N icholas De Roerich, Mystic i\N OUTLINE OF HIS WONDERFUL ACCOMPUSHMENTS

By THE lMl'ERATOR

'liiiiF,~;;;fnC~ THE past six I! months or more hundreds of our members and many hundred:! of readers and friends have asked that we reveal some facts regard­ing the life and acc-omplishments of Ni<:holas de Roerkh, the Eu­ropean legate of

our ender in America, and the repre­sentative at large of the Great White Brotherhood. I am happy to present briefly such faets as are a matter oE record in our own archives, believing that these few inteNsting facts, coupled with .f:he character that reveals itself in his spiritual and pmctkal messages published from time to time in this maga­zine, 'Will enable the discerning mind to accurately estimate the true inner and outer personality of this <>utstanding character.

Had this man lived with the same outer personality and with the same worldly attainmen-ts four OJ: ·flve hundred years ago, and if the same homage had been paid to him throughout the world as is belng paid to him now, we Wl>Uld read in various xecords a St(lry that would cause •US t>O look upon Frater Roerkh as one oi the . truly great ·masters. We would J>oint with 50llle

degree of pxide to the fact that a great

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castle had been built and dedicated to his honor. to his ar;c:otnplishments, and to his name, and that throughout the world there were s!lent, mute testimonle.s Q£ his greatness 1n many directions. He would be: venerated !n our· organization and in Gther mystical channels as one whose name should be spoken with extreme respect and whose writings and every expressed thought should be cate­fnlly analyzed. and taken seriously under consideration.

But because Frater Roerich is o£ this cycle of life, still with us and one of us, and so dose to us, we fail to see the greatness that distance, tune, and pe~­spective will unquestionably add to the qualities that now make him a be:loved companion.

Instead of a castle or a chateau, a cabhedral or a tomb, having been erected to .the honor, name, and accomplishment.'! of Frater Roerich, there was erected on Riverside Drive: in New York, ln the: most impressive site m the midst o£ the ultramodern section o£ that city, a huge edlll.c e in the form a f a modern building called the Roerich Museum in which are not only preserved a great number of his paintings. but a large portion of his odental collections and the rare gifts given to him by potentates, mystics. masters, and humble admirers in all parts of the world. The building as a monument to him was conc-eived by his friends, bmlt and completed in his absence and dedicated to him with the cooperation and respectful admiration of

The RMknu:km Dip1t December 1933

many of the leading dtb;ens of New Yo:~:k, and the entir., United Stat,;,s. In this building are typical Tibetan t:ham~ bel:s furnished with sacred relics from Tibet, and .other rooms and halls of an oriental nature in which Rosicruci.an mel!tings have been held, and Prate~ Roerich has openly and publicly avowed his devotion to the grut interests and at:tivities of the Great White Brother~ hood and the Rosicrudan Order. It is unusual that such a monument to the life of a great man sh<!!Jld be conceived and completed while the man himself is still in th.e very prime of his power and active among us in his sublime services. But throughout the world there are other monuments to his name and to his great~ ness. and of these I will speak.

By jncident of place of birth. Nicholas K. de Roeri_ch might be called a Russian. He is a descendant of a St:andinavian family that settled in Russia dudng -the time of Peter the Great. He was ·bom in 1871 and from 1893 to 1897 he was a student at the Petrograd University. and during this same period was a devoted student in Professor Kuindji's dass. He became President of a Society knoWII as "The World of Art," composed of ·the great leade~:s -in art among whom were Sireov, Vroubel, Somov, Bakst, Benois, and others well-known in Eur~e.. He also was elected Di~ctor <:>f the· Society fot the Encouragement of Arts," and v:as also elected to membership in the Paris "Salon d'Automne." and the Rheims Academy. The list of his other connections with art and literary so­cieUes would be too long to pre$ent in this brid biography.

Fratet' Roerich not <:>nly absorbed and acquired all of the Russian elements of arl and literature, but he car.ried in his blood through his ancestors .the oriental tendencies of the Scandinavians, whlch they inherited also ftom -their contacts with odentals. All these elements wete blended ln the minds and consciousness oE this evolving mystic wlth a clarity of conception that Is revealed today in his heart and writings.

In the year 1907, Frater Roerich was Srat inspired to devise, compose, and mystically prepare the unusual scenery fo:t Wagner's opera "Valkydes." The suct:ess of this unusual work awakened

in him a desire to blend the fundamental ·principles-of art, music, and literature in a combination· of sympathetic expres5ion and emotional manifestation, and this h-as teally been the keynote of -his pro­fessional activities ever since. He is co:r!sidered in nearly all of the European countries as a pas~master in a new bran.;h of art, that which harmonizes the creations of music with the ·.9plrit of dramas and the subtle power of art.

