AMORC - The Triangle September 1923

8/20/2019 AMORC - The Triangle September 1923

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OFFICIAL MONOGRAPH

A N C I E N T M Y S T I C A L O R D E R R O S A E C R U C I S

S EP TE MB ER 1 9 2 3 PRICE 15 C e n t s


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Vol. II. No. 2 SE PTE MBER 1923 Price 15 Cents

THE RECENT CHANGES

Our Members Are Urged to Become Acqua inted With Them

N th e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e th a t h a s co m e toH ead q u a r t e r s d u r i n g t h e p a s t f ew w eek s

w e n o t i ce t h a t m o s t o f o u r m em b er s h av en o t ed t h e m an y ch an g es an n o u n ced i nour last issue, while quite a few do nots eem t o u n d e r s t an d t h e i r ex ac t n a t u r e o ri m p o r t an ce .

One o f the mos t p leas ing s igns was thea l m o s t u n i v e r s a l ch an g e f r o m t h e w o r d

degree to g rade in r ef erence to the var ious d iv i s ions o ft h e w o r k o f t h e O r d e r ; an d a l l s eem t o ap p r ec i a t e t h ed is t inc t ion and the va lue o f i t. It mak es fo r un i fo rmi tyi n r e f e r en ce t o o u r w o r k t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d .

T h e m o s t m y s t e r i o u s e l em en t , h o w ev e r , i s t h a t p e r -ta in ing to r ece n t a f f il i a tions. Some have wr i t t en tha tthey f i rmly be l ieved tha t we haVe become af f i l i a ted( n o t u n i t ed ) w i t h t h e C h r i s t i an S c i en ce C h u r ch o rsome phase o f i t s work , whi le o ther s be l ieve tha t we

have af f i l i a ted in some way wi th the Theosoph ica lSocie ty . Whi le on ly a f ew have he ld th i s thoug h t ,i t ind ica tes tha t we shou ld permi t no one to mis -und er s tan d in th i s r egard . So , l e t us say tha t we areno t a f f i l i a ted wi th e i ther one o f these ins t i tu t ions o rm o v em en t s . T h e h u n d r ed s of T h eo s o p h i s t s an d T h eo -s o p h i ca l s t u d en t s i n o u r O r d e r o f t en ex p r e s s t h e d e -s i r e tha t such af f i l i a t ion wi th the i r Socie ty shou ldresu l t , and o f f er many sugges t ions and o f ten openmany avenues lead ing to such af f i l i a t ion ; bu t nod e f in i te s tep h a s ev e r b een t ak en . T h e h u n d r ed s o fC h r i s t i an S c i en ce C h u r ch m em b er s i n o u r O r d e r , o nthe o ther hand , know tha t a f f i l i a t ion wi th the i r Churchis imposs ib le ; no t because o f any d i f f er ence o f op in iono r an y c r i t i c i s m o f t h e i r C h u r ch o n o u r p a r t , b u t b e -cause the work o f the two movements i s no t a l ike to

any ex ten t to war ran t a f f i l i a t ion ; and th i s would app lyeq u a l l y a s w e l l t o ev e r y o t h e r C h u r ch i n A m er i ca .

The t ime i s coming , however , and i s very c lose ,when a l l the la rge b ro therhood and up l i f t o rgan iza t ionsin Am er ica w i ll be af fi l ia ted . For severa l year s thereh as b een a co m m i t t ee , h ead ed b y a m an w e l l k n o w nt o a l l f r a t e r n a l an d b r o t h e r h o o d b o d i e s an d a h i g hof f icer in some o f them, whose bus iness has been theinves t iga t ion o f the var ious mys t ica l , b ro therhood

bod ie s a n d th e com p i la t io n of fact s a b o u t th em , lo o k -ing to a genera l a f f i l i a t ion o f the mos t impor tan t ones .T h e d i p l o m a t i c co r r e s p o n d en ce em an a t i n g f r o m an d p as s in g in to t h a t co m m it tee ’s h an d s h a s s m o o th ed aw aym an y p r o b l em s an d h as b r o u g h t ab o u t a g r ea t e rf r i en d s h i p b e t w een m an y o f t h e b o d i e s t h a t w e r e f o r -m er l y co n s i d e r ed u n acq u a i n t ed . S o m e o f t h e co r r e s -

p o n d e n c e h a s pa ssed t h r o u g h o u r h an d s a n d w e n o tew i t h p l ea s u re t h a t a r r an g e m e n t s a r e b e i n g m ad e f o ra genera l conven t ion o f de legates f rom a l l the poss ib leco n t r ac t i n g p a r t i e s i n t h e w ea r f u t u r e .

O n e t h i n g m u s t b e k ep t i n m i n d ; t h e R o s i c r u c i an b r o t h e r h o o d is ve ry ol d. O nly o n e o r tw o o th e rf r a tern i t i es in the wor ld can po in t to a career as long ,a s i m p o r t an t , an d a s u n b r o k e n . T h e A M O R C o ft o d av r ep r e s en t s t h e cu l m i n a t i o n o f a l l t h e en d eav o r sof a l l the Ros icruc ian bod ies in the var ious par t s o fthe wor ld to sys temat ize and combine the i r ac t iv i t i es

and af f i l i a t ions ; fo r , i t mus t be r emembered , the Ros i cruc ians were a lways so fundamenta l in the i r t each ings ,

so to ler an t in the i r cons idera t ion o f o ther schoo ls o fthough t and so b road in the i r work wi thou t po l i t i ca lo r r e l ig ious b ias , tha t the y very na tu ra l ly inc ludedf r o m t i m e t o t i m e m an y o t h e r m o v em en t s an d o r g an i -zat ions.

T o d a y t h e A M O R C h as n u m er o u s af fi l ia t io ns . T h i sd o es n o t m ean t h a t it co n t ro l s a g r ea t m an y o t h e r

bod ie s, fo r th is is t r u e to a small d egree , b u t it isassocia ted wi th and o f f icia lly r e la ted to a g rea t nu m - b e r t h r o u g h it s re la t io n to T h e G re a t W h i te Lodge.

P e r h a p s a w o r d o r t w o r e g a r d i n g T h e G r e a t W h i t eLodge may no t be amiss r igh t here . As th i s i s be ingwr i t t en the wr i te r i s s i t t ing near a w indow wi th h i st y p i n g m ach i n e . T h e w in d o w face s o n M ar k e t S t r ee to f San Francisco , in the twob lock area known ast h e C i v i c C en t r e ; f o r o u r H ead q u a r t e r s a r e l o ca t ed

in a bu i ld ing near the g rea t Ci ty Hal l , the wonder fu lC i v i c A u d i t o r i u m w h e r e t h e g r ea t e s t o f co n v en t i o n sa r e h e l d , t h e l a r g e p u b l i c l ib r a r y , p a r k an d S t a t eBui ld ing . Righ t across the s t r ee t f rom th i s w indowis ano ther bu i ld ing wi th var ious lodge rooms fo r r en tf o r s o c ia l an d p u b l i c m ee t i n g s. O n S u n d ay s a n u m - b e r of m ee t ing s a r e he ld in t h e ha l ls o r lodge room s,severa l o f them being sp i r i tua l i s t i c meet ings o f theg en e r a l k in d . A m o n g t h e s i gn s d i s p lay ed a t t h e d o o ror hung on cords in the ves t ibu le o f the bu i ld ing eachSunday i s one la rge cardboard bear ing the d i sp lay l ine ,am ong o ther s , ‘ ’Grea t W hi te Lodge . ’’

You may wonde r a t th i s s ign , as do many . Thes ign announces a pub l ic r e l ig ious meet ing , semi sp i r i t -ua l i s t i c o r metaphys ica l , a t t ended r egu lar ly by f romtwenty to f i f ty per sons and p res ided over by a vener -

ab l e p r each e r o f o ccu l t an d u p l i f t t h o u g h t k n o w n i nth i s d i s t r ic t f o r over twen ty f ive year s . And thec la im i s made tha t h i s l i t t l e o rgan iza t ion , h i s workan d h i s t e ach i n g s a r e s p o n s o r ed b y o r a r e a p a r t o fTh e Grea t Wh i te Lodge. Desp i te the man ’ s s incer i tyand good work , he i s mis take n in r egard to suchassocia t ion and The Great Whi te Lodge i s no t loca ted ,in par t o r whol ly , on Market S t r ee t o f San Francisco ;nor would i t s name be p r in ted upon a s ign to hane; a tt h e d o o r ac r o s s t h e s t r ee t an y m o r e t h an i t w o u l d b ef laun ted by us on a s ign a t our Temple door .

W e r ead s o m u ch , h ea r s o m u ch , ab o u t T h e G r ea tWhi te Lodge tha t i t wou ld seem to be a very indef in i teand open to a l l so r t o f o rgan iza t ion , permi t t ing anygroup , any leader , to assume i t s name and c la im i t ssponsor sh ip . Such i s no t the case , o f cour se . Tha t

i t s name car r ies such weigh t w i th seeker s , means som u ch t o s o m e s e l f ap p o i n t ed ex p o u n d e r s o f l aw , an dcover s so much te r r i to ry , ind ica tes tha t there i s ana l m o s t u n i v e r s a l T e c o s m i t i o n of the f ac t tha t there i sa great assembly of Masters const i tut ing a high b


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W h i t e L o d g e o r w h o co m p o s e it. T h e r e a r e ab o u tth i r ty per sons in the Uni ted Sta tes who fo rm a secre t ,inner c i r c le , which c i r c le funct ions in Amer ica as aC o m m i t t ee of t h e G r ea t W h i t e L od g e . T h i s i n n e rc i r c l e h a s a s i t s m em b er s a n u m b er o f t h o s e w h o a r eacq u a i n t ed w i t h T h e G r ea t W h i t e L o d g e an d a n u m - b e r w h o a r e h ig h of fi cers in th e t h re e o r fo u r l ead in gf r a t e r n i t i e s o r b r o t h e r h o o d s o f A m er i ca .

I t i s th ro ugh T he Gre at W hi te Lodge, then , a i .d byo u r m em b er s h i p i n t h e i n n e r c i r c l e co m m i t t ee , t h a tAMORC has so many af f i l i a t ions and i s es tab l i sh ingmore as r ap id ly as nego t ia t ions , co r r espondence , v i s i t sa n d a r r a n g e m e n t s c a n b e m a d e .

