Part 2 - AMORC

www.amorc.org.ukne can’t help notice how powerful a clear, personalphilosophy of life can be; how everything seems to flow soharmoniously for those who have dared to take control overtheir lives. Analysing real needs rather than ephemeral wants,such people know that they need more than anything else, to relyupon their own insights rather than those of others, to take their owndecisions rather than rely on those taken by others, and above all, tolive with the consequences of their own thoughts, words and deeds.If you are searching for a deeper understanding of yourself,and especially if you seek to gain greater mastery over your life,the Rosicrucian Order is a good place to start your journey. Forcenturies, Rosicrucians have assisted people to find within themselvesa “higher knowledge” which exists embryonically in all humanbeings. Developing this inner understanding to its limits leads towhat religions and philosophies of all ages have referred to simplyas “Illumination,” a state of joy, perfection and achievement beyondour wildest dreams.Gaining this knowledge and experience is not merely anacademic exercise; it is a graded series of practical steps we need totake in order to gain first proficiency and eventually full mastery overour daily thoughts, words and actions.The Rosicrucian approach to inner development has broughthappiness, peace and success into the affairs of thousands of peopleover the centuries, and you too can benefit from it. If you wish to knowmore about the Rosicrucian system of inner development, contact theRosicrucian Order using the details given below, and request a copyof the free introductory booklet entitled “The Mastery of Life.”This will explain the Rosicrucian Order and its approach to lifein greater detail and you can decide for yourself whether or not thispath is for you.Mail To: Rosicrucian Order, Greenwood Gate, Blackhill,Crowborough TN6 1ZX, ENGLANDTel: 01892-653197 -- Fax: 01892-667432Email: membership@amorc.org.ukWebsite: www.amorc.org.ukThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

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 2008, Vol 17, No. 3CONTENTS2 Ancient Egypt and Modern Esotericism - by Jeremy Naydler, Ph.D.6 The Symbolism of the Rose - by Claire Lewis, SRC7 A Way of Life - by Amelia Lindblad, SRC9 Destiny - by The Nameless OneOfficial English LanguageMagazine of theRosicrucian Order, AMORC(Europe, the Middle Eastand Africa)Issued free to members as anincidence of membershipEditor:Bill AndersonSub-Editor:Paul GoodallDesign and Layout:Richard BonwickStatements 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.10 The Secret Fire - by Marcus Aurelius11 The Cathars - Part 1 - by Bill Anderson, FRC20 The Master Within - by Edgar Wirt, FRC21 Grateful Thought - by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing22 Mystical Pantheism - by Ralph M Lewis, FRC24 The Guest - by Samuel Avital, FRC26 The Fire Within - by Paul Goodall, FRC30 Give Me A Brook - by Doris Knoll31 Missions and Talents - by Lilian Paterson, SRC34 Communicating From Your Higher Self- by Valerie Peters35 The Moment - by Swami Vivekananda36 Pythagoras the Teacher - by Mary Jones, SRC41 The Sound of Eternity - by Martha Pingel, SRC42 Causality: A Discussion - by Einstein and Tagore44 Immortality in EssenceCOVER SPREAD“Pythagoras: A Journey Into Light”The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 20081

y Christian Bernard, FRCImperator of AMORCPart 2by Jeremy Naydler, Ph.D.In this second part, Jeremy Naydler continues to expand upon the ancient Egyptianworldview by introducing the reader to their concept of the Underworld or afterlifewhich they called the Dwat and to which the living, mentally and physically,prepared themselves. In his concluding remarks Naydler highlights the need for themodern world to identify with these ancient conceptions but avoiding the sometimesirresistible nostalgic desire for the past. To this end he outlines three specific taskswhich can empower people to recognise themselves as cosmic beings whose existencespans that of life and death within the vehicle of their consciousness.n an inner level, the ritualsailing of the king occurs in the heavens.Just as in the coronation text of ThutmoseIII, the king flies up to the sky in orderto worship Ra and be filled with his akhpower,so the context of the ritual sailing is cosmic.The ancient Egyptians understood that to becomeenlightened one must become aware of that whichis cosmic in one’s own nature. One must realisethat there is something deep within human naturethat is essentially not of this earth, but is a cosmicprinciple.The cosmic being who presided over Ra’sdiurnal voyage across the sky was the heavenlygoddess Nut. It was she who gave birth to Ra eachmorning and who received him into herself againin the evening. When Ra entered her interior realmeach evening, he entered the secret and whollyinvisible world that the Egyptians called the Dwat.The Dwat was conceived as being on the otherside of the stars that we see when we look up at thenight sky. The stars were imagined as being on theflesh of the goddess Nut, and the Dwat was in somesense behind or within the world of which the starsdemarcated the outermost boundary. 1It was not just the sun god however thatentered the Dwat at the end of the day. All creatureswere believed to return to the Dwat at the end oftheir lives, pass into its dark interior, and were bornfrom it again, just as the sun god was born fromthe Dwat each morning. There was therefore a veryimportant mystical threshold between the outwardlyvisible cosmos, the stars on Nut’s body, and whatexists invisibly in her interior. It is a threshold weThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

all come to when we die, when everything becomesconcentrated at a single point, and then disappearsfrom view.Figure 6 shows the stages of the sun god’snight-journey through Nut’s body, as he travels fromdeath to rebirth. Knowledge of this interior worldof the Dwat was considered by the Egyptians to bethe most important, most profound knowledge,for people living on earth to acquire. The Dwat wasnot only the realm of the dead, but also the realmof the gods and spirits and furthermore, the realmfrom which all living things emerge. 2 All life issuesfrom the Dwat. To know this mysterious interiorworld was to become truly wise, for then one knewboth sides of existence, the invisible along with thevisible.It is interesting that Thutmose III hadthe complete text and illustrations of the mostcomprehensive guide to the Dwat (The Book ofWhat is in the Underworld) painted on the innerwalls of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. As hiscoronation text reminds us, this was a king whowas “instructed in the wisdom of the gods.” UnlikeNapoleon, Thutmose III was initiated into a deepspiritual knowledge. It is not without significancethat the name Thutmose means “born of Thoth,”the god whom the Greeks identified with Hermes,and from whom one of the most important of theWestern esoteric traditions, the Hermetic Tradition,derives its name.The Three TasksI have tried to show that the Egyptians lived withan awareness of a dimension of reality that is bestdescribed by the term “imaginal,” a non-physical yetobjective reality that we become aware of throughthe human faculty of imagination. For the Egyptians,the agencies and powers that can be reachedthrough contact with the imaginal world arefar more potent than anything merely physical,because through them physical reality can betransformed.Thus we have seen how Thutmose IIIcalled upon Seth and Neith to infuse him with asuperhuman martial energy that enabled him togo to war with an irresistible ferocity. In battle afterbattle, he and his accompanying priests could alsomagically invoke the imaginal reality of the defeatof the powers opposed to the sun god and Ma’at,both of whom the pharaoh represented, indeedembodied, on earth. It was this, according to his ownaccount, that brought Thutmose his victories. 3Figure 6: On the left, Nut swallows the sun god Ra at sunset,while on the right she gives birth to the sun at dawn.I have also tried to show that the Egyptianslived with an understanding that we are not justterrestrial beings; we are also cosmic. As such, ourspiritual fulfilment is only possible in a cosmicsetting. This understanding is to be found from theearliest sacred literature (the Pyramid Texts), to thecoronation text of Thutmose III and the Book of theDead, where, for example, such mystical episodes asflying up to the sky, seeing the image of the sun god,boarding the sun-boat and/or becoming inwardly“solarised,” are all recorded. 4Finally, I have suggested that the Egyptianshad an orientation towards the world of the dead(the Dwat) that saw it as being the source of the mostprofound wisdom concerning the nature of reality.There is a remarkably rich metaphysical literatureconcerning the Dwat, knowledge of which wasevidently regarded as relevant not only to the deadbut also to the living. 5 All of this was “mainstream”ancient Egyptian religious consciousness.The Egyptian Consciousness GoesUndergroundAt the end of the Egyptian era it went “underground,”moving from the temple to the private household,and then to the small group meeting in secret,from whence it would pass into various esotericUnlike Napoleon, Thutmose III wasinitiated into a deep spiritual knowledge.traditions. 6 Thus in the Alchemical tradition, there is aparticular focus on the imaginal realm of archetypesand the path of inner transformation. In the Hermetictradition there is a concentration on the realisationof our cosmic nature, while in Gnosticism we finda particular emphasis on the invisible hierarchiesof the spirit world. These three Western esotericstreams could be understood as each preserving intheir different ways the ancient Egyptian wisdominto the next cultural era.Meanwhile the emerging mainstream cultureThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

with its Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman basis increasingly rejected theold consciousness. The world becamemore and more impermeable to thedivine, archetypal and imaginalpresences. In Judaism the notion ofidolatry, which would have beenincomprehensible to the ancientEgyptians, came to dominate thereligious consciousness; while theGreeks and Romans saw the godsslowly fade away and become less and less easy tocommunicate with. 7 The new consciousness meantthat people experienced the world going through akind of solidification, so that it was no longer able totransmit the radiant energies of the divine.At the same time there emerged an increasingsense that human beings were simply terrestrialbeings and consequently, our happiness wasconceived less in cosmic terms and more in terms ofsatisfying our physical needs, desires and comforts.The material world had to be mastered to this endand this, in time, became the great project of scienceand technology, which involved an almost completeforgetfulness of our cosmic origins.It also involved a forgetfulness of that partof human existence that belongs between deathand rebirth. There was a growing identificationof the human being solely with the life that welead between birth and death. Already, boththe Greek and Judaic conceptions of life after deathexpressed the conviction that the soul survived asa pale and ghostly reflection of its former self. Asthe ghost of Achilles says in Homer’s Odyssey, “thesenseless dead [are] mere shadows of men outworn.” 8 Thisview, so very different from that of the Egyptians,culminated in the modern idea that there is simplyno existence at all after death. Modern scientificA portion of the earliest sacred literature, the Pyramid texts.Statue of Thutmose III.materialism is founded upon a totalignorance of the spirit world.At the beginning of this essay[Rosicrucian Beacon March 2008], Iproposed that ancient Egypt exposesa tension in our own culture and thatin so doing we can see its karmicrole today. The reason why it may behelpful to see Egypt in these termsis because we are now coming tothe end of the Greco-Roman/Judeo-Christian era. It has achieved its purpose, whichwas to make us more individuated, more self(rather than god) centred in our soul-life, and thusmore free.Becoming Aware again ofInner Spiritual RealitiesNow there is a need to become aware again of inner,spiritual realities but to become aware of themgrounded in our own sense of self, and with a clearand discriminating intelligence with which we canonce more turn toward them. So I would suggestthat it is here that the profound karmic relationshipis working between ancient Egypt and the new erathat is beginning to unfold before us.We are driven to find our own newrelationship to the spiritual dimension.While our relationship to ancient Egyptis certainly based upon our acquiring a deeperand more accurate knowledge of its culture andreligion, the relationship is by no means simply inthe direction of the present to the past. It is also abouthow the past can support us in forging our ownfuture by helping us to re-engage with the spiritualdimensions which were so intrinsic to people’sexperience in times of old. 9What ancient Egypt can do today is to provideboth the impetus and the anchorage for a modernesotericism. By esotericism I mean knowledge ofinner realities. There is no question of “going back”to ancient Egypt. It is rather the case that by wrestlingwith ancient Egyptian sacred texts, we are drawndown to a deeper level of awareness that we needto make more conscious. And feeling this need, weare driven to find our own new relationship to thespiritual dimension.As I see it, there are three tasks ahead forcontemporary esotericism. The first is to grow intoa fully felt and participative relationship with theThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

