challenges and obstacles life presents us inthe form of opportunities for progress.And so, with emotional equanimity andThe mystical way is not an easy road.with a determined and courageous spirit, wecan treat our daily difficulties as challenge thatare meant to be overcome. If we meet the eventswith thoughtfulness, kindness and a determinedattitude to find mystical insight, we needn’t beafraid of any eventuality that may confront us aswe seek a more rewarding way of life, one wherewe become aware of all that life really means onthe physical, mental and spiritual planes. Oncewe acquire this attitude toward our personalinner development and daily lives, we will havethe assurance that we are making great progressin our attainment of the mastery of life.The way we think and the daily attitude we hold will determine our future and the degree of happiness and satisfaction wereceive from life.22The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


y Amoriferhe CLASSICAL GREEK PHILOSOPHERAristotle is reputed to have once said“The whole is greater than the sum of itsparts.” This is easy to understand forexample when we have two wheels, ahandlebar, saddle, frame, chain, bolts and otherrelated parts lying on the floor before us. They area jumble of parts now and of little use individually.But once assembled they become a single object ofgreat utility, namely, a bicycle, a machine we canuse to ride far and wide at speeds much fasterthan walking. The finished bicycle therefore isgreater than the sum of its parts.In its entirety, existence is comprisedof the Cosmic, the immaterial plane, and thematerial plane. From Aristotle’s viewpoint theThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200923


From Aristotle’s viewpoint the Absolute can be consideredas the sum total of these separate existences and is thereforegreater than the sum of the individual existences it iscomposed of.Absolute can be considered as the sum total ofthese separate existences and is therefore greaterthan the sum of the individual existences it iscomposed of. It is obvious that experiencing theAbsolute isn’t going to be a trivial matter. But justas we can effectively experience simple examplesof perfection such as those of mathematicalaxioms like 2+2=4, we can similarly experiencethe Absolute in small doses.Experience and KnowledgeExperience is the child of knowledge. Whenknowledge of a particular event manifests to ourphysical consciousness, we gain experience ofthat “knowledge event.”• Experiences of perfection concern eventsmainly of the material plane.• Experiences of the Absolute are moreapplicable to events on the immaterial plane.To be cognisant of knowledge from theAbsolute we have to gain experience of it, andin order to do so we must use techniques suchas concentration, contemplation and meditationwhich provide a bridge between the planes of ourconsciousness.REM and MeditationThere is a meditative technique we can employto our advantage that has much in common withthe phenomenon of rapid eye movement duringsleep. Scientists are aware that during our sleepingperiods a certain type of dreaming occurs whichis associated with rapid eye movement (REM).This is indicative of a vivid dream state which weexperience as if we were awake and which mayreadily be recalled upon awakening.This gives us a clue as to what we should beaiming for in order to raise the level of our outerconsciousness to the cosmic plane, our preparationfirstly involves the use of concentration techniquessuch as performing whole-body relaxation andquieting of the physical aspect of our mind/brain.We then move on to contemplation, though atthis stage most students continue with wholebodyrelaxation and mind. I would suggest atthis point that relaxing the facial muscles, eyesand eyelids are of paramount importance overother parts of the body, so as to bring about REMactivity. Alternatively, feel the muscles of theforehead, eyes and eyelids relax.This REM should occur involuntarily. Wecan’t try and twitch our eyes in order to induceREM, nor can we observe when REM occurs.Scientists are aware that during our sleeping periods acertain type of dreaming occurs which is associated withrapid eye movement (REM).24The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


Our consciousness must be gently focused oncontemplating and receiving any knowledgerelevant to the experience we have in mind. Noattempt should be made to analyse whateverinsights we receive while in this partial-meditativestate. Knowledge gained should be mentallynoted briefly but written down as soon as theexercise is over.A Personal ExperienceBy its nature, experience of the Absolute ismore of a personal event compared to that ofexperiencing perfection. For example a studenton the path may find the experience akin toan initiation ceremony. While in a meditativeor similar state of consciousness there is anawareness that something special is about tohappen as the student is conscious of the presenceof “superior personalities” and is about to receiveknowledge that will be of much benefit to his orher progress on the path.Other ways of assisting us to experience theAbsolute is to seek knowledge from those highlydeveloped personalities who have experienced italready. For example, the Master Jesus taught usthe prayer: “Our Father, who art in Heaven…” Interms of the Absolute, the phrase “Our Father”signifies “the whole” of which we are a part.This means that we are intimately and spirituallyconnected to all Life, including animals.• Be the change you wish to see in the world.• To give service to a single heart by a singleact is better than a thousand heads bowed inprayer.• Happiness is when your thoughts, words andactions are in harmony.There are many more statements ofwisdom like these from sages and “holy” personsthroughout history, and it is through these axiomsof knowledge that we can experience the absoluteby our own contemplations and meditations onthem.Axioms of KnowledgeHere are some examples of knowledge from theAbsolute gleaned and bequeathed to us by theIndian sage and mystic Mahatma Gandhi:• The best way to find yourself is to loseyourself in the service of others. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)It is not by self-realisationthat man realises God.It is by God-realisationthat man realises Self.(Hasrat Inayat Khan 1882-1927)The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200925


y Mary Jones , SRCIn this fifth and final article onPythagoras we discover how histeachings and his school surviveddown through the ages and influencedmany of the great philosophers up tothe present day.Part 5PythagoreanThoughtthrough theCenturiesmong many other authors, thePythagorean School has been definedby Vincenzo Capparelli as “the greatestschool of knowledge in the Western world.”Throughout the centuries it has exerteda great influence and helped to provide pathco-ordinates in the search for mystical truth.Its inheritance cannot be grasped in its entiretybecause of its initiatory character which involvedrigorous selection while being protected by theobligation of silence. For these reasons it is difficultto get to the heart of the teachings.Following the dispersal of the School, manyessential concepts were lost. But it is possibleby investigating the various sources that havesurvived from ancient times, to trace the profile ofthis knowledge, which has spread its light outwardever since. The knowledge of the Pythagoreanteachings that we possess at the present timehas passed down from the ancient Pythagoreansthrough the biographies of Porphyry, Iamblichusand Diogenes Laertius.The initiations taken by the Pythagoreansinvolved passing through several degrees. As26The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


the initiate progressed through the studies,progress became increasingly more difficult asthe culmination finally came in sight. At thispoint the candidate would have acquired skillswhich were rare among the rest of the initiates.This is understandable, and tradition relates thatthe most important and essential Pythagoreanconcepts were imparted in the final phase of theteachings. Those initiates who had crossed thefinal portal obeyed the sacred oath of silence. Theobligation to remain silent about the real corpusof secret teachings of which so many sourcesspeak was probably not difficult to uphold, forthe knowledge was so difficult to understand thatonly the most intensively trained and dedicatedinitiates had any hope of ever comprehending it.The Pythagorean School, as we have seenin previous articles in the series, had its centre inKroton, from whence its teachings radiated outand spread like wildfire throughout southernItaly. Life throughout the whole of Magna Graeciachanged as never before. Neighbouring non-Greek-speaking peoples such as the Lucanians,the Piceni and the Latin-speaking peoples,were eager to hear the words of the master.The teachings of Pythagoras even had aprofound influence on the institutions ofancient Rome. According to Cicero: “Moreand more, there are many in our leading institutes that[benefit] by them.”Plato and SocratesMany of the teachings of the Pythagoreans havebeen lost through time, having been attributedto other philosophers of the past, including Platoand Aristotle. This came about following theirdispersion by Pythagorean disciples, some ofwhom travelled to Greece and rallied aroundSocrates in Athens. This famous philosopher wasborn some 30 years after the death of Pythagoras,but he became the head of the AthenianPythagoreans and made their theories part of hisown. Socrates sought to improve on Pythagoreantheory by eliminating their separation of theuniverse from the everyday realm of the senses,and he established the harmony of the universeand of individual things.Plato, in his dialogues Theaetitus,Parmenides, etc., was clearly influenced by thePythagorean teachings, and established hisAcademy specifically in order to continue thework of the Pythagorean School. Plato was drivenPlato (429-347 BCE)Socrates (469–399 BCE)by the desire to know the secrets of their initiaticknowledge and had access to those few remainingrepresentatives of the Pythagorean School whohad fled to Greece. Some of these had joined theSocratic Circle and it was from this small pool ofPythagorean initiates that he came in contact withthe most advanced of their initiates.According to Theodor Gomperz (1832-1912)Many of the teachings of the Pythagoreanshave been lost through time.in his book Greek Thinkers: a History of AncientPhilosophy, Plato finally made the transition fromthe Socratic method to Pythagoreanism. However,remaining true to the vow of silence, he rarelymentioned the Pythagoreans after his first tripto Italy. Gomperz saw in Plato’s Meno and in hisfinal dialogues the “drowning of Platonism in thegreat ocean of Pythagoreanism.” It took a significantstep forward in his Phaedo, where we can listen tothe last words of Socrates on the final day beforehis execution, when his disciples and friends werepermitted to see him during which they discussedthe immortality of the soul. Plato had no time forthe followers of Heraclitus, the Sophists or thefollowers of Anaxagoras, his preference beingfor Simmias and Cebes, both Pythagoreans of the“Circle of Thebes.”AristotleAristotle was also influenced by Pythagoreanismand not only because he attended the Academyin Athens for 20 years, but also for havingparticipated intensely in Pythagorean meetings.His early work On Philosophy consisted for themost part of the doctrines of the PythagoreansThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200927


