[PAGE 206]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                            THE FOURTH DIMENSION

                              QUESTION NO. 65.

   IT IS STATED IN THE COSMO, PAGE 126, THAT THE FACULTY OF SPACE PERCEPTION
IS  CONNECTED WITH THE DELICATE ADJUSTMENT OF THE THREE SEMICIRCULAR  CANALS
IN THE EAR, POINTING IN THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SPACE.   LOGICAL THOUGHT AND
MATHEMATICAL ABILITY ARE IN PROPORTION TO THE ACCURACY OF THEIR ADJUSTMENT.

   IT SEEMS THAT THE PERCEPTION OF THE FOURTH DIMENSION HAS BEEN ARRIVED  AT
BY  MATHEMATICIANS OF A VERY HIGH DEGREE.   CAN YOU TELL ME IF THERE IS  ANY
CHANGE IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF THESE SEMI-CIRCULAR CANALS, OR WHAT IS THE PRO-
CESS THAT LEADS UP TO THE FOURTH DIMENSION CONSCIOUSNESS?

   IT  WOULD ALSO SEEM THAT NATURE SPIRITS AND ELEMENTALS HAVE  THIS  FOURTH
DIMENSIONAL  CONSCIOUSNESS  WHICH IS A HIGHER DEGREE OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  THAN
THAT  WHICH WE NOW POSSESS,  AND POSSIBLY THE BEE OR THE  ELBERFELD  HORSES.
WILL YOU PLEASE SUPPLY THE MISSING LINK?   WHAT MAKES MAN OR HUMANITY  SUPE-
RIOR TO THESE BEINGS, AND WHAT IS THE ARRANGEMENT OF THESE SEMI-CIRCULAR CA-
NALS IN THE CASE OF THE BEES AND THESE GIFTED HORSES?

   ANSWER:  To the majority of mankind figures are exceedingly tedious,  for
we  are used to living an outward life among other people and friends  where
we give expression to our desires, feelings,  and emotions.   The more these
are  stirred the more interesting we find life, and contrariwise, the things


[PAGE 207]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

that do not cause a ripple of emotion are held to be dull and uninteresting.
Therefore,  the  majority do not take to mathematics or anything  else  that
will  sharpen the mind without at the same time arousing the  emotional  na-
ture.

   We  know  that  God geometrizes,  that all the processes  of  nature  are
founded  upon  systematic calculation which argues  the  great  Master-mind.
When  God as the great Architect of the universe has built the  whole  world
upon mathematical lines,  we may know that consciously or unconsciously  the
mathematician  is  reaching out in a direction in which eventually  he  will
find  himself face to face with God, and this in itself argues an  expansion
of consciousness.   When we consider the fact that each of the semi-circular
canals  is in fact a supersensitive spirit level adjusted so as to  indicate
to our consciousness the motion of our body through the length, breadth,  or
depth of space we may easily understand that their actual adjustment is nec-
essary to space perception.   If they are true, then the space perception of
the person is perfect, and if he takes up the study of mathematics, then his
theories will agree with what he sees in the world as actual facts.  This is
some  high minds engenders an actual love of figures so that they  may  rest
such a mind instead of being a source of fatigue as they are to most people.
The love of figures may arouse in such a person the latent spiritual  facul-
ties,  but  not  through  any change in the semi-circular canals.  These are


[PAGE 208]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

bony  strucutres and not easily changed during the life time.   There is  no
doubt, however, that one who has a taste for music or mathematics will later
build these canals more accurately in the Second Heaven between death and  a
new birth.

   With  respect to the consciousness of the elementals or  nature  spirits,
you are quite correct in assuming that they have what may be called a fourth
dimensional consciousness.   In addition to the height,  width,  and length,
which  are the dimensions of space in the physical world,  there is what  we
may call "throughness"  in the ethers.   With the etheric sight you may look
into a mountain,  and if you have an etheric body such as the nature spirits
possess,  you may also walk through the hardest granite rock.  It will offer
no more obstruction than the air does to our progress here.  In fact, not so
much, for here we are hindered by winds.  However, even among nature spirits
there are different entities and a corresponding variation of consciousness.

   The bodies of the gnomes are made of the chemical ether principally,  and
therefore  they are of the earth earthy.  That is,  one never sees them  fly
about as do the sylphs.  They can be burned in fire.   They also grow old in
a manner not so greatly different from the human beings.

   The  undines which live in the water and the sylphs of the air  are  also
subject to mortality,  but their bodies being composed of the life and light
ethers,  respectively,  makes them much more enduring.   Thus  while  it  is
stated that the gnomes do  not  live  more  than  a  few  hundred years, the


[PAGE 209]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

undines and sylphs are said to live for thousands, and the salamanders whose
bodies are principally built of the fourth ether are said to live many thou-
sands  of years.   The consciousness which builds and ensouls these  bodies,
however,  belongs to a number of divine hierarchs who are gaining additional
experience in that manner;  and the forms which are built of matter and thus
ensouled have attained a degree of self-consciousness during these long  ex-
istences.   They have a sense of their own transitory existence and it is to
their  rebellion against this state of things that the war of the  elements,
notably fire,  air, and water, is due.  Fancying that they are being held in
bondage,  they seek liberation from the leash by force,  and having no sense
to guide themselves, run amuck in a destructive manner which at times brings
about great catastrophes.

   The  consciousness of the gnomes is too dull to take the initiative,  but
they  not  infrequently become accomplices of the other  nature  spirits  by
opening passages which favor explosions in the rock.   However,  this has no
connection  at  all with the Elberfeld horses or kindred  animal  prodigies.
These are the wards of their respective Group Spirits and it is probably the
last time they will seek embodiment in an animal form.   When that  happens,
such  Spirits are relegated to Chaos where they must wait during the  Cosmic
night  for their less gifted brothers until the time when it is possible  to
begin their human evolution in the Jupiter Period.


[PAGE 210]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                            THE MEMORY OF NATURE

                              QUESTION NO. 66.

   HOW  DO THE RECORDS IN THE MEMORY OF NATURE APPEAR TO THE  SPIRITUAL  VI-
SION?  THAT IS, HOW ARE THE ACTS OF A PERSON IN A FORMER LIFE REPRESENTED?

   ANSWER:   That depends upon where you read the Memory of  Nature.   There
are,  in  the reflecting ether,  pictures of all that has  happened  in  the
world, at least several hundred years back, perhaps in some cases much more.
And  they appear almost as the pictures on a screen,  with this  difference,
that the scene shifts backward.  Thus if we wish to study the life of Luther
or  Calvin in the Memory of nature we may by concentration call up any  cer-
tain  points  in their lives and start there,  and we may  hold  that  scene
wherewith  we  start,  or any other scene, as long as we desire,  by  simply
willing so to do.   However,  we shall find that the picture rolls backward,
so  if we start with the scene where Luther is said to have thrown  the  ink
bottle against the wall to oust his Satanic Majesty,  and if we want to know
what happened after that, we shall find ourselves foiled in our purpose.  We
will then have presented to us all the scenes that went before, and in order
to  get the information we want we must start at a point later in time  than
that event.  Then the scenes will roll backward in orderly sequence until we
come  to the episode with the ink bottle,  and we may later reconstruct  the


[PAGE 211]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

whole picture  in  the progressional manner which obtains in  ordinary every
day physical life.

   But if we read in the Memory of Nature in the next higher realm where  it
is kept,  namely, the highest subdivision of the Region of Concrete Thought,
we obtain a vastly different view in quite another manner.  By concentrating
our thought upon Luther we shall there call up in our mind at one flash  the
whole record of his life.   There will be neither beginning nor end,  but we
shall  obtain at once the aroma or essence of his whole existence.   Neither
will this picture or thought or knowledge be outside ourselves,  so that  we
stand as spectators and look at the life of Luther, but the picture will be,
so to speak, within ourselves, and WE SHALL FEED OURSELVES AS IF WE WERE AC-
TUALLY LUTHER.   This picture will speak to our inner consciousness and give
us a thorough understanding of his life and purpose,  not to be gained by an
exterior  view.   We shall know whatever he knew,  for the time  being.   We
shall feel whatever he felt,  and though there will be no audible word  spo-
ken,  we shall obtain a perfect understanding of what the man was  from  the
cradle to the grave.  Every thought, no matter how secret, and every act, no
matter how well concealed,  will be known to us with all the motives and ev-
erything that led up to the event,  and thus we shall obtain a most thorough
understanding of the life of Luther,  so intimate that probably not he  him-
self during life, realized himself as perfectly as we shall then.

   Now  it  would seem that having obtained such an  intimate  and  thorough
knowledge of Luther, Calvin, Napoleon, or any other man or event in history,


[PAGE 212]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

or  before  the date when history was written,  we should be able  to  write
books  that  would explain all these things in the  most  wonderful  manner.
Anyone  who has tried to read in the Memory of Nature as kept in  that  high
region  will testify with the writer that they have felt just that way  when
they  left  their investigation and returned to their  ordinary  brain  con-
sciousness.   But,  alas and alack!   Thought must be manifested through the
brain and to be intelligible to others it must be translated into  sentences
consecutively  unfolding the ideas to be conveyed,  and no one who  has  not
felt this limitation on coming back from the Heaven World with such valuable
information can realize the chagrin and despair which one feels when he  en-
deavors to do this.   In that highest subdivision of the Region of  Concrete
Thought,  all things are included in an eternal HERE and NOW;  there is nei-
ther time nor space,  beginning nor end, and to arrange that which is  there
seen,  heard,  and felt, into consecutively arranged ideas is next to impos-
sible.   it simply seems to refuse to filter through the brain.  We who have
seen and heard know what we have seen and what we have heard, but we are un-
able to utter it.   There is no human language or tongue that can  translate
these  things  in an adequate manner and give to another  anything  but  the
faintest feeling, the most attenuated shadow of the glorious reality.

   There  is  still another record of the Memory of Nature in the  World  of
Life  Spirit,  which is said by the Elder Brothers of  the  Rosicrucians  to
cover  events  from the earliest dawn of our present manifestation and to be


[PAGE 213]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

so  sublime  and  wonderful that we have no word that  will  give  even  the
slightest idea thereof.   There are a number of misguided people who deceive
themselves and others into thinking that they are able to read this  record,
but the fact is,  according to the Elder Brothers,  that only they and other
hierarchs  of the other Mystery Schools, together with the Adepts  who  have
graduated from these institutions, are able to do so.