imaginal worlds that stand behind the physical. Weneed constantly to work at dissolving the densityof the physical and literal world. We need to loosenits solidity in order to see through to the luminousworld of spirits, gods and archetypes that are itsinvisible matrix. They are, in a sense, the “dream”of the world that our modern, all too wide-awakeconsciousness, has destroyed. There is a need todayto return our waking consciousness to this dream, bybringing it once more into a living relationship withthe imaginal dimensions of the world.Along with this comes the second task, whichis to expand our conception of ourselves beyond theconfines of the earth by developing a sense that thecosmos that surrounds us is not just dead matter,but full of soul. To do this we need not so much towork against as to work through the materialisticconceptions that permeate modern cosmologicalthinking. We can develop once again a feeling forthe soul-qualities of the planets and constellations,for the whole world of the stars. And the more weare able to do this, the more we are able to connectwith the “world soul” or anima mundi as it used tobe called, the more will we be able to reconnect againwith our own cosmic nature.I see the third task as being once more tobecome aware of the realm of death as the other halfof life, as much a part of our existence as sleep is apart of our life between birth and death. It requiresthat we see this realm of death not so much as a placethat we go to after we die, as a realm that we inhabit,or one might say inhabits us, alongside the worldof the living. The world of death can be understoodas a completely interior world, and yet despite thefact that it has no dimensions, it is not necessarilyinaccessible to consciousness. For its interiorityultimately coincides with our own. The more webecome aware of the source of what arises in ourown consciousness, the more do we extend ourconsciousness towards this deeply interior realm ofdeath. And in extending our consciousness towardsit, we extend our consciousness towards that otherhalf of existence without which we cannot fullyparticipate in life. 103. The “Annals” at Karnak, recording Thutmose Ill’s campaigns,are couched in mythical and theistic language. The king isdescribed as acting in consort with Amun-Ra against the“wretched enemy”—implicitly identified with the forcesof cosmic chaos. The mystical fusion of king and sun godis even more explicit in the so-called “poetical stela” ofThutmose III found at Karnak. Both texts are translatedin Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book ofReadings, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976),2:30-39.4. The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, trans. R, O. Faulkner(London: British Museum Publications, 1972), ch.130.5. Alison Roberts, My Heart, My Mother (Roaingdean:Northgate, 2000), 174-178. It is explicitly stated in TheBook of What is in the Underworld (Amdwat), div.l, that thetext is “useful for those who are on earth” and similarindications can be found in The Book of the Dead, which hasbeen compared by Terence DuQuesne, A Coptic InitiatoryInvocation (Thame: Darengo, 1991), 52nll2, with the TibetanBardo Thodol, a text clearly intended for spiritual practice.6. Garth Fowden, The Egyptian Hermes (Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1986), ch.7; and David Frankfurter, Religionin Roman Egypt (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998),chaps. 5 and 6.7. See, for example, Plutarch’s essay, “The Decline of theOracles,” in Plutarch, Moral Essays, trans. Rex Warner(Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1971), 31-96.8. Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Ennis Rees (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1977), 188.9. In a series of lectures on the relationship of Egyptianmythology to modern civilisation, Rudolf Steiner, Universe,Earth and Man, trans. Harry Collison (London: RudolfSteiner Publishing Co., 1941), 250ff., makes the followingstatement: “What we call ‘future’ must always be rooted inthe past; knowledge has no value if not changed into motivepower for the future. The purpose for the future must bein accordance with the knowledge of the past, but thisknowledge is of little value unless changed into propellingforce for the future.”10. This text, “Ancient Egypt and Modern Esotericism” ©Jeremy Naydler, 2006 is reprinted with permission of theauthor. All Rights Reserved.Illustration Sources• Figure 6 The sky-goddess Nut conceals within her body themysterious inner region. From the abbreviated version of theBook of Night on the ceiling of the sarcophagus chamber ofthe tomb of Harnesses IX, Valley of the Kings, from ErikHornung, The Valley of the Kings, trans. David Warburton(New York: Timken, 1990), 79. Every effort has been made tofind the copyright owner.Endnotes1. Naydler, Temple of the Cosmos, 26 and 215-217.2. W. Brede Kristensen, Life Out of Death: Studies in the Religionsof Egypt and of Ancient Greece, trans. H. J. Franken and G.R. H. Wright (Louvain: Peeters Press, 1992), 28, comments:“The world of death secreted greater powers and containedricher possibilities than the world of finite experience. It wasthe basis for the whole existence which we are apt to callworldly life.”The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

he rose is linked by A chainof association with a thousand chaptersin the history of humanity. A native of theEast, the rose is now universal, openingits petals to the sun of every climate.The ancients regarded the rose as the emblemof silence, love, joy and secrecy. The sanctity of therose has been felt and recognised in all ages, from thecrude drawings on rocks and in caves of our earliestancestors, to the immortal inspirations of Dante andRaphael. The rose is the crystallisation of all growth,unfoldment and evolution in the vegetable kingdom;the evolution of plantlife through eons andeons of time, struggling,suffering and aspiringtowards the perfection of grace, beauty and fragranceof the flower kingdom. What does this inspirationand attainment of heavenliness symbolise?The rose is a worthy symbol the soul ofmankind in the process of its growth, unfoldmentand evolution towards its Creator. Each delicatelytinted petal, in the layers of mystic perfume is likethe desires, longings, sufferings and aspirations ofthe human soul, through eons and eons of time,unfolding, grouping, growing towards the perfectionof the Cosmic ideal for humankind.Each of us, like the rose, has a sacred powerwhich permits us to discover the inner significances,the reality of invisible things. As the rose turns itsheart to the physical sun, so we turn our Soul to thespiritual light of truth, which may suddenly comeupon us in the midst of darkness and ignorance. Allphysical perfections may come to an end, while thedivine virtues are infinite. Those who are servants ofspiritual beauty are everlasting.by Claire Lewis, SRCOne of the most perfect, exquisite thoughts that Nature has given usis the rose. By universal assent the rose has been voted the loveliest ofall flowers on Earth.In a poetic sense the petals of the Rosicrucianrose have lengthened life, mitigated pain, extinguisheddiseases, increased the fertility of the soil, givennew securities to the sailor, spanned great riversand estuaries with bridges, guided the thunderboltinnocuously from sky to earth, lit up the nightwith the splendour of the day, extended the rangeof human vision, enhanced the powers of humanmuscles, accelerated motion, annihilated distances,enabled men and women to descend to the depthsof the sea, to soar into the air, to penetrate into therecesses of the earth, to cross continents in planes,cars and trains. TheseThe rose is a worthy symbol of the soul are but a part of theof mankind in the process of its growth. rose, for the Rosicrucianphilosophy never rests,never attains, is never perfect: its law is progress.Each petal of the rose on the cross is thereforesymbolic of the oneness of the world of humanity,universal peace, universal tolerance, internationalconsanguinity and solidarity, the establishment ofthis utopia, first in the hearts of man, then upon theEarth. The world of humanity is like a Cosmic rosegarden, and the various peoples and languages arelike its various flowers. The diversity of colours ina rose garden adds to the charm and beauty of thescene, just as the variety of nations enhances unityand charm.Into each human heart the Cosmic plantedthe seed of a spiritual rose. If we plant its rootsdeep in the soil of unselfishness, water it with thedew of purity, protect it from the blasts of prejudiceand bigotry, give it the sunshine of universal love, itwill flourish and unfold into blossoms of heavenlybeauty for all people, with the perfume of a divinecivilisation.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

conquer them, then that is the way everydayproblems in adulthood will be met.This is not the way for you, though. Wehave known for a long time that you have the bornability to meet anything squarely and make gooduse of it. You will soon find, with your fine talentfor discriminating between the worthwhile andthe useless, that anyone who is going anywherementally, physically or materially will respectyou for being an individual. They will come todepend on your good judgment and acclaimyou for your strength.This is a big step for you to take now and atremendous effort will have to be made on yourpart. No one can make you do it; no one can makeyou do anything. They can only threaten, punishand beg. However, unless you have a deep,driving desire for accomplishment, you will beone of those who have to be eternally pushed.Later, the time comes when no one cares enoughabout us to push.You have great promise. It shines in youreyes; it is evident in how you deal with things thatare desirable to you and in your good way of life.Live up to your promise. Start now, by makingyour own decisions, by meeting the challenges ofunpleasant tasks and becoming the victor. Don’tbe one of those who just go along for the ride.Tremendous effort will have to be madeon your part.Know too that there are those who careenough to petition the great Cosmic Consciousnesson your behalf and they are but a phone callaway. The work must be yours and it won’t beeasy, but the God of your greatest understandingwith infinite loving care, can at least awaken thespark within you that will make all your workbear fruit.The blessed warmth of radiant sun,the beauty of a task well done,the peace that comes to set us free,through synthesis and unity.To join with those whose mission wemust share in truth and harmony;then on to meet our destinythrough merging with divinity.-- The Nameless OneThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

y Marcus Aurelius(Roman Emperor 121 – 180 CE)EPRESENT incessantly theuniverse to yourself as a single livingbeing composed of one sort of matter,and of one soul. This is how all thatpasses in it is referred to one principle of feeling.This is how one single impulse makes the wholemove, and this is why all its products are an effectof a number of causes. O Universe! O Nature!You are the source of all, the ultimate terms ofall. The same species of soul has been assignedto all animals, and the same intellectual soul toall reasoning beings, just as all terrestrial bodiesare made of the same terrestrial matter, are as allthat sees and breathes, sees but one and the samelight, and breathes but one and the same air.The light of the sun is one, though we seeit dispersed on walls, on mountains, and on athousand different objects. Although dividedinto thousands of separate bodies, this is butone sort of matter. There is but one intelligentSoul, though it seems to divide itself. We are allunited by a common participation in the sameintelligence. You have forgotten that the soul ofeach of us is a god who has emanated from theSupreme Being.Just as bodies after a brief sojourn on earthbecome changed and at last dissolved so theymay make way for others, so do souls after theirsojourn in the air become changed as they returnto the fertile bosom of Universal Reason. All soulsform a portion of the same spiritual element, justas all seas belong to the element of water. Oneand the same Reason gives light to them all, justas the sun gives light to the earth and ocean.10The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

y Bill Anderson, FRC-- PART 1"Al cap dels sèt cent ans, verdejara lo laurèl."The laurel will flourish again in 700 years(Belibaste)In Christianity, the laurel, once sacred to Apollo,is said to symbolise the Resurrection of Christand the triumph of Humanity.PART 1 of this trilogy about the Cathars, amystical and gnostic form of Christianity,deals with the better-known aspects ofCathar history in the south of France.PART 2 will deal with their faith and life,widening its scope to include Italy andSpain, and we will discover why the churchperceived them as such a great threat.PART 3 will be the story of one of the mostfamous Cathars: Esclarmonde de Foix.he word Cathar derives fromthe Greek word Καθαρός (katharosmeaning “pure.”) Catharism itself wasa gnostic and dualist Christian religiousmovement that appeared in the Languedoc regionof France, called Occitània at the time, around themiddle of the 11 th century. The movement wasbranded by the Catholic Church as heretical, withsome authorities denouncing them as not beingChristian at all. It existed throughout much ofWestern Europe, including Aragon and Catalonia inSpain, the Rhineland and Flanders, and Lombardyand Tuscany in Italy.In the early 13 th century, the area of theMidi or southern France known as the Lengadòc(Languedoc) stretched from the Rhone valley inThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200811

The Languedoc regionthe east to the Garonne river in the west, and fromthe Auvergne in the north to the Roussillon in thesouth. This area had a cultural unity quit differentfrom the north of France. It had different formsof land ownership and inheritance, and even adifferent language Occitan (the langue d’oc). And itwas not part of the kingdom of France at the time.The independent lords of the south stroveto ensure that no single power could dominateCathar traditions can be traced back tothe prophet Mani.the region. Nevertheless, one of them, the Countof Toulouse, who belonged to the St. Gilles family,was indisputably the most influential and powerfulof them all. The domains and power of this familyhad grown through the 10 th and 11 thcenturies so that by the late 11 th century,Count Raimon (Raymond) IV had theresources to become one of the leadersof the 1 st Crusade to the Holy Land. Asthe armies of the First Crusade passedthrough Constantinople, in her bookThe Alexiad, Princess Anna Komnenedescribes Raymond’s superior intellect,the purity of his life and how greatly hevalued the truth. For these reasons herfather the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Iheld him in great esteem.The greatest rival in Occitàniato the Counts of Toulouse were theCathar traditions can be tracedback to the prophet Mani, wholived in the Persian Empire inthe 3 rd century CE.Counts of Barcelona. They acquired the kingshipof Aragon in 1137, the kingship of Mallorca in 1228and the kingship of Valencia in 1238. The lessernobles of the region, like the Counts of Foix andthe Viscounts of Béziers, Carcassonne, Narbonneand Montpelier exploited the conflict betweenthese great noble houses by transferring theirallegiance from one lord to another to maximizetheir independence.Origins of CatharismMuch has been written about these remarkablemystics, their probable origin, their history andconnections with other so-called “heretical” sectsof the Middle Ages. Reliable information however,can be obtained from various historical reportsand also from an intelligent interpretation of thereports compiled by the Inquisition. Naturally,discrimination must be used in analysing thoselatter reports, as they are bound to bear the markof that institution, its partiality and fanatical spirit.Cathar traditions can be traced back to theprophet Mani, who lived in the Persian Empire inthe 3 rd century CE. He was a student of Buddhismand Chaldean philosophy, and delved into themysterious knowledge of the Egyptians. Later onhe became a devout Christian, and from the vastknowledge he acquired from those diverse spiritualsources, he drew up a synthesis on which he basedhis teachings, trying through different paths toreach the Great Universal Truth. His disciples,who were called Manichaeans, spread hisdoctrine, which was based at one and thesame time upon the spirit of renunciation of theeastern religions and upon the great law of loveand compassion of Christian inspiration.Interesting documents, writings of Mani andhis disciples, were discovered shortlybefore World War I in Turkestan andChina, and also in the Fayum in Egypt.Some of those documents escapedburning when the followers of Maniwere persecuted. From the East, Mani’sfollowers migrated to Europe throughthe Byzantine Empire, initially toBulgaria. According to some authorsit was from there that their teachingspenetrated into Italy via Bosnia, andlater, in a movement westwards, toSpain and France, where we find themtowards the end of the 11 th centurywhere they were called the “Cathars.”12The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

