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+# THE HYMN OF JESUS
+
+## Contents
+
+- Preamble
+- The Hymn
+- Comments
+
+## Preamble
+
+Just as many other settings of the Sayings and Doings of the Lord existed prior to and alongside of the canonical Gospels, so were there, prior to and alongside of the subsequently selected or canonical Acts, many other narratives professing to record the doings and sayings of the Apostles and Disciples of the Lord.
+
+Most of these originated in circles which were subsequently called heretical, and many of them were later on worked over by orthodox editors to suit doctrinal preconceptions, and so preserved for the edification of large numbers in the Catholic or General Church.
+
+As Lipsius says: "Almost every fresh editor of such narratives, using that freedom which all antiquity was wont to allow itself in dealing with literary monuments, would recast the materials which lay before him, excluding whatever might not suit his theological point of view--dogmatic statements, for example, speeches, prayers, etc., for which he would substitute other formulæ of his own composition, and further expanding and abridging after his own pleasure, or as the immediate object which he had in view might dictate."
+
+Some of these edited and re-edited documents, though for the most part they have come down to us in a very fragmentary condition, still preserve distinct traces of their Gnostic origin; and Lipsius has shown that their Gnosticism is not to be ascribed to third century Manichæism, as had been previously assumed by many, but to the general Gnosis of the second century.
+
+There was a very wide circulation of such religious romances in the second century, for they formed the main means of Gnostic public propaganda.
+
+The technical inner teachings of Gnosticism were assailed by the subsequently orthodox Church Fathers with misrepresentation and overwhelmed with ridicule.
+
+To these onslaughts the Gnostics, as far as we are aware, made no reply; most probably because they were bound by oaths of secrecy on the one hand, and on the other knew well that the mysteries of the inner life could not be decided by vulgar debate.
+
+The mystic teachings of their Gospel were for those who knew the nature of the inner life by direct experience; for the rest they were foolishness.
+
+Their Acts-romances also appear often to be based on actual occurrences of the inner life and on direct spiritual experience, subsequently worked up into popular forms; the marvellous complexity and baffling sublimity of apocalyptic ecstasy, and the overabundant and pregnant technology which delighted the member of the inner circles of the Gnostic Christians, were excluded, and all was reduced to simpler terms.
+
+These marvellous narratives may seem vastly fantastic to the modern mind, but to every shade of Christianity in those days, they were entirely credible. The orthodox did not repudiate the marvellous nature of the narratives; what they opposed with such bitterness was the doctrinal implications with which they were involved.
+
+These Acts-romances thus formed the intermediate link between the General Church and the inner teachings of Gnosticism, and they were so popular that they could not be disposed of by ridicule simply. Another method had to be used.
+
+To quote from Lipsius again: "Catholic bishops and teachers knew not how better to stem this flood of Gnostic writings and their influence among the faithful, than by boldly adopting the most popular narratives from the heretical books, and, after carefully eliminating the poison of false doctrine, replacing them in this purified form in the hands of the public."
+
+Fortunately for some of us, this "purification" has not been complete, and some of the "poison of false doctrine" has thus been preserved. Among other things of great beauty for which we are grateful, we especially thank a kindly providence for the preservation of the Hymn of Jesus.
+
+The earliest collection of these Gnostic Acts is said to have been made by a certain Leucius, surnamed Charinus. There is a tradition, though of somewhat doubtful authenticity, that this Leucius was a disciple of John. If we accept it at all, this John must be taken for the writer of the Fourth Gospel, and not the John of the original Twelve.
+
+It would be impossible here to enter into any discussion of the baffling Johannine problem; those of our readers, however, who are interested in the manifest Gnostic implications with which this problem is involved as far as it relates to the Fourth Gospel, should read Kreyenbuhl's exhaustive and instructive study Das Evangelium der Wahrheit (Berlin; 1900, 1905). His "new solution of the Johannine question," which Kreyenbuhl entitles "The Gospel of the Truth," boldly claims an immediate Gnostic origin for the Fourth Gospel; and this courageous pioneer of a new way even goes so far as to contend that the writer of what is indubitably the most spiritual of all the Gospels, was no other than Mænander, the teacher of Basilides. It is instructive to remark that this voluminous and important work has been passed over with complete silence in this country.
+
+At any rate the Leucian Acts were early; in the opinion of Zahn this collection was made at a time when the Gnostics were not yet considered heretical, that is to say prior to 150 A.D.--say 130 A.D.
+
+Lipsius on the other hand places them in the second half of the second century, towards the end, and so does Hennecke.
+
+This maximum of date they are compelled to concede, because Clement of Alexandria at the end of the second century quotes from the Gnostic Acts of John which indubitably formed part of the Leucian collection.
+
+The controversy between Lipsius and Zahn was conditioned by the fact that they both agreed that the Acts of John quote from the Fourth Gospel. Zahn placed this Gospel earlier in date than Lipsius and was anxious to find in the Acts an early witness to that Gospel, indeed the earliest witness.
+
+It has, however, been strongly contested by Corssen whether the Acts quote from the Gospel; and as far as I can myself see from the passages adduced, there does not seem to be absolute evidence of any direct quotation. There is indubitably a close similarity of diction, as is so often the case in similar problems concerning nearly contemporary documents; but the problem is more easily satisfied by considering the writers as belonging to the same circle, than by seeking to prove direct literary plagiarism.
+
+However this may be, we are not to suppose that Leucius invented the Acts; he collected and adapted and wrote up the material. If he had invented all of it, he would have been a genius of no mean order.
+
+Leucius has a style of his own, and he also moved in a certain sweet atmosphere that is characteristic of the best in the Johannine tradition--the tradition of love, and intimacy, and simplicity; very different, for instance, from the more formal Pauline atmosphere.
+
+The Acts of John are indubitably Leucian, and judging by literary style so are the Acts of Peter. As to the rest of the Acts of the original Leucian collection, there is at present no certainty, and those assigned to Leucius by later writers must be put on one side as far as their present remains are concerned.
+
+It has been surmised by James that as Luke (Loukas) wrote the Orthodox Acts, the writer who wrote the Gnostic Acts called himself Leucius (Leukios) to suggest he was one and the same person; but this I consider highly improbable. The Gnostics are in general inventors and not copyists.
+
+It is also of interest to note that Zahn considers that the account of the genesis of the Fourth Gospel given by the writer of the Muratorian Fragment (c. 170 A.D.) was taken from the Leucian Acts. This Gospel is there said to have been written by a certain John, who was "of the Disciples." His "fellow-disciples and bishops" had apparently urged him to write a Gospel, but John hesitated to accept the responsibility, and proposed that they should all fast together for three days, and tell one another if anything was revealed to them. On the same night it is revealed to Andrew, who is "of the Apostles," that while all revised John should write down all things in his own name.
+
+If this information is taken from the Leucian Acts, it follows of course that their writer was acquainted with the Fourth Gospel. If we take this as certain--though from the adduced parallel phrases alone I cannot myself be quite certain--then the question arises how could Leucius have put into the mouth of John doctrines which are opposed to the teaching of the Gospel? To this question James gives the following answer:
+
+"His notion is that St. John wrote for the multitude certain comparatively plain and easy episodes in the life of the Lord: but that to the inner circle of the faithful his teaching was widely different. In the Gospel and Epistles we have his exoteric teaching: in the Acts his esoteric."
+
+This of course exactly reverses the relation that Corssen supposes to have existed between the Acts and Gospel; namely that the author of the Acts did not know the Gospel at all.
+
+It is of course the general Gnostic position that all true scripture had an under-meaning. The gospel-narratives were written for the people, but at the same time in such a fashion as to set forth allegorically the mysteries.
+
+If, then, any propaganda of these hidden mysteries was to be attempted in a less veiled form, it follows that a more spiritual standpoint had to be insisted on; and the popular narrative which was generally taken in a physical and material sense, was replaced by a more plastic and suggestive setting and exposition.
+
+But--we may ask, at any rate in the case of the Fourth Gospel--was it the Gospel-narrative that was prior in date, and the Gnostic rewriting of Gospel-incidents subsequent; or was it that the Gnostic ideas existed prior to the writing of the Gospel, and the matter incorporated into the Gnostic Acts derived directly from the same body of ideas that inspired the Gospel?
+
+As it now proved beyond all question that the Gnosis was pre-Christian, and that in what is generally called Gnosticism we are dealing with a Christianized Gnosis which demonstrably existed in the time of Paul, and which Paul found already existing in the Churches, we must conclude that there is nothing inherently improbable in the latter alternative.
+
+Moreover, the Gnosticism of the Acts of John is general and simple and cannot be assigned to this or that particular school of the Christian Gnosis.
+
+The marvellous and beautiful Hymn, which is the subject of this small volume, is found in what are without doubt the Leucian Acts of John. That, however, Leucius himself composed the Hymn is by no means to be taken for granted. Leucius was a collector and redactor--he used sources; and I have myself no doubt that the Hymn existed in Gnostic circles prior to the composition of the Acts--indeed, that it was a most precious document.
+
+The first external testimony to our Hymn is found in its use by the Priscillianists, in Spain, in the last third of the fourth century. The great movement known under the name of Priscillianism was a powerful revival of Gnosticism and Oriental mysticism and theosophy which poured over the Peninsula.
+
+The views of the Priscillianists on scripture were those of the rest of the Gnostics in general; their canon was catholic in the widest meaning of the term. Just as the Jewish scriptures were an imperfect revelation as compared with the general Christian books, so were the popular scriptures of Christianity imperfect in comparison with the revelations of the Gnosis.
+
+As the Old Covenant books were considered to be replete with types and figures, images and shadows of the Gospel-teaching, so were the books of the New Testament, in their turn, held to be figurative and symbolical of the inner teachings of the Gnosis. The former were intended for those of Faith, the latter for those in Gnosis.
+
+Against this view Augustine and Jerome waged remorseless war; for the country was flooded with an immense number of Gnostic documents. The Priscillianists were persecuted and martyred and the main care of the orthodox bishops was to seize their books and destroy them.
+
+Ceretius, one of the bishops presumably, had sent Augustine some of the books of these Gnostics; he himself seems to have been inclined to approve them. Augustine, in his answer, picks out for detailed criticism one document only--our Hymn. Concerning this he writes:
+
+"As for the Hymn which they say is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, and which has so greatly aroused your veneration, it is usually found in apocryphal writings, not peculiar to the Priscillianists but used by other heretics."
+
+Augustine adds a quotation from the introduction of the Gnostic M.S. of the Hymn, which runs:
+
+"The Hymn of the Lord which He sang in secret to the holy Apostles, His disciples, for it is said in the Gospel: 'And after singing a hymn He ascended the mount.' This Hymn is not put in the canon, because of those who think according to themselves, and not according to the Spirit and Truth of God, and that it is written: 'It is good to hide the sacrament of the King; but it is honourable to reveal the works of God.'"
+
+The Gospel referred to cannot be either Matthew (xxvi.31) or Mark (xiv.26), both of which read: "And after singing a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives." The second quotation I am unable to trace.
+
+An important point which will concern us later on is that Ceretius found the Hymn by itself and not in its context in the Acts; it was in all probability extracted for liturgical purposes.
+
+It is, moreover, evident from what Augustine writes in the first passage we have quoted that the Hymn was well-known in Gnostic circles.
+
+It would also seem as though Augustine, who wrote in Latin, was dealing with a Latin translation, rather than that he translated the quotation himself in his answer to Ceretius.
+
+Part only of the Greek text of this famous Hymn was known prior to 1899, when James published a hitherto unknown and very important fragment of the Acts of John, found in a fourteenth century M.S., in the Vienna Imperial Library. This contained what seems to be the full text of our Hymn, though, unfortunately, copied by a sometimes very careless scribe. Nearly the whole of this lengthy fragment consists of a monologue put into the mouth of John, and in it we have preserved to us a very remarkable tradition of the Gnostic side of the life of the Master; or, if it be preferred, of incidents in the "occult" life of Jesus.
+
+The whole setting of the christology is what is called "docetic." Our fragment is thus a most valuable addition to our knowledge of Docetism, and at last gives us a satisfactory reason why this view was held so widely by the Gnostics. Indeed it is now the most important source we possess, and puts the whole question on a different footing. In future our fragment must always be taken first as the locus classicus in any discussion of the question.
+
+Docetism was a theory which found its confirmation in narratives and legends of certain psychic or spiritual powers ascribed to the "perfect man."
+
+The christological and soteriological theories of the Gnostic philosophers were not, as many would have us believe, invented altogether à priori; they rested, I hold, on the basis of a veritable historical fact, which has for the most part been obscured out of all recognition by the flood of physical objective historicizing narratives of the origins.
+
+After His death, I believe, as many a Gnostic tradition claims, the Christ did return and teach His disciples and true lovers in the inner circles, and this fact which was made known to their consciousness in many marvellous ways, was to a large extent the origin of the protean Gnostic tradition of an an inner instruction.
+
+He returned in the only way He could return in this way of return--namely, in a subtle or "spiritual" mode or "body." This "body" could be made visible at will, could even be made sensible to touch, but was, compared with the normally objective physical body, an "illusory" body--hence the term "docetic."
+
+But just as the external tradition of those who are considered the original Jewish Christians, the Ebionîm (or Poor), was gradually transmuted and sublimated, so that it, finally, exalted Jesus from the status of a simple prophet in which it originally regarded him, unto the full Power and Glory of Godhead itself; so the internal tradition extended the doubtlessly simple original docetic notion to every department of the huge soteriological structure raised by Gnostic genius.
+
+The Leucian Acts of John pertain to the latter stream of tendencies, and "John" is the personification, so to say, of one of the lines of tradition of that protean Docetism, which had its origin in one of the best-known and most important facts of the spiritual life, or of "occult" experience, and of those marvellous teachings of initiation which became subsequently historicized or woven into historic settings, and which "John" in our fragment, sums up in the words:
+
+"I held firmly this one thing in myself, that the Lord contrived all things symbolically and by a dispensation towards men, for their conversion and salvation."
+
+That is to say, that all truly inspired narratives of the Doings and Sayings of the Christ are typical; or again, that He who is Christ, in all He does and says, as Christ, acts with the Cosmic Order. This is His "economy" and "ministry"--the doing of His "Father's business."
+
+We will now turn to the Hymn itself, and first give a version of it from Bonnet's text. In the newly-recovered fragment it is introduced as follows:
+
+"Now before He was taken by the lawless Jews--by them who are under the law of the lawless Serpent--He gathered us together and said:
+
+"'Before I am delivered over unto them we will hymn the Father, and so go forth to what lieth before [us].'
+
+"Then bidding us make as it were a ring, by holding each others' hands, with Him in the midst, He said:
+
+"'Answer "Amen" to Me.'
+
+"Then He began to hymn a hymn and say:
+
+## The Hymn
+
+Glory to Thee, Father!
+
+(And we going round in a ring answered to Him:) Amen!
+
+Glory to Thee, Word (Logos)!
+
+Amen!
+
+Glory to Thee, Grace (Charis)!
+
+Amen!
+
+Glory to Thee, Spirit!
+
+Glory to Thee, Holy One!
+
+Glory to Thy Glory!
+
+Amen!
+
+We praise Thee, O Father;
+
+We give Thanks to Thee, O light;
+
+In Whom Darkness dwells not!
+
+Amen!
+
+(For what we give thanks to the Logos).
+
+[Or, if we adopt the "emended" text: For what we give thanks, I say:]
+
+I would be saved; and I would save.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would be loosed; and I would loose.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would be wounded; and I would wound.
+
+[Or, I would be pierced; and I would pierce.
+
+Another reading has:
+
+I would be dissolved (or consumed for love); and I would dissolve.]
+
+Amen!
+
+I would be begotten; and I would beget.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would eat; and I would be eaten.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would hear; and I would be heard.
+
+Amen!
+
+[I would understand; and] I would be understood; being all Understanding (Nous).
+
+[The first cause I have supplied; the last is probably a gloss.]
+
+I would be washed; and I would wash.
+
+Amen!
+
+(Grace leadeth the dance.)
+
+I would pipe; dance ye all.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would play a dirge; lament ye all.
+
+Amen!
+
+The one Eight (Ogdoad) sounds (or plays) with us.
+
+Amen!
+
+The Twelfth number above leadeth the dance.
+
+Amen!
+
+All whose nature is to dance [doth dance].
+
+Amen!
+
+Who danceth not, knows not what is being done.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would flee; and I would stay.
+
+Amen!
+
+I would be adorned; and I would adorn.
+
+[The clauses are reversed in the text.]
+
+Amen!
+
+I would be at-oned; and I would at-one.
+
+Amen!
+
+I have no dwelling; and I have dwellings.
+
+Amen!
+
+I have no place; and I have places.
+
+Amen!
+
+I have no temple; and I have temples.
+
+Amen!
+
+I am a lamp to thee who seest Me.
+
+Amen!
+
+I am a mirror to thee who understandest Me.
+
+Amen!
+
+I am a door to thee who knockest at Me.
+
+Amen!
+
+I am a way to thee a wayfarer.
+
+Amen!
+
+Now answer to My dancing!
+
+See thyself in Me who speak;
+
+And seeing what I do,
+
+Keep silence on My Mysteries.
+
+Understand by dancing, what I do;
+
+For thine is the Passion of Man
+
+That I am to suffer.
+
+Thou couldst not at all be conscious
+
+Of what thou dost suffer,
+
+Were I not sent as thy Word by the Father.
+
+[The last clause may be emended: I am thy Word; I was sent by the Father.]
+
+Seeing what I suffer,
+
+Thou sawest Me as suffering;
+
+And seeing, thou didst not stand,
+
+But wast moved wholly,
+
+Moved to be wise.
+
+Thou hast Me for a couch; rest thou upon Me.
+
+Who I am thou shalt know when I depart.
+
+What now I am seen to be, that I am not.
+
+[But what I am] thou shalt see when thou comest.
+
+If thou hadst known how to suffer,
+
+Thou wouldst have power not to suffer.
+
+Know [then] how to suffer, and thou hast power not to suffer.
+
+That which thou knowest not, I Myself will teach thee.
+
+I am thy God, not the Betrayer's
+
+I would be kept in time with holy souls.
+
+In Me know thou the Word of Wisdom.
+
+Say thou to Me again:
+
+Glory to Thee, Father!
+
+Glory to Thee, Word!
+
+Glory to TheSe, Holy Spirit!
+
+But as for Me, if thou wouldst know what I was:
+
+In a word I am the Word who did play [or dance] all things, and was not shamed at all.
+
+'Twas I who leaped [and danced].
+
+But do thou understand all, and, understanding, say: Glory to Thee, Father!
+
+Amen!
+
+(And having danced these things with us, Beloved, the Lord went forth. And we, as though beside ourselves, or wakened out of [deep} sleep, fled each our several ways.)
+
+## Comments
+
+To me it seems almost certain, as I argued in the first edition of Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, in 1900, that this Hymn is no hymn, but a mystery-ritual and perhaps the earliest Christian ritual of which we have any trace.
+
+We have a number of such mystery-rituals in the Coptic Gnostic works--the extract from the "Books of the Saviour" appended to the so-called Pistis Sophia document of the Askew Codex, and in the "Two Books of Ieou" of the Bruce Codex.
+
+In a number of passages the Disciples are bidden to "surround" (that is, join hands round) the Master at certain praise-givings and invocations of the Father, who is addressed as: "Father of all Fatherhood, Boundless Light"--just as the Father is hymned as Light in the last three lines of our opening doxology.
+
+The "Second Book of Ieou" ends with a long praise-giving, in the inner spaces; for these highly mystical treatises dead with the instruction of the Disciples by the Master out of the body. This praise-giving begins as follows (Carl Schmidt, Gnost. Schrift. . . . aus d. Codex Brucianus--Leipzig, 1892--pp. 187 ff.):
+
+"And He spake unto them, the Twelve:
+
+Surround Me all of you!
+
+And they all surrounded Him. He said unto them:
+
+Answer to Me [Amen], and sing praise with Me; and I will praise My Father for the Emanation of all Treasures.
+
+And He began to sing a hymn, praising His Father, and saying:
+
+I praise Tee . . . ; for Thou hast drawn Thyself unto Thyself altogether in Truth, till Thou has set free the space of this Little Idea [?the Cosmos]; yet hast Thou not withdrawn Thyself. For what now is Thy Will, O Unapproachable God?
+
+Thereon He made His Disciples answer three times: Amen, Amen, Amen!"
+
+As far as I can discover from the most recent works of reference, "Amen" is considered by scholars to be a pure Hebrew word. It is said to have been originally an adjective signifying "stability," "firmness," "certainty," which subsequently became an interjection, used first of all in conversation, and then restricted to the most solemn form of asseveration; as, for instance, in oaths, and, in the temple ritual, in the responses of the congregation to the doxologies and solemn utterances of the priests and readers.
+
+According to the Portuguese reading of the vowels it is pronounced Âmên (the vowels as in Italian). The Greek transliteration is Amên.
+
+In Revelation (iii. 14), Christ is called the Amen: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness."
+
+We are told that in the great synagogue at Alexandria, at the conclusion of the reader's doxology, the attendant signalled with a flag for the congregation to respond Amen.
+
+This use of this sacred utterance was taken over by the Christian churches; so that we find Jerome writing: "Like unto celestial thunder the Amen re-echoes."
+
+It is well know that Hebrew and Aramaic are exceedingly rich in loan-words from other languages. I have, however, never seen it yet suggested that Amen may be a loan-word. I would now, with all submission to Hebraist specialists, make this suggestion, for Plutarch in his treatise On Isis and Osiris writes (ix. 4):
+
+"Moreover, while the majority think that the proper name of Zeus with the Egyptians is Amoun (which we by a slight change call Ammôn), Manethô, the Sebennyte, considers it His hidden one, and that His power of hiding is made plain by the very articulation of the sound.
+
+"Hecatæus of Abdera, however, says that the Egyptians use this word to one another also when they call one to them, for that its sound has got the power of 'calling to'.
+
+"Wherefore when they call to the First God--who they think is the same for every man--as unto the Unmanifest and Hidden, invoking Him to make Him manifest and plain to them, they say 'Amoun!'"
+
+Ammôn or Amoun is usually transliterated directly from the hieroglyphics as Amen. We thus learn that in Egypt Amen was a "word of power," indeed the chief "word of power" in general theurgic use.
+
+We cannot suppose that Hecataeus, in his History of Egypt, intended us to understand that the Egyptians shouted it after one another in the street. It was rather used as a word of magic, for evoking the Ka of a person, or as the chiefest of all invocations to the Invisible Deity.
+
+The exact parallel is to be found today in the use of the "Word of Glory" (the Pranava), Om or Aum, in India.
+
+The sacred dancing was common to all great mystery-ceremonies. Here it will be sufficient to quote from what Philo of Alexandria, in the first quarter of our era, tells us, in his famous treatise On the Contemplative Life, about the sacred dances of the Therapeuts or "Servants of God." He writes:
+
+"Then the president rising chants a hymn which has been made in God's honour, either a new one which he has composed, or an old one of the ancient poets.
+
+"For they have left behind them many metres and tunes in trimetric epics, processional hymns, libation-odes, altar-chants, stationary choruses, and dance-songs, all admirably measured off in diversified strains.
+
+"And after him the others also, in bands, in proper order, take up the chanting, while the rest listen in deep silence, except when they have to join in the burden and refrains; for they all, both men and women,join in. . . .
+
+"After the banquet they keep the holy all-night festival. And this is how it is kept:
+
+"They all stand up in a body; and about the middle of the ceremony they first of all separate into two bands, men in one and women in the other. And a leader is chosen for each, the conductor whose reputation is greatest and the one most suitable for the post.
+
+"They then chant hymns made in God's honour, in many metres and melodies; sometimes singing in chorus, sometimes one band beating time to the answering chant of the other, now dancing to its music, now inspiring it, at one time in processional hymns, at another in standing songs, turning and returning in the dance.
+
+"Then when each band has feasted [that is, has sung and dance] apart by itself, drinking of God-pleasing nectar, just as in the Bacchic rites men drink the wine unmixed, they join together, and one chorus is formed of the two bands. . .
+
+"So the chorus of men and women Therapeuts . . . , by means of melodies in parts and harmony--the high notes of the women answering to the deep tones of the men--produces a harmonious and most musical symphony. The ideas are of the most beautiful, the expressions of the most beautiful, and the dancers reverent; while the goal of the ideas, expressions, and dancers is piety.
+
+"Thus drunken into morning's light with this fair drunkenness, with no head-heaviness or drowsiness, but with eyes and body fresher even than when they came to the banquet, they take their stand at dawn, when, catching sight of the rising sun, they raise their hands to heaven, praying for Sunlight and Truth, and keenness of Spiritual Vision."
+
+And now we will turn to the text of our Hymn, which pertains to a still higher mystery, first of all dealing with the introductory words of the writer of the Acts.
+
+The "lawless Jews" refers to those who are "under the law of the lawless Serpent"; that is to say, those who are under the sway of Generation as contrasted with those who are under the law of Regeneration, of carnal birth as opposed to spiritual birth; or again, of the Lesser as contrasted with the Greater Mysteries.
+
+As the pre-Christian Greek redactor of the Naassene Document phrases it (T.G.H., i. 162)"
+
+"For He [the Great Man, the Logos, the Serpent of Wisdom] is Ocean--'birth-causing of gods and birth-causing of men'--flowing and ebbing for ever, now up and now down."
+
+And on this the early Jewish commentator remarks:
+
+"When Ocean flows down, it is the birth-causing of men; and when He flows up, . . . it is the birth-causing of gods."
+
+And further on he adds:
+
+"This is the Great Jordan, which flowing downwards and preventing the Sons of Israel from going forth out of Egypt, or from the Intercourse Below, was turned back by Jesus [LXX. for Joshua] and made to flow upwards."
+
+This one and the same Serpent was thus either Agathodaimôn (or Good Spirit) or the Kakodaimôn (or Evil Spirit), according to the will of man. The regenerated or perfect man, the man of repentance, he who has turned Homewards, or has his "face" set Above, whose will is being atoned with the Divine Will, turns the waters of Ocean upwards, and thus gives birth to himself as a god.
+
+The doxology of our Hymn is triadic--Father, Son, Mother.
+
+Charis, Grace or Love, is Wisdom, or God's Good-Will, the Holy Spirit, or Great breath; that is, the Power and Spouse of Deity.
+
+The order of the triple praise-giving is then reversed: Mother, Son, Father; for Glory is the Great Presence, the Father.
+
+And finally there is a trinity in unity, Praise being given to the Father as Light; the same as the oft-recurring invocation in the Coptic Gnostic works: "Father of all Fatherhood, Boundless Light!"
+
+The doxology being ended, we come to a striking series of double clauses or antitheses. I at once submit that these were not originally intended to be uttered by one and the same person. On the contrary they are evidently amoebæan; that is, answering as in a dialogue. Nor were they addressed to the Disciples; there was some single person for whom the whole was intended, and to whom much of it is addressed.
+
+If, then, we have before us not a hymn, but the remains of a mystery-ritual, there must have been two people in the circle. One of them was the Master, the Initiator. Who was the other? Manifestly, the one to be initiated.
+
+Now the ultimate end of all Gnosis was the at-one-ment or union of the little man with the Great Man, of the human soul with the Divine Soul.
+
+In the great Wisdom-myth, the human soul was regarded as the "lost sheep," the erring and suffering Sophia fallen into generation, from which she was saved by the Christ, her true Lord and Spouse.
+
+On the side of the Great Descent we have the most wonderful attempts made by the Gnostics to pierce the veil of the mysteries of cosmogony--to catch some glimpse of how the Cosmos came into existence, and was fashioned by the creative power of the Logos, the Supernal Christ. This was called the "enformation according to substance"--the "substance" being the Sophia or Wisdom Herself as viewed in Her self-isolation from the Plêrôma or Fullness of Divine Being, the Transcendent Presence.
+
+On the way of the Great Ascent or Return, the Gnosis attempted to raise the veil of the mysteries of soteriology, or of the rescue of the separated human soul, and its restoration to the Bosom of the Divine. This was called the "enformation according to gnosis"--that is, Self-consciousness.
+
+The duologue is therefore carried on by those who are acting out the mystery of the Sophia and the Christ; through we should never forget that they are in reality or essentially one and the same Person,the lower and higher self in the Presence of the Great Self.
+
+The twelve disciples are the representatives of the powers of the Master, sent forth (apostles) into the outer worlds, corresponding with the Great Twelve of the Presence,the Twelve Above; and they dance to the dancing or cosmic motions of the Twelve, even as the candidate, or neophyte, the Sophia below, dances to the cosmic motion of the Charis or Grace or Sophia Above.
+
+And if this rite be duly consummated, the Presence that enwraps the doers of the mystery is Divine. The Presence is that of the Father Himself, who has no human form, but is as it were a "Heart" or "Head," a "Face," a Shekinah or Glory. How the seers of the Gnosis conceived this marvel of the Godhead may perhaps be seized dimly in the following passages from the "Untitled Apocalypse" of the Bruce Codex (F.F.F., p. 548):
+
+"The Outline of His Face is beyond all possibility of knowing in the Outer Worlds--those Worlds that ever seek His Face, desiring to know it; for His Word has gone forth into them, and they long to see Him.
+
+"The Light of His Eyes penetrates the Spaces of the Outer Plêrôma; and the Word that comes forth from His Mouth penetrates the Above and the Below.
+
+"The Hairs of His Head is the number of the Hidden Worlds, and the Outline of his Face is the type of the Æons [i.e., Perfect Spheres and Eternities].
+
+"The Hair of His Face are the number of the Outer Worlds, and the Outspreading of His Hands is the manifestation of the Cross. . . .
+
+"The Source of the Cross is the Man [Logos] whom no man can comprehend.
+
+"He is the Father; He is the Source from which the Silence [the Mother of the Æons] wells."
+
+And as to the consummation of at-one-ment and the state of him who makes joyful surrender of himself unto the Powers, "and thus becoming Powers he is in God," as Poemandrês teaches, some intuition may be gleaned from the same document which tells of the Host of Powers, "having wreaths (or crowns) on their heads"--that is Æons or Christs or Masters crowned their Twelve Powers, and all the other orderings of spiritual energies (F.F.F., p. 556):
+
+"Their Crowns send forth Rays. The Brilliancy of Their Bodies is as the Life of the Space into which They are come.
+
+"The Word (Logos) that come out of Their Mouth is Eternal Life; and the Light that comes forth from Their Eyes is Rest for Them.
+
+"The Movement of Their Hands is Their Flight to the Space out of which They are come; and Their Gazing on Their own Faces is Gnosis of Themselves.
+
+"The Going to Themselves is a repeated Return; and the Stretching forth of Their Hands establishes Them.
+
+"The Hearing of Their Ears is the Perception in Their Heart; and the Union of Their Limbs is the in-gathering of Israel.
+
+"Their Holding to one another is Their Fortification in the Logos."
+
+All this is doubtless "foolishness" to many but is Light and Life and Wisdom for some few, who would strive towards becoming the Many in One, and One in Many.
+
+But to the somewhat lesser mysteries of our ritual. All the terms must, I think, be interpreted as mystery-words; they contained for the Gnostics a wealth of meaning, which differed for each according to his understanding and experience. If, then, I venture on any suggestions of meaning, it should be understood that they are but tentative and ephemeral, and as it were only rough notes in pencil in the margin that may be rubbed out and emended by every one according to his knowledge and preference.
+
+"I would be saved."
+
+The human soul is "wandering in the labyrinth of ills," as the Naassene Hymn has it (T.G.H., i. 191); is being swirled about by the "fierce flood" of Ignorance as the Preacher, in one of the Trismegistic sermons, phrases it (T.G.H., ii. 120). The soul is being swirled about in the Ocean of Genesis, in the Spheres of Fate.
+
+She prays for safety, for that state of stability which is attained when the worlds of swirl in the Magna Vorago, or Great Whirlpool, to use a term of the Orphic tradition, are transcended, by means of at-one-ment with the Great Stability, the Logos--"He who stands, has stood and will stand," as the Simonian Great Announcement calls Him.
+
+In its beginnings this safety expresses neither motion nor stability, but a ceasing from agitation; the mind or anxiety is no longer within the movement, the Procession of Fate.
+
+The tempest-tossed self cries out to be drawn apart from the swirl; while the other self that is not in the swirl would like to enter.
+
+The self within, or subject to, the "downward" elements has to unite with the self of the "upward" elements in order to be saved from the swirling of the passions; while the "higher" self has to be drawn into the "lower," so to say, and unite with it, in order to be "saved" from the incapacity of self-expression.
+
+"I would be loosed."
+
+That is, loosed from the bonds of Fate and Genesis. In some of the rites the candidate was bound with a rope. In Egypt he rope symbolized a serpent, the Typhonic "loud-breathing serpent" of the passions, as the "Hymn of the Soul" of Bardaisan calls it (F.F.F., p.477).
+
+"I would be wounded."
+
+Or "I would be pierced." This suggests the entrance of the ray of the higher self into the heart whereby the "knot in the heart," as the Upanishads phrase it, may be unloosed, or dissolved, or in order that the lower self may receive the divine radiance of the higher. This interpretation is borne out by the alternative reading from a Latin translation, which may have originated in a gloss by one who knew the mystery, for he writes: "I would be dissolved"; that is, "consumed by love."
+
+And so we continue with the mysteries of this truly "Sacred Marriage," or "Spiritual Union," as it was called.
+
+"I would be begotten."
+
+This is the Mystery of the Immaculate Conception, or Self-birth. "I would be begotten" as a Christ, the New-Man, or True Man, who is in verity the Alone-begotten--that is, Begotten-from-Himself-alone, or Self-begotten.
+
+"I would eat."
+
+By "eating," food and eater become one. The Logos is called the "Bread of Life"; that is, the Supersubstantial Bread, one of the Elements of the Eucharist. The soul desires to "eat" the Life in everything; this expresses how the soul must become everything before it can enjoy cosmic consciousness, and be nourished by the Life in all.
+
+So it is that men can become part of the Cosmos through right action. But to reach this consummation we must no longer long to live and act our little life, but rather to be, if one may so phrase it, in our turn "eaten"; that is to say, to have our own self-will eaten out of us. And then our fate or life or activity becomes part of the Great Records, and the man becomes a Living Oracle or Drama, a Christ. All Life then becomes a happening with meaning; but this can never be until the man surrenders his self-will and becomes one with the Great Will.
+
+This "eating" signifies a very intimate kind of union, in which the life of a man becomes part of a Great Life.
+
+"I would hear."
+
+It is to be remarked that there is no "I would see." If we can legitimately lay any stress on this, it is presumably because the candidate is already "seeing"; he has already reached the "epopt" stage, and therefore this "hearing" is beyond the probationary stage of "hearing" or of the "mystês."
+
+Hearing is much more cosmic or "greater" than seeing, as we learn later on from our fragment, in the Vision of the Cross, where John "sees the Lord Himself above the Cross, not having any shape, but only a voice."
+
+In such hearing the hearer draws nigh unto the Root-sound, or Breath (Âtman), which creates all that it is possible to see. To see there must be form, even if the form is only an idea.
+
+Again, hearing may be said to be the verb of action when power is being conveyed to a person; while seeing is the verb of action of that person after receiving the power.
+
+"I would understand."
+
+This recalls the idea of "standing," "stability." Plato attributes this understanding to the Sphere of Sameness (the Eighth), in this, I believe, handing on an echo from Egypt. It is by means of this stability of the true mind that consciousness is enabled to link on the happenings in the whirling spheres, or whorls, of Fate to the Great Things or Things-that-are, and so perceive greater soul-records in phenomena. The last clause is evidently a gloss, but by a knowing scribe. The Logos is the true Understanding or Mind (Nous).
+
+"I would be washed."
+
+That is, I would be baptized, or immersed wholly in the Ocean of Living Water, the Great Oneness. It may mean simply "I would be purified." But the full rite of baptism was immersion and not sprinkling; as Thrice-greatest Hermes says in the sermon "The Cup," or "The Monad" (T.G.H., ii. 86):
+
+"He filled a Mighty Cup (Kratêr) with it (Mind), and sent it down, joining a Herald to it, to whom He gave command to make this proclamation to the hearts of men:
+
+"Baptize thyself with this Cup's baptism, what heart can do so, thou who hast faith thou canst ascend to Him Who hath sent down the Cup, thou who dost know for what thou didst come into being!'
+
+"As many then as understand the Herald's tidings and dowsed themselves in Mind, became partakers in the Gnosis; and when they had 'received the Mind' they were made 'perfect men'.
+
+The Cup is perchance the Presence substantially.
+
+"Grace leadeth the dance."
+
+In the text this has the next sentence run on to it; but I am myself inclined to think that it is a note or a rubric rather than an utterance of the Initiator.
+
+The ceremony changes. Hitherto there had been the circledance, the "going round in a ring," which enclosed the mystery-drama, and the chanting of the sacred word.
+
+Contact is now mystically established with the Great Sphere, Charis or Sophia, the Counterpart or Spouse or Syzygy of the Supernal Christ, or of the Christ Above. She "leads the dance"; that is to say, the actors begin to act according to the great cosmic movements.
+
+"I would pipe."
+
+In the Naassene Document (T.G.H., i. 183), we read:
+
+"The Phrygians also say that that which is generated from Him is Syriktês."
+
+Syriktês is the Piper, properly the player on the syrinx, or seven-reeded Pan-pipe, whereby the music of the spheres is created.
+
+And on this the early Jewish commentator remarks:
+
+"For that which is generated is Spirit in harmony."
+
+That is to say, Spirit, or Sophia the Holy Breath, is harmony; and the Harmony was the name of the Seven Spheres encircled by the Eighth. Curiously enough, later on in our fragment the Logos is called "Wisdom in harmony."
+
+The Greek word for "dance" in the sentence "dance ye all" is different from that in the phrase "leadeth the dance." It reminds us of the "orchestra" in the Greek theatre.
+
+The Greek drama, I hold, arose from the Mysteries. The general view, however, is that it "sprang from the choral dances round the altar of Dionysus," and so the architectural form of the Greek theatre "was developed form the circular dancing place," the orchêstra.
+
+The dance is to represent the dance of the world-mystery, and therefore of the man-mystery--of joy and sorrow, of rejoicing and beating the breast.
+
+It is hardly necessary here to remind the reader of the Gospel-saying taken by the first (Matth., xi.17) and third (Lk., vii. 27) Evangelist from a common source:
+
+"We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
+
+"We have played a dirge unto you, and ye have not lamented."
+
+Is it possible that there was an inner tradition of a scripture in which this Saying stood in the first person singular? I think I have made out a presumption in my analysis of the Naassene Document (T.H.G., i. 195) that the Christian commentator, in his parallels with the Fourth Gospel, legitimately opens up for us the question whether or no he was in touch with "sources" of that "Johannine" document.
+
+In any case, I would suggest that for the Gnostic there was an under-meaning, and that it is here in our Hymn expressed for us though still mystically hidden
+
+The higher quaternion, or tetrad, as the Gnostic Marcus would have phrased it, of joy is to blend with the lower tetrad of sorrow; and both together are to form an octave, whereby the man is raised from his littleness into the Greatness; that is to say, he can now respond to cosmic music.
+
+Therefore what was apparently originally a rubric ("The one Eight" etc.), has been put by an unknowing scribe into the mouth of the Initiator, and an Amen added.
+
+The Ogdoad or Eight (in music the full Octave), "sounds with us"; that is, we are now beginning to dance to the Music of the Spheres.
+
+And this being so, the sense of the initiated soul may be said to become cosmic, for it begins to vibrate with, or answer back to, or become in sympathy with, the ordered motions of the Greatness; and therefore the Higher Twelve, the Powers that transcend the separated soul, and which crown or surround the Great Sphere, now lead the dance.
+
+Or, to speculate more daringly; the indications seem to denote a belief that at this stage in the rite there was present the Presence of Masterhood; and this would mean for the aspirant--as is so nobly set forth in the Trismegistic "Secret Sermon on the Mount," which might very well be called "The Initiation of Tat"--that he passes out of himself to greater things.
+
+And so his "twelve disciples," as it were, begin to dance above him or outside him; for the real disciples or apostles of a new-born Christ are not the things he has been taught on earth as man, but powers raying forth from the true Person into still greater regions.
+
+Apostles who go forth into the world of men are but reflections of Great Powers who now go forth from the true Person and link him on to the Great Cosmos.
+
+It is not easy to conjecture the meaning of the phrase "all whose nature is to dance doth dance," for the text is so faulty that we cannot be certain of a correct version. If, however, this be the right rendering, then I would suggest that the "all" is the cosmic order; and that now all is made ready, and spiritual communion has ben established between the church, or circle below, and the Church Above, who again is the Supernal Sophia.
+
+"Who danceth not, knows not what is being done."
+
+The soul must dance, or be active in a corresponding way, with the Great Dance, in order to know, or attain true Gnosis. Knowledge of the Great World can only be attained when the man has abandoned his self-will and acts in harmony with the Great Happenings.
+
+This reminds us of the Saying in the Fourth Gospel (vii. 17): "If a man will to do His Will, he shall know of the Doctrine"; and again (ix. 31): "If a man be a worshipper of God and do His Will, He will hear him." And the Will of God is His Divine Spouse, the Sophia or Wisdom, by Whom and in Whom He has made the worlds.
+
+"I would flee."
+
+It may be that here the new-born is in fear; the new motions of the Great Passions are too great for him. Or, again, it may signify the necessity of balance, or equilibrium; the soul feels itself swept away into the infinitudes, and is held back by the greater power of the Master--the that in him which alone is stable; these two are then the centrifugal and centripetal powers.
+
+"I would be adorned."
+
+The original Greek term suggests the idea of being rightly "ordered" (kosmein).
+
+It may also mean "clothed in fit garments"; that is, the soul prays that his little cosmos, which has previously been awry or out of order, may be made like unto the Great Order, and so he may be clad in "glories" or "robes of glory" or "power" like unto the Great Glories of the Heavenly Spheres.
+
+"I would be at-oned."
+
+We now approach the mystery of union, when the soul abandons with joy its separateness, and frees itself from the limitations of its "possession"--of that which is "mine" as apart from the rest.
+
+And so we have the triple declaration as to the loss of "dwelling," "place" and "temple" (the very "shrine" of the soul), and the assurance of the gain of all"dwellings," "places" and "temples." And in illustration of this sublime idea we may yet again quote from the "Untitled Apocalypse" of the Bruce Codex (F.F.F., p. 554):
+
+"'Holy, Holy, Holy is He, the [here come the seven vowels each three times repeated]'
+
+"That is to say:
+
+"'Thou art the Living One among the living.
+
+"'Thou art the Holy One among the holy.
+
+"'Thou art Being among beings.
+
+"'Thou art Father among Fathers.
+
+"'Thou art God among gods.
+
+"'Thou art Lord among lords.
+
+"'Thou art Space among spaces.'
+
+"Thus too do they praise Him.
+
+"'Thou art the House;
+
+"'And Thou art the Dweller in the House.'
+
+"And yet again do they praise the Son hidden in Him:
+
+"'Thou art; Thou art the Alone-begotten--Light, Life and Grace.'"
+
+"The Son of Man hath nowhere to lay His head"--for indeed He has all "places" in His possession.
+
+Then follow the comfortable words that the Christ, the Logos, is the Lamp, the Mirror, the Door and the Way for the human soul; the Divine Soul is all things for the beloved.
+
+In the worlds of darkness and uncertainty Christ is the Lamp, whom we must follow, for He leads us along the Way.
+
+For those who can perceive the Christ-essence in all, this Christ-essence is a Mirror reflecting the great truths of the higher worlds.
+
+There is one means alone of passing through the Wall of Separation between the Higher and the Lower, and that is Christ the Mediator. He is the Door; even as Thrice-greatest Hermes calls the Mind the "Inner Door" (T.G.H., iii. 274). And Parmenides in his "Truthwards" refers to the same mystery when he describes the Gates, twixt Day and Night, or Light and Darkness.
+
+For him who truly knocks at this Door, that is who turns all his attention and power in this direction, the Great Wall or Limit will be no more, and he shall go in and out at will.
+
+Again, Christ the Logos is the Way. He is our Path to God, both on the Light-side of things and on the Substance-side; either as a Lamp, or that for which the pure mind looks, or a Way, that on which the feet walk. In either case the Christ is that which leads to God.
+
+The ceremony again changes with the words: "Now answer to My dancing."
+
+All now may be believed to be taking place within the Master-Presence. Union of substance has been attained, but not yet union of consciousness. Before that final mystery can be consummated,the knowledge of the Passion of Man, that is of the Great Passion or perpetual experience of the Great Act, must be achieved.
+
+The soul is to gaze upon the mystery as upon its own Passion. The perfected soul can gaze upon the mystery in peace; as yet, however, the soul of the aspirant is not perfected in gnosis, but in substance only, so that it may feel the Great Passion in itself, and yet as apart from itself.
+
+Hereupon in the lower rite, the mystery-drama, the Passion of Man, must have been shown. What it may have been is not easy to conjecture; it must, however, have been something of a most distressing nature, for the neophyte is moved or shaken completely--that is to say,unnerved. He had not the strength of perfect faith in the Power of the Master; for, presumably, he saw that very Master dismembered before his eyes, or becoming many from one, or in some way done to death.
+
+After the Passion-drama or Passion-vision comes the instruction; for in such rites--such passions or experiences for the sake of knowing--there must be the actual experience in feeling before there can be gnosis.
+
+This knowledge is given by the Master Himself, the Logos in man: Wherefore it needs must be the lover should first behold the Beloved suffering.
+
+And then follow the comfortable words: "I am a couch; rest thou upon Me." For the Suffering Christ is but the translation into manifestation in time and space of the Triumphant Eternal Christ, the Æon. It is here that that mystery of Docetism, of what the Vedânta calls Mâyâ, receives a philosophical meaning. This mystery is suggested in many a logos; but here I will quote only from the Trismegistic sermon called "The Inner Door" (T.G.H., iii. 275):
+
+"And being so minded and so ordering his life, he shall behold the Son of God becoming all things for holy souls, that he may draw her (the soul) forth from out the region of the Fate into the Incorporeal.
+
+"For having power in all, He becometh all things, whatsoever He will; and in obedience to the Father's nod, through the whole Body doth He penetrate, and pouring forth His Light into the mind of every soul. He starts it back into the Blessed Region, where it was before it had become corporeal--following after Him, and led by Him into the Light."
+
+"Who I am thou shalt know when I depart."
+
+This and the two following sentences seem to suggest--that is, if we may venture to believe that there was true vision of an inner mystery accompanying the outer drama--some such idea as this.
+
+The substantial nature of the Presence, the Body, so to speak, of atmosphere, which may have been seen--with some suggestion of an idea of human form as its "pillar" or "support," and at the same time of a sphere or completeness holding it together--this, says the Master, is not my true Self. I am not this Mirror of the World, I am not this Word or Living Symbol which contains the whole world, and also stamps it with meaning and idea. What the nature of the real Christ is thou shalt know when thou comest, or becomest Him.
+
+"If thou hadst known how to suffer."
+
+The sentences so beginning are perhaps the most pregnant in meaning in the whole of this marvellous ritual. It seems in one sense (for there are infinite meanings) to signify: If the substance of your body had really known how to dance, and so been able to respond exactly to My Passion (that is, the manifestation in activity of real life and consciousness), then you would have had the power to have kept stable about the Mystic Centre, and not have been dragged back into your body of suffering, or in-harmony; you would not have been dragged back onto the dramatic side of things and been swamped by the drama.
+
+"That which thou knowest not, I Myself will teach thee."
+
+That which the soul unaided cannot know, the Master will teach. That is to say, presumably: This Power or Presence is a link between your own "body" or atmosphere and the realities of Great Things.
+
+As soon as the sphere-"body" (the psychic envelope of normal man is said to be ellipse, egg-shaped, imperfect) is capable of dancing, the Power of the Master will stamp it with meaning. The little self cannot do this. The Power is not connected with little things. It comes from the greater worlds as a natural result of the perfect dancing of the substances of all man's "bodies."
+
+"I am thy God, not the Betrayer's." Taken in connection with the introductory words before our Hymn, this will probably suggest to most readers the thought of Judas. But the Gnostics moved in a wider circle of ideas.
+
+The Betrayer is rather the lawless Serpent, the Kakodaimôn, that which hands the soul over to the bodies of death--a mystery that is not touched upon in our ritual.
+
+"I would be kept in time with holy souls."
+
+This sentence appears to me to be misplaced. One of its meanings seems to be that as the soul watches the Dance, it prays to be brought into harmony with "Holy Souls"; that is to have its consciousness and form brought into such perfect relationship as to become one. Then the little soul would become a Great Soul or Master, a Perfect or Balanced Soul.
+
+The concluding sentences are evidently drawn from two different traditions of the original text; they are two separate endings copied down one after the other. It is thus to be conjectured that there were several variants of this ritual, and that it was, therefore, widely known and used in Gnostic circles.
+
+It must, however, have been at first kept very secret, for later on in the text of our fragment we read the injunction of the Master to John:
+
+"That Passion which I showed unto thee and unto the rest in the Dance, I will that it be called a mystery."
+
+Can it be that in the the original form, it was John, the Beloved himself, who was the candidate?
+
+It may have been so; but even if so, "John" would not be understood by a Gnostic to be the name of one single historical character. There had been, there were, and there would be many Johns.
+
+From the Twelve Three; and from the Three One.
+
+For just as we find that there were Three--Peter, James and John--who were nearest the Lord in His Great Moments, so also do we find in the Johannine tradition that of these Three, it was John who was nearest to Him in His Great Acts.
+
+Moreover, just as in the Trismegistic tradition we find that out of the Three--Ammon, Asclepius and Tat--it is Tat, the most spiritual of the disciples, who succeeds his "Father," Thrice-greatest Hermes, when He is taken to the Gods; so also do we find in the Johannine tradition that it is John who succeeds Jesus when He ascends to the Father of all "Fathers."
+
+"Father" was the technical name of the Master, or Initiator, and the Head of the community.
+
+And so, in a codex of the Fourth Gospel, preserved in the archives of the Templars of St. John of Jerusalem, in Paris--that is to say in all probability in a document that belonged to those who came into contact with the Johannine tradition in the East--we find (Thilo, Code. Apoc. N.T., p. 880) the following additions which are absent from the Textus Receptus.
+
+To John, xvii. 26:
+
+"Amen, I say unto you, I am not of this world; but John shall be your Father, till he shall go with Me into Paradise. And He anointed them with the Holy Spirit."
+
+And to John, xix. 26-30:
+
+"He saith to His Mother: Weep not; I go to My Father and to Eternal Life. Behold Thy Son. He will keep My place.
+
+"Then saith He to the Disciple: Behold thy Mother!
+
+"Then bowing His Head He breathed forth His Spirit."
+
+But if it be willed that that which "I showed unto thee . . . in the Dance" be "called a mystery," it must equally be willed that it be kept a mystery.
+
+I therefore offer my surmises on the altar of the Outer Court, though hardly venturing to think they will be regarded as reasonable oblations to the Great Presence by many of the Many who serve there.
+
+I would, however, venture to hope that I have at least established a strong presumption that the Hymn of Jesus is no hymn, but a very early Christian mystery-ritual, and perhaps the oldest Christian ritual of any kind preserved to us.