Eventually the M-oscow Art Theatre, and the Ancient Theatre, wete enriched with his special scenic work. and in re­cent years .he completed the scenery for Korsakov's "Tsar Saltan," a falry tale, in accoxdam:e with a reques.t by Sir Thomas Beecbam.

Frater Roerich diligently pursued the mystical indinations which were rapidly developing within his consciousness, and dominating his thinking. The great masters of mystical thought in Europe, who saw his att and were impressed ·by ·the marvelous mystical interpretations in it made it their buainesa to contact him and to draw him 1nto their cil:cles that he might find .the proper opportunity to fol~ low that urge which was undoubtedly causin!J him much unrest. He readily accepted the oppoxtunities that -were pre~ sentecl, and made t:ompanions of -the leaders of mystical thought. and on the inner cirde of profound students who were workers in the outer world for the Great White Brotherhood. It was onlv natural ihat Rosicruciarusm should hav'e made its strong appeal to him for in the very days that he was a atudent in the universities or academies of Russia. he came in contact with the leaders of thought who were secretly active in Roskrudani.sm. In those days Russia was indeed a great empire of silent, Se<:l'et Roslcrucian work, .for the Czar was truly tolerant of the activities of this great organh:ation, and. on a number of occasions exercised -pxerogatives that gave the organization unusual protection inasmuch as the Rosicrucians in that country, as in every other country, re­f!'ained ·fr<:>m any political activities but contributed very largely to the advance­ment of culture and the advancemem of superior learning.

Just when Frater Roericll made his !lrat contact with ·the Ros.icrucian

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Brotherhood is not revealed in our archives. and the fads are not available at the present time because aU of the valuahle records of Rosicrucianism in Russia were transferred during the days nf the war to secret archives in China and ·elsewhere. and ate stili ~ealed in safety and in preservation for the future..

Through ·h!s mystical studies and rapid development it became evident to his instructors and companions that in this incarnation the Frater was to con­tinue his :work of a previous period. That he was destined and decreed to be­come one of the great masters o£ the Great White Brotherhood was accepted as an indisputable fact by all who knew him. It was not su~prising, therefore, to find this man bnbued with an inherent desire and an unconquerable urge to leave his native land and to wend his way into India. Persia. China, and Tibet, and to remain in dose seclusion in the monasteries of these lands in prepa­ratiOll for his active future.

It is easy for the writer to understand the changing emotions, the complex urges, and the divetsified activities of this great mystic, He was born more than a student, and he carried over from the past a vast knowledge and a great -wisdom ln the fields of mysticism, meta~ :physics. and true oriental occultism. He likewise carried into the present from the past a highly deveioped ability to express his thoughts in various mediums of art. and in written and spoken words. To better express his thoughts he ih.ad :to become a student of the newer lan~ guages, and of the tongues of the Western world. To express his enJ()J

tion.s and understaud.ing in at! he had to learn the newer ways of .painting, and drawing, and the use of modern medi­ums, while retaining the technique and the masterful subtilitles of Jais previous oriental art. And from day to day and from hour .to hour thls man of unusual qualities found himself being swayed by inner urges fltst with the desire to write and teach, then with the unquenchable desire to study and delve deeply Into the greater mysteries. and then to pomay on canvas, or on board, Ol." on stone or plaster, and on every CQ:Il.Ceivable serv­iceable material the marvelous pictu:ces which his eyes lreheld in all of his jour~

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neys, or which his inner consciousness drew from the past and impressed upon Ws outer mind.

And so Frater de Roerich journeyed from land to land, from temple to temple, from monastery to monastery, and sane~ .tuary to sanctuary, studying, investigat;.. ing, teaching. writing, and painting. As with his tea~:hings ·and his writtngs hls art was given to the public {o those who would understand and appreciate, and who would benefl.t by it. He, therefore. proceeded to make marvelous mystical pictures, and spiritual decorations that would be a'Pp.topriate for cathedrals, churches, museums, and art galleries, and he donated these heely in most cases, and in other cases accepted only such r~a~ds as would enable him to car>:y on his great wo.rk and provide him with the mealL'! for fu16.lling his Divine mission. Many of the cathedrals and private chapels in Russia were among the first to be adorned with his numerous mural and wall paintings. Then in Japan and China he created J,Uarvelous pictures which are enth usiasfically admired by the public. There is no museum or art gallery in Russia that does not contain Frater Roericb's paintine-s, and decora­·tive designs, and throughout the whole of Europe there are hundreds of build­ings that contain hjs pictur-es or repro­ductions of his art, and great pieces of his marvelous mystical interpretations. In the National Gallery in Rome, in the Louvre and the Luxembourg Museums in Parls, ln the publfc art galleries in Vienna. Prague, Venice. Milan, Malmo, Brussels, London, Stockholm, Copen­'hagen, and other large dties of Europe his art work is considered as the most mystical interpretations of life. New York and Chicago, as welllJ.S San Fran~ cisco. and some other cities of Amerka have examples of his mastershlp, and we are pxoud of the fact that the AMORC Museum at Rosicrudan Park has also been the recipient of the expressions of his rare talents.