I t i s the purpose o f The Great Whi te Lodge to main-ta in wor ld wide up l i f t work and to govern the var iousorgan iza t ions com ing wi th in the scope o f i t s verydef in i te p rog ram . Tho se o rgan iza t ions , like theA M O R C , w h i ch d e r i ve t h e i r au t h o r i t y an d p o w erf rom the G: W. L . , co opera te in modern iz ing and p r o g r e s s in g th e i r w o r k an d th e i r t e ach in g s in t u n e withthe p rogress o f c iv i li za t ion . Th ere ar e two su re s ignso r l a n d m a r k s w h e r e by o n e m a y k n o w w h e t h e r a

schoo l o r movement comes wi th in the poss ib i l i ty o fG . W. L . sponsor sh ip : f i r s t , the comple te absence o fc la ims o f per sonal inven t ion o r per sonal d i scoveryo r o w n e r s h i p o f t h e t e ach i n g s ; s eco n d l y , t h e ab s en ceof r ev is ion , modi f ica t ion and add i t ion in the teach ingsas t ime passes , sc ience d i scover s , na tu re r eveals , man p ro g re ss e s an d th e in n e r se lf co m p reh e n d s . W h e n wef ind a schoo l p res en t in g i ts t e ach ing s as b e ing ar ev e l a t i o n t o o n e p e r s o n w h o s e s o l e i n t e r p r e t a t i o nm u s t b e accep t ed an d c r ed i t g i v en t o t h e p e r s o n a l i t ya s t h e au t h o r o r f o u n d e r , r e f u s i n g o t h e r m as t e r m i n d st o ch an g e , m o d i f y , i m p r o v e , am en d o r p r o g r e s s t h et each i n g s ----then by th i s token we wi l l know tha t thes ch o o l , n o m a t t e r h o w w o n d e r f u l i t s w o r k f o r h u m an -i ty , i s no t a par t o f Th e Great W hi te Lodge. Eachmov em ent may , and shou ld have , it s l eader o r l eader s ,

i ts chief executives, i ts director in chief ; this is neces-s a r y f o r t h e m a i n t en an ce o f t h e p h y s i ca l o r g an i za t i o nand to p ro tec t the d i s seminat ion o f i t s t each ings andt h e m an n e r i n w h i ch t h ey a r e p r e s en t ed ; b u t w h ensuch leader o r ch ief execu t ive a l so c la ims per sonal in -ven t ion o r d i scovery o f the p r inc ip les and laws be ingtaugh t , the doorw ay to G . W. L . superv is ion andsponsor sh ip i s d i r ec t ly c losed and the f ac t ind i r ec t lyacc la imed . If the AM ORC , fo r ins tance , i ssued todayt h e s am e t each i n g s t h a t w e r e w r i t t en an d ex p o u n d ed by th e ea r ly R o s ic ruc ian s , an d sa id: " th i s w as th ean c i en t l aw , t h e s e w e r e t h e p r i n c i p l e s a s m an l ea r n edt h em cen t u r i e s ag o , an d t h ey m u s t n o t b e ch an g ed ,mus t no t be added to ,” then ne i ther the G . W. L . northe AMORC or any o f the af f i l i a ted bod ies , would beab le to accompl i sh the work tha t i s necessary today .

H e n c e c h a n g e s co m e i nt o t h e A ^ O R C — i nt o it sgenera l scheme of th ings , in to i t s t each ings , in to i t sm i n o r d e ta i l s o f o p e r a t i n g . W i t h t h e ch an g es co m esan i n c r ea s i n g a f f i r m a ti o n t h a t w h a t i s b e i n g p r e s en t edas i t s cour se o f s tudy and p rac t ice in l i f e i s no t thework o f one per son , one mind o r one ind iv idual , bu tt h e co m b i n ed e f f o r t s o f m an y , a l l r em a i n i n g n am e-

less so far as c r ed i t f o r e f fo r t i s conc erned . By th i stoken wi l l you r ecogn ize the va lue o f the changesannounced in our l as t i s sue and r ef er r ed to in th i s .

T h e n ew l ec t u r e s n o w b e i n g i s s u ed t o t h e h i g h e rm em b er s t h r o u g h t h e ch an n e l o f t h e N i n t h G r ad e co n -v o ca t i o n s , m a r k a d i s t i n c t ad v an ce i n o u r t e ach i n g sand r eveal the u l t imate a im of a l l the lessons and lec-t u r e s of t h e lo w er g r ad es . T h ey t r u l y o p en a g r ea tv i s ta , cas t a sc in t i l l a t ing beam of pure l igh t on the N a r ro w G a te th a t giv es e n t r a n c e to th e S tr a ig h ten e dPath . Th is ser ies o f h igh er l ec tu res is a l so a tokenof what has occur red in the o f f ic ia l c i r c les o f theG. W. L . and AMORC.

M em b er s w h o a r e an x i o u s t o k n o w w h en t h e U n i -v e r s i t y co u r s e s w i l l b e t o u ch ed u p o n an d w h en t h el e s s o n s o f o t h e r co u r s e s f r o m a l l i ed m o v em en t s a r e

t o b e o f f e r ed , a r e u r g ed t o b e p a t i en t an d co n t i n u e a t p r e s e n t w ith the lessons of t h e i r g r a d e as th ey com ealon g in p ro pe r seque nce . Eve ry th ing e l se w il l f o llowin time.

O t h e r c h a n g e s a r e t o b e m a d e f r o m m o n t h t om o n t h u n t i l w e r each a co m p l e t e r e a r r an g em en t o fo u r o r g an i za t i o n an d w o r k i n g s y s t em ab o u t t h e f i r s to f Jan uary , 1924 . Few of these change s wi l l a f f ectthe ind iv idual Lodges and f ewer w i l l a f f ec t the workor p lans o f o f f icer s and member s ; bu t g rea ter e f f ic iencywi l l r esu l t and g rea ter advancement fo r a l l w i l l bemani f es t .

A ch an g e h a s b een m ad e i n t h e m an n e r o f s en d i n glec tu res to lodges o r r a ther in the fo rm of p resen t ingt h em an d p r e s e r v i n g t h em . A q u i ck e r m e t h o d o f an -s w er i n g th e v e r y l a r g e co r r e s p o n d en c e h a s b een i n -

s t i tu ted and some o th er o ff ice de ta i l s have beenes t ab l i s h ed d u r i n g t h e p a s t m o n t h .W e p l ace g r ea t d ep en d en ce u p o n o n e t h i n g ; t h a t

ev e r y m em b er w i l l r e ad T h e T r i an g l e each m o n t h , p r e s e r v e it fo r fu tu re re fe ren c e , an d th en b uy a n o t h e rco p y t o l o an t o t h o s e w h o a r e s eek i n g o r en q u i r i n g .Th ere i s no be t te r w ay o f d i spe l l ing mis in fo rmat io nab o u t t h e A M O R C t h an b y g i v i n g t h e m i s i n f o r m edo n e a co p y o f T h e T r i an g l e ; t h e r e i s no b e t t e r w ayt o d i s s em i n a t e t h e t r u t h ab o u t t h e g r o w t h an d p r o g r e s so f o u r O r d e r t h an b y f ree l y l o an i n g th i s r ead i n g m a t t e rto those who can benef i t f rom it ; and there i s noqu icker way to end ins id ious mis represen ta t ion than bys h o w i n g t h e f ac ts t h a t d a r e t o b e p l aced o n p a p e r i n b lack in k.

R O Y L E T H U R S T O N .

CREATING IN THE COSMIC

A Short Message From The Imperator

S H O R T t i m e ag o t h i s p o s s i bi l it y w asimposs ib le! Th is ep i tomizes the var iousex p r e s s i o n s o n e h ea r d i n t h e W es t a t t h econclus ion o f the a i r mai l t es t s be tweenco as t an d coas t . A n d in t h a t s en t en ce 1f ind the tex t fo r my l i t tl e t a lk . A shor tt ime ago the poss ib le was imposs ib le!I t migh t be in r ef erence to every th ingi n g en e r a l — i n t h e ab s t r ac t , s o to s p eak ;

i t migh t have r ef erence to a thousand and one o f the p r e s e n t d ay acco m p l i sh m en ts .F i r s t o f a l l we find in the ch osen tex t the e leme nt

of t ime. Only a shor t t ime ago! T im e and it s du ra-t ion i s r e la t ive ; shor t and long per iods o f t ime arel ikewise r e la t ive . Wh en we speak o f na t ion al a f fa i r sas they per ta in to the deveo lpment o f c iv i l i za t ion o rthe needs o f c iv i l i za t ion , a hundred year s i s a shor tt i m e . W h en w e s p eak o f t h e i m m ed i a t e n eed s o f t h eind iv iduals comp os ing a na t ion , even ten y ear s i s a longt ime.

So f ar as the e lement o f t ime i s concerned , eachminu te o f our l ives i s f r augh t w i th po tency in the

possibi li ty of ch a n g e , fo r al l th in g s ch an ge , eve r ; andchange i s the on ly permanen t cond i t ion o f a l lth ings . W e have los t a t rue appre c ia t io n o f ex is tence by giving it a p er iod ic i ty t h a t it does n o t have . W ethink of l i fe, of the whole of exis tence, in the termsof pas t , p r ese n t and fu tu re . Rela t ive thoug h these p er iod s be , th ey m a in ta in in o u r o b jec t ive co n sc io us -

ness a d iv in i ty o f assum ed pow er to segregate , r e legate ,and cons ign a l l ac t ion , a l l th ink ing , a l l be ing , in tod o m a i n s t h a t a r e e i t h e r p a s t o u r co n t r o l , w i t h i n o u rimmedia te*bu t chang ing superv is ion , o r no t ye t w i th in

the ex tens ion o f our in f luence . And , by th i s p rocessof th ink ing wi th i t s a t t endan t p remise fo r a l l ac t ion ,w e c r ea t e o r a t l e a s t m a i n t a i n v a r i o u s d o m a i n s w h e r e -in obs tac les may fos ter and th r ive o r o ther s evo lve

f rom fa l se concep t ion and g row to g ian t s ize and even b ec o m e m o nt ros i t i es .


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How of ten do we f ind the domain of the pas t l i te r -a l ly inhabi ted by mul t i tudes of na t iona ls in the c loakof obs tac les to our present progress , growth ora c h ie ve m e n t? Ar e the se c r e a tu r e s a ny l es s p r e su m p -tive in their inf luence, any less cruel in their assassina-t ion of our hopes an d des i res , than the Brobd ingnag ians

of the k ingdom of the fu ture , who r ise in a l l the i ra m pl i tud inous , C yc lope a n bod ie s a nd shou t t ha t suc -cesski l l ing re f ra in : " I t can ' t be done , for the t ime hasno t ye t c om e ? "

Sur rou ndi ng us a l l the t ime is tha t s t il l grea te r a rm y of mal conte nts and p i l fe re r s of successes---- p res en t obs tacles. W h a t conv inc ing a r g u m e n ts theyof fe r us! W hat mou nta ins of ba r r ie r s they bui ld inour pa ths! Formidable , unassa i lable , immovab le ! Wea r e c o r ne r e d in t he c he c ke r boa r d o f ou r p l a ns! Weare cha ined to a pos t and can move but in a c i rc le ,e ve r r e tu r n in g to t he s am e po in t aga in ! We a r el imi ted in our needs , depr ived of our f reedom, deniedthe open pa th , r e fused the ass is tance we require ! Itis fa te! I t is Ka rm a! I t is the unf air decree of anunjus t god! I t i s pro of tha t we a re mere pawn s

moved about and p laced by a des igning, c rue l lawof na tu r e !

With such an a t t i tude , wi th such be l ie f s , and wi ththe c r y a nd a ngu i sh o f d i s a ppo in tm e n t , we r e s ign ou r -se lves to the s i tua t ion tha t conf ronts us , indi f fe rent lyhop ing tha t i t m a y c ha nge , t r u s t i ng we a k ly tha t som e -th ing m a y ha ppe n , bu t r e a dy to a c c e p t t he wor s t c on -clusions as a f iat of his sata nic majest y. Sho uld wediscover (not rea l ly c rea te ) a way out of any d i lemma,we take fu l l c redi t for our pe rsona l prowess in over -coming the obs tac les ; and i f we f ind no such openingthrough which we can escape l ike a fugi t ive f rom hisown m a c h ina t ions , we b l a m e e ve r yone a nd e ve r y th ing

bu t ourse lves for o u r p re d ic a m e n t .' T i s h u m a n n a t u r e !