The symbol of the Cathar dove hewn through a rockMonotheistsThey believed in a sole one unique God butadmitted to the existence of two opposingprinciples which manifested as spirit and matter.As dualist Christians they believed in Lightand Darkness or good and evil. Light, or thepositive constructive principle, was opposedto the negative, destructive principle which theCathars believed to be with the demon RomanCatholic doctrine.Through matter, the divine principlein Man, the Soul, is plunged into Darkness, fromwhich it has to work out its salvation, throughsuccessive reincarnations, in a series of lives uponthis Earth. Through suffering and the practice oflove and charity, it slowly emerges from Darkness,from the delusion of matter, to eventually reunitewith the Divine Light, the First Principle, theCreator or God.InitiationsIn order to help their disciples in the slow andprogressive unfoldment of their souls, Catharsperformed initiations. But to be worthy of thoseinitiations, the followers had to purify themselvesthrough gradual asceticism, through fasting,abstinence and a great and sincere desire forperfection. Poverty was also considered as a meansof liberating the self from worldly fetters.Hell did not exist for them, believing thathell was a state of existence on this very Earth. Thefire of the lower regions of the Powers of Darknesswas the actual suffering of human beings, hereand now, and not in some afterlife. The souls ofmen, they believed, could therefore be saved andredeemed through the trials and tribulations of thisterrestrial life.Although specific, the Cathar teachingswere not dogmatic. The work of Cathar ministers,usually referred to as Perfects by the Inquisition,was not to impose a blind faith but to convincetheir followers through persuasion and livingopenly as shining examples of purity and probity.They were truly practising the highest possiblespirituality, and deserved the appellation “Perfect”or the “Pure.”To the Cathars themselves they were simplycalled the Bons Òmes (Good Men), Bonas Femnas(Good Women) or simply as Bons Crestians (GoodChristians). Such were the ministers, but therewere of course more humble followers, the greatmultitude of simple Believers who worked andprayed under the guidance of the Perfects, whoinstructed and tended them on the path of spiritualknowledge. The liberation of the soul from thebonds of matter and the love of others were thefundamental tenets of their doctrine.Their leaders were well read students ofThe only valuable sacrament in marriagewas the true union of two souls.philosophy and took an active part in all discussionsand controversies that might enlighten them. Butacademic teachings were not their only source ofknowledge: through concentration and meditationthey tried to attune directly with the CosmicSpirit, the Consciousness of Christ. To this end,they practised fasting before initiation as wellas sometimes even after; and also before greatreligious celebrations.The ConsolamentumOne peculiarity of their rites was the layingonof hands, called the “Consolamentum” or“Consolation.” It was considered as a baptism. TheCathars did not recognise the church’s baptism bywater as established by John the Baptist; for themthere was only one true baptism…, that of the HolySpirit and as practised by Jesus. Thus only couldthe Divine Spirit of Life penetrate the soul of man,permeating and transmuting the grosser vibrationsof matter.The Consolamentum was considered aThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200813

means of redemption and at thesame time as a consecration of thecondition of purity attained bythe disciple after a long period offasting and meditation. This rite wasalso practised upon the dying, tohelp the passing of the soul to theGreat Beyond. In such a case, theConsolamentum could also be givenby a member of the family, or bya woman, provided he or she hadalready received the sacrament; thatis, that the mediator be fully andspiritually qualified to bestow it upon the dying.The ordination as a Perfect was alsoconferred by the Consolamentum, and even towoman, who were then consecrated deaconesses.Each community of Christian Cathars had at leastone deaconess. In Western Europe, women weresecond or even third class citizens, but in Catharsociety, women and men were equal.They were individualists and believed thatthere was no road to evolution except throughpersonal work and personal effort. Whatever yourstanding in society might be, noble or peasant,the same consideration was granted to all. Themost humble of workers had as much right astheir bishops to attunement with the Cosmic Spiritand the only things that mattered were purityand perfection. The humblest neophyte therefore,could aspire to the highest spiritual developmentand attainment.Cathar BeliefsTheir beliefs about marriage in particular weredistorted by false reports and misunderstandingsof their adversaries in the Inquisition. Someauthors claim that they were against marriage andpreached abstinence and celibacy for all. But thatis inconsistent with their faith in reincarnation,for how could man be reborn upon this Earthif marriage and the family were condemnableinstitutions?Certainly they held the state of celibacy inhigh regard, but that was only for the Perfects, thosewho had already attained the required condition ofpurity as a means of liberation of the senses and ofA stone dove representing theHoly Spirit: One of the few knownsurviving artefacts recovered fromthe site of Montsegur.The first great centres of Catharism inthe South of France were at Montpellierand Narbonne.a lessening of his or her karma andreincarnations. For the men andwomen who had to live “normal”lives however, they acknowledgedthe necessity of marriage, thoughthe only valuable sacrament in suchcase was the true union of twosouls.Among married people, thosewho received the Consolamentumwere at times authorised byhusband, or wife as the case maybe, to break the bond of marriage sothey could devote the rest of their lives to greaterpurification and more absolute asceticism.Such was their probity that the giving oftheir word was sufficient bond and they refused totake oaths. In this regard they adhered strictly tothe spirit of the 2 nd and 8 th commandments. This inparticular was regarded as seditious, as oaths werewhat bound medieval society together: man to hisfeudal superior and man to church.OccitàniaThe Occitanian civilisation of the south of Francehas all but faded into the mists of time. So successfulwere the papal crusades against the Catharsof the Languedoc that nowadays we findbut faint echoes of a land of peace, love andcivilisation that once existed where France andSpain now meet.Here was a land where the blendingof several races produced a strong, independentindividuals, and where the Cathar teachers foundpropitious soil for the spreading of their religiousideas. The sum of their knowledge was translatedinto Occitanian. At this time Occitània had moreCathar Cross etched in stone.14The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

in common with Aragon and Cataloniathan it did with the north of France.Their language was very similar to theCatalan language. From now on, in thisarticle I choose to use the names thatthey called themselves, rather than theFrench names you will find in most ofthe books about the Cathars.This whole region had remainedimpregnated with ancient Romancivilisation and refinement. The noblesand knights, the Counts of Toulouse, the Countsof Foix and the Viscounts of Béziers, were learnedscholars; and the burgesses were distinguishedand emancipated minds. Esclarmonda de Foix, aromantic figure of medieval legend, and sister ofRaimon-Rogièr, Count of Foix was initiated intothe Cathar faith, as was Raimon-Rogièr’s wifePhilippa. Count Raimon VI of Toulouse, thoughnot adopting their religion, openly favoured them,even taking sides with them at times against theRoman Catholic clergy.The first great centres of Catharism in theSouth of France were at Montpellier and Narbonne;from there they spread across the Pyrenees intoSpain. Later on, Toulouse was their headquarters,and they had several bishops in Albi. In fact, itis from the name of that town that they werecalled “Albigenses” as well as Cathars, and thename Albigensian has remained attached to thepersecutions they suffered at the hands of theRoman Catholic Church in many places suchas Béziers, Carcassonne, Agen and Razès.The unusual purity of life of theCathars was a great contrast to the appallinglicentiousness and simony of the Catholicclergy of that epoch. While the Cathars weresolely devoted to the welfare of the people, nursingand healing them, the Catholic clergy extortedtithes from the people, kept mistresses and sold allsacraments. Indeed, they were like the merchantsin the Temple that Jesus drove out.We have therefore on the one hand Catharmen and women, renowned as weavers, agriculturalworkers, doctors and educators, who conformed asclosely as possible to the accepted Christian codeof life, and on the other hand, we have a Catholicclergy of immense corruption and materialism.Moreover the prelates of Rome were often temporallords with considerable estates and wealth, caringmore for power and for the good of their owndynasties than for the welfare and spiritual healthOccitan Crossof the people. The popes occupiedthe position of “vicar of God” muchmore for political reasons than for anydefence of Christian principles, and itis not surprising therefore that so manyordinary people sympathised with theCathars, whilst the corruption of theclergy kept the mass of followers awayfrom the Roman Catholic Church.There was also a deep seatedantagonism between the clergy andnobility of Occitània, for the nobility extendedhelp to those whose extreme purity of life anddisinterest in material wealth had won theirrespect. Furthermore, whereas the Cathars were nothreat to the nobility’s temporal power, the RomanCatholic clergy most definitely was. The Catharswere, we may say, socially and spiritually, severalcenturies in advance of their time. One of the mostrenowned of their ministers was Guilabert deCastres, who was Bishop of Toulouse and whosepreaching and popularity gave much trouble tothe Catholic Church at the beginning of the 13 thcentury. He openly censured the corruption of theCatholic clergy and it was only a matter of timebefore things came to a head.The Cathars believed that an unworthyperson, i.e., one who did not live the teachingsof Christ, had no right to minister to others.Title was nothing for them, and they lookedonly to the intrinsic value of the individual. TheTitle was nothing for them, and theylooked only to the intrinsic value of theindividual.poorest labourer, if his mode of living and spiritualstandards were high, was more qualified to becomea minister than a man who had been ordained apriest merely by fiat from Rome. Ordination meantnothing to them.This type of preaching was therefore adirect attack against the mandates of Rome.The simplicity of the lives of those mystics andtheir disinterestedness in temporal power wereconsidered revolutionary. Their teachings were amost dangerous heresy, and a transgression againstthe established dogma of Roman Catholicism.Condemned by the PopeCondemned as Manichaeans, this was sufficientpretext for Rome to order a crusade against theThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200815

Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)Cathars. Pope Innocent III (reigned 1198–1216),in addition to organising the Fourth Crusade,which was supposed to go to the Holy Land, butinstead attacked and conquered the OrthodoxChristian Byzantine capital of Constantinople, wasthe driving force behind this.While using coercive methods against theCathars, the Pope also tried to convert them bysending in the Cistercians, who were famousdialecticians, to preach to them. According to theextremely rigid rules of their Cistercian Order, theirmonks had to live in absolute poverty. As asceticsThey were, in the eyes of the church, nobetter than the infidel of the East andhad to be killed en masse.they compared favourably with the Cathars, forthey practiced many of the same virtues. However,the Cathars were deeply devoted to their beliefsand found little reason in the Cistercian’s appealsto change their ways, even with the persuasion ofsuch worthy adversaries.Numerous books have been writtenabout the barbaric persecutions that the Catharssubsequently had to endure, so this aspect willnot be delved into here. However, some of themost salient points of the fight will help to throwsome further light upon their history. From themiddle of the 12 th century various church councilscondemned the Cathars. These seem to have beena series of pre-meditated and well orchestratedevents and eventually the Pope formally requestedthe assistance of the lords of the South of France.They were in effect asked to take up arms againstthe Cathars, and in return the Vicar of Christpromised plenary indulgences as a reward. TheCathars were anathematised as heretics, and inaccordance with the established norms of the daythey were, in the eyes of the church, no betterthan the infidel of the East and had to be killed enmasse. At the same time as Innocent III was askingfor the help of the Occitanian nobles and lords, hewas also writing to the Archbishops of the South,trying to stimulate their zeal against the Cathars.The papal legate, Pierre de Castelnau hadbeen unable to convince Count Raimon VI ofToulouse and to bring him into the fight for theChurch against the heretics. Raimon’s fourth wifewas Joan of England, the favourite sister of Richardthe Lionheart. Interestingly, Richard’s wife was aprincess of neighbouring Navarre, whose last kingbecame King Henry IV of France who later figuresin the naissance of Rosicrucianism. The son of Joanand Raimon VI was Raimon VII.Castelnau excommunicated Raimon VI, butwhen the Pope confirmed the sentence in brutallyforceful and violent terms, Raimon VI quicklysubmitted to his authority. But his submissionwas not sincere, and after a stormy controversyin Saint-Gilles, Castelnau again excommunicatedhim. Some time thereafter, in January 1208,Castelnau was murdered, run through by a lance,and according to some, killed by one of Raimon’sknights. Innocent III then appealed to the Kingof France, Philippe Auguste, who was thesuzerain of the County of Toulouse, and to the“barons from the North to come and fight againstthe barons of the South.”Philippe Auguste refused, and Innocent IIIhad to take upon himself the whole responsibility ofthe crusade with only the help of the northern lords,to whom he again promised plenary indulgencesin addition to the hope he gave them of winningnew lands and booty. Under the threat of invasionto his domains, Raimon VI was again forced topay homage to the Church and to separate himselffrom the other lords of the South.The “Holy” WarAccording to historical reports, the crusader army,led by Simon de Montfort, was composed of20,000 knights and some 200,000 vilains (soldiersor free peasants, whence comes the English word“villain.”) Though the lords of the South werefighting for the Cathars on home territory, theodds were clearly stacked against them. It isnot surprising therefore that Raimon VI, who16The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

The crusader army was led by Simon de Montfort.was of irresolute character, once more submittedhimself to the power of Rome. The Pope, althoughunconvinced of his sincerity, was only too glad toweaken his adversaries, and for the time being,contented himself in separating Raimon from theother Lords.The powerful crusaders army pursued the“heretics” who, under the leadership of Raimon-Rogièr Trencavel, Viscount of Béziers and nephewof Raimon VI, took refuge in Béziers. Despitetheir courageous efforts, this town, and later onCarcassonne, was taken and sacked. Before thecarnage at Béziers, a knight asked Arnaud-Amaurythe Abbot of Citeaux, the crusade’s “spiritual”leader, how they were to know the Cathars fromthe other inhabitants. “Kill them all,” replied theholy Abbot, “God will know his own!”“There was seen,” an anonymous authorwrote, “the greatest slaughter of all ages; neitherold nor young people were spared, not even childrenat the breast; all were exterminated. When seeingsuch butchery, the inhabitants took refuge in the bigChurch of Saint-Nazaire. The priests of the church wereto ring the bells when all the heretics were dead. But thebells were never heard for neither robed priest nor clerkwas left alive; all were put to the sword; none escaped.The town was sacked, then burnt to the ground, and noliving creature was left in it.”The crusaders believed that they werehelping the cause of Christianity by killing theheretics, but being allowed to loot the towns theytook, may have been a more compelling reason fortheir enthusiasm. And, of course, not to be scoffedat, all their sins would be forgiven them for havingtaking part in this crusade. Rape, murder, tortureand theft, all sanctioned by the church and all sinsforgiven in advance…, what more could medievalknights and knaves want?Such was the spirit that animated the leadersof the crusade. The many crimes perpetrated in thename of God were quite literally done for God, orat least for his Vicar in Rome. Participation in thecrusade against the Cathars was therefore a blessedpath to salvation, just as killing the infidel in theEast, no matter what the brutality, was a road toheaven.But there were some who, despite theirpersecutions of the Cathars, genuinely believed intheir mission to stamp the Roman Catholic versionof Christianity on all people, regardless of thebrutality of the process. To them it was like taking abitter pill…, swallow it quick, endure the bad tasteand be done with it as quickly as possible. Theywere the monks of Citeaux, the Cistercians whowere such devoted followers of their cult. Anotherwas Saint Dominic, whose asceticism could only becompared to that of his enemies themselves.It is one of the ways of intolerance, when thePowers of Darkness, with their subtle artifices, ensnarethose who believe in their own righteousness, and blindthem with false reasoning and misunderstanding.MontségurDuring the crusades, there were many changesof fortune in both camps. Some of the defeatedCathars succeeded in escaping. Through the helpof the people and the lords who had revoltedagainst the cruel fanaticism of the church, theParticipation in the crusade against theCathars was considered a blessed pathto salvation.vanquished Cathars would sometimes be hiddenfor considerable periods of time, and continuedconverting people to their cause.This state of affairs continued up to theirfinal stand in the formidable castèl de Montsegur,the citadel better known as Montségur (MountainThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200817