[PAGE 214]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY




                             DIAGRAM 15

       THE SEVEN DAYS OF CREATION AND THE FOUR GREAT INITIATIONS


               Ordinary Humanity pursues the spiral path
       The Initiate goes the straight and narrow way that leads....

                                TO
                               GOD
   /--------------------------\   *   /--------------------------\
  <---------------------------->--|--<---------------------------->
   \--------------------------/   |   \--------------------------/
                                  |[4]
                   |--*           |         *--|
        1          |             /|\           |           7
  SATURN PERIOD   \|/             |           /|\    VULCAN PERIOD
    [Saturday]     |              |            |       THE WEEK
      VIOLET       |--->---->---->|---->---->--|-|   [Embracing All
                     |--->----->--|-->---->----| |      The Days]
                     |           /|\            \|/      WHITE
                    /|\           |              |   [Including All 
                   |-|<----<----<-|----<----<----|     The Colors]
                   | |---<----<-----<-----<----|
        6         \|/             |[3]        /|\          2
  VENUS PERIOD     |             /|\           |      SUN PERIOD
    [Friday]       |---->---->----|->----->----|-|     [Sunday]
      RED            |----->---->-|---->---->--| |      INDIGO
                    /|\           |             \|/
        3            |            |[2]           |         5
  MOON PERIOD      |-|----<----<--|---<----<-----|    JUPITER PERIOD
    [Monday]       | |--<-----<------<----<----|        [Thursday]
      BLUE        \|/             |           /|\         ORANGE
                   |             /|\           |
        4          |----->------>------>-------|-|
     EARTH--         |->------>---|-->------>--| |   --PERIOD
  MERCURY HALF      /|\           |[1]          \|/   MARS HALF
   [Wednesday]       |--<        /|\          <--|    [Tuesday]
     YELLOW                       |                     GREEN
                                  |
                                 /|\
                            [THE  | CADUCEUS]
                                  |
                                 / \
                       THE WAY OF INITIATION
There was no Initiation prior to the end of the  Mars  half  of  the  Earth 
Period. The Lesser Mysteries embrace human evolution in the Mercury Half of 
the Earth Period.







[PAGE 215]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                                 SECTION VI

                           QUESTIONS DEALING WITH

                                 INITIATION


[PAGE 216]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                           THE PLANE OF INITIATION

                              QUESTION NO. 67.

   IS  IT POSSIBLE TO BE INITIATED ON ANOTHER PLANE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH  A
CORRESPONDING INITIATION ON THE PHYSICAL PLANE?  IF SO, SHOULD THE MEMORY OF
THE INITIATION ON FIRST WAKING BE AN INDICATION THAT ONE HAS TAKEN PLACE, OR
WOULD IT BE ONLY A DREAM?

   ANSWER:   Mankind  as a whole is progressing by a process which  we  call
evolution  from  impotence to omnipotence.  During this pilgrimage  we,  who
were once altogether spiritual,  have become gradually crystallized into the
various   vehicles  we  now  possess.    In  those  by-gone  days  we   were
all-conscious upon the spiritual plane, and though we had in time become en-
meshed in a physical body, we knew it not.  Gradually, however,  some became
conscious of the physical body.   As the Bible says,  "They saw  themselves,
their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked."   These  pioneers
who had thus been initiated into the mystery of the physical body  commenced
to  go around telling the others,  "We have a body."   At first,  of  course
there  were very few who would believe them,  but gradually a larger  number
became initiated into the mystery of the body.  THEY RECEIVED THEIR PHYSICAL
SIGHT,  and saw something which was not patent to their  brethren.   Finally
the whole of humanity had evolved the physical senses, and became capable of


[PAGE 217]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

cognizing the material world in which we now live.

   Today it is the other way.  Humanity has become so engrossed in the mate-
rial  world  that the great majority are unaware that they  have  finer  ve-
hicles, and that there is a spiritual world which may be cognized by a sixth
sense  which  has been evolved by a few,  but is latent in the  majority  of
people.   These pioneers who by the unfoldment of a sixth sense have  become
initiated  into the mystery of the soul are now busy going about telling  to
others the good news that we have a soul and a latent sense whereby to  per-
ceive it.

   From this explanation it should be clear that initiation consists  partly
of  helping  someone  who  has not previously  been  able  to  perceive  the
spiritual world to change his consciousness,  so that he may at will  center
it upon the invisible part of the human being, which we may loosely term the
soul, and retain perfect consciousness of all he sees.

   That  is true at least of the spiritual process of initiation.   In  that
far bygone lemurian epoch when the first pioneers discovered that we have  a
body,  it  would  not have helped anyone not ready to have  gone  with  them
through  a ceremony no matter how elaborate;  the uplift to be  obtained  by
initiation  was the opening of the eyes and the perception of  the  physical
body in the physical world.   Similarly,  it will help no one to go  through
ceremonies from morning until night and study this man's book or that  man's
method.  The  object  is  to  evolve  that sixth sense whereby the invisible


[PAGE 218]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

world and the invisible vehicles of men are perceived.  This is a process of
slow growth; it involves a becoming of something that the person is not now.

   The  method  of awakening this latent sense best suited  to  the  Western
world  has been given in THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION under the  caption
THE  METHOD  OF ACQUIRING FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE,  and also  in  the  pamphlet
called  SPIRITUAL SIGHT AND INSIGHT; ITS CULTURE,  CONTROL,  AND  LEGITIMATE
USE.   When  the physical life lived by any person has fitted him  for  ini-
tiation,  the Teacher always appears to him, while he is wide awake  and  in
full  physical consciousness.   The candidate is told that he has evolved  a
vehicle  necessary to function in the invisible world,  and is then  offered
the help to make the first or "initial" transition safely.  This is an offer
which he may refuse if he will,  and no one of the White Brothers would urge
him against his will, should he decide not to go.  Certain physical prepara-
tions  are necessary,  and throughout the whole process,  from the  time  he
leaves  his body until he returns, the candidate remains in full  conscious-
ness  and has an uninterrupted memory of all that takes place.   Thus it  is
impossible for any one who has really gone through the process of initiation
to be in doubt of it or think that it may have been a dream.


[PAGE 219]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                           THE TESTS OF INITIATION

                              QUESTION NO. 68.

   WHAT  ARE THE TESTS OF INITIATION,  WHICH IT IS SAID THE  CANDIDATE  MUST
PASS BEFORE HE IS INITIATED?

   ANSWER:  The candidate for initiation very often does not know that he is
a candidate.   Usually he is simply living the spiritual life of service  to
his fellow men because that is the only life that appeals to him, and he has
no ulterior thought or object in so doing.  But,  nevertheless,  he is being
tested  and tried all the time unconsciously to himself for that is part  of
the  process.   No candidate is ever taken into an  initiation  chamber  and
tried or tested.   The tests come in the daily life and in the small  things
which are seemingly very unimportant,  but really are of prime significance.
If a man cannot be faithful in little things,  how could he ever be expected
to  be faithful in the great?  Furthermore,  the Elder Brothers of  humanity
who have charge of this work with respect to their younger brothers, are al-
ways  sure to pick out his most vulnerable point,  because if he  is  tried,
tempted, and falls, this serves to call his attention to the weakness in his
character.   Thus he has an opportunity of correcting it which he would  not
have if temptation were not placed before him.

   Thus  the tests are not wholly made for the purpose of seeing whether  he
would keep the trust, but also for the  purpose  of giving him the chance to


[PAGE 220]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

strengthen his weak points.   The tests are therefore never the same in  the
case of any two candidates, for what would be a temptation to one would pass
the  other absolutely without making any impression upon him  whatever.   By
the  life of unselfish service,  and through the strength gained by  passing
the  various tests,  the candidate weaves the golden wedding garment of  the
soul  body which prepares him to enter the invisible worlds and the  process
of  initiation  consists then in simply showing him how to make use  of  the
power which he has accumulated within himself by his own work.   No one  can
initiate anyone else unless he has the power within,  any more than an empty
shell can be exploded.

                             CREATING A NEW BODY

                              QUESTION NO. 69.

   HOW  CAN AN INITIATE CREATE A NEW ADULT BODY READY TO WEAR BEFORE HE  RE-
LINQUISHES HIS OLD ONE?


   ANSWER:   You will understand in the first place that it is not  everyone
who  has  just become aware of the invisible worlds and perhaps  learned  to
function in the soul body that is capable of performing this feat.  This re-
quires  vastly  more  spiritual  development,  and  only  those who are very


[PAGE 221]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

highly  developed  at  our  present  time  are  able to  perform  the  feat.
However, the method is said to be as follows:

   When food is taken into the body of anyone, be he Adept or ignoramus, the
law of assimilation is that he must first overcome each particle and conform
it to himself.   He must subdue and conquer the individual CELL LIFE  before
it can become part of his body.  When this has been done, the CELL will stay
with him for a longer or shorter time according to the constitution and  the
place in evolution of the life that dwells within it.   The CELL composed of
tissue that has once been incorporated in an animal body and has been inter-
penetrated by a desire body has the most evolved life.  Therefore, this life
quickly  reasserts  itself and leaves the body into which it  has  been  as-
similated.

   Hence one who lives upon a flesh diet must replenish his food supply very
often.   Such  material  would therefore be unsuitable for  the  purpose  of
building  a  body that has to wait for a while before the Adept  enters  it.
Food consisting of vegetables, fruits, and nuts, particularly when these are
ripe and fresh,  is interpenetrated by a great deal of the ether which  com-
poses the vital body of the plant.   They are much easier to subdue and  in-
corporate into the polity of body.  Also,  they stay longer there before the
individual  cell  life asserts itself.   Therefore the Adept who  wishes  to
build a body ready to wear before he leaves the old one, naturally builds it
from fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts, taking  them into the body which he


[PAGE 222]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

uses daily where they become subjected to his will--a part of himself.

   The  soul body of such a man is naturally very large and  very  powerful.
He takes a part of it,  and makes a mold or a matrix into which he may build
each  day particles superfluous to the nourishment of the body he is  using.
Thus by degrees,  having assimilated a considerable surplus of new material,
he may also draw upon the vehicle he is wearing for material that can be in-
corporated  into the new body.   Thus,  in the course of time  he  gradually
transmutes  one body into the other.   When the point is reached where  ema-
ciation  of  the old body would be observed by the outside world  and  cause
comment,  he  will have balanced matters so that the new body  is  ready  to
wear.  He can step out of the old and into the new.  But he does not do that
merely for the purpose of living on in the same community.   it is  possible
for him by reason of his great knowledge to use the same body for many years
in  such a manner that it would seem still young,  for there is no wear  and
tear  upon it such as we ordinary mortals cause by our  passions,  emotions,
and desires.  However, when he does create a new body, it is always,  as far
as the writer knows,  for the purpose of leaving that environment and taking
up his work in a new.