S hou ld we spe nd ha l f a n hou r i n p r ope r t hough t we

would f ind tha t the obs tac les of the present a re theva ngua r ds o f t he a r m y o f f u tu r e obs t a c l e s , m ov ing upin p lace to take the t renches vaca ted by the obs tac lestha t have moved on in to the a rmy of the pas t .

Day by day, hou r by hour , the obs tac les of thef u tu r e m ove s t e a l th i ly f o r wa r d in to ou r im m e d ia t ee nv i r onm e n t , a t t a c k ou r a m bi t ions , t hwa r t ou r p l a ns ,f rus t ra te our ac t ions , f a l l v ic t ims of pe r iodic i ty , and,c r ipp le d a nd we a ke ne d , de v i t a l i z e d a nd im po te n t be -cause of the changing of t ime , uni te wi th the obs tac lesof the pas t and make way for those of the present andfuture .

I t is a dizzy pageant!As we ana lyze th is pa rade of pus i l lanimi ty , sneaking

f rom a rea l nowhere in to the now under cover of t ime ,and pi tching i t s b ig tent , se t t ing up i t s s ide shows and

blazing th e a i r w ith it s c o n q u e r in g r o a r while it a r -ranges for i t s ea r ly depar ture in the morning, we th inko f ou r c h i ldhood da ys whe n we looke d f o r wa r d w i thg r e a t a n t i c ipa t ion to t he c om ing o f t he c i r c us— tha tg r e a t a nd wondr ous th ing tha t wa s som e whe r e o f f i nthe f u tu r e a nd s lowly m ov ing towa r d us. And the ncame the grea t pa rade wi th b las t ing whis t les , bea t ingdrums, s t i r r ing music and f ly ing banners , v ic torsf rom other p laces he re , now, to con que r us! Th e lionsroared , the t ige rs snar led , the snakes sp i t a t us , thewi ld ca ts da red us to move c lose r ! We were enthra l ledand we t rembled wi th the exc i teme nt of a t la strea l iz ing our ant ic ip a t ions of a grea t day un der the

b ig tent . A nd the h o u r ca m e a nd we found ou rse lvesspe l lbound, ens laved, maste red! Oh, i t was a l l a s weha d v isual i ze d , hope d , fe a r e d ! The n m o r n ing c a m e

af te r a n ight of te r r i f ic s t ruggles wi th the beas ts weha d se e n a nd c om ba t s w i th t he a we som e s igh t s wehad wi tnessed; and we saw the wi Id animals quie t inthe i r c a ge s , t he m us ic i a ns un r obe d a nd w i th qu ie tin s t r um e n t s , t he pe r f o r m e r s d ive s t e d o f t he i r supe r band impress ive garments , the whole mass of conc iuerorsdenuded of the i r formidable impress iveness , s l ippingqu ie t ly a nd unos t e n t a c ious ly ou t o f ou r p r e se nc e to

b ec om e a l loca tions of t h e oast .We have wondered, in la te r l i f e , jus t why we ant i -

c ipa ted so much, was so grea t ly impressed a t the grea tc r is is , and could not rea l ize sooner tha t we were

th r i l l e d a nd a we d m or e by ou r c r e a t ive im a g ina t ionsthan by our rea l iza t ions .

For thus i t of ten is, especially with the obstaclestha t s e e m to su r r ound us o r a r e d i s t a n t , o r pe r ha psoc c upy the c e n t r e o f t he pa th we a r e t r e a d ing .

"1 he fu tu re i s the pres ent in the m aking, the pas t i s

the pres ent rea l ized ,” says an anc ien t proverb . Butit is false, it is untrue, it is enslaving!

B o th the s e e m ing pa s t a nd f u tu r e a r e o f the n o w ! Al l tha t ever wi ll be and ever was , i s now— is Cosmicte rms — in fac t. In objec t ive rea l iza t ion a l l th ingsassume a re la t ionship in the te rms of space and t ime ,

b u t suc h ob jec t ive rea liza tion is not a C osm ically c r e a -t ive fac tor ; i t does not make th ings have such re la t ion-ship in Cosmic reali ty.

Le t us look a t th is ma t te r f rom ano the r point .We know tha t t he ob je c t ive c onsc iousne s s c a nno t becogniz ant of two manifes ta t ions a t the same t ime .C o inc ide n t phe nom e na a r e no t c o inc ide n t i n ou r r e a l i -z a t ion . We c a nno t see w i t h co m p r e h e n s i o n a n d u n d e r -s t a nd ing wh i l e l istening wi th c om pr e he ns ion a ndunde r s t a nd ing . We m a y look a t a p i c tu r e w ith c on -

centra t ion and rea l iza t ion and a t the same t ime be l ievewe a re l i s tening to the phrases or passages of music b e in g p layed . W e find , how ever , by ca re fu lly an a lyz ingour a t t e n t ive ne s s a nd c om pr e he ns ion , t ha t we a r ec ha ng ing the f oc al po in t o f ou r a t t e n t ion a l t e r na t e ly

be tw e e n th e p ic tu r e a nd the m usic , a nd at no t im econsc ious of both . Th e a l te rn a t ion is rapid , so rapidtha t we be l ieve we have missed l i t t le in the compre-hension of e i the r the p ic tu re or the music. If we

p r o ce e d to e n l a rg e th e p er iods of a l te rn a te c o n c e n t r a -t i on a nd the r e by m a gn i f y a l so t he b r e a ks be twe e nthe se pe r iods whe n we a r e sh i f t i ng ou r f oc us o f a t t e n -t ion tha t may be i l lus t ra ted by a long l ine d iv ided in toa l t e r na t e wh i t e , b l ac k a nd r e d se gm e n t s— the r e drepresent ing the per iods of rea l iza t ion of the music ,the whi te represent ing per iods of p ic ture rea l iza t ion

a nd the b l a c k r e p r e se n t ing the pe r iods o f no r e a l i z a -t ion , when the focus of a t tent ion was shi f ted .

As we look a t such a l ine we see an exce l lent repre -senta t ion of our fa lse concept ion of the re la t ion ofth ings . By th is line we would be l ieve tha t the pe r iodsof music and of the p ic ture preceded each o ther orf o l lowe d e a c h o the r i n t im e a nd du r a t ion a nd we r enot coinc ident . And in l ike ma nn er we give fa lserelationship to all the things of l ife , in terms of t imeespecially.

We pause to th ink of tha t which seems to be inthe fu ture , and a t once i t i s of the present ; and beforewe can fa i r ly rea l ize and apprec ia te th is magic t rans-

p o r ta t io n , w e discover t h a t it is n ow in th e past .We prove to ourse lves tha t the pas t i s not a pe r iod

of t ime dis t inc t f rom the present , when, in re t rospec-

t ion , we " l ive over ag a in” wi th a l l the thri l l , a ll the joy ,a l l the keen menta l and psychic rea l iza t ion , some in-ciden ts of a yes terda y. Th at i t is simple so to l iveover aga in the th ings of the soca l led pas t makes pos-s ib le many of the haopv hours of our present davs .S hou ld we , howe ve r , be l i e ve tha t suc h t r a nspo r t a t i onof events f rom one re la t ive and assumed posi t ion toano ther , is only t rue in the case of re t ros pec t io n? Isthe r e a ny r e a son to a s sum e tha t i n t r o spe c t ion i s no t

ju s t as p r e g n a n t w ith li fe a n d real ism ?I re tu rn aga in to my text . A shor t t ime ago the

possib le was im poss ib le! R everse th e o rd e r a nd say ,the imposs ib le today wi l l be poss ib le tomorrow or asho r t tim e f r om now! The obs t a cl e s t ha t su r r ound ustoday, l ike those tha t sur rounded us a year ago, wi l l

pas s aw a y a n d th a t w hich is n ow seem ing ly imposs ible

will become possible .The point I wish to ca ll to yo ur a t tent io n is the fa lse p re m ise in such reason in g , o r ra th e r the fa ls e i n te r - p re t a t io n of the fa ct s. T h e obs tac les of the fu tu re a rethe obs tac les of today as they a re of the pas t , andl ikewise the poss ib i l i t ie s of the fu ture a re poss ib i l i t ie sof today in Cosmic ver i ty .

When the newspapers were f i l led wi th repor ts ofthe success of the a i r mai l se rv ice I was read ing in-c ide n ts f r om the l if e o f Ab r a ha m L inc o ln . 1 no te dthe r e t ha t on one oc c a s ion he ha d se n t a m e sse nge rwi th a n im por t a n t c om m unic a t ion to a p l a c e s e ve n ty


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f ive mi les d is tant . Time was an e lement of im po r t -ance in the mat te r , and many Ki l l s and r ive rs had to be c ros sed an d land co v ere d a g a ins t m a n y obstacles .The be s t ho r se a nd the be s t r i de r we r e c hose n a sa ids in the ove rcom ing of the obs tac les . We read,now, tha t Lincoln thought h ighly of the achievement ,for the messenger succeeded in going the d is tance of

seventy f ive mi les , aga ins t the grea tes t obs tac les , ina bou t twe n ty s ix hou r s. L inc oln r e m a r ke d tha t it wa sa no ta b le a c h ie ve m e n t a nd looke d f o r wa r d to t he da ywhe n the obs t a c l e s t o spe e dy c om m unic a t ion a c r os ssuc h m oun ta inous l a nds wou ld be som e wha t l e s se ne dor poss ib ly overcome.

I f i t had been sugges ted tha t a r ide r be sent oversuc h g r e a t e r obs t a c l e s a nd f o r m ida b le m oun ta in s a sthe S i e r r a Ne va da s a nd R oc ky M oun ta in s f o r a d i s -tance of seventy f ive mi les in twentys ix hours , the sug-ges t ion would have been decr ied as imposs ib le . Suchgr e a t e r obs t a c l e s c ou ld no t be ove r c om e by m a n!

A n d 1 l o o ke d ag a i n at th e n e w s p a p e r s an d r e a dtha t c om m unic a t ion ha s be e n se n t t h i s da y f r om c oa s tto coas t , ac ross a ll the m ounta in s , ov er a ll the land,aga ins t a l l obs tac les and for a d is tance of severa l

thousa nd m i l e s i n a bou t twe n ty s ix hou r s----

the samet ime consumed by the r ide r of the horse in going adistance of seventyf ive miles.

The obs t a c l e s ha d be e n ove r c om e !Th ink ing , p l a nn ing , de t e r m ina t ion , ha s e na ble d

man to r i se above the obs tac les , l i te ra l ly and f igura -t ively . Sc ience comes to the rescue , de te rm ina t io ngives wings to r i se fa r above a l l th ings , and the im-

possible of y es te rd a y is possible today .We overcome the obs tac les not by wai t ing unt i l , in

the s e nse o f t im e du r a t ion , t he obs t a c l e s o f t om or r owasser t themse lves in the present , but by e l imina t inga l l sense of t ime , and decree in the now, tha t wha t i sdes i red shall be made manifest, wi thou t a c onsc ious -ness of predic t ing or commanding i t for e i the r present o r future.