The crimes committed in the name of God were many…of Safety), an ancient place of worship. A templededicated to a form of solar worship was saidto have existed there several centuries before theChristian era, and in the Middle Ages the castlebecame the stronghold where the Cathars foughttheir last battle.Raimon de Perelha, Lord of Montségur,already as far back as 1209, sheltered refugeesin his castle even before the worst phases of thecrusade reached his doors. In 1232 he received thereGuilabert de Castres, Cathar Bishop of Toulouseand one of the greatest Cathar minds, togetherwith several other Cathar leaders. From thenon, Montségur became the centre of the CatharChurch, and towards the end of the crusade, wastheir last stronghold when Raimon VII who hadsucceeded his father as Count of Toulouse, underduress from the French king in 1243, was forcedto help fight the last of the Cathars and to destroytheir final refuge.On the 2 nd March 1244, Montségursurrendered. There was a two week truce. Theterms seemed lenient: everyone could go freeif they allowed themselves to be questioned byand swore loyalty to the Church of Rome. Forthe Perfects, the choice was simpler, renounceCatharism or burn at the stake. The Perfectswould however not lie or take an oath, so theirfate was sealed. They spent the fortnight caringfor their charges and arranging their affairs. Thensomething extraordinary happened. Twentyoneordinary Believers asked to be given theConsolamentum during the final two weeks, someon the very day before the final battle, therebybecoming Perfects, and knowing full well whatthe result would be. This act was a great testamentto the appeal and power of Catharism and itspowerful message.Following the truce to think the terms over,the knights and their families went free while205 Cathars were burned alive on the morningof 16 th March 1244. There were too many to tie toindividual stakes, so a palisade was built arounda pyre. The Cathars were shut inside and the fireswere lit. A stele commemorates the spot where 205beautiful souls passed into transition.The AftermathAfter Montségur fell, a number of Cathar outpostsmanaged to survive, at least until 1258. PopeInnocent IV promulgated the bull Ad Extirpanda,which allowed the torture of suspects, orderingthe civil magistrates to extort from all hereticsby torture a confession of their own guilt and abetrayal of all their accomplices. This gave thechurch another weapon. Throughout the secondhalf of the 13 th century, the Cathars becameincreasingly isolated, and by the early years of the14 th century, there were very few Perfects left whocould administer the Consolamentum.The horrors of the Inquisition however,which had become a recognised institution ofRome under the name of the “Holy Office” in aboutthe year 1223, were such that in many places thepeople of the South rebelled against the fanaticaldomination of the Roman Catholic Church. TheInquisitors confiscated houses and land fromCathars and encouraged others to pretend to beBelievers while betraying their friends and family.Such were the tactics of the Gestapo in other partsof France many centuries later.For a few years towards the end of the 13 thcentury, some Cathars, under the leadership ofthe Autier brothers, continued worshipping and18The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

practicing their faith…, until in 1309, when PèireAutier was arrested and burned at the stake.Their last known Perfect, Guilhèm Belibaste, wasalso betrayed and burnt at the stake in 1321,after which the Believers fled, hiding in the wildregion of Sabarthez until they all seemed to havedisappeared, either because they had been killed,or because they had fled abroad to Spain andLombardy.As for the County of Toulouse, after CountRaimon VII died in 1250, his daughter was marriedto the brother of the king of France, and after theirdeaths in 1271, the county was absorbed into theFrench royal possessions and the entire Languedocfinally came under royal control.MartyrsWe can honestly say that the faith of the Cathars wasof such a high quality that it can only be comparedto that of the early martyrs of Christianity. Theirdoctrine was truly inspired by the pure spirit of thepristine Christian ideal, before misrepresentationand deformation through the sectarianism of theclergy of later times.Many suffered dreadful deaths through firewith the high courage of the early martyrs duringthe Roman persecutions. And yet, their doctrinewas so deformed by the Inquisitors that theywere accused of holding the belief that suicidewas a lawful act. In some cases, they submittedthemselves to what they called the Endura, eitherbefore the sacrament of Consolamentum or afterthey had been imprisoned. In the former case, theThe sincere efforts of Cathars strove forinner liberation and shone with the lightof pure spirituality.Endura was only a very severe fast, not practisedwith the idea of committing suicide, but as ameans of liberating themselves from the sway ofthe senses. In the latter case, when they wereimprisoned, it was undertaken to try to escape thetortures of the Inquisition or death by fire, andthey would therefore allow themselves to starveto death.All epochs have had their contrast of Lightand Darkness. In the darkness of the medieval ages,in a deeply humble manner, the sincere efforts ofCathars strove for inner liberation and shonewith the light of pure spirituality. This affirmedthat however insurmountable the obstacles mayappear, the process of evolution continues itsirrevocable motion throughout eternity. Evilmay triumph temporarily, but for goodness andsanctity, final victory is always assured, even ifthat takes centuries to come.Every action has its reaction, and the powerof the Popes was thereafter greatly weakened. Themassacres and acts of savagery that the pope hadunleashed greatly diminished the authority of thechurch. For a long time the “Vicars of Christ” (thepopes) had lost their spiritual authority over thecountries of Europe. Their violent and fanaticalsuppression of all forms of dissent and differenceof opinion through the actions of the Inquisitionleft a permanent scar from which the RomanCatholic Church has taken centuries to recover.In conclusion it may be said that althoughCatharism seems to have entirely disappeared,some traces of their descendants still remain, andtheir doctrine and teachings were preserved and infact may have been precursors of the teachings ofthe Rosicrucians of later centuries. If we comparetheir traditions and teachings with those of modernRosicrucians, one can’t help but see that they arebased upon the same ancient fundamental truthsderiving from the innate human sense of universaljustice and the ardent aspiration for spiritualenfoldment.EpilogueOne of the greatest achievements of mankindis religion; yet paradoxically, it is also one ofmankind’s greatest enemies. When organisedreligion becomes the bedfellow of secularpower, it is a recipe for disaster. Each religionthinks it is better than all others …, it is humannature!I often wonder if the great avatars andteachers of the past would be horrified to seewhat had become of their teachings. The CatholicChurch eventually reformed itself, so the Churchin this story no longer reflects the Church of today.At the end of the crusades, a whole way of lifehad been destroyed, along with the prosperityof one of the richest regions of France. But youcan’t entirely destroy an idea, and the story of theCathars has survived despite all attempts to eraseit from living memory. In the next article we shallsee what it meant to be a Cathar and how theirexample still influences us today.Al cap dels sèt cent ans, verdejara lo laurèl.The laurel will flourish again in 700 yearsThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200819

y Edgar Wirt, FRChe “Master Within” is a veryuseful and potent concept. Familiaritywith it does not guarantee any usefulworking relationship with our “innermaster,” but thinking in terms of this image andcontinually expanding its potential, is a way ofopening up such a relationship.Some people refer to the Master Within as“the still, small voice within.” Although vaguelycorrect, technically it is not the same as the innermaster, but is what has been termed the “voiceof conscience.” Conscience is partially the voiceof the inner master but crucially, it is filtered byour cultural milieu and relates as well to things20The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

we have learnt from others in society, not all ofthem being universal in their scope or even thatbeneficial to us. We can see this by the fact thatin different cultures, where morals and moresare different; conscience relates to the particularmoral setting in which it grew.We are taught a pattern of right and wrong,not only in moral issues but also in lesser matters.In its basest state, conscience is a reminder ofwhat we have been taught whenever we are onthe verge of disregarding or violating the preceptswe have been taughtto respect. Consciencethen, tells us usuallyonly what we alreadyknow and it is only aswe allow the voice of the inner master, the truevoice of intuition, to take charge in our lives, thatconscience merges with and becomes subsumedby the universal, spiritual values of our deepestselves. It is important therefore to always try anddistinguish between conscience that has beendrummed into us and conscience which comesfrom the Master Within.The Master Within can reveal to us whatwe do not already know; the solution to a difficultsituation, a new discovery, the meaning of a newexperience or a new way of looking at ourselves.At times this insight may be received in words oras an idea without words; at other times, it comesas a visual image. Often it is disguised in imageryor symbols that we have to interpret.The Master Within does not have to betrained or developed, for it is already there. We donot have to train and develop ourselves to makeuse of it or to cultivate a working relationship withit, but we do need to subsume our concept of whatis right and wrong, namely our conscience, to thewill of this inner master. This is an important partof Rosicrucian study.The Master Within does not haveto be trained or developed, for it isalready there.The “Master Within” is part of the humanpsyche, related to the unconscious, subconsciousor subliminal consciousness. This deep area ofthe psyche is independent of ordinary objectiveconsciousness as it is the conscious manifestionof personality of the soul itself during the briefperiod of time that it is incarnated in a humanbody. This Inner Master operates by differentrules from our everyday lives, and is unaffectedby the social norms of the day. We do not manageany part whatsoever of its consciousness, butwe do have a directline of communicationwith it. And of greatestimportance to us asaspiring mystics is thatthe Master Within is in close communicationwith both our individual soul and with the soulforce, i.e. the force of life which animates allliving things.What we can get in objective consciousnessis a sort of echo from the inner master. If our“echo chamber” is warped or cluttered, theecho will be distorted and maybe even silent. Ifthe door is shut, we will not hear the echo at all.Often it is lost in the continual buzz and clatterthat comes through the objective senses.This traditional concept of the “MasterWithin” is particularly suited for personaldevelopment. The Rosicrucian Order hasevolved quite a wide array of experimentsfor learning how to amplify and clarify thosesubtle signals and for directing them to ourspecific needs. One skill to be learned is howto focus on a particular question. Another isto disconnect: to stop, look and listen for ananswer. There is much, much more of course,and it is all available through carefully gradedinstruction available from the RosicrucianOrder.Grateful Thought...One single grateful thoughtraised to heavenis the most perfect prayer.Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-81)(German writer and philosopher)The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200821

t is really amazing how manymisconceptions are associated with theword mysticism. This is partly due tothe popular press and as a result, theaverage person who is not familiar withthe subject will think of mysticism as being weird,occult and mysterious. These erroneous ideas aremainly caused by words that are similar in formsuch as mystify which, as defined in the dictionary,is quite contrary to mysticism in meaning. It is theresemblance in spelling of the two words that isthe cause of the problem.Mysticism is the doctrine and practice wherewe attempt a personal union in consciousness with ourconcept of God, or the Absolute, the Cosmic, the Oneor the Supreme Mind. The important element ofmysticism is that it maintains that mankind does notby Ralph M Lewis, FRCrequire an intermediary to have the awareness of atranscendental power. A mystic does not necessarilyneed to belong to any particular religion. The doctrineof mysticism postulates that we possess an innatelink with the Divine from which all things emanateand upon which they are dependent. No one humanhas this attribute to a greater extent than any other. Ifone person is more successful than another it is duemore to the technique applied than because of anyinnate difference in their faculties.Many sects attack any organisation or groupteaching mysticism. These attacks in themselvesreveal an ignorance of mysticism or a prejudiceagainst any group whose thoughts do not conformto the sect’s own doctrines. It is obvious to anystudent of mysticism that most of the great mystics,e.g. Meister Eckhart, Jan van Ruysbroeck, Jacob22The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Boehme and Abu Hamid Muhammad al Ghazzali,were devout advocates of one of the great worldreligions. Not all mystics were Christian; there wereprominent Jewish and Islamic mystics as well. ForMysticism is the doctrine and practicewhere we attempt a personal union inconsciousness with our concept of God.instance, the Sufis are Islamic mystics whose writingsare very illuminating.The Supreme BeingThese renowned mystics and many others likethem knew through personal experience that theenlightenment and ecstasy provided by mysticismare an individual attainment. There is no need forany religious creed. However, if a mystic is also amember of a religious sect he will then be inclinedto define the transcendental power with whichhe personally seeks union in the terminology andimages of that particular sect.However, there are mystics who are nonsectarian.They do not consider the SupremeBeing to be some divine person. To these mysticsa metaphysical and abstract term represents thepower they consider universal and which theybelieve infuses their being. To them such terms asCosmic Mind and Universal Consciousness have asignificant meaning. The term Supreme Being, is notconstrued by mystics to mean a single entity; rather,it refers to the Whole, the Absolute, the One ofwhich all is an integral part.Mystics have often been contemptuouslycalled atheists by illiberal clergy. In effect, theyimply that we can have no personal experienceof reality through the medium of our own sensesand mind, and that it must be experienced throughthe specific channels determined by their religion.This attitude denies the possibility of a so-called“Afflatus of the Soul” or spiritual attainment outsidethe bounds of a religious creed.There have long been men and women,termed pagans, who do not belong to any of theestablished religions yet have shown reverence forthe magnitude and grandeur of nature. They too areawed by the finite nature of man in comparison withthat mysterious infinity of phenomena existing in,around and beyond humankind. They also have thedesire to know and understand this phenomenon.Out of these feelings of intermingled awe andreverence there emerged magic and thereafterreligion.Those more liberated mystics, who wantto know, to become aware of the great infinitythrough personal experience, are often alsopantheists. To pantheists such as Spinoza thereis an indwelling divine power, an intelligenceor order that permeates all nature. Everything isconceived to be of this reality. Pantheist may say thatall things are infused with God or some intelligence.Yet, like Spinoza, the pantheist will say that thetotality of all things is not God. The real pantheistwill say instead that all manifestations of nature areimpregnated with this infinite or divine quality, yetno total of such can ever equal it. The reason givenis that this Cosmic Cause, or whatever term youmay use, is not limited by any number. It is infiniteand therefore, no finite number can represent itsentirety.As mystical pantheists, we as Rosicrucians donot worship any particular object or phenomenon ofnature. We seek a union with that of which all natureconsists, and of which we are one of its creations.Through our observation of nature we experience amystical attunement which causes us to feel that weare embracing the infinite even if but momentarily.Giordano Bruno, who was burned at thestake in Rome in 1600 for his views, is an example ofa pantheistic mystic. Bruno extolled the idea of theThe term Supreme Being refers to theWhole, the Absolute, the One of whichall is an integral part.unity of all expressions of reality: “It is not reasonableto believe that any part of the world is without a soul life,sensation and organic structures. From this infinite all,full of beauty and splendour, from the vast worlds whichcircle above us to the sparkling dust of the stars beyond,the conclusion is drawn that there are an infinity ofcreatures, a vast multitude which, in its degree, mirrorsforth the splendid wisdom and excellence of the DivineBeauty.”Who can truly separate the finite from theinfinite? Where does one begin and the other leaveoff? If this separateness is not evident, then is notoneness their nature?The world is as good as we see it and goodness is only as we value it.—ValidivarThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200823