   It  is  for  reason  of this fact that we hear in  history  of  men  like
Cagliostro,  St. Germain, and others who one day appeared in a certain envi-
ronment,  took  up an important work,  and then  disappeared.   nobody  knew
whence they had come or whither they had gone, but  everyone  ho  knew these


[PAGE 223]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

people was ready to testify to their remarkable qualities,  whether for  the
purpose of villification or praise.

   It  is  taught  by the Elder Brothers that  Christian  Rosenkreuz  has  a
physical  body,  or perhaps he has had a series of bodies which he has  worn
continually  since  the order was founded in the  fourteenth  Century.   But
thought the writer has spoken to Lay Brothers of high degree,  none has ever
admitted that he has seen Christian Rosenkreuz.   We all understand that  he
is  the thirteenth member of the Order,  and he is felt at meetings  in  the
temple as a presence,  but is neither seen or heard,  so far as anyone  whom
the writer had dared to question, knows.

   The manner of the Elder Brothers when speaking of their illustrious  head
has  been one of reticence,  and it would seem undue inquisitiveness to  ask
anything further than they are prepared to tell.  it is known, however, that
his work is with the governments of the world.   And though we are unable to
point  to any character on the world stage now who may this great Spirit  we
are certain he is there and taking his proper part.   It has been said  that
he  wore the garment of a lady of the French Court prior to  the  revolution
and worked hard and earnestly to prevent that impending catastrophe,  though
without  success.   Although we believe this is true,  is is  mere  hearsay.
Were  we to point him out at the present time we should rather look for  him
as the power behind the throne somewhere rather than the actual incumbent of
one of the seats of power in the world today.


[PAGE 224]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                           MASTERS AND INITIATION

                              QUESTION NO. 70.

   WHY DO THE OCCULTISTS SPEAK TO US OF MASTERS AND INITIATIONS, WHILE OTHER
SCHOOLS--MYSTICS--SEEM  TO  TEACH THAT MAN MAY TEACH HIMSELF AND  REACH  GOD
WITHOUT THE NECESSITY OF INITIATION AND MASTERS?   CANNOT MAN REACH THE CON-
SCIOUSNESS OF THE "I" WITHOUT THESE THINGS?  DO THE INITIATIONS REFER SOLELY
TO THE UNFOLDMENT OF LATENT POWERS IN MAN?   ARE THERE INITIATIONS IN MYSTI-
CISM?  ARE THEY THE SAME AS IN OCCULTISM?

   ANSWER:  If everybody was born with the same temperament it would be nec-
essary to have only one path for them.   Everybody would need the same expe-
riences in order to raise his consciousness to union with God.  however,  as
every one is fundamentally different from all others, the experiences neces-
sarily differ and certain great lines of demarkation are necessary in  order
to obtain the desired results for all.  Therefore, strictly speaking,  there
are as many paths to God as there are separate spirits in evolution.

   Broadly speaking, there are two:  one which leads to UNION BY FAITH,  and
the other which is the path of SALVATION BY WORKS.  At a certain point these
two paths converge,  and the one who has been growing by faith finds it then
necessary to take up work also, while the person who has developed by works,
apart from belief, finds himself or herself compelled by  experience  in the


[PAGE 225]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

present condition to have faith also.  A person may learn to speak a foreign
language by means of grammars and kindred helps, though he never visited the
country where the language was spoken;  but it is probable that his  pronun-
ciation will make that which he says unintelligible to a native.   With  the
help, however, of one who has visited the country he may learn much more ef-
ficiently and in a shorter time.

   Likewise,  also in the mystic life.  There are some who  have  progressed
farther than others,  who have visited the land of the soul and who have at-
tained the mystic union with God,  and their help if of inestimable value to
those who are endeavoring to tread the path.   Having gone before,  they are
able  to direct the seeker intelligently, though of course he  (the  seeker)
must walk every step of the way.  The steps upon the path are commonly known
as initiation.  An illustration will help to make the matter clear.   Let us
suppose that God is at the pinnacle of a very high mountain, and that human-
ity is scattered over the plain below.  From the foot of the mountain a spi-
ral circles toward the goal at the top.   This is the path of evolution fol-
lowed  by a great majority of mankind,  who thus gradually climb  the  steep
sides toward the top without perceptible effort.   However,  there is also a
stair leading straight from the bottom to the summit.   This is the path  of
Initiation which is climbed only by great and conscious effort.

   The  spiral  path  of  evolution  goes past the stairway of initiation at


[PAGE 226]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

different points.   Thus some who are still upon the path of evolution,  the
pioneers,  for instance,  may be more advanced toward TRUTH than  those  who
have  advanced  along the path of Initiation from a lower spiral.   But  the
latter,  of course,  will soon attain a higher point if they keep  on.   The
more  backward  races of the East enter the path of initiation  at  a  lower
point  than that already attained through evolution by the pioneers  of  the
West.  Being younger, and therefore more feeble, it is really more necessary
for them to have a Master who can help them over the first part of the  rug-
ged road,  than it is for those who have attained to the evolutionary  state
common  among  the Western people.   Also, the higher we  climb,  either  by
evolution or initiation,  the clearer we see the LIGHT which shines upon the
top,  which is God, the more we are strengthened thereby,  and the better we
are fitted to walk and climb alone.

   Therefore,  after a time,  it is unnecessary to have Masters to help  us,
and  their place is then taken by the Elder Brothers,  known in the West  as
FRIENDS and advisers.   The Master of the East urges his pupil,  praises him
when he does well,  punishes him when he has been neglectful.   In the West,
the Elder Brothers never urge, never praise, and never blame.  The urge must
come from WITHIN the pupil, and they teach him to judge himself.  At certain
stages upon the path they require him to write impartial opinions of his own
conduct,  so that it may be known how far he has learned to judge correctly.
Thus in every respect they educate him  to  stand  upon his own feet without


[PAGE 227]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

leaning on them or anyone else.  For the higher we attain, the greater would
be  the  disaster  of  a  fall;  and only  as  we  cultivate  equipoise  and
self-reliance coupled with zeal of devotion, are we really fitted to go on.

   Now with respect to these initiations:   THERE IS NO CEREMONY OF ANY KIND
CONNECTED   WITH  THE  TRUE  INITIATION.    The  elaborate   ceremonial   of
pseudo-occult  orders as today seen in the visible world,  of fraternal  or-
ders,  or  of churches,  does not in any particular resemble the  true  ini-
tiation.   That does not take place in the physical realm at all,  and there
is absolutely no ceremony connected with it.   Neither does it consist of  a
ritual,  read by anyone else,  nor of lectures or preaching or  anything  of
that nature.   not a single word is spoken during the process.   That I know
to be true in the lower degrees, which I myself has passed,  and it would be
contrary  to reason to suppose such means should be used in the  higher  de-
grees.  Furthermore, having had conversations with the Lay Brothers who have
passed into higher degrees, the truth of this supposition is corroborated by
their word.

   In  this  fact you have a very good reason why the secrets of  true  ini-
tiation cannot be revealed.   IT IS NOT AN OUTWARD CEREMONIAL BUT AN  INWARD
EXPERIENCE.   The Initiator, having evolved the external, picture conscious-
ness of the Jupiter Period,  fixes his attention upon certain cosmic  facts,
and the candidate,  who has become fitted for initiation by evolving  within
himself certain powers, (which are still latent, however),  is like a tuning


[PAGE 228]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

fork of identical pitch wit the vibration of the ideas sent out by the  Ini-
tiator in pictures.   Therefore, he not only sees the pictures--anyone might
see  them--but  he is able to respond to the vibration.   Vibrating  to  the
ideal  presented by the Initiator,  he has the latent power within him  then
converted into dynamic energy and his consciousness lifted to the next  step
upon the ladder of initiation.

   This  may  sound abstruse upon first reading,  but if you will  read  and
re-read  until  you have mastered the idea,  you will have attained  to  the
nearest description of what initiation is which can possibly be given to one
who has not experienced it himself.   Neither is there any secret about  the
picture,  in the sense that one should not tell, but it is secret because no
physical words are coined which could adequately describe a spiritual  expe-
rience in material language.   It is true that the initiation takes place in
a temple particularly suited to the needs of a certain group of  individuals
who  vibrate to a certain octave,  and that there are others present.   How-
ever, I reiterate that it is not what they might do or say which constitutes
initiation,  but that initiation is an inward experience whereby the  latent
powers which have been ripened WITHIN are changed to dynamic energy.

   Now  with respect to the difference between initiation along  the  occult
lines,  and those of the mystic.  You will find from what has been said from
the beginning, that they are, and must be, exactly opposite.  The OCCULTIST,


[PAGE 229]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

who takes his initiation from the intellectual side is shown the  connection
of spiritual causes with material facts, while the consciousness of the mys-
tic,  who has received the spiritual facts is directed to  their  connection
with the effects of the material plane.  All this with the view of  blending
both sides and developing man normally.  The Rosicrucian initiations,  being
designed for the present pioneers of humanity,  endeavor TO BLEND THE MYSTIC
WITH THE OCCULT.   However, as the Western world has developed the intellect
to the detriment of the fellings,  a little more stress is laid perhaps upon
the mystic side.  Here the Elder Brothers always direct their pupils to look
to Christ, but though the genuine Eastern Masters are as devoted in the ser-
vice  of humanity,  they cannot thus teach their pupils,  because  from  the
standpoint of the Eastern aspirant the Christ Light is yet invisible.  Hence
they are forced to teach their charges to do exactly as they say, and in the
course  of time when they have ascended to our level Christ will  appear  to
them, also.


[PAGE 230]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                         WHY MOST INITIATES ARE MEN

                              QUESTION NO. 71.

   IF WOMAN, POSSESSING THE POSITIVE VITAL BODY, REACHES THE POINT IN EVOLU-
TION  WHERE  SHE CAN HAVE THE CHOICE OF BODY AND SHE  SELECTS  THE  POSITIVE
PHYSICAL BODY, WHERE DOES THE NEGATIVE SIDE COME IN AS A BALANCE?