and Plato, as well as his EudemianEthics, Protreptico and others.Vincenzo Capparelli called Aristotleone of the greatest connoisseurs ofPythagoreanism. In his Metaphysics,Aristotle says:“Contemporaneously with thesephilosophers and before them, the socalledPythagoreans, who were thefirst to take up mathematics, not onlyadvanced this study, but also havingbeen brought up in it they thoughtits principles were the principles ofall things. Since of these principlesnumbers are by nature the first, and in numbers theyseemed to see many resemblances to the things thatexist and come into being…, more than in fire andearth and water (such and such a modification ofnumbers being justice, another being soul and reason,another being opportunity-and similarly almost allother things being numerically expressible); sinceagain they saw that the modifications and theratios of the musical scales were expressible innumbers; since then all other things seemed intheir whole nature to be modelled on numbers,and numbers seemed to be the first things in thewhole of nature…,, they supposed the elements ofnumbers to be the elements of all things, and the wholeheaven to be a musical scale and a number.“And all the properties of numbers and scaleswhich they could show to agree with the attributes andparts and the whole arrangement of the heavens, theycollected and fitted into their scheme. And if there wasa gap anywhere, they readily made additions so as tomake their whole theory coherent. For example, as thenumber 10 is thought to be perfect and to comprisethe whole nature of numbers, they say that the bodieswhich move through the heavens are 10, but as thevisible bodies are only nine, to meet this they inventa tenth: the ‘counter-earth.’ We have discussed thesematters more exactly elsewhere“But the object of our review isthat we may learn from these philosophersalso what they suppose to be the principlesand how these fall under the causeswe have named. Evidently then, thesethinkers also consider that number is theprinciple both as matter for things andas forming both their modifications andtheir permanent states, and hold that theelements of number are the even and theodd, and that of these the latter is limited,Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE)and the former unlimited; and that theOne proceeds from both of these (for itis both even and odd), and number fromthe One; and that the whole heaven, ashas been said, is numbers.“Other members of this sameschool say there are 10 principles,which they arrange in two columnsof cognates…, limit and unlimited,odd and even, one and plurality, rightand left, male and female, resting andmoving, straight and curved, light anddarkness, good and bad, square andoblong. In this way Alcmaeon of Krotonseems also to have conceived the matter, and either hegot this view from them or they got it from him; forhe expressed himself similarly to them. For he saysmost human affairs go in pairs, meaning not definitecontrarieties such as the Pythagoreans speak of, butany chance contrarieties such as white and black, sweetand bitter, good and bad, great and small. He threw outThe Pythagorean School never re-emergedfrom the ashes of its destruction, but itsechoes are found down through the ages.indefinite suggestions about the other contrarieties,but the Pythagoreans declared both how many andwhich their contrarieties are.”AlexandriaThe Pythagorean School never re-emerged fromthe ashes of its destruction, but its echoes arefound down through the ages. From Athens, themystical doctrines found their way to Alexandria,a city where the Western world came into intimatecontact with the Eastern world. Pythagoreanismmelded with Platonism and gave rise to whatis now known as Neo-Platonism. But with thisnew concept of human destiny came the ardentThe Greek mystical doctrines found their way to Alexandria where the Westernworld melded and blended with traditions, religions and mystical beliefsystems from the Eastern world.28The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


aspiration for a renewal of nature.In the vast melting pot of Alexandria,Pythagorean mysticism split into two: Judeo-Alexandrian Pythagoreanism and RomanPythagoreanism. The latter is better known inour philosophical tradition than the other. Manyconcepts of Judeo-Alexandrian Pythagoreanismfound a strong echo in the religious and moralconcepts which gave rise to Christianity.Cicero (c. 106-43 BCE)Cicero andNigidiusThe precise date whenthe Pythagoreanmovement wastransplanted to Romecannot be given withcertainty but by themid-first centuryBCE, a cult-like groupflourished in Romeunder the leadershipof the Roman senator and Pythagorean, PubliusNigidius Figulus, (c.105 - 45 BCE) a contemporaryand friend of Cicero, who, in the Preface of histranslation of Plato’s Timaeus, stated that there wasnobody better than Nigidius to renew the ancientdiscipline of the Pythagoreans, who seemedby that time to be extinct. Nigidius, like everytrue Pythagorean, possessed an encyclopaedicknowledge. Cicero called him “a particularly acuteinvestigator of those matters which nature has madeobscure.” During his scientific investigations,the distinction between science and mysticismbecame blurred.The Latin author Cicero, mentioned above,was particularly interested in the Pythagoreanteachings. In his references to it, he analysed all itsaspects and, undoubtedly, it is thanks to him thatwe can reconstruct the essentials of Pythagoreanhistory and thought.VirgilWe can see the influence ofPythagoras in the works ofthe great Latin writer Virgil.There are many elementsof Pythagoreanism thataccording to the Frenchhistorian Jérôme Carcopinoare found in Virgil’s 4 th Eclogue;among these are:Virgil (70-19 BCE)• The theory of the Great Year, which forms thefundamental motive for the expected renewalof humanity.• The Virgin, a symbol of justice, whoseappearance heralds the end of the Iron Ageand the advent of the Golden Age.• The invocation to Apollo, of whom Pythagoraswas considered to a reincarnation.• Apollo, who will be the dominant god ofthis final century when the universe willtransform itself during the Golden Age.• The “young woman” who is destined to ruleover the Golden Age, when all animals willlive together in peace.As in the 4 th Eclogue, Book 4 of Virgil’s Aeneidreveals the intensity of Pythagorean mysticalthought.PlutarchPlutarch, the Greekwriter and philosopherwho lived around100 CE was anotherbeliever in Pythagoreanwisdom. He was oneof the most influentialof the small numberof philosophers whoformed the future Plutarch (c. 46-120)image of Pythagoras that has been handed downto us. In two short dialogues that he wrote, it ispossible to discern the existence of a first centuryCE Pythagorean circle where the teachings werestill given under the seal of secrecy. In his otherworks, De Genius Socratis, De Facie in Orbe Lunae,and De Isis et Osiris, we also find the fundamentalconcepts of the Pythagorean School.He states that the human soul [personality],with its imperfections and compelling needs, willcontinue to reincarnate until it achieves a purelife, having finally overcome its imperfect nature.Once all the dross has been eliminated, it will riseto the superior realms and direct contact with thegods and help other souls who have the desire forperfection.Diogenes LaertiusThe first author whose biography of Pythagorashas been preserved in full is Diogenes Laertius(c.200-250). In his work Lives and Opinions ofthe Eminent Philosophers he briefly describes theSchool and its Master:The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200929