hermetic-texts/the-emerald-tablet-of-hermes-trismegistus.md

@@ -0,0 +1,410 @@
+# EMERALD TABLET OF HERMES TRISMEGISTUS
+
+## Contents
+
+- History Of The Tablet
+- Translations
+- Textual Remarks
+- Commentaries
+- General
+- A Commentary Of Ibn Umail
+
+## History Of The Tablet
+
+History of the Tablet (largely summarised from Needham 1980, & Holmyard 1957)
+
+The Tablet probably first appeared in the West in editions of the psuedo-Aristotlean Secretum Secretorum which was actually a translation of the Kitab Sirr al-Asar, a book of advice to kings which was translated into latin by Johannes Hispalensis c. 1140 and by Philip of Tripoli c.1243. Other translations of the Tablet may have been made during the same period by Plato of Tivoli and Hugh of Santalla, perhaps from different sources.  
+
+The date of the Kitab Sirr al-Asar is uncertain, though c.800 has been suggested and it is not clear when the tablet became part of this work.  
+Holmyard was the first to find another early arabic version (Ruska found a 12th centruy recension claiming to have been dictated by Sergius of Nablus) in the Kitab Ustuqus al-Uss al-Thani (Second Book of the Elements of Foundation) attributed to Jabir. Shortly after Ruska found another version appended to the Kitab Sirr al-Khaliqa wa San'at al-Tabi'a (Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature), which is also known as the Kitab Balaniyus al-Hakim fi'l-'Ilal (book of Balinas the wise on the Causes). It has been proposed that this book was written may have been written as early as 650, and was definitely finished by the Caliphate of al-Ma'mun (813-33).  
+Scholars have seen similarities between this book and the Syriac Book of
+
+Treasures written by Job of Odessa (9th century) and more interestingly the Greek writings of the bishop Nemesius of Emesa in Syria from the mid fourth century. However though this suggests a possible Syriac source, none of these writings contain the tablet.  
+Balinas is usually identified with Apollonius of Tyna, but there is little evidence to connect him with the Kitab Balabiyus, and even if there was, the story implies that Balinas found the tablet rather than wrote it, and the recent discoveries of the dead sea scrolls and the nag hamamdi texts suggest that hiding texts in caves is not impossible, even if we did not have the pyramids before us.  
+
+Ruska has suggested an origin further east, and Needham has proposed an origin in China.  
+
+Holmyard, Davis and Anon all consider that this Tablet may be one of the earliest of all alchemical works we have that survives.  
+It should be remarked that apparently the Greeks and Egyptians used the term translated as 'emerald' for emeralds, green granites, "and perhaps green jasper". In medieval times the emerald table of the Gothic kings of Spain, and the Sacro catino-a dish said to have belonged to the Queen of Sheba, to have been used at the last supper, and to be made of emerald, were made of green glass [Steele and Singer: 488].
+
+## Translations
+
+From Jabir ibn Hayyan.
+
+0) Balinas mentions the engraving on the table in the hand of Hermes, which says:  
+1) Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt!  
+2) That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one.  
+3) As all things were from one.  
+4) Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon.  
+5) The Earth carried it in her belly, and the Wind nourished it in her belly,  
+7) as Earth which shall become Fire.  
+7a) Feed the Earth from that which is subtle, with the greatest power.  
+8) It ascends from the earth to the heaven and becomes ruler over that which is above and that which is below.  
+14) And I have already explained the meaning of the whole of this in two of these books of mine.  
+[Holmyard 1923: 562.]
+
+Another Arabic Version (from the German of Ruska, translated by 'Anonymous').
+
+0) Here is that which the priest Sagijus of Nabulus has dictated concerning the entrance of Balinas into the hidden chamber... After my entrance into the chamber, where the talisman was set up, I came up to an old man sitting on a golden throne, who was holding an emerald table in one hand. And behold the following - in Syriac, the primordial language-was written thereon:  
+1) Here (is) a true explanation, concerning which there can be no doubt.  
+2) It attests: The above from the below, and the below from the above -the work of the miracle of the One.  
+3) And things have been from this primal substance through a single act. How wonderful is this work! It is the main (principle) of the world and is its maintainer.  
+4) Its father is the sun and its mother the moon; the  
+5) wind has borne it in its body, and the earth has nourished it.  
+6) the father of talismen and the protector of miracles  
+6a) whose powers are perfect, and whose lights are confirmed (?),  
+7) a fire that becomes earth.  
+7a) Separate the earth from the fire, so you will attain the subtle as more inherent than the gross, with care and sagacity.  
+8) It rises from earth to heaven, so as to draw the lights of the heights to itself, and descends to the earth; thus within it are the forces of the above and the below;  
+9) because the light of lights within it, thus does the darkness flee before it.  
+10) The force of forces, which overcomes every subtle thing and penetrates into everything gross.  
+11) The structure of the microcosm is in accordance with the structure of the macrocosm.  
+12) And accordingly proceed the knowledgeable.  
+13) And to this aspired Hermes, who was threefold graced with wisdom.  
+14) And this is his last book, which he concealed in the chamber.  
+[Anon 1985: 24-5]  
+
+Twelfth Century Latin
+
+0) When I entered into the cave, I received the tablet zaradi, which was inscribed, from between the hands of Hermes, in which I discovered these words:  
+1) True, without falsehood, certain, most certain.  
+2) What is above is like what is below, and what is below is like that which is above. To make the miracle of the one thing.  
+3) And as all things were made from contemplation of one, so all things were born from one adaptation.  
+4) Its father is the Sun, its mother is the Moon.  
+5) The wind carried it in its womb, the earth breast fed it.  
+6) It is the father of all 'works of wonder' (Telesmi) in the world.  
+6a) Its power is complete (integra).  
+7) If cast to (turned towards-versa fuerit) earth,  
+7a) it will separate earth from fire, the subtile from the gross.  
+8) With great capacity it ascends from earth to heaven. Again it descends to earth, and takes back the power of the above and the below.  
+9) Thus you will receive the glory of the distinctiveness of the world. All obscurity will flee from you.  
+10) This is the whole most strong strength of all strength, for it overcomes all subtle things, and penetrates all solid things.  
+11a) Thus was the world created.  
+12) From this comes marvelous adaptions of which this is the proceedure.  
+13) Therefore I am called Hermes, because I have three parts of the wisdom of the whole world.  
+14) And complete is what I had to say about the work of the Sun, from the book of Galieni Alfachimi.  
+[From Latin in Steele and Singer 1928: 492.]  
+
+Translation from Aurelium Occultae Philosophorum..Georgio Beato
+
+1) This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood  
+2) Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.  
+3) Also, as all things are made from one, by the condsideration of one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.  
+4) The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon.  
+5) The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.  
+6a)Its power is perfected.  
+7) If it is turned into earth,  
+7a) separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and course, prudently, with modesty and wisdom.  
+8) This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.  
+9) By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.  
+10) For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.  
+11a) By this means the world was founded  
+12) and hence the marvelous cojunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way by which these marvels may be brought about.  
+13) And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and Philsosphy of the whole universe.  
+14) My speech is finished which i have spoken concerning the solar work  
+[Davis 1926: 874.]  
+
+Translation of Issac Newton c. 1680.
+
+1) Tis true without lying, certain & most true.  
+2) That wch is below is like that wch is above & that wch is above is like yt wch is below to do ye miracles of one only thing.  
+3) And as all things have been & arose from one by ye mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.  
+4) The Sun is its father, the moon its mother,  
+5) the wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nourse.  
+6) The father of all perfection in ye whole world is here.  
+7) Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.  
+7a) Seperate thou ye earth from ye fire, ye subtile from the gross sweetly wth great indoustry.  
+8) It ascends from ye earth to ye heaven & again it desends to ye earth and receives ye force of things superior & inferior.  
+9) By this means you shall have ye glory of ye whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.  
+10) Its force is above all force. ffor it vanquishes every subtile thing & penetrates every solid thing.  
+11a) So was ye world created.  
+12) From this are & do come admirable adaptaions whereof ye means (Or process) is here in this.  
+13) Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the three parts of ye philosophy of ye whole world.  
+14) That wch I have said of ye operation of ye Sun is accomplished & ended.  
+[Dobbs 1988: 183-4.]  
+
+Translation from Kriegsmann (?) alledgedly from the Phoenician
+
+1) I speak truly, not falsely, certainly and most truly  
+2) These things below with those above and those with these join forces again so that they produce a single thing the most wonderful of all.  
+3) And as the whole universe was brought forth from one by the word of one GOD, so also all things are regenerated perpetually from this one according to the disposition of Nature.  
+4) It has the Sun for father and the Moon for mother:  
+5) it is carried by the air as if in a womb, it is nursed by the earth.  
+6) It is the cause, this, of all perfection of all things throughout the universe.  
+6a) This will attain the highest perfection of powers  
+7) if it shall be reduced into earth  
+7a) Distribute here the earth and there the fire, thin out the density of this the suavest (suavissima) thing of all.  
+8) Ascend with the greatest sagacity of genius from the earth into the sky, and thence descend again to the earth, and recognise that the forces of things above and of things below are one,  
+9) so as to posses the glory of the whole world-and beyond this man of abject fate may have nothing further.  
+10) This thing itself presently comes forth stronger by reasons of this fortitude: it subdues all bodies surely, whether tenuous or solid, by penetrating them.  
+11a) And so everything whatsoever that the world contains was created.  
+12) Hence admirable works are accomplished which are instituted (carried out-instituuntur) according to the same mode.  
+13) To me therefor the name of Hermes Trismegistus has been awarded because I am discovered as the Teacher of the three parts of the wisdom of the world.  
+14) These then are the considerations which I have concluded ought to be written down concerning the readiest operations of the Chymic art.  
+[Davis 1926: 875 slightly modified.]  
+
+From Sigismund Bacstrom (allegedly translated from Chaldean).
+
+0) The Secret Works of CHIRAM ONE in essence, but three in aspect.  
+1) It is true, no lie, certain and to be depended upon,  
+2) the superior agrees with the inferior, and the inferior agrees with the superior, to effect that one truly wonderful work.  
+3) As all things owe their existence to the will of the only one, so all things owe their origin to the one only thing, the most hidden by the arrangement of the only God.  
+4) The father of that one only thing is the sun its mother is the moon,  
+5) the wind carries it in its belly; but its nourse is a spirituous earth.  
+6) That one only thing is the father of all things in the Universe.  
+6a) Its power is perfect,  
+7) after it has been united with a spirituous earth.  
+7a) Separate that spirituous earth from the dense or crude by means of a gentle heat, with much attention.  
+8) In great measure it ascends from the earth up to heaven, and descends again, newborn, on the earth, and the superior and the inferior are increased in power.  
+9) By this wilt thou partake of the honours of the whole world. And Darkness will fly from thee.  
+10) This is the strength of all powers. With this thou wilt be able to overcome all things and transmute all what is fine and what is coarse.  
+11a) In this manner the world was created;  
+12) the arrangements to follow this road are hidden.  
+13) For this reason I am called Chiram Telat Mechasot, one in essence, but three in aspect. In this trinity is hidden the wisdom of the whole world.  
+14) It is ended now, what I have said concerning the effects of the sun. Finish of the Tabula Smaragdina.  
+[See Hall 1977: CLVIII,]  
+
+From Madame Blavatsky
+
+2) What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is similar to that which is below to accomplish the wonders of the one thing.  
+3) As all things were produced by the mediation of one being, so all things were produced from this one by adaption.  
+4) Its father is the sun, its mother the moon.  
+6a) It is the cause of all perfection throughout the whole earth.  
+7) Its power is perfect if it is changed into earth.  
+7a) Separate the earth from the fire, the subtile from the gross, acting prudently and with judgement.  
+8 ) Ascend with the greatest sagacity from earth to heaven, and unite together the power of things inferior and superior;  
+9) thus you will possess the light of the whole world, and all obscurity will fly away from you.  
+10) This thing has more fortitude than fortitude itself, because it will overcome every subtile thing and penetrate every solid thing.  
+11a) By it the world was formed.  
+[Blavatsky 1972: 507.]  
+
+From Fulcanelli (translated from the French by Sieveking)
+
+1) This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth:-  
+2) As below, so above; and as above so below. With this knowledge alone you may work miracles.  
+3) And since all things exist in and eminate from the ONE Who is the ultimate Cause, so all things are born after their kind from this ONE.  
+4) The Sun is the father, the Moon the mother;  
+5) the wind carried it in his belly. Earth is its nurse and its guardian.  
+6) It is the Father of all things,  
+6a) the eternal Will is contained in it.  
+7) Here, on earth, its strength, its power remain one and undivded.  
+7a) Earth must be separated from fire, the subtle from the dense, gently with unremitting care.  
+8) It arises from the earth and descends from heaven; it gathers to itself the strength of things above and things below.  
+9) By means of this one thing all the glory of the world shall be yours and all obscurity flee from you.  
+10) It is power, strong with the strength of all power, for it will penetrate all mysteries and dispel all ignorance.  
+11a) By it the world was created.  
+12) From it are born manifold wonders, the means to achieving which are here given  
+13) It is for this reason that I am called Hermes Trismegistus; for I possess the three essentials of the philosophy of the universe.  
+14) This is is the sum total of the work of the Sun.  
+[Sadoul 1972: 25-6.]  
+
+From Fulcanelli, new translation
+
+1) It is true without untruth, certain and most true:  
+2) that which is below is like that which is on high, and that which is on high is like that which is below; by these things are made the miracles of one thing.  
+3) And as all things are, and come from One, by the mediation of One, So all things are born from this unique thing by adaption.  
+4) The Sun is the father and the Moon the mother.  
+5) The wind carries it in its stomach. The earth is its nourisher and its receptacle.  
+6 The Father of all the Theleme of the universal world is here.  
+6a) Its force, or power, remains entire,  
+7) if it is converted into earth.  
+7a) You separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, gently with great industry.  
+8) It climbs from the earth and descends from the sky, and receives the force of things superior and things inferior.  
+9) You will have by this way, the glory of the world and all obscurity will flee from you.  
+10) It is the power strong with all power, for it will defeat every subtle thing and penetrate every solid thing  
+11a) In this way the world was created.  
+12) From it are born wonderful adaptations, of which the way here is given.  
+13) That is why I have been called Hermes Tristmegistus, having the three parts of the universal philosophy.  
+14) This, that I have called the solar Work, is complete.  
+[Translated from Fulcanelli 1964: 312.]  
+
+From Idres Shah
+
+1) The truth, certainty, truest, without untruth.  
+2 )What is above is like what is below. What is below is like what is above. The miracle of unity is to be attained.  
+3) Everything is formed from the contemplation of unity, and all things come about from unity, by means of adaptation.  
+4) Its parents are the Sun and Moon.  
+5) It was borne by the wind and nurtured by the Earth.  
+6) Every wonder is from it  
+6a) and its power is complete.  
+7) Throw it upon earth,  
+7a) and earth will separate from fire. The impalbable separated from the palpable.  
+8) Through wisdom it rises slowly from the world to heaven. Then it descends to the world combining the power of the upper and the lower.  
+9 )Thus you will have the illumination of all the world, and darkness will disappear.  
+10) This is the power of all strength-it overcomes that which is delicate and penetrates through solids.  
+11a) This was the means of the creation of the world.  
+12) And in the future wonderful developements will be made, and this is the way.  
+13) I am Hermes the Threefold Sage, so named because I hold the three elements of all wisdom.  
+14) And thus ends the revelation of the work of the Sun.  
+(Shah 1964: 198).  
+
+Hypothetical Chinese Original
+
+1) True, true, with no room for doubt, certain, worthy of all trust.  
+2) See, the highest comes from the lowest, and the lowest from the highest; indeed a marvelous work of the tao.  
+3) See how all things originated from It by a single process.  
+4) The father of it (the elixir) is the sun (Yang), its mother the moon (Yin).  
+5) The wind bore it in its belly, and the earth nourished it.  
+6 )This is the father of wondrous works (changes and transformations), the guardian of mysteries,  
+6a) perfect in its powers, the animator of lights.  
+7) This fire will be poured upon the earth...  
+7a) So separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, acting prudently and with art.  
+8) It ascends from the earth to the heavens (and orders the lights above), then descends again to the earth; and in it is the power of the highest and the lowest.  
+9) Thus when you have the light of lights darkness will flee away from you.  
+10) With this power of powers (the elixir) you shall be able to get the mastery of every subtle thing, and be able to penetrate everything that is gross.  
+11a) In this way was the great world itself formed.  
+12) Hence thus and thus marvellous operations will be achieved.  
+[Slightly altered from Needham 1980: 371.]
+
+## Textual Remarks
+
+On #3 Some Latin texts have meditatione (contemplation), others mediatione (mediation). Some texts have adaptatione (by adaptation), some have adoptionis (by adoption).  
+
+On #6 'Telesmi' is a greek word, some texts have 'thelesmi'.  
+
+On #6, 7 In some texts 'Its Power is Complete' is a separate line. In the generally accepted reading, this runs into #7 producing 'Its Power is complete if versa fuerit to earth'. Where possible this has been indicated by diving these lines in 6, 6a, 7, & 7a  
+
+On #7, 8 In some texts the 'Wisdom, capacity' (magno ingenio) is read as referring to #7, and hence the operation of Separation is to be carried out 'carefully', in other readings the 'wisdom' is held to refer to #8 and the product of the Separation which thus ascends with 'wisdom'.  
+
+Needham quotes Ruska to the effect that sections 3, 12 and 14 are probably late additions (op. cit)
+
+## Commentaries
+
+**On #1**  
+Hortulanus: "... the most true Sun is procreated by art. And he says most true in the superlative degree because the Sun generated by this art exceeds all natural Sun in all of its properties, medicinal and otherwise" (Davis modified by 'Linden')  
+
+**On #2**  
+Albertus Magnus: Hermes says "the powers of all things below originate in the stars and constellations of the heavens: and that all these powers are poured down into all things below by the circle called Alaur, which is, they said, the first circle of the constellations". This descent is "noble when the materials receiving these powers are more like things above in their brightness and transparency; ignoble when the materials are confused and foul, so that the heavenly power is, as it were oppressed. Therefore they say that this is the reason why precious stones more than anything else have wonderful powers" (60 -61). While the "seven kinds of metals have their forms from the seven planets of the lower spheres" (168).  
+
+Hortulanus: "the stone is divided into two principle parts by the magistry, into a superior part which ascends above and into an inferior part which remains below fixed and clear. And these two parts moreover are concordant in their virtue since the inferior part is earth which is called nurse and ferment, and the superior part is the spirit which quickens the whole stone and raises it up. Wherfore separation made, and conjunction celebrated, many miracles are effected."  
+
+Burckhardt: "This refers to the reciprocal dependence of the active and the passive... essential form cannot be manifested without passive materia.. the efficacy of the spiritual power depends on the preparedness of the human 'container' and vice versa.... 'Above' and 'below' are thus related to this one thing and complement one another in its regard".  
+
+Schumaker: "There are corresponding planes in various levels of creation, hence it is safe to draw analogies between macrocosm and microcosm, the mineral kingdom and the human, animal and vegetable kingdoms etc".  
+
+Needham: "the whole affirmation looks remarkably like the doctrine that extreme of Yang generates Yin, and vice versa".  
+
+**On #3**  
+Hortulanus: "our stone, which was created by God, was born and came forth from a confused mass, containing in itself all the elements-and hence our stone was born by this single miracle".  
+
+Trithemius: "Is it not true that all things flow from one thing, from the goodness of the One, and that whatever is joined to Unity cannot be diverse, but rather fructifies by means of the simplicity and adaptability of the One" "What is born from Unity? Is it not the ternary? Take note: Unity is unmixed, the binary is compounded, and the ternary is reduced to the simplicity of Unity. I, Trithemius, am not of three minds, but persist in a single integrated mind taking pleasure in the ternary, which gives birth to a marvelous offspring" (Bran)  
+
+Burckhardt: "the undivided, invisible Light of the unconditioned One is refracted into multiplicity by the prism of the Spirit". As the Spirit contemplates the Unity without full comprehension "it manifests the 'many-sided' All, just as a lens transmits the light it receives as a bundle of rays".  
+
+Schumaker: As God is one, all created objects come from one thing, an undifferentiated primal matter.  
+
+**On #4**  
+Hortulanus: " As one animal naturally generates more animals similar to itself, so the Sun artificially generates Sun by the power of multiplication of...the stone.... in this artificial generation it is necessary that the Sun have a suitable receptacle, consonant with itself, for its sperm and its tincture, and this is the Luna of the philosophers"  
+
+Redgrove: Sun and Moon "probably stand for Spirit and Matter respectively, not gold and silver".  
+
+Burckhardt: Sun "is the spirit (nous), while the moon is the soul (psyche)".  
+
+Schumaker: "If the moon is associated with water, as because of its 'moisture' [as] was usual, and the sun with fire, the prima materia is understood to have been generated by fire, born of water, brought down from the sky by wind, and nourished by earth".  
+
+**On #5**  
+Albertus Magnus: by this Hermes "means the levigatio [making light weight] of the material, raising it to the properties of Air. And why he says the wind carries the material [of the stone] in its belly is that, when the material is placed in an alembic-which is a vessel made like those in which rosewater is prepared-then by evapouration it is rendered subtle and is raised towards the properties of Air... And there distills and issues from the mouth of the alembic a watery or oily liquor with all the powers of the elements" (17). In metals the moisture is not separated from the dryness, but is dissolved in it; and being so dissolved, it moves about there as if it had been swallowed by the Earth and were moving about in its bowels. And on this account Hermes said 'The mother of metal is Earth that carries it in her belly'".  
+
+Hortulanus: "It is plain that wind is air, and air is life, and life is spirit... And thus it is necessary that the wind should bear the whole stone.... [However] our stone without the ferment of the earth will never come to the effect, which ferment is called food"  
+
+Trithemius: "the wind carries its seed in her belly".  
+
+Maier: By "the wind carried him in its belly" Hermes means " 'He, whose father is the Sun, and whose mother is the Moon, will be carried before he is born, by wind and vapour, just as a flying bird is carried by air'. From the vapours of winds, which are nothing else but wind in motion, water proceeds, when condensed, and from that water, mixed with earth, all minerals and metals arise". The substance carried by the wind is "in chemical respect.. the sulphur, which is carried in mercury". Lull says "'The stone is the fire, carried in the belly of the air'. In physical respect it is the unborn child that will soon be born". To be clearer, "'All mercury is composed of vapours, that is to say of water, which the earth raises along with it into the thin air, and of earth, which the air compels to return into watery earth or earthy water" As the elements contained within are each reduced to a watery condition, they either follow the volatile elements upward as in common mercury, or they stay below with the solid elements as in philosophical Mercury "and in the solid metals". So "Mercury is the wind which receives the sulphur... as the unripe fruit from the mothers womb, or from the ashes of the burnt mother's body and takes it to a place where it may ripen". Ripley says "our child shall be born in the air, that is the belly of the wind" [de Jong 1969: 55-7.]  
+
+Maier (2nd Comment) on "The earth is its nurse": Food changes into the substance of the eater and is then assimilated. "This harmony dominates the whole of nature, for the like enjoys the like". The same happens in the Work and Nature "just as is the growth of the child in the mother's womb. So also a father, a mother and a nurse have been attributed to the philosophical child... it comes into being from the twofold seed and then grows as an embryo does". As a woman must moderate her diet to avoid miscarriage, "in the same way one must set about philosophical work with moderation". The Seeds also have to be united. "Philosophers say that the one comes from the East and the other from the West and become one; what does this mean but combining in a retort, a moderate temperature and nourishment?". "One may wonder why the earth is referred to as the nurse of the philosophic child, since barreness and dryness are the main properties of the element earth". The answer is that not the element, but the whole Earth is meant. "It is the nurse of Heaven not because it resolves, washes and moistens the foetus, but because it coagulates, fastens and colours the latter and changes it into sap and blood... The Earth contains a wonderful juice which changes the nature of the one who feeds on it, as Romulus is believed to have been changed by the wolf's milk into a bellicose individual" [de Jong 1969: 63 -5.]  
+
+Burckhardt: "The wind which carries the spiritual germ in its body, is the vital breath". Vital breath is the substance of the realm between heaven and earth, it "is also Quicksilver which contains the germ of gold in a liquid state". The earth is "the body, as an inward reality".  
+
+**On #6**  
+Burckhardt: the word talisman is derived from Telesma. Talismans work by corresponding to their prototype, and by making a "'condensation', on the subtle plane, of a spiritual state. This explains the similarity between the talisman, as the bearer of an invisible influence, and the alchemical elixir, as the 'ferment' of metallic transformation".  
+
+**On #7**  
+Hortulanus: The stone is perfect and complete if it is turned into earth "that is if the soul of the stone itself.... is turned into earth, namely of the stone and is fixed so that the whole substance of the stone becomes one with its nurse, namely the earth, and the whole stone is converted to ferment"  
+
+Trithemius: it is the seed from #5 that must be cast upon the earth.  
+
+Bacstrom: "Process-First Distillation".  
+
+Burckhardt: "when the Spirit is 'embodied', the volatile becomes fixed".  
+
+Schumaker: if the prime matter is to be used it must be fixed into a substance "capable of being handled".  
+
+**On #7a**  
+Hortulanus: "You will separate, that is, you will dissolve, because solution is separation of parts.."  
+
+Burkhardt: The separation "means the 'extraction' of the soul from the body".  
+
+Schumaker "Since the volatile principle is fire -or sometimes, air-stability is produced by its removal. Or, alternatively but less probably, the earth is impurity ('the gross') and a purified fire ('the subtle') is  
+what is wanted.  
+
+**On #8**  
+Albertus Magnus: In intending to teach the operations of alchemy Hermes says the stone "'ascends to heaven' when by roasting and calcination it takes on the properties of Fire; for alchemists mean by calcinatio the reduction of material to to powder by burning and roasting. And the material 'again descends from heaven to earth' when it takes on the properties of Earth by inhumatio, for inhumation revives and nourishes what was previously killed by calcination".  
+
+Hortulanus: "And now he deals with multiplication [of the stone]." "Although our stone is divided in the first operation into four parts... there are really two principle parts". The ascending, non fixed, and the earth or ferment. "It is necessary to have a large quantity of this non fixed part and to give it to the stone which has been made thoroughly clean from dirt.... until the entire stone is borne above by the virtue of the spirit"  
+"Afterwards it is necessary to incerate the same stone,..with the oil that was extracted in the first operation, which oil is called the water of the stone" Roast or boil by sublimation until the "entire stone descends... and remains fixed and fluent". "That which is coporeal is made spiritual by sublimation, and that which is spiritual is made corporeal by descension".  
+
+Trithemius: "When the ternary has at last returned to itself it may, by an inner disposition and great delight, ascend from the earth to heaven, thereby receiving both superior and inferior power; thus will it be made powerful and glorious in the clarity of Unity, demonstrate its ability to bring forth every number, and put to flight all obscurity".  
+
+Bacstrom: "Last Digestion". "The Azoth ascends from the Earth, from the bottom of the Glass, and redescends in Veins and drops into the Earth and by this continual circulation the Azoth is more and more subtilised, Volatilizes Sol and carries the volatilized Solar atoms along with it and thereby becomes a Solar Azoth, *i.e.* our third and genuine Sophic Mercury". The circulation must continue until "it ceases of itself, and the Earth has sucked it all in, when it becomes the black pitchy matter, the Toad [the substances in the alchemical retort and also the lower elements in the body of man -Hall], which denotes complete putrifaction or Death of the compound".  
+
+Read, suggests this section describes the use of a kerotakis, in which metals are suspended and subject to the action of gasses released from substances heated in the base, and from their condensation and circulation.  
+
+Burckhardt: "dissolution of consciousness from all formal 'coagulations' is  
+followed by the 'crystalisation' of the Spirit, so that active and passive are perfectly united."  
+
+Schumaker: "Separate the volatile part of the substance by vaporization but continue heating until the vapour reunites with the parent body, whereupon you will have obtained the Stone".  
+
+**On #9**  
+Trithemius: When the ternary has returned to Unity cleansed of all impurities "the mind understands without contradiction all the mysteries of the excellently arranged arcanum".  
+
+Bacstrom: the black matter becomes White and Red. The Red "having been carried to perfection, medicinaly and for Metals" is capable of supporting complete mental and physical health, and provides "ample means, in finitum multiplicable to be benevolent and charitable, without any dimunation of our inexhaustable resources, therefore well may it be called the Glory of the whole World". Contemplation and study of the Philosopher's Stone ("L. P.") elevates the mind to God. "The Philosophers say with great Truth, that the L.P. either finds a good man or makes one". "By invigorating the Organs the Soul makes use of for communicating with exterior objects, the Soul must aquire greater powers, not only for conception but also for retention". If we pray and have faith "all Obscurity must vanish of course".  
+
+Burckhardt: "Thus the light of the Spirit becomes constant..[and] ignorance, deception, uncertainty, doubt and foolishness will be removed from consciousness".  
+
+**On #10**  
+Trithemius: The Philosopher's Stone is another name for the 'one thing', and is able to "conquer every subtile thing and to penetrate every solid". "This very noble virtue... consists of maximal fortitude, touching everything with its desirable excellence".  
+
+Bacstrom: "The L.P. does possess all the Powers concealed in Nature, not for destruction but for exhaltation and regeneration of matter, in the three Departments of Nature". "It refixes the most subtil Oxygen into its own firey Nature". The power increases "in a tenfold ratio, at every multiplication". So it can penetrate Gold and Silver, and fix mercury, Crystals and Glass Fluxes.  
+
+Burckhardt: "Alchemical fixation is nevertheless more inward... Through its union with the spirit bodily consciousness itself becomes a fine and penetrating power". He quotes Jabir "The body becomes a spirit, and takes on... fineness, lightness, extensibility, coloration... The spirit... becomes a body and aquires the latter's resistance to fire, immobility and duration. From both bodies a light substance is born , which.. precisely takes up a middle position between the two extremes".  
+
+Schumaker: The product of the distillation and reunion will "dominate less solid substances, but because of its own subtlety it will 'penetrate' and hence dominate, other solid things less pure and quasi-spiritual than itself".  
+
+**On #11**  
+Burckhardt: "the little world is created according to the prototype of the great world", when the human realises their original nature is the image of God.  
+
+Schumaker: "The alchemical operation is a paradigm of the creative process. We may note the sexual overtones of what has preceeded"  
+
+**On #12**  
+Burckhardt: "In the Arabic text this is: "This way is traversed by the sages".  
+
+**On #13**  
+Hortulanus: "He here teaches in an occult manner the things from which the stone is made." "the stone is called perfect because it has in itself the nature of minerals, ofvegetables and of animals. For the stone is three and one, tripple and single, having four natures.... and three colours, namely black, white and red. It is also called the grain of corn because unless it shall have died, it remains itself alone. And if it shall have died... it bears much fruit when it is in conjunction..."  
+
+Newton: "on account of this art Mercurius is called thrice greatest, having three parts of the philosophy of the whole world, since he signifies the Mercury of the philosophers.... and has dominion in the mineral kingdom, the vegetable kingdom, and the animal kingdom".  
+
+Bacstrom: the wisdom of the world (?) is hidden in "Chiram and its Use". Hermes "signifies a Serpent, and the Serpent used to be an Emblem of Knowledge or Wisdom."  
+
+Burckhardt: "The three parts of wisdom correspond to the three great divisions of the universe, namely, the spiritual, psychic and corporeal realms, whose symbols are heaven, air and earth".  
+
+Schumaker: "The usual explanation of Tristmegistus.. is that Hermes was the greatest philosopher, the greatest priest, and the greatest king".
+
+## General
+
+Trithemius: "our philosophy is celestial, not worldly, in order that we may faithfuly behold, by means of a direct intuition of the mind through faith and knowledge, that principle which we call God...."  
+
+Trithemius: "Study generates knowledge; knowledge prepares love; love, similarity; similarity, communion; communion, virtue; virtue, dignity; dignity, power; and power performs the miracle".  
+
+Newton "Inferior and superior, fixed and volatile, sulphur and quicksilver have a similar nature and are one thing, like man and wife. For they differ from one another only by degree of digestion and maturity. Sulphur is mature quicksilver, and quicksilver is immature sulphur: and on account of this affinity they unite like male and female, and they act on each other, and through that action they are mutually transmuted into each other and procreate a more noble offspring to accomplish the miracles of this one thing". "And just as all things were created from one Chaos by the design of one God, so in our art all things... are born from this one thing which is our Chaos, by the design of the Artificer and the skilful adaptation of things. And the generation of this is similar to the human, truly from a father and mother".  
+
+Blavatsky: the mysterious thing "is the universal, magical agent, the astral light, which in the correlations of its forces furnishes the alkahest, the philosopher's stone, and the elixir of life. Hermetic philosophy names it Azoth, the soul of the world, the celestial virgin, the great Magnes, etc" It appears to be that which gives organisation ("the maze of force-correlations"), and form *i.e.* the perfect geometry of snowflakes.  
+
+Sherwood Taylor: "the operation of the Sun.. was carried out by a 'spirit', universal, the source of all things, having the power of perfecting them. Its virtue is integral [## 6a] (ie having the power to convert the diverse into a single substance), if it be turned into earth (ie. solidified). This conveyed that the Stone was to be a solidified pneuma. Pneuma was the link between earth and heaven, having the virtue of the celestial and subterranean regions-the power of the whole cosmos from the fixed stars to the centre of the earth. It overcomes every nature and penetrates every solid. It is the source of the whole world and so it can be the means of changing things in a wonderful way. The three parts of the philosophy of the whole world are presumably of the celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean regions".  
+
+Shah: The table is "the same as the Sufi dictum... 'Man is the microcosm, creation the macrocosm - the unity. All comes from One. By the joining of the power of contemplation all can be attained. This essence must be separated from the body first, then combined with the body. This is the Work. Start with yourself, end with all. Before man, beyond man, transformation'".
+
+## A Commentary Of Ibn Umail
+
+HERMUS said the secret of everything and the life of everything is Water.... This water becomes in wheat, ferment; in the vine, wine; in the olive, olive oil.... The begining of the child is from water.... Regarding this spiritual water and the sanctified and thirsty earth, HERMUS the great, crowned with the glorious wisdom and the sublime sciences, said [#1] Truth it is, indubtible, certain and correct, [#2] that the High is from the Low and the Low is from the High. They bring about wonders through the one, just as things are produced from that one essence by a single preparation. Later by his statement [#4] Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon he meant their male and their female. They are the two birds which are linked together in the pictures given regarding the beginning of the operation, and from them the spiritual tinctures are produced. And similarly they are at the end of the operation. Later in his statement [#7 ?] the subtle is more honourable than the gross, he means by the subtle the divine spiritual water; and by the gross the earthly body. As for his later statement [#8] with gentleness and wisdom it will ascend from the earth to the sky, and will take fire from the higher lights, he means by this the distillation and the raising of the water into the air. As for his later statement [#8a] It will descend to the earth, containing the strength of the high and the low, he means by this the breathing in (istinshaq) of the air, and the taking of the spirit from it, and its subsequent elevation to the highest degree of heat, and it is the Fire, and the low is the body, and its content of the controlling earthly power which imparts the colours. For there lie in it those higher powers, as well as the earthly powers which were submerged in it.  
+
+The natural operation and decay causes it to be manifest, and hence the strength of the earth, and of the air, and of the higher fire passed in to it. Later he said [#9] it will overcome the high and the low because it in it is found the light of lights: and consequently the darkness will flee from it. [See Stapleton *et al.* p 74, 81.]