   ANSWER:   To understand the point you wish to have cleared up,  you  must
first realize that man and woman are appellations to be applied only to  the
physical body, for sex is not expressed in the same manner in the higher ve-
hicles.  Fix also firmly in your mind that the Spirit which manifests in the
bodies  of  the two sexes which we call male and female is  itself  sexless.
However, two of the Spirit's attributes are particularly in evidence when it
creates its vehicles:  WILL and IMAGINATION, positive and negative, and THEY
manifest  as  male  and  female respectively when  the  Spirit  reaches  the
Physical  World and builds the body in which it will function under the  di-
vine  guidance  of the Creative Hierarchies.   The Spirit  expresses  alter-
nately, will and imagination, so that it may be evenly developed, and there-
fore it manifests in male and female bodies.   Being imperfect,  the balance
is  struck  for  it by giving it a positive physical body  together  with  a
negative vital body, and vice versa.

   However, when the time comes that the Spirit has evolved  through eons in


[PAGE 231]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

school  of  life and learned its lessons to such an extent that  it  becomes
fairly self-controlled or balanced,  it is no longer necessary to secure the
full equilibrium by means of opposite polarity in the body.   Therefore  the
Spirit  can  and does take to itself both a positive vital  and  a  positive
physical body.  This is the case with the great majority of initiates except
where  for  special  reasons  they find it advantageous to  make  use  of  a
negative physical body.   THE VITAL BODY, HOWEVER,  IN EVERY INITIATE IS AL-
WAYS POSITIVELY POLARIZED,  as that makes it a better and more receptive in-
strument for the vibrations which come from the Life Spirit,  whose counter-
part the vital body is.


[PAGE 232]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY




                               DIAGRAM 14

       THE VEHICLES OF THE HIGHEST INITIATES AND ORDINARY HUMANITY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
          |  The    | SATURN   PERIOD |  SUN     PERIOD | MOON    PERIOD  |
          | worlds  |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
          |in which | The    |  The   |  The   |  The   |  The   |  The   |
          |  these  | highest|ordinary| highest|ordinary|highest |ordinary|
          | orders  |Initiate|humanity|Initiate|humanity|Initiate|humanity|
          |  have   |   is   |are now |Christ  |are now |   is   |are now |
          | corre-  |  The   | Lords  |  The   | Arch-  |Jehovah | Angels |
 Zodiacal |sponding |Father  |   of   |  Son   | angels |  The   |        |
  Signs   |vehicles |        |  Mind  |        |        |  Holy  |        |
          |         |        |        |        |        | Spirit |        |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
13|Alto-  |         |   /\   |        |        |        |        |        |
  |gether |  World  |  /  \  |        |        |        |        |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|........|........|........|........|........|
12|Aries  |   of    |  |  |  |        |   /\   |        |        |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|........|../  \..|........|........|........|
11|Taurus |   God   |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |   /\   |        |
--|-------|---------|--|  |--|--------|--|  |--|--------|--/  \--|--------|
10|Gemini |World  of|  |  |  |   /\   |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|../  \..|..|  |..|........|..|  |..|........|
9 |Cancer | Virgin  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   /\   |  |  |  |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|..|  |..|..|  |..|../  \..|..|  |..|........|
8 |Leo    | Spirits |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   /\   |
--|-------|---------|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--/  \--|
7 |Virgo  |World  of|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Divine  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Spirit  |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|
6 |Libra  |World  of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |  Life   |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |  Spirit |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |         |        |  |  |  |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--|  |--|--    --|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|
5 |Scorpio|World of |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Thought: |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Region of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Abstract |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Thought |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |--|  |  |  |  |
..|.......|.........|........|..|  |..|..    ..|..|  |..|........|..|  |..|
4 |Sagit- |Region of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  |tarius |Concrete |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Thought |        |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--    --|--|  |--|--------|--|  |--|
3 |Capri- | Desire  |        |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  | corn  | World   |        |        |        |  |--|  |        |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--|  |--|--------|--------|--|  |--|
2 | Aqua- |Physical |        |     >>>>>>|--|  |        |        |  |  |  |
  | rius  | World:  |        |     |  |  |  |  |        |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Etheric |        |   Jesus'  |  |  |        |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Region  |        |   Bodies  |  |  |        |        |  |--|  |
..|.......|.........|........|.....|..|..|--|..|........|........|........|
1 |Pisces |Chemical |        |     |  |  |  |  |        |        |        |
  |       | Region  |        |     >>>>>>|--|  |        |        |        |
--|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|






[PAGE 233]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                                 SECTION VII

                         QUESTIONS DEALING WITH THE

                                    BIBLE


[PAGE 234]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

             NEW AND OLD TESTAMENT TEACHINGS CONCERNING JEHOVAH

                              QUESTION NO. 72.

   THE TEACHING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AS TOUCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT,  THE  COM-
FORTER,  SO WINSOME AND SO GRACIOUS, MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY THE HOLY
SPIRIT  WITH THE VENGEFUL JEHOVAH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.   HOW IS THIS TO  BE
RECONCILED?

   ANSWER:   It was the mission of Jehovah and His Angels to multiply  what-
ever is upon the earth.  In other words, He was the giver of children.  Take
the announcement of the angel to Mary:  "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you
and you shall conceive."  There you have already a connecting link; but just
as there are two sides to every question, so there are two sides also to the
Holy Spirit.   One phase of His work is done from the OUTSIDE as a giver  of
law,  and law when it is applied without,  is a taskmaster that DRIVES us to
do this or that or PROHIBITS us from doing other things.   It demands an eye
for  an eye and a tooth for a tooth.   There is jehovah,  the author of  the
law;  but when the time comes that we have RECEIVED THE LAW WITHIN  and  are
not driven from without,  the taskmaster becomes the Comforter.   The  whole
universe is governed by law.  Everything in the world rests upon law, and it
is our safeguard as well as our taskmaster.

   In the morning we leave our homes without concern, depending upon the law


[PAGE 235]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

of gravity to keep them in place during our absence.   We know that upon our
return  we shall find them where we have left them,  although our planet  is
rushing  along in its orbit at the rate of 65,000 miles per hour.   We  rely
upon the expansion of gases for our motive power.   In fact,  everything  in
nature  is  based upon laws,  and whether we know it or not,  we  are  their
slaves until by knowledge we learn to use them, to co-operate with them, and
thus make them do OUR BIDDING and save us labor.

   Similarly  it  is with the MORAL LAWS given by Jehovah  upon  Mt.  Sinai.
They  were designed to bring us to Christ,  and WHEN CHRIST IS BORN  WITHIN,
the  law of the Holy Spirit also enters in.   Man then is symbolized by  the
ARK  that  stood in the Holy of Holies and had WITHIN IT the tables  of  the
law.   You will notice that the Comforter who came to the men of old was not
an outside Comforter,  but one who worked within,  one who entered into them
and became a part of them.  When the Spirit of Law, the Holy Spirit,  enters
into us,  He is the Comforter,  because we do willingly the things which are
prompted by this INNER URGE,  while we resented and begrudged doing the bid-
ding of the exterior taskmaster.



[PAGE 236]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                              RAISING THE DEAD

                              QUESTION NO. 73.

   IN  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS YOU STATE THAT CHRIST DID NOT RAISE  THE  DEAD.
IN  ST.  JOHN,  CHAPTER TWO,  VERSE 11,  CHRIST SAID,  "OUR  FRIEND  LAZARUS
SLEEPETH," AND THEN IN THE 14TH VERSE JESUS SAID UNTO THEM PLAINLY, "LAZARUS
IS  DEAD."   IT SEEMS AS IF THE CHRIST MUST HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN IN THE  FIRST
PLACE,  ACCORDING TO THIS.  WHICH IS RIGHT?  AGAIN IN ST. MATTHEW,  THE 10TH
CHAPTER, 8TH VERSE, THE APOSTLES WERE TOLD TO RAISE THE DEAD, ETC.

   ANSWER:   Most of the trouble and misinterpretation of what  the  Gospels
really mean comes from the great misunderstanding of most people who believe
that they are intended to relate the life story of an individual named Jesus
Christ.   It is perfectly true that they have been patterned after the  life
of Jesus, and it speaks for his greatness that his life should be taken as a
pattern by the recorders of four different Schools of Initiation.   However,
what  these men really wanted to write was the formulae of  initiation,  and
the four Gospels therefore embody, hidden beneath an outer coating of blinds
and  nonessentials,  the formulae of initiation of  four  different  Mystery
Schools.

   The  instance mentioned,  the raising of Lazarus,  or the widow's son  of
Naim,  does  not  involve  calling  a  departed Spirit back to its discarded


[PAGE 237]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

vehicle.  That is not done.  "When once the silver cord is loosed the Spirit
returns to God who gave it and the dust whence it was taken."  When a candi-
date  comes to a point where he is to be raised up to a higher level  and  a
greater  power than he possessed before,  then he must first die  to  things
that are past and behind him.   The path becomes narrower and narrower  with
every  step,  and he cannot enter into the straight gate which  leads  to  a
higher realm in nature until he has shed the body that correlated him to the
next lower realm.   Therefore, in that sense it is said of him at the moment
when he is ready for the transition that he is DEAD.

   If you will read FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM,  you will find that Lazarus
had  previously been Hiram Abiff,  the Master Mason,  and chief  builder  of
Solomon's Temple; that Jesus had been previously embodied as the personality
called Solomon;  and that the Christ Spirit dwelling in Jesus at the time of
the  recorded raising of Lazarus was the great Initiator who raised  him  up
and  made  him a Hierophant of the Lesser Mysteries.   He is  now  known  as
Christian Rosenkreuz,  the head of the Western Wisdom School,  and co-worker
with Jesus to unite humanity and bring them to the Kingdom of Christ.

   In a similar manner,  and upon a smaller scale,  the Apostles were  given
power to raise the dead.  To the babes they gave only MILK, but to those who
were strong they gave the MEAT of the doctrine,  and instructed them in  the
mysteries, until they had reached a certain point where, by living the life,


[PAGE 238]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

they  died and were raised up to a more abundant life in a larger sphere  of
usefulness.   However, as already said, these deaths did not involve what we
usually call the death of the body.

                               ---------------

                       NATURAL RICHES AND SPIRITUALITY

                              QUESTION NO. 74.

   THE  BIBLE  SAYS:   "BLESSED ARE THE POOR FOR THEIRS IS  THE  KINGDOM  OF
HEAVEN."   IT ALSO STATES THAT IT IS MORE DIFFICULT FOR A RICH MAN TO  ENTER
HEAVEN THAN FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE.   MANY OTHER PAS-
SAGES  SEEM TO SHOW THAT POVERTY IS A BLESSING AND THAT RICHES ARE A  CURSE.
WHY  THEN TO THE CHURCHES SOLICIT MONEY AND ACQUIRE RICHES,  AND WHY IS  THE
ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP STARTING TO DO THE SAME?