“[Pythagoras] wasthe first person, as [Plato’s]Timaeus says, whoasserted that the propertyof friends is common, andthat friendship is equality.And his disciples used toput all their possessionstogether into one store,and use them in common;and for five years theyDiogenes Laertius (c. 200-250)kept silence, doing nothing but listen to discourses,and never once seeing Pythagoras, until they wereapproved; after that time they were admitted into hishouse, and allowed to see him….“He is said to have been a man of the mostdignified appearance, and his disciples adopted anopinion respecting him, that he was Apollo who hadcome from the Hyperboreans; and it is said, that oncewhen he was stripped naked, he was seen to havea golden thigh. And there were many people whoaffirmed that when he was crossing the river Nessus itaddressed him by his name.”In another passage, specifying theconfidentiality of his teachings, he adds “butPorphyry highlighted the importance ofhealth in the Pythagorean scheme.until the time of Philolaus [480-385 BCE], none of thedoctrines of Pythagoras were ever divulged; and he wasthe first person to publish the three celebrated booksthat Plato wrote.”He was the only one who disclosed thethoughts of the Master. “Nor were the number ofhis scholars who used to come to him by night, fewerthan six hundred. And if any of them had ever beenpermitted to see him, they wrote of it to their friends, asif they had gained some great advantage. The people ofMetapontum used to call his house the temple of Ceres;and the street leading to it they called the street of theMuses, as we are told by Favorinus in his UniversalHistory.”PorphyryIn this brief historical excursion on the evolutionof Pythagorean thought we cannot overlook thetwo most important sources, namely the writingsof Porphyry and Iamblichus. Porphyry (c.234-305), a pupil of Plotinus, was a faithful followerof Pythagorean thought. Faithful to the doctrineof the School, he admitted that all life muststrive for purification of the soul, the domain ofthe body, to overcome the passions in order toreintegrate with the divine. For this elevation toGod, we must overcome obstacles generated bydrives and impulses of matter, we must have thedetermination to divest ourselves of that “tunicand dark that hinders the soul.”In his work De Abstinentia (On Abstinence)Porphyry advocates against the consumptionof animals, exalting the vegetarian diet andhighlighting the importance of health in thePythagorean scheme. In this treatise, Porphyryalso explains his theory on sacrifices, referring tothese acts as lower forms of worship and merelyas the propitiation of evil demons. Only thephilosopher, whom he defined as a follower ofPythagoras, could refrain from these practices ofwitchcraft to consecrate themselves to God, sincehe is a scholar of Nature and also intelligent,modest, moderate and always concerned abouthis salvation.In his work the Life of Pythagoras, Porphyrywrites in adulation:“When he reached Italy he stopped at Kroton.His presence was that of a free man, tall, gracefulin speech and gesture, and in all things else.Dicaearchus relates that ‘the arrival of this greattraveller, endowed with all the advantages ofnature, and prosperously guided by fortune,produced on the Krotonians so great an impression,that he won the esteem of the elder magistrates byhis many and excellent discourses. They ordered himto exhort the young men, and then to the boys whoflocked out of their schools to hear him; and lastly tothe women, who came together on purpose.’“Through this heachieved great reputation,he drew great audiencesfrom the city, not only ofmen, but also of women,among whom was anPorphyry (c. 234-305)especially illustriousperson named Theano. Healso drew audiences fromamong the neighbouringbarbarians, among whomwere magnates andkings. What he told hisaudiences cannot be saidwith certainty, for heenjoined silence upon hishearers. But the following30The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


is a matter of general information. He taught that thesoul was immortal and that after death it transmigratedinto other animated bodies. After certain specifiedperiods, the same events occur again; that nothingwas entirely new; that all animated beings were kin,and should be considered as belonging to one greatfamily. Pythagoras was the first one to introduce theseteachings into Greece.“His speech was so persuasive that, accordingto Nicomachus, in one address made on first landing inItaly he made more than two thousand adherents. Outof desire to live with him, they built a large auditorium,to which both women and boys were admitted. [Foreignvisitors were so many that] they built whole cities,settling that whole region of Italy now known asMagna Graecia. His ordinances and laws were receivedby them as divine precepts, and without them woulddo nothing. They held all property in common, andranked him among the divinities. And whenever theycommunicated to each other some choice bit of hisphilosophy, from which physical truths could always bededuced, they would swear by the Tetractys, adjuringPythagoras as a divine witness, in the words: “I call towitness him who to our souls expressed the Tetractys,eternal Nature’s fountain-spring.”Porphyry emphasises the figure ofPythagoras presenting him, in fact, like a divinebeing, with extraordinary powers, saying: “Hesoothed the passions of the soul and body by rhythms,songs and incantations. These he adapted and appliedto his friends. He himself could hear the harmony ofthe Universe, and understood the universal music ofthe spheres, and of the stars which move in concertwith them.”With regard to Pythagoras’ teachings, hepoints out that “His utterances were of two kinds,plain or symbolical. His teaching was twofold: of hisdisciples some were called Mathematikoi or Students,and others Akousmatikoi or Hearers. The Studentslearned the fuller and more exactly elaborate reasonsof science, while the Hearers heard only the chief headsof learning, without more detailed explanations. Heordained that his disciples should speak well and thinkreverently of the Gods, muses and heroes, and similarlyof parents and benefactors; that they should obey thelaws; that they should not relegate the worship of theGods to a secondary position, performing it eagerly,even at home.”IamblichusUnlike Porphyry, Iamblichus (c.245-325) recognisedthe importance of Pythagoreanism in theperspective of a newand reinterpretedhistory of Greekthought, trying torevive Pythagoreanphilosophy. Heconsidered it tobe the greatest ofall philosophies,referring to it asthe “aspiration towisdom.”In his On ThePythagorean Life hesays: “Pythagoras issaid to have been theIamblichus (c. 245-325)first person to callhimself a philosopher. It was not just a new wordthat he invented: he used it to explain a concernspecial to him. He said that people approach life likethe crowds that gather at a festival. People comefrom all around, for different reasons: one is eagerto sell his wares and make a profit, another to winfame by displaying his physical strength. And thereis a third kind, the best sort of free man, who come tosee places and fine craftsmanship and excellence inactions and words, such as are generally on displayat festivals.Just so, in life, people with all kinds ofconcerns assemble in one place. Some hanker aftermoney and an easy life; some are in the clutchesof desire for power and of frantic competition forfame; but the person of the greatest authority isthe one who has chosen the study of that which isfinest, and that one we call philosopher. Heaven inits entirety, he said, and the stars in their courses,are a fine sight if one can see its order. But it is soby participation in the primary and intelligible.And what is primary is number and rational orderpermeating all there is. All things are ranged intheir proper and harmonious order in accordancewith these. Wisdom is real knowledge, not requiringeffort, concerned with those beautiful thingswhich are primary, divine, pure and unchanging,and other things may be called beautiful if theyparticipate in these. Philosophy is zeal for suchstudy. Concern for education is beautiful too,working with Pythagoras for the improvement ofmankind.”Iamblichus relates that the key tohealing in Pythagoreanism lay in the patient’sprevious existence and as part of the caringThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200931