louis-claude-de-saint-martin/the-red-book.md

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+# The Red Book
+
+1. Science is man's shame, because it let him feel all he has lost.
+
+2. Speech is the sword of man.
+
+3. All the tears of a man would not suffice to wash him.
+
+4. My life in this body is my penance.
+
+5. I shall pray Thee while I am healthy, so that Thou will not forget me when I shall be sick.
+
+6. Nothing makes the soul indifferent as material prosperity.
+
+7. If you do good, you will gain all the knowledge.
+
+8. Thy Will be done, not mine.
+
+9. It is true that women may be virgins, and that is the torment of the fivefold point.
+
+10. When has a man prayed enough?
+
+11. 3 is to 4 as 7 is to 8. ::8::10::10:1::1:1, *etc.*
+
+12. It is much simpler to deny His principle, than to follow it: so many ungodly men just do that.
+
+13. All men are prophets without knowing it.
+
+14. All the human gatherings are useless, because they don't have a president.
+
+15. Trying to catch material things is like chewing nothing.
+
+16. It is because of the two V that we have 5 fingers on each hand.
+
+17. The hope for death is the comfort of my days.
+
+18. Never say: the other life, because there is only one life.
+
+19. Do not complain, o man, that the ways of Wisdom are slow, this is your sentence, and you cannot accomplish anything but with the time.
+
+22. There are only 4 operations in mathematics, from which only three figures may be derived.
+
+23. What are men stupid when they believe to be alive!
+
+24. Among the created things, nothing is born but by its opposite, this is the evidence of the unreal, where every thing is a copy.
+
+25. He doesn't want to be known, so we should let Him alone; this is the safest way, and what pleases Him the most.
+
+26. Begin the study of your lesson by the Moon.
+
+27. If reproduction was only a process, all forms in each species would be the same.
+
+29. The minor tone doesn't exist in nature: it is the result of five, a human invention.
+
+30. Purification is accomplished by getting closer to our being. Those who feel nothing cannot make reparation for any thing; they can only further stain themselves.
+
+33. We are all widowers, our task is to get married again.
+
+34. The sevenfold is a state of tension, rest is achieved only in the number 8.
+
+37. The father has three children, and that demonstrates the superiority of one above three.
+
+38. There is nothing worse than a bad prayer.
+
+39. Death is action, who can it give the idea of nothingness?
+
+40. What is, is further from us than what is not.
+
+43. A man should watch the desires of his soul, because they are powerful and their strength may allow him to acquire.
+
+44. Men use the real to worship the unreal, but the unreal was given to them to worship the real.
+
+44. Men use the real to worship the unreal, but the unreal was given to them to worship truth.
+
+45. One must be virtuous to love, and must love to pray.
+
+46. We should not search for him, we should wait for him in peace, in obedience, and with confidence.
+
+47. He that always follows the games of his spirit, claims in vain to be happy.
+
+49. The intellect is the telescope of the spirit.
+
+51. The Scriptures will never be justified by the letter.
+
+52. The square is only the emblem of the children of the father, it derives all its properties only from them.
+
+53. Try, in all the circumstances of your life, to be greater than what you are doing.
+
+54. In natural geometry, the whole is smaller than the sum of its parts: 4 and 9 are smaller than 4.
+
+55. Men make of their eyes the limit of their spirit, when they should only give him guidance and a sign.
+
+56. It is a blessing for men that God couldn't create a world eternal as He is.
+
+57. A man shouldn't take another man for his best friend.
+
+58. There is no joy equal to the joy of Wisdom.
+
+61. Live only the life of your spiritual soul.
+
+63. The sins that man can forgive are dull sermons, at the best.
+
+64. As man cannot know death, death cannot know life.
+
+65. As life cannot know death, 59, death cannot know life, 60.
+
+66. He is doubtful of his little faith, and of his power!
+
+67. Once a man has tasted the sweetness that is reserved for him, he'll never want anything else.
+
+69. Obtain, if you want, the intelligence of the universal hieroglyph, it was created only to be understood.
+
+70. When a man has faith in Wisdom, she takes such good care of him, that she turns his vices to his benefit; there is the shame and the punishment of the 5.
+
+72. There are no straight lines in nature, because nature is a prison, and that this same nature makes only circular prisons.
+
+73. The world consists of three double reasons, which make six in the average, and eight in the fact and the action.
+
+74. The first reason for any thing is double, this means that two is the cause of all generation.
+
+75. Adam must have had a navel, because his umbilical cord went from the surface to the center.
+
+76. There are only four consonants and two dissonances in harmony. O truth, how beautiful you are!
+
+78. Every thing depends of preparation.
+
+79. The eightfold cannot yet be reintegrated, because 9 separates it from the tenfold.
+
+81. Man is but one ticket in God's raffle.
+
+82. Fire is below, and wants to be above; it keeps the entire nature in suffering, and its subjected creatures as well.
+
+83. It is impossible for pride to win over godliness.
+
+84. Who would believe that man is but a container to mathematics?
+
+85. Man, you will cry as long as you are a virgin.
+
+86. Godliness is the salt of science.
+
+89. Should anything or anyone stop a man from doing his work?
+
+91. Man has no other mystery than his own being, because a mystery is not a thing inscrutable, but only veiled.
+
+92. When the universe will have given birth to all that lays in itself, there will still be, as in the birth of particular bodies, an afterbirth that is the half time of Daniel.
+
+93. Man, beware of the prayer of the indolent, who wants to have everything without work.
+
+95. God is good: He is doing good through us, then rewards us for it.
+
+96. Adam, before his crime, could electrify by communication, now he can only do it by friction. But, 101. The original sin propagates itself without rest, and in all kinds of shape until the 104. Every disharmony comes from the number two, harmony proves it with reason.
+
+105. Even worms are not eating what is alive.
+
+106. What could we say before we had our first communion?
+
+107. If you do good, you will have all the knowledge.
+
+108. God is not 3 in 1, He is 1 in 3.
+
+112. The head of man has eaten his tail. That is why the human species doesn't have a tail, and vice versa if the animals have tails, it is because they don't have a head.
+
+112. The head of man has eaten his tail .
+
+114. Man should be in the hand of God as a child kept on a leash; he doesn't go where he wants, he is led everywhere.
+
+115. True science is power, confidence, and humility.
+
+116. Man suffers as long as he didn't catch the bridle of his horse.
+
+119. They absolutely refuse to distinguish the plain nature from the reasonable nature.
+
+120. The course of a straight line is 3, the one of a curve is 4; how can they ever be reconciled?
+
+121. Only those who possess the square are true scientists, and according to God, nobody knows it perfectly..
+
+123. How can we make 2 without 3?
+
+124. The fourfold travels always straight.
+
+125. Man's first law is to refrain from calling the name of God in vain, because he is exposed to his name every moment of his life.
+
+129. The only work of man is his circumcision.
+
+130. When will I know my baptismal name?
+
+132. The purpose of every instant of our material life is to have us acquire more strength and virtue.
+
+133. The death of the body is the man's second birth.
+
+134. There are people who spend their lives without eating!
+
+135. Some men are frighten to believe in the 7's. In what are they believing then? in threes ...
+
+138. The upper part is dry, the lower part is wet. Women like vinegar, men like wine.
+
+141. Never pray for your own desires or own will, unless you are absolutely certain of the good that may come from it.
+
+142. The number 13 is the number of nature. How large is the progression of ignorance!
+
+144. Never forget that word and action exist, and that nothing can be accomplished without the eightfold.
+
+146. It is a great science to know not to hurry.
+
+147. How great is a humble and simple man!
+
+149. The perpetual betrayal of man is his unceasing search of the quadrature of the circle, and his attempt to reunite the darkness, 9, with the light, 4.
+
+150. If I let one single globule of air from a balloon, the entire balloon will empty itself in an instant. This is why, as long as the universe will remain, nobody will ascend in the divine atmosphere, otherwise every thing would be reintegrated.
+
+151. Man should not be surprised by any thing coming from the Wisdom, that would be the way to become extremely powerful while always remaining humble.
+
+152. To know the origin of the bodies, one should have seen a delivery. I have seen it.
+
+155. When you will have spent 15 years on your belly, you will have earned the permission to speak.
+
+157. As was the principle of conception, it is also the number of its fruit, of its duration and of its generating virtue as well. So women lose about the same number in the same time.
+
+159. If you want to begin something, first bleed to death.
+
+162. I have explained why the human species doesn't have a tail (112), it also demonstrates why animals do have one; it is because they don't have a head.
+
+165. Without 3 there wouldn't be any balance.
+
+167. Before doing anything a hook must be securely fasten.
+
+168. How many great men have a body below them!
+
+169. I cannot conceive anything that is not a continual repetition of the standards, in the spiritual, the elementary, the material.
+
+170. Man always forgets that he lives in a city at war.
+
+171. Cleanse your body, then pray; the rest will come by itself: that is the secret.
+
+172. When the number of matter is added to the number of its principle, the value of the result is half of the true number; this is the reason for the universal disintegration. The same number presides to the principle of matter and increases its destruction.
+
+173. We must pray God for the ills He is sending us. For those we do to ourselves, we must also heal them ourselves.
+
+174. In {the tribunals of} civil justice, one is requested to raise the hand to give the oath. O! if the judge knew the reason for it!! XX
+
+175. The value of the word cohen is 34, because it is the incorporation of the minor with the elementary.
+
+176. In an instant, man has forgotten his lesson; he will need the entire duration of time to learn it.
+
+178. When my watch is broken, I have it repaired by the watchmaker who built it...
+
+183. The cohens triple the value of all the Hebrew letters because of the three worlds; and the alphabet is inverted because Moses veiled science.
+
+185. 8 times 8 is 64. What greater proof of the universality of action and double action?
+
+187. Beware of the day following a day of joy.
+
+188. Science is only the scaffold, godliness is the building.
+
+189. There are but four intervals, the three first steps; that is what composes the stairs: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10. The last one is 4.
+
+190. The soul is the trustee of movement. How could it die?
+
+191. The human body is a mixture of all the things created, as it is itself a creature. The body is composed of solids, fluids, signs, weights, measures, proportions; acute, obtuse, and right angles; triangles, simples, doubles, triples; circles, perfect and long squares; sounds, words, actions, thoughts, intentions and circumferences; until the number: 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 = 64.
+
+193. I cannot repeat enough that the fourfold is the medium, the bound, the universal ladder; it is the center of the figures; it stands between the circle and the triangle; it keeps the middle of the three kinds of angles. Etc...
+
+194. Is there anything else but the 7's and the 7?
+
+201. There is more water than earth, there is more fire than water, there is more word than fire.
+
+202. Refrain from speaking, when you will not feel the importance of a thought and when you may speak in vain.
+
+205. There is not one single instant, when man cannot say Mass, which means to call.
+
+206. The sun is to the corporal nature what Christ is to the spiritual nature.
+
+207. Sulphur is below, salt above, mercury is the mediator; it lays in the space of the center, and therefore is the universal bound of the mixtures.
+
+208. Abraham's posterity remained in slavery in Egypt for 430 years; this number represents the suffering of the soul and the body during our wants and its reunion gives the suffering of the spirit.
+
+209. The number 9 following one or more numbers doesn't change their value, because all possible changes of the form will never alter their principle.
+
+211. Only the prayer of the just man can do anything, so begin to justify yourself.
+
+212. Women were not created to have children; they are the only ones to have a monthly cycle, and to who the approach of the male is not an absolute necessity.
+
+213. The most learned man is the one who prays the most.
+
+214. When you allow the fivefold to penetrate the fourfold, it leaves the threefold in peace, but if you want to remove it from the fourfold, it is the threefold that leaves.
+
+217. Science is the reward of godliness.
+
+219. The universe is composed only of centers, and the center is matter. When are then the bodies?
+
+220. Man is born with three gifts: the conservation of the body, of the spiritual, and the gift of invocation. These gifts, properly cultivated provide the fourth one: the gift of command. This is the unity of the fourfold.
+
+221. In whatever country man lives on earth, he has to cross the Jordan river, to travel to Jericho. 2..............
+
+221. In whatever country man lives on earth, he has to cross the Jordan river, before traveling to Jericho. 2..............
+
+222. Man is the matras of God. What can he do if he separate himself from Him?
+
+223. Do not rest before having fixed mercury.
+
+224. What a beautiful sacrifice is a stainless host. 4
+
+225. In assembly as in separation, salt is always around and above mercury. In assembly, it preserves it. In separation, it is an obstacle and prevents it from coming back into forms; then it is also the preserver of sulphur to prevent it from being reconquer, but in the assembly it was the obstacle of the obstacle.
+
+227. If you want to know something, learn about the triangle, but not as men do, they make it the death of science.
+
+229. Always think of your life.
+
+231. The rust of iron is not toxic, as the one of copper, because of its salt.
+
+232. How could we not believe in visions? Universal creation is but just that. The entire difference is that it is longer and more restrained than the others.
+
+233. The spirit wants so much good for us that it overlooks the evil we are doing.
+
+234. Fire is the beginning and the end of the element. Water is the beginning and the end of embodiment. Earth is the beginning and the end of form.
+
+237. Bid, and blush to be here.
+
+239. Clean the streets of the city, the day before the great feasts.
+
+## 240
+
+241. Take mercury before touching the extract of Saturn, because Mercury makes the preparation.
+
+242. I love but one single man in the world, and I am also loved by him.
+
+242. I don't love one single man in the world, but I am also loved by him.
+
+244. When the great priest enters the temple, he cleans and rejoices. The use of tapestry, in the passage of processions, make one and the other emblems.
+
+245. All the occupations of men are intended to avoid praying to God.
+
+246. The natural language of men is not very well known, we all speek foreign languages.
+
+247. Man, why do you suffer, when you have the power to pray to your God?
+
+249. The spirit taken away from us, the heart is all what is left, and this is the sacrifice we have to make if we want to recover the light.
+
+252. The natural circle is formed in all directions, and it produces every thing by itself; the artificial circle, on the contrary, begins by the end, which is the triangle.
+
+255. Matter is not the one to be cleansed, because it is dirty compared with the spirit that must pierced it; but it is the prisoner that needs to be kept clean, then matter is no longer an obstacle.
+
+257. The purpose of the panacea and the human geometry is to find a spirit that is matter, so that it becomes possible to avoid using what is not; this is also the purpose of men in the justice they have made, to avoid using the one they have not made. But let us see what they find, and if there is something else after 1!
+
+258. The triangle is produced by three other triangles with their centers, their product make 3; and, when adding fire, it makes 7, and that shows life is everywhere.
+
+259. After death, if you have been wise, you will see much better than now what happens in the two worlds; if you were not, you only will feel it, but see nothing.
+
+261. Evil came to existence by the reunion of 4 and 5; and evil is destroyed by the same reunion.
+
+263. Men can only make 3. Nature makes 10, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 1 all together, that is to say that nature makes one more that the power of man can make today.
+
+264. Always remember that you have a body that belongs to earth.
+
+265. 3 is the coach, 4 is the driver, 10 is the way.
+
+266. It is the center of the principles of the mixed that keep them active and therefore in suffering. This center is to be feared and there is another that must be desired: it is the one of 53290.
+
+267. There are three sacraments that involve only the form and do not require any preparation because they are freely given. The four other ones require some; and therefore may only be bestowed when there is intelligence.
+
+268. One thing is to have understanding of the operation; another understanding of the reason for the operation. The beings incarnated in a body have the understanding of the first; the other is given only to the 10, the 9, and the 4.
+
+269. If we were alone, but there he is, who is the the reason for not making one when we go towards him.
+
+271. Whatever place a man goes, how isolated he may be, these three are always together.
+
+272. If a man would begin by learning the principles of things, he would see how the knowledge of the rest would be simple and familiar.
+
+274. Is there anything more beautiful, more useful, and more respectable than a wheel? 10009.
+
+275. Man has life within, and he is frightened of something! That means that he cannot manage to persuade himself of it.
+
+276. 10 is the first son of the father, and the father of the son men consider as the first; finally 10 is a child in every thing, and 4 contains every thing because he always gives priority to 10, who is the head.
+
+278. We should kill time, 5, but it is time that kills us.
+
+279. It is because man does too many things he wants to do, that he cannot do the things his guide wants him to do; because this guide is absolutely good, the will of man shouldn't be or otherwise be one with his, and that is the obstacle or the supreme accomplishment of Wisdom.
+
+280. If you do not seek for science, it will come to you; but only if you are not seeking for anything else.
+
+281. I feel every day that the spiritual active kills the animal passive, and man is on earth for none other reason.
+
+283. Sensible lies are no lies at all; the only lies are those made against the insensible. So, as far as we don't lie against him, let us be at peace, the harm will be only in the temple, not in the sanctuary.
+
+284. Corruption is the matras of the creatures, especially of the insects. So keep yourself clean, that they may not eat you.
+
+285. 2 makes 5.
+
+286. The best way to ask God to elevate us above our senses is to elevate us by ourselves.
+
+288. Blessed is he that does know only submission to his chief and to prayer.
+
+292. Who better conserves, but who made it?
+
+293. Nothing can be seen if there is no chief, no agent, no subject or instrument, and finally no work; that is the work of all the natures and of every thing made and produced by it.
+
+294. As the soul can live independently of a body, so many bodies live independently of their soul.
+
+295. The terrestrial Orient is given to man to serve as a ladder.
+
+296. 6 is its number, 4 its property, that makes 10, and that is the image. 7 is its nature, 10 its second property, the reason for its resemblance, 17; the double p. We must separate 6 from 4: they are two things.
+
+296. 6 is its number, 4 its property, and that is the image. 7 is its nature, 10 its second property, the reason for its resemblance, 17.
+
+297. Alert, alert, as long as you will reside among the sons of violence, they will persuade you that they are something, when they are nothing.
+
+298. When the voice sounds for a while, it is good; when it is abrupt and sudden, it is bad.
+
+299. Mercury is white because it is in the center; when it is taken away from the center, it turns black. It is ready for action, because it is pure. It is motionless because it resides in indifference.
+
+300. Among the visible beings, no impression of the action of the true beings must remain; this is why they cannot understand the light.
+
+301. The element is produced by the reunion of the essences; and the reunion of the elements produces the bodies; this is why the elements are ninefold, and so are the forms.
+
+302. If you want to remain without pride, think about how much you will have to pay to have it, and that will be enough to keep you humble.
+
+303. The best evidence of one's love for justice, is to apply it to oneself.
+
+304. Never elevate the fourfold above the fourth power; the remainder is abomination. Nothing else can be because of 4, 8, 3 and 7 = 1.
+
+## 306
+
+307. The elementals are as many prisoners, that keep one prisoner of another nature.
+
+308. The evidence that God didn't create nature, but that He had it made, lays in the fact that the spiritual soul of man joins his form only when the corporal principle has built it. And man is the little world.
+
+309. If there is only 1, how can 3 be something, when it is only 2?
+
+310. 4 can only be submitted to three divisions: the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd. Therefore, among created things, there cannot be straight line, nor squares.
+
+311. Man was created only to make worlds.
+
+312. 5 times 14 make 70, 5 times 9 make 45. That is the enigma of forms, their end and their boundaries and the property of the fivefold. It is absolutely right that the fivefold be the aliquot part of all these products, because it is its factor.
+
+313. Good didn't create evil, nor did evil create good. Likewise 1 didn't produce 2, nor 2 times 2 cannot be 4.
+
+314. When there is no light at the ends of the container, but only at the center, the power is shown in latitude and longitude, but not the image of the fourth essence: because then it could be considered as the fivefold. This fourth essence consists of 3 for the inferior and 1 for the superior, {but} 4 is as 1, and that makes 7. Man has every thing on himself.
+
+315. Beware of your observations on nature; research with a pure, wise and innocent desire; focus on simplest things without trying to penetrate with an investigating eye and before its time. Man's science is vain for that reason.
+
+316. 3 is taken for Moses, because of Moses, Aaron and Or.
+
+317. 2 is taken for Joshua, because of Joshua and Caleb.
+
+318. 3 is taken for Abraham, because of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
+
+319. 1 is taken on Caleb, because he was alone.
+
+320. On Jacob, only 1 is taken because he didn't have posterity in matter.
+
+321. The 6 travels of man within his 3 prisons: the first is the fivefold, the second the ninefold, {and} the third the sixfold; all this creates confusion. 5 + 9 + 6 = 20.
+
+322. Light of light, fire of fire, life of life.
+
+323. The white color is the divine spiritual, the red is the terrestrial spiritual, and the black is destruction.
+
+324. The planetary action is general and universally intertwined. so the particular distinction of the created beings, especially the metals, come from their particular law, not from a special action of the planet.
+
+325. Any form is a character of a being itself of of its action; and it is its operation and its hieroglyph.
+
+326. The 1st envelope of the bodies is oily, the 2nd salty, the 3rd is mercurial as the principle of form, then the inner sulphur makes the fourfold center or the alpha and omega.
+
+327. There are 3 months for every equinox, that is 6 moons.
+
+329. The true Sabbath begins on the Tuesday following the 14th day of the moon in March, so the Sabbath of the Jews is four days late, the one of the Christians, one day early. The Sabbath of the Jews begins with the first star, which is the spiritual law.
+
+330. Speak little, otherwise your science would be taken as a system, as it is done for all the others.
+
+334. All men's troubles come because they cannot convince themselves that there are many spirits to which thought is refused.
+
+335. Ecce Homo! 2!
+
+338. Do you want to know the principle and the ordinance of every thing? Just watch the line of the fisherman.
+
+339. We describe curves in latitude, towards the South or the North, and never straight lines in longitudes.
+
+342. The evidence of the eightfold lays in the sum of the measures of universal creation, that is to say: Latitude without the centre: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 3 Latitude with the centre: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7 Longitude with the centre: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 10 Curve in latitude towards North: 1, 2, 3, 3 9 Curve in latitude towards South: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 3 6 The product of all these sums is 8, of which the total product is 7.
+
+343. Drawing of the previous table;
+
+345. One time, two times, and half of one time, that means 4, 4 and 2 - 10, or 4, 4, 4, 2 that makes 5.
+
+350. The four numbers, 3, 6, 7 and 9 have each the unity for proportion; this proves that the primordial unity is fourfold, and that it is universal.
+
+353. Until the age of 7, a man lives in innocenc; older than 7 he may be stained; older than 15 he is capable of crime.
+
+354. Latitude is the base, longitude the perpendicular, this demonstrates the folly of men to search for it at the surface.
+
+357. Do not ask to be relieved from the penalty resulting from your mistakes, that would be unjust and keep you in temptation, but ask the grace of not making other mistakes.
+
+360. To learn mathematics is good, because it teaches measure in your head, and when it is in your head, it will also be in your entire being.
+
+361. If you want to know the others, begin by knowing yourself, because everybody is a mirror.
+
+362. Man is the element of the woman. That is what Moses tried to say. So when the woman within man dies, it is because of his , but man doesn't die because he is, and because she is also, the woman doesn't die either.
+
+364. What a beautiful thing is the making of a tapestry! Mainly when we have a plank for a table and our tongue as a needle.
+
+365. The quadrature is easily found when the circle is admitted; that is to say easily in numbers, but impossible in figure.
+
+366. The woman seeks to destroy the one who builds, by trying to build the one who destroys; she is practically always dead.
+
+367. The universe is but a bandage.
+
+368. When a man is too wise, he is no longer wise, because then he would act, and that would be a great evil.
+
+369. The elementary oracles are the blood of the earth raising above its head.
+
+371. Nothing is easier than to feel that the fivefold action in the minor begins by the blood.
+
+372. The heart of man is a sanctuary wherein nothing false, nothing weak should enter.
+
+373. If a man wants to be happy, it is very easy: let him begin to talk.
+
+374. Don't let me do the evil I want to do; let me do the good I don't want to do.
+
+376. The aquatic part of the world is made of perfect spherical globes, of which we can only see one half .
+
+377. To feel how much one mistake puts us back, is terrible.
+
+378. The true way to redeem one's mistakes is to correct them, and for those which cannot be corrected, not to loose courage.
+
+381. One word kept becomes stronger, because nothing makes a man strong as silence. Da capo!
+
+381. One word kept becomes stronger, because nothing makes a man strong as silence.
+
+382. If you act without intelligence, very soon you will loose intelligence.
+
+383. Those who salute the crosses should always keep their hats in their hands, because every thing is filled with crosses, and nothing exists without them.
+
+383. Those who salute the + should always keep their hats in their hands, because every thing is filled with crosses, and nothing exists but by them.
+
+387. The two equinoxes for the good, the two solstices for evil. The first two relate to vegetation and adoption, the other two relate to putrefaction and dissolution. This is for and against.
+
+388. The animals and other physical corporal beings belong to the small temporal world, man belongs to the universal world by his intelligence.
+
+390. The world is; there is only one.
+
+391. From the Divine to the sun: 7, from the sun to the earth: 7. There are twelve heavens; if we add the earth we will have 4.
+
+392. When you remove the one from the temporal 5, 6, 7, 8 fivefold, to reset it to the simple power, and you add the rest, you have 25, the time of the horrible expiation; and after this expiation, the one will be reunited to the sevenfold to re-establish perfection.
+
+393. From the East come all good things, for internal actions as for the external ones: winds, breeze, etc... Evil things come from the West, for the elementary and the particular animal as well.
+
+## 394
+
+### 2
+
+3
+
+4
+
+5
+
+1 10
+
+6
+
+7
+
+8
+
+44
+
+it operates on the other 6, to make the universal ninefold. Blessed are those who know this and can use it.
+
+395. As 2 makes 3, 5 makes 6.
+
+396. The entire nature has a double use; the sensible may be seen everywhere, and so the intellectual, 8 and 10.
+
+401. 7 : is the woman.
+
+404. I believe that we could make our circle with salt, and that it would work as well.
+
+405. Always look for the country where you may humble yourself, without being exposed to ridicule and criticism.
+
+407. The time of the spirit consists of 4 intervals, the one of matter has only 2.
+
+408. The one who makes is 2, the thing made is 3.
+
+409. God doesn't create, his hand does. So, the operations of the hand of God are not the same as the ones of God himself. 411. There is nobody greater than the one who prays.
+
+413. 2 or 9 operations are needed to make a cube.
+
+415. Earth is as a kettle.
+
+416. The sum of the angles in the center is always equal to the sum of those at the circumference = 9 + 1.
+
+419. A bad thought manifests a good thought.
+
+420. Man, always try to feel that there is something above you.
+
+423. The way from here to there is much longer than from there to here. That is why we cannot see those who see us.
+
+424. Do you want it? Yes? Don't you want it? Keep it that way.
+
+425. The 42 camps of the Jews begin for a man at the death of his body, because 6 times 7 make 42, and that we have to travel through it to reach 49 which is rest or the Sabbath.
+
+426. A Swiss or a frontier post is needed in creation, and it is 49 who is using it.
+
+427. I cannot see a more beautiful thing than nature, except for Him, who made it.
+
+428. In the morning, rejoice; but cry in the evening.
+
+434. Godliness is nourished by action.
+
+436. Give to everything a suitable nourishment. The body fed with spirit is stunned. The spirit doesn't feed the body, it burns it.
+
+438. Surface knows two dimensions, there is only one in elevation.
+
+439. Width is fivefold in the arch, the two other dimensions are threefold.
+
+440. There are only two planets to give light; the others are for the maintenance of the forms, not for their light.
+
+442. The aspersion is made before birth, the 7 physical spiritual classes of the bodily life are but the 7 properties of such aspersion; they follow the progression of form, because form needs to be prepared.
+
+443. It is good to raise the heels once in a while, especially in the perfume.
+
+444. Don't be frighten of him: he is your friend.
+
+454. In the beginning there was only one point; the explosion made it a circle, so the entire nature has been made.
+
+455. The one who cries is worthy of envy.
+
+460. Always beware the horizontal diameter.
+
+461. Do you want to see the serpent of Genesis? Count to 10, remove the first digit; the remainder will be zero or an O.
+
+4612 To know the nature of form and matter, it is enough to observe the circumference, and to see the value of its character.
+
+462. The point existed before the circle, it will be after it.
+
+463. The Earth is the receiver, the abyss is the fire, heaven is the water, and the entire creation may be considered as the mercury, between 5 and 7.
+
+464. All men are seringes.
+
+465. If we had the courage to ask, we wouldn't have to do anything; it would be done for us.
+
+466. Is there any obstacle or any pain for anyone who knows how to purify his motives?
+
+467. When we operate on the physical corporal, we can only have corporal results and notions.
+
+468. The way from here to there is much longer than the one from there to here, this is why we cannot see those who see us.
+
+472. It is not difficult to find out why man is on Earth: it is to beg.
+
+472. It is not very difficult to understand why man is on Earth, it is to ask for alms.
+
+473. The minor dissonances descend, the major ones rise.
+
+474. Sun, jupiter, Mars, Mercury.
+
+475. Pride can only be found far away from the principle.
+
+477. Any man can send his letters free of charge.
+
+478. The true way to ask for things in prayers, is to get there with courage to take them.
+
+480. Men should be satellites of the Earth, but they are its persecutors.
+
+483. The real evidence that we may recover our fourfold down here, is that we are able to see the center or being.
+
+486. Beware, don't be an astronomer, but you may be an astrologer, as long as you don't make horoscopes.
+
+488. Friendships that are not triangular have no consistency, and are without bonding, they only lead to confusion.
+
+489. I am powerless as long as I don't have freedom for my spiritual operations; therefore I will travel in peace and wait with confidence.
+
+490. The individual man is the evidence for the general man; I mean that the minor as the major was forced to struggle against the enemies of truth.
+
+496. You must use your power in times of hardship; and if you have the patience and the courage to endure all its bitterness, you may be sure of being rewarded.
+
+499. Do not be discouraged before being out from below on Earth, because as long as you are there, you may hope to achieve your reconciliation.
+
+507. Do not believe that you may achieve anything before being reconciled.
+
+510. When we are close, we are humble; but we may be far away, and still the closest, because our being has freedom of action on his own, and that for him, there is no space, nor distance. We do not always operate upon him, he always operates on us 515. The attacks begin when the purification occurs; as long as order is maintained, there will be no trouble.
+
+519. Confidence gives life, because it puts off death and protects from it.
+
+522. The green color is composed of blue and yellow, because of vegetation.
+
+526. You are pressing in vain: your will shall accomplish nothing at all.
+
+529. Nothing will be anymore, because these words have been spoken. Eli Lama Sabac Thani.
+
+530. The great work is twofold: the molestation and the reintegration. This leads to glory, and three things are led by the center or through the square.
+
+532. It is clear that the sevenfold is given in the temporal.
+
+539. Some operate with ferocity and rudeness, others with gentleness and prudence.
+
+541. Numbers are to be considered by their division and relationship to unity, because this is the way to learn about their properties.
+
+542. To be purified, to ask, to receive, {and} to act: these are the four phases.
+
+545. O suffering! as long as the fourfold shall be separated from unity, it will be the source of all evils and all confusion.
+
+548. How can we write when the pen is not split? 3.
+
+549. It is good to observe that the leaf of the vine is fivefold.
+
+551. He is pleased only in the peace of the senses of matter; similarly it is in the elementary peace that the superior acts.
+
+552. Once in a while, put you hands on your hips.
+
+554. There is a proportion between the increase of spiritual powers in man, and the strength of the battles he is engaged in; when his powers weaken, the attacks increase, and if he is vanquished, should he complain?
+
+555. Do not cease to plough your field, from the East to the West, from the North to the South, that is the true way to make if fertile.
+
+557. It is easy to recognize him, because he can never hide his physical deformity.
+
+559. Hold on, the true prayer keeps you in joy and good health.
+
+563. All the disharmony comes from the first evil ever generated, and disharmony perpetuates itself by the same vicious generation.
+
+564. If there was equality between an image and its type, the image wouldn't be necessary.
+
+566. Abraham's temple lays between the East and the West, because he has 318 servants he is fourfold or central.
+
+571. I have already said that the ninefold was at least neutral as regards spirituality. Indeed, or it is form, or it is evil.
+
+572. It is absolutely clear that there is a proportion between the third number and 7, because 7 is its attribute.
+
+575. Do not rest before you feel that you are quite sure of what you are doing, and not a lot even thereafter.
+
+576. There is a will that doesn't depend on us, but there is another that depends from us and will allow us to acquire the first one.
+
+577. Let us not ask, before we know what to do with it.
+
+579. If you are very brave, your preparation may happen anywhere.
+
+581. A priest must live from the altar; it is absolutely certain that he who approaches the altar shall live.
+
+582. Dissolution happens by the elemental fire, because it is by the torture of that fire that construction came.
+
+584. What regards forms; nothing can exist without its powers, because bodies are only that.
+
+585. There are two crosses for the reintegrations; one for the creature, the other for the spiritual.
+
+586. No trace of the sevenfold can be found in the human form, because it is not a material incorporation.
+
+587. The triangle and the center are the essence of the fourfold; its receptacle shows its action.
+
+589. The order of the spiritual principles in man is the same as the arrangement of the elementary principles in the bodies.
+
+590. As long as the bodily state will remain, there will be an uppercelestial state, or a temporal celestial state that will not be bodily.
+
+595. When watching our fire burn, we can see the terrestrial come down, and the celestial go up; and so it is also for the human dissolution.
+
+596. We always begin with the form; that is why there are two testaments.
+
+597. Do not be impatient for little things.
+
+600. Only those who will not hear me, will hear me.
+
+601. Speak only with these who have chosen Wisdom; those who believe they can do without it are not suitable.
+
+603. There is an isolated binary that is bad, but there is another that binds, that is good.
+
+605. 1 and 1 is 2, and 1 is 3, and 1 is 4, and 1 is 5, and 1 is 6, and 1 is 7, and 1 is 8, and 1 is 9, and 1 is 10. Everywhere, action and reaction.
+
+612. Sometimes, it is not necessary to hurry the first time, because with a little patience, there is a repetition.
+
+614. The celestial as the terrestrial are both only made for the edge of man over his enemies.
+
+617. Do not expect anything as long as you're thinking about it.
+
+620. The great monarch is the expression of the fourfold on longitude and latitude.
+
+623. Excess in food not only occupies blood, it tires it, and takes the necessary strength away from it; to sustain the work.
+
+624. Think often to do the upkeep of the element and the elementary as you are busy anyway.
+
+625. There is nothing without a union; let us try to make good ones.
+
+627. What is the saddest in the work, is to be forced to attone and to die.
+
+630. The "passe" is to be done in the corners; this is why angels are assigned there.
+
+633. There is a confidence of the speech that means death, and another of the heart and of action that means life.
+
+634. The mistake of man has made one more virtue; so the reconciliated is impeccable.
+
+635. Grease doesn't travel, this is why it is forbidden.
+
+636. In mathematics, even numbers are counted beginning with 0 instead of 1. One doesn't see that it is 1 that produces 0, and not 0 that produces 1.
+
+637. If other worlds existed, man would know.
+
+638. When it travels on the same side, it is a little thing; it should be still, or travel everywhere.
+
+641. Anyone who doubts the infinite powers of nature is doingconsiderable damage to himself.
+
+643. There is a tenfold in form, by joining the intestines to the fivefold and then counting further the four noble parts.
+
+644. The hieroglyph shows the certainty and the nature of the character, as action shows the nature of the intention; that is their symbol.
+
+645. It will come, if it wants to.
+
+646. The game of the four corners is the most difficult of all games; this is why it cannot be played before having learned the one that came to them.
+
+649. 5 is closed, because of the violence.
+
+650. After confession comes absolution; after absolution comes communion; after communion comes mandate.
+
+653. Evil cannot read inside the good; that gives us a tremendous advantage over it.
+
+655. All men have the book before their eyes; they only miss a pair of glasses, and a pair of glasses, which are two pairs of glasses.
+
+657. Do not indulge in sensible pleasures before you are strong enough to despise them.
+
+660. Why should it be surprising that Christ knew the scripture by heart? He wrote it, or he had it written.
+
+661. If the bodies would contain 4 elements, the world would be eternal.
+
+662. The bodily world was born by need.
+
+664. There was no air in the matras, because air is only needed for the reaction.
+
+665. The Ismaelite merchants provided resin to the Egyptians.
+
+667. When something appears always the same, it is probably only elementary, because the animal is infinite and limitless.
+
+668. The white color of the walls reflects the light; this is why that color is most suitable, above any other.
+
+669. We see the bodily by the eyes of the body only, and the other with the eyes of the soul, as well as by the eyes of the body, all of it physically.
+
+675. To pray is to cleanse oneself, because it is to fight.
+
+676. The resurrection of the bodies and the resurrection of the flesh are not the same thing.
+
+677. A man shall walk with respect, because he cannot make one step without placing one foot above the other.
+
+678. The two progressions of corporal beings are fourfold; this is a universal truth.
+
+679. The number 4 is the only one that has the property to give in its square, a number four times larger than itself; therefore there is but one square, as there is but one unity.
+
+681. The cause that gave birth to the beings will walk with them, and sustain them, and support them until the end of their existence; and that is why the prophets cried so much.
+
+682. Reassembling what has been divided, dividing what has been reassembled, this is the task of all the medicine.
+
+685. To attract in the physical, set one degree under; if you set one degree above, it will grow.
+
+687. There are but two posterities after Adam, they are the type ofprimary things; there are three after Noah, they are the type of secondary and tertiary things.
+
+688. On one hand there is 1, 4, 7, 8, 10; and on the other, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9. Every thing is there for the present.
+
+689. I recommend to walk in longitude and in latitude because of the reaction.
+
+690. Ismael didn't get any manifestation; it was only a type of matter.
+
+691. We don't know where it comes from, but the important thing is not to know, but to feel.
+
+692. To go forward, always wait.
+
+693. The coarse humid cannot replace the radical humid. When it is altered, only its principle can do it.
+
+694. As man took his body from earth, he also has taken his three preservatives, because his body is a preservative.
+
+695. Between God and man time is the only difference, because there is some similitude or bond in the number.
+
+696. The inferior fire consumes, the superior fire creates, produces, gives birth; so we see that the inferior fire makes a bad fecundation.
+
+697. The binary lets himself be known as far as the properties of the same species.
+
+700. Make that I shall not doubt my word.
+
+703. Etymology of the true words would teach every thing.
+
+707. There are only three kinds of corporals: the black, the red, and the blue. But there are four kinds of spiritual: the red, the blue, the green and the white, and is the white not temporal?
+
+710. It is not surprising that for those who believe they are something, because as we have nothing, it has to come from somewhere.
+
+711. Pythagoras was right to forbid beans to his disciples, because it is dirt without water.
+
+713. Wherever you go, if you walk by four, you will be sure to travel well.
+
+714. Pharaoh ordered two midwives to kill the children of the Hebrews.
+
+715. The sevenfolds are truly submitted to man, because they are the only power of 4.
+
+717. Time will come when only the finger may be used.
+
+718. As long as matter reigns, we are too young.
+
+721. The domain of the earthly threefold is the surface, the active is the perpendicular. We can only move but by the curve when we are not at the foot; or, if such curve doesn't exist, it must be made, and that is the abomination.
+
+722. Go for it, in your domain and your heritage.
+
+724. There are three meanings to the unleavened bread: the sorrow of deprivation, the preparation for the purification and the memory of the origin.
+
+725. How can men say they are learned, when they spend their lives asking questions.
+
+732. Science is useless to those who have faith. But where are they?... And what is science without faith? doctor!
+
+732. Science is useless to those who have faith. But where are they?...
+
+734. Every form is a temple, and every temple is sacred, out of the elementary, Earth and man excepted.
+
+738. There is nothing else to know but the three letters below, and the 4 above. That is what made everything.
+
+739. Always take your orient at the orient, never in the south.
+
+740. It is possible for men to be as the Devil, who never see their illusion, but then it is, or a type, or a punishment.
+
+741. Only a man that is constantly tickled is happy.
+
+742. Sometimes it comes also through the blood, often it begins in such a way; but that doesn't matter.
+
+745. Water is produced by salt, sulphur is produced by fire, earth is produced by mercury.
+
+746. Dissolution always begins with salt, and it is water that gives it, but it is the fire that gives it. lapsus: should probably be: 'produces it' see number 745.
+
+747. Spiritual regeneration and universal corporal regeneration have both the same cradle.
+
+751. The elementals all decompose in water; it is what misleads many people on the nature of the composing and composed things.
+
+753. After the first consummation, there is still 7 times 7 for the accomplishment, 4 and 7.
+
+754. As long as you will not see things as they are, it is as if you will know nothing.
+
+755. To suffer is to progress significantly.
+
+757. The four quarters of the Moon, the last is longer than the first three: it is eightfold, the three others are only sevenfolds.
+
+762. There is a kind of order that produces disorder, the one from below. So, beware, but let everyone follow his own path.
+
+763. Always study the earth of man, because it is by it that the vegetations and the helps of all kinds shall come to you.
+
+764. Intervals of time are not the time. Therefore such interval is the time of the spirit, that needs to be taken between 3 and 4, 6 and 7, 9 and 10, 12 and 1, *etc.*
+
+765. Stay ready to answer when you will be called, because the call rarely will come twice.
+
+767. We all have a clean mirror, spotless, defectiveless, and in which we can see ourselves anytime.
+
+768. The head of the child comes first, then the chest, then the bones of the hips; as the image of the explosion of chaos..
+
+770. The simple threefolds cannot resist the sevenfolds; that is why Jacob was hurt by the angel, because he was searching only for matter.
+
+771. It is not before, but at the very moment that we must be brave and assemble our powers.
+
+772. Our corporal senses are the channel of Evil, but they are also the channel of the Good; it is a great blessing that He had them given to us.
+
+773. Mercury is the coldest body in nature, because it resides in indifference, it is not moved by the external agents as the bodies that already have acquired their forms.
+
+774. If there was something for the incorporation of man in the form, there will be something for its separation.
+
+775. Everything is symbol in nature, therefore the natural character shows the hieroglyph quite well.
+
+776. If monsters would reproduce, the eternal covenant would be variable.
+
+777. Weight, or fullness, is an important matter; measure is the clock; the number is fire.
+
+779. Without salt, the outside agents would have too much hold on the body; without oil, salt would corrode it; therefore the one and the other are in its envelop.
+
+780. If the uppercelestial gives too much or too little, the forms suffer: that is the general law for the terrestrial, *etc.*
+
+782. The criminal laws of Moses didn't come from him, because there were no judges to speak them; they have been transposed by the 784. The zephyr or sephirah, which means the "birth of the day", always come from the East.
+
+785. When there will be no Sun nor Moon, we shall have our best sight.
+
+786. The first proof of what we have must be made on us; and who shall be the master in his home, shall be the master everywhere, as everything is ours.
+
+787. I repeat: there shall be any other science that will always do as much through the red, as through the white.
+
+788. Try that, for all your enemies, there will be nothing more respectable, and consequently more dreadful, than your presence; because that is the privilege for man that it would suffice to show himself.
+
+789. As we are losing ourselves practically at every step, we should have an absolution following us everywhere.
+
+793. The Evil seduces and enchants; the Good gives us time to reflect.
+
+794. The three times are and always will be universal, and that may be known in every mode and every case, the infinite.
+
+795. One shouldn't ask why things are not better; the best is, but we are not part of it.
+
+799. May your soul rejoice when it feels you live among the verbs.
+
+800. If one askes what Wisdom is, you shall respond by not responding at all.
+
+Conclusion
+
+This book is not a book, but it contains enough to write one.
+
+Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin

manly_p_hall/the-initiates-of-the-flame.md

@@ -0,0 +1,353 @@
+# THE INITIATES OF THE FLAME
+
+## Contents
+
+- Introduction
+- Foreword
+- Chapter 1. The Fire Upon The Altar
+- Chapter 2. The Sacred City Of Shamballa
+- Chapter 3. The Mystery Of The Alchemist
+- Chapter 4. The Egyptian Initiate
+- Chapter 5. The Ark Of The Covenant
+- Chapter 6. Knights Of The Holy Grail
+- Chapter 7. The Mystery Of The Pyramid
+
+## Introduction
+
+Few realize that even at the present stage of civilization in this world, there are souls who, like the priests of the ancient temples, walk the earth and watch and guard the sacred fires that burn upon the altar of humanity. Purified ones they are, who have renounced the life of this sphere in order to guard and protect the Flame, that spiritual principle in man, now hidden beneath the ruins of his fallen temple.
+
+As we think of the nations that are past, of Greece and Rome and the grandeur that was Egypt's, we sigh as we recall the story of their fall; and we watch the nations of today, not knowing which will be the next to draw its shroud around itself and join that great ghostly file of peoples that are dead.
+
+But everywhere, even in the rise and fall of nations, we see through the haze of materiality, justice; everywhere we see reward, not of man but of the invincible One, the eternal Flame.
+
+A great hand reaches out from the unseen and regulates the affairs of man. It reaches out from that great spiritual Flame which nourishes all created things, the never dying fire that burns on the sacred altar of Cosmos - that great fire which is the spirit of God.
+
+If we turn again to the races now dead, we shall, if we look, find the cause of their destruction. **The light had gone out.** When the flame within the body is withdrawn, the body is dead. When the light was taken from the altar, the temple was no longer the dwelling place of a living God.
+
+Degeneracy, lust, and passion, hates and fears, crept into the souls of Greece and Rome, and Black Magic overshadowed Egypt; the light upon the altar grew weaker and weaker. The priests lost the Word, the name of the Flame. Little by little the Flame flickered out, and as the last spark grew cold, a mighty nation died, buried beneath the dead ashes of its own spiritual fire.
+
+But the Flame did not die. Like spirit of which it is the essence, it cannot die, because it is life, and life cannot cease to be. In some wilderness of land or sea it rested once again, and there rose a mighty nation around that flame. So history goes on through the ages. As long as a people are true to the Flame, it remains, but when they cease to nourish it with their lives, it goes on to other lands and other worlds.
+
+Those who worship this Flame are now called heathens. Little do we realize that we are heathen ourselves until we are baptised of the Holy Spirit which is Fire, for fire is Light, and the children of the Flame are the Sons of Light, even as God is Light.
+
+There are those who have for ages labored with man to help him to kindle within himself this spark, which is his divine birthright. It is these who by their lives of self-sacrifice and service have awakened and tended this fire, and who through ages of study have learned the mystery it contained, that we now call the "Initiates of the Flame."
+
+For ages they have labored with mankind to help him to uncover the light within himself, and on the pages of history they have left their seal, the seal of Fire.
+
+Unhonored and unsung they have labored with humanity, and now their lives are used as fairy stories to amuse children, but the time will yet come when the world shall know the work they did, and realize that our present civilization is raised upon the shoulders of the mighty demigods of the past. We stand as Faust stood, with all our lore, a fool no wiser than before, because we refuse to take the truths they gave us and the evidence of their experiences. Let us honor these Sons of the Flame, not by words, but by so living that their sacrifice shall not be in vain. They have shown us the way, they have led man to the gateway of the unknown, and there in their robes of glory passed behind the Veil. Their lives were the key to their wisdom, as it must always be. They have gone, but in history they stand, milestones on the road of human progress.
+
+Let us watch these mighty ones as they pass silently by. First, Orpheus, playing upon the seven stringed lyre of his own being, the music of the spheres. Then Hermes, the thrice greatest, with his emerald tablet of divine revelation. Through the shades of the past we dimly see Krishna, the illuminated, who on the battlefield of life taught man the mysteries of his own soul. Then we see the sublime Buddha, his yellow robe not half so glorious as the heart it covered, and our own dear Master, the man Jesus, his head surrounded with a halo of Golden Flame, and his brow serene with the calm of mastery. Then Mohammed, Zoroaster, Confucius, Odin, and Moses, and others no less worthy pass by before the eyes of the student. They were the Sons of Flame. From the Flame they came, and to the Flame they have returned. To us they beckon, and bid us join them, and in our robes of self-earned glory to serve the Flame they love.
+
+They were without creed or clan; they served but the one great ideal. From the same place they all came, and to the same place they have returned. There was no superiority there. Hand in hand they labor for humanity. Each loves the other, for the power that has made them masters has shown them the **Brotherhood** of all life.
+
+In the pages that follow we will try to show this great thread, the spiritual thread, the thread of living fire that winds in and out through all religions and binds them together with a mutual ideal and mutual needs. In the story of the Grail and the Legends of King Arthur we find that thread wound around the Table of the King and the Temple of Mount Salvart. This same thread of life that passes through the roses of the Rosicrucians, winds among the pedals of the Lotus, and among the temple pillars of Luxor. THERE IS BUT ONE RELIGION IN ALL THE WORLD, and that is the worship of God, the spiritual Flame of the universe. Under many names He is known in all lands, but as Iswari or Ammon or God, He is the same, the Creator of the universe, and fire is His universal symbol.
+
+We are the Flame-Born Sons of God, thrown out as sparks from the wheels of the infinite. Around this Flame we have built forms which have hidden our light, but as students we are increasing this light by love and service, until it shall again proclaim us Suns of the Eternal.
+
+Within us burns that Flame, and before Its altar the lower man must bow, a faithful servant of the Higher. When he serves the Flame he grows, and the light grows until he takes his place with the true Initiates of the universe, those who have given all to the Infinite, in the name of the Flame within.
+
+Let us find this Flame and also serve it, realizing that it is in all created things, that all are one because all are part of that eternal Flame, the fire of spirit, the life and power of the universe.
+
+Upon the altar of this Flame, to the true creator of this book, the writer offers it, and dedicates it to the one Fire which blazes forth from God, and is now hidden within each living thing.
+
+## Foreword
+
+***THE GREATEST OF MYSTERY SCHOOLS***
+
+*The World is the schoolroom of God. Our being in school does not make us learn, but within that school is the opportunity for all learning. It has its grades and its classes, its sciences and its arts, and admission to it is the birthright of man. Its graduates are its teachers, its pupils are all created things. Its examples are Nature, and its rules are God's laws. Those who would go into the greater colleges and universities must first, day by day, and year by year, work through the common school of life, and present to their new teachers the diplomas they have won, upon which is written the name that none may read save those who have received it.*
+
+*The hours may seem long, and the teachers cruel, but each of us must walk that path, and the only ones ready to go onward are those who have passed through the gateway of experience*, *GOD'S GREAT SCHOOL FOR MAN*.
+
+**The Cube Altar:**
+
+Of the elements of the earth is this altar composed. It is the great cube of matter. On or in this altar burns a Flame. It is this Flame that is the spirit of all created things. **Man, know thyself.** Thou art the Flame, and thy bodies are the living altar.
+
+## Chapter 1. The Fire Upon The Altar
+
+As far back as our history goes we find that fire has played an important part in the religious ceremonial of the human race. In practically every religion we find the sacred altar fires, which were guarded by the priests and vestals with greater care than their own lives. In the Bible we find many references made to the sacred fires which were used as one form of devotion by the ancient Israelites. The Altar of Burnt Offerings is as old as the human race, and dates from the time when the first man, lifting himself out of the mists of ancient Lemuria, first saw the sun, the great Fire Spirit of the universe. Among the followers of Zoroaster, the Persian Initiate, fire has been used for centuries in honor of the great Fire God, Ormuzd, who is said by them to have created the universe.
+
+**The Everburning Lamp:**
+
+Know that the Flame that burns within thee and lights thy way is the ever burning lamp of the ancients. As their lamps were fed by the purest of oil, so thy spiritual Flame must be fed by a life of purity and altruism.
+
+There are two paths or divisions of humanity whose history is closely related to that of the Wisdom Teachings. They embody the doctrines of fire and water, the two opposites of nature. Those who follow the path of faith or the heart, use water, and are known as the Sons of Seth, while those who follow the path of the mind and action are the Children of Cain, who was the son of Samael, the Spirit of Fire. Today we find the latter among the alchemists, the hermetic philosophers, the Rosicrucians, and the Freemasons.
+
+It is well for us to understand that we ourselves are the cube altar upon which and in which burns the altar fire. For many centuries the Initiate of fire has been nourishing and guarding the Spiritual Flame within himself, as the ancient priests watched day and night the altar fires of Vesta's temple.
+
+The ever burning lamp of the alchemist, which having burned thousands of years without fuel in the catacombs of Rome, is but a symbol of this same spiritual fire within himself. In the picture we see the ever burning lamp which was carried by the Initiate in his wandering. It represents the spinal column of man, at the top of which is flickering a little blue and red flame. As the lamp of the ancients was fed and kept burning by the purest of olive oil, so man is transmitting within himself and cleansing in the laver of purification the life essences, which, when turned upward, provide fuel for the ever burning lamp within himself.
+
+**The Masonic Censor:**
+
+As the perfume rising from the incense burner was acceptable in the sight of the Lord, so may our words and actions ever be a sweet incense acceptable in the sight of the Most High.
+
+Upon the altars of the ancients were offered sacrifices to their gods. The ancient Hierophant offered up sacrifices of spices and incense. The Masonic brother of today still has among his symbols the incense burner or censer, but few of the brothers recognize themselves in this symbol. The ancients symbolized under such things as this the development of the individual, and as the tiny spark burning among the incense cubes slowly consumes all, so the Spiritual Flame within the student is slowly burning away and transmuting the base metals and properties within himself, and offering up the essence thereof as the smoke upon the altar of Divinity. It is said that King Solomon, when he completed his temple, offered bulls as a sacrifice to the Lord, by burning them upon the temple altar. Those who believe in a harmless life wonder why so many references are made in the Bible to animal sacrifice.
+
+The student realizes that the animal sacrifices are those of the celestial zodiac, and that when the Ram or the Bull was offered upon the altar, it represented the qualities in man which come through Aries, the celestial Ram, and Taurus, the Bull in the zodiac. In other words, the Initiate, passing through his tests and purification, is offering upon the altar of his own higher being the lower animal instincts and desires within himself. Among the Masonic brothers we also find what is called the Symbol of Mortality. It is a spade, a coffin, and an open grave, while upon the coffin has been laid a sprig of acacia, or evergreen. In the picture we see the spade of the grave digger, which has been considered the symbol of death for centuries.
+
+**The Grave Digger's Spade:**
+
+Let us take the spade that now digs our grave through the passions and emotions of life and use it to unearth the secret room far below the rubbish of the fallen temple of the human soul.
+
+In the Book of Thoth, that strange document which has descended to man at his present stage of evolution as a deck of playing cards, we find a very wonderful symbolism. Of all the suits of cards, that of the spade is the only suit in which all the court cards face away from the pip. In all the other kings and queens, the faces are looking at the little marker in the corner of the card, but in the spade suit, they look away from it. Now it is said that the spade has been taken from the acorn, but the occult student has a different idea. He sees in the spade, which has for ages been the symbol of death, a certain part of his own anatomy. If you will again turn to the picture of the spade, you will see, if you have ever studied anatomy, that the grave digger's spade is the spinal column, and the spade-shaped piece which is used on the deck of cards, is nothing more nor less than the sacrum bone.
+
+This bone forms the base of the spinal column, and is also the spear of the Passion. Through it and the foramana which pierce it, pass the roots of the spinal nerve, which indeed are the roots of the Tree of Life. It is the center through which are nourished and fed the lower vertebrae of the spine, and the sacrum and coxygeal bones that dig the graves for all created things. This point has been beautifully symbolized by the grave digger's spade, which has been used by the brothers of many mystic organizations for ages. The currents and forces working through these lower spinal nerves must be transmuted and lifted upward to feed the altar fire at the positive or upper end of the spine.
+
+The centering of thought or emotion upon higher or lower things, as the case may be, determines where thin life energy will be expended. If the lower emotions predominate, the flame upon the altar burns low and flickers out, because the forces which feed it have been concentrated upon the lower centers. But when altruism predominates, then the lower forces are raised upward and pass through the purification which makes possible their being used as fuel for the ever burning lamp. Thus we see why it was a great sin to let the lamp go out, for the pillar of flames which hovers over the Tabernacle, purified and prepared after the directions of the Most High, is the Spiritual Flame that, hovering above man, lights his way wherever he may go.
+
+**The Candle:**
+
+This is the light that has gone out. It is the candle that is hidden under the bushel. This is the true light that forever dispels the darkness of ignorance and uncertainty. Let the light shine forth through a purified body and a balanced mind. For this light is the life of our brother creatures.
+
+The sun of our solar system, that is, the Spiritual Sun behind the physical globe, is one of these Flames. It began no greater than ours, and through the power of attraction and the transmuting of its ever increasing energies it has reached its present proportions. This flame in man is the "light that shineth in darkness." It is the Spiritual Flame within himself. It lights his way as no exterior light can. This radiating out from him brings into view, one by one, the hidden things of the cosmos, and his ignorance is dispelled in exactly the same proportion as his light is spread, for the darkness of the unknown can only be removed by light, and the greater the light, the further back the darkness is driven. This is the Lamp of the Philosopher, which he carries through the dark passageways of life, and by the light of which he walks among the stones and along the narrow cliff edge without fear. But although he gain all other things and have not this light within himself, he cannot know where he goes; he cannot watch his footsteps; and he cannot dispel his ignorance with the light of truth.
+
+Therefore let each student watch the fire that burns upon his altar. Let him also make that altar, his body, as beautiful and harmonious as possible, and let him also sacrifice upon that altar the frankincense and myrrh, his actions and his deeds. As in the Tabernacle he offers all upon the altar of divinity, so let him day by day dispel the symbols of mortality - the coffin and the open grave by which he prepared himself through the mastery of the lower emotions within himself - and recognize that no matter how crystallized or dead his life may be, the fact that he exists at all proves that the sprig of acacia, the promise of life and immortality, is somewhere within himself; and although the flame of life may appear faint or cold, if he will supply the fuel by his daily actions, he will kindle the altar flame once more within himself, which, shining forth, will also help his brother to kindle this flame, which is a living sacrifice to the living God.
+
+## Chapter 2. The Sacred City Of Shamballa
+
+In every mythology and legendary religion of the world there is one spot that is sacred above all others to the great ideal of that religion. To the Norseman it was Valhalla, the City of the Slain, built of the spears of heroes, where feasting and warfare was the order of the day. Here the heroes fought all day and reveled by night. Every day they killed the wild boar and feasted on it, and the next day it came to life again. In the Northland they tell that Valhalla was high on the top of the mountains, and that it was connected to the earth below by Befrost, the Rainbow Bridge; that up and down this bridge the Gods came, and Odin, the All-father, came down from Asgard, the City of the Gods, and worked and labored with mankind.
+
+Among the Greeks, Mount Olympus was held sacred, and here the gods are said to have lived high on the top of a mountain. The Knights of the Grail are said to have had their castle among the crags and peaks of Northern Spain on Mount Salvart. In every religion of the world there is a sacred spot: Meru of the oriental, and Mount Moriah and Mount Sinai (upon which the tablets of law were given to man); all those are symbols of one universal ideal, and as each of these religions claimed among the clouds a castle and a home, so it is said that all the religions of the world have their headquarters in Shamballa, the Sacred City in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.
+
+Among the oriental peoples there are wonderful legends of this sacred city, where it is said the Great White Lodge or Brotherhood meets to carry on the governing of world affairs. As the Assirs of Scandinavia were twelve in number, as Olympus had twelve gods, so the Great White Brotherhood is said to have twelve members, which meet in Shamballa and direct the affairs of men. It is said that this center of universal religion descended upon the earth when the polar cap, which was the first part of the earth to crystallize, became solid enough to support life. Science now knows that not only does the earth have two motions, that of rotation upon its axis and revolution around the sun, but that it has nine other motions, according to Flammarion, the French astronomer. One of these motions is that of the alternation of the poles; in other words, some day that part of the earth's surface which is now the North Pole will become the South Pole. Therefore it is said that the Sacred City has left its central position and after much wandering is now located in Mongolia.
+
+Those who are acquainted with the Mohammedan religion will see something of great interest in the pilgrimage to the Kabba at Mecca, where thousands go each year to give honor to the Stone of Abraham, the great aerolight, upon which Mohammed is said to have rested his foot. Old and young alike, some even carried, wind through desert sands and endure untold hardships, many coming from great distances, to visit the place they cherish and love. In India we find the same thing. There are many sacred places to which pilgrims go, even as the Templars went in our Christian religion to the Sepulcher of Christ. Few see in this anything more than an outward symbol, but the true student recognizes the great esoteric truth contained therein. The spiritual consciousness in man is a pilgrim on the way to Mecca. As this consciousness passes upward through the centers and nerves of the body, it is like the pilgrim, climbing the heights of Sinai, or the Knight of the Grail returning to Mount Salvart.
+
+When the spinal fire of man starts upward in its wanderings, it stops at many shrines and visits many holy places, for like the Masonic brother and his Jacob's Ladder, the way that leads to heaven is upward and inward. The spinal fire goes through the centers or seed ground of many great principles, and worships at the shrine of many Divine Essences within itself, but it is eternally going upward, and finally it reaches the great desert. Only after pain and suffering and long labor does it cross that waste of sand. This is the Gethsemane of the higher man, but finally he crosses the sacred desert, and before him in the heart of the Lotus rises the Golden City, Shamballa.
+
+**The Lotus:**
+
+May your consciousness be lifted upward through the Tree of Life within yourself until in the brain it blossoms forth as the Lotus, that rising from the darkness of the lower world, lifts its flower to catch the rays of the Sun.
+
+In the spreading of the bone between the eyes called the frontal sinus, is the seat of the divine in man. There, in a peculiar gaseous material, floats, or rather exists, or is, the fine essence which we know as the Spirit. This is the Lost City in the Sacred Desert, connected to the lower world by the Rainbow Bridge, or the Silver Cord, and it is to this point in himself that the student is striving to rise. This is the Sacred Pilgrimage of the Soul, in which the individual leaves the lower man and the world below and climbs upward into the Higher Man or Higher World, the brain. This is the great pilgrimage to Shamballa, and as that great city is the center for the direction of our earth, so the corresponding great city in man is the center for his governmental system.
+
+**The Rod That Budded:**
+
+The buds in the Rod are the seven centers within yourself, which when you develop their spiritual powers shine out as centers of fire within your own being. The ancients have taken flowers to symbolize these centers, which when they shine out show that the dead stick, cut from the Tree of Life, has budded.
+
+When any other thing governs man, he is not attuned to his own higher self, and it is only when the gods, representing the higher principle, come down the Rainbow Bridge and labor with him, teaching him the arts and sciences, that he is truly receiving his divine birthright. In the Orient the student looks forward with eager longing to the time when he shall be allowed to worship before the gates of the sacred city; when he also shall see the Initiates in silent conclave around the circular table of the zodiac; when the veil of Isis shall be torn away, and the cover lifted from the Grail Cup.
+
+Let the student remember that all of these things must first happen within himself before he can find them in the universe without. The twelve Elder Brothers within himself must first be reached and understood before those of the universe can be comprehended. If he would find the great Initiates without, he must first find them within; and if he would see that Sacred City in the Lotus Blossom, he must first open that Lotus within himself, which he does, petal by petal, when he purifies and attunes himself to the higher principles within. The Lotus is the spinal column once more; its roots, deep in materiality; its blossom, the brain; and only when he sends upward nourishment and power, can that Lotus blossom within himself - blossom forth with its many petals, giving out their spiritual fragrance.
+
+Sometimes you will see in store windows funny little Chinese gods or oriental Buddhas sitting on the blossom of a lotus. In fact, if you look carefully, you will find that nearly all of the oriental gods are so depicted. This means that they have opened within themselves that Spiritual Consciousness which they call the Shushuma. You have seen the funny little hats worn by the Hindu gods. They are made to represent a flower upside down, and once more, like the rod of Aaron that budded, we see the reference made to the unfolding of consciousness within. When the lotus blossom has reached maturity, it drops its seed, and from this seed new plants are produced. It is the same within the spiritual consciousness, which, when the plant is finished and its work is done, is released to work and produce other things.
+
+In the Western World the lotus has been changed to the rose. The roses of the Rosicrucian, the roses of the Masonic degrees, and also those of the Order of the Garter in England, all stand for the same thing, the awakening of consciousness and the unfolding into full bloom of the soul qualities of man. When man awakens and opens this bud within himself, he finds, like the gold pollen in a flower, this wonderful spiritual city, Shamballa, in the heart of the lotus. When this pilgrimage of his spiritual fire is accomplished, he is liberated from the top of the mountain, as in the ascension of Christ, and the spiritual man, freed by his pilgrimage from the Wheel of Bondage, rises upward from among his disciples, the convolutions of the brain, with the great cry of the Initiate, which has sounded through the Mystery Schools for ages when the purified student goes onward and upward to become a pillar in the temple of his God. With that last cry the true mystery of Shamballa, the sacred city, is understood and he joins the ranks of those who in white robes of purity, their own soul bodies, gaze down upon the world and see others liberated in the same way, and who also sound the eternal tocsin, "consumatum est" (it is finished).
+
+**The Philosopher's Stone:**
+
+This is the true stone of the philosopher, which gives him power over all created things. This stone is himself. The experiences of his evolution have cut and polished the rough stone until in the Initiate it reflects the light of creation from a thousand different facets.
+
+## Chapter 3. The Mystery Of The Alchemist
+
+There are very few occult students today who have not heard of the alchemist, but there are very few who know anything about the strange men who lived during the Middle Ages and concealed under chemical symbolism the history of the soul. At a time, when to express a religious thought was to court annihilation at the stake or wheel, they labored silently in underground caves and cellars to learn the mysteries of nature which the religious opinions of their day denied them the privilege of doing. Let us picture the alchemist of old, deep in the study of natural lore. We find him among the test tubes and retorts of his hidden laboratory. Around him are massive tomes and books by ancient writers; he is a student of nature's mystery, and has devoted years, lives maybe, to the work he loves. His hair has long since grayed with age.
+
+By the light of his little lamp he reads slowly and with difficulty the strange symbols on the pages before him. His mind is centered upon one thing, and that is the finding of the Philosopher's Stone. With all the chemicals at his command, their various combinations thoroughly understood, he is laboring with his furnace and his burners to make of the base metals the Philosopher's Gold. At last he finds the key and gives to the world the secret of the Philosopher's Gold and the Immortal Stone. Salt, sulphur, and mercury are the answer to his problem; from them he makes the Philosopher's Stone; from them he extracts the Elixir of Life; with the power that they give him he transmutes the base metals into gold. The world laughs at him, but he goes on in silence, really doing the things the world believes impossible.
+
+After many years of labor he takes his little lamp and silently slips away into the Great Unknown. No one knows what he has done, or the discoveries that he has made, but he, with his little lamp, still explores the mysteries of the universe. As the close of the fifteenth century clouded him with mystery, so the dawn of the twentieth century is crowning him with the glory of his just reward, for the world is beginning to realize the truths he knew, and to marvel at the understanding which his years of labor had earned for him.
+
+Man has been an alchemist from the time when he first raised himself, and with the powers long latent pronounced himself as human. Experiences are the chemicals of life which the philosopher is experimenting with. Nature is the great book whose secrets he seeks to understand through her own wondrous symbolism. His own Spiritual Flame is the lamp by which he reads, and without this the printed pages mean nothing to him. His own body is the furnace in which he prepares the Philosopher's Stone; his senses and organs are the test tubes, and incentive is the flame from the burner. Salt, sulphur, and mercury are the chemicals of his craft. According to the ancient philosophers, salt was of the earth earthy, sulphur was a fire which was spirit, while mercury was nothing, only a messenger like the winged Hermes of the Greeks. His color is purple, which is the blending of the red and the blue - the blue of the spirit and the red of the body.
+
+The alchemist realizes that he himself is the Philosopher's Stone, and that this stone is made diamond-like when the salt and the sulphur, or the spirit and the body, are united through mercury, the link of mind. Man is the incarnated principle of mind as the animal is of emotion. He stands with one foot on the heavens and the other on the earth. His higher being is lifted to the celestial spheres, but the lower man ties him to matter. Now the philosopher, building his sacred stone, is doing so by harmonizing his spirit and his body. The result is the Philosopher's Stone. The hard knocks of life chip it away and facet it until it reflects lights from a million different angles.
+
+The Elixir of Life is once again the Spirit Fire, or rather the fuel which nourishes that fire, and the turning of the base metal into gold is accomplished when he transmutes the lower man into spiritual gold. This he does by study and love. Thus he is building within himself the lost panacea for the world's woe. The turning of the base metal into gold can be called a literal fact, as the same chemical combination which spiritually produces gold, will also do this physically. It is a known fact that many of the ancient alchemists really did create the precious metal out of lead, alloy, *etc.* But it was upon the principle that all things contain some part of everything else; in other words, every grain of sand or drop of water has in some proportion every element of the universe therein. Therefore the alchemist did not try to make something from nothing, but rather to extract and build that which already was, and this the student knows is the only possible course of procedure.
+
+**The Five Pointed Star:**
+
+This picture, known to all Masons, is that of the Soul. It is the Star of Bethlehem, which heralds the coming of the Christ within. The two clasped hands are the spirit and body united in the marriage of the Lamb. It is from the union of the higher with the lower that the Christ is born.
+
+Man can create nothing from nothing, but he does contain within, in potential energy, all things; and like the alchemist with his metals, he is simply working with that which he already has. The living Philosopher's Stone is a very beautiful thing. Indeed, like the fire opal, it shines with a million different lights, changing with the mood of the wearer. The transmuting process, whereby the spiritual fire passing through the furnace of purification radiates from the body as the soul body of gold and blue, is a very beautiful one.
+
+**The Marriage of the Sun and Moon:**
+
+This takes place in man when the heart and mind are joined in eternal union. It occurs when the positive and negative poles within are united, and from that union is made the Philosopher's Stone.
+
+The Masons have among their symbols that of a five-pointed star with two clasped hands within it, and in that we have the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone. The clasped hands represent the united man in which the higher and the lower are working for their mutual betterment, by a co-operative rather than a competitive system. The five-pointed star is the soul body, born of this co-operation; it is the living Philosopher's Stone, more precious than all the jewels of earth. From it pour the rivers of life spoken of in the Bible; it is the Star of the Morning that heralds the dawn of Mastery, and is the reward that comes to those who follow in the footsteps of the ancient alchemist.
+
+It is well for the student to realize that the alchemy of life produces in natural sequence all of the states of progression which are explained in the writings of the alchemist, until finally the sun and the moon are united as described in the Hermetic Marriage, which is, in truth, the marriage of the body and the spirit for the mutual development of each other. We are the alchemists who centuries ago carried on in secret our studies of the soul, and we still have the same opportunity that we had then, even more than then, for now we can state our opinions with little danger of personal injury. The modern alchemist thus has an opportunity that his ancient brother never had. On a busy street corner he daily sees nature's experiments carried on. He sees the mixing of metals, and from the everyday book of life, through the power of analogy, he may study Divinity. Through experience and often suffering the steel of his spirit is tempered by the flame of life. As the moon in the zodiac touches off like a fuse the happenings of life, so his own desires and wishes touch off the powers of his soul, and the experiences may be transmuted into soul qualities when he has developed the eye which enables him to read the simplest of all books - everyday life.
+
+**The Pillars of the Temple:**
+
+These pillars symbolize the heart and mind, the positive and the negative poles of life. Those who would enter the temple must pass BETWEEN the pillars. Every extreme is dangerous. It is the point between all poles that is safe to stand upon. You cannot enter the temple by the development of either the heart or mind alone, but only by the equal development of both.
+
+The alchemist of today is not hidden in caves and cellars, studying alone, but as he goes on with his work, it is seen that walls are built around him, and while he is in the world, like the master of old, he is not of it. As he goes further in his work, the light of other people's advice and outside help grows weaker and weaker, until finally he stands alone in darkness, and then comes the time that he must use his own lamp, and the various experiments which he has carried on must be his guide. He must take the Elixir of Life which he has developed and with it fill the lamp of his spiritual consciousness, and holding that above his head, walk into the Great Unknown, where if he has been a good and faithful servant, he will learn of the alchemy of Divinity. Where now test tubes and bottles are his implements, then worlds and globes he will study, and as a silent watcher will learn from that Divine One, who is the Great Alchemist of all the universe, the greatest alchemy of all, the creation of life, the maintenance of form, and the building of worlds.