   ANSWER:   We are well aware that a superficial reading of the  Bible  may
and  does  give a semblance of justification for ideas as set forth  in  the
above question, but even by applying common sense apart from Scripture it is
self evident that poverty cannot be regarded as a virtue in itself.  Neither
are riches AS SUCH to be classed as a vice.   The passage quoted from  Luke:
"Blessed  are  the  poor  for  theirs  is  the  Kingdom  of God," requires a


[PAGE 239]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

qualification.  This Matthew gives when he writes:  "Blessed are the poor in
spirit for theirs if the Kingdom of Heaven."

   In the beginning mankind was set on the earth to till it,  make it fruit-
ful,  to have dominion over everything there.  In other words,  they were to
labor, and naturally the fruits of their labor must accrue.  As time went on
possessions  had accumulated and also man's desire for possessions.   There-
fore instead of man having dominion over the world and over things  therein,
as Emerson said:   "THINGS are in the saddle and ride humanity."   Many  and
many a man thinks that he owns a store,  a business,  or factory,  but if he
were to sit down and take actual and unbiased account of his things he would
find that the factory and the store own him,  that he is a slave to his pos-
sessions,  that they demand his time and the joy of life which might  other-
wise  be his.   He lives in constant fear that he may be robbed,  or that  a
business failure may take away his possessions.   He is never at peace,  al-
ways afraid because of his riches.  Such a condition is all too common,  and
under that condition riches are certainly a curse.

   That man, however, is not poor in spirit.  Another may legally own a fac-
tory,  giving employment to a large number of men,  and may yet feel himself
God's  steward,  taking care of a certain part of the world's work.   As  he
does not consider himself the personal owner of the things around him, he is
really poor in spirit, though he may be rich in a legal sense.  Moreover, if


[PAGE 240]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

he is consistent in carrying this attitude of mind to his death,  then it is
an  absolute  certainty he has laid up a great deal of treasure  in  heaven.
Therefore  he  is rich in that place and will enter with flying  colors,  no
matter if the gates were microscopical.

   Similarly,  churches may acquire great riches on earth and gain  treasure
in heaven if they use them well for the alleviation of suffering.  That does
not  mean either,  that we should give to everyone  INDISCRIMINATELY.   Dis-
crimination  is certainly a great factor in soul growth,  and we have  every
precedence  and  incentive to use that faculty in giving as well as  in  all
other  departments of life.   Indiscriminate giving often makes  paupers  of
people  who would otherwise be useful.   Certainly the Bible is not  so  il-
logical that it would hold that poverty in itself is a virtue,  for then  we
could all lead a life of idleness,  which attitude is unfortunately all  too
common among people who profess to follow the higher life.   As a matter  of
fact,  many poor people may have to give an account of the reason  they  are
poor.  Opportunities come to each and every one of us, and if we have failed
to grasp them,  if we have been spendthrifts of time and of the little mate-
rial  means  we have had and thereby prevented ourselves from  getting  more
wherewith to do good,  we shall certainly have to render an account for  our
actions.   On the other hand,  the rich man who has used his riches well may
be commended for the way he has conducted his Father's business.

   As for the reference to The Rosicrucian Fellowship,  it is scarcely worth
answering,  for,  of  course,  anyone who uses discrimination knows that The


[PAGE 241]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Rosicrucian  Fellowship  as  such  has not been  soliciting  funds  for  the
Ecclesia  or  anything else.   Certain members within  the  Fellowship  have
started an agitation for funds,  and there is no reason why that may not  go
on among themselves.   The paraphernalia wherewith to do the work has to  be
obtained,  and if the members feel that need,  and want to supply it,  it is
certainly their privilege.  The writer has absolutely no right to interfere.
Therefore, the letters are published and the opinions that are expressed are
in order.   Only if instigated in any sense by the writer, would they be out
of  place and detrimental to the work of the Fellowship,  for,  as is  often
said, it is not permitted to him to solicit contributions for anything what-
ever.

                               ---------------

                          RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

                              QUESTION NO. 75.

   WHAT IS MEANT IN THE APOSTLES' CREED AND IN THE BIBLE BY THE RESURRECTION
OF THE BODY?

   ANSWER:   The Apostles'  Creed was not composed until centuries after the
Apostles had passed away,  and then it was taken to embody what they had be-
lieved.  Neither  they  nor  the  Bible  teach the resurrection of the body.


[PAGE 242]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

That phrase is not to be found in the Good Book at all.  In King James' ver-
sion  we  read (Job 19:26) that "though after my skin,  worms  destroy  this
body,  yet in MY FLESH shall I see God;" and this passage is the chief reli-
ance of those who endeavor to establish this absurd doctrine.  However,  the
translators appointed by King James were poor Hebrew scholars,  and most  of
them died before the translation was completed.   In the Revised Version you
find another interpretation as follows:

   "And after my skin,  even this body is destroyed;  then WITHOUT MY  FLESH
shall I see God."  Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; there-
fore,  what in the world would be the use of having a body such as  we  have
now?  Furthermore, this body must be perpetuated at the present time, and we
are told that in the resurrection there shall be neither marrying nor giving
in  marriage--another  argument which shows that a vehicle of  another  kind
from the flesh will be used.  Besides, it is a well-known,  well-established
scientific  fact that the atoms in our bodies are constantly coming and  go-
ing.  Now, if there is to be a resurrection of the body, which sets of atoms
is  it to be that shall come forth in this resurrected body?   Or  if  every
atom  that ever was in our body from birth to death is to be in that  resur-
rected  body,  would it not be an enormous conglomeration,  since we  should
then  have immense bodies composed of layers?  It would in fact be a  scien-
tific conundrum.  Now, as Paul says, THE SEED is put in the ground each time
to gather a new body.  (See I Corr., 15).


[PAGE 243]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                          THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

                              QUESTION NO. 76.

   ON  PAGE 472 OF THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION IS THE  FOLLOWING  PARA-
GRAPH:

   "THE  VOW OF ABSOLUTE CELIBACY APPLIES TO THE GREATER  INITIATIONS  ONLY,
AND EVEN THEN A SINGLE ACT OF FECUNDATION MAY SOMETIMES BE NECESSARY,  AS AN
ACT OF SACRIFICE, AS WAS THE CASE OF PROVIDING THE BODY FOR CHRIST."

   THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION TEACHES THAT JESUS, THE CHRIST, WAS BORN OF A VIR-
GIN,  WHICH  IS OTHERWISE EXPRESSED AS AN IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.   ARE  SUCH
TEACHINGS, AND IN ITS STRICTEST ADHERENCE TO THE DEFINITION "DIVINE," IS THE
BIRTH OF JESUS SO CONSIDERED BY THE ROSICRUCIANS?

   ANSWER:   According to the teachings of the Rosicrucians IT IS  NECESSARY
TO  DISTINGUISH VERY SHARPLY BETWEEN THE CHRIST AND JESUS.   When we  search
the Memory of Nature we find that the Spirit born into the body of Jesus was
a very advanced Ego,  which had reached a most sublime spirituality  through
many  lives of holy,  self-sacrificing service, and it is possible to  trace
the previous births of that Ego as easily as we may seek out the past  expe-
riences of any other entity belonging to the human race.  However,  we shall
search in vain for any previous embodiment of the Christ because He does not
belong to? our evolution at all.  He was the highest Initiate of the Sun Pe-
riod,  and  the  ordinary  humanity  of  that  far  distant  past  have  now


[PAGE 244]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

evolved to a state of high spirituality.  We may call them Archangels.

   Until  2,000 years ago the earth was ruled with an iron hand  by  Jehovah
and His Angels,  who were the evolutionary product of a past period.   Under
His regime the fear of the law was pitted against the desires of the  flesh.
Every transgression required an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.   This,
however,  left  no scope for the evolution of love and  altruism.   "Perfect
love casteth out all fear,"  and Christ came into the world to save humanity
from law and egoism by cultivation of love and altruism.

   However,  it is an inexorable law in nature that no one can build a  body
of material which,  by evolution,  he has not learned to manipulate,  and in
the far distant past, when the Archangels were at the human stage, the world
which they inhabited was made of desire stuff.  Hence, as our dense physical
body  is  made from the chemical constituents of our present earth,  so  the
densest  body of an Archangel is made of desire stuff.   For many  centuries
before  He  actually came into our midst,  the Christ Spirit worked  on  the
earth from the outside, to purity the earth's desire body that we might gain
materials  wherefrom to build purer and better desires and emotions.   Obvi-
ously this could be done much better by an INDWELLING Spirit if a way  could
be provided to secure for it an entrance into the earth.  It was the mission
of Joseph,  Mary,  and Jesus to provide this vehicle,  consisting of a dense
and vital body,  to which the desire body and higher vehicles of the  Christ
could link themselves for a brief period while He accomplished His mission.


[PAGE 245]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

   When the generative act is performed in a low, brutal manner,  when it is
tainted  with  lust  and passion it certainly degrades below  the  level  of
beasts those who participate in this act of desecration.  On the other hand,
when prospective parents prepare themselves by prayer and lofty  aspirations
to  perform the act as a sacrament,  regardless of  self-gratification,  the
conception is immaculate.  It is evident that it is not the physical virgin-
ity that counts as a virtue, for every one is at that stage during the early
years of life.  It is the purity, the chastity of the soul,  which makes the
pure virgin, both father and mother.

   According to the teachings of the Rosicrucians,  backed up by research in
the  Memory of Nature,  such was the condition of Joseph and Mary  when  the
body  which  formed around the seed atom of Jesus was  conceived.   The  Sun
Spirit,  Christ,  could not construct such a vehicle.  Besides it would have
been  a  useless expenditure of valuable energy for such a great  Spirit  to
pass through the womb and bring a body up through the years of childhood un-
til  it had arrived at the age of maturity where it could be  used.   There-
fore,  this task was delegated to Jesus who used the body until the time  of
the Baptism, when we are told the Spirit descended upon it as a dove.  There
Jesus  left  his body which was inhabited from that time to the end  of  the
Christ Spirit,  and we have thus, during the three years' ministry, to  deal


[PAGE 246]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

with a composite entity, JESUS THE CHRIST.