process the memory has to be evoked of theirprevious life:“He thought that the training of peoplebegins with the senses, when we see beautiful shapesand forms and hear beautiful rhythms and melodies.So the first stage of his system of education wasIamblichus relates that the key to healingin Pythagoreanism lay in the patient’sprevious existence.music: songs and rhythms from which came healingof human temperaments and passions. The originalharmony of the soul’s powers was restored, andPythagoras devised remission and complete recoveryfrom diseases affecting both body and soul.“It is especially remarkable that he orchestratedfor his pupils what they call ‘arrangements’ and‘treatments.’ With supernatural skill, he madeblends of diatonic, chromatic and enharmonicmelodies, which easily transformed into theiropposites the maladies of the soulwhich had lately without reasonarisen, or were beginning to growin his students: grief, anger, pity;misplaced envy, fear; all kinds ofdesires, appetite, wanting; emptyconceit, depression, violence. Allthese he restored to virtue, using theappropriate melodies like mixturesof curative drugs.”We also learn fromIamblichus that Pythagorascould achieve the same effect ina different way…, not throughinstruments or vocals, but ratherthrough a divine, ineffable anddifficult to conceive power:“He no longer used musicalinstruments or songs to createorder. Through some unutterable,almost inconceivable likeness to thegods, his hearing and his mind wereintent upon the celestial harmoniesof the cosmos. It seemed as if healone could hear and understand theuniversal harmony and music of thespheres and of the stars which movewithin them, uttering a song morecomplete and satisfying than anyhuman melody, composed of subtlyvaried sounds of motion and speedsPetrarch (1304-1374)Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499)and sizes and positions, organised in a logical andharmonious relation to each other, and achieving amelodious circuit of subtle and exceptional beauty.“Refreshed by this, and by regulating andexercising his reasoning powers, he conceived theidea of giving his disciples some image of thesethings, imitating them, so far as it waspossible, through musical instruments orthe unaccompanied voice. He believed thathe alone of those on Earth could hear andunderstand the utterance of the universe, andthat he was worthy to learn from the fountainheadand origin of existence…, and to make himself, byeffort and imitation, like the heavenly beings. Thedivine power which brought him to birth had givenhim alone this fortunate endowment. Other people,he thought, must be content to look to him, and toderive their profit and improvement from the imagesand models he offered them as gifts, since theywere not able truly to apprehend the pure, primaryarchetypes.”Renaissance ItalyLong after these Neo-Platonic philosophers, furtherdistinguished minds began toappear in what is now Italy. Theywere able to appreciate, recogniseand deepen that knowledge thatmysteriously disappeared in thechaos following the decline of theRoman Empire. The Italian scholarFrancesco Petrarca (1304-1374),whom we know as Petrarch, hada large library of works of theclassical period. But for all hislove of learning, he was unable tolearn Greek and lamented the factthat he would never arrive at thebest understanding of philosophybecause his Greek was not goodenough. He referred to Pythagorasas: “the most ancient of all naturalphilosophers.”With the great philosophersof the Renaissance came a reevaluationof the PythagoreanSchool. The humanist philosopherMarsilio Ficino acknowledgedthe influence of Pythagoras onPlato. In his villa near Florence,Ficino obtained the patronage of32The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


Pico della Mirandola(1463-1494)Lorenzo de Medici andset up the AccademiaPlatonica (Plato’sAcademy) where hetranslated Plato’s worksinto Latin directly fromthe Greek. He went onto translate the works ofPorphyry, Iamblichus,Proclus and Plotinusinto Latin, therebyensuring the continuedsurvival of Pythagoreanthought.That great Neo-Platonist Giovanni Picodella Mirandola regarded Pythagoras as aChristian sage. He equated the peace promisedby Jesus with the Pythagorean peace “in whichall rational souls not only shall come into harmonyin the one mind which is above all minds, but shall insome ineffable way become altogether one. That is thefriendship which the Pythagoreans say is the end ofall philosophy.” Another one of his writings wasthe almost impenetrable Fourteen Conclusionsafter Pythagorean Mathematics.And Leonardo da Vinci, in hisstudies and researches, alsoheld Pythagoras in high esteem,presenting his own proof ofthe Pythagoras theorem (a 2 +b 2 = c 2 ).The hermeticistGiordano Bruno, in his DialoghiItaliani (Italian Dialogues)said that “best and purest isthe world of Pythagoras, more sothan that of Plato.” TommasoCampanella, author of theutopian work “City of theSun” studied Pythagoras withlove and presented himself asthe continuator of that ancienttradition, and Galileo wasable to restore the glory of thePythagoreans in the scientificfield.PostscriptThe Pythagorean school neverre-emerged from the ashesof its destruction and thetragedy was that, for the mostLeonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and his proof of thePythagoras Theorum.part, its wisdom was a great anachronism.Undoubtedly this was a major factor in itsdecline and the propagation of its teachingswas continued outside the uninitiated. Indeed,Pythagoreanism fell under the weight of its ownmagnitude.Other figures from the early modern period that were influenced by Pythagoras:1. Giordano Bruno (1548-1600), 2. Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639), 3. GalileoGalilei (1564-1642).The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200933


y Cynthia Kawiza, SRCROSPERITY, AS a SUBJECT, IS ALWAYSof great interest, particularly in thesetimes. There are many who really wantto be more successful, and believe thatan increase in their finances will bringthem the prosperity they long for.It might be trite to say but it’s a wellknown fact that having more money, in itself,doesn’t bring about an increase in true prosperity(although that does depend on our views ofwhat prosperity really is of course). Too muchmoney or pleasure tends to make us lax anddestroys personal initiative. In the broader sense,prosperity engenders happiness, joy, good healthand a realisation of contributing to the progressof mankind. So we might say that prosperity is aresult of living and working in harmony with theCosmic. Through this harmonious relationship34The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


we achieve greater peace of mind, a deeper senseof contentment, and the ability to be inspired withlofty thoughts, creative ideas and a greater help insolving our daily problems.We can bring real prosperity to ourselveswhen we eliminate from our thoughts and feelingsany envy, worry, hatred, bitterness, anxiety orother destructive attitudes. Negative conditionsstrongly influence our inner selves and separateus from a harmonious relationship with theCosmic, which is the source of all good andthe provider of the prosperity we seek. TheseNegative conditions strongly influenceour inner selves and separate us froma harmonious relationship with theCosmic.negative thoughts and emotions weaken the innerself and lower its resistance. These thoughts beginto attract negative conditions, and our situationwill continue to get worse.The ChallengeLife is a great challenge for us to do the best wecan under all of the different conditions we comeacross each day. Each experience is an opportunityto develop our powers of right judgment andright action, so that we come to rely upon theguidance of the inner self. Everything we do in lifecontributes to our growth, and we strengthen thatgrowth process as we come to accept the helpfulinfluences of the inner self with its wisdom andexperience in right thought and action.When we elevate our thoughts to newlevels, we’ll feel the love, joy and happiness ofthe inner self. When we express our gratitudeto it, we’ll become aware of a powerful spiritualcompanion in our life who’ll always seek to guideand help us at all times. It’ll bring us comfortwhen it’s most needed and an infallible directionwhen we are in doubt. By placing our confidencewith our inner Master, by giving it our trustand our blessing, a new life will begin thatwill create a new prosperity for us.Every day will become an opportunityto give something of ourselves in thoughtand service to others. We should ask that theabundance of the Cosmic be ours, and that wemay share our good fortune with others who arein need. This is the attitude we must take, becauseGod and nature will give freely all that they have.From today on, let’s begin to express theriches of good thought and the wealth of rightaction wherever we may be. Let’s spare a thoughtfor the underprivileged, the sick and those lessfortunate than we are. We’ll become instrumentsto uplift mankind to a better way of life and we’llreally be counted as people who are living theprosperous life.Seek not to see yourselfin running water,but in still water.For only what is itself stillcan impart stillness into others.(Zhuāng Zī 3 rd century BCE)The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200935


y Fraser Lawson, FRCt LAY IN MY HAND, a BALL OFpure crystal glittering in the light,with rainbow colours dancing from themany facets cut upon its surface. Howstrange, its fascinating beauty! There itlay transparent, its centre apparently empty, itsboundaries hardly discernible against my hand.The pleasure it gave rested entirely in its abilityto reflect the light. What a perfect symbol of thehuman consciousness!The material form of the body we can seeand touch, but the personality, the infinite beingliving in the body, can be known only by thereflection from the many facets of our abilities,and the aspects of our individual responses to theouter world. Each of us determines the colourswe will reflect: the warmth and brilliance oflove for all, kindliness and light which bringsjoy to all who see its presence, or the dark huesof selfishness and an existence enveloped in theclouds of materialism.But the reflections on the crystal are only itssurface, bounding a formless centre where nothingobstructs the light. Within our material being oureternal soul exists, without shape, without form.In meditation we can sense this higher self, restingas it were in the centre of the crystal, which allowsthe cosmic light to flow through us. Undisturbedby the reflections on the surface, calm and aware ofthe light, the higher self rests in Peace Profound.36The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