It is only natural that he :should ha~ become a connoisseur of art and a col~ lector of old paintings and prints, as weJI a.s a .pxoducl':r of them. And it is only natural· alw that he should have col-­lected sacred, symbolical exhibits of the ancient past, especially that past period in· the development of man's higher self

The RoJU:rtfdan Digul De(:ember 1933

during which Roerich lived in one of ·his incarnations and -was familiar wlth man's problems and unfo!dment. There­fore, he devoted himself very extensively to the collecting o£ 611cred, symbolical objects of a vexy ancient period, and in his collection of rare objects are over seventy..,fl.ve thousand pieces .pertaining to the stone age of man alone. He has made many marvelous pictures depicting in an ®usually sympathetic and reveal­ing manner the aborigines in the ar.;tk regions invoking the sun whkh was a livin9' entity to them and to the giruy of which they built their sh.rine:; Oil the bills in their attempt to express the mystical emotioDl! within -them. Many wh<::~ have looked at these pictures of that period and are mystified by the spirit of some­thing ln them that is so impressive, d.o not iealize that Frater Roeric.h was por­traying incidents of a life so familiar to him.

After Frater Roerich had made so many murals and paintings on canvas, revealing the mya:tical side of human life in the past and the present in all ()f 1:he centers of human development through­out Europe, Asia, and Africa, he became the great prophet and in addition to his prophetic w~iting s be proceeded to paint pictures whillh are prophetic of man' .s great future development. Among these prophetic paintings may he ·mentioned the one called ''The Lurid Glare," which la.ter on became the symbol of Belgium.

Among artists throughout t:he wo:dd Frater Roericb's art is looked upon as being unique in technique, color, and exyression. Within the past Iew months while at the Great White Brotherhood monasteries and temples jn India and Tibet he made another mystical picture which ·he intended should he preserved in the Vatican at Rome. When it was finished and delivered with hls compli.­ments to the V .stican at Rome the Pope and other high oflkials of the church were deeply impressed l>y the mystical symbollsm, and by the weirdnes$ or strange subtle influences that seemed .to emanate from the huge: canvas. The Pope was moved to express his deep and profound appreciatlon, and to communi­cate his appredation to Fralle' Roeric:b and accompany lt with his Papal bless­ing. In other c:as£s his paintings have been worshipped by persons whG have

felt ·themselves irresisl!ihly drawn by some spiritual Influence to ..almost pro,s.­trate them~e-lvea befo-re the canvas. There is a 5.imple.ness in composition in his pictures that is almost primitive, while on the other hand tbere Is at >the same time a highly advanced .teclinique that appears tG be the style and mediod of a new school-a future school of greater art.

Yet Frate~ Roerich does not claim to­·be: the foundtt of a new school of art, and does not claim that other artist5-should ever attempt to follow his ideas. or to- look upon him as a leader In this. regard. In some of his paintin~s of Saints and sacred legends such as 'Pro-· copius th-e Righteous Blessing the Un­known Travelers," and "Saint Tiron. Discovering t.be Swotd Sent To Him From He-aven," there seems to breathe forth the .power that is overwhelming. The onlookers are held spellbound hy these pictures even when -they are merely passing by them. and have not had their attention called to them. The guards in the Louvre and the Lu:orembourg Gal~ Ienes in l'.a..ris have told me that it <s: seldom indeed that an adult peJ:son. paases by any o£ the Roerich fktures. without stopping, standing stil rever­entlaJ1y, and ~coming lost temporarily in a concentrated attitude of spiritual reverence. And clt.ildren seem to stand and loGk at the pictures with bewilder~ ment, viondel'IIIent, and that degree of childlike fascination that rev-eals an inner impression of some kind.