y Samuel Avital, FRCThe guest residing in eachof us is a part of the greatCosmic Soul.e have all experienced thewonderful warmth of being a guestin someone’s home. Equally, we knowthe deep satisfaction of having been ahost or hostess offering our hospitalityto another person. There is a genuine give andtake when a visitor is welcomed into the home,an exchange replete with great meaning andsignificance in all cultures down through theages.Consider for a moment your own house, withyou as a guest residing within. The house providesyou with shelter and warmth and a place from whichto operate. In return, you maintain it, keeping it cleanand orderly. You, the guest, are actively contributingto the life of the host. In fact, you are the very lifewithin that house.What about your own body, the “Temple ofthe Soul?” Is it not also a house, a dwelling placefor a very important guest? The house that sheltersus, made of stone, brick or wood, is obviously notconscious or aware of our presence within its walls.But we are endowed with the gift of consciousnessand self-awareness on both the mundane andspiritual levels, and should be aware of the guestresiding within us.We may sense the presence of a “still smallvoice” (inner quiet), in Hebrew kol dernama dakasometimes referred to as the Inner Self or the MasterWithin. We may even have begun to develop arelationship with this presence. But are we using theconsciousness we have been given to truly know theInner Guest?In Hebrew, the word for guest is ore’ach, whichalso means “visitor, path, the way, the traveller onthe path.” In Aramaic, the word is oushpiz means“visitor” or the “holy or honoured guest.”Honoured GuestThe idea of the honoured guest has been carriedwith us since ancient times as part of our humanheritage. In the Hebrew tradition there is a saying,“He who has fed a stranger may have fed an angel.”We see an example of this in the Bible, whenthree guests appear to Abraham and receive fromhim unquestioning service and assistance. Abrahamlearns from these “messengers” that he and his wifewill have a son, even though they are both old andSarah had been barren for many years. The story ofAbraham symbolises the high stature of the guestas a divine messenger. Surely every guest brings a“message” and should be received with the samereverence that Abraham had for his visitors.Let us now consider the less obvious meaningsof the Hebrew and Aramaic words for “guest,” suchas “the path,” “the way,” “the traveller on the path.”In the bible, Jesus is quoted as saying, “I am the Wayand the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). We know thatJesus and many other great teachers like Moses,Buddha and the prophet Mohammed lived theirlives as examples, pointing the way for others tofollow. They were also wanderers themselves and24The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

“travellers on the path,” like moving, focal points;spiritual reference points of living paradox.What then about the Master Within, the “IAm” that dwells in our bodily temple, formed bycellular bricks of light? It too is a guest, a messengerfrom the Cosmic and deserving of our highestrespect. The guest residing in each of us is a part ofthe great Cosmic Soul and therefore also representsthe path or the way. It is by keeping our inner eartuned to the silent self, our inner eye focused on theinvisible guide, that we are directed on our propercourse.The Master WithinAnd, like the great avatars whose lives haveinspired us, the Master Within is also a traveller.This traveller comes to us from afar, enteringthe body with the first breath. It carries nothingin the way of material gifts, but brings to us therichness of a knowledge more vast than we canimagine, a knowledge drawn from every cornerof the universe.Now that we begin to recognise our guest,how do we attune with the holy presence within?First, we must learn to be like nature…, ready,grounded, still and silent; for it is in the stillness andsilence that the Master Within is revealed, and onlyto the one who is waiting and ready to receive withan open heart. It may take some time for us to reachthis state of receptivity. In preparation, we must keepa watchful eye on all that enters our “house” and allthat radiates out from it, so that ours will be a templeworthy of the presence of the Inner Guest.Each thought that knocks at the door of themind should be examined and only the purestallowed to enter. Similarly each word we uttershould pass through three holy gates: truth, necessityand kindness. Our actions too must be constructiveand harmonious so that we may prove ourselves,to ourselves, as deserving of the Master Within. Inpreparing ourselves for attunement with the InnerSelf, we are reminded that the personal guest residesin all other beings as well. There may be many“houses” but only one guest: many bodies, but thesame one Soul expressing itself in a myriad of specialways, like the many petals of our beloved rose, or themany rays of the one Sun, the source of light of oursolar system.When two houses, two beings, face oneanother, they may recognise the same guest lookingout through the “windows of the soul.” In thisconstant reflection, the Inner Self is ever manifesting.That is why we are instructed in the ancient textsto “welcome everyone with joy,” for “to welcomea fellow man is to welcome the Shekina (Divinepresence)” says the Midrash. In the Jewish tradition,this is called “The Holy Meeting.”What better encouragement could we hopefor, what greater security than to know that theall-embracing Consciousness of the Cosmic iseverywhere and in everything? We need only directthe questioning mind to this great fount of wisdomin order to draw from its infinite consciousness themessage that we need at any given time.Expanding ConsciousnessTo do this requires that we expand our personal“little self” view to include the Guest residingin all beings and in all things. With a heart thatknows how to wait, we gradually extend ourboundaries far beyond the physical, mental andemotional definitions of self. Only in this way canwe partake of the whole.But a word of caution from our brethren,the Sufis! “Don’t make friends with an elephanttrainer unless there is space in your living room for anelephant!” or “Trust in God, but tie your camel first.”Fortunately, the Rosicrucian teachings guide usstep-by-step through our unfoldment; each phaseperfectly designed so we are able to graduallyembrace a larger universal view, our consciousnessexpanding in its own time.We experience disharmony only when wecut ourselves off from the perfect connectedness ofall creation, and this is obvious to the true student.The Guest residing within us and around us isour constant reminder of our rightful place in thecosmic scheme, ever affirming our true sense ofbelonging and purpose. It is by attuning with ourGreater Self, through a proper word and properact, that all health and harmony are restored.When we stop to reflect, we see that theGuest is the very life within us, just as we are thelife within our material homes of brick, stone andwood. The Guest keeps the eternal flame of Lifeburning in our house, radiant and resplendent. Webehold the same Light shining within every otherhouse. It is the fire of Love, a jewelled lamp in thewindow of every dwelling to welcome the wearytraveller. There is a profound saying: “If it is darkenough, one candle is plenty.” May the Light, Lifeand Love of the Guest guide us on our journey andremind us that our real home is the whole universe,our destination, the infinite.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200825

y Paul Goodall, FRCThe alchemical Mercurius.The movement of the spirit islike that of the flame..., it rises.[Louis Claude de Saint Martin (1743-1803)]here is a hidden and symbolicfire within each of us that burnsinexorably throughout the process ofthe evolution of the soul. This fire cannever be extinguished because it is a divine andphilosophic fire, creative and dynamic, assistingand directing our spiritual progress, our inneralchemy, toward harmonious unity and ultimateassimilation with God.On the physical plane alchemists of oldcontained their material fire within an apparatusknown as an athanor, a slow burning furnace wheremetals were incinerated back to their base natureand transmuted to evolve into a purer substance,gold: a metal, by its very nature, considered perfectand able to withstand the test of the fire. In themundane world it was and still is prized above allothers and symbolises power and wealth. And tothose that owned it, changes on the physical planewere effected in differing degrees, wryly aping thealchemical process itself.But this drive toward physical perfection26The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

and its more immediate benefits in life can’t simplybe equated with its counterpart in the spiritualdimension. While much may be made to align thevarious stages of alchemical work with spiritualprogress, if there is not a sincere and genuinepurpose on the part of the operator to correspondand integrate these physical processes with theirinner life, then the whole merely amounts to curiosityand a pandering to the outer self. In short, thealchemist must work in parallel with his innerconvictions and spiritual tendencies to make hisalchemy worth the effort.This article seeks, albeit briefly, to explorethe allegorical nature of fire in its role as a catalystin the work of inner alchemy and the spiritualdevelopment of the soul and how one can embodyin ordinary life an awareness of this process.An Element of ExtremesFire is, of course, only one of the four so calledelements identified by the Greeks; the philosopher,Empedocles (490-430 BCE), to be precise. Thesearchetypal qualities, if you like, are used todescribe the world and the universe in a ratherdifferent way to the modern chemical elements.The classical elements of earth, water, air andfire are employed to distinguish states or phasesof matter and generally are as such, intangibleproperties existing in and through space andmatter.But by the very fact of our close involvementwith it, fire appears to be set apart from the rest.We understand that it is an element of extremes:on the one hand it can be most destructive andThe elements represented by Mylius in his PhilosophiaReformata (1622).end life prematurely, while on the other, it bringsus warmth and comfort, gives us protection andallows us to heat our food, thereby preventingdisease and, most importantly, it brings illumination;not just by expelling darkness, but also in theepistemological sense of the word and by stimulatingour imagination.In its esoteric aspect fire is the purifier, theIn its esoteric aspect fire is the purifier,the cleanser.cleanser. It is used in ritual and sacrificial roles andremains as a central symbol on the altar where itrepresents illumination and knowledge, and thepureness of the soul, ever alight and burning brightly.In this way, for some cultures, cremation is often thepreferred manner, over that of physical burial, toceremonially dispatch the remains of the dead.MercuriusThe idea that each stage in the alchemical processis identified with a corresponding level in theindividual’s spiritual path has, over the centuries,developed into a spiritual alchemy existingalongside that of physical alchemy. Fire is a keyelement in this schema because of its role asthe initiator of change, along with its purifyingproperties.Closely associated with fire, and being theactive component of its work, is the alchemicalMercury or Mercurius. This central symbol inalchemy, also known by the equivalent Greek nameHermes, also represents the agent of transmutation.It was often pictured as aerial spirit or soul, symbolisedby clouds or fumes, redolent of fire, although itadopts many guises throughout the different stagesof the alchemical process. Mercurius therefore,stands for the whole process of purification wherespirit is sublimated or raised to perfection andessentially, among the many diverse descriptionsof its role, represents the divine essence at work.As with fire, the volatile Mercurius is dual-naturedand ambivalent, and can be both destructive andcreative.Toward the Fifth ElementWhen you have made the quadrangleround, then is all the secret found.[George Ripley (d. 1490)]When working with inner spiritual alchemy,a reconciling of the four elements is put intoThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200827