Wh e n L inc o ln c onc e n t r a t e d h i s m ind upon theobs t a c l e t ha t p r e ve n te d r a p id c om m unic a t ion in t hehour o f ne e d a nd c onc e ive d tha t qu i c ke r m e a ns m us t

be found, he there a n d then se t in to opera t ion the p ow e rs of m ind w hich at once ove r c a m e the obs t a c l e sto such resul ts. W hen the W right Brothers fi r s t con -ceived the possibil i ty of f lying and for one f leetingmoment v isua l ized man f ly ing in the a i r in a la rgem a c h ine he a v ie r t ha n a i r , t he y then a n d there d e -s t royed the a rmy of obs tac les , the a r ray of in te r fe r -ences , the h ind rance s to the so lu t ion of the man y

p roblem s , a n d it w as done, f in ish ed , com ple ted ,a c h ie ve d a t t ha t m om e n t .

T r u ly , bo th L inc o ln a nd one o f t he Wr igh t b r o the r s pas sed on a f te r l iving a n u m b e r of y e a r s w i tho u t s eeingthe resul t of the i r ment a l ac t ion . Cosmica l ly , whe re

a l l th ings a re a t ta ined, achieved, accompl ished anddecreed f i r s t , the so lu t ion of the problem of rapidc om m unic a t ion wa s so lve d a t t he m om e n t o f c onc e p -t ion; in the physica l wor ld wi th i t s l imi ta t ion of spaceand t ime , the resul ts of the concept ion had to wa i tthe i r t ime to become manifes t .

By c redi t ing the physica l wor ld wi th such re la t iveand unrea l qua l i t ie s as space , t ime , dura t ion , we forcea l l ac t ion , a l l objec t ive comprehension and a l l objec t ivem a n i f e s t a t i on to t a ke s eque nc e . O ur ob je c t ive c on -

sc iousne s s c a n c om pr e he nd bu t one th ing a t a t im e ,hence a l l th ings must come to our objec t ive rea l iza -t ion in objec t ive sequence and each must have dura t ionin the te rms of t ime .

In the f la sh of a second I may conce ive , and the rebycosmica l ly create, a sc ient i f ic achievement , the eventua lobjec t ive rea l iza t ion of which wi l l r equire the over -c om ing o f m a ny c ondi t i ons, t he m e e t ing o f m a ny

p ro b le m s a n d th e pas s ing th ro u g h m a n y s tages ofde ve lopm e n t . I n ob je c t ive c om pr e he ns ion the se s t a geso f de ve lopm e n t m us t t a ke s e que nc e , ha ve du r a t ion o ft ime and become manifes t one by one in the fu ture .My objec t ive comprehension of the growth and f ina lm a n i f e s t a t i on o f t he c onc e p t ion r e qu i r e s time; mymenta l , cosmic , t rue rea l iza t ion of the concept ion andi ts accompl ishment i s ins tantaneous , and of the now,no t t he f u tu r e .

A l l t h r ough l i f e t hose th ings wh ic h a r r a y the m se lve s b e fo r e o u r ob jec t ive consc io usne ss as obs tacles in the p a th of o u r des ir es, a r e th ing s w h ich a r e p laced insequence and in te rms of re la t ive d is tance f rom the p re se n t in t im e; w e th in k of th e fi rs t obs tac le to beove r c om e toda y , t he n the r e a r e two o the r s wh ic h w i l l

be m et to m o rro w , a n d nex t w ee k wi ll a r i s e a n o th e r ,and shor t ly s t i l l another obs tac le wi l l a r i se and per -haps a few others before we will be able to reach thegoa l, ga in the end or accomp l ish the resul t . With th is

be lief as a p re m ise for a c t io n o r p r o c e d u re , w e plana nd c on c e n t r a t e upon c on te s t i ng w i th t he f i rs t obs ta c l ea nd whe n tha t i s ove r c om e we wi l l p r e pa r e t o m e e tthe ne x t one o r two . We ha ve inve n te d a p r ove r b toe a se ou r c onsc i e nc e in suc h un jus t i f i a b l e p r oc e dur eand say “we wi l l c ross no br idge unt i l we come to i t ! "

Le t us cease th inking in te rms of the pas t , presenta nd f u tu r e , f o r t he r e i s on ly the now. The p r ob le m sof the fu ture a re problem s of now. They wi ll beove r c om e in t he f u tu r e by be ing ove r c om e now.Refus ing to admit tha t any obs tac le can s tand in the

way of progress of Cosmic c rea t ion we a t once , now,des t roy every g iant contes tor of success about to be b o r n fo r f u tu r e activ it iy . By v isualiz ing th e t h in gde s i r e d , c r e a t ing i t m e n ta l ly now, c om ple t ing the p i c -ture , g iv ing i t c rea t ive l i f e , r ea l iz ing i t a s an accom-

p li sh m e n t no w ex is ting in the Cosm ic, we m ay dis-miss the g loomy prospec t of obs tac les to a r ise in thefuture , and then abide by the law of the objec t ivewor ld and g ive th is w 'or ld the t ime i t demands to mani-fes t tha t which the Cosmic has comple ted .

I t r equires more than fa i th , however , to thus c rea teand awai t manifes ta t io n wi th conf idence . It r equiresthe u tmost sureness of v is ion , the most comple te devo-t ion to idea l iza t ion , and the readiness to coopera tewi th the Cosmic in the labors of now to serve in thewho le scheme of th ings . For in th is way a ll men,made in the image of God, having the d iv ine consc ious-ne s s o f God wi th t he a t t e nd in g a t t r i bu t e s , a r e c r e a to r swi th God; and in the consc iousness of God the re i s not im e bu t t he e ve r p r e se n t , no du r a t ion bu t t he e t e r na lnow, no space but the he re , no d is tance but wha t i sin t ouc h w i th t he ne a r a t ha nd , no c om pr e he ns ion bu twha t i s c rea ted by concept ion of i t , no pas t but tha twh ic h i s p r e se n t , no p r e se n t e xc e p t t ha t wh ic h wa sthough t by the pa s t t o be i n t he f u tu r e , a nd no f u tu r e b u t th a t w h ic h is co nce iv ed in th e now.

(Continuedfrom Page Seventeen)

Lodge is about to open in any loca l i ty , the Na t iona lLodge members in tha t loca l i ty have ra l l ied to the

wo rk and grea t ly ass is ted . In the mai l ing of l i te ra tu reto f r iends , in l i s tening and w atchin g for seekers andg iv ing the m a n in t r oduc t ion to ou r wor k , a nd inspe a k ing o f t he Or d e r a t pub l i c m e e t ings, t he se

N at iona l m e m b e rs h ave re n d e r e d va lu ab le serv ice. Ino the r wa ys too , a s m a k ing l a r ge c on t r ibu t ions t o t heEgyp t i a n e xp lo r a t ions , dona t ions t owa r d t e m ple f unds ,he lp ing p r i sone r s who wa n te d to s t a r t l i f e a ne w, l ook -ing a f t e r o the r m e m be r s o r s t r a nge r s who we r e i nt r oub le , a nd in hundr e ds o f hum a n i t a r i a n a c t s , t he N a t io na l m e m b e rs h av e b e c o m e a g re a t body of real

R os i c r uc i a n wor ke r s t h r oughou t t he c oun t r y r e a dyto mee t problems of many kinds .

One of the most s t r ik ing i l lus t ra t ions of wha t thecoopera t ion of these Nat iona l members means i s in-dica ted by the many le t te r s constant ly rece ived show-ing tha t in bus iness a f fa i rs , in l i fe ’s requi reme ntsge ne r al ly , t he c o ope r a t ion ha s b r ough t suc c e s s a nd

p o w e r b e y o n d an y th in g ever expec ted .Rea l ly , we have a ve ry la rge and happy family in

the Nat iona l Lodge and we re jo ice in our work and inthe f a c t t ha t we a r e g r owing e a c h da y a nd e a c h we e kin num be r s a nd s t r e ng th .

The Na t iona l Lodge S e c r e t a r y .


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THE NATIONAL ROSICRUCIAN LODGE

Some Interest ing Facts About This Special

Branch of Our Work

A N Y o f o u r m em b er s an d h u n d r ed s o fo t h e r s w h o a r e s eek e r s a r e n o t a sf am i l i a r w i t h T h e N a t i o n a l R o s i c r u c i anLodge and i t s work as we shou ld l ikethem to be . I t o f f er s unu sual op po r -tun i t i es to those who wish to s tudy andad v an ce i n t h e f u n d am en t a l s o f t h e R o s i -c r u c i an p h i l o s o p h y , an d f o r t h o s e w h odes i r e the specia l benef i t s o f p rac t ice

and s tudy wi th exper iment in the s i l ence o f one’ s ownsanctum, there i s no th ing jus t l ike the work o f the N at ion al Lodge.

Fi r s t o f a l l l e t us ma ke i t very p la in tha t the N at io nal R. C. L od ge is a s e p a ra te in s t i tu t ion . It is no t

a p a r t o f t h e S u p r em e L o d g e an y m o r e t h an i s an yo t h e r o f t h e C h a r t e r ed an d I n co r p o r a t ed b r an ch es o four Order . A t the f ir st na t ional conve n t ion o f ourO r d e r i n P i t t s b u r g h , P a . , t h e s ch em e o f t h e N a t i o n a lLodge was d i scussed af te r a f ew mo nth s ’ t r i a l and i tw as ap p r o v ed b y t h e d e l eg a t e s o f t h e co n v en t i o n , em - p o w e red to co n t in u e a n d h as g ro w n s ince th e n in to anorgan iza t ion o f over 1 ,500 in i t i a tes . So success fu lh a s b een i t s w o r k t h a t t h e A M O R C o f G r ea t B r i t a i ncondu cts a Br i ti sh Nat ional R . C . Lodge w i th r ap id lyi n c r ea s i n g m em b er s h i p .

The Nat ional R . C . Lodge o f Nor th Amer ica hasi ts own off icers and i ts own system of conducting i tswork . I ts in i t i a t ion r i tua l s, lessons and r ead in g m at -t e r a r e , d i f fe r en t f r o m t h o s e u s ed i n o u r r eg u l a rLodges. Th e main po in t of d if f er ence is th i s : the in -

i t i a t ion r i tua l s a r e des igned so tha t the member con-ducts h i s o r her own cerem ony in the p r ivacy o fs o m e p a r t o f t h e h o m e ( o n a T h u r s d a y ev en i n g w h en

pos sib le) a n d th e w eek ly le ssons an d p re s c r ib e d e x - p e r im en ts a r e re ad a n d fo l low ed in th e s am e p a r t ofthe home se t as ide as a so r t o f a sanctum.

T h e w o r k i s s o a r r an g ed t h a t i t d o es n o t i n co n v en -ience the member s . Usual ly a pa r t of a room i s a r -r an g ed each T h u r s d ay ev en i n g , o r s o m e o t h e r ev en i n gespecia l ly se lec ted , and fo r the t ime be ing th i s be-co m es th e m em b er ’s s an c t u m . I n h u n d r e d s o f h o m esi n A m er i ca t h e r e a r e s m a l l r o o m s p e r m an en t l y a r -r an g ed a s a s an c t u m an d u s ed o n l y f o r t h a t p u r p o s e ,foT m em b er s w i l l f i n d m u ch t h a t c an b e d o n e i n s u ch p lace s m a n y t im es a w eek .