y Avril Hugo, SRChe VARIOUS DOCTRINES OF JUSTICEwhich have occupied political and legalthought over the millennia have comemainly from philosophers, lawyersand politicians. Theologians too haveinfluenced such doctrines, but only to the extentthat their relevant ideas fitted into secular framesof reference, enabling their ideas to be severedfrom their religious contexts and linked with theopposite philosophic tradition.Johannes Eckhart, also known as “MeisterEckhart,” (1260?-1327) established a uniquedoctrine of justice coming directly from the, by thenrelatively advanced, principles of medieval mysticalthought. The doctrine he propounded stood at thevery centre of medieval Christian mystical thoughtand he is quoted as having once said: “…whoeverunderstands my conception of justice, understands allI have ever said.” Much of what Meister Eckhartsaid can be viewed as an attempt to offer “divinecomfort” rather than “justice,” and if we are toview this divine comfort as justice, then it is not ofthe secular sort we are familiar with today, but ofanother sort that transcends the material, secularview of life.Two main aspects of justice can howeverbe distinguished in Eckhart’s concept of justice;one is active, the other is passive. As to its activeaspect, justice requires that everyone be given hisor her due (suum cuique dare), which correspondsto the classical notion that the essence of justicelies in allotting to everyone that they deserve, orwhat is due to them (suum cuique tribuere). Fromthe suum cuique dare precept, Eckhart derives thatGod ought to be given His due, the angels andsaints their due, and every man his due. God’sThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200937


due is to be honoured; man honoursGod through self-abnegation andself-transcendence achieved byabandoning all that serves merelyone’s personal inclinations andinterests. The due of angels andsaints is to be given joy; they rejoiceover the good works performed bya struggling humanity and over thegood will which results from thosegood works. The due of our fellowhuman beings is the help that theyneed and that we can provide.As to the passive aspect ofEckhart’s justice, this requires that weaccept everything from God equally(aequaliter omnia de Deo accipere). It may be thoughtthat the adverb equally in this precept has the sameimport that the adjective equal and the substantiveequality have in conventional conceptions of justice.This is however, not the case. “Equally,” in thecontext of Meister Eckhart’s doctrine of justice,primarily imports the mystic’s detachment frommaterial reality, an attitude that every mystic of hisday was expected to assume in his path to God. “Toaccept equally” in Eckhart’s sense therefore doesnot raise the problem of how to ascertain measure,or match the value of distributed goods, services orwhatever else is meted out. What is involved here isthe spirit of equanimity in which whatever is givenmust be accepted without question.In order to be able to accept everythingfrom God “equally,” it is necessary to have astate of mind which Eckhart describes as seclusion(Abgeschiedenheit) and abandonment (Gelassenheit).Literally, Gelassenheit means a condition in whichsomething has been left, this something being inthe present context the world as it is ordinarilyencountered and experienced by the person. Hencewe have Eckhart’s rather untranslatable but tellingplay of words: “wer gelassen hat, ist gelassen” (“hewho has left [the world] is left [in tranquillity]”).“Leaving the world” does not mean ceasing tocare about one’s everyday life. Rather, it meanstranscending the world in our emotive encounterwith it…, namely, accepting the real world aswhatever it happens to be in a composed frameMedieval representation ofJohannes Eckhart.The passive aspect of Eckhart’s justicerequires that we accept everything fromGod equally.of mind, with imperturbability andequanimity. His thoughts in thisregard are hauntingly close to thoseof the greatest minds of Far Eastduring the same and previous eras.In Consonance with GodIn this context, it becomes possibleto meet a further requirement ofMeister Eckhart’s conception ofjustice, according to which theperson must step completely outsidehis or her will. This was a widelyassumed necessity for the attainmentof holiness and in modern mysticalthought, it is close to the mysticalneed of subsuming the will of the “outer self” to thewill of the “inner self.”“Stepping outside” means merely theabandonment of one’s personal, consciouslyobjective will in favour of the “will of God.”Striving for ecstatic at-one-ness with God throughimmersion into the “seclusion” of the personal soul,the mystic encounters the divine “spark” or “seed”and harmonises his or her outer will with the willof God. Hence the prayer adopted by Eckhart fromthe stoic philosopher Epictetus: “Give me the willto will according to Thy will…,” a clear call for thesubsuming of the human will to that of the divine.This adequation can transpire in the mystic’s VacareDeo in which he clears his mind from all its contentsso there is a mental void which can then be filledwith a divine afflatus which produces a conditionin which the individual can feel, think and will inconsonance with God.According to Meister Eckhart, humanbeings are characterised by disquietudeand inconstancy. In contrast, God’s nature ispeace and permanence. The human searchfor God is therefore a search for tranquillity,an aspiration to overcome what is transitory andto achieve what is durable. And the process ofVacare Deo is an essential phase in this aspiration.Aequaliter omnia accipere belongs to it as a preceptwhose observance promotes “the birth of God” inthe human soul, which in turn is a preconditionfor the implementation and observation of thesuum cuique dare precept. So, the passive and activeaspects of Eckhart’s justice prove to be joined ina relationship of dependence: Only if we are ableto accept everything in equanimity, are we able toknow what is our due. And only then can we will38The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


the giving of this due to all.At first glance, thereseems to be a fundamentalincompatibility between theactive and passive aspects ofMeister Eckhart’s doctrine ofjustice, an inconsistency whichrocks its very foundation; for theaequaliter omnia accipere preceptseems to import a fatalistic tenetof justice which may be renderedas “To everyone according to hisdestiny.” This tenet seems to makeit entirely pointless to do anythingabout giving a person his dueand therefore seems to renderthe precept suum cuique darevacuous. On further investigationhowever, the incompatibilitybetween the two precepts provesto be unfounded once it is notedthat aequaliter omnia accipere relates to the passivejustice-subject (the grantee) but not to the activejustice-subject (the grantor).EquanimityThe finding that there is actually no inconsistencybetween the two precepts is reinforced by thecircumstance that aequaliter in the relevant contextrefers to equanimity rather than to equality in thesense of conventional doctrines of justice. Eckhart’smysticism is anything but quietism; its essentialmessage is the individual’s active participation inthe dynamics of the world. The deepest and mostprofound calling of any person is therefore to beGod’s co-operator and companion. The unio mysticawith God is achieved by the mystic leaving the“worldliness” of the world behind. But it is notmeant to be a permanent state of mind, namely, amind locked in seclusion. But rather, it is meantto be a passing inner experience which elevatesthe individual into companionship with God forbecoming His true helpmate in the execution of Hisdesigns.Since the frame of mind which results fromfollowing the aequaliter omnia accipere precept is anecessary condition for the human ability to applythe precept suum cuique dare, serenity precedesjustice in Meister Eckhart’s doctrine; justice flowsfrom serenity. The acceptance of everything inequanimity, (a) relieves receivers of the over-avidityof having what they may claim to be their due,The human search for God is a search fortranquillity, an aspiration to overcomewhat is transitory and to achieve whatis durable.and (b) relieves the renderersfrom over-anxiety in meeting thecorresponding claims. In this waya more composed examination ofany justice system is possible, andconsequently, sounder judgmentsabout what is to be accordedor what is to be withheld arepossible.This is particularlyimportant in disputes about justicewhere some relevant factors arehighly controversial. It is alsoimportant because when attemptsto apply justice are made from thevantage of serenity, the passionswhich the actual or alleged failureto do justice produces, tend toshed their obnoxious effect so thatsubsequent efforts to remedy thesituation in a reasonable mannerand ultimately to achieve justice are more likely tobe successful.It is to be considered that man is liable to doinjustice as a result of his very ardour to do justicebecause of the unsurveyability of many justicesituations in which the ostensible doing of justice tosomeone is liable to deprive someone else (existinghere and now or far away, or not yet existing) ofwhat is his or her due. Equanimity or serenity in thecourse of applying justice is therefore conducive toa more penetrating and broader assessment of therelevant justice-situations. We rely heavily todayon the mystical concept of serenity, one which hasundoubtedly existed for thousands of years, both inthe West through the ancient Egyptian lineage, andin the East through the Vedic lineage.Eastern and Western ConceptionsIn the West, justice differs fundamentally fromthe East in that in the Western [primarily Greek]tradition serenity arises from rather than gives riseto justice. In the Eastern tradition, it is the opposite.In Greek mythology therefore, Hesychia, the deityof “stillness resting in itself,” was conceived to haveemerged through virgin birth from the essence ofDike, the deity (goddess) of justice. Justice beingconceived as an ascendant rather than a descendantof serenity, it is no wonder that the endeavour to dojustice in the West has so often been a motive forcebehind wars and other forms of violence. “Justice”has often been invoked to justify the horror we haveThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200939