effect which culminates in a harmonious andperfect unity. The result of this combination ofthe elements leads to the manifestation of a fifthelement, commonly known as the quintessence orsometimes aether. The alchemical writer JohannMylius (c.1583-1642) in his Philosophia Reformata(1622) described this element as “a mixture ofall the elements and a reduction of them to one pureThe combination of the elements leads tothe manifestation of a fifth, commonlyknown as the quintessence.substance.” The work itself is a hidden one andcomplementary to the spiritual development of theindividual. The process involved is known as theopus circulatorium or “rotation of the elements.”Heat is the primary agent of this circulation,combining the elements in a special way accordingto their qualities of coldness and dryness, heatand moisture. Since matter can’t have contradictoryqualities so the quintessence must be an immaterialpure spirit, and is diagrammatically placed at thecentre. This is the goal of the process.A symbol that conveys this idea is that of themonad, typically seen as a point in the centre of acircle. Another popular representation is the ouroborus,where we see a dragon or serpent swallowing itsown tail before collapsing into a single monadicpoint. But perhaps the best example of the rotationof the is elements, conveyed by a turning wheel,known as the “philosophical wheel.” In anotheralchemical metaphor the process is described as thetransformation of the square (the four elements) intothe circle (the quintessence).Toward the Philosopher’s StoneTransmute yourselves from dead stonesinto living philosophical stones.[Gerhardt Dorn (1530-1584)]To reiterate, the metaphysical fire burning withinus is the principal agent by which the rotation ofthe elements is driven. The work is a continuousone that is repeated many times to ensure that werid ourselves of the dross that has accumulatedwithin. In alchemical terms this is known as solveet coagula (dissolve and coagulate) or separationand union.A better explanation is found in yet anotherterm for the quintessence, the azoth, the mercurialwater or solvent that purges the unclean matteror dross mentioned above. Paracelsus calls it the“universal medicine” that can cure the diseaseof man. Essentially, we recognise our faults anderrors and transmute them into acts of goodwillwhich dissolve the spots and stains (in alchemicalterminology) of self-will. This is achieved throughthe increasing manifestation of pure love that is theresult of our spiritual progress in this manner.An alternative name for the quintessence andpopularised over recent centuries, is that of thephilosopher’s stone. Much has been said or writtenconcerning its nature but essentially it possessesthe power to perfect imperfection. Just as at thephysical level the quintessence or philosopher’sstone can transmute base metals into pure goldthrough the action of fire, so too can it transformthe individual into an illumined philosopher. In theRosicrucian Order this is referred to as the Masteryof Self.A Chemical WeddingA further aspect of our inner work, and an importantone in alchemy, concerns the reconciliationof the active and passive components of ournature. These are the male (sulphur) and female(mercury) expressions that have to be unified inthe production of the philosopher’s stone. Thisis easier to understand when we consider howthese two aspects of our being correspond tothe four elements: fire and air relate to the malecomponent and water and earth align themselveswith that of the female.Keeping the rotation of the elements in mindthen, we can see how this “chemical wedding” ofopposites operates, namely, sun and moon, and kingand queen. Parallel to the work of bringing togetherthe elements, there is a complementary processgoing on that unites the male and female energiesDiagram of the rotation of the elements with the quintessenceportrayed at the centre.28The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Mercurius and the creative fire represented by the lion,flank the athanor within which the alchemical work isundertaken.into a perfect integration. In alchemical terminologythis is the rebis or hermaphrodite.The Prima MateriaWe can see more clearly the internal heat at workif we consider the human body metaphoricallyas the alchemical furnace or athanor (Arabic: attannûrmeaning “oven”) that houses the primamateria: the soul. In alchemy this last term means“first matter” for it describes the pure substancefrom which the universe was created before theimprinting of the “forms of all things” in theprocess of creation.The soul is acted upon by the quintessencethat is the result of the circulation of the elementsand the unification of the sexual polarities, mirroringthe way that the physical alchemist brings about thecreation of gold by using the philosopher’s stone,in the form of powder or tincture, upon the basemetal (prima materia). In physical alchemy this finaloperation is known as projection.Toward Practical WorkThe foregoing has dwelt lightly on alchemicaltheory, presenting a simplified overview of theopus alchymicum; so what about bringing thiswork to fruition within oneself?Firstly, it should be understood that the workof inner alchemy is long and arduous, and one thatis principally accomplished on the plane of theimagination (when used effectively). The medievalphysician and alchemist Arnold de Villa Nova(c.1240-1310) recommends the imagination as a tool:“Follow it with the Instance of Labour, but first exerciseyourself in a diuturnity [sic] of Intense Imagination: forso you may find the complete Elixir; but without thatnever at all.” It is, of course, a prerequisite to havea grasp of the theory in order to devise ways ofdirecting the imagination with which to impress thesubconscious.In everyday life, one could try beingconsciously aware of the active and passivequalities of the elements in the fiery work of theopus circulatorium discussed above and use thisscenario as a basis for one’s meditations where theimagination can come into full play. Zosimos ofPanopolis (3 rd - 4 th century CE Greek alchemist)wrote that in order to “obtain the proper, authentic,and natural tinctures” one must accomplish thisby “plunging into meditation.” The combination ofa cycle of four-fold breathing and simultaneousattribution of the elements to its four phases, isa good exercise for the imagination to integratethese intangible qualities whilst maintaining ourawareness of the rotation of the elements within;the goal being to internally synthesise the elementsinto a fifth one, the quintessence.ConclusionIt is said that the mastery of the element offire gives one the ability to express divine loveand if we understand alchemy as being theart of fire, then the raison d’être of our inneralchemy becomes clear. The Italian humanist JohnPontanus (1426-1503) states that the inner fire is“found by deepe and profound Meditation only, andthen it may be gathered out of Bookes and not before.”He is instructing the reader to rely on his innerawareness to uncover the secrets of self-masterybefore resorting to books written by, and housingthe opinions and thoughts of, others.Members of the Rosicrucian Order are atonce placed at an advantage in this work, for muchemphasis is placed on seeking and developing theself in this way and coming to an understandingof one’s relationship to the universe and the divinesource from which we originated.In closing, it seems almost unnecessary tostate that with sincere and disciplined effort therewill be evident signs in one’s outward nature andbehaviour that will become ever more noticeableas it reflects the inner changes being developed andexperienced through working with the fire within.BibliographyLyndy Abraham: A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery, CambridgeUniversity Press, 1998.Titus Burckhardt: Alchemy, Stuart & Watkins, 1967.29The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

y Doris Knollbrook SPARKS the imagination.When looking at its waters, I often wonderwhere it comes from and where it ends up.I’d like to be a drifting leaf and set sail forthe sights and experiences that must be ahead as thebrook runs on its way.How old are you, brook? How did you cometo be the way you are? Two hundred years fromnow, who will be standing here where I now stand?How much will you have changed? Will you still berushing merrily along as you do now? The brook is amarvellous accompaniment to meditating, thinkingthrough a problem or resolving a conflict. My mindclears of trivia and reaches back to re-examine life’sfundamentals.Staring into the brook heightens my awarenessof how we separate ourselves so deliberately from thenatural bent of our bodies and spirit. How complicatedour lives are, how hectic our comings and goings, howcluttered our homes become as we accumulate thingsand leave them to dust and repair as we move fromhere to there. Why do we shove the important thingsthat make life meaningful to the fringes of concern?Why do we waste precious time so compulsively?Why do we make ourselves so busy?The obvious solution is nurturing a closerrelationship with nature. The older I grow, the moreintense is my desire to understand nature. I wantto know nature’s language, read its messages, learnhow to live as an integral part of it. And then, isn’tit just possible that I shall learn more about myselfand what God wants of me in this world? Is it tooambitious an undertaking? Have I travelled theconcrete paths too long? Surely my interest is atleast a small encouragement to try? My brook is theperfect place to begin.For all the reading I do, for all my predilectionfor how-to books on everything from saving timeto solving problems, this learning must be done bysolving problems, by watching and paying closeattention. So, maybe if I listen quietly on the brook’sbank and observe with all the concentration I canmuster, a beginning will have been made. And then,who knows what wonders may reveal themselves?30The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

y Lilian Paterson, SRC.e enter the world throughthe miracle of birth, live a short whilehere on Earth, and then experience themystery of transition. Many of us wasteour allotted time in self-indulgence, in seekingpraise and in striving for power and riches. Thethoughtful, spiritually aspiring ones among usask: “Why am I here? What can I do to justify myexistence? What talents can I put to use? What ismy mission in life?”• What is talent? It is a special natural aptitudeor ability.• What is a mission? It is a divinely ordainedwork.We can fill all the waking hours with activitiesand feel exhausted but unfulfilled at the end ofthe day. Such a day can be considered as lost,never to be regained, if we have not devoted atleast a part of it to our abilities or to our purposein life. The time arrives in the life of every oneThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200831

of us when we must take stock, and then devoteourselves to the attainment of spiritual growth onhigher levels. And as long as we work in harmonywith the Cosmic and obey the laws of the universe,we will be helped.There are as many missions as there arefields of endeavour. The Rosicrucian teachingstouch upon all knowledge: the arts, sciences,comparative religions, various philosophies andhealing. Rosicrucians can study and specialise inthe fields to which they are attracted accordingto their talents, and can apply their knowledgeand experience in the service to the Order andmankind.Rosicrucians come from all walks of life andare of different ages and temperaments. From manyexperiences in the past we have learned numerouslessons, and there are still many more lessons to belearned. Yet, what Rosicrucians have in commonforges a mighty bond: the desire to grow spirituallyand to reach ultimate mastership, however distantit may be. The Path stretches out ahead. At times itis a steep path, but we press onward and upward,setting our gaze on the heights above us.Many of us were guided to the Orderbecause we were hungry for enlightenment andeager to find real meaning in life. We progressthrough study, meditation and the conscientiousperformance of experiments. By learning to listen,the wisdom of the divine inner self is imparted andwe become aware of our talents and life’s work.What are our talents and our missions? Wehave all heard the adage: “Seek and you will find!”Where there is desire, there exists correspondingability, though it may be latent. The human mindis part of the system and processes of the Cosmic.When we turn inward in meditation, the answerwill come. In meditation we find our lost connectionwith the Creator. The plan for humanity is morebeautiful than our loftiest dreams.True ExpressionFortunate is the one who can earn his daily breaddoing what he loves. When the outer pattern of ourobjective self is in harmony with the Master Within,“miracles” can take place. True expression of theself within is necessary for mental and physicalhealth. Constant anxiety eliminates any chance ofhappiness. If joy has left you, how can you be awareof the beauty of the moon and the stars? If you keepyour eyes fixed on the dust at your feet, how canyou see the glory overhead?Sometimes we incur opposition andcriticism from the outer world. In that case we arestrengthened by keeping to our principles and notcompromising ourselves. By allowing others tochoose for us and dictate to us, we may consentwith a degree of unwillingness and resentment,True expression of the self within isnecessary for mental and physicalhealth.and then no one profits, for whatever is donegrudgingly cannot bear fruit.The basis of the mystical approach to life,the foundation of everyday practice of someonewho lives the life of obedience to esoteric lawis the reversal of most usual ways of thinking,speaking and doing. We must dare to be differentand true to our inner self, yet we must also feelperfect tolerance of other’s ways. Each stage ofour inner growth has given us a higher concept ofwhat is right, resulting in a higher ideal. The lightof awakened consciousness illuminates the roadand makes the ideal a point to be worked towardand ultimately attained.The way will open up before us, obstacleswill be pushed aside. Every sound we hear, everyperson we meet, every book we read, everymission we accomplish will be revealed to us insome way, and the inner urge will be ever-presentuntil the work is completed and valuable lessonslearned.The Role of GeniusGenius always heeds the voice of the inner selfand offers itself as a willing channel for divinemanifestation. Ralph Waldo Emerson startledNew England when he resigned his pastorate anddevoted the rest of his life to travel, lecturing andwriting, stressing always strong reliance on theinner spirit and its freedom. Had he not found hisown niche and talents, the world would have losta literary genius.The Serbian-American scientist NikolaTesla forsook the joys of love and family and livedfor his experiments and inventions. He conceivedthe alternating current method that brought aboutnew uses for electricity. The idea came to himin a flash one day during his youth while hewas admiring a sunset. His greatest achievementwas the discovery of the rotating magnetic field:the fundamental elements of the alternating32The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

current which could effectively produce and sendelectricity over miles of wire.Anna Pavlova, the Russian ballerina, knewat the age of eight what her mission in life wouldbe when she attended a performance of the balletSleeping Beauty set to Tchaikovsky’s music. Shewas frail but headstrong. She knewthat God meant her to expressbeauty through dance, and thusshe instilled a love of ballet inthose who came to see her, andcontributed greatly to the beautyin the lives of all of them.Michelangelo, the famousartist of the Italian Renaissance,followed no school; his art wasoriginal. He attuned directly withthe Cosmic, from which he drewhis creativity and masterpieces.Michelangelo’s Pietà (1499) raisedhim to the rank of Italy’s greatestsculptor. He decorated the SistineChapel in Rome, and the MediciChapel ranks as his architectural and sculpturalmasterpiece. Michelangelo was a willing channelfor the overpowering urge of work and creation allof his life.These are just a few examples of great mindswho were cosmically inspired, who used anddeveloped their talents, and who fulfilled theirmissions in life.Humility and a Life of CaringNot everyone, however, can occupy centre stage.Not everyone can attain fame, power and glory.There are other tasks and missions more humble,yet just as important in the cosmic scheme of things.Worthwhile, purposeful living is the key to the lifeof the mystic. Humble service performed with loveand dedication is always blessed. In the eyes of theCosmic, there is no difference between the streetcleaner,the dishwasher, the scientist or the doctor.Knowing this, we must all find our own place inThe all-important thing is to care; thismeans loving and helping one another.life. We must use our time in such a way that at theend of life, we will have something constructive toshow for the time spent on Earth.Just as the different instruments of anorchestra combine to produce perfect harmony,so do we who wish to make life meaningful playour own parts to the best of our ability to create aharmonious whole.The all-important thing is to care; this meansloving and helping one another. When we choosea life of caring, we become a part of the flow oflife and energy that has nobeginning and no end. We areno longer separate but becomean involved, integrated memberof the human race.ServiceWe cannot become great untilwe give ourselves to somethinggreater than ourselves. Theinner urge to serve is sacredand must not be disregardedor suppressed. We must spreadlight and love where there isignorance, hatred or darkness.We must all become involvedin some way, whether at home,at work or in a Rosicrucian group. By servingothers, we help ourselves. What we are and whatwe do flows out and helps to determine whatothers shall be.We must extend a friendly hand to those onthe Path, and open doors to new understandingfor them. We can never know how far-reachingour words or actions can be to those striving tobetter themselves. At times, all we have to do is tolisten with a loving heart. Then we can look withcompassion upon our troubled friend and say: “Iknow, I understand, I was there.”Our journey on the path of spiritualevolvement will be smoother and present fewerobstacles if we keep our hearts and minds free fromresentment, intolerance and impatience. We mustopen our beings to the divine inflow so that it canwork freely through us. We reach out to others asthey reach out to us, and in the give and take, thereis enrichment for both sides.Michelangelo’s PietaIt is our duty and privilege asRosicrucians to lift up the vibrations of ourenvironment with positive thoughts andemotions. We experience the joy of fellowshipas we love and serve wherever we are needed.Then, with the mission accomplished, and with theutmost joy, gratitude and Peace Profound, we cansay: “This is why I was born. This is why I came intothe world.”The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200833