Frater Roerich spends much of his_ .time in Tibet and India from which points he sends forth hiS paintings and his writings. From time to time he is in consultation with the great masters and_ leaders o£ the Great White Brother­hood, and sits in councils with them. In the yeaxs ,past he has been a special legate and representative of the Great White Brotherhood and the courts in Europe consulting with Kings, Queens. and potentates in official and secret mis· si<ms pertaining to world~y and spiritua~ affairs. Like the great Count St. Ger~ :main, the former representative at large. of the Great Wlr.ite Broth.,rhood, F.rater­Roeri<:h is ·highly respected by all o.f the potentates of the world, and is an emissary of good will and a messenger· of confidence and hope in the times of

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trials and trlhulations, bringing to the troubled minds of the great leaders prophecies of the future and predictions of events to come with advice and recommendations always found to he re~ liable and dependable because they come from a sublime source.

From the monastery at Tibet where the great masters meet and sit m sacred communion, and .from the point therein representing one of the greatellt, h·ighest, most sublime and ancient altars in the world, F rater Roerkh has sent to us many sacred articles that have been upon that altar for ag-t.s, along with several rings 'worn hy the great masters and other personal articles as gift9 to the officers of AMORC and to the museum here at Rosicrucian Park, These rare things are on display and may be seen by our members and our frie.nds. And from time to time t·here comes to us in great sealed envelops through a devious route crossing many countries and em~ pires special messages written by Frater Roerich for this ma g a:oine., and th.ese messages express not only the ideas of Frater Roerich as a representative of the Great White Brotherhood and as a member of .oul.' Supreme Council of AMORC but the thoughts and ideas of the great masters with whom he is ·associated.

We should not be surprised, there~ fore, that Frater Roerich ha!J been an advocate in r~ent years of the establish~ ment of neutral places ·throu~rhout the world to be prote-cted U.Dder a banner of peace whkh has been submitted by him to all the countries of the wodd, and

which has been almost universally adopted. That banner is known to the world at large as the Roerich Peace Flag and Frater Roerich must take the worldly acclaim and credit for its crea~ tlon. Such is the obligation of a worldly representative of the Great White Brotherhood. But we know that back of this .flag and back of its symbol, back of its signifkance, .and back of its power is the Great White Brotherhood, and that those countries and those places that adopt the Hag wJil be given every p~ tection and every help so long as the spirit of the lla.g is maintained. And we are happy in the fact alao that a great convention held reeently in Washington brought about the adoption ()£ the Hag in this country as in many of the coun· tries of Europe, making sure that the great buildings of art, literature, culture, and refinement in these lands will be protected for future civili:oation during any_periods of war and destruction, The AMORC buildings in Rosicrudan Park were the first in the Western part· of America to fly this great flag presented to us by Frater Roerich himself. and we are glad that our organization was represented at the great convention in Washington when this Hag was adopted for its specific purpose.

I trust that with this brief outline of the life and great work of Frater Roer·ich. along with tire pieture that was puhllshed of him in the July issue of this magazine, our members and friends will fl.nd greater interest in reading the future messages from him to be published in these pages.

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! NEW YORK ROSICRUCIAN CHAPTER i E :: i Ro~lcrucia:n Brotherhood, AMORC, New York Chapter. i _ 53 W. 69th Street. New York City, N. Y.. • i Open dally from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., except Saturday and Sunday. ~ ~ All Rosi.crudan members within the Viduity of New York Cii2' Will be plused to i -.~ learn of the newly_ orkqanized chapt':_. in

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~. members in New Yor City organizcu a ;;~.rge an euective wapter of the Rcsicruci.ali "•-Order, AMORC. Ev~ry active National Rosicruc!an member is entitled to vWt tbt

~ ~!al seuions conducted at this chapter, and avail himself or herself of its many ! : privilege$. By beeDI!l!ng a member of the New York Chapter you may participate In its i ~ unusual feature., and Pl'Oltt thereby. There is a larg~ I'Udlng room, Ofl<"1 daily, wher<! i 5 not only the me~ but the 1!1'lleiat public and all wflo are lntere,sted in ROI!Icruclanlsm i j and all tbOM: defdrlll.g ID.formatlon and literature may go. You will find there a cou~ous ! i b05ttU an.d ooe willing to ass!.st you. . § ~ Prom this date Qll you wlll 1bid the add"'sa of the Roskro.<:ian Chapter in New York § • list..d in the directory In the back of tbU n1aga:W>e. Vlllit them, make the aC<jtl<ilntance <>f -i other Roskn.u:iano. · · ~ = : = = l1«tlttiMfMII.,.!~INHfllriMM41f~lllfl.._.lllflti_.I .. (I'IH .... ttH:IHtftt111tl .. tlffJitltiiYIIbiHitlltMI&HIIIHIMHNIIttlttlllttl)1tfNttMIItltt~ltltiiiGIII4H+IIttlltiiNHNit-l!l

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