+
+**The Serpent:**
+
+This is the serpent crown of the ancient Gods. It shows that the two paths or parts of the spirit fire have been united. This crown is the symbol of mastery and the union takes place within the student when the life forces are lifted to the brain.
+
+## Chapter 4. The Egyptian Initiate
+
+Many ages have elapsed since the Egyptian Priest King passed through the pillars of Thebes. Ages before the sinking of Atlantis, thousands of years before the Christian Era, Egypt was a land of great truths. The hand of the Great White Brotherhood was held out to the Empire of the Nile, and the ancient pyramid passages resounded with the chants of the Initiates. It was then that the Pharaoh, now called half-human, half-divine, reigned in ancient Egypt. Pharaoh is the Egyptian word for king. Many of the later Pharaohs were degenerate and of little account. It is only the early Pharaohs we now list among the Priest Kings.
+
+**The Masonic Apron:**
+
+In the triangle we see spirit descending into the square of matter. Let us so purify matter that spirit may shine through it and make of us lights to guide the footsteps of humanity.
+
+Try to picture for a moment the great Hall of Luxor - its inscriptive columns holding up domes of solid granite, each column carved with the histories of the gods. There at the upper end of the chamber sat the Pharaoh of the Nile in his robes of state; around him his counsellors, chief among them the priest of the temple. An imposing spectacle it was: the gigantic frame of the later Atlantean, robed in gold and priceless jewels; on his head the crown of the North and South, the double empire of the ancient; on his forehead the coiled serpent of the Initiate, the serpent which was raised in the wilderness that all who looked upon it might live; that sleeping serpent power in man, which coiled head downward around the tree of life, drove him from the garden of the Lord, but which raised upon the Cross, became the symbol of the Christ.
+
+The Pharaoh was an Initiate of Scorpio, and the serpent is the transmuted Scorpio energy, which working upward in the regenerated individual is called the Kundalini. This serpent was the sign of Initiation. It meant that within him the serpent had been raised, for the true Pharaoh was a priest of God, as well as a master of men. There he sat upon the cube altar throne, indicating his mastery over the four elements of his physical body - a judge of the living and of the dead, who in spite of all his power and glory, having about him the grandeur of the world's greatest empire, still bowed in humble supplication to the will of the gods. In his hands he carries the triple sceptre of the Nile, the Shepherd's Crook, the Anubis-headed Staff and the Flail or Whip. These were the symbols of his work. They represent the powers which he had mastered. With the whip he had subjugated his physical body; with the Shepherd's Crook he was the guardian and keeper of his emotional body; with the Anubis-headed Staff he was master of his mind and worthy to wield the powers of government over others, because, first of all, he obeyed the laws himself.
+
+With all his robes of state and with the scarab upon his breast, and with the All-seeing Eye above his throne, there was still nothing as precious or as sacred to the ancient Egyptian Priest King as the triangular girdle or apron which was the symbol of his initiation. The apron of the ancient Egyptian carried with it the same symbolism as the Masonic apron of today. It symbolized the purification of the bodies, when the seat of the lower emotions, Scorpio, was covered by the white sheepskin of purification. This symbol of his purification was the most precious belonging of the ancient Pharaoh; and this plain insignia, worn by many others below him in rank and dignity, but equal to him in spiritual purification, was the most precious of all things to the Priest King. There he sat, written upon him in the words of the Initiate, the symbols of his purification and mastery, a wise king of a wise people. And it was through these Priest Kings that the Divine worked, for they were of the order of Melchisedec. Through them was formed that doctrine which degeneracy has not been able to entirely obliterate, which we know as the divine right of kings - divine because through spirituality and growth God was able to manifest through them. They were conscious instruments in the hands of a ready writer, willing and proud to do the work of those with whom through knowledge and truth they had attuned themselves.
+
+**The Sceptres of Egypt:**
+
+These are the three bodies that are the tools with which we are to build our temple. When they are mastered they are the living proof of our right to kingship.
+
+**The Sacred Scarab:**
+
+In this form the ancient Egyptians worshiped Khepera, the rising Sun, and the sacred scarab was buried with the dead as the symbol of resurrection. For as the sun rises from the darkness of night, so the divine spirit rises from the body that is no more. The life is eternal.
+
+But the time came, as in all nations, when selfishness and egotism entered the heart of king and people alike, and slowly the hand from the Great White Brotherhood that fed ancient Egypt was withdrawn, and the powers of darkness transformed the land of glory into one of ruins, and the names of mighty kings were buried beneath the oblivion of degeneracy. Mighty cataclysms shook the world, and out of the land of darkness the Great White Brotherhood carried the chosen people into the promised land; Egypt, the land of glory, disintegrated into dust.
+
+The great temples of the Pharaohs are ruins, and the temples of Isis are but broken heaps of sandstone. But what of the priest kings who labored there in the days of its glory? They are still with us, for those who were leaders before are leaders now, if they have continued to walk the path. Although his sceptre is gone, and his priestly vestments have moulded away, the Priest King still walks the earth with the dignity and the power and the childish simplicity that before made him great. He no longer wears the robes of his order. Although he bears no credentials, he is as much a priest king now as then, for he still bears the true insignia of his rank. The coiled serpent has given place to knowledge and love. The hand that bestowed the riches of the past does little acts of kindness now. Although he no longer carries the sceptres of self-mastery, still he manifests that mastery in his daily life. Although the altar fires within the temple at Karnac have long been dead, the true fire within himself still burns, and before that he still bows as he bowed in the days of Egypt's glory. Although the priest no longer is his counsellor, and the wise ones of his country no longer aid him in governmental problems, still he is never alone, for the priests in white and the counsellors in blue still march with him and whisper words of strength when he needs them.
+
+Have you seen people that somehow you liked regardless of appearances? Have you seen other charming people whom you hated in spite of their charms? Have you seen learned people who were fools or impressed you as such, or people who knew little and yet you felt were wise? Those are the insignia of rank, which the loss of title or position cannot destroy. Kings with or without crowns they were - not puppets dressed in tawdry tinsel. And they still are kings and will be to the end of time, and they still manifest their rank, not by their superiority, and their high-headedness, but by the soul qualities which they radiate from themselves. The purity of their lives still radiates outward from those who wore the apron of the Initiate, for while that triangular apron with its serpent drawn upon it has long since rotted away, still the spiritual counterpart of that symbol radiates in their daily lives, proving beyond all dispute that they were Priest Kings and are today. We find them in every walk of life - in high places and down in the mire of life. But wherever we find them, they are still the mouthpieces of the gods, and through them comes the promise to all who strive. They are kings, not of the earth but of heaven, and in the life of our own Master we find one who joined himself to those who served, and was a true King even when his only crown was a wreath of thorns.
+
+Still in the pyramid of Gizeh, the initiations continue; still the Initiate receives the insignia of his rank. Before that Fire within himself he makes his vows, and upon the burning altar of his own higher being he lays his crown and his sceptre, his robes and his diamonds, his hates and his fears, and sanctifies his life as a Priest King, and swears to serve none but his own higher self, the god within. His robes are his soul body; and his crown is his life, and in the streets of life he is enthroned. The dusky towers and factory chimneys around him fade into the templed pillars of Luxor, and with a lunch pail on his arm, his face brown with honest dirt, he is as much a king as when the crown of the double Nile rested upon his brow, and the priest of the temple made him one with his God and his fellowman.
+
+## Chapter 5. The Ark Of The Covenant
+
+One of the most interesting symbols that has come down to us from the ancients is that of the Ark, or the box that was said to contain the sacred relics. Many people believe that this belongs particularly to the Jewish nation, but this is a great mistake, because it has been the birthright of every country to have the Ark. All have, like the Jewish people, lost much of their power and glory when they lost the sacred Ark. In ancient Chaldea and Phoenicia the Ark was well known. India celebrates it as the Lotus, and the ancient Egyptians tell how the moon god Osiris was imprisoned in an ark. In all the Mystery Religions of the world, individually and cosmically, the ark represents the fountain-head of wisdom. Over it the Shekinah's glory hovers, as a column of flames by night and a pillar of smoke by day. Every country has seen and felt its presence when the Priest Kings and Initiates bring out of an old civilization, lost because of crystallization, the sacred Ark, and surrounded by those faithful to the truth carry it into other lands and among other peoples.
+
+In every creed and religion we find crystallization. We find small groups of people separating themselves from their brother man. We find those who, clinging to the old, refuse to advance with the new, and whenever we find this crystallization, we find the spirit of truth carried away to other people and embodied in other doctrines. The ancient Ark of the Israelite never had removed from it the staves by which it was carried and moved, until finally it was placed in Solomon's temple. Neither does the spirit fire in man rest until finally it is enthroned in the holy place of his solar temple. Ever towards the rising sun its bearers carry this sacred truth.
+
+Nations are born of those who love the truth, and are buried when they forget it. The time has come when its silent bearers have taken the sacred Ark and the Shekinah's glory, and in solemn file have moved across the waters and brought it to the new world. The call has sounded through the universe, and those who are true to their own higher principles have surrounded the sacred chest. Those who have sworn alliance to their own higher being are following the priests and their sacred burden, and a beautiful mystery temple is being built in this beautiful land of ours, loved and guarded by those who are laboring for humanity. The staves are still in the Ark, however, and only when real good can be done by it will it remain.
+
+The opportunity is now confronting the Western World. The knowledge of the ancients, the wisdom of the ages is knocking at the door and seeking those who will follow it. The bearers of the Ark have stopped and are gathering a nucleus of spiritual souls to carry on their work, and whether or not the word of the Lord will remain with a nation depends upon its own actions, and the actions of a nation are the collective actions of its individuals. If it finds nothing here attuned to itself, if it finds few that will answer to its call, the call of service and brotherhood, then will its priests lift again the staves and the sacred work will go out into other lands.
+
+The life of a country thus gone, like the ancient city of the Golden Gate it will be swallowed up in oblivion. The call is sounding, and those who love the Truth and think and care for the Light must join that band of servers who have for centuries dedicated themselves to the preservation of Truth. Their lives they have given a thousand times, their happiness has been second to their duty. They are the keepers of the sacred Word, and the law of attraction draws to them all who love and live the Truth. A great influx of spiritual light comes to those who live the life and have learned the doctrine, and regardless of clan or country they have joined the silent file of watchers and workers around the sacred Ark of the Covenant. Every individual by his daily actions is expressing more plainly than by words his ideals, his desires, and his attitude towards this great work. The composite attitude of a certain number of people either shuts out or lets in the light. Therefore every individual has a great duty, a great work has to be done, and to that the true student must dedicate his life. Then wherever he may go, whatever he may do, he is being led, and the Shekinah's glory directs his footsteps.
+
+**The Rod that Budded, the Pot of Manna, and the Tablets of the Law:**
+
+In these three things contained within the Ark we see the threefold spirit contained within the ark of man's bodies.
+
+In the brain of man, between the wings of the kneeling cherubim, is the mercy seat, and there man speaks with his God as the priest of the tabernacle spoke to the spirit of the Lord hovering between the wings of the Angels. Man is again the Ark, and within him are the three principles, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the tablets of the law, the pot of manna, and the rod that budded. But as in the case of the ancient Israelites, when they became crystallized the pot of manna and the rod that budded were removed from the Ark, and all that was left were the tablets or the letters of the law. When the individual crystallizes and excludes various sidelights from his mind, he excludes the life force which was flowing to him. In shutting out strangers, he shuts out his own life, and all that he has left are the tablets of the law, the material reasons from which the spiritual life has gone.
+
+Solomon's temple, or the perfected temple of the human body, the perfected temple of the universe and the perfected temple of the soul, finally forms the perfect shrine for the living Ark. There at the head of a great cross it is placed, and there in man it becomes permanently fixed. The staves of polarity upon which it was carried are removed, and it becomes a living thing, a permanent place where man converses with his God. There man, the purified priest, arrayed in the robes of his order, the garments of his soul, converses with the spirit hovering over the Mercy Seat. This Ark within is always present, but man can only reach it after he has passed through the outer court of the Tabernacle, after he has passed through all the degrees of initiation, and after he has taken the Third Degree and becomes a Grand Master. Then and then only can he enter into the presence of his Lord, and there in the darkened chamber, lighted by the jewels of his own breast plate, he converses with the Most High, the true spiritual essence within himself.
+
+We are working towards this, and the time will come when each person for himself will know the mystery of the Ark, when the student through purification shall be led through the door of the Holy of Holies and there be enveloped by the Light of Truth. This was his birthright which he sold for a mess of pottage. "To this end came he into the world that he might bear witness to this truth, that through this light all men might be saved." The Ark, that great spiritual principle, surrounded by its loving workers, is calling all to follow it.
+
+When through materiality and degeneracy a great people are destroyed or a continent sinks beneath the ocean, then those that are true are called around the Ark, and as its faithful servers are led out of the land of darkness into the new world and a promised paradise. All great teachings set forth the same thing. The student will find that it is true, and when he allies himself with the powers of light, when he becomes a channel for its expression, and when he radiates it from himself to all who need it, then indeed will the Light protect him and he shall become a Sun of God.
+
+**The Holy Grail:**
+
+See in this cup your own body within which is the life blood of the Sun Spirit of the Universe. Each day that we live we perpetuate the Last Supper, and in all that we do we drink again the blood of Christ, the life power of the Cosmos.
+
+## Chapter 6. Knights Of The Holy Grail
+
+Before starting to take up the study of the Grail legends, it will be well for all who are interested to read those tales that are now listed under the heading of children's fairy stories. For example the story of good King Arthur and his Round Table is a cosmic myth, and while there is little doubt that he as a man also lived, the real mystery as in the story of the Christ, is not the literal tale, but the great mystic or occult truth that it concealed under allegory and parable. It is the same with the story of Parsifal which can never be really understood and appreciated until the student sees in the Knight and later King of the Sacred Cup, his own spiritual development and the temptations he must also master if he would become a King of the Grail.
+
+**The Stone and the Sword:**
+
+WHOEVER CAN DRAW THIS SWORD FROM THIS STONE IS THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE.
+
+In Lohengrin also the same truth is shown to the world. It is the path of Initiation along which each must pass on his road to self-mastery. To every nation and in every tongue sacred legends have been given to teach man the path he must follow. The blind Homer of the Greeks who told of the wanderings of Ulysses gave the same great truths to the world. The Scalds of ancient Norway and Sweden and the Prophets of the Jews used the same means, and everywhere from the Sacred Books of the East to the legends of the American Indians we find one great connected truth told to many different people in ways that were best suited for their development.
+
+Such a truth is the legend of the Round Table, given to King Arthur as a wedding gift. All true students know what wedding that was. Not of earth but the wedding of the Spiritual and Intellectual within the Initiate himself, when the spirit and the body are united eternally, each swearing to honor and protect the other. Of such a marriage was the union of Arthur and Guinevere in the legend of the King.
+
+Let us first of all consider the coming of Arthur the King. We read in the legend of Arthur regarding Merlin the Magician, the wise man who it is said had charge of the coming King during his youth. Merlin represents the hand of the Elder Brothers, who realizing that a great ego had come into the world, had consecrated themselves to the work of preparing him for his mission.
+
+It was under the direction of Merlin, the master mind, that the anvil and stone with the sword thrust into it were raised in the square of the city when it became necessary for a new king to be selected. It was he also who called all of the brave knights of the country and told them that the one who could draw forth the sword would be king of all the land. And of all the knights in the land, Arthur the half-grown boy was the only one who could release the sword.
+
+There is a very wonderful mystery of the soul contained within that divine allegory. Let us read the letters that were engraved upon the sword. "WHO SO PULLETH OUT THIS SWORD OF THIS STONE AND ANVIL IS RIGHT-WISE KING BORN OF ENGLAND."
+
+**The Rosicrucian Rose:**
+
+In this flower, which was painted upon the center of King Arthur's Table, we see the soul of man, which through purification and service has blossomed out with all the grandeur of the Initiate.
+
+The cube stone is the body; it has been so symbolized for centuries, and today among the Masons the Ashler is the symbol of Man. Experience is the anvil, and it is upon this anvil that the sword is tempered. The sword is spirit, and he who would be King in the true spiritual sense of the word must first show his divine power by freeing the Sword of Spirit from the casings of the lower man and the world.
+
+It is the same symbol as that later used by Sir Galahad, the guileless knight, the personification of the purified man, who comes without a sword but who later arms himself with the sword of spirit that he draws from the cube block which was floating down the river (of life) past Camelot. Sir Galahad had the strength of ten because his heart was pure, and the Knight of today must follow in the same path.
+
+**The Sacred Spear:**
+
+This is the spear of Passion that pierces the side of the Christ, the higher principle in man. But when in the hand of the pure of heart this power can heal the very wound it caused.
+
+If you have read the story of King Arthur, you will remember how he was given Excalibur, the enchanted sword, how it came up out of the water held by a hand draped in white. Excalibur represents light and truth, which is the weapon of the true Initiate.
+
+In England there still hangs on a courthouse wall the Round Table of King Arthur. In the very center of the table is a beautiful rose painted in natural colors. This symbol is that of the Rosicrucians, the ancient alchemists, and there is a direct connection between the legend of the British King and the ancient philosophers of fire.
+
+Now let us turn our attention for a moment to the history of the Holy Grail, or the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper and which was said to have caught his blood when he was dying upon the cross. Ancient legends tell us that this cup was made from a sacred stone which had been the crown jewel of Lucifer, the dynamic energy of the universe. It was said that the green stone had been struck from the crown of Lucifer by the archangel Michael during the famous battle in heaven.
+
+After the death of Christ it is said that Joseph of Arimathea took the sacred cup and the spear of the Passion and carried them into a distant land. He wandered with his sacred relics through Europe and is said to have finally died, and those who came after him after many centuries of tribulation carried the sacred relics to Mount Salvart in northern Spain where they remained until Parsifal finally took the grail and spear back to the East where it is to be now preserved.
+
+It is around this cup and spear that the legends of Parsifal and King Arthur have been written, and it is through study of this fact that we are able to better understand the mystery of the Great White Lodge of which the Round Table of Arthur and the circular temple of the knights of the Grail is a symbol.
+
+Although we no longer have the cup as a physical symbol, it is not gone from among us, and as in the days of old the brave knights of the Round Table went out to fight for right, so those knights of today who belong to the Great White Brotherhood go out into the world in the name of truth and labor with mankind and seek to right the wrongs of the world. It is said that the knights of Arthur's court always fought for virtue and purity, and so did those who rode out of Mount Salvart.
+
+The grail cup is the symbol of the creative force of nature; it is also the symbol of the human race which is slowly learning the mysteries of creation. Within the cup is the blood of Christ, that force which is transmuting the body into soul, fast or slowly as we give it greater or lesser opportunity.
+
+In the sacred spear we find symbolized again the creative force, which in the hands of Klingsor, the evil one, wounds and causes suffering, but which when held by the pure Parsifal heals the very wound that it caused.
+
+A great lesson is being taught to man through these allegories, but the average person is unwilling to stop and consider them. They do not realize that they themselves are the ones whom the Elder Brothers of humanity must use in the fight against the forces of evil. They do not realize that the dragons and ogres of the legends are their own lower natures which they must overcome. They do not see in the hand to hand combat of the knights of old for a lady's hand the higher and lower man fighting for the soul within.
+
+The knight of today does not realize that the white armor that he wears is his own purified body which is proof against all the attacks of vice and passion, but nevertheless this is the meaning of the legend. His shield is truth, which is a perfect protection to the inner man. His strong right arm is the knowledge and spiritual power he has developed within, and the sword that he uses is the spiritual light with which the pure flame of the spirit fire dispels the darkness of ignorance and the demons of lust.
+
+The sacred spear and the cup which he serves are the two poles of the creative life force within, the development of which he gains as he daily serves his fellow men.
+
+Far from the uninitiated the twelve Elder Brothers of mankind sitting around the circular table of the universe watch the knights in their battle of life, and the time comes when the student having finished his work here is liberated at the foot of the Grail. There the candidate stands robed from head to foot in the armor of spirit and in the pure white of a body that has been cleansed. Then the cloth is lifted from the sacred cup, and he is illuminated by the light which would have killed him had he seen it without purification. He then takes his place among the knights of the Round Table, and joins those who give up all and labor for humanity.
+
+When in sickness and in suffering we beg of the great unknown that he send us help, then indeed our knight comes to us as Lohengrin came to Elsa. When our loved ones pass into the great unknown, there stands the brother of the Grail, the invisible helper, who through days of labor has earned the right to become a member of that great band of servers who gather around the table of the King, and while their bodies are asleep still labor in their great search for light and truth, and pray for the day when they shall also become Kings of the Holy Grail.
+
+## Chapter 7. The Mystery Of The Pyramid
+
+There comes a time in the development of the occult student when he understands one of the great secrets of the Initiates, and that is that every sacred thing outside of himself stands for some organ or function within himself. This is, of course, true in the case of the Great Pyramid, except that this particular pile of stone said by many to be the oldest building on the surface of the earth, is the great symbol of composite man. In other words it stands for man as a unit.
+
+Let us first consider it simply from the exterior standpoint. When we first look at it in the distance it seems to be one great stone, but as we come closer we see that it is made of thousands of smaller stones, each one carefully fitted into place. Here we see the first likeness between the pyramid and man. We consider man to be a unit, but when we examine more closely, we find that he is a great number of small units, each working in harmony with the others. It is the same with everything. We take a successful life and we think of it as an entirety, but when we examine it, we find that it is a number of small achievements joined together.
+
+**Cross Section of the Great Pyramid of Gizah.**
+
+As thousands of workmen were used in the building of the pyramid, so there are unnumbered workmen at work in the building of our bodies, which are symbolical of the same building.
+
+There are many pyramids all over the world. We find them in South America and in Mexico; we find mounds which were made to represent them among the American Indians, and in Europe and Britain we find remnants of the same things. But there is only one real pyramid in all the world. Even the others in Egypt are but copies of the Great Pyramid, and were used as tombs for the Pharaohs, but nobody was ever found in Cheops, nor were there ever any signs that it had been so used.
+
+Now let us continue our analogy between the pyramid and man. If you will look at the accompanying illustration, you will see the pyramid laid flat, and you will notice it is made of four triangles laid around the base square. The four-sided base of the pyramid represents the four elements of which man's bodies are composed. These are hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon, or earth, water, fire, and air. These are called the base of all things, and upon this base the four bodies of man are raised, each from its own element. Thus the physical body is raised from the earth. The vital body is raised from the water, the emotional body from the fire, and the mental body from the air.
+
+**The Pyramid:**
+
+Here we see the pyramid laid out so that the four triangles and the square are clearly seen. This represents man once again, and the ancient Pyramid is man offering his higher being upon the altar of the Great Fire Spirit.
+
+There are twelve lines used in the drawing of the four triangles, which stand for the twelvefold constitution of man when it is complete: the threefold body, the threefold mind, the threefold soul, and the threefold spirit. It also gives us the twelve signs of the zodiac, divided into their respective groups.
+
+Out on the desert stands the Sphinx, the Guardian of the Threshold mentioned by Bulwer Lytton. It stands for the bodies of man, and is that strange being which must be passed before the student can go on in his development. The four fixed signs of which the Sphinx is a symbol are Taurus the Bull, Leo the Lion, Scorpio the Eagle, and Aquarius the Man, or the human head.
+
+**The Sphinx:**
+
+This is that mysterious being suspended 'twixt heaven and earth, which has the head of a human being and the body of an animal. In other words the Sphinx symbolizes man.
+
+I have already given you some work on the sacrum bone, and I told you that it was the grave digger's spade. Here is a picture of the head of the Sphinx, and the inverted sacrum bone when it has been turned upward. We see the Sphinx in the inverted sacrum and also in it the inverted Masonic keystone. All this is very interesting, but unless we realize the inner meaning of it, its true value is lost. But it is not chance that these things should be so.
+
+You have most of you heard of the Dweller on the Threshold, that creature built by our own actions and mistakes. Well out on Egypt's desert it stands and bars the way to the pyramid, the temple of the higher man. And the message that it gives to the world is:
+
+**"I am the bodies. If you would go on to the temple you must master me, for I am within you."**
+
+The Sphinx again symbolizes man, with the mind and spirit of the human rising out of the animal desires and emotions. It is the riddle of the ages, and man is once more the answer.
+
+It is said that in ancient times the Sphinx was the gateway of the pyramid, and that there was an underground passage which led from the Sphinx to Cheops. This would make the symbolism even more perfect, for the gateway to the spirit is through the bodies according to the ancients.
+
+Let us now enter the pyramid and passing through the corridors come to the King's Chamber as it is called. There are three great rooms in the pyramid which are of great interest to the student. The highest is the King's Chamber, then below that is the Queen's Chamber, and down below the surface of the earth is the Pit. Here we again find the great correlation between the pyramid and man. The three rooms are the three great divisions in man which are the seats of the threefold spirit. The lower room is the generative system under the control of Jehovah. The center room or Queen's Chamber is the heart, under the control of the Christ; and the upper room or the King's Chamber is the brain, which is under the control of the Father. In this upper room is the coffer made of stone, the meaning of which has never been explained, but which the student recognizes as the third ventricle in the brain.
+
+It is quite certain also that this coffer was used as a tomb during initiation, when as is the case in the Masonic initiations of today, (which are the remnants of the ancient mysteries) the candidate was buried in the earth and resurrected, a symbol of the death of the lower man and the liberation of the higher.
+
+It is said that Moses was initiated in the Great Pyramid, and some also say that Jesus was instructed there also. Be that as it may, we know that for thousands of years since the time it was built by the Atlanteans it has been the greatest temple of Initiation in the world. It seems also that its work is not yet done, for mutely it is teaching those who will see the mysteries of creation.
+
+It is said by many that it is the original Solomon's Temple, but this we know is not true, for while it may be the first and original material temple, the true temple of Solomon is the universe, the Solarman's temple, which is slowly being rebuilt in man as the temple of the Soul of Man.
+
+There is probably no point that is as important in connection with the pyramid as that of the corner stone. On the very top of the great pyramid is a comparatively flat place about thirty feet square. In other words the TRUE STONE WHICH IS THE HEAD OF ALL THE CORNERS IS MISSING. If we look at the reverse side of the United States seal, we find again the pyramid from which the top is separated. Omar Khayyam, the Persian Poet, gives us the secret of the keystone when he says:
+
+"From my base metal shall be filed a **key**,
+
+Which shall unlock the door he howls without."
+
+The value of the stone is better understood when you understand that it completes all of the triangles at once, and without it none of them are complete.
+
+**The Key and the Cross:**
+
+Upon the cross of matter that forms our bodies, hangs the key to all the mysteries of creation. It is our duty to take this key and with it unlock the door that conceals from us the unknown. This key is the spirit. Release it.
+
+This stone is the spirit in man, which fell from its high position, and has been lost beneath the rubbish of the lower man. This is the true cap stone that is now hidden in the pit of man's temple, and which he must exhume and place again as the true crown of his spiritual pyramid.
+
+He can only do this when he calls the thousands of workmen within himself together and binds them to the service of the higher man. There must be no traitors to murder the builder this time. And Lucifer, the one rejected by man as the devil, is the one who must through the planet Mars send man the dynamic energy which man himself must transmute from the fire of passion to the flame of spirit. He then must take the tools of the craft and cut and polish his own being into the cap stone of the Universal Temple.
+
+It is interesting to note how the casing stones that once made the pyramid so beautiful and true were carried away to build the cities nearby, and in connection with that it is interesting to note how the soul and body of man, the casing stones of his spiritual temple, have been sacrificed in order that he might have material things.
+
+As we look at pictures of the ancient pyramid and Sphinx which have stood on Egypt's sands for ages, let us see in them our own mystery temple, made without the sound of hammer or the voice of workman. And as we sadly think of this mighty ruin, broken by ages of neglect, let us remember our temple, and that its corner stone is missing also and our walls are falling with neglect. Let us learn the lesson which it teaches, hasten to perfect our pyramid, cap it with the stone of spirit, offer upon its altars our sacrifice to the Great Sun Spirit, and bury our lower nature in its ancient coffer. Then for us will its mysteries be revealed, and the sealed lips of the Sphinx give up their secret.