y Valerie Peterst is important to be wary of thetendency to feel that you’re better thananyone else, just because you belong toa particular social or economic group,or for that matter to a particular esotericorganisation. Unchecked, this can lead tofanaticism, and isolate you from learning fromthe rest of humanity.I have some friends who live good lives butdo not belong to any religions, formal groups orspecial mystical organisations. If I was to comparethem, I would say they are more evolved than I am.They don’t follow any particular doctrine, but theylive in a manner which, in time, I hope to masterthrough the teachings I follow.Everyone is a traveller on the path, whether34The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

they realise it or not. God speaks through everymouth, even if we personally don’t care for the toneof the speaker’s voice! Realising this, we must takecare to humble ourselves before some external eventforces humility upon us.Learn to be LovingIf you want to learn to be loving, you might askyourself, “What can I do to make it easier for anotherperson to relate to me?” Trying to relate withinsomeone else’s framework is not manipulation,but rather, consideration and common sense. Ifsomeone acts extremely formally and you ignorehis sense of etiquette, whose fault is it if youweren’t understood?Try to give a little of yourself every day, notto score points for some future day of reckoning, butjust to be a better, more loving person. If you do itEveryone is a traveller on the path,whether they realise it or not.for any other reason, you may still have somethingto learn, or as some might put it, you will have somekarma to work out.If you find it difficult to reach out and bewith others, it may help to remember that theyare probably just as nervous as you are when itcomes to making the first move in getting to knowsomeone new. We’re all self-conscious at times.But to be conscious of only ourselves can lead to aselfish attitude. It’s not wrong to be concerned withyourself, but by thinking only of yourself, how cansomeone else feel comfortable with you? How canthey feel that you mean them no harm and havetheir best interests at heart, if all they can see is yourpreoccupation with your own needs and fears?If you reach out to someone else in a friendlymanner and are met with negativity, perhapsyou can take comfort in knowing that you werecommunicating from the highest part of yourself.Maybe your kindness or smile won’t be returned,but perhaps it will be passed on to someone elsewho has a greater need of it than you. If someone iskind to you but because you are in a bad mood, yourebuff them, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just try todo better next time.Soul MateAt times we look for the perfect mate or the perfectfriend. However, as we aren’t perfect ourselves,there is a good chance we won’t find this perfectperson. Acceptance of who we are, even thoughthe tendency to deny it is compelling, is thefirst step to perfection.Hard work to change these painful flawsis the next step. Perhaps, changing what wecan, but also accepting ourselves as we are, willhelp us to help someone else to become that perfectsomeone for whom we are searching. These effortsare difficult and seem so small in comparison to thegreat work others have accomplished. Yet we mayeventually realise that our efforts toward this goalare the greatest work we can do.Perhaps, because of these efforts, we willone day find there is less need for formal teachings.Each person will be in touch with the God Within,and teachings will be heard whenever humanityconverses. There will be no comparing, no judging,just ecstatic joy in being.The MomentThe moment I have realised God sitting in the temple of every humanbody, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being andsee God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everythingthat binds vanishes, and I am free.Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200835

y Mary Jones , SRCThe philosophers of ancient Greece were thefirst documented enquirers into the workingsof the world and how things worked. They weresceptical about religious explanations for naturalphenomena and sought explanations throughpersonal experience and deep reflection. Of course,after some two and a half thousand years, it canbe difficult to understand the terminology theyused in its original meaning. For that, you needto get into the minds of those distant philosophersand also understand the times in which theylived. This fascinating though academic approachis sadly beyond the scope of this series of articlesabout Pythagoras, one of the most renownedphilosophers of the ancient world. More famousnowadays for his mathematical theorem, thisseries of five articles will, I hope, give you aninsight into a philosophy that shaped the worldas we know it today. Pythagoras was one of theshining lights of ancient Greek thought, whoseteachings became the foundation of modernphilosophical thought and who has influencedRosicrucian teachings to this day.Part IFrom Samos toMetapontumn the Aegean Sea, a shortdistance from the Ionian coast of AsiaMinor, what is today Anatolia or AsiaticTurkey, there is a remarkably fertileisland called Samos. In classical antiquitythe island was a centre of Ionian culture andluxury, renowned for its Samian wines and redpottery, called “Samian ware” by the Romans.At the time of the great Hellenic migrations,it received an Ionian population which traced itsorigin to Epidauros in the Argolis, not far fromancient Mycenae, the capital of the Mycenaeancivilisation and home to Agamemnon of Homer’sIliad. Samos became one of the 12 members ofthe Ionian League. By the 7 th century BCE it hadbecome one of the leading commercial centresof the Greek world. The early prosperity of theSamians seems largely due to the island’s position36The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Ancient Greece and Ionianear trade-routes which facilitated the importationof textiles from the interior of Asia Minor and thenorth-south shipping routes. It boasted a flourishingeconomy based on wool and metalworking. But theSamians also developed an extensive overseascommerce. They helped to open up trade withthe Black Sea cities and with Pharaonic Egypt,and were credited with having been the firstGreeks to reach the Straits of Gibraltar.About 535 BCE, when the existing oligarchywas overturned by the tyrant Polykrates, Samosreached the height of its prosperity. Its navy notonly protected it from invasion, but ruled supremein Aegean waters. The city was beautified withpublic works, and its schools ofsculptors, metal-workers andengineers achieved high repute.It had a famous sanctuary of Heracalled the Heraion, which today is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.Early LifePythagoras was born in 580 or572 BCE into a wealthy family.His father was Mnesarchos, agem engraver and merchant ofprecious goods from Tyre and hismother was Pythais of a high bornSamian family. The story is toldhow Mnesarchos, on a businesstrip to Delphi, with his wife whowas pregnant but didn’t know it,consulted the Pythian oracle abouthis forthcoming voyage to Syria. The oracle repliedthat his voyage would be profitable and that hiswife was already pregnant and would give birthto a child who would “surpass all others in beautyand wisdom.” This child would be of the greatestbenefit to the human race in all aspects of life. Whenthe child was born, they named him Pythagoras,meaning “speaking like the Pythia.”Pythagoras came to maturity just as theearliest Greek science or natural philosophy wasdeveloping in the nearby city of Miletus, and sonaturally he was influenced by Milesian cosmology.During his lifetime, education was considered to bea form of spiritual initiation and therefore, fromthe age of five, he was introduced to all the fieldsof knowledge. Coming from a wealthy family,he was sent to study under some great Masterssuch as: the poet and musician Hermodamas ofSamos; the philosophers Anaximander of Miletusand Bias of Priene; Pherekydes of Syros, one of theSeven Sages of Greece who taught the immortalityof the soul; and Thales of Miletus, that greatdepositary of ancient wisdom who recommendedEducation was considered to be a form ofspiritual initiation.Pythagoras of Samos(c.580-500BCE).that Pythagoras travel to Egypt, the cradle ofsecret knowledge. At that time Egypt was ruled byPharaoh Amasis of the Saite or 26 th dynasty, the lastgreat ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.Amasis encouraged many Greeks to come to hisland and be instructed in its ancient wisdom.World TravellerTaking Thales’ advice, Pythagorastravelled to Egypt, learning ancientEgyptian and spending 22 years asa neophyte and initiate in the greattemples at Heliopolis, Memphis andThebes, the main centres of learning,where he was initiated into thesecrets of mathematics, geometry,astronomy and astrology. He wasalso initiated into the knowledgeof correspondences and symbolismas well as the rituals of thoseinstitutions, which were designed toexpand the consciousness.In Egypt Pythagoras wascaptured and taken to Babylon bythe soldiers of Cambyses II, the KingThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200837

Pythagoras learned much on his many travels including the doctrine ofreincarnation in which he came to firmly believe.of Persia. Once in Babylon, he was mysteriouslyfreed and this gave him the opportunity to learnthe secrets of the Magi, which in turn opened thegates of Chaldean science to him. From there, hetravelled to Asia Minor where the mysteries ofvarious temples were revealed to him. It is saidthat he travelled to Sidon in Phoenicia, as well asMesopotamia and even as far as India, where helearned the secret Vedic teachings and about thedoctrine of reincarnation, in which he came tobelieve firmly. In this way he learned that thereare many paths, but only one leads to the Truth.Finally, he possessed the key to knowledge.After half a lifetime of travels to sacred sites,he then decided to return to Samos, intendingto continue what he now considered as hismission. Samos however was ruled by the autocratOn his travels he learned the secretVedic teachings and about thedoctrine of reincarnation.Polykrates (530-538 BCE), an ally of the Persianswho had brutally suppressed the people’s rights.Pythagoras, not able to stomach the tyranny, andunable to find students to instruct, went to consultthe Pythian oracle of Delphi. He left under theprotection of Apollo, and in accordance with theresponse of the Pythia, about 530 BCE he landed inKroton (Κρότων) in Magna Graecia.Magna GraeciaMagna Graecia (or Greater Greece in Latin) was thename the Romans gave to the Greek settlementsalong the coast of southern Italy andSicily because of the dense numbersof Greeks living there. These cities lefta lasting imprint of Greek culture thatinfluenced the Etruscan and later theRoman civilisations.According to Strabo, HeraclidesPonticus, Antiochus of Syracuse, thesophist Zenobius and Diodorus Siculus,the Greek colony of Kroton was sixmiles from the Lakinian promontory(the current Capo Colonna). Like Samosit had a temple of Hera. It lies in themodern Italian province of Crotone inthe region of Calabria. This was theancient territory of the Iapyges, anIllyrian-speaking tribe whose language istentatively distantly related to Albanian.Kroton was a large city founded in 708 BCEafter the Delphic oracle instructed some Achaeancolonists led by Myskellos to settle there. The storywas told that the founders of Kroton and Sybarisboth consulted the oracle at Delphi at the sametime and were given the choice of wealth or health;Archias the founder of Sybaris chose wealth, whileMyskellos chose health.Kroton had a small harbour, but it was onlya port of call and not a centre of commerce. Behindthe city were the Sila mountains, cutting it off fromthe interior. The slopes and foothills were extensiveand fertile. The city was famous for its doctors andathletes. The school of philosophy that Pythagorasfounded there played an important role in thepolitical affairs of southern Italy for the next two orthree generations.About the time Pythagoras arrived, Krotonwas defeated by the city of Locri at the River Sagras.But its fortunes changed and in 510 BCE, Krotondefeated and destroyed its rich and luxuriousneighbour to the north, Sybaris. From then untilabout 450 BCE, Kroton seems to have been thedominant city in the region and historians creditedPythagoras and his moral training for the militaryrevival of Kroton.Pythagorean CommunityAfter his arrival, Pythagoras introduced himselfto the people of the city by delivering severaldiscourses containing some basic concepts of hisphilosophy. His presence was that of a free man;tall and graceful in speech and gesture. He madea great impression on the Krotonians and showed38The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Map of Magna Graecia in southern Italyhimself to be not merely a moral reformer but amystical philosopher whose insights into humanrelations could bring about a society harmoniousin itself and with the gods.With Pythagoras and his communitydirecting affairs, Kroton became the mostimportant power in southern Italy. It hadbrilliant athletic successes at the OlympicGames and a flourishing medical school. Atthis period, the south Italian Greek cities wererenowned as leaders of Greek thought and culture.In material culture they rivalled other Greek citieslike Athens and Corinth. This was no provincialbackwater but a fully developed part of the ancientGreek world.Pythagoras especially stressed how the godswere to be propitiated with sacred ritual. Amongother things, he emphasised that you should wearwhite in a temple, that you should use wood andsea water rather than animals in sacrifice, and thatyou should pour libations to Zeus before eating. Inorder to create a harmonious society the philosopheralso defined what should be considered proper orethical behaviour between the sexes, and betweenchildren and their elders.He stated that the young should respecttheir parents and have a love of knowledge. Hebelieved that the Universe as a whole was a livingcreature, being a single, living, eternal and divineentity. He taught that human beings were mortal,but that the soul was not: it was a fragment orspark of the divine soul, cut off and imprisonedin a mortal body. Man’s aim in life he said was tobecome pure spirit, and thus rejoin the universalspirit to which he essentially belonged. Until thesoul could purify itself completely, it must undergoa series of transmigrations, exchanging one bodyfor another. Interestingly, these were also the viewsof the Cathars of southern France some 1500 yearslater.His religion was a kind of pantheism. Hewas also the first to coin the term Kosmos (Κοσμος)a word that combines the notions of order, fitnessand beauty, an ordered whole. Each one of us is aKosmos in miniature. The philosopher who studiesthe Kosmos becomes kosmios, orderly, in his or herown soul.The Pythagorean TraditionThe people of Kroton were inspired by Pythagoras’lofty, beautiful sentiments, and impressed by hisnoble bearing, helped him to build a school onthe outskirts of town. Pythagoras was the first touse the term “philosopher” (lover of wisdom) andgained many followers. But his school was morethan just a place of learning; it was a community,a fraternity, a way of life and a sort of scientificHe showed himself to be a mysticalphilosopher whose insights into humanrelations could incite social harmony.research establishment. It was open to both menand women at a time when women were verymuch regarded as second class citizens. He alsotaught the doctrine of rebirth or transmigration.One group of students, approximately 600in number, lived in a communal fashion in theschool. This inner circle of followers or initiateswas called mathematikoi (Students). They lived inthe community, had no possessions and werevegetarians. A second group of 2,000, the akousmatikoi(Hearers), were family members who lived in theirThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200839