witnessed in the wars of the Western world.Meister Eckhart’s conception of justice, likethat of the ancient Eastern world, shuns this role ofthe idea of justice. There are clear parallels here withthe metaphysics and ethics of Eastern civilisationsin which nonattachment, equanimity, serenityand all that belongs to a contemplative life havea pre-eminence among human and transhumanvirtues. Despite the fact that Meister Eckhart speaksof justice in religious terms or in similes of theChristian religion, it is possible to lift his doctrine ofjustice from its Christian setting and perhaps evento demythologise and “demysticise” it entirely,without thereby destroying the coherence andintelligibility of his principal message.Eckhart was an unconventional, remarkablereligious thinker. In his thought, Christ, the Calvary,the Bible, the Church and revelation play no decisiverole. The God of whom he speaks does not appear tobe what Christian theologians usually have in mindwhen they speak of God. In his “negative theology”he even arrives at a denial of God as an existentbeing; God subsists rather than exists. Eckhart wasa man of extraordinary insight and bequeathed tohumanity at large and to our modern concepts ofjustice in particular, a great gift.MysticismSo in summary then, it can be said that MeisterEckhart’s doctrine of justice is only accidentallylinked with Christianity, for it represents a mysticalconception having no specific religiousaffiliations, and is as close to the Easternworld view as that of the West. Mysticismhas emerged from theistic, pantheistic,even atheistic backgrounds and, apart fromChristianity, has also appeared in, amongstothers, the great religions of Hinduism,Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. It seems tobe possible to catch mysticism from anycharacteristically religious idea altogetherand to view it as an attitude to and a wayof life; a way of looking at external andinternal realities, and of approaching themand dealing with them in a manner whoseessential trait is serenity.It is possible to create a doctrine inagreement with the essentials of MeisterEckhart’s doctrine of justice which doesnot depend on mystical notions or proceedfrom religious assumptions, and the gistsuch a doctrine could be stated as follows:We rely heavily today on the mystical concept of serenity.The active aspect of justice, which consists ingiving everyone his “due,” depends on the passiveaspects of justice, which consists in the equanimityin accepting whatever one is given. The diminutionof our concern about what we get, consequentupon this equanimity, begets conditions in whichefforts to do justice can take place without harmfulstruggle and other social evils which giving and notgiving tend to produce.The serenity in which we receive divisibleassets engenders serenity in our contacts withpersons and things, a communion with them inwhich what we come to possess does not render uspossessed. This serenity is instrumental in avertingthe danger of doing injustice when trying hardto do justice and thus in promoting durable andtranquil peace. It helps us to find the via mediabetween the extremes, which are vices, and, inavoiding excesses, to discover the Golden Mean.Mysticism has emerged from theistic, pantheistic, even atheisticbackgrounds and, apart from Christianity, has also appeared in, amongstothers, the great religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam.40The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


y Lucy Carroll, SRCThe only depiction of Johannes Kelpius (1673-1708) in existence.n 1694 Magister Johannes Kelpiusled a group of German Pietists to NorthAmerica to settle along the banks of theWissahickon River in Pennsylvania, nearPhiladelphia. This settlement, known asthe “Hermits of the Ridge,” the “Hermits ofthe Wissahickon,” the “Contented of the God-Loving Soul” (as they referred to themselves) orthe “Society of the Woman in the Wilderness”(from the reference to Revelations) was thefirst known Rosicrucian settlement in the NewWorld, beginning the first cycle of Rosicrucianactivity there, and leaving a priceless legacy toPhiladelphia and the young country.The Legacy of KelpiusThe Wissahickon settlement lasted from 1694to the death of Kelpius in 1708. After Kelpius’The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200941


The northern part of Fairmount Park containing what little remains of theKelpius settlement (from the 1876 International Exibition).death, individual members remained in the area,continuing their study and teaching until the lastsurviving member, Dr. Christopher Witt, died in1765 at the advanced age of ninety years.While the site of Kelpius’ settlement isperhaps the most important in all of Philadelphia’sFairmount Park, it is the only one that has allbut disappeared. No building remains there, nosociety and no living direct descendants survive.What then is the Wissahickon settlers’legacy? The Pietists who came to the sylvanbeauty of the Wissahickon Glen left fewdocuments and no monuments, but rathercarried the flame of knowledge which theypassed to those around them, charging themwith responsibility to pass it on again and yetagain. Indirectly, by their example, teaching andinspiration, they influenced the development andgrowth of many areas of study in the Philadelphiacountryside.The direct legacy of the Wissahickonsettlers is, of course, seen in the presence of theRosicrucian Order, <strong>AMORC</strong>. Also, you can todayvisit the settlement at Ephrata, Pennsylvania,where, after the death of Kelpius, some fewsurviving members of the original group travelledto join Conrad Beissel in carrying ontheir mystical studies.But there is much more to theWissahickon legacy than this. Someof the areas of expertise and influencedemonstrated by members of theWissahickon settlement included healing,astronomy, astrology, education, botany,creative writing, music, art, philosophicand theological study, and metaphysicalarts.Kelpius also hoped to unitethe many differing sects in the youngprovince into one common brotherhood.He did not succeed, but the ideal of onepeople thus united is a never-endingdream.Somewhere on the 175-acre tractof land, probably under what is nowHenry Avenue, was a large gardenwhere medicinal plants and herbs weregrown. The local Unami Delaware NativeAmericans bartered information on localplants for knowledge from the strangeEuropeans. When Dr. Witt moved intoGermantown after Kelpius’ death, hecontinued to keep a garden, expanding it tobecome the first botanical garden in America. Wittcorresponded with naturalist Peter Collinson inLondon and with the famed Pennsylvania Quakerbotanist John Bartram. Witt was a strong influenceon Bartram, whose garden may be visited today. Itis the oldest extant botanical garden in America.Dr. Witt’s garden eventually fell into thehands of the Morris family. Perhaps the spirit orKelpius also hoped to unite the manydiffering sects in the young province intoone common brotherhood.reputation of the man persisted, for two of theMorrises followed in his work. Elizabeth Morris(died 2 nd February 1865, a century after Dr.Witt) corresponded with William Huttell and AsaGray, and cultivated many rare plants. MargarettaMorris (died 29 th May 1867) discovered the lifecycle of the seventeen-year locust. She became thefirst and, for many years, the only woman electedto membership in the Pennsylvania Academyof Natural Science. Elizabeth Morris gave thefamily grounds to the Episcopal Church. TheMorris-Littell House at Germantown and High42The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