   It  should be understood that the great Hierarchies who have aided us  in
our evolution always work WITH the laws which they have given for our  guid-
ance and not against them,  and having once evolved the method of building a
body by the union of man and woman,  they would not think of suspending that
law any more than they would for a single moment think of suspending the law
of  gravitation.   We can easily imagine what chaos would result if  people,
houses, street cars, and everything else not securely anchored to the earth,
would tumble into the air,  and the disasters to our social structure  which
would follow the suspension of the law of fecundation can also be  imagined.
In fact the interpolated accounts also make it clear that Joseph intended to
put Mary away.   Such a course would naturally follow a miracle not known or
believed by the ordinary husband.  As a further evidence of tampering by the
translators  you will also notice that the genealogy of Jesus is  traced  to
Joseph, and if he were not the father this would be foolish; then also Jesus
could not have been said to have sprung from the root of David.

   There are ways,  however, of making a body available to the Adept without
going through the womb.   Before describing this method let it be thoroughly
understood  that the term "Adept"  is not to be applied to the  egotists  or
charlatans who thus style themselves in newspaper advertising or among a co-
terie  of  dupes.  The  true  Adept  is  one who has reached a high stage of


[PAGE 247]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

spirituality,  and what that stage is, we shall understand by comparing  the
ordinary seer and the Initiate with him.

   The seer is one who has developed the spiritual sight.  If he has no con-
trol  over  the  faculty,  he sees things in the invisible  world  wen  they
present themselves before him.  He has choice neither as to what he sees nor
when,  nor the power to shut off any scene that may be disagreeable to  him.
The VOLUNTARY seer is one who,  at will,  can call up sights and scenes from
the  invisible worlds and can turn his spiritual vision upon any  object  or
even for as long or as short a time as he desires.

   It  is commonly believe among most people who have not given the  subject
thought,  that when any one is able to see things in the invisible worlds he
is,  so to speak, omniscient, and knows about everything there.  As a matter
of  fact,  the ability to see things in the invisible worlds does not  carry
with it the faculty of understanding all about them, any more than the abil-
ity to see a machine here gives us the knowledge how to operate it.

   The Initiate is one who has not only the ability to see things in the in-
visible worlds, but also the faculty of leaving his body consciously and op-
erating or investigating these things.  Thus by degrees he acquires a knowl-
edge  of their inner workings and how to link these forces,  which  we  call
laws of nature, to the chariot of evolutionary progress.

   The  Adept  is  one who sees and knows,  and  has,  in  addition,  become
proficient in the use of the laws of nature  for  the production of what, to


[PAGE 248]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

the ordinary person,  seems magic,  but which is in reality only the  higher
application of the same laws that govern in the ordinary course of life.

   We are all familiar with the fact that food which we take into our system
is  largely wasted because of our lack of knowledge regarding the  real  re-
quirements  of this vehicle,  coupled with the fact that most of us  eat  to
please the palate rather than to nourish the system.   This interferes  with
the metabolism and more food is wasted than assimilated.

   Even  that  part  of the food which we assimilate does  not  always  form
healthy tissue,  but flabby flesh, which is a dead load on us, and the vital
body  is constantly struggling to rid itself of undesirable  surplus  waste.
After  a heavy meal the seer may observe a black band of elastic,  jellylike
consistency,  formed of ether,  about the abdominal region of the  gourmand.
This is the poison, generated by the fermentation of unhealthy food taken in
an  overdose,  which is being expelled by the dense body  by  the  radiating
streams of the vital body in the effort of the latter vehicle to cleanse the
clogged system.

   We also waste bodily tissue by indulging in pleasures, by unnecessary mo-
tions  and emotions,  causing the dense body to age and die long  before  it
would die if properly used.

   The  Adept is different.   He knows how to control his actions  and  emo-
tions,  thus saving all unnecessary strain upon the body.  He also knows the
exact elements required to keep up his body, and  the  proper  proportion in


[PAGE 249]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

which to take them.   Thus he secures the maximum nutrition and a minimum of
waste.

   For  that reason he may keep his body in a state of  youthful  appearance
and  vigorous  health  for  hundreds  of  years.    It  is  said  among  the
lay-brothers of the Rosicrucians that Christian Rosenkreuz is today using  a
body  which ha been thus preserved for several centuries.   This may or  may
not  be so,  the writer has no means of knowing,  for our august  leader  is
never seen by any of the lay brothers who gather at the Temple for the  mid-
night Service.   His presence is only FELT,  and is the signal for beginning
the work.   However,  in conversation with some of the lay brothers who have
been connected with the temple for twenty,  thirty,  and forty years in this
life,  it  has developed that the Elder Brothers,  of whom we speak  as  our
Teachers,  look just about the same today as they did thirty or forty  years
ago.   Judging by the standards of ordinary men we should say that the Elder
Brothers seem now to be about forty years of age and this lends color to the
statement of teaching as given in the foregoing.

   We see then that the Adepts are able to preserve their bodies for  centu-
ries,  maybe millenniums,  but they are also able to create a new vehicle if
for any reason that becomes expedient, and this is one of the ways described
by the Elder Brother.

   It is a law in nature that the cell life inherent in any particle of food
must be overpowered by the Ego before it can be assimilated.   (See in  this
connection the chapter on assimilation in THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION).


[PAGE 250]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

Hence,  it  is impossible for the Adept to make an extract of  the  elements
whereof  a body is built forming them into a vehicle and then stepping  from
the old to the new.  He must first take them into his own body that they may
be attuned to the seed atom and properly assimilated.   Then after they have
been appropriated by him in the manner decreed by the laws of nature, he may
again  extract them and use them to build a new body.   Therefore the  Adept
commences this work by increasing his diet and extracting the surplus amount
of food.   Being so thoroughly self-controlled he also has the power to con-
trol  and  hold  in subjection the live food elements  which  he  then  uses
gradually to build a body.  This vehicle is usually placed in a room not en-
tered by anyone else.  When it is finished and the Adept desires to make the
change, he simply steps out of his old body into the new.

   The  use  of this method is the solution to the mystery  surrounding  the
early  life  and antecedents of such men as Count St.  Germain,  Cagliostro,
etc.   They were Adepts who stepped out of an environment when they had out-
grown  their usefulness into a new field.   The bodies they had left  behind
bore no names, and no one suspected that the Spirit which had inhabited them
had not taken the usual post-mortem course.

   It  is also a law in nature that no one can make a vehicle unless he  has
learned by evolution how to do it.   Great and mighty as was the Cosmic  Sun
Spirit, Christ, He could not build a dense body, either in the  womb,  or by


[PAGE 251]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

the  magical method last described,  for he never had the experience in  the
heaven  life  where  the archetypes of bodies are built,  nor  has  He  gone
through  the  actual experiences such as have been the lot  of  mankind  for
ages.   Therefore,  it was necessary that someone be chosen to build a  body
for Him.  That honor and privilege fell to Joseph, Mary and Jesus,  who fur-
nished the dense body and cared for it during the years of growth until  ma-
turity had been reached,  together with the vital body necessary to keep the
dense  instrument  alive  and to complete the link of  the  desire  body  of
Christ.

   Thus,  when properly understood, it is true that Jesus was born of a vir-
gin and that the conception was immaculate.   The mistake likes in confusion
Jesus  with  Christ.   mark that the Angel Gabriel commanded that  his  name
should be called JESUS.  Christos means "anointed," and refers to an office,
a function,  and not to a person.  Therefore, it is not until after the Bap-
tism when he has been anointed with the Spirit that he is spoken of as Jesus
Christ,  or in English,  THE ANOINTED JESUS.  It is also a mistake to regard
the  birth of Jesus as unique.   We have the word of Christ that the  things
which He did, shall we also do and greater.  The Immaculate Conception,  the
Baptism (the christening or anointing),  the period of service and ministry,
the Cross and the Crown,  will in their turn become personal experiences  to
every one among us,  for we are all Christs-in-the making and must  sometime
grow to the full stature of Divinity.


[PAGE 252]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                        WHY THE JEWS KEEP THE SABBATH

                              QUESTION NO. 77.

   THE ROSICRUCIANS TEACH THAT CHRIST IS THE SUN-SPIRIT, AND IT SEEMS THERE-
FORE  PERFECTLY LOGICAL THAT WE KEEP SUNDAY SACRED TO HIS WORSHIP IN  CHRIS-
TIAN LANDS.   HOWEVER,  JEHOVAH IS THE RULER OF THE MOON.  WHY THEN WERE NOT
THE  JEWS TAUGHT TO KEEP MONDAY HOLY INSTEAD OF SATURN'S DAY,  WHICH IS  NOW
THEIR SABBATH?

   ANSWER:  There is an esoteric connection between Saturn, the Sun, and the
Moon,  which rule Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  The Sun and Saturn are min-
isters of life and death, and the Moon is, so to speak,  the shuttle-cock on
which mankind is constantly being thrown from one pole to another while  the
web of experience is being woven.  The Moon's north Node,  which we call the
Dragon's Head,  partakes of the nature of the life-giving Sun and ushers hu-
manity into the period of physical activity.   The South Node ushers us into
the  rest of death by the saturnine forces of the Dragon's Tail.   In  other
words,  both Saturn and the Moon are gates of entrance an exit from the  in-
visible world,  or Chaos, the Moon in a planetary capacity and Saturn in the
cosmic sense.

   When  a great Creative Date of Manifestation is ushered in,  time  always
begins  with  a  Saturn  Period,  and  at that time the life waves of Spirit


[PAGE 253]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

which have been undergoing the subjective phase of evolution during the pre-
ceding  Cosmic Night are ushered into active manifestation,  and this  takes
place  during  the  Saturn  Revolution of  every  Period.   In  the  smaller
earth-sphere  of our present activity when an Ego is ready for rebirth  into
terrestrial life the Moon marks the time of both conception and birth,  thus
taking  over  the saturnine function of ushering in evolving Egos  from  the
dark  Cosmic Night of death to the solar universe of life and light.   There
are,  however, some Egos who do not evolve, but are stragglers upon the path
of evolution.   For them there comes a time when they are finally ejected to
the  Moon  and are denied the opportunity and privilege of  rebirth  in  the
present  evolutionary class.   they then remain upon the Moon until the  ve-
hicles  they have crystallized by lack of action are finally dissolved,  and
as  they cannot go forward with the stream of evolution,  there is only  one
other way open to them,  viz.,  to gravitate back through the gate of Saturn
into Chaos,  or Cosmic Night,  where they must await another opportunity  of
manifestation in a later life stream.