merge.py

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+import os
+
+# Get the current directory
+current_directory = os.getcwd()
+
+# Define the name of the merged file
+merged_file_name = "merged.md"
+
+# Open the merged file in write mode
+with open(merged_file_name, "w") as merged_file:
+    # Iterate over all files and directories in the current directory
+    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(current_directory):
+        for file in files:
+            # Get the file path
+            file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
+
+            # Open each file in read mode
+            with open(file_path, "r") as current_file:
+                # Read the contents of the file
+                file_contents = current_file.read()
+
+                # Write the contents to the merged file
+                merged_file.write(file_contents)

rc-manifestos/apelatio-fraternitatis-rosae-crucis.md

@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+# Appellatio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis
+
+Salutem Punctis Trianguli!
+
+In 1614, the Rosicrucians came out of anonymity by publishing the Fama Fraternitatis. Four centuries later, we, the deputies of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, are calling to men and women of good will, so that they might join us to work towards reconciling humanity with itself, nature, and the Divine. This is why we place this Appellatio under the auspices of spirituality, humanism, and ecology. *So Mote It Be!*
+
+Antiquus Mysticusque Ordo Rosae Crucis
+
+## MANIFESTO
+
+Dear Reader,
+
+In 1614, four hundred years ago, a mysterious Fraternity made itself known almost simultaneously in Germany, in France, and in England, by publishing a Manifesto entitled Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis. At the time, the text elicited many reactions, especially from thinkers, philosophers, and leaders of the religions of the time, and in particular the Catholic Church. In general terms, this Manifesto called for a Universal Reform, in religious as well as political, philosophical, scientific, and economic spheres. According to historians, the situation was at the time highly chaotic in many European countries, to such an extent that one openly spoke of a
+
+"European crisis."
+
+The Fama Fraternitatis was followed by two other Manifestos: the Confessio Fraternitatis and the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz, published in 1615 and 1616 respectively. The authors of these three Manifestos claimed to adhere to the Rosicrucian Fraternity and belonged to a circle of mystics known as the "Tübingen Circle."
+
+They were all passionate about hermetism, alchemy, and kabbalah.
+
+Several years later, in 1623, this Fraternity made itself known once more by putting up a mysterious poster in the streets of Paris: "We, the Deputies of the Higher College of the Rose-Croix, do make our stay, visibly and invisibly, in this city, by the grace of the Most High..."
+
+The purpose of this Appellatio is not to set out the history of the Rosicrucians nor their teachings. Through it, we wish to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the Fama Fraternitatis, the founding Manifesto of the Rosicrucian Order in historical terms. If we say "historical" it is because, traditionally, this Order traces its origins back to the Ancient Egyptian Eighteenth Dynasty Mystery Schools. Indeed, the famous seventeenth century Rosicrucian Michael Maier stated in one of his books: "Our origins are Egyptian, Brahmanic, derived from the Mysteries of Eleusis and Samothrace, the Magi of Persia, the Pythagoreans, and the Arabs."
+
+Faithful to our Tradition, in 2001 we published a Manifesto entitled Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, in which we gave our position regarding the state of humanity, notably through its principal areas of activity: economy, politics, technology, science, religion, morality, art, etc., not forgetting its situation in ecological terms.
+
+That Manifesto, which some historians place in the same lineage as the three previous ones, has been read the world over by millions of people and has already for many of them formed a basis for reflection and meditation. In some countries, students have been advised to read it; in others, it has been made available to the public in municipal and national libraries; not to mention all those who have put it on the Internet.
+
+Four centuries after the Fama and thirteen years after the Positio, we felt it was necessary to echo once more our own particular concerns with regard to humanity. Indeed, time goes by but the future that is emerging decade by decade, year by year, is still a cause for great concern. The "crisis," as it is commonly called, appears to have become firmly entrenched in many countries. Nonetheless we are not pessimistic, nor even apocalyptic, about the future. In "Rosicrucian Prophecies" published in December 2011, we wrote on this subject:
+
+"We are optimistic about the future... Below the surface, the troubled times that we are crossing constitute a 'necessary transition,' which should enable humanity to transcend itself and be reborn."
+
+Like the Positio, the Appellatio is not intended for the elite, but for all those people who learn of its publication and take the time to read it. Some will find it rather alarmist while others will consider it to be somewhat utopian. It is certainly neither dogmatic nor ideological.
+
+Through it, we simply want to express ideas that are neither new nor original in themselves, particularly for Rosicrucians, but that, in our view, call more than ever for careful thought. In fact, we wish to send out an appeal for spirituality, humanism, and ecology, which, for us, are the conditions for humanity to regenerate on all planes and find the happiness it desires.
+
+The Supreme Council of AMORC
+
+## APPEAL FOR SPIRITUALITY
+
+In our view, the crisis that is affecting many, if not all, countries, is not just a social, economic, and financial one. These are the consequences of a crisis of civilization, in the wider sense of the term. Put another way, it is humanity as such that is in crisis.
+
+But what kind of crisis? Although we answered part of this question in the Positio, we feel it is necessary to come back and elaborate on it. Our philosophy and ideals lead us to consider that it is a duty that involves us both as Rosicrucians as well as citizens. As such, and contrary to what may have been said about us, the importance that we attach to spirituality has never obscured the interest we have for materiality, not the least because the ultimate aim of our quest has always been to acquire life mastery.
+
+First, we think that humanity is in a spiritual crisis. In our view, this irrefutable fact has two principal causes: the major religions established many centuries ago no longer answer the existential questions that today's women and men ask themselves. Their doctrines as well as their morals are no longer adapted, which explains why they are increasingly being abandoned, thus creating a large spiritual vacuum that many people no longer even seek to fill. At the same time, in the so-called developed countries, society has become more and more materialistic in that it incites people to seek happiness through material possessions and excessive consumption. This trend has considerably increased the power of money and has perverted its use. It has gone from being a means, to becoming an end itself, a thing that one likes to possess as such, when it is nothing by itself.
+
+Does this mean that today's religions have no future? Before replying to that question, we wish to reiterate that we respect them in all the noble things that they have to offer their followers to enable them to practice their faith daily. But, as we have said previously, consciousness and mentalities have greatly evolved since they originated, and therefore their credos are outdated in the eyes of many people, especially the young. As they have not been able to, not known how to, or not wished to update their teachings, we think they are doomed to disappear in the medium term. As a result, all that will remain of them are the monuments created for them over the centuries, as well as the texts relating to them, including those that are considered to be sacred, such as the Bible, the Qur'an, the Upanishads, the Tripitaka, etc.
+
+With regard to the subject of money, it is not a question of resorting to caricature or demagoguery. As a means of exchange, it is a necessity in order to live in society. We need it to obtain what is necessary for our material well-being and to satisfy the legitimate pleasures our existence can offer. But, over time, it has taken on too much importance, to a point where it conditions and governs practically all sectors of human activity. It has today acquired cult status, acting as a religion which probably has the greatest number of followers in the world. Unfortunately, every day at its altar we sacrifice the most elementary of ethical values (honesty, integrity, equity, solidarity, etc.) so that it constitutes more than ever a vehicle of debasement.
+
+Do not think from the above that Rosicrucians are in favor of the "vow of poverty" and that they believe that material wealth is incompatible with spirituality. Ever since they appeared on Earth, humans have sought to improve their living conditions and be happy.
+
+This tendency lies within their deeper nature and is part of the process we call "evolution." This does not mean that the aim of existence is to become rich, but it is neither natural nor normal to aspire to be poor.
+
+Besides, the fact of being materially or financially destitute does not make a person better in human terms and is not a criterion for spiritual advancement, no more, indeed, than being rich.
+
+It is our view that the happiness to which human beings aspire more or less consciously resides in equilibrium between the material and the spiritual, and not in the exclusion of one or the other. This is why anyone who consecrates oneself solely to spirituality, to the point of depriving oneself of the legitimate pleasures of life, cannot be happy. The same applies to anyone who makes material possessions the sole basis for one's well-being. This explains why many people that we term as being well-off are deeply unhappy. It is because they suffer from an inner emptiness that "all the gold in the world" would not fill. We are all familiar with the expression: "money does not buy happiness," even if it can, indeed, be a contributing factor.
+
+If we assume that a human being is not simply a material body kept alive by a set of physicochemical processes, but that it also possesses a soul, we can easily understand that it also requires a certain form of nourishment: spirituality. But what is spirituality?
+
+In accordance with what we have said previously, it transcends religiosity. In other words, it is not limited to believing in a God and following a religious credo, no matter how respectable this may be.
+
+Instead, it consists of seeking the deeper meaning of existence and gradually awakening the best within ourselves. But this search for meaning and improvement is cruelly lacking today, which explains the chaotic state the world is in and the despondency into which it has sunk over the last decades.
+
+The majority of people from all countries and nations feel they are in a dark tunnel from which no one can see the way out, not even those who lead and govern them. Furthermore, they are not aware that the light they hope to see can only come from themselves, and not from an external source. This brings us back to spirituality and the need to look towards something other than materiality for resolving the problems that humanity is confronted with. But you may be one of those people who does not accept the existence of the soul, and naturally you have every right to do so. If this is the case, allow us to ask you the following questions, and take the time to answer them yourself:
+
+- To what do you attribute what is commonly known as the voice of conscience?
+- How can you explain the human aptitude for virtues such as benevolence, generosity, compassion, and love?
+- Do you truly think that the most beautiful works of art, whether paintings, sculpture, music, or in another form, originate only in the mind of those who created them?
+- How do you explain that millions of men and women the world over have experienced clinical death, before coming back to life with the memory of what they "saw" and "heard" in what we generally call "the beyond"?
+- Do you really believe that if the existence of the soul was just an illusion, that the greatest thinkers and philosophers that humanity has known would have declared it as being an obvious truth?
+
+Every human being most certainly possesses a soul. From our point of view, this is what makes each one of us a conscious living thing, capable of thinking and experiencing emotions. The better part of human nature equally resides in it, and we are alive here precisely to raise our awareness of its virtues and express them through our judgments and behavior. Unfortunately, too few people, believers included, apply themselves to this, which explains the presence of ill-will, intolerance, selfishness, jealousy, pride, and hatred in the world, and all that stems from this in terms of injustice, conflicts, inequality, and suffering. It is true that evil only exists in the absence of good, and is rooted solely in human behavior. Therefore it is neither the work of God, nor the devil, which has never existed, nor have the demons that are supposed to serve him.
+
+Now, what about God? For centuries, believers saw God as an anthropomorphic Being, seated somewhere in heaven and presiding over the destiny of the entire human race. In an attempt to please God in order to gain God's favor, they followed and continue to follow the precepts upheld by religions; the basis of which are found in their Holy Books. But evidently, believing in God and adhering to a creed that is said to be inspired by God does not suffice to bring about happiness. Otherwise, billions of believers living the world over would be happy, with the exception of atheists. However, this is not the case. This means that the happiness to which every human being aspires lies beyond religiosity. It resides in spirituality, as has been defined previously.
+
+Before giving you our conception of God, let us tell you why we think God exists and why atheism, while being respectable in itself, is an error of judgment: Whether we are believers or not, we cannot deny that the Universe exists. Thus, from a rational perspective, it has to be the effect of a creative cause. And, as it is governed by laws that scientists themselves admire, it follows that this cause is very intelligent. As a consequence, why not liken it to God and see in God the absolute and impersonal Intelligence that is at the origin of Creation? We might recall that the universe was originally just a center of energy the size of an atom, which potentially contained all the galaxies, stars, planets, and celestial bodies existing today, including Earth itself.
+
+The real question we can and should ask ourselves on the subject of God is not, therefore, whether God exists or not, but in what manner does God intervene in the lives of human beings. In our view, God does so to the extent to which we respect the laws through which God appears in the universe, in nature, and in humanity itself. This means studying them, which Rosicrucians have always dedicated themselves to doing. You will note that this approach to God and the role God plays in our existence has a scientific connotation rather than a religious one. Indeed, AMORC has never been opposed to science; quite the reverse. This is why Rose-Croix University International, which it has sponsored since the start of the twentieth century, includes a physical sciences section.
+
+More than ever, it is time now for us to move from religiosity to spirituality, which means definitively replacing the sole belief in God with the knowledge of divine laws - that is, universal, natural, and spiritual laws. The well-being we seek, including on a material plane, is to be found in this knowledge and in the wisdom that ensues. An ancient Rosicrucian adage says, "It is from ignorance and ignorance alone that humans must free themselves." It is indeed at the origin of the worst things a person can do to oneself, to others, and to one's environment. It is also the source of different superstitions that demean humanity and prevent it from finding complete fulfillment.
+
+So give a spiritual direction to your life. In other words, do not be just a living thing, be a living soul.
+
+You are perhaps wondering about our views on secularism.
+
+So long as the classic or modern religions, eastern or western, are founded on dogmas and structured according to autocratic systems, we think that secularism is an absolute necessity, in order to preserve society from any kind of theocratic deviation. This being said, we hope that a time will come when spirituality, as a quest for knowledge and wisdom, will become normal practice and will condition civic life. From then on, politics will become as one with philosophy and therefore be inspired by the "love of wisdom" as it was at the height of the Greek civilization. Let us recall that this was the cradle of democracy and was at the origin of the notion of the republic, among others. Let us also recall that the majority of its philosophers were spiritual people.
+
+## APPEAL FOR HUMANISM
+
+If you do not reply favorably to our call for spirituality, then we would ask you to show humanism in your everyday lives. Article 10 of the "Rosicrucian Declaration of Human Duties" published by AMORC in September 2005, says: "It is each individual's duty to consider the whole of humanity as his or her family and to behave in all circumstances and everywhere as a citizen of the world.
+
+This means making humanism the basis of his or her behavior and philosophy." Obviously, if all human beings carried out this duty towards one another, the word "humanity" would take on its full meaning, so that it would become the living manifestation on Earth of fraternity, exercised most nobly and universally. We may then consider peace to reign between all peoples and nations.
+
+But what does "being a humanist" mean? In the first place, it involves considering all human beings to be blood brothers and sisters, and the differences between them to be purely superficial.
+
+That said, we do not subscribe to the dogma according to which all of humanity stems from one and the same original couple, which, for those who believe in the Old Testament, was Adam and Eve. Whether it be from an ontological point of view or a scientific one, this claim is unfounded. Indeed as a result of such a close relationship, such a lineage would rapidly have led to physical and mental degeneration.
+
+In our view, human beings emerged from the animal kingdom, which has itself undergone an extremely long and slow evolution process of life since its first appearance on Earth. In any case, we all share the same genome, and the blood that flows through our veins is basically the same. More than forming a fraternity, we make up humanity itself.
+
+As you are aware, some anthropologists refer to three, and even four races: white, yellow, black, and red. For some years now, this distinction has been abandoned by most scientists, who prefer to use the global notion of a Human Race. By doing so, do they perhaps hope to take away from racists all arguments of a "physiological" nature?
+
+This being so, it is not necessarily racist to recognize the existence of several races, especially as it cannot be denied that Europeans, Asians, Africans, etc. are all hominidae that are quite clearly distinguishable in morphological terms. It would be racist to think and say that one race is superior to others, in particular the one to which we belong.
+
+The fact remains that a true humanist considers all human beings to be so many cells of one and the same body - that of humanity.
+
+Many people tend to prefer those who belong to the same
+
+"race," have the same nationality, share the same political views, or follow the same religion, because this comforts them and makes them feel secure. Nevertheless, this is not a reason for rejecting others or, worse still, hating them. A humanist worthy of the name respects all differences, providing, of course, they do not undermine each other's dignity or integrity. In other words, one shows tolerance and does not behave as if one were or felt superior. This is a sign of intelligence, because intolerance in any form is generally a characteristic of stupidity and/or pride. Unfortunately, this weakness, or fault to be more precise, is one of the most common, which explains why there are so many conflicts between humans.
+
+On the subject of tolerance, we would recall that AMORC's motto is: "The greatest tolerance within the strictest independence."
+
+This explains why we have Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc. among us, together with people who do not follow a religion at all. Some are even atheists, and yet they appreciate the fraternal nature of our Order. Furthermore, it has always included men and women of all social categories and with different, and even opposing, political views. If, beyond their differences, Rosicrucians are able to show mutual respect towards one another and maintain harmonious relationships, why would humanity not do the same?
+
+You are probably familiar with Jesus's commandment: "Love one another!" which he explained by saying that we should not do to others that which we would not wish others to do to us. Whether we are an atheist or a believer, and in the latter case whatever the religion we follow, we cannot deny that this commandment alone sums up the ideal behavior that any individual should adopt in one's relationships with others. And although we are free to see in Jesus neither a spiritual master, nor a messiah, nor the redeemer revered in Christianity, each one of us should at least recognize that he was an exceptional humanist and that he revolutionized the mores of his time by advocating solidarity and peace, to the point of urging people to love their enemies.
+
+Today's society has become too individualistic, in the sense that "every person for themselves" has become cultural. Under the combined effects of materialism and the social and economic crisis that the world has been experiencing for several decades, more and more people are tending to think only about their personal well-being and show indifference towards that of others. Such an attitude distances citizens from one another and contributes to dehumanizing society.
+
+Added to this is the fact that the means of communication has been substituted for direct exchange, so that we no longer really take the time to speak to our close relations or to our neighbors, yet we boast at having many (virtual) friends on such and such a social network.
+
+What a paradox this is! Let us learn all over again to converse through physical contact with others, heart to heart, if not from soul to soul.
+
+In the Positio it says: "We notice that the gap never ceases to widen between the most affluent nations and the poorest. We can observe the same phenomenon within each country, between the most deprived classes and the most fortunate ones." The situation has continued to get worse ever since. No humanist can reconcile himself or herself with this situation, particularly as poverty and misery are not a certainty, but are the result of poor management of natural resources and of products from the local, regional, national, and international economies. In other words, they are largely due to human egotism and lack of solidarity. And yet, whether they realize it or not, their survival depends more than ever on their ability to share and cooperate, not only between citizens of one country but between countries. In mystical terms, we would say that, as a result of globalization, their respective karmas are linked in such a way that no nation will now be able to prosper in the long term without giving any consideration to those who are still in need.
+
+As we have just referred to globalization, we think that it is irreversible and that it is, therefore, pointless to oppose it. Since humanity appeared on Earth, it has increasingly spread its fields of action and relations, first from one clan to another, then from one village to another, one country to another and, finally, from one continent to another. With the development of transport and communications, the world has become one country. This is a natural evolution that we should be delighted about, for it is a vector for mutual understanding and peace between peoples. But this process is only in its beginnings and has come up against the diversity of cultures, mentalities, and economic and political systems, so that it still exacerbates inequality.
+
+This is why we think that it must be accelerated and given a humanist direction, so that it is beneficial for everyone's welfare.
+
+Let us turn now to a quite different subject. Individualism is not the only barrier to humanism, as imagined and hoped for by Rosicrucians. There is also the importance that machines have gained following the mechanization and robotization of industrial processes.
+
+While these should have been restricted to helping humans in their most arduous tasks, they have come to replace them for efficiency and profitability reasons. Such excessive use of machines within society has contributed not only to dehumanizing it, but also to increasing the social problem of unemployment. It has therefore become a matter of urgency to reinstate humans in place of machines wherever possible, and to break away from the materialistic dogma that consists of thinking and saying, "Time is money."
+
+But human beings are not just blood brothers and sisters, irrespective of "race." They are also soulmates emanating from the same spiritual source, the Universal Soul. The intrinsic difference between them is their level of inner evolution, or the degree to which they have reached the consciousness of their own divine nature. We might add that we embrace the notion that every individual reincarnates as many times as necessary to attain this level of consciousness and reach the state of wisdom, as can be manifested by us on Earth. If you accept this principle, or rather this law, you will understand that the differences that exist between individuals in terms of their maturity, profoundness of mind, sense of responsibility, and humanism, are mainly due to the fact that some have lived through more incarnations than others. From this perspective, no human being is superior to another; some are simply more spiritually evolved.
+
+If he or she does not believe in God, the humanist must have faith in human beings and their capacity to transcend themselves to show their better nature. It is true that when we look back over the history of humanity and on its current situation, we may feel that human beings are fundamentally individualistic and that they are destined to harm one another as a result of their weaknesses and failings.
+
+But beyond appearances, they have evolved a great deal in terms of consciousness. Across the world, more and more people are rising up against injustice and inequality, demonstrating against wars in favor of peace, denouncing dictatorships and other totalitarian regimes, calling for increased fraternity, helping the destitute, becoming involved in nature conservancy, etc. This is the case because every human being, under the impetus of the soul, aspires, as Plato said, to the good, the beautiful, and the true. Each one of us simply has to become aware of this and act accordingly.
+
+Throughout history, humans have demonstrated the capacity to accomplish extraordinary things when they call upon the most noble and ingenious sides of human nature. Whether it be in the fields of architecture, technology, literature, the sciences, the arts, or in relations between the citizens of a single country, they have demonstrated intelligence, creativity, sensitivity, solidarity, and fraternity. This observation is comforting in itself, because it confirms that human beings are inclined to do good and work toward the happiness of all.
+
+It is for this reason precisely that one must be a humanist and have faith in oneself.
+
+## APPEAL FOR ECOLOGY
+
+In our view, you cannot be a humanist without being an ecologist. How indeed can you want all human beings to be happy, without concerning yourself with the conservation of the planet on which they live? Yet each of us knows that it is in danger and that humanity is largely responsible for this: various types of pollution, the destruction of ecosystems, excessive deforestation, and the massacre of animal species, etc. In regards to global warming, the vast majority of scientists agree that human activity is responsible for, if not causing it, at least contributing to its increase, particularly through greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, many of them have linked this warming to the increase in the number of storms and cataclysms of all kinds, with all the resulting loss in terms of human life and material destruction. In any case, it is obvious that if no short-term action is taken on a global scale to put an end to the ills that we inflict on our planet, it will become uninhabitable for billions of people, and perhaps for all humanity.
+
+In ancient civilizations, Earth was considered to be the Mother of all living things and was the object of an Earth Mother tradition.
+
+Today only ancestral peoples, such as the Australian aborigines, the Amazonian natives, and African pygmies, to name the better-known ones, have preserved this state of mind. Present-day humans have come to view her primarily as a source of various kinds of profit, to the point of exploiting her beyond reason and to the detriment of her health. If we use the term "health" when speaking about our planet, it is because it's obvious to us that she is a living, and even conscious, thing. One only has to consider the life forces she exhibits in nature and the intelligence that she expresses through her different kingdoms, not to mention all that makes up her beauty. This is so true that even an atheist would deify her and consider her to be a masterpiece of Creation.
+
+According to scientists, Earth appeared approximately four and a half billion years ago, life appeared about four billion years ago, and humans about three million years ago. But in less than a century we have interfered with Earth so much that her future, as well as our own, is at risk, to such an extent that her condition is the subject of international summits. Unfortunately, these summits remain theoretical and translate as consensual decisions that are far from being sufficient to turn the situation around. AMORC is anxious to contribute to raising awareness on the subject of ecology and published in 2012 a "Plea for Spiritual Ecology," which was presented at the Brazilian senate during the Earth Summit in Rio. Other seminars of this kind have taken place in various countries, but the decisions announced remain derisory in light of the situation and continue to be sources of conflict between different socio-economic interests.
+
+The majority of developed countries, including the richest ones in the world, have become so by favoring the economy to the detriment of ecology. It is obvious that if the developing nations follow the same economic model, which is founded on overproduction and excessive consumption, the environmental problems we are confronted with will increase and worsen dramatically. This is unfortunately the direction these emerging countries are taking today and, considering the example they have been given, no one can blame them for it.
+
+Given the current state of affairs, we can only hope that, despite all, they will be able to break away from this model and replace it with a system that associates the economy with ecology. This would be a great and useful lesson for all humanity.
+
+Rosicrucians are not sweet-dreamers with the spiritual side of existence as their sole preoccupation. We are indeed mystics, in the etymological sense of the term, which means men and women who are interested in the study of the mysteries of life, but we know that it is here on Earth that we must establish the paradise that religions situate in the afterlife. To do so, humans must learn to wisely manage natural resources and the products they create, which is why it is necessary to ensure that all levels and aspects of the economy benefit all peoples and all their citizens equitably, out of respect for human dignity and for nature.
+
+What could lead human beings to develop an ecological economy? The fear of falling victim to global warming and the natural catastrophes associated with it? Apparently not, because the average person tends to think that this only happens to others. As long as one is not personally affected and is not harmed by it, one will merely sympathize with the victims, possibly contribute to such and such a charitable cause in their favor, and carry on with life hoping to be spared this type of catastrophe. Must we wait until many more people have been affected, including and above all in the developed, wealthy countries, for humanity to finally face the facts? Earth, our Mother, is nonetheless very sick and risks becoming uninhabitable for a vast number of humans.
+
+Aside from the growing number of people affected by the natural catastrophes that are on the increase in all parts of the globe, it should be noted that, according to some scientists, life expectancy, which had steadily risen over the last few decades in most countries, is beginning to decrease. In parallel, the number of cases of cancer is rising sharply. Why? Mainly because the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we ingest are heavily polluted (nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, coloring, and preservatives), which inevitably leads to organic, cellular, and even genetic changes. If we combine this with the fact that the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is increasing at an exponential rate, it is hardly surprising that the health of human beings faces such a threat in the short term.
+
+Another danger, and a major one at that, is threatening the health of many individuals: the multitude of electromagnetic waves emitted by computers, mobile phones, and other electronic appliances. It is still too soon for us to assess the issue of electromagnetic pollution, but there can be no doubt that it is responsible for various illnesses.
+
+It is not a question of contesting the usefulness of these devices.
+
+However, every effort should be made to ensure that the use of them does not lead to diverse pathologies, which involves the responsibility of those that manufacture and sell them. Furthermore, many users use them unwisely, in that they overuse them to the detriment of their well-being. By way of an example, it is a known fact that the number of brain tumors has considerably increased since the advent of the mobile phone, particularly in young people.
+
+Yet a more metaphysical pollution is affecting humanity, in the shape of negative thoughts that human beings generate through hatred, spite, rancor, intolerance, anger, jealousy, etc. First, such thoughts have a negative effect on the people who harbor or send them out, even if they are not objectively aware of this. Over time, they ultimately cause them physical or psychological problems that may lead to serious illnesses. Second, they infest the collective unconscious and fill it with negative vibrations that, in turn, nurture situations of hatred, spite and rancor, etc. Conversely, every positive thought benefits not only the person who produced it but also the collective consciousness of humanity. In light of this, Rosicrucians have devoted themselves for centuries to what they refer to as "spiritual alchemy."
+
+Where there is illness there is medicine! Although it must be acknowledged that, together with surgery, it has made great progress and has contributed in an important way to improving health, it is not without its weaknesses and even deviations. As is the case with most fields of human activity, it is influenced by money to the extent that one might say that illness is the "money maker" of the large medical and pharmaceutical companies. It is a known fact today that a large number of drugs are placebos and do not produce the effects attributed to them. As regards those that have proven therapeutic properties, some of them have disastrous side effects. The same is true of many vaccines, some of which have contributed to destroying natural human immune systems. Once again, we would insist on the fact that we do not reject either medicine or surgery. But to say that the sole objective of one or the other is to treat and heal would be pure hypocrisy.
+
+Whether it be in the medical or any other field, human beings must keep close to nature. As soon as they stray away from it, they are breaking ties with the natural laws and running counter to their own well-being. Through ignorance, pride, or greed, however, they have spent too long trying to dominate nature, when they should be cooperating with it. Blinded by their self-importance, they have forgotten that the intelligence it displays is infinitely greater than that of humanity and that its power has virtually no limits except for those they impose on it. Homo sapiens sapiens, the name given by scientists to our species and whose literal meaning is "man who knows that he knows," is most assuredly very far from knowing the essential fact that human beings owe everything to nature and are nothing without it.
+
+For us, Earth is not only the planet on which human beings live. It is also the backdrop to their spiritual evolution and allows each one of them to be fulfilled as living souls. It has therefore both a terrestrial and a celestial vocation, which is what the wisest of thinkers and philosophers have taught through the ages, the world over. Until humanity recognizes this truth and acts accordingly, the materialism and individualism that currently prevail will gradually worsen, with all the consequential negative outcomes for itself and for nature. More than ever, there is an urgent need to reinstate the Ternary Humanity-Nature-Divine that is the basis of all esoteric traditions and that civilization itself should adopt. So long as it does not do this, it will remain in its current state of suffering and will be unable to reach the harmonious state it is destined for.
+
+As we all know, Earth is also home to a multitude of animals, some wild and others domesticated. They too possess a soul, which is individual for the most evolved among them and collective for the less evolved. In fact all living things are animated by the Universal Soul and its specific Consciousness. However each one of them manifests this Soul and this Consciousness to a greater or lesser extent, depending on their position in the life chain and on their particular organism.
+
+This is why they do not possess the same level of intelligence and sensitivity.
+
+In any event, there are no voices or boundaries between nature's kingdoms, for they are animated by the same Vital Force and are part of the same cosmic evolutionary process observed on our planet. Of course the human kingdom is the most advanced of all in this process, yet this does not mean that it has rights over others; it has duties towards them instead.
+
+## IN CONCLUSION
+
+These then are the ideas that we wished to share with you in this Appellatio. We do indeed believe that it has become urgent for us to move in a spiritual, humanistic, and ecological direction in terms of our individual and collective behavior. But if a higher priority was to be given, it would be in favor of ecology. Indeed if humanity succeeds in finding a long-term solution to the social and economic problems encountered by it but if, in parallel, Earth has become uninhabitable or difficult to live on for the vast majority of its inhabitants, what is the point and what pleasure can be gained from living there? On this subject, those who govern the countries and nations have a huge responsibility in that they have the power to make decisions and ensure they are carried out. If the people lose interest in ecology and do nothing at their level to preserve nature, it is clear that the situation will continue to get worse and future generations will inherit a planet that is only a shadow of its former self.
+
+Second, and at the risk of surprising you, priority should be given to humanism and not spirituality. Placing human beings at the heart of social life, while respecting nature, can only bring about well-being and happiness for all of us without distinction. This implies seeing in every person an extension of ourselves, despite the differences, and even divergence, between us. This will be no easy task, for each of us has an ego, which tends to make us individualistic and leads us to place our own interests or those of our family and the people with whom we have different affinities before those of others.
+
+When taken to the extreme, this egotistical, even selfish, attitude is the underlying cause of discrimination, segregation, division, opposition, exclusion, and other forms of rejection among individuals. At the other end of the scale, humanism is synonymous with tolerance, sharing, generosity, empathy - in a word: fraternity. It is based on the idea that all human beings are citizens of the world.
+
+The need to be ecologically friendly is relatively obvious considering the state the planet is in. In the same way, any sufficiently sensitive, intelligent individual can understand why being humanistic is a good thing, without even being humanistic oneself. On the other hand, in principle there is no objective reason for being spiritual, especially as it is impossible to prove the existence of the soul and of God, even in the sense given to God by Rosicrucians. So although spirituality seems to us to be essential in obtaining happiness and giving full value to life, we understand that one can be an atheist. That said, it is obvious to us that the universe, Earth, and humanity are not here by accident, but are part of a transcendent, if not divine, Plan. It is precisely for this reason that we have the ability to study Creation and wonder about the deeper meaning of existence. As such, we are both actors and spectators of Cosmic Evolution, as it manifests itself in the cosmos and on our planet.
+
+Are you, perhaps, an ecologist and a humanist, but not a spiritual person? Unless you are fundamentally materialistic, this means that you may not believe in God, but you at least believe in nature and humanity, and this is both respectable and commendable.
+
+As such, we make a distinction between a materialist and an atheist.
+
+As a rule, the former takes material belongings to be the ideal that one lives for, often to the detriment of nature and without regard for others. The latter is generally a believer without being aware of it, or who has lost faith, in the religious sense. In any event, we think that spirituality (and not religiosity) is in itself a vector of humanism and ecology for, as we explained earlier, it is founded on the knowledge of divine laws, in the sense of natural, universal, and spiritual laws.
+
+Anyone who seeks this knowledge, even if one has not yet acquired it, is by nature an idealist.
+
+Anthropologists believe that "modern" humanity appeared about two hundred thousand years ago. Compared to one human life, it may seem old. But in terms of evolutionary cycles, it is in its adolescence and is showing all the characteristics of this, in that it is in search of its identity, is looking for its destiny, is carefree and even reckless, considers itself to be immortal, indulges to excess, defies reason, and disregards common sense. This evolutionary stage, with its share of difficulties, trials, and failures but equally its satisfactions, successes, and hopes, is a necessary transition that should allow it to grow up, mature, flourish, and finally reach fulfillment. But in order for this to take place it must become an adult.
+
+To conclude, and in light of all the above, it is more than ever our hope that humanity will take a spiritual, humanistic, and ecological direction, so that it may be born again and make way for a
+
+"new humanity," regenerated on every plane. The Rosicrucians of the seventeenth century were already calling for such regeneration in the Fama Fraternitatis. Rejected by the religious, political, and economic conservatives of the time, this appeal was only acknowledged by free thinkers. In view of the current situation in the world, we felt it was useful and necessary to openly renew this appeal, in the hope that this time it would receive a favorable response.
+
+*So Mote It Be!*
+
+**Sealed January 6, 2014**
+**Rosicrucian Year 3366**