T h e w eek l y l e s s on s a r e g r ad ed i n t o t h e t h r ee g r ad es

or degrees , each g rad e hav ing i ts in i t i a t ion ceremony .The f i r s t g r ade has twelve week ly lessons , and ex- p e r i m e n ts fo l low ed by a spec ia l ex a m in a t io n . T h esecond g rade has i t s in i t i a t ion r i tua l , twelve lessonsan d ex p e r i m en t s , w i t h w o r k t o d o a t o t h e r t i m es f o ri m p r o v em en t an d d ev e l o p m en t , an d i s f o l l o w ed b y an -o t h e r sp ec ia l ex am i n a t i o n . T h e t h i r d g r ad e h a s f o u r -teen week ly lessons , many exper iments and tes t s o flaws and p r inc ip le s and o u t l ines a g rea t dea l o f workt h a t t h e m em b er s can d o a s s e r v i ce r en d e r ed t o o t h e r sw h en ev e r t h e o p p o r t u n i t y ar i se s . T h es e t h r ee g r ad esco n s t i t u t e t h e p r ep a r a t o r y w o r k o f t h e N a t i o n a l L o d g ea n d t h e n a f t e r a n o t h e r e x a m i n a t i o n t h e m e m b e r m a y p et i t io n to b ec o m e a P o s tu la n t fo r th e fo u r th g ra d eof the Nat ional , which leads to much h igher work ; o rt h e m em b e r m ay r em a i n a m e m b er a t l a r g e o f t h e N ational L odge, o r m ay u n i te w ith o n e of th e r e g u la rL o d g es o f t h e O r d e r an d p u r s u e t h e w o r k , o r j o i no n e o f t h e m an y s p ec i a l s t u d y g r o u p s o r g an i zedt h r o u g h o u t t h e co u n t r y .

W h en m em b er s w h o h av e f i n i s h ed t h e s eco n d o rth i rd g rades o f the na t ional Lodge wish to un i te w i tha r egu lar Lodge in the i r own or nearby loca l i ty , theyd o n o t h av e t o p a s s t h r o u g h an y s p ec i a l ex am i n a t i o no r p r ep a r a t i o n f o r q u a l i f i c a t i o n a s d o o t h e r c an d i d a t e sfo r the r egu lar Lodges , bu t they mus t t ake the f i r s tg rade in i t i a t ion in the r egu lar Lodges as do a l l can-d ida tes. I n o th er words Nat ional Lodge mem ber s ar e

no t exe mp t f rom the fi rs t g r ade in i t i a t ion o f theregu lar Lodges o r any o f the o ther in i t i a t ions , nomat ter how far they have gone in the Nat ional Lodge.The in i t i a t ion ceremonies o f the Nat ional Lodge aren o t t h e s am e a s t h o s e i n r eg u l a r L o d g es , a l t h o u g h t h esame fundamenta l l essons o f the in i t i a t ions ar e taugh t .T h o s e in t h e N a t i o n a l L o d g e w h o co m p l e t ed t h ePo s tu la n t ’s Gra de (o r four th g rade ) w i l l be en t i t led tothe wo rk o f the h igher Lodges , b u t i f a ff i l ia t ion wi th,o r member sh ip in , a r egu lar Lodge i s des i r ed , a l l N at iona l m e m b e r s m u s t pass th ro u g h th e r e g u la r in -i t i a t ion cerem onies like o the r cand idates . Th is has b een o n e of th e p o in t s th a t h as puzzled o u r m e m b er sand some of our Lodge o f f icer s .

The lessons o f the Nat ional Lodge are d i f f er en tf rom those o f the r egu lar Lodges , as has been sa id .T h ey a r e d e s i g n ed f o r p e r s o n a l ex p e r i m en t an d t e s to f the s imple fund am enta l l aws. Even the very f inemethods fo r p rac t i s ing the laws o f hea l ing ar e d i f f er en tf rom those taugh t in the work o f the r egu lar Lodges .The r ea son fo r th i s i s obv ious . S ince so much mus t be co v e red in t h re e g rad es of only tw e lv e to fo u r teenlessons , the work canno t be so ex tended , so i l lus t r a tedand comple te as i t i s in the r egu lar Lodges and i tc an n o t co v e r so m an y h u n d r ed s o f p o i nt s . O n t h eo ther hand there i s th i s tha t mus t be sa id abou t thel e s so n s o f t h e N a t i o na l L od g e . T h ey a r e v e r y p e r -sonal ; they g ive more per sonal work to be done , andt h ey p e r m i t o f m o r e d ev o t ed a t t en t i o n t o s o m e p o i n t s .

Above a l l th i s i s the one g rea t ou ts tand ing benef i t

to be der ived f rom the Nat ional Lodge work . Them em b er s a s s em b l ed i n t h e i r h o m es o r s an c t u m s o n aT h u r s d ay , o r ev en a W ed n es d ay n i g h t , a t c e r t a i n h o u r sa l l o v e r t h e co u n t r y a r e t o l d h o w t h ey m ay b e a t -t u n ed w i t h o n e an o t h e r in t h e p r ac t i s e o f c e r t a i n p r in c ip le s a n d th e h o u r o r m o re th u s s p en t each w eekh as b eco m e a m i g h t y p o t en t f ac t o r i n t h e p e r s o n a l ,

p s y c h ic d ev e lo p m e n t of ea ch m em b er . T h e h u n d re d sand hundreds o f l e t t e r s r ece ived by the Mas ter o fthe Nat ional Lodge in the fo rm of r epor t s show tha tt h e m o s t u n u s u a l m an i f e s t a t i o n s h av e o ccu r r ed a tthese per iods .

The work o f the Nat ional Lodge has especia l ly ap - p e a l ed to th o se w h o li ve in small co m m u n i t ie s o rf a r aw ay f r o m c i t i e s o r c en t r e s w h e r e w e h av e r eg u l a rLodges . And yet it is saf e to say tha t mos t o f ourof f icer s and advanced member s in the r egu lar Lodgesh av e a t o n e t i m e p u r s u ed t h e w o r k o f t h e N a t i o n a lLodge and thereby la id a foundat ion tha t cou ld no thave been es tab l i shed o therwise . W e are cons tan t lyreminded o f th i s by le t te r s f rom our h igh g rade mem-

b e rs w ho re fe r to th e benefi ts of th e i r ear ly N a tiona lt r a in ing .

The in i t i a t ion o r app l ica t ion f ee fo r the Nat ionalLod ge is f ive dollars . Thi s covers the inductio n intothe f ir s t g r ade o f the Nat ional Lodge. The in i t i a t ionfees o f the second , th i rd and Pos tu lan t g rade ar e twodol lar s each . The mon th ly dues fo r the Nat ionalLodge are one do l la r . The se f ees and dues cover al lthe benef i t s o f the Lodge.

M em b er s o f r eg u l a r L o d g es w h o d es i r e m ay a l s o jo in th e N at io n a l L o dg e a nd ta k e u d tha t spec ia l w o r k .S u ch m em b er s s h o u l d w r i t e t o T h e N a t i o n a l L o d g e

Sec re tary , 125 5 Market S t r ee t , San Francisco , Cali f. , b e in g s u re to s ta te th a t th ey a r e m e m b er s of a r e g u la rLodge and s ta t ing the i r g rade . A book le t exp la in ingthe work o f the Na t ional Lodge wi l l then be mai ledto them.

T h e N a t i o n a l L o d g e m em b er s h i p , a s a s ep a r a t e b o d vhas o f ten r ende red g rea t serv ice to the Ord er . It.\m em b er s h av e b een co n s i s ten t b o o s t e r s an d en t h u s i -a s t ic p r o p a g an d a w o r k e r s . W h en ev e r a r eg u l a r

( Continued on opposite page)


8/16

Utlje UlriauglrPublished by the Department of Publication, American Supreme

Council of the

Aurient a«fc iMi|uttral ©rftcr

2Umac (Cruria

The A.M .O.R.C. is affiliated with the ANT IQU UM AR CA NU M

ORDINEM ROSAE ET AUREAE CRUC1S in various

parts of the world and with its branch bodies with

similar names in other lands, all operating under

a supreme world council.

OFFICE OF AMERICAN SECRETARY GENERAL

1255 MARKET STREET

SAN FRANCISCO. CALIFORN IA. U.S. A.

SEPTEMBER 1923

E D I T O R I A L S

Our f i r s t i s sue o f The Tr iang le in the new fo rm,dated Augu s t , 1923, b rou gh t to us man y le t te r s of p ra i se an d ap p re c ia t io n an d o th e r le t te rs an d te le -g r am s a s k i n g f o r m o r e co p i e s t o m ee t t h e d em an d .T h e en t i r e i ss u e w as g o n e b e f o r e w e h ad a ch an ce t orea l ize tha t i t was in c i r cu la t ion and we r egre t tha t

so m a n y w e r e d isappo in ted , especia l ly the Nat ionalLodge member s who , in the i r to ta l i ty , were depr ivedof any copies .

Of cou r se th i s i s sue , the Sep tem ber , w il l be in -creased in the number o f cop ies p r in ted , bu t tha t w i l lno t compensate fo r the loss to those who d id no t ge ta copy o f the Aug us t num ber . The Dic t ionary o fRosaecrucian Terms i s especia l ly des i r ed by so manym em b er s an d w i l l b e w an t ed b y t h e m an y n ew m em - b ers in i t ia ted th is Fal l an d W i n te r ; so the best w e

can do i s to r ep r in t the f i r s t ins ta l lmen t o f the D ic t ion-ary f ro m A to F in a futur e issue. If those who re ceiveth i s Sep tember number and a l l succeed ing ones , w i l l p r e se rv e th em th e y wi ll h av e th e co m p le te D ic t io n aryas well as al l the other helpful ar t icles .

We th ink i t wel l to r emind our member s o f whath ap p en ed i n r eg a r d t o t h e o l d A m er i can R o s ae C r u c i sm ag az i n e . M an y o f t h e o l d n u m b er s o f t h a t m ag az i n ea r e b r i n g i n g o n e an d t w o d o l l a r s p e r co p y an d ev enmore has been o f f ered by some who are anx iou? tomak e comple te se t s. As t ime passes those magazines

b e co m e m o re v a lu ab le an d t h e d em an d on th e p a r t ofn ew m em b er s is i n c r ea s i n g each m o n t h . T h e s am es i tua t ion wi l l come in r egard to the new Tr iang le .Pres erve your copy I Hav e an ex t r a one to loan too ther s .

We thank a l l those who have wr i t t en such g lowingan d s i n ce r e l e t te r s ab o u t o u r l i tt l e m o n t h l y m o n o g r ap h .W e h av e s o m e n ew f ea t u r e s p l an n ed b u t t i m e i s r e -qu i r ed to have them prepared . Our nex t i s sue wi l l con-ta in a p leasan t su rp r i se .

A A A

Wh en a m an ’s bus iness and po l i t i ca l enemies jo inwi th h i s f r iends in pay ing t r ibu te , when the hear t s o fch i ld ren ar e un i ted wi th the hear t s o f o lder per sons in

p a y in g r e sp ec t to his m em o ry , t h e n we m ay be su ret h a t a m an g o o d an d t r u e , f a i r an d s q u a r e , k i n d an dgen t le, lov ing and cons idera te , i s the ob jec t o f thet r ibu te and r espect . And such a man was the la teP r e s i d en t H a r d i n g .