Today you can visit the settlement at Ephrata, Pennsylvania, where,after the death of Kelpius, some few surviving members of the originalgroup travelled to join Conrad Beissel in carrying on their mysticalstudies.Streets Philadelphia, where Dr. Witt had lived andworked, was finally torn down in 1914.AstronomyIn addition to the garden, there was a telescopeat the Glen, and both astronomy andastrology were studied. Copies of some early“nativities” or horoscopes cast there may befound in the books of the Pietist Dr. JuliusFriedrich Sachse. This study of the heavens wasregarded as decidedly curious by some of theneighbours.The Rittenhouse family (Rittenhuysen,Rittinghuis, Rittenhausen) settled in the area in1688. David Rittenhouse went on to become astatesman, astronomer and mathematician. Indeed,Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse AstronomicalSociety is named after him. It was in theWissahickon wilderness, that the youngRittenhouse learned astronomy underthe guidance of the Hermits and Dr.Christopher Witt?Education and LiteratureOne of the best things about the settlerswas their desire for fellowship. Throughherbal lore, healing and teachingthey reached out to all their German,Quaker, Swedish and Native Americanneighbours.The importance they put oneducation may be seen in this excerptfrom an account of the early days,unsigned, but possibly written byDaniel Falkner: “For we are resolved, besidesgiving public instruction to the little children ofthis country, to take many of them to ourselvesso as to lay in them the foundation of a stablepermanent character. With them the beginningmust be made, otherwise there will be onlymending and patching of the old people.” (7 thAugust 1694) The teaching continued underSeelig and Matthai.As to the creative arts, very little hassurvived, but there are enough pages toindicate that creative thought flourishedin Wissahickon Glen. Kelpius’ Diarium,or diary, remains, with copies of letters.Also surviving is another description of thevoyage from England possibly penned byDaniel Falkner. We have Falkner’s CurieuseNachricht, which spurred the increase ofGerman immigration to Pennsylvania. There isstill preserved a portrait of Kelpius by Dr. Witt.Also surviving the centuries is a collection ofpoetry in German by several members of thegroup, including Kelpius, Seelig and Koster,As to the creative arts, very little hassurvived today…along with the remarkable manuscript of poetryand music, The Lamenting Voice of the HiddenLove. There also exists Dr. Witt’s translation ofKelpius’ Method of Prayer, along with a beautifultwelve-verse poem, very balanced and carefullyfashioned, called “Der einsahmer Turteltauben”signed by Johann Gottfried Seelig and dated 1707.Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Astronomical Society is named after DavidRittenhouse. It was in the Wissahickon wilderness, that the youngRittenhouse learned astronomy under the guidance of the Hermits.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200943


Music in the WildernessKelpius’ Diarium tells us that the group “hadprayer meetings and sang hymns of praise and joy,several of us accompanying on instruments that wehad brought from London.” Documents also explainthat music filled the Tabernacle, the large meetinghouse built on the ridge. In addition, the group,dressed in academic garb, furnished the music forthe dedication of Gloria Dei (Old Swede’s) Churchin 1700, and for the ordination of Justus Falknerthere as Lutheran minister in 1703.This early appearance of vocal andinstrumental music in what was otherwise aprimitive wilderness must have set an examplefor the community and established a culturalprecedent for those who followed. Falknerhimself addressed letters overseas asking for morekeyboard instruments to continue this tradition.Healing, Alchemy and the Mystic ArtsHealing was practised, and all were welcome.Kelpius also served as attorney for the fledglingcommunity in Germantown. A document existssigned by Kelpius and witnessed by ClausRittinghuis. This contract between Georg Jacobsand Gerhard Levering/Heinrich Frey is in Kelpius’handwriting and is signed 30 th April 1700. Herethen is a concrete example of Kelpius using hislearning for the good of his neighbours.The mystic arts were also studied, andalchemical experiments conducted. Reference hasalready been made to the casting of nativities.Some members of the group invokedmedieval Germanic lore and made Zauberzettel:talismans or symbolic representations of paperor metal with assorted esoteric symbols. Perhapsthese designs were the predecessors of thePennsylvania German hex signs?The Wissahickon settlement also contributedto local folklore and legend through their arcanepractices. Settlers used divining rods, lit theSt. John’s Eve fire, released doves at burial tosymbolise the release of the soul, gathered herbsand held Rosicrucian rituals. As the Philadelphiaarea, and indeed North America, changed frombeing a colony to becoming an independentnation, it broke with the Old World tradition, andthe stories of the Hermits passed into folktales.But the legacy of the Wissahickon Hermitsis a real one; multifaceted and strong. It is thelight shining in the Wissahickon wilderness whichcontinues to illumine those who seek today.The inscribed granite monolith set up outside the so-called“Hermit’s Cave” that Kelpius used for his meditations. Thisstone was erected in 1961 by <strong>AMORC</strong> to commemorate hisname and work.The cave used by Kelpius as a shelter and sanctum for hismeditations.44The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


y Kenneth Harrolds, FRCWhat is colour? How does it arise? Is itan integral part of the objects and thingsthat surround us in our environment?Or is it, as mystics say, an innerexperience of the human consciousnessas a result of reflected light rays?t has been said THAT EARLY manfirst appreciated the colour of red,followed by green, black and then yellow.Certainly the ancient Egyptians usedthese colours principally in their tombsand temple decorations. Colour was a gradualdevelopment in the human consciousness andcontinues to be, for there is yet more to knowabout colour in our world.We can choose a vantage point almostanywhere on Earth and see colour manifestedaround us, from the ground at our feet upwardsto the great expanse of the sky. Above us aremulticoloured sunsets and sunrises. In front ofus is the green foliage of spring, the multi-huedflowers of summer, and the red, yellow andbrown leaves of autumn. Below our feet are thegems and stones of Mother Earth, which revealThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200945


such exquisite reflections and sparkling depthof colour. Almost without exception, colour isassociated in varying degrees with the life andbeing about us.Colour in Higher RealmsWe’re told by great minds and great mystics,who have had a glimpse or a vision of yet highercosmic realms, that the colours there are evenmore brilliant and enthralling than any we canexperience on this mundane world. Be that as itmay, many people will admit that when they lookat the beautiful colours of a rose or an orchid oreven a common petunia that the ultimate seemsto be before their eyes. And perhaps it is, thatis, to the extent that a person can emotionallyrespond to its beauty of form and colour. Even themost hardened soul will respond to some degree,and in so doing move a little towards the beautyinherent within themselves.We soon realise its value in our everydaylife; both in the natural phenomena aboutus and in our man-made environment.In considering colour, we soon realise itsvalue in our everyday life; both in the naturalphenomena about us and in our man-madeenvironment; for example in our homes and inthe clothes that we wear. Colour, in the lattercase, depends upon arbitrary decisions we make.Our attempts at interior decoration are mostlysuccessful, although on some occasions a totaldisaster can occur through inharmonious colourchoices. It is obvious, therefore, that we shouldtake a critical look at colour and at the harmonyor lack of harmony with which we may surroundourselves.Light through a PrismColour comes from light. If you put a prism inthe path of a beam of light, it will split into thecolour spectrum. Physics recognises only sevencolours in the colour spectrum: red, orange,yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet; since itdeals only with the frequencies of the colourwaves. Any given colour is thus a vibration of aspecific wavelength. Speaking in terms of colourpigments, the artist recognises three primarycolours, each of a different wavelength. The artistcombines these colours to form secondary andtertiary colours and even further combinationsand shadings ad infinitum. Red, yellow and blueare primaries; while orange, green and purple aresecondaries.When white light (which contains all thecolours) strikes some object, some of the vibrations(colours) are absorbed, while one or more colourvibrations are reflected. This is then picked up bythe retina of the eye and forwarded to the brainfor translation. The translation that takes placeresults in an inward realisation of a specific colouror colours. What may be interpreted as orange inone person’s centre of consciousness may differsomewhat as a realisation in another person.What makes a wall in your living room at homeappear as a pale yellow is simply that the atomicand molecular structure of the paint on the wallis such that the pale yellow vibrations of whitelight aren’t absorbed but reflected back to theretina of your eye and thus passed into the centreof consciousness for translation and meaningfulexperience. The wall only appears yellow. Ifthe object upon which the light falls absorbsall the light, it’ll then appear black. Blackindicates the absence of reflected light.Colour is, as we have said, derivedfrom light. The material world has no colour untillight strikes it. Even then colour isn’t part of thematerial world, but of the light vibration that isreflected to the human eye. If there’s no eye thereis no colour.Light and UsLight, and the colour vibrations contained init, have a life-giving function in addition tocolour value. They stimulate growth in plants,the very things upon which we humans dependfor life. Without light, no growth could take place.Without light, life couldn’t exist and the meaningof life would be unmanifest.Let’s think about how creation is a balancedsystem made to appeal to the higher nature ofman. For a moment or two give free rein to yourimagination. Suppose that an orange were sochemically constituted that it absorbed all therays of light striking it. Then the orange wouldappear black to you, wouldn’t it? It would alsolose something by comparison. Suppose alsothat all flowers were molecularly constituted toreflect all rays of light in proper proportion. Allthe flowers in the world would, therefore, appearwhite. Again we would have lost something.So it is in the great variety of colours that we46The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