rc-manifestos/confessio-fraternitatis.md

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+# Confessio Fraternitatis
+
+## The Confession of the Laudable Fraternity of the Most Honorable Order of the Rosy Cross, Written to all the Learned in Europe
+
+Whatsoever is published, and made known to everyone, concerning our Fraternity, by the foresaid Fama, let no man esteem lightly of it, nor hold it as an idle or invented thing, and much less receive the same, as though it were only a mere conceit of ours. It is the Lord Jehovah (who seeing the Lord's Sabbath is almost at hand, and hastened again, his period or course being finished, to his first beginning) doth turn about the course of Nature; and what heretofore hath been sought with great pains, and daily labour, is now manifested unto those who make small account, or scarcely once think upon it; but those which desire it, it is in a manner forced and thrust upon them, that thereby the life of the godly may be eased of all their toil and labour, and be no more subject to the storms of inconstant Fortune; but the wickedness of the ungodly thereby, with their due and deserved punishment, be augmented and multiplied. Although we cannot be by any suspected of the least heresy, or of any wicked beginning, or purpose against the worldly government, we do condemn the East and the West (meaning the Pope and Mahomet) blasphemers against our Lord Jesus Christ, and offer and present with a good will to the chief head of the Roman Empire our prayers, secrets, and great treasures of gold.
+
+Yet we have thought good, and fit for the learned's sakes, to add somewhat more to this, and make a better explanation if there be anything too deep, hidden, and set down over dark in the Fama, or for certain reasons were altogether omitted, and left out; hoping herewith the learned will be more addicted unto us, and be made far more fit and willing for our purpose.
+
+Concerning the alteration and amendment of Philosophy, we have (as much as this present is needful) sufficiently declared, to wit, that the same is altogether weak and faulty; yet we doubt not, although the most part falsely do allege that she (I know not how) is sound and strong, yet notwithstanding she fetches her last breath and is departing.
+
+But as commonly, even in the same place or country where there breaketh forth a new a unaccustomed disease, Nature also there discovereth a medicine against the same; so there doth appear for so manifold infirmities of Philosophy the right means, and unto our Patria sufficiently offered, whereby she may become sound again, which is now to be renewed and altogether new.
+
+No other Philosophy we have, than that which is the head and sum, the foundations and contents of all faculties, sciences, and arts, the which (if we will behold our age) containeth much of Theology and medicine, but little of the wisdom of the law, and doth diligently search both heaven and earth: or, to speak briefly thereof, which doth manifest and declare sufficiently Man, whereof all learned who will make themselves known unto us, and come into our brotherhood, shall find more wonderful secrets by us than heretofore they did attain unto, and did know, or are able to believe or utter.
+
+Wherefore, to declare briefly our meaning hereof, we ought to labour carefully that there be not only a wondering at our meeting and adhortation, but that likewise everyone may know, that although we do not lightly esteem and regard such mysteries and secrets, we nevertheless holde it fit, that the knowledge thereof be manifested and revealed to many.
+
+For it is to be taught and believed, that this our unhoped (for), willing offer will raise many and divers thoughts in men, unto whom (as yet) be unknown Miranda sexta aetatis, or those which by reason of the course of the world, esteem the things to come like unto the present, and are hindered through all manner of importunities of this our time, so that they live no otherwise in the world, than blind fools, who can, in the clear sun-shine day discern and know nothing, than only by feeling.
+
+Now concerning the first part, we hold this, that the meditations, knowledge and inventions of our loving Christian Father (of all that, which from the beginning of the world, Man's wisdom, either through God's revelation, or through the service of the angels and spirits, or through the sharpness and depth of understanding, or through long observation, use, and experience, hath found out, invented, brought forth, corrected, and till now hath been propagated and transplanted) are so excellent, worthy and great, that if all books should perish, and by God's almighty sufferance, all writings and all learnings should be lost, yet the posterity will be able only thereby to lay a new foundation, and bring truth to light again; the which perhaps would not be so hard to do as if one should begin to pull down and destroy the old ruinous building, and then to enlarge the fore court, afterwards bring lights into the lodgings, and then change the doors, stair, and other things according to our intention.
+
+But to whom would not this be acceptable, for to be manifested to everyone rather that to have it kept and spared, as an especial ornament for the appointed time to come?
+
+Wherefore should we not with all our hearts rest and remain in the only truth (which men through so many erroneous and crooked ways do seek) if it had only pleased God to lighten unto us the sixth Candelbrium? Were it not good that we needed not to care, not to fear hunger, poverty, sickness and age?
+
+Were it not a precious thing, that you could always live so, as if you had lived from the beginning of the world, and, moreover, as you should still live to the end thereof? Were it not excellent you dwell in one place, that neither the people which dwell beyond the River Ganges in the Indies could Hide anything, nor those which in Peru might be able to keep secret their counsels from thee?
+
+Were it not a precious thing, that you could so read in one only book, and withal by reading understand and remember, all that which in all other books (which heretofore have been, and are now, and hereafter shall come out) hath been, is, and shall be learned and found out of them?
+
+How pleasant were it, that you could so sing, that instead of stony rocks you could draw the pearls and precious stones, instead of wild beasts, spirits, and instead of hellish Pluto, move the might princes of the world.
+
+O ye people, God's counsel is far otherwise, who hath concluded now to increase and enlarge the number of our Fraternity, the which we with such joy have undertaken, as we have heretofore obtained this great treasure without our merits, yea without our hopes, and thoughts, and purpose with the like fidelity to put the same in practice, that neither the compassion nor pity of our own children (which some of us in the Fraternity have) shall draw us from it, because we know these unhoped for goods cannot be inherited, nor by chance be obtained.
+
+If there be somebody now, which on the other side will complain of our discretion, that we offer our treasure so freely, and without any difference to all men, and do not rather regard and respect more the godly, learned, wise, or princely persons, than the common people; those we do not contradict, seeing it is not a slight and easy matter; but withal we signify so much, that our Arcana or secrets will no ways be common, and generally made known. Although the Fama be set forth in five languages, and is manifested to everyone, yet we do partly very well know that the unlearned and gross wits will not receive nor regard the same; as also the worthiness of those who shall be accepted into our Fraternity are not esteemed and known of us by Man's carefulness, but by the Rule of our Revelation and Manifestation. Wherefore if the unworthy cry and call a thousand times, or if they shall offer and present themselves to us a thousand times, yet God hath commanded our ears, that they should hear none of them: yea God hath so compassed us about with his clouds, that unto us his servants no violence or force can be done or committed; wherefore we neither can be seen or known by anybody, except he had the eyes of an eagle. It hath been necessary that the Fama be set forth in everyone's mother tongue, because those should not be defrauded of the knowledge thereof, whom (although they be unlearned) God hath not excluded from the happiness of this Fraternity, the which shall be divided and parted into certain degrees; as those which dwell in the city of Damascus in Arabia, who have a far different politick order from the other Arabians. For there do govern only wise and understanding men, who by the king's permission make particular laws; according unto which example also the government shall be instituted in Europe (whereof we have a description set down by our Christianly Father) when first is done and come to pass that which is to precede. And thenceforth our Trumpet shall publicly sound with a loud sound, and great noise, when namely the same (which at this present is shown by few, and is secretly, as a thing to come, declared in figures and pictures) shall be free and publicly proclaimed, and the whole world shall be filled withal. Even in such manner as heretofore, many godly people have secretly and altogether desperately pushed at the Pope's tyranny, which afterwards, with great, earnest, and especial zeal in Germany, was thrown from his seat, and trodden underfoot, whose final fall is delayed, and kept for our times, when he also shall be scratched in pieces with nails, and an end be made of his ass's cry, by a new voice. The which we know is already reasonable manifest and known to many learned men in Germany, as their writings and secret congratulations do sufficiently witness the same.
+
+We could here relate and declare what all the time, from the year of Our Lord 1378 (in which year our Christian Father was born) till now, hath happened, where we might rehearse what alterations he hath seen in these one hundred and six years of his life, which he hath left to our breathren and us after his decease to peruse. But brevity, which we do observe, will not permit at this present to make rehearsal of it, till a more fit time. At this time it is enough for those which do not despise our declaration, having therefore briefly touched it, thereby to prepare the way for their acquaintance and friendship with us.
+
+Yet to whom it is permitted that he may see, and for his instruction use, those great letters and characters which the Lord god hath written and imprinted in heaven and earth's edifice, through the alteration of government, which hath been from time to time altered and reviewed, the same is already (although as yet unknown to himself) ours. And as we know he wll not despise our inviting and calling, so none shall fear any deceit, for we promise and openly say, that no man's uprightness and hopes shall deceive him, whosoever shall make himself known unto us under the seal of secrecy, and desire our Fraternity.
+
+But to the false hypocrites, and to those that seek other things than wisdom, we say and witness by these presents publicly, we cannot be made known, and be betrayed unto them; and much less they shall be able to hurt as any manner of way without the will of God; but they shall certainly be partakers of all the punishment spoken of in our Fama; so their wicked counsels shall light upon themselves, and our treasures shall remain untouched and unstirred, until the Lion doth come, who will ask them for his use, and employ them for the confirmation and establishment of his kingdom. We ought therefore here to observe well, and make it known unto everyone, that God hath certainly and most assuredly concluded to send and grant to the world before her end, which presently thereupon shall ensue, such a truth, light, life, and glory, as the first man Adam had, which he lost in Paradise, after which his successors were put and driven, with him, to misery. Wherefore there shall cease all servitude, falsehood, lies, and darkness, which by little and little, with the great world's revolution, was crept into all arts, works, and governments of men, and have darkened the most part of them. For form thence are proceeded an innumerable sort of all manner of false opinions and heresies, that scarce the wisest of all was able to know whose doctrine and opinion he should follow and embrace, and could not well and easily be discerned; seeing on the one part they were detained, hindered, and brought into errors through the respect of the philosophers and learned men, and on the other part through true experience. All the which, when it shall once be abolished and removed, and instead thereof a right and true rule instituted, then there will remain thanks unto them which have taken pains therein. But the work itself shall be attributed to the blessedness of our age.
+
+As we now willingly confess, that may principal men by their writings will be a great furtherance unto this Reformation which is to come; so we desire not to have this honour ascribed to us, as if such work were only commanded and imposed upon us. But we confess, and witness openly with the Lord Jesus Christ, that it shall first happen that the stones shall arise, and offer their service, before there shall be any want of executors and accomplishers of God's counsel; yea, the Lord God hath already sent before certain messengers, which should testify his will, to wit, some new stars, which do appear and are seen in the firmament in Serpentario and Cygno, which signify and give themselves known to everyone, that they are powerful Signacula of great weighty matters. So then, the secret his writings and characters are most necessary for all such things which are found out by men. Although that great book of nature stands open to all men, yet there are but few that can read and understand the same. For as there is given to man two instruments to hear, likewise two to see, and two to smell, but only one to speak, and it were but vain to expect speech from the ears, or hearing from the eyes. So there hath been ages or times which have seen, there have also been ages that have heard, smelt, and tasted. Now there remains yet that which in short time, honour shall be likewise given to the tongue, and by the same; what before times hath been seen, heard, and smelt, now finally shall be spoken and uttered forth, when the World shall awake out of her heavy and drowsy sleep, and with an open heart, barehead, and bare-foot, shall merrily and joyfully meet the new arising Sun.
+
+These characters and letters, as God hath here and there incorporated them in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, so hath he imprinted them in all beasts. So that like as the mathematician and astronomer can long before see and know the eclipses which are to come, so we may verily foreknow and foresee the darkness of obscurations of the Church, and how long they shall last. From the which characters or letters we have borrowed our magic writing, and have found out, and made, a new language for ourselves, in the which withal is expressed and declared the nature of all things. So that it is no wonder that we are not so eloquent in other languages, the which we know that they are altogether disagreeing to the language of our forefathers, Adam and Enoch, and were through the Babylonical confusion wholly hidden.
+
+But we must also let you understand that there are yet some Eagles' Feathers in our way, the which do hinder our purpose. Wherefore we do admonish everyone for to read diligently and continually the Holy Bible, for he that taketh all his pleasures therein, he shall know that he prepared for himself an excellent way to come to our Fraternity. For as this is the whole sum and content of our rule, that every letter or character which is in the world ought to be learned and regarded well; so those are like unto us, and are very near allied unto us, who do make the Holy Bible a rule of their life, and an aim and end of all their studies: yea to let it be a compendium and content of the whole world. And not only to have it continually in the mouth, but to know how to apply and direct the true understanding of it to all times and ages of the world. Also, it is not our custom to prostitute and make so common the Holy Scriptures; for there are innumerable expounders of the same; some alleging and wresting it to serve for their opinion, some to scandal it, and most wickedly do like it to a nose of wax, which alike should serve the divines, philosophers, physicians, and mathematicians, against all the which we do openly witness and acknowledge, that from the beginning of the world there hath not been given unto men a more worthy, a more excellent, and more admirable and wholesome Book than the Holy Bible. Blessed is he that hath the same, yet more blessed is he who reads it diligently, but most blessed of all is he that truly understandeth the same, for he is most like to God, and doth truly understandeth the same, for his most like to God, and doth come most near to him. But whatsoever hath been said in the Fama concerning the deceivers against the transmutation of metals, and the highest medicine in the world, the same is thus to be understood, that this so great gift of God we do in no manner set at naught, or dispise it. But because she bringeth not with her always the knowledge of Nature, but this bringeth forth not only medicine, but also maketh manifest and open unto us innumerable secrets and wonders. Therefore it is requisite, that we be earnest to attain to the understanding and knowledge of philosophy. And moreover, excellent wits ought not to be drawn to the tincture of metals, before they be exercised well in the knowledge of Nature. He must needs be an insatiable creature, who is come so far, that neither poverty nor sickness can hurt him, yea, who is exalted above all other men, and hath rule over that, the which doth anguish, trouble and pain others, yet will give himself again to idle things, as to build houses, make wars, and use al manner of pride, because he hath gold and silver infinite store.
+
+God is far otherwise pleased, for he exalteth the lowly, and pulleth down the proud with disdain; to those which are of few works, he sendeth his holy Angel to speak with them, but the unclean babblers he driveth in the wilderness and solitary places. The which is the right reward of the Romish seducers, who have vomited forth their blasphemies against Christ, and as yet do not abstain from their lies in this clear shining light. In Germany all their abominations and detestable tricks have been disclosed, that thereby he may fully fulfill the measure of sin, and draw near to the end of his punishment. Therefore one day it will come to pass, that the mouth of those vipers will be stopped and the triple crown will be brought to nought, as thereof at our meeting shall more plain and at large be discoursed.
+
+For conclusion of our Confession, we must earnestly admonish you, that you put away, if not all, yet the most books written by false Alchemists, who do think it but a jest, or a pastime, when they either misuse the Holy Trinity, when they do apply it to vain things, or deceive the people with most strange figures, and dark sentences and speeches, and cozen the simple of their money; as there are nowadays too many such books set forth, which the Enemy of man's welfare doth daily, and will to the end, mingle among the good seed, thereby to make the Truth more difficult to be believed, which in herself is simple, easy, and naked, but contrarily Falsehood is proud, haughty, and coloured with a kind of lustre of seeming godly and of humane wisdom. Ye that are wise eschew such books, and turn unto us, who seek not your moneys, but offer unto you most willingly our great treasures. We hunt not after your goods with invented lying tinctures, but desire to make you partakes of our goods. We speak unto you by parables, but would willingly bring you to the right, simple, easy and ingenuous exposition, understanding, declaration, and knowledge of all secrets. We desire not to be received by you, but invite you unto our more than kingly houses and palaces, and that verily not by our own proper motion, but (that you likewise may know it) as forced unto it, by the instigation of the Spirit of God, by his admonitions, and by the occasion of this present time.
+
+What think you, loving people, and how seem you affected, seeing that you now understand and know, that we acknowledge ourselves truly and sincerely to profess Christ, condemn the Pope, addict ourselves to the true Philosophy, lead a Christian life, and daily call, entreat and invite many more unto our Fraternity, unto whom the same Light of God likewise appeareth? Consider you not at length how you might begin with us, not only by pondering the Gifts which are in you, and by experience which you have in the word of God, beside the careful consideration of the imperfection of all arts, and many other unfitting things, to seek for an amendment therein; to appease God, and to accommodate you for the time wherein you live. Certainly if you will perform the same, this profit will follow, that all those goods which Nature hath in all parts of the world wonderfully dispersed, shall at one time altogether be given unto you, and shall easily disburden you of all that which obscureth the understanding of man, and hindereth the working thereof, like unto the vain eccentrics and epicycles.
+
+But those pragmatical and busy-headed men, who either are blinded with the glittering of gold, or (to say more truly) who are now honest, but by; thinking such great riches should never fail, might easily be corrupted, and brought to idleness, and to riotous proud living, those we desire that they would not trouble us with their idle and vain crying. But let them think, that although there be a medicine to be had which might fully cure all diseases, neverthelesss those whom God hath destined to plague with diseases, and to keep under the rod of correction, such shall never obtain any such medicine.
+
+Even in such manner, although we might enrich the whole world, and endue them with learning, and might release it from innumerable miseries, yet shall we never be manifested and made known unto any many, without the especial pleasure of God; yea, it shall be so far from him whosoever thinks to get the benefit and be partaker of our riches and knowledge, without and against the will of God, that he shall sooner lose his life in seeking and searching for us, than to find us, and attain to come to the wished happiness of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross.