   Jehovah  is not Ruler of the Jews to the exclusion of all  other  people.
He  is the Law-giver and Cosmic Lord of fecundation.   Therefore,  He has  a
special  mission  to perform for all pioneer people of any  poch  or  period
where  a  great host of Spirits are to be furnished with vehicles of  a  new
type.  It is He who multiplies the pioneer people abundantly, gives them the


[PAGE 254]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

laws  appropriate to their evolution and thus starts them upon a new  period
of  development.   If we remember this fact and also bear in mind  that  the
first part of an epoch is saturnine,  then we shall understand that although
the original Semites who were the forbears of the Aryan race were multiplied
as the sands on the seashore and given their laws by Jehovah, they were also
living  in the Saturn part of the Aryan epoch and therefore  were  logically
taught to keep Saturn's day as a day of rest.

   The Bible says that the law was supreme until the advent of the great Sun
Spirit.   Christ  started a new phase of evolution under  the  principle  of
LOVE,  AND REGENERATION.   This ended the regime of Jehovah and the sway  of
Saturn,  not abruptly of course,  for there is always an overlapping of  the
old and the new.  However, from that time we,  the pioneer Christian people,
have entered upon the second, or Sun part of the Aryan Epoch, and are there-
fore now substituting the Sun's day for the day of Saturn,  as a day of wor-
ship.

   As  we  have spoken of the Moon and Saturn as being the gates  of  Chaos,
this may cause the students to wonder what becomes of the rest of us, and we
may therefore briefly state the Western Wisdom teaching on this point.

   Ordinary humanity who follow the path of evolution are led to the Kingdom
of Christ, the Sun Spirit.

   Stragglers  who  fail to keep up with the procession  retrograde  to  the
Kingdom of Jehovah, the Moon Spirit.


[PAGE 255]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

   The  advance guard of humanity,  the Initiates who have passed  both  the
lesser  and greater Initiations and appear before the Liberator  (the  great
Being in charge of evolution on Earth), are given the choice of staying here
an helping their brothers in this world or of going to Jupiter and preparing
the conditions under which humanity may evolve in the future Jupiter Period.

   Advanced souls who misuse their powers as black magicians eventually ret-
rograde directly to Saturn and are forced into Chaos by dissolution of their
vehicles.

   Saturn has a preponderance of the fourth or reflecting ether.   Hence its
pale light,  and the Egos who go there leave a record of their lives and are
then propelled outward toward chaos by way of Saturn's moons.

   Jupiter has a preponderance of the third or light ether.  Hence its bril-
liancy, and the advanced Egos who come to Jupiter from the outside go inward
through the moons and then begin, as said, a constructive work for the Jupi-
ter Period.


[PAGE 256]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                       MEANING OF THE LETTERS I.N.R.I.

                              QUESTION NO. 78.

   WHAT  IS THE MEANING OF THE LETTERS I.N.R.I.  SOMETIMES PLACED  OVER  THE
CROSS?

   ANSWER:   We are told in the gospel story that Pilate placed a sign read-
ing,  "Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorem," and His Cross, and this is translated
in  the authorized version to mean "Jesus of nazareth,  King of  the  Jews."
But the four initials,  I.N.R.I.,  placed upon the Cross represent the names
of the four elements in Hebrew:  Iam, water; Nour,  fire;  Ruach,  spirit or
vital air;  and Iabeshah,  earth.   This is the occult key to the mystery of
crucifixion,  for it symbolizes in the first place the Salt,  Sulphur,  Mer-
cury,  and  Azoth  which were used by the ancient  alchemists  to  make  the
Philospher's Stone, the universal solvent, the elixir-vitae.

   The two "I's"  (IAM and IABESHAH) represent the salient luna element  wa-
ter,  (a)  in fluidic state holding salt in solution,  and (b)  in  the  co-
agulated extract of this water,  "the salt of the earth."   In other  words,
the finer fluidic vehicles of man and his dense body.   N,  (NOUR) in Hebrew
stands for fire and the combustile elements,  chief among which are  SULPHUR
and phosphorus, so necessary to oxidation and without which wram blood would
be an impossibility.  The Ego could not then function in the body, nor could


[PAGE 257]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

thought find a material expression.   R (RUACH) is the Hebrew equivalent for
the Spirit,  Azoth,  functioning in the mercurial mind.   Thus the four let-
ters,  I.N.R.I.,  placed over the Cross of Christ according  to  the  gospel
story  represent composite man,  the Thinker, at the point of his  spiritual
development  when he is getting ready for liberation from the cross  of  his
dense vehicle.

   Proceeding  further along the same line of elucidation we may  note  that
I.N.R.I.  is the symbol of the crucified candidate for the  following  addi-
tional reasons:

   IAM is the Hebrew word signifying water, the fluidic lunar element, which
forms  the  principal part of the human body (about 87 per cent),  and  this
word is also the symbol of the finer fluidic vehicles of desire and emotion.

   NOUR,  the Hebrew word signifying fire,  is a symbolic representation  of
the heat-producing red blood lden with martial iron, fire, and energy, which
the occultist sees coursing as gas through the veins and arteries of the hu-
man  body,  infusing it with energy and ambition,  and without  which  there
could  be neither material nor spiritual progress.   It also represents  the
sulphur  and phosphorus necessary for the material manifestation of  thought
as already mentioned.

   RUACH,  the Hebrew word for Spirit, or vital air,  is an excellent symbol
of the Ego clothed in the mercurial mind  which  makes  man MAN, and enables


[PAGE 258]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

him  to control and direct his bodily vehicles and activities in a  rational
manner.

   IABESHAH is the Hebrew word for earth, representing the solid fleshy part
which makes up the cruciform earthy body,  crystallized within the finer ve-
hicles  at birth and severed from them in the ordinary course of  things  at
death, or in the extraordinary course of things at death, or in the extraor-
dinary event that we learn to die the mystic death and ascend to the glories
of higher spheres for a time.

   This stage of the Christian Mystic's spiritual development therefore  in-
volves  a reversal of the creative force from its ordinary  downward  course
through the tripartite spinal cord where the three segments are ruled by the
Moon,  Mars,  and Mercury,  respectively,  and where the ray of Neptune then
lights the REGENERATIVE SPINAL SPIRIT-FIRE which, mounting upward,  sets the
pituitary body and the pineal gland into vibration.   This,  opening up  the
spiritual sight and striking the frontal sinus,  starts the crown of  thorns
throbbing with pain as the bond with the physical body is burned by the  sa-
cred spirit-fire which wakes this center from its age long sleep to a throb-
bing,   pulsating  life,  sweeping  onward  to  the  other  centers  in  the
five-pointed stigmatic star.   They are also vitalized and the whole vehicle
becomes aglow with a golden glory.   Then with a final wrench the great vor-
tex  of the desire body located in the liver is liberated,  and the  martial
energy  contained  in  that  vehicle propels  upward  and  sidereal  vehicle
(so-called because the stigmata in the head, hands,  and feet are located in
the same relative position to one another as the points  in the five-pointed


[PAGE 259]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

star),  which  ascends  through the skull (Golgotha),  while  the  CRUCIFIED
CHRISTIAN utters his triumphant cry,  "Consummatum est"  (it has been accom-
plished), and soars into the subtler spheres to seek Jesus whose life he has
imitated  with  such  success and from whom he  is  henceforth  inseparable.
Jesus is his Teacher and his guide to the Kingdom of Christ where all  shall
be united in one body to learn and to practice the RELIGION OF THE FATHER to
whom the Kingdom will eventually revert that He may be All in All.

                               ---------------

                              QUESTION NO. 79.

                       THE MIRACULOUS DRAFT OF FISHES


   IF WE SHOULD NOT EAT MEAT, I PRESUME FISH IS INCLUDED.   WHAT THEN IS THE
ANSWER  TO  THE MIRACULOUS DRAFT OF FISHES AS TOLD IN THE BIBLE?   NO  DOUBT
THESE WERE WANTED FOR FOOD.

   ANSWER:   We have often stated,  that while the Gospels are true versions
of the life of the man Jesus, they are also manuals of initiation.  The Sun,
as visible in the heavens,  is the physical light bearer which is the "light
of  the  world,"  but  behind  it  there  is the invisible Sun carrying also


[PAGE 260]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

spiritual light.   The initiate who follows the path of initiation is in the
same sense a light burner or enlightener of the people.  Therefore, his life
is  inseparably  connected  with the Sun, which in its  yearly  course  goes
through the twelve signs of the zodiac by direct motion from Aries, the ram,
to  Pisces,  the fishes,  and in its course ripens the grain and  the  grape
which  feed  mankind physically.   There is also another motion of  the  Sun
known by astronomers as the precession of the equinox,  whereby the Sun goes
through  each  sign  in  about 2,100 years.   This  is  connected  with  the
spiritual  progress of humanity,  and therefore the symbol of the savior  of
any age is always that of the sign through which the Sun at that  particular
time is moving by precession.

   To keep within historic times,  we may say, that at the time when the Sun
by precession went through the sign Taurus,  the Bull or Calf was  worshiped
among the most advanced human nations.   We find the Bull,  Apis,  among the
Egyptians,  and Mithras,  the persian Christ, riding upon a Bull.   However,
when the Sun by precession moved from Taurus, the Bull, into Aries, the sign
of the Ram or Lamb, GOD'S PEOPLE WENT OUT OF EGYPT at the passover,  or ver-
nal equinox,  when the Sun passes over the equator.  It then became idolatry
to worship the Bull or Calf, and they were taught to worship the Ram or Lamb
of  God.   At the time of the advent of Christ the Sun by precession was  in
about  seven degrees of Aries and within orb of the next sign,  Pisces,  the
FISHES.  He was the Savior of the coming  dispensation.  Therefore He sought


[PAGE 261]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

FISHERMEN,  and as He took them from their vocation, He stated He would make
them FISHERS of men.   All through the New Testament you will find this con-
tinual allusion to FISHES.