The beauty of the earth from space betrays the hidden worldof colour below.receive from the gift of light and in the varietyof vibrational atomic structures that our worldis made so beautiful for us, even though, as hasbeen emphasised, the experience is an inwardand personal one. We need to know everythingwe possibly can about light and colour since theyhave such a profound effect upon us.Colours Effects on UsColour has two effects on us: the symbolic andthe emotional. We can explain its symbolism,but the emotional impact is in the process ofgreater appreciation. Think first of the colours towhich we symbolically give a meaning. Typicalexamples are: having a yellow streak, feeling blue,seeing red and being green with envy. In Westerncultures, baby girls are dressed in pink andboys in blue, brides wear white and widowswear black.White, a symbol of purity, took muchlonger to develop in the human consciousness.It wasn’t until bleaching agents were created thatcould whiten and remove foreign elements fromlinen that a consciousness and appreciation forwhite became significant. The rare and expensivewhitened cloth was used in the beginning almostentirely by the early priests of the mystery temples,and later by their initiates, as a symbol of purity.Dr. H. Spencer Lewis was a greatinvestigator of colour and how it might be usedto benefit mankind. He stated that the vibratoryrates of a certain colours affect our sympatheticnervous system in such a way that they engendervarious emotional responses which we alwaysconsciously or unconsciously associate with thatparticular colour thereafter. Different coloursaffect each one of us differently. For instance, ifa particular shade of red was to be flashed on ascreen in front of 50 people, there could very wellbe fifty different interpretations of that red in theminds behind the fifty pairs of eyes viewing it. Soit follows that each of us must assess the effect ofthe basic colours upon ourselves. However, somegeneral hints can be given. We’ll consider the caseof the colours of objects as commonly seen in ourday-to-day lives, and some of the effects thesecolours or shadings might have upon our being.RedRed is lowest in the vibratory rate of the colourscale. It’s been used successfully in therapy forthe emotionally ill, especially in severe casesof depression. It stimulates, because red is anexciting colour.Generally, though, for the good of ourhealth and emotions, too much red or a heavy redmay not be as beneficial as blue, green or evenyellow. It’s a very aggressive colour, earthy andsometimes warlike.YellowYellow is the second primary colour and isgenerally considered to be a mental colour,stimulating the mind and heightening awarenesson the intellectual plane. However, as with allcolours, there are various shades to consider.If you’re the poet, the mystic, the dreamer,the seer (and each of us is to some degree), you’llThe vibratory rates of a certain coloursaffect our sympathetic nervous systemproducing various emotional responses.find delicate shades of yellow pleasing becausethey enhance this expression from yourself. Areyou interested in the study of natural law andspiritual things? Then choose a room in yourhome, a sanctum if you will, decorated in delicateyellow for contemplation. But keep the shadesdelicate. Mustard yellow is out, as it’s morerepresentative of lesser ideals.BlueBlue, vibrating at a higher rate than red or yellow,is the third primary colour. More research needs toThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200947


e carried out on the emotional impact of blue.Pastel blues are of the spiritual levelof our being. Yet these shades can have apuritanical influence for some people. If this isa problem simply avoid overindulgence in bluesurroundings. Of course, you would need to geta proper balance. Blue is often considered a coldcolour, which might negate its use in living roomswhere warmth, relaxation or happiness is theprime concern. However, when you would likea peace-producing effect, as in meditation or insearching for spiritual knowledge, don’t overlookthe use of blue.OrangeThe secondary colour orange is a combinationof red and yellow. It contains some of the natureand vibrations of both, but on another level. Theaggressiveness of red combined with yellow in itsOrange is a happy colour. Use it tostimulate self-confidence…mental aspect gives a wearer of this shade a littlestimulus of each. At those moments when youfelt right with the world, when you realised thatsomehow you had found a bit more of your truenature than you expected wasthere, were you by any chancewearing something orange?Orange is a happycolour. Use it to stimulateself-confidence where there’shesitation or timidity. Try itespecially in social areas, suchas a living room or TV room,where you want to stimulategood feeling, friendship andthe free flow of ideas. Perhapsa picture of a brilliant orangesunset would be enough orseveral well-placed objects ofsimilar hues. Experiment!GreenThe secondary colour green is acombination of blue and yellow.It is spiritually elevating andmentally stimulating and bringsexcitement and anticipation.Green suggests springtimeand new opportunity, and isassociated with hope and aspiration, compassion,sympathy and understanding.Delicate pastel greens are sure to be foundsomewhere in the surroundings of aspiring adepts.Sea-green or sea-foam greens, laced with silver,shouldn’t be overlooked. Lime green is thought tohave a sedative effect, but keep away from dark,drab greens which are flat and lack life.PurpleThe secondary colour purple is the combination ofred and blue. Contemporary feelings about purpleare in the areas of exaltation, victory, royalty andsuccess. It’s the colour of kings and queens. Itis a positive colour that stimulates dedication,fairness, honour, honesty and earnestness ofspirit. If we allow it to be part of our life andenvironment, its magnetic quality is sure to raiseour spirits in times of stress.To conclude, we should make aconsistent effort to feel the effects of colouron our emotional and mental being andchoose those colours that seem to enhancethe higher states we desire. Colour is not a partof the material objects in our environment; it’srather a constituent of light and is reflected to ourconsciousness, where realisation takes place.Our modern understanding of light and colour begins with Isaac Newton(1642-1726) and a series of experiments he published in 1672.48The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009


www.amorc.org.ukhereas life is not always a perfumedrose garden, one can’t help but notice how forsome, it almost could be. For them, everything seemsto flow so harmoniously, and whilst not necessarilymaterially wealthy, they radiate an inner wealth of happinessand peace which is the envy of all. So how do they do it?Well, one thing they all seem to have in common is thatthey long ago dared to take charge of their destiny! Examiningneeds rather than wants, and true values rather than passingfads, such people realised that more than anything else, whatthey needed to learn was to rely upon their own insights ratherthan those of others, come to their own conclusions ratherthan accept the conclusions of others, and above all, to taketheir own decisions in life and for better or worse, live with theconsequences of their own actions.The Rosicrucian Order assists people to find withinthemselves their own, personal “higher wisdom,” somethingwhich exists as a potential in all human beings. Developing thisinner understanding can lead to what sages and avatars of allages have referred to simply as “Illumination,” a pure state ofjoy, perfection and achievement beyond our fondest hopes.Gaining this knowledge and experience is not merelyan academic exercise, it is a series of practical steps needed inorder to gain first proficiency and eventually mastery over ourdaily thoughts and actions. Instruction in the steps necessary toreach these goals is what the Rosicrucian Order has to offer. Itsapproach to inner development has brought happiness, peaceand success into the affairs of thousands of people in the pastand you too can benefit from it if you wish.To find out more about the Rosicrucian Order and itsunique system of inner development, write to the address below,requesting a free copy of the introductory booklet entitled “TheMastery of Life.” Find out..., it could be the valuable turningpoint in your life.Mail to: Rosicrucian OrderGreenwood Gate, Blackhill,Crowborough TN6 1XETel: 01892-653197 -- Fax: 01892-667432E-mail: membership@amorc.org.ukThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009

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