own homes, and came to the school during the day.Both groups took lessons in the Homakoeion, a largecommon auditorium, where Pythagoras conductedhis teaching while seated behind a curtain or vela(whence the English “veil”).The Hearers were not allowed to see him.It was thought that the sight of the master woulddistract too much from his words. The Studentshowever, sat on the same side of the curtain asPythagoras, and were initiated further into themysteries that their master had learned from thepriests of the East. The Students were not giventhese truths freely and had to prove to Pythagorasthat they had an uprightness and beauty ofcharacter, and that they could keep secret thetruths revealed to them. Thus they were obligedto take vows of silence, usually lasting five years,before they would even be considered for furtherentry into the mysteries. As his teachings spread,Pythagorean Synedria or meeting places were builtin most cities of Magna Graecia.The Later YearsPythagoras’s community at Krotonwas not unaffected by political eventsdespite his desire to stay out of politics.Pythagoras went to Delos, also sacred toApollo, in 513 BCE to nurse his old teacherPherekydes who was dying. He remainedthere for a few months until the death ofhis friend and teacher and then returnedto Kroton which in 510 BCE attackedand defeated its neighbour the elegantand sophisticated Sybaris and there aresuggestions that the Pythagoreans becameinvolved in the dispute.Then around 508 BCE thePythagorean community at Krotonwas attacked by Kylon, a noble fromKroton itself, who seems to have been theKrotoniate governor of Sybaris and whohad applied to join the Pythagoreans, buthad been refused admittance because ofhis character defects. He gathered aroundhimself some disaffected democratsand others who resented the power andinfluence of the Pythagorean community.The members of the Pythagoreancommunity were temporarily expelledand Pythagoras, his wife and childrenescaped to the city of Metapontum, wheremost authors say he died, some claimingthat, in sorrow, he committed suicide by starvationbecause of the attack on his community. Some yearsafter his death, the Pythagoreans were allowed toreturn to Kroton and rebuild their school.Amongst these was one in things sublimest skilled,His mind with all the wealth of learning filled.Whatever sages did invent, he sought;And whilst his thoughts were on this work intent,All things existent, easily he viewed,Through ten or twenty ages making search.-- Empedocles.Bibliography:Divine Harmony by John Strohmeier & Peter Westbrook,ISBN: 0-9653774-5-8.On The Pythagorean Life by Iamblichus. ISBN: 0-85323-326-8.Pythagoras & The Pythagoreans by Charles Kahn. ISBN: 0-87220-575-4.Rosa Croce magazine, No.30, Winter 2007.The Greek Philosophers by William Guthrie. ISBN: 0-4150-4025-9The Pythagorean Sourcebook & Library by Kenneth Guthrie. ISBN:0-933999-51-8.The Western Greeks by T J Dunbabin. ISBN: 0-19-814274-9.Pythagoras conducted his teaching while seated behind a curtain or vela(whence the English “veil”). The Hearers were not allowed to see him. Itwas thought that the sight of the master would distract too much from hiswords. (Detail from the School of Athens by Sanzio Raffaello 1483-1520)40The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

y Martha Pingel, SRCWeep not that you crossa threshold, for you are apart of the eternal world ofLight, Life and Love!nce, long ago, I heard thesea, steady and rhythmical, washingover the rocks, keeping time with themovement of life and death in all ofnature. As the waters ebbed and flowed, they toldof all creation, everlasting and beautiful, and theirmessage was deep and unforgettable, for it spoketo the soul.Now, in the stillness and quiet of themountains, I hear the same soft message in thewhispering of the wind in the pines. Now it is theebb and flow of the mists, which arrive gently andslowly over the snow-capped peaks and downinto the valleys. Or in the hot desert wind thatmoves steadily toward the plains, never ceasingits faint humming as it travels over the land.Trees in the forest may fall, summer birdsmay come and go, friends may vanish and allthings change before our eyes. But always there isthe steady sound of eternity, whether whisperedin the wind or shouted in the waves, or seen in themessage of flowers, birds, trees, rocks and rivers.Life and death are but two sides of the same coin.They are expressions of the eternal…, spoken inbrief lessons so we may hear and understand, andnot lose faith or hope in the daily struggle withourselves and the world.One who reads the Book of Nature readsof all nations and peoples. One comes to knowthe God of one’s heart and the God of all heartsas the same, and to accept Light, Life and Loveeverlasting.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200841

The Nobel Laureates Professor Albert Einstein (1921) and Sir RabindranathTagore (1913) met at Einstein’s Berlin residence on 14 th July 1930, asphotographed. The following conversation elegantly demonstrates howthese two great men used the language of music, as a metaphor, to forgecommon ground between science & spirituality.TAGORE: I was discussing with Dr Mendel(mutual friend) today the new mathematicaldiscoveries which tell us that in the realm ofinfinitesimal atoms, chance has its play; thedrama of existence is not absolutely predestinedin character.EINSTEIN: Yes, I am well acquainted with this,but the facts that make science tend toward thisview do not say good-bye to causality.TAGORE: Maybe not, yet it appears that the ideaof causality is not in the elements, but that someother force builds up with them an organiseduniverse.EINSTEIN: One tries to understand in the higherplane how the order is. The order is undoubtedlythere where the big elements combine and guideexistence, but in the minute elements, this orderis not perceptible.42The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

TAGORE: Thus duality is in the depths of existence,the contradiction of free impulse and the directivewill which works upon it and evolves an orderlyscheme of things.EINSTEIN: Modern physics would not say theyare contradictory. Clouds look as one from adistance, but if you see them nearby, they showthemselves as disorderly drops of water.TAGORE: I find a parallel in human psychology.Our passions and desires are unruly, butour character subdues these elements into aharmonious whole. Does something similarto this happen in the physical world? Are theelements rebellious, dynamic with individualimpulse? And is there a principle in the physicalworld which dominates them and puts them intoan orderly organisation?EINSTEIN: Even the elements are not withoutstatistical order; elements of radium will alwaysmaintain their specific order, now and everonward, just as they have done all along. There isthen a statistical order in the elements.TAGORE: Otherwise, the drama of existencewould be too desultory. It is the constant harmonyof chance and determination which makes iteternally new and living.EINSTEIN: I believe that whatever we do or livefor has its causality; it is good however that wecannot see through to it.TAGORE: There is in human affairs an element ofelasticity also, some freedom within a small rangewhich is for the expression of our personality. Itis like the musical system in India, which is notso rigidly fixed as western music. Our composersgive a certain definite outline, a system of melodyand rhythmic arrangement, and within a certainlimit the player can improvise upon it. He mustbe one with the law of that particular melody; andthen he can give spontaneous expression to hismusical feeling within the prescribed regulation.We praise the composer for his genius in creatinga foundation along with a superstructure ofmelodies, but we expect from the player hisown skill in the creation of variations of melodicflourish and ornamentation. In creation we followthe central law of existence, but if we do not cutourselves adrift from it, we can have sufficientfreedom within the limits of our personality forthe fullest self-expression.EINSTEIN: That is possible only when there isa strong artistic tradition in music to guide thepeople’s mind. In Europe, music has strayedtoo far from popular art and popular feelingand has become something like a secret art withconventions and traditions of its own.TAGORE: You have to be absolutely obedient tothis too complicated music. In India, the measureof a singer’s freedom is in his own creativepersonality. He can sing the composer’s song ashis own if he has the power creatively to asserthimself in his interpretation of the general law ofthe melody which he is given to interpret.EINSTEIN: It requires a very high standard of artto realise fully the great idea in the original music,so that one can make variations upon it. In ourcountry, the variations are often prescribed.TAGORE: If in our conduct we can follow thelaw of goodness, we can have real liberty of selfexpression.The principle of conduct is there, butthe character which makes it true and individualis our own creation. In our music there is a dualityof freedom and prescribed order.EINSTEIN: Are the words of a song also free? Imean to say, is the singer at liberty to add his ownwords to the song which he is singing?TAGORE: Yes. In Bengal we have a kind ofsong, we call it kirtan, which gives freedom tothe singer to introduce parenthetical comments,phrases not in the original song. This occasionsgreat enthusiasm, since the audience is constantlythrilled by some beautiful, spontaneous sentimentadded by the singer.EINSTEIN: Is the metrical form quite severe?TAGORE: Yes, quite. You cannot exceed the limitsof versification; the singer in all his variationsmust keep the rhythm and the time, which isfixed. In European music you have a comparativeliberty with time, but not with melody.EINSTEIN: Can the Indian music be sung withoutwords? Can one understand a song withoutwords?TAGORE: Yes, we have songs with unmeaningwords, sounds which just help to act as carriers ofthe notes. In North India, music is an independentart, not the interpretation of words and thoughts,as in Bengal. The music is very intricate and subtleand is a complete world of melody by itself.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200843

EINSTEIN: Is it not polyphonic?TAGORE: Instruments are used, not for harmony,but for keeping time and adding to the volumeand depth. Has melody suffered in your music bythe imposition of harmony?EINSTEIN: Sometimes it does suffer very much.Sometimes the harmony swallows up the melodyaltogether.TAGORE: Melody and harmony are like linesand colours in pictures. A simple linear picturemay be completely beautiful; the introductionof colour may make it vague and insignificant.Yet colour may, by combination with lines, creategreat pictures, so long as it does not smother anddestroy their value.EINSTEIN: It is a beautiful comparison; line isalso much older than colour. It seems that yourmelody is much richer in structure than ours.Japanese music also seems to be so.TAGORE: It is difficult to analyse the effect ofeastern and western music on our minds. I amdeeply moved by the western music; I feel that itis great, that it is vast in its structure and grand inits composition. But our own music touches memore deeply by its fundamental lyrical appeal.European music is epic in character; it has a broadbackground and is Gothic in its structure.EINSTEIN: This is a question we Europeanscannot properly answer; we are so used to our ownmusic. We want to know whether our own musicis a conventional or a fundamental human feeling,whether to feel consonance and dissonance isnatural, or a convention which we accept.TAGORE: Somehow the piano confounds me. Theviolin pleases me much more.EINSTEIN: It would be interesting to study theeffects of European music on an Indian who hadnever heard it when he was young.TAGORE: Once I asked an English musician toanalyse for me some classical music, and explainto me what elements make for the beauty of thepiece.EINSTEIN: The difficulty is that the really goodmusic, whether of the East or of the West, cannotbe analysed.TAGORE: Yes and what deeply affects the heareris beyond himself.EINSTEIN: The same uncertainty will alwaysbe there about everything fundamental in ourexperience, in our reaction to art, whether inEurope or in Asia. Even the red flower I see beforeme on your table may not be the same to you andme.TAGORE: And yet there is always going onthe process of reconciliation between them, theindividual taste conforming to the universalstandard.We are immortal in essence…our goal is to become aware of thisand to act accordingly.To do so we have no other choicethan to go deep withinour innermost self,within our Inner Temple;to contemplate Beautyand to receive eternal Knowledge.44The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Rosicrucian History and Mysteriesby Christian Rebisse£14.95 + postageaving been branded for centuries as asecret society of occultists, witches and wizardsby uninformed and jealous people, the RosicrucianOrder is one of the most enigmatic and yet mostopen of the handful of true initiatic Orders still inexistence. By retracing its mysterious origins, thisbook attempts to place the Rosicrucian stream of intellectualand spiritual philosophy in an historical context by outlining themost important people and events that led to the genesis of theWestern branch of esoteric spirituality and ultimately led to theestablishment of the Rosicrucian Order itself.Numerous movements which have sprung directly or indirectlyfrom the Rosicrucian tradition are detailed, and a particularplace of pre-eminence is given at the end of this book to the mostimportant modern day torchbearer of Rosicrucian thought andpractice, the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis.£8.95 + postageThe Rosicrucian ManifestosEdited by Paul Goodallt the start of the 17 th Century, the leading lights ofliterature, science and the arts were making their markson society and hopes for a new age of enlightenmentwere high. Into this milieu of hope and expectation arosethree unique manifestos, the Fama Fraternitatis (1614), theConfessio Fraternitatis (1615) and the Chymical Wedding (1616),causing great interest in academic and literary circles and deepconsternation amongst the clergy. These short treatises espousedan urgent need for a universal reformation of ideas and outlookembracing the arts and sciences, but particularly religion.Unfortunately, the hoped for universal reformation that was tobring about a utopian society did not materialise, despite the attentionthat the Manifestos received. But the spirit of the early Rosicrucianslived on, simmering as an undercurrent while the forces of the laterEnlightenment and religious authority battled it out.In 2001, the Rosicrucian Order, concerned about world events,produced a fourth manifesto, the Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Cruciswhich addresses the critical issues of the modern world. At its heartis a cry for a spiritual re-awakening of mankind and world peace.To order either of these books, contact us on sales@amorc.org.uk, or callus in the UK on 01892-653197, or fax us on 01892-667432. Alternativelyuse the UK members’ monthly bulletin order form.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008

Knowledge of the Soulis the only universal truth,and the only wisdom.All other knowledgeis transient...-- Plato