   At  the time when the Christian religion was being established after  His
death, there was controversy whether the symbol of this Savior should be the
Lamb or the Fish.  Therefore, as a relic of that controversy we have even to
the  present day the bishops wearing a mitre shaped as the head of  a  fish.
At the same time the functionaries of that church also have the staff of the
Shepherd,  signifying the connection with Aries, the lamb.  It was not until
several  centuries after the crucifixion of Christ Jesus that the  Lamb  was
used as His symbol.   Pisces, the sign of the fishes, is a watery sign,  and
therefore  we see at the doors of the Catholic Church the holy water  where-
with  the worshipers make the sign.   They are taught that on  Fridays  they
must  abstain from the use of meat and take FISH instead,  and  also  during
Lenten season FISH is the main food.  All this because the Sun by precession
is going through the sign Pisces.   It is now nearing Aquarius,  the sign of
the  Son of Man,  and in that day and age the symbol of the savior  will  be
different.   A different phase of the Christian religion will also have  its
vogue to meet the needs of the more advanced generations which will then in-
habit the earth.  In fact, that is the object of the Rosicrucian Teachings.


[PAGE 262]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

                        "THERE SHALL BE NO MORE SEA"

                              QUESTION NO. 80.

   IN  THE APOCALYPSE JOHN SAYS,  "THERE SHALL BE NO MORE SEA."   WHAT  DOES
THAT MEAN?

   ANSWER:   It  means  just what it says,  for the earth  itself  is  going
through a number of stages of evolution which furnish the conditions  neces-
sary for our development.   There was the dark age during which the material
for our planet was gathered together in a fermentative and germinative  con-
dition  which  produced heat so that at a certain point  when  the  creative
fiat, "Let there be light" was uttered, this material became a luminous fire
mist,  revolving upon its axis and heating the surrounding atmosphere  which
was then cooled by contact with outer space.   Thus moisture was  generated,
and it fell upon the glowing planet,  with the result that a steam went out-
ward, a fire fog.

   For  aeons  of time this evaporation and condensation went on  until  the
earth was encrusted and became what we know as dry land,  from which a  mist
went upwards, to also stated in the Bible.  This cooled and condensed,  com-
ing down upon the earth as a flood which finally cleared the air and gave us
the  atmospheric conditions which prevail today.  In the past we had  bodies
fitting us to live in the varying environments on the earth,  and today  our
vehicles are largely composed of water, as are the bodies of the animals and


[PAGE 263]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

plants.  However, the Bible tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Kingdom  of God.   We are told that we shall put off the physical  body  and
that we shall be caught up in the air; also as you mention,  "there shall be
no  sea."   Thus the general conditions are placed before us and  there  are
quite a few signs that though these changes are being brought about  slowly,
they are surely coming.   Scientists are now beginning to recognize the fact
that the earth is being deprived of its moisture.  Says the Literary Digest:

   "Many authorities recognize the fact that the earth is slowly losing  its
moisture.   How this can occur is partially explained,  we are told by  C.F.
von Hermann,  in SCIENCE (New York), by the action of electrical  discharges
in decomposition vapor.  One of the component gases, hydrogen, is very light
and rises to the upper limits of the earth's atmosphere,  where it is  ulti-
mately  thrown off.   This loss of hydrogen means in the long run a loss  of
water.   The decomposition of the earth's moisture, with final loss, is also
brought about by other agencies, notably the effect of the light-rays of the
upper part of the spectrum.  Mr. von Hermann quotes a writer in UMSCHAU, Dr.
Karl  Stoeckel,  as saying:   'It is believed that the ultra-violet rays  of
sunlight  which fall upon the water vapor suspended in the lower  strata  of
the  earth's  atmosphere decompose a small part of it to  produce  hydrogen,
which rises to great heights."

   On this Mr. von Hermann comments as follows:  "I do not think it has been
pointed  out  before  that  the  earth's surface must be continuously losing


[PAGE 264]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

hydrogen  through the decomposition of water vapor by every flash of  light-
ning.   Pickering and others have recognized the hydrogen lines in the spec-
trum of lightning,  and the larger works on meterology mention the fact that
lightning flashes decompose some water .  .  .  The hydrogen formed by every
lightning  flash  rises rapidly to the upper atmosphere and is lost  to  the
earth.   Considering the frequency of thunderstorms during the summer season
in both hemispheres and at all times in the equatorial regions,  the loss of
hydrogen in this way cannot be considered as insignificant.  As long as con-
ditions upon the earth remain such as to render thunderstorms possible,  the
slow dessication of the earth must continue."

   Thus  the teachings of the Bible are being vindicated on every  essential
point as science advances.   The facts discovered show how the past and  the
present  have  been described with accuracy.  This gives us reason  for  our
faith  that  the  future developments will also be found in  line  with  the
truths taught in the Bible.


[PAGE 265]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                        COLORS OF THE TABERNACLE VEIL

                              QUESTION NO. 81.

   WHY  WERE THE COLORS OF THE VEIL IN THE TABERNACLE PURPLE,  SCARLET,  AND
WHITE?   WHY WERE NOT THE THREE PRIMARY COLORS, BLUE, RED, AND YELLOW REPRE-
SENTED?

   ANSWER:   Blue is the color of the Father who rules over the  whole  uni-
verse  continually from the beginning of manifestation to the  end  thereof,
omnipresent in everything that lives,  breathes, and has its being.   Red or
scarlet  is the color of the Holy Spirit which generates  living  creatures.
When  life takes a wrong expression,  if restrained by a code of  laws,  the
Holy  Spirit thus becomes Jehovah,  the Law-giver.   Yellow is the color  of
Christ,  the Lord of Love,  who by that divine Principle supersedes the  law
and brings us again in direct contact and harmony with the Father.

   Thus you will see that under the ancient regime it was impossible to have
included  the  yellow and made all three primary colors  emblematic  of  the
Temple.   For the time being the Father and Jehovah reigned.   The blue  and
the scarlet,  their colors,  were on the Temple,  and purple,  which is  the
color  resulting from the intermingling of the two primaries  before  named,
was also there,  showing not only their separate existence but their  unity.
In the last place there was the  white  space  emblematic  of  the fact that


[PAGE 266]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

still something remained unmanifested, and that was the third color, yellow.

   From  the  time  of  Christ,   the  true  Western  Mystery  School,   the
Rosicrucians,  have had as their emblem the Red Roses, emblematic of the pu-
rification of the desire nature; the golden star, showing that the Christ is
born  WITHIN THE DISCIPLE and radiates from the five points which  represent
the head and the four limbs.  This is reflected upon the blue background em-
blematic of the Father.  Thus it shows that the manifestation of God,  UNITY
IN TRINITY, has been accomplished.

   I  have  often thought that there was one lack in the literature  of  the
Rosicrucian Fellowship, namely, a devotional book, and thousands of our stu-
dents have probably felt the same.   To supply this lack many have taken  up
books of Eastern origin, which is a very bad practice.  Many lives ago, when
we of the Western world were in Eastern bodies,  at a time when there was no
Western  world,  as we know it today, these things fitted us,  but today  we
have  advanced beyond,  and should rather look to our Christian  saints  for
guidance on the path of Devotion.   My own special book has been THE  IMITA-
TION OF CHRIST by Thomas a'Kempis.  It is a wonderful volume.   There is not
a case in life that cannot find some fitting passage in this book;  and  the
more one reads it the more one loves it.  You probably know the residents on
Mt.  Ecclesia  take turns alphabetically at reading during the  morning  and
evening  services.  Whenever it comes my turn I pick up Thomas a' Kempis and


[PAGE 267]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

read  a  chapter,  starting at the beginning and going through to  the  end.
Then  one can being over again.   There is never a dull moment in the  whole
book, and it would be well for students who feel the desire for something to
accelerate their devotional nature,  to take up this little book as a  read-
ing.   It  can,  I believe be procured from most book sellers all  over  the
world.

                              ----------------

                   THE TEMPLE VEIL AND THE PRIEST'S ROBES

                              QUESTION NO. 82.


   WHY  WERE THE COLORS OF THE VEIL OF THE TEMPLE AND THE PRIEST'S ROBES  AS
SPOKEN OF IN EXODUS, BLUE, PURPLE, AND SCARLET, INSTEAD OF THE THREE PRIMARY
COLORS?

   ANSWER:   The  Tabernacle  in the Wilderness was the  first  church  ever
erected on earth.  When humanity had been driven away from the basins of the
earth  by  the condensation of the waters which had previously hung  like  a
dense  mist over the earth,  the spiritual sight which had  hitherto  guided
them became a hinderance to physical development.  Thus it waned,  and man's
senses became focused in the physical world.   This change involved a sever-
ance from  the Divine Hierarchies who had hitherto guided man on the path of


[PAGE 268]                                            ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHY

evolution.   They became invisible and man missed them.  Then there arose in
his  heart a longing for God which was met by giving him the  Tabernacle  in
the Wilderness and prescribing certain divine laws for his guidance.   JEHO-
VAH was the Law-maker and the particular Genius of the Original Semites  who
were the seed race of the coming Aryan Epoch;  and behind Him stood the Most
High,  the Father.   You will find this in such passages as Deuteronomy  32,
verses  8 and 9,  where it is stated that the Most High divided  the  people
into  nations and gave a certain portion to the Lord,  who guided  them  and
brought them out of EGYPT,  the land where the Bull was worshiped,  into the
Aryan Rainbow Age.  This was inaugurated by using the blood of the Lamb, Ar-
ies  [sign],  at the Passover accomplished by Noah and giving them  laws  by
moses which were all symbolically shown in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

   The color of the Most High, the Father,  is a spiritual blue.   The color
of Jehovah is red (indicating the sacrificial aspect of blood) and the  mix-
ture of these two colors produces purple.  Therefore,  these tow colors were
shown on the veil of the Temple,  but there was also the color WHITE,  which
showed in symbology that something was still missing.   Under the regime  of
Jehovah  it was necessary to give an eye for an eye,  a tooth for  a  tooth.
That was demanded by the Law dictated by Him, and given to Moses.   This Law
reigned  until  CHRIST, who then brought GRACE and TRUTH, rending the Temple


[PAGE 269]                                             QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

veil.  Under that ancient law sacrifices of animals were compulsory, for hu-
manity had not yet learned how to make a sacrifice of themselves.   When the
Christ  showed the way to truth had life by making a sacrifice  of  Himself,
the Temple veil was rent,  the old system was abrogated,  and a new way  was
opened for the salvation of "whosoever will."

   In the new dispensation there is therefore no veil on which the color  of
the  Initiator  may be displayed.   A better way has been found  of  marking
those that are Christ's with His golden color INDIVIDUALLY,  and thus it  is
that  those who follow the path of service and self-sacrifice evolve  within
their  own aura the golden Christ color, which is the third of  the  primary
colors.   This is the priestly robe of the new dispensation without which no
one can ever enter the Kingdom,  and no robe obtained at pseudo  initiations
can ever take its place, no matter what price is paid.



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