His pass ing here in San Francisco , wh ere the c i tyw as d eco r a t ed i n h o n o r of h is p r e s en ce , w h e r e ev e r y -th in g was st il l in fes t ive ar r ang em en t in an t ic ipa t iono f h i s c o mp l e t e r ecovery , was a shock to the c i ty ands t a t e t h a t b i d h i m w e l co m e an d h ad p l an n ed t o m ak ehis vis i t one of the most enjoyable events in hia l i fe.Yet i t was no less a shock to the whole na t ion , to thewhole wor ld , and a l l the wor ld mourned fo r the losso f H a r d i n g t h e m an , H a r d i n g t h e f r i en d , H a r d i n g t h eP r e s i den t , H a r d i n g t h e g en ia l ex am p l e o f h u m a n k i n -ship.

A g r ea t m an y l e t t e r s h av e b een r ece i v ed a t H ead -q u a r t e r s c a l l i n g o u r a t t en t i o n t o t h e f ac t t h a t a t t h e

t ime o f the la te Pres iden t ’ s e lec ion our lmpera to r wasv is i t ing cer ta in c i t i es in the Eas t and in speak ing pub-l icly to a l l the me mb er s in d i f f er en t ga ther ing s het o u ch ed u p o n n a t i o n a l ev en t s an d m ad e t h e p r o p h ecy ,f r o m w h a t ap p ea r ed t o b e a co p y o f a r a r e m an u s c r i p tfound in the ar ch ives o f the o ld mys t ic books o f theR o s i c r u c i an s p r e s e r v ed i n W as h i n g t o n , t h a t t h e n ew l y

elec ted Pres iden t would f i l l bu t l i t t l e more than ha l fof his term of office. Th e prop he cy in al l i ts detai lsi s r eca l led in these le t te r s and many ques t ions ar ea s k ed ab o u t t h e n ew P r e s i d en t .

We f ee l tha t i t i s w i th in our p rov ince to s ta te a f ewfacts abou t Calv in Cool idge no t genera l ly known,especia l ly s ince these f ac t s a r e o f in ter es t to those o fthe mind which cons t i tu te our c lass o f r eader s .

Calvin Coolidge is a mystic of a def ini te school of p h i lo so p h y . H e is v e ry posi t ive ab o u t th is w hen heis ques t ioned by someone whom he cons ider s su f f i -c i en tl y i n f o r m ed t o u n d e r s t an d . T h o s e w h o can r ead

b e tw e en th e l ine s of his r e m a r k s wi ll d iscove r a c o n -nect ion , an associat ion.

Fir s t o f a l l Mr . Coo l idge i s no t a member o f any

chu rch . Th is is no t becau se he i s no t in symp athywi th the churches and the i r work , fo r he i s en thus ias t icabou t the work tha t a l l o f them are do ing , and i s ar eg u l a r a t t en d an t w h i le i n W a s h i n g t o n o r i n h is h o m etown. But , he exp la ins , he has no sec ta r ian o r de-nominat ional r e l ig ious be l ie f s , desp i te the f ac t tha the was r a i sed a Calv in i s t in the s t r ic t New Englandform. H is r e l ig ious v iews are too b road , too sp i r i tua l,too mys t ica l , to be l imi ted by sec tar ian cr eeds o rd o g m as . A n d t h e m an n e r i n w h i ch he ex p la i n s h isa t t i tude in th i s r egard te l l s qu i te a s to ry .

W h en f u r t h e r q u e s t i o n ed ab o u t h i s p h i l o s o p h y o fl i f e , he makes th i s very i l luminat ing , though ve i ledan s w er . “Y ea r s ag o a g r ea t m an y m en an d w o m enw e r e influenced in the i r th ink ing by the ph i losophy o fa h u m b l e co b b l e r w h o m ed i t a t ed w h i l e h e co b b l ed an d

then d i scour sed on the laws o f God and na tu re tothose who gathered around h is l i t t l e room a t n igh t .T h a t w as i n an o t h e r l and . T h e co b b l e r ’ s t e ach i n g shav e rem aine d as a guide in l i fe to this day. Well , I,too , have a cobb ler fo r my teacher and h i s ph i losophyi s i n y p h i l is o p h y . F r o m h i m 1 h av e le a r n ed w h a t 1kno w of the pro ble ms of l i fe and i t is my inte ntiont o ap p l y t h e s e t e ach i n g s a t ev e r y o p p o r t u n i t y an d i nevery way th roughou t my admin is t r a ion as I have inal l th ings of my l ife.”

W hat a r e the essen t ia l s o f h i s ph i losoph y? Let uss ta te a f ew of them in the fo l lowing te rms , w hich ar et ak en f r o m an au t h en t i c a cco u n t :

L i f e i s bu t the pa th o f du t ies and honor s tha t befa l lmen .

Dut ies and honor s a r e , essen t ia l ly , inc iden ts on theway , and man i s no t to be undu ly e la ted over honor ,d i shear tened by f a i lu res , bu t a lways exerc i s ing earnes tendeavor to fulf i l l the duties to the best of his abl i i ty .

A lways main ta in ca lm d ign i ty and show peacefu lserenity in the face of a great cr is is .

Main ta in an ab id ing f a i th tha t a mind befogged bysel fi sh , per so nal in ter es t s o r h id ing ben eath an ar ti f ic ia lv en ee r , c an n o t p r o p e r l y co m m u n e w i t h t h e m i n d s o fnob le men .

If Prov i denc e p laces a du ty , a pow er o r someau thor i ty in your hands , meet i t w i th a l l your w isdomand fulf i l l the obligat ion to the best of vour abil i ty .

M an can n o t a s s u m e au t h o r i t y w h i ch h e d o es n o thave , nor shou ld he ever f a i l to use the au thor i tywhich i s h i s b i r th r igh t .

Rad ica l i sm in any fo rm i s unwholesome.Love o f o rder , sys tem an d law i s a m ounta in o f

s t r eng th .

Labor , even o f the mos t humble k ind , i s a d ign i tv .The t ime wi l l come when i t w i l l be d i sg racefu l to ber ich and idle.

Class favor i t ism in al l th ings is cater ing to therecogn i t ion o f c lasses , and there ar e no c lasses in theeyes o f the supreme laws o f God and na tu re .

The true valuat ion of al l th ings in l i fe is the spir i tualva lua t ion which the inner man can d i scern and theo u t e r m an m u s t l e a r n t o co m p r eh en d .


9/16

A few minu tes spen t severa l t imes each day in s i l en tmedi ta t ion wi l l g ive man g rea ter power and ins igh tand p lace h im in more in t imate con tac t w i th h i s f e l lowmen.

A A A

O n ce ag a i n a ca t a s t r o p h y h as v i s i t ed a n a t i o n , a

people , a n d th e L aw of N a tu re h as m ad e m an if e s t it sm i g h t y p o w er an d i ts cy c li c p r o ces s e s . A s h u m an s ,as k in o f those who su f f er and who wi l l su f f er as ar esu l t o f th i s d i sas ter , we so r row and are in menta l

pa in, w hile o u r h e a r t s e x ten d to th em th e s y m p a t h yand he lp tha t i s w i th in our be ings and a t our mater ia ld i sposa l. As s tuden ts o f l aws, as met aphys ic ians , asadep ts ever so l i t t l e i l luminated in our comprehens ion ,w e ex t en d ev en m o r e t h an s y m p a t h y an d m a t e r i a la s s i s tan ce ,— w e t ran s m i t t o t h em co l lec t iv e l y an d i n -d i v i d u a l l y t h e m o r e s u b t l e an d m o s t ex p r e s s i v e a s s u r -ances o f our un i ty w i th them in the t ime o f the i r an -gu ish tha t they may sense , as we do , the nonex is t -ence o f r ac ia l d i s t inc t ion and c lass p re jud ice .

The L i t t l e F lower Dancing Gi r l o f As ia l i es c rushedan d b l eed i n g . N o t b y an y ac t o f h e r o w n h as s u f fe r i ng

b een in fl icte d u p o n h e r b ody . S he h a s n o t wi lfu ll yto rn down her g i lded sh r ines and se t a f i r e her bamboohomes ; nor has she knowing ly cas t the bod ies o f in -f an ts in to the f i re p i t o f to r tu re and d i sease . TheLaw of Laws has v i s i t ed her as i t has v i s i t ed o ther s andwi l l con t inue i t s v i s i t a t ions th roughou t e tern i ty .

The l i t t l e garden spo ts we loved to v i s i t , the quain ta t m o s p h e r e w e c h e r is h e d a s p a r t o f o u r h u m a n e c c e n -t r ic i t i es , the por t s o f our As ia t ic journeys , the a t l i e r s o fo r ien ta l a r t , the quain t a n d eff icient factor ies of thetoys tha t hav e amus ed mi l l ious o f l i tt l e hear t s— allthese th in gs tha t hav e been a pa r t o f the l i fe o f som an y A m er i can s , h av e b een t ak en aw ay , l ai d to w as te ,an d aw a i t t h e d aw n o f an o t h e r d ay .

A n d i n t h e m ean t i m e t h e r e r i s e s f r o m ab o v e t h elands f ar across the Paci f ic , the crys and p lead ings ,t h e s o b s an d m o an s o f t h o u s an d s w h o s u f f e r an d k n o wnot why , bu t ask God , our God , the i r God , the on lyGod , fo r mercy , he lp , s t r eng th , r el ie f . O ur headsa r e b o w ed d o w n w i t h t h e h ead s o f m i l l i o n s ev e r y w h e r ein the p resence o f th i s even t which b r ings us a l l c loserto the r ea l iza t ion o f the exact ions o f na tu re and theo m n i p o t en ce o f G o d ' s L aw s .

A A A

We are r eminded a t jus t th i s t ime, and in connect ionw i t h t h e f o r eg o i n g , o f an o t h e r ev en t , i n co m p ar ab l e

in i t s f a r r each ing ef f ec t , bu t equal ly as impress ivein the lesson to be learned .

On the Sunday fo l lowing the t r ans i t ion o f Pres iden tH ar d i n g o u r S u p r em e G r an d M as t e r d e l i v e r ed a s p ec i a ls e r m o n t h r o u g h R ad i o C h u r ch o f A m er i ca , b r o a d cas t -ing i t as usual f rom the Church s ta t ion in Cal i fo rn ia

t o t h e h u n d r ed s o f t h o u s an d s w h o l is t en in . T h e s u b - je c t of th is spec ia l d i sco u rse w as " T h e r e is no D e a th . "

W e l e a r n e d l a t e r t h a t o n e w o m a n w h o h a d b e e n ar eg u l a r l i s t en e r i n a t t h e C h u r ch s e r v i ce s p r ev a i l edupon her f a ther to l i s ten in on th i s par t icu lar Sundayfor the f irs t t ime. Not only the topic of the discourseand i t s spec ia l message impressed h im, bu t the b road-ness , the log ic , the mys t ica l p r esen ta t ion o f the f ac t sinvo lved in l i f e and i t s t r ans i t ion , deep ly impressedh i m t o s u ch an ex t en t t h a t h e m ad e a n u m b er o f f av o r -ab l e co m m en t s t o h is d au g h t e r . D u r i n g t h e a f t e r n o o nand even ing , and even up to the hour o f r e t i r ing hes p o k e ab o u t t h e s e r m o n a s t h o u g h h e h ad r ece i v edsome inner L igh t , as though some spark o f r ea l iza t ion ,of D iv ine At tu nem ent , had been h i s exper ien ce . A l lin the f ami ly were impressed wi th the inc iden t . Then ex t m o r n i n g a s t h e f a t h e r d ep a r t ed f r o m t h e h o m eto go to work he spoke again o f the imp ress ions tha tl ingered in h i s mind and he seemed to be in fused wi tha new fa i th , a g rea t hope . Only a f ew minu tes a f te rhe le f t the home news was b rough t to the f ami ly tha the had been ins tan t ly k il l ed in an acc iden t . Wi thm o t h e r an d d au g h t e r s ti ll i m p r e s s ed w it h t h e m an ' sch an g ed r e l i g i o u s v i ew s , t h e d au g h t e r t e l ep h o n ed t oH e ad q u a r t e r s a s k i n g t h a t a co p y o f t h e S e r m o n b e s en tt h em t o r e r ead i n t h e i r h o u r s o f s o r r o w an d t o p r e -s e r v e a s a m em en t o o f t h e G r ea t A w ak en i n g t h a t h adcome to the i r loved one a t so cruc ia l a t ime.

How many o f us r ea l ly s tand a t th i s very hour ont h e b r i n k o f a g r ea t ad v en t u r e , a t t h e v e r y t h r e s h o l dof t r ans i t ion , and g ive l i t t l e though t to the suddenness

w i t h w h i ch ch an g es a r e m ad e? E ach ev en ti d e m ay b ethe se t t ing sun hour o f th i s l i f e ' s per iod ; each n igh tm ay b e t h e l a s t o p p o r t u n i t y t o a t t u n e t h e m i n d w i t ht h e C o s m i c M i n d an d p r ep a r e i t f o r t h e j o u r n ey i n t oDiv ine Consciou sness . As we c lose our eyes andclose the day of act ivi ty , let us close our l ives with a p r a y e r of th a n k fu ln es s to G od a n d al l, with n a u g h t b utlove and to ler ance and k indness in our minds , andt h en w h en t h e s u n o f an o t h e r d ay b eg i n s a d ay o f anew l i f e , here o r on ano ther p lane , we shal l be r eadywi th a c lean sp i r i t and a wholesome mind .

N O T E S F O R MEMBER S

H E R E i s a b o o k w h i ch m o s t o f o u r m em - b e r s wi ll en jo y r e a d in g if th ey ca n buyi t o r bor row a copy . It i s p robab l ydif f icul t to obtain in some local i t ies , butcan b e s ecu r ed t h r o u g h p l ac i n g an o r d e rw i t h a l m o s t an y b o o k s t o r e . T h e co m -

p le te ti tl e is : T e r t iu m O r g a n u m , (T h eT h i r d O r g an o f T h o u g h t ) , a K ey t o t h eEnigmas o f the Wor ld , by P . D . Ouspensky , pub l i shed by the Manas Press ,

Rochester , N. Y.I t i s a l a rge book p r in ted wi th la rge c lear type ,

wel l indexed and con ta in ing a l a rge fo lded char t o f" T h e F o u r F o r m s o f t h e M an i f e s ta t i o n of C o n s c i o u s -ness ."

W r i t t en b y a m y s t i c an d t r an s l a t ed f r o m t h e R u s s i an by those w h o h a v e ta k e n c a re to p re s e rv e th e b r i l -l i ancy and charac ter o f the o r ig ina l , we f ind the bookdeals comple te ly w i th such sub jec t s as The Mys tery o fS p ace an d T i m e , S h ad o w s an d R ea li t y, O ccu l t i sm .A n i m a t ed N a t u r e , V o i ce s o f t h e S t o n es , M a t h em a t i c sof the In f in i te , Log ic o f Ecs tacy , Mvs t ica l Theosophy ,Cosmic Consciousnes s , the New Moral i ty and theB i r t h o f t h e S u p e r m an .

In one copy o f th i s book owned by our SupremeG r an d M as t e r , R ev . G eo r g e R . C h am b er s , P h .D . , w ef ind the fo f lowing wr i t t en on the page f ac ing the tab le

of con ten ts , as one o f h i s many penci led no ta t ions :" O u s p en s k y ’ s p h i l o s o p h y is co m p l e t e i n i t s u n d e r -s tandab leness . Bu t th i s i s no t comp le te enough . I ti s t h eo r y . It i s n o t co m p l e t e en o u g h t o b r i n g t o p r ac -t ica l exper ien ce . I t p r ese n ts the conce p t to the four thd imens ion , bu t i t doesn’ t b r ing to the ac tua l iza t ion o fthe r ea l ity . Only a r ea l and p rac t i ca l Mys t ic can dotha t ! And in a l l the wor ld of t ime and space , Rosi c r u c i an i s m i s t h e o n l y p h i l o s o p h y t h a t c an s ay : " O u r

ph i lo s o p h y is c o m p le te ----idea l ly and f ac tua l ly ---- real lyan d ac t u a l l y — t h eo r e t i c a l l y an d p r ac t i c a l l y . A n R. C .o f t h e h i g h es t d eg r ee s k n o w s ab o u t t h e f o u r t h d i m en -s ion and i s ab le to funct ion in the pow er and m arvel o fi t s consc iou sness in exper ien ce . He, o r she , no t on lyk n o w s about it, b u t k no w s it and uses i t . "

A A AA n o t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g b o o k h as co m e i n t o t h e 1 m

p e r a t o r ’s l ib ra ry . It is : T h e O bel isk a n d F re em a s o n ry ,A cco r d i n g t o t h e D i s co v e r i e s o f B e l zo n i an d C o m -mander Gor r inge , by John A . Weisse , M. D .

This book i s in ter es t ing because o f the l igh t tha t i tsheds on the h i s to ry and message o f the g rea t obel i? ! 'tha t was b rough t f rom Hel iopo l i s , Egyp t , to New YorkC i t y an d e r ec t ed th e r e in C en t r a l P a r k . T h e b o o kcon ta ins many i l lus t r a t ions in co lo r s , de ta i led t r ans -la t ions o f the h ierog lyph ic wr i t ing on the four s idesof the obel i sk , and r eveals the mean ing o f the var ious


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f o u n d a t i o n s t o n es an d t h e i r s t r an g e m ar k i n g s a s d i s -covered by these sc ien t i s t s and Freemasons .

T h e b o o k i s a n a u t h e n t i c o n e a n d a b o u n d s w i t hMason ic r ef erences o f spec ia l in ter es t to Freemasons .But i t w i l l p rove in ter es t ing to the Ros icruc ians as wel land fo r tha t r eason i t shou ld be p laced in the Ros i -

c r u c i an ca t ag o r y .In g iv ing the h i s to ry o f the ear ly Egyp t ian secre tsoc ie t ies we f ind many r ef erences to the ex is tence o ft h e R o s i c r u c i an b r o t h e r h o o d , an d a f ew o f t h e s e r e f e r -en ces a r e g i v en h e r ew i t h :

A f t e r s p eak i n g o f t h e R o s i c r u c i an s an d t h e i r ex i s t -e n c e i n t h e y e a r A. D . 3 0 6 an d h o w t h ey e s p o u s ed ce r -t a i n an c i en t t e ach i n g s an d ad d ed t h em t o t h e i r o w n i nevo lv ing a h ighe r work , r e f erenc e i s made to thegu i lds and secre t soc ie t ies be ing fo rmed in the yearA . D . 614 , and "soon the in te l lec t o f the A lchemis t san d R o s i c r u c i an s w as f el t am o n g t h e g u il d s .” T h en ,l a t e r o n , w e r ead t h i s : “H er e w e m u s t n o t o m i t t h eR o s i c r u c i an s w h o h ad t h e i r m a i n s t r en g t h i n G e r -many , bu t had the i r r amif ica t ions a l l over the g lobe .T h e i r g r ea t l e a r n i n g an d e ru d i t i o n g av e t h em m u chi n f l u en ce d u r i n g t h e D a r k A g es an d m ed i ev a l t i m es .T h e R o s i c r u c i an s h av e b een t r aced t o O r m u s , w h o ,ab o u t A . D . 4 6 , f o u n d ed an O r d e r t h a t w o r e a redc r os s an d w e r e t h en ce s ty l ed R o s i c r uc i an s . O r m u shas been cons ide red as a conv er t o f S t . Mark , theEvangel i s t . W e are to ld tha t they were jo ined byt h e l e a r n ed o r d e r of t h e E s sen es. T h e K n i g h t s T e m p -lar seem to have bor rowed the r ed cross f rom theE as t e r n an d W es t e r n R o s i c r u c i an s , s o t h a t t h i s b ad g edates f rom A. D. 46 to our day . W e g ive a shor t l i sto f the ce lebr i t i es c la imed by th i s o rder :* ’

Then fo l lows a l i s t o f impor tan t charac ter s in h i s -to ry , many o f whom are wel l known as Ros icruc ians byt h e i r w r i t i n g s an d t h e i r m an u s c r i p t s p r e s e r v ed t o t h i sday . In the l is t we f ind th i s com me nt : “ Thu s has Rosi cruc ian ism grea t in te l lec t s , ex tend ing f rom Br i ta in toP e r s i a . "

A A AM an y b o o k s h av e ap p ea r ed o n t h e m ar k e t w i t h i n

the pas t t en y ear s dea l ing wi th the sub jec t o fMys t ici sm. Few of those wr i t t en by Am er ica nseq u a l l ed t h a t ex q u i s i t e b r o ch u r e , “E s s en t i a l s o fMys t ic i sm," by Cobb , pub l i shed a f ew yea r s ago andr eco m m en d ed b y u s t o o u r m em b er s . B ut , n o w th e r eh as ap p e a r ed an o t h e r , w i t h t h e t i tl e : " W h a t i sMys t ic i sm?” by the Rev . Char les Mor r i s Addison , D .D . , p ub l ish ed by M acm illan Co ., New Y o r k City . W e c a n -n o t d o b e t t e r t h an p r e s en t h e r e a r ev i ew o f t h e b o o kas p r ep a r ed b y th e R ev. J. W i l m er G r es h am , D ean o fG r ace C a t h ed r a l , S an F r an c i s co :

“A t t h e o u t s e t w e a r e r em i n d ed t h a t m y s t i c i s m , b e in g b u t a “ spir it a n d a m e t h o d , " c a n n o t be defi ned,any mo re than love can be def ined o r God p rove d by a

sy l log ism. Th is is no t an enco ura g ing beg inn in g inview of the fa c t tha t the book se t s ou t to t e l l us whatmystic ism is. But , af te r al l , i t is mo re hone st and a

b e t t e r po licy to confess on th e fi rs t p ag e , r a th e r th an atthe end , tha t the sub jec t e ludes def in i t ion and tha tn o ca t eg o r i ca l an s w er m ay b e ex p ec t ed .

“On the o ther hand , i t i s r eassur ing to be to ld tha tthe mys t ic i s qu i te a p rac t ica l so r t o f per son , l iv ingin a very r ea l wor ld and d i f f er ing f rom o ther fo lk on lyi n t h a t h e w an t s G o d m o r e an d t ak es m o r e p a i n s t of ind Him. I f this be true, the n it mu st fol low tha tthe d i f f er ence be tween the mys t ic and the r es t o f us i s

b u t a m a t t e r of d eg ree .

“ If the re s eem s to be a dif feren ce in kind i t is only b ec a u s e w h e n w e v iew a M eis ter E c k a r t o r a P hill ipsBrooks , a Wi l l i am Law or a S t . John the Div ine , the

d eg r ee s a r e s o m u l t i p l i ed t h a t w e b eh o l d a h e i g h t en edin tens i ty in our com mon adv en tu re fo r God . In th i ssense if the true mystic be dif ferent i t is only in ar e la t ive sense , as the Lord Chr i s t was d i f f er en t .

" In the cour se o f h i s s tudy o f mys t ic i sm Dr . Addisont r aces the wel l worn pa ths which t r ad i t ional r e l ig ionhas fo l lowed th ro ugh the ages . F i r s t, the way o fo rgan ized f e l lowsh ip , w i th i t s more o r l ess e labora ter i tua l , seek ing to d raw God down to man o r l i f t manu r t o G o d. T h en t h e i n t e ll e c t u a l w ay b y w h i ch r ea -

son , as a seasoned gu ide , d i r ec t s the seeker a f te r Godat the var ious cross roads o f the menta l f i e ld .

"Fina l ly the way o f the w i l l by whose success ivet r i u m p h s t h e m y s t e r i e s o f l i f e a r e s h o t t h r o u g h w i t hsp i r i tua l mean ings , and the v io len t t ake the k ingdom

by fo rce . A g a in s t th is b ac k g ro u n d Dr. A dd iso n p lacesthe mys t ica l way , ca l led by Schure " the ar t o f f ind ing

God in on e’ s se l f, " and by Rufus Jones " th e awa rene ssof God ," o r d i r ec t consc iousness o f H is p resence .

"Th is l as t way , the way o f mys t ic i sm, under l ies a l lthe r es t . No t a l l men are in f luenced by an e labo ra ter i tua l nor insp i r ed by a sense o f f e l lowsh ip . Andnot a l l men can r epose in r eason as a gu ide , fo r Godis f e lt ou t mo re t ru ly than He i s thou gh t ou t . Nori s the mercur ia l w i l l su f f ic ien t to the unequal t ask .T h e m y s t i c h o l d s t h a t w h i l e t h e s e m e t h o d s a r e g o o dfor some men a lways , and fo r a l l men somet imes ,mys t ic i sm i s un iver sa l and un iver sa l ly necessary .

“Al l men wan t God . Th e mys t ic te l l s us tha t th i ssa t i s f ac t ion comes mos t comple te ly , no t by be long ingt o a s o c ie t y h o w ev e r g r ea t , n o r b y g o i n g t h r o u g h afo rm of worsh ip however beau t i fu l , no r by be l iev inga d o g m a h o w ev e r t r u e , b u t b y f ee l i n g an i n w ar d an d

p e r s o n a l to u ch of G od u p o n th e so ul. In th e Suf i it isthe God o f Mohammed, to the Buddhis t i t may be Ni r -vana o r Dharmakaya , w i th P lo t inus i t i s a vague abyss ,w i th S t . Francis i t i s God per sonal ized in Jesus Chr i s t .T h e m y s t i c i m p u l s e i s t h e s am e w h a t ev e r t h e t h eo -log ica l fo rm of i ts ob jec t . Moreover , the ac t ion o f th i simpulse r es t s upon c er ta in f ac t s and laws as def in i tea s t h o s e of m u s i c o r a r ch i t ec t u r e .

" I t b eco m es ap p a r en t , t h en , t h a t m y s t i c i s m r i s e s t othe digni ty of the f inest of the f ine ar ts . If i t be aske dhow we are to r e la te i t to the wel l def ined s tages o fr e l i g i o u s ex p e r i en ce a s ex p r e s s ed i n t e r m s o f r ep en t -an ce a n d f a it h , a t o n e m e n t an d s acr i fi c e , t h e an s w er i snot difficult to find.

" T h e m y s t i c i s s eek i n g t h e co m p an i o n s h i p o f G o d ,t h e h i g h an d l o ft y O n e t h a t i n h ab i t e t h e te r n i t y . B ut

God dwel l s w i th h im who i s o f an humble and con t r i t es p i ri t . O n l y b y r ep en t a n ce an d f a it h — t h e w ay t h a ta ll m en k n o w — can t h e v ei l b e d r aw n a s i de an d t h e b a r r i e r s to th a t c o m p a n io n s h ip b u r n e d aw ay .

Seeks to Trace Relat ion

"Dr . Addison , whose wel l t r a ined mind i s s teepedin the l i t e r a tu re o f mys t ica l exper ience , en r iches h i ss u cceed i n g p a g es w i t h a w ea l t h o f b i o g r ap h i ca l a l l u s io ni n w h i ch t h e t h r ead o f h i s o w n c l ea r t h i n k i n g i s n ev e rlost . H is purp ose th rou gh ou t i s to t r ace the r e la t ionof mys t ic i sm to l i fe . I n t ime pas t we shou ld havedescr ibed h i s mys t ica l ph i losophy as empi r ica l in i t saccen t , b u t t o d ay w e r eg a r d i t a s t o u ch ed w i t h p r ag -m a t i s m . "

A A A

H er e i s a m a t t e r i n w h i ch a l l o u r m em b er s canh e l p . W e w an t t o b e s u re t h a t w e a r e g i v in g o u rr ead e r s j u s t w h a t t h ey w an t o r n eed m o s t. W e a r ecogn izan t o f some o f the i r needs and f rom month tomonth wi l l pub l i sh in The Tr iang le those ar t i c les o rf ea t u r e s w h i ch w e a r e s u r e co m e u n d e r t h e c l a ss i fi c a -t ion of necessit ies. But i t has been sugges ted by anumber o f r eader s tha t we pub l i sh , ser ia l ly , a f ewmore ins ta l lmen ts o f Th e Cosmic Pi lg r im, the s to ryw h i ch w as n o t co m p l e t ed i n t h e A m er i can R o s aeCrucis , whi le o ther s sugges t tha t we pub l i sh an ar t i c leeach month dea l ing wi th a r ev iew of the work o feach g rade . W e wan t more sugges t ions . P lease le tu s h ea r f r o m y o u .

S o m e h av e w r i tt en to u s s ay i n g t h a t t h ey w e r edoub t fu l i f we were d o ing r igh t in us ing The Tr ia ng le

in i t s new fo rm fo r d i s seminat ion among those whoare seek ing bu t a r e no t in i t ia ted in our Ord er . If therei s tha t in The Tr iang le which seems to be too p la inand cover ing too much o f our t each ings , then there i so n e g o o d r ea s o n w h y a co p y o f T h e T r i an g l e s h o u l d

p ass into th e h a n d s of a n y o n e w ho is re a l ly s ince rein the search ; fo r then The Tr iang le w i l l g ive them afa i r idea o f the work covered by AMORC and he lpt o r em o v e an y f a l s e i m p r e s s i o n s o r m i s u n d e r s t an d i n g s .The Tr iang le i s no t a secre t pub l ica t ion and shou ld beused to sp read the L igh t .


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From al l Lodges there comes one genera l compla in t .M em b er s a r e ab s en t f r o m l ec t u r e s o ccas i o n a l l y an dthen they p lead to be a l lowed to r ead the lec tu re theyh av e mi s sed . T h e r u l e a l w ay s ha s b een t h a t w h en alec tu re i s missed the member mus t come ear ly to thefo l lowing convocat ion and r ead the missed lec tu re be-

fo re p roce ed in g wi th the nex t . Bu t f rom t ime to t imethe Mas ter s o f Lodges , o r the Secre tar ies , have loanedt h e l e c t u r e t o s o m e m em b er t o r ead a t h o m e an d t h e s el ec t u r e s h av e d i s ap p ea r ed . N o w t h e M as t e r s an dSecre tar ies a r e so r ry . The i r fi l es show f rom ten tot w en t y l e c t u r e s m i s si n g an d t h e ca l l o n h ead q u a r t e r sfo r dup l ica te cop ies has increased to a po in t wherei t mean s ex t r a expense and time. To he lp the Mas ter smain ta in a comple te f i l e o f l ec tu res we have dev iseda p lan o f b ind ing them and the ru le w i l l be enforced :n o l e c t u r e s l o an ed o r t o b e t ak en aw ay f r o m t h e o f f i c eof the Sec re tary o r Mas ter . Too o f ten has a Mas ter ofa Lodge o r c lass been r eady to open a convocat ionw h en h e h a s f o u n d t h a t t h e l e c t u r e f o r t h e ev en i n gwas gone— f ind ing sweet r epose in the hom e of somem em b er w h o f o r g o t t o r e t u r n i t o r w h o b e l i ev ed t h a t

an y d ay n ex t w eek o r n ex t m o n t h w o u l d d o .A A A

W e h av e a n u m b er o f v i s i t o r s a t h ead q u a r t e r s ag a i nf rom var ious c i ti es. Two f rom Ph i ladelph ia , one f rom New Y ork , o n e f r o m L on d on , E ng lan d , o n e fr omW at e r b u r y , C o n n ec t i cu t , o n e f r o m C h i cag o an d o n ef r o m L o s A n g e l e s . M em b er s a r e a l w ay s w e l co m e t ov is i t headquar ter s and consu l t w i th the ch ief o f f icer sand a l so to a t tend the g rade convocat ions o f theC a l i f or n i a G r an d L o d g e. W e can h e l p t o m ak e y o u rv is i t to San Francisco en ter ta in ing and benef ic ia l .

A A A

T h e C a l i f o r n i a G r an d L o d g e n o w h as e i g h t C o l ombes on i t s member sh ip l i s t , bu t one o f them, theSup rem e Colombe, w ho has served so long, has jus t b een re t i red as an ac t ive C olom be, h av in g re ac h e d the

age when the te rm of o ff ice i s comple ted . And soon ,on nex t Thanksg iv ing Day , she i s to be mar r ied wi tht h e T em p l e C e r em o n y , i n t h e C a l i f o r n i a G r an d L o d g e .Bes t w ishes ar e in o rder .

A A A

Th ere has jus t come to o ur o f fice a copy o f a books en t t o o u r I m p e r a t o r b y t h e G r an d M as t e r o f t h eO r d e r i n A u s t r i a , J o h an n u s K e l pi u s . I t i s a t r an s l a -t ion o f Schure’ s book , The High Pr ies tess o f I s i s , pub-l i sh ed i n G e r m an . T h e au t h o r , co m m en t i n g o n t h es h o r t ag e o f m o d e r n o ccu l t an d m e t ap h y s i ca l l i t e r a t u r ei n h i s co u n t r y , a s k s w r i t t en au t h o r i t y t o t r an s l a t e an d

p ub li sh in G e rm a n th e Thousand Years of Yesterdays by o u r Im peTator a n d Man T r i u m p h an t , a s w e l l a sa r t i c l e s f r o m t h e A m er i can R o s ae C r u c i s m ag az i n e .Of cour se we are happy to g ive a l l the ass i s tance pos -s ib le , f o r we hear cons tan t ly abou t the shor tage o f

m o d e r n m y s t i ca l b o o k s i n m an y l an d s .T h e T h o u s a n d Years of Yesterdays h as b een t r an s -

la ted in

Documents

AMORC - The Triangle September 1923