rc-manifestos/fama-fraternitatis.md

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+# Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis
+
+## To the Wise and Understanding Reader
+
+Wisdom (saith Solomon) is to a man an infinite Treasure, for she is the Breath of the Power of God, and a pure Influence that floweth from the Glory of the Almighty; she is the Brightness of Eternal Light, and an undefiled Mirror of the Majesty of God, and an Image of his Goodness; she teacheth us Soberness and Prudence, Righteousness and Strength; she understands the Subtilty of words, and Solution of dark sentences; she foreknoweth Signs and Wonders, and what shall happen in time to come; with this Treasure was our first Father Adam fully endued: Hence it doth appear, that after God had brought before him all the Creatures of the Field, and the Fowls under Heaven, he gave to every one of them their proper names, according to their nature.
+
+Although now through the sorrowful fall into sin this excellent Jewel Wisdom hath been lost, and meer Darkness and Ignorance is come into the World, yet notwithstanding hath the Lord God sometimes hitherto bestowed, and made manifest the same, to some of his Friends: For the wise King Solomon doth testifie of himself, that he upon earnest prayer and desire did get and obtain such Wisdom of God, that thereby he knew how the World was created, thereby he understood the Nature of the Elements, also the time, beginning, middle and end, the increase and decrease, the change of times through the whole Year, the Revolution of the Year, and Ordinance of the Stars; he understood also the properties of tame and wilde Beasts, the cause of the raigning of the Winds, and minds and intents of men, all sorts and natures of Plants, vertues of Roots, and others, was not unknown to him. Now I do not think that there can be found any one who would not wish and desire with all his heart to be a Partaker of this noble Treasure; but seeing the same Felicity can happen to none, except God himself give Wisdom, and send his holy Spirit from above, we have therefore set forth in print this little Treatise, to wit, Famam & Confessionem of the Laudable Fraternity of the Rosie Cross, to be read by every one, because in them is clearly shewn and discovered, what concerning it the World hath to expect.
+
+Although these things may seem somewhat strange, and many may esteem it to be but a Philosophical shew, and no true History, which is published and spoken of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross; it shall here sufficiently appear by our Confession, that there is more in recessu then may be imagined; and it shall be easily understood, and observed by every one (if he be not altogether voyd of understanding) what now adays, and at these times, is meant thereby.
+
+Those who are true Disciples of Wisdom, and true Followers of the Spherical Art, will consider better of these things, and have them in greater estimation, as also judge far otherwise of them, as hath been done by some principal Persons, but especially of Adam Haselmeyer, Notarius Publicus to the Arch Duke Maximilian, who likewise hath made an Extract ex scriptis Theologicis Theophrasti, and written a Treatise under the Title of Jesuiter, wherein he willeth, that every Christian should be a true Jesuit, that is, to walk, live, be, and remain in Jesus: He was but ill rewarded of the Jesuits, because in his answer written upon the Famam, he did name those of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross, The highly illuminated men, and undeceiving Jesuits; for they not able to brook this, layd hands on him, and put him into the Galleis, for which they likewise have to expect their reward.
+
+Blessed Aurora will now henceforth begin to appear, who (after the passing away of the dark Night of Saturn) with her Brightness altogether extinguisheth the shining of the Moon, or the small Sparks of Heavenly Wisdom, which yet remaineth with men, and is a Forerunner of pleasant Phebus, who with his clear and fiery glistering Beams brings forth that blessed Day, long wished for, of many true-hearted; by which Day-light then shall truly be known, and shall be seen all heavenly Treasures of godly Wisdom, as also the Secrets of all hidden and unvisible things in the World, according to the Doctrine of our Forefathers, and ancient Wisemen.
+
+This will be the right kingly Ruby, and most excellent shining Carbuncle, of the which it is said, That he doth shine and give light in darkness, and to be a perfect Medicine of all imperfect Bodies, and to change them into the best Gold, and to cure all Diseases of Men, easing them of all pains and miseries.
+
+Be therefore, gentle Reader, admonished, that with me you do earnestly pray to God, that it please him to open the hearts and ears of all ill hearing people, and to grant unto them his blessing, that they may be able to know him in his Omnipotency, with admiring contemplation of Nature, to his honour and praise, and to the love, help, comfort and strengthening of our Neighbors, and to the restoring of all the diseased.
+
+## A Discovery of the Fraternity of the most laudable Order of the Rosy Cross
+
+Seeing the only Wise and Merciful God in these latter days hath poured out so richly his mercy and goodness to Mankind, whereby we do attain more and more to the perfect knowledge of his Son Jesus Christ and Nature, that justly we may boast of the happy time, wherein there is not only discovered unto us the half part of the World, which was heretofore unknown & hidden, but he hath also made manifest unto us many wonderful, and neverheretofore seen, Works and Creatures of Nature, and moreover hath raised men, indued with great Wisdom, which might partly renew and reduce all Arts (in this our Age spotted and imperfect) to perfection; so that finally Man might thereby understand his own Nobleness and Worth, and why he is called Microcosmus, and how far his knowledge extendeth in Nature.
+
+Although the rude World herewith will be but little pleased, but rather smile and scoff thereat; also the Pride and Covetousness of the Learned is so great, it will not suffer them to agree together; but were they united, they might out of all those things which in this our Age God doth so richly bestow upon us, collect Librum Naturae, or a perfect Method of all Arts: but such is their opposition, that they still keep, and are loth to leave the old course, esteeming Porphiry, Aristotle, and Galen, yea and that which hath but a meer shew of learning, more then the clear and manifested Light and Truth; who if they were now living, with much joy would leave their erroneous Doctrines. But here is too great weaknesses for such a great Work: And although in Theologie, Physic, and the Mathematic, the Truth doth oppose it self; nevertheless the old Enemy by his subtilty and craft doth shew himself in hindering every good purpose by his Instruments and contentious wavering people. To such an intent of a general Reformation, the most godly and highly illuminated Father, our Brother, C.R. a German, the chief and original of our Fraternity, hath much and long time laboured, who by reason of his poverty (although descended of Noble Parents) in the fifth year of his age was placed in a Cloyster, where he had learned indifferently the Greek and Latin Tongues, who (upon his earnest desire and request) being yet in his growing years, was associated to a Brother, P.A.L. who had determined to go to the Holy Land.
+
+Although this Brother dyed in Ciprus, and so never came to Jerusalem, yet our Brother C.R. did not return, but shipped himself over, and went to Damasco, minding from thence to go to Jerusalem; but by reason of the feebleness of his body he remained still there, and by his skill in Physick he obtained much favour with the Turks: In the mean time he became by chance acquainted with the Wise men of Damasco in Arabia, and beheld what great Wonders they wrought, and how Nature was discovered unto them; hereby was that high and noble Spirit of Brother C.R. so stired up, that Jerusalem was not so much now in his mind as Damasco; also he could not bridle his desires any longer, but made a bargain with the Arabians, that they should carry him for a certain sum of money to Damasco; he was but of the age of sixteen years when he came thither, yet of a strong Dutch constitution; there the Wise received him (as he himself witnessseth) not as a stranger, but as one whom they had long expected, they called him by his name, and shewed him other secrets out of his Cloyster, whereat he could not but mightily wonder: He learned there better the Arabian Tongue; so that the year following he translated the Book M. into good Latin, which he afterwards brought with him. This is the place where he did learn his Physick, and his Mathematicks, whereof the World hath just cause to rejoyce, if there were more Love, and less Envy. After three years he returned again with good consent, shipped himself over Sinus Arabicus into Egypt, where he remained not long, but only took better notice there of the Plants and Creatures; he sailed over the whole Mediterranean Sea for to come unto Fez, where the Arabians had directed him. And it is a great shame unto us, that wise men, so far remote th’one from th’other, should not only be of one opinion, hating all contentious Writings, but also be so willing and ready under the seal of secrecy to impart their secrets to others.
+
+Every year the Arabians and Africans do send one to another, inquiring one of another out of their Arts, if happily they had found out some better things, or if Experience had weakened their Reasons. Yearly there came something to light, whereby the Mathematica, Physic and Magic (for in those are they of Fez most skilful) were amended; as there is now adays in Germany no want of learned Men, Magicians, Cabalists, Physicians, and Philosophers, were there but more love and kindness among them, or that the most part of them would not keep their secrets close only to themselves. At Fez he did get acquaintance with those which are commonly called the Elementary Inhabitants, who revealed unto him many of their secrets: As we Germans likewise might gather together many things, if there were the like unity, and desire of searching out of secrets amongst us.
+
+Of these of Fez he often did confess, that their Magia was not altogether pure, and also that their Cabala was defiled with their Religion; but notwithstanding he knew how to make good use of the same, and found still more better grounds of his Faith, altogether agreeable with the Harmony of the whole World, and wonderfully impressed in all Periods of times, and thence proceedeth that fair Concord, that as in every several kernel is contained a whole good tree or fruit, so likewise is included in the little body of Man the whole great World, whose Religion, policy, health, members, nature, language, words and works, are agreeing, sympathizing, and in equal tune and melody with God, Heaven and Earth; and that which is disagreeing with them, is error, falsehood and of the Devil, who alone is the first, middle, and last cause of strife, blindness, and darkness in the World: Also, might one examine all and several persons upon the Earth, he should find that which is good and right, is always agreeing with it self; but all the rest is spotted with a thousand erroneous conceits.
+
+After two years Brother R.C. departed the City Fez, and sailed with many costly things into Spain, hoping well, he himself had so well and so profitably spent his time in his travel, that the learned in Europe would highly rejoyce with him, and begin to rule, and order all their Studies, according to those sound and sure Foundations. He therefore conferred with the Learned in Spain, shewing unto them the Errors of our Arts, and how they might be corrected, and from whence they should gather the true Inditia of the Times to come, and wherein they ought to agree with those things that are past; also how the faults of the Church and the whole Philosopia Moralis was to be amended: He shewed them new Growths, new Fruits, and Beasts, which did concord with old Philosophy, and prescribed them new Axiomata, whereby all things might fully be restored: But it was to them a laughing matter; and being a new thing unto them, they feared that their great Name should be lessened, if they should now again begin to learn and acknowledg their many years Errors, to which they were accustomed, and wherewith they had gained them enough: Who so loveth unquietness, let him be reformed.
+
+The same Song was also sang to him by other Nations, the which moved him the more (because it happened to him contrary to his expectation,) being then ready bountifully to impart all his Arts and Secrets to the Learned, if they would have but undertaken to write the true and infallible Axiomata, out of all Faculties, Sciences and Arts, and whole Nature, as that which he knew would direct them, like a Globe, or Circle, to the onely middle Point, and Centrum, and (as it is usual among the Arabians) it should onely serve to the wise and learned for a Rule, that also there might be a Society in Europe, which might have Gold, Silver, and precious Stones, sufficient for to bestow them on Kings, for their necessary uses, and lawful purposes: with which such as be Governors might be brought up, for to learn all that which God hath suffered Man to know, and thereby to be enabled in all times of need to give their counsel unto those that seek it, like the Heathen Oracles: Verily we must confess that the world in those days was already big with those great Commotions, laboring to be delivered of them; and did bring forth painful, worthy men, who brake with all force through Darkness and Barbarism, and left us who succeeded to follow them: and assuredly they have been the uppermost point in Trygono igneo, whose flame now should be more and more brighter, and shall undoubtedly give to the World the last Light.
+
+Such a one likewise hath Theophrastus been in Vocation and Callings, although he was none of our Fraternity, yet nevertheless hath he diligently read over the Book M: whereby his sharp ingenium was exalted; but this man was also hindered in his course by the multitude of the learned and wise-seeming men, that he was never able peaceably to confer with others of his Knowledg and Understanding he had of Nature. And therefore in his writing he rather mocked these busie bodies, and doth not shew them altogether what he was: yet nevertheless there is found with him well grounded the aforenamed Harmonia, which without doubt he had imparted to the Learned, if he had not found them rather worthy of subtil vexation, then to be instructed in greater Arts and Sciences; he then with a free and careless life lost his time, and left unto the World their foolish pleasures.
+
+But that we do not forget our loving Father, Brother C.R. he after many painful Travels, and his fruitless true Instructions, returned again into Germany, the which he (by reason of the alterations which were shortly to come, and of the strange and dangerous contentions) heartily loved: There, although he could have bragged with his Art, but specially of the transmutations of Metals; yet did he esteem more Heaven, and the Citizens thereof, Man, then all vain glory and pomp.
+
+Nevertheless he builded a fitting and neat inhabitation, in the which he ruminated his Voyage, and Philosophy, and reduced them together in a true Memorial. In this house he spent a great time in the Mathematicks, and made many fine Instruments, ex omnibus hujus artis partibus, whereof there is but little remaining to us, as hereafter you shall understand. After five years came again into his mind the wished for Reformation; and in regard he doubted of the ayd and help of others, although he himself was painful, lusty, and unwearisom, he undertook, with some few adjoyned with him, to attempt the same: wherefore he desired to that end, to have out of his first Cloyster (to the which he bare a great affection) three of his Brethren, Brother G.V. Brother J.A. and Brother J.O. who besides that, they had some more knowledg in the Arts, then at that time many others had, he did binde those three unto himself, to be faithful, diligent, and secret; as also to commit carefully to writing, all that which he should direct and instruct them in, to the end that those which were to come, and through especial Revelation should be received into this Fraternity, might not be deceived of the least sillable and word.
+
+After this manner began the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross; first, by four persons onely, and by them was made the Magical Language and writing, with a large Dictionary, which we yet dayly use to Gods praise and glory, and do finde great wisdom therein; they made also the first part of the Book M: but in respect that the labor was too heavy, and the unspeakable concourse of the sick hindred them, and also whilst his new building (called Sancti spiritus) was now finished, they concluded to draw and receive yet others more into their Fraternity; to this end was chosen brother R.C. his deceased fathers brothers son, brother B. a skilful Painter, G. and P.D. their Secretary, all Germains except J.A. so in all they were eight in number, all batchelors and of vowed virginity, by those was collected a book or volumn of all that which man can desire, wish, or hope for.
+
+Although we do now freely confess, that the World is much amended within an hundred years, yet we are assured, that our Axiomata shall unmovably remain unto the Worlds End, and also the world in her highest and last Age shall not attain to see any thing else; for our Rota takes her beginning from that day when God spake Fiat, and shall end when he shall speak Pereat; yet Gods Clock striketh every minute, where ours scarce striketh perfect hours. We also stedfastly beleeve, that if our Brethren and Fathers had lived in this our present and clear light, they would more roughly have handled the Pope, Mahomet, Scribes, Artists, and Sophisters, and had shewed themselves more helpful, not simply with sighs, and wishing of their end and consummation.
+
+When now these eight Brethren had disposed and ordered all things in such manner, as there was not now need of any great labour, and also that every one was sufficiently instructed, and able perfectly to discourse of secret and manifest Philosophy, they would not remain any longer together, but as in the beginning they had agreed, they separated themselves into several Countries, because that not only their Axiomata might in secret be more profoundly examined by the learned, but that they themselves, if in some Country or other they observed anything, or perceived some Error, they might inform one another of it.
+
+Their agreement was this: First, That none of them should profess any other thing, then to cure the sick, and that gratis. 2. None of the Posterity should be constrained to wear one certain kind of habit, but therein to follow the custom of the Country. 3. That every year upon the day C. they should meet together at the house S. Spiritus, or to write the cause of his absence. 4. Every Brother should look out for a worthy person, who after his discease might succeed him. 5. The word C.R. should be their Seal, Mark, and Character. 6. The Fraternity should remain secret one hundred years. These six Articles they bound themselves one to another to keep; and five of the Brethren departed, only the Brethren B. and D. remained with the Father Fra: R.C. a whole year; when these likewise departed, then remained by him his Cousen and Brother J.O. so that he hath all the days of his life with him two of his Brethren. And although that as yet the Church was not cleansed, nevertheless we know that they did think of her, and with what longing desire they looked for: Every year they assembled together with joy, and made a full resolution of that which they had done; there must certainly have been great pleasure, to hear truly and without invention related and rehearsed all the Wonders which God hath poured out here and there through the World. Every one may hold it out for certain, that such persons as were sent, and joined together by God, and the Heavens, and chosen out of the wisest of men, as have lived in many Ages, did live together above all others in highest Unity, greatest Secrecy, and most kindness one towards another.
+
+After such a most laudable sort they did spend their lives; and although they were free from all diseases and pain, yet notwithstanding they could not live and pass their time appointed of God. The first of this Fraternity which dyed, and that in England, was J.O. as Brother C. long before had foretold him; he was very expert, and well learned in Cabala, as his Book called H. witnesseth: In England he is much spoke of, and chiefly because he cured a young Earl of Norfolk of the Leprosie. They had concluded, that as much as possibly could be their burial place should be kept secret, as at this day it is not known unto us what is become of some of them, yet every ones place was supplyed with a fit successor; but this we wil confesse publickly by these presents to the honour of God, That what secret soever we have learned out of the book M. (although before our eyes we behold the image and pattern of all the world) yet are there not shewn unto us our misfortunes, nor hour of death, the which only is known to God himself, who thereby would have us keep in a continual readiness; but hereof more in our Confession, where we do set down 37 Reasons wherefore we now do make known our Fraternity, and proffer such high Mysteries freely, and without constraint and reward: also we do promise more gold then both the Indies bring to the King of Spain; for Europe is with child and will bring forth a strong child, who shall stand in need of a great godfathers gift.
+
+After the death of J.O. Brother R.C. rested not, but as soon as he could, called the rest together, (and as we suppose) then his grave was made; although hitherto we (who were the latest) did not know when our loving father R.C. died, and had no more but the bare names of the beginners, and all their successors to us; yet there came into our memory, a secret, which through dark and hidden words, and speeches of the 100 years, brother A. the successor of D. (who was of the last and second row and succession), and had lived amongst many of us,) did impart unto us of the third row and succession; otherwise we must confess, that after the death of the said A. none of us had in any manner known anything of Brother R.C. and of his first fellow-brethren, then that which was extant of them in our Philosophical Bibliotheca, amongst which our Axiomata was held for the chiefest Rota Mundi, for the most artificial, and Protheus the most profitable. Likewise we do not certainly know if these of the second row have been of the like wisdom as the first, and if they were admitted to all things. It shall be declared hereafter to the gentle Reader, not onely what we have heard of the burial of R.C. but also made manifest publickly by the foresight, sufferance and commandement of God, whom we most faithfully obey, that if we shall be answered discreetly and Christian-like, we will not be afraid to set forth publickly in Print, our names, and sirnames, our meetings, or any thing else that may be required at our hands.
+
+Now the true and fundamental relation of the finding out of the high illuminated man of God, Fra: C.R.C. is this; After that A. in Gallia Narbonensi was deceased, then suceeded in his place, our loving Brother N.N. this man after he had repaired unto us to take the solemn oath of fidelity and scerecy, he informed us bona fide, That A. had comforted him in telling him, that this Fraternity should ere long not remain so hidden, but should be to all the whole German Nation helpful, needful, and commendable; of the which he was not in any wise in his estate ashamed of. The year following after he had performed his School right, and was minded now to travel, being for that purpose sufficiently provided with Fortunatus purse, he thought (he being a good Architect) to alter something of his building, and to make it more fit: in such renewing he lighted upon the memorial Table which was cast of brasse, and containeth all the names of the brethren, with some few other things; this he would transfer in another more fitting vault: for where or when Fra: R.C. died, or in what country he was buried, was by our predecessors concealed and unknown unto us. In this Table stuck a great naile somewhat strong, so that when he was with force drawn out, he took with him an indifferent big stone out of the thin wall, or plaistering of the hidden door, and so unlooked for uncovered the door; wherefore we did with joy and longing throw down the rest of the wall, and cleared the door, upon which that was written in great letters, Post 120 annos patebo, with the year of the Lord under it: therefore we gave God thanks and let it rest that same night, because first we would overlook our Rotam; but we refer our selves again to the confession, for what we here publish is done for the help of those that are worthy, but to the unworthy (God willing) it will be small profit: For like as our door was after so many years wonderfully discovered, also there shall be opened a door to Europe (when the wall is removed) which already doth begin to appear, and with great desire is expected of many.
+
+In the morning following we opened the door, and there appeared to our sight a Vault of seven sides and corners, every side five foot broad, and the height of eight foot; Although the Sun never shined in this Vault, nevertheless it was enlightened with another sun, which had learned this from the Sun, and was situated in the upper part in the Center of the sieling; in the midst, in stead of a Tomb-stone, was a round Altar covered over with a plate of brass, and thereon this engraven:
+
+A.C. R.C. Hoc universi compendium unius mihi sepulchrum feci.
+Round about the first Circle or Brim stood,
+Jesus mihi omnia.
+
+In the middle were four figures, inclosed in circles, whose circumscription
+was,
+
+1. Nequaquam vacuum.
+2. Legis Jugum.
+3. Libertas Evangelij.
+4. Dei gloria intacta.
+
+This is all clear and bright, as also the seventh side and the two Heptagoni: so we kneeled altogether down, and gave thanks to the sole wise, sole mighty, and sole eternal God, who hath taught us more then all mens wit could have found out, praised be his holy name. This Vault we parted in three parts, the upper part or sieling, the wall or side, the ground or floor.
+
+Of the upper part you shall understand no more of it at this time, but that it was divided according to the seven sides in the triangle, which was in the bright center; but what therein is contained, you shall God willing (that are desirous of our society) behold the same with your own eyes; but every side or wall is parted into ten squares, every one with their several figures and sentences, as they are truly shewed, and set forth Concentratum here in our book.
+
+The bottom again is parted in the triangle, but because therein is discribed the power and rule of the inferior Governors, we leave to manifest the same, for fear of the abuse by the evil and ungodly world. But those that are provided and stored with the heavenly Antidote, they do without fear or hurt, tread on, and bruise the head of the old and evil serpent, which this our age is well fitted for: every side or wall had a door for a chest, wherein there lay diverse things, especially all our books, which otherwise we had, besides the Vocabular of Theoph: Par. Ho. and these which daily unfalsifieth we do participate. Herein also we found his Itinerarium, and vitam, whence this relation for the most part is taken. In another chest were looking-glasses of divers virtues, as also in other places were little bells, burning lamps, & chiefly wonderful artificial Songs; generally all done to that end, that if it should happen after many hundred years, the Order or Fraternity should come to nothing, they might by this onely Vault be restored again.
+
+Now as yet we had not seen the dead body of our careful and wise father, we therfore removed the Altar aside, there we lifted up a strong plate of brass, and found a fair and worthy body, whole and unconsumed, as the same is here lively counterfeited, with all the Ornaments and Attires; in his hand he held a parchment book, called I. the which next to the Bible, is our greatest treasure, which ought to be delivered to the censure of the world. At the end of this book standeth this following Elogium.
+
+Granum pectori Jesu insitum.
+C. Ros. C. ex nobili atque splendida Germaniae R.C. familia oriundus, vir sui seculi divinis revelationibus subtilissimis imaginationibus, indefessis laboribus ad coelestia, atque humana mysteria; arcanave admissus postquam suam (quam Arabico, & Africano itineribus Collegerat) plusquam regiam, atque imperatoriam Gazam suo seculo nondum convenientem, posteritati eruendam custo divisset et jam suarum Artium, ut et nominis, fides acconjunctissimos herides instituisset, mundum minutum omnibus motibus magno illi respondentem fabricasset hocque tandem preteritarum, praesentium, et futurarum, rerum compendio extracto, centenario major non morbo (quem ipse nunquam corpore expertus erat, nunquam alios infestare sinebat) ullo pellente sed spiritu Dei evocante, illuminatam animam (inter Fratrum amplexus et ultima oscula) fidelissimo creatori Deo reddidisset, Pater dilectissimus, Fra: suavissimus, praeceptor fidelissimus amicus integerimus, a suis ad 120 annos hic absconditus est.
+
+Underneath they had subscribed themselves,
+
+1. Fra: I.A. Fr.C.H. electione Fraternitatis caput.
+2. Fr: G.V. M.P.C.
+3. Fra: R.C. Iunior haeres S. spiritus.
+4. Fra: B.M. P.A. Pictor et Architectus.
+5. Fr: G.G. M.P.I. Cabalista.
+
+Secundi Circuli.
+
+1. Fra: P.A. Successor, Fr: I.O. Mathematicus.
+2. Fra: A. Successor, Fra. P.D.
+3. Fra: R. Successor patris C.R.C. cum Christo triumphant.
+
+At the end was written:
+
+Ex Deo Nascimur, in Jesu morimur, per spiritum sanctum reviviscimus.
+
+At that time was already dead Brother I.O. and Fra: D. but their burial place where is it to be found? we doubt not but our Fra: Senior hath the same, and some especial thing layd in Earth, and perhaps likewise hidden: we also hope that this our Example will stir up others more diligently to enquire after their names (whom we have therefore published) and to search for the place of their burial; for the most part of them, by reason of their practice and physick, are yet known, and praised among very old folks; so might perhaps our Gaza be enlarged, or at least be better cleared.
+
+Concerning Minitum Mundum, we found it kept in another little Altar, truly more finer than can be imagined by any understanding man; but we will leave him undescribed, untill we shal truly be answered upon this our true hearted Famam; and so we have covered it again with the plates, and set the altar thereon, shut the door, and made it sure, with all our seals; besides by instruction and command of our Rota, there are come to sight some books, among which is contained M. (which were made in stead of household care by the praise-worthy M.P.) Finally we departed the one from the other, and left the natural heirs in possession of our Jewels. And so we do expect the answer and judgment of the learned, or unlearned.
+
+Howbeit we know after a time there will now be a general reformation, both of divine and humane things, according to our desire, and the expectation of others: for it is fitting, that before the rising of the Sun, there should appear and break forth Aurora, or some clearness, or divine light in the sky; and so in the mean time some few, which shall give their names, may joyn together, thereby to increase the number and respect of our Fraternity, and make a happy and wished for beginning of our Philosophical Canons, prescribed to us by our brother R.C. and be partakers with us of our treasures (which never can fail or be wasted) in all humility, and love to be eased of this worlds labor, and not walk so blindly in the knowledge of the wonderful works of God.
+
+But that also every Christian may know of what Religion and belief we are, we confess to have the knowledge of Jesus Christ (as the same now in these last days, and chiefly in Germany, most clear and pure is professed, and is now adays cleansed and voyd of all swerving people, Hereticks, and false Prophets,) in certain and noted Countries maintained, defended and propagated: Also we use two Sacraments, as they are instituted with all Forms and Ceremonies of the first renewed Church. In Politia we acknowledge the Roman Empire and Quartam Monarchiam for our Christian head; albeit we know what alterations be at hand, and would fain impart the same with all our hearts, to other godly learned men; notwithstanding our hand-writing which is in our hands, no man (except God alone) can make it common, nor any unworthy person is able to bereave us of it. But we shall help with secret aid this so good a cause, as God shal permit or hinder us: For our God is not blinde, as the Heathens Fortuna, but is the Churches Ornament, and the honor of the Temple. Our Philosophy also is not a new Invention, but as Adam after his fall hath received it, and as Moses and Solomon used it: also she ought not much to be doubted of, or contradicted by other opinions, or meanings; but seeing the truth is peaceable, brief, and always like herself in all things, and especially accorded by with Jesus in omni parte and all members. And as he is the true Image of the Father, so is she his Image; It shall not be said, this is true according to Philosophy, but true according to Theologie; And wherein Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras and others did hit the mark, and wherein Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Solomon did excel; but especially wherewith that wonderful book the Bible agreeth. All that same concurreth together, and make a Sphere or Globe, whose total parts are equidistant from the Center, as hereof more at large and more plain shal be spoken of in Christianly Conference.
+
+But now concerning (and chiefly in this our age) the ungodly and accursed Gold-making, which hath gotten so much the upper hand, whereby under colour of it, many runagates and roguish people do use great villanies, and cozen and abuse the credit, which is given them: yea now adays men of discretion do hold the transmutation of Mettals to be the highest point, and fastigium in Philosophy, this is all their intent, and desire, and that God would be most esteemed by them, and honored, which could make great store of Gold, and in abundance, the which with unpremeditate prayers, they hope to attain of the alknowing God, and searcher of all hearts: we therefore do by these presents publickly testifie, That the true Philosophers are far of another minde, esteeming little the making of Gold, which is but a parergon; for besides that they have a thousand better things.
+
+And we say with our loving Father R.C.C. Phy: aureum nisi quantum aurum, for unto them the whole nature is detected: he doth not rejoyce, that he can make Gold, and that, as saith Christ, the devils are obedient unto him; but is glad that he seeth the Heavens open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending, and his name written in the book of life. Also we do testifie that under the name of Chymia many books and pictures are set forth in Contumeliam gloriae Dei, as we wil name them in their due season, and wil give to the pure-hearted a Catalogue, or Register of them: And we pray all learned men to take heed of these kinde of Books; for the enemy never resteth, but soweth his weeds, til a stronger one doth root it out. So according to the wil and meaning of Fra: C.R.C. we his brethren request again all the learned in Europe, who shal read (sent forth in five languages) this our Famam and Confessionem, that it would please them with good deliberation to ponder this our offer, and to examine most nearly and most sharply their Arts, and behold the present time with all diligence, and to declare their minde, either Cummunicate consilio, or singulatim by Print.
+
+And although at this time we make no mention either of our names, or meetings, yet nevertheless every ones opinion shal assuredly come to our hands, in what language so ever it be; nor any body shal fail, who so gives but his name to speak with some of us, either by word of mouth, or else if there be some lett in writing. And this we say for a truth, That whosoever shall earnestly, and from his heart, bear affection unto us, it shal be beneficial to him in goods, body and soul; but he that is false-hearted, or onely greedy of riches, the same first of all shal not be able in any manner of wise to hurt us, but bring him to utter ruine and destruction. Also our building (although one hundred thousand people had very near seen and beheld the same) shall for ever remain untouched, undestroyed, and hidden to the wicked world, sub umbra alarum tuarum Jehova.

rc-manifestos/positio-fraternitatis-rosae-crucis.md

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+# Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis
+
+Salutem Punctis Trianguli!
+
+In this, the first year of the third millennium, in the sight of the God of all beings and of all life, we, the Deputies of the Supreme Council of the Rosicrucians, have judged that the time has come to light the fourth R+C Torch in order to reveal our position regarding the present state of humanity, and to bring to light the threats that lie heavy upon it, as well as the hopes that we place on it. *So Mote It Be!*
+
+*Ad Rosam per Crucem*
+*Ad Crucem per Rosam*
+
+## FOREWORD
+
+Dear Reader,
+
+Since we did not know how to contact you directly, we are doing so through the medium of this Manifesto. We hope that you will read it with an open mind and that it will arouse at the least some thought within you. Our wish is not to convince you of the validity of this *Positio*; it is to share it with you freely. Of course, we hope that it will find a responsive chord within your soul. If not, we appeal to your tolerance….
+
+In 1623, the Rose-Croix plastered the walls of Paris with mysterious and intriguing posters, which read as follows:
+
+*"We, the Deputies of the Higher College of the Rose-Croix, do* *make our stay, visibly and invisibly, in this city, by the grace of the* *Most High, to Whom turn the hearts of the Just. We demonstrate* *and instruct, without books and distinctions, the ability to speak* *all manners of tongues of the countries where we choose to be, in* *order to draw our fellow creatures from error of death."*
+
+*"He who takes it upon himself to see us merely out of curiosity will* *never make contact with us. But if his inclination seriously impels* *him to register in our fellowship, we, who are judges of intentions,* *will cause him to see the truth of our promises; to the extent that* *we shall not make known the place of our meeting in this city, since* *the thoughts attached to the real desire of the seeker will lead us to* *him and him to us."*
+
+A few years before, the Rose-Croix had already made themselves known by publishing three now famous Manifestos: the *Fama* *Fraternitatis*, the *Confessio Fraternitatis,* and the *Chymical Wedding of* *Christian Rosenkreuz,* published respectively in 1614, 1615, and 1616.
+
+At the time, these three Manifestos aroused many reactions in intellectual circles, and also among political and religious R C authorities. Between 1614 and 1620, about 400 pamphlets, manuscripts, and books were published - some to praise these Manifestos; others to disparage them. As can be seen, their publication constituted a major historical event, especially in the esoteric world.
+
+The *Fama Fraternitatis* addressed political and religious leaders, as well as the scientists of the time. While making a rather negative statement about the general situation in Europe, it revealed the existence of the Order of the Rose-Croix through the allegorical story of Christian Rosenkreuz (1378-1484), beginning with his journey throughout the world before giving birth to the Rosicrucian movement, and ending with the discovery of his tomb. This Manifesto called for a "Universal Reform."
+
+The *Confessio Fraternitatis* complemented the first Manifesto by insisting, on the one hand, upon the need for a regeneration of humanity and society; and, on the other hand, by pointing out that the Rosicrucians possess a philosophical knowledge enabling it to achieve this regeneration.
+
+It primarily addressed seekers who wished to participate in the work of the Order and to strive for the happiness of humanity. The prophetic aspect of this text greatly intrigued the scholars of the day.
+
+In a style rather different from that of the first two Manifestos, the *Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz* recounted an initiatory journey which portrayed the quest for Illumination. This seven-day journey took place for the most part in a mysterious castle where the wedding of a king and a queen was to be held. The *Chymical Wedding* symbolically related the spiritual development which leads an Initiate to achieve union between the soul (the bride) and God (the bridegroom).
+
+As emphasized by contemporary historians, thinkers, and philosophers, the publication of these three Manifestos was neither insignificant nor inopportune. It occurred at a time when Europe - politically divided and torn asunder by conflicting economic interests - was experiencing a profound existential crisis. Religious wars were sowing unhappiness and desolation, causing division even within families; and science, developing rapidly, was already demonstrating a trend toward materialism. For the vast majority, living conditions were miserable. The changing society of the time was undergoing a complete mutation, and yet it lacked guidelines for evolvement that held a general interest.
+
+History repeats itself and regularly re-enacts the same events, though generally on a broader scale. Thus, almost four centuries after the publication of the first three Manifestos, we notice that the entire world, and Europe in particular, is facing an unprecedented existential crisis in all spheres: political, economic, scientific, technological, religious, moral, artistic, etc. Moreover, our planet - the environment in which we live and evolve - is gravely threatened, elevating in importance the relatively recent science of ecology. Certainly, present-day humanity is not faring well. This is why, faithful to our Tradition and our Ideal, we, the Rose-Croix of today, have deemed it advisable to address this crisis through this *Positio*.
+
+The *Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis* is not an eschatological essay. It is by no means apocalyptic. As we have just mentioned, its purpose is to state our position concerning the state of the world today and to reveal what seems worrisome to us about its future. As our past brothers and sisters did in their time, we likewise wish to appeal for more humanism and spirituality, for we are convinced that the individualism and materialism now prevailing in modern societies cannot bring to humanity the happiness which it rightfully desires. This *Positio* will undoubtedly seem alarmist to some, and yet, as the saying goes: "Who is so deaf or so blind as the one that willfully will neither hear nor see?"
+
+Today's humanity is both troubled and bewildered. The great progress we have achieved materially has not truly brought us happiness and does not enable us to foresee our future with serenity. Wars, famines, epidemics, ecological catastrophes, social crises, attacks on fundamental freedoms - these are just some of the many calamities which contradict the hope that humans have for their future. That is why we are addressing this message to all those who are willing to hear it. This message is in the same tradition as that expressed by the 17th-century Rosicrucians through the first three Manifestos. To understand the message we must realistically read the great book of history and have a clear view of humanity - this great body composed of men and women in the process of evolution.
+
+## POSITIO R+C
+
+Humanity evolves over time, as does everything else connected with our lives. Indeed, the whole universe evolves. This is characteristic of everything which exists in the manifested world. However we feel that human evolution is not limited to the material aspects of our existence, convinced as we are that we possess a soul - in other words, a spiritual dimension. According to our teachings, it is this soul that makes us conscious beings, capable of reflecting upon our origin and destiny. This is why we consider human evolution as an end, spirituality as a means, and time as an enlightener.
+
+History is made intelligible not by the events which generate it or which it generates, rather by the connections which unite such events.
+
+Furthermore, most of today's historians will admit that history has a greater overall meaning, and that events need to be understood within the entire context of history. To understand history properly, events should be carefully considered not simply as isolated elements, rather as parts of a greater whole. As a matter of fact, we feel that an event is truly historical only in relationship to the greater whole of which it is a part. To dissociate events from the greater whole, or to make a moral code from history out of their dissociation, constitutes intellectual fraud. This is why seeming connections, juxtapositions, coincidences, or concomitances never really owe anything to chance.
+
+As mentioned in the Foreword, we see a similarity between the present world situation and that of 17th-century Europe. What some refer to as the "post-modern era" has brought about comparable effects in many areas of modern life, and this has unfortunately resulted in a certain degeneracy of humanity. However, we feel that this degeneracy is only temporary and that it will lead to an individual and collective regeneration, provided that men and women give a humanist and spiritualistic direction to their future. If we do not, we lay ourselves open to much more serious problems than those we are facing today.
+
+Due to our ontology, we think that human beings are the most evolved of all creatures living on Earth, even though we often behave in a shameful manner not befitting this status.
+
+The reason that we hold this privileged position is because we are endowed with self-consciousness and free will. We are therefore capable of thinking and directing our lives as we so choose. We also believe that each human being is an elementary cell of a single body - that of all humanity. By virtue of this principle, our conception of humanism is that all humans should have the same rights, be given the same respect, and enjoy the same freedoms, regardless of the country of their origin or the nation in which they live.
+
+As for our conception of spirituality, it is based, on the one hand, upon the conviction that God exists as an Absolute Intelligence having created the universe and everything therein; and, on the other hand, on the assurance that each human being possesses a soul which emanates from God. Moreover, we think that God manifests in all creation through laws that we must study, understand, and respect for our greater good.
+
+In fact, we believe that humanity is evolving toward the realization of a Divine Plan and that humanity is destined to create an ideal society upon Earth. This spiritualistic humanism may seem utopian. However, we concur with Plato, when he stated in *The Republic:* "Utopia is the form of Ideal Society. Perhaps it is impossible to achieve it on Earth, and yet a wise man must place all his hopes in it."
+
+In this transitional period of history, the regeneration of humanity seems to us more possible than ever before because of the convergence of consciousness, the generalization of international exchanges, the growth of cross-cultural fertilization, the worldwide coverage of news, as well as the growing interdisciplinary movement among the different branches of learning. We think that this regeneration, which must take place both individually and collectively, can only come about by favoring eclecticism and its corollary, tolerance. Actually, no political institution, religion, philosophy, or science holds a monopoly on truth. However, we can approach truth by sharing the most noble aspects that each of these disciplines has to offer humanity, seeking unity through diversity.
+
+Sooner or later, life's vicissitudes lead us to ponder the reason for our presence on Earth. This quest for justification is natural, for it is an integral part of the human soul and constitutes the foundation of our evolution. Furthermore, the events which have blazed the trail of history cannot be justified simply through the fact that they exist; they demand a greater reason for their being, a reason above and beyond their mere existence. We believe that this *raison d'être* involves a spiritual process which incites human beings to question themselves about the mysteries of life - hence the interest which we attach to mysticism and to the "Quest for Truth" at some point in our evolution. If this pursuit is natural, we additionally feel that humans are driven to hope and optimism by a command of their divine nature and by a biological instinct for survival. Thus, the aspiration to transcendency appears to be a vital requirement of the human species.
+
+Concerning politics, we feel that a complete renewal of political systems is imperative. Among the important 20th-century political models, Marxism-Leninism and National Socialism, founded on supposedly definitive social postulates, have led to a decline of reason and finally to barbarism. These two totalitarian ideologies have inevitably come up against the human need for self-determination, thus betraying our right to freedom while at the same time writing some of the blackest pages of history. And history has disqualified them both - forever, let us hope!
+
+Whatever we may think of them, political systems based upon a single, monolithic idea often have in common a desire to impose upon human beings a "Doctrine of Salvation," which is supposed to free them from their imperfect state, and elevate them to a heavenly status. Moreover, most of these political systems do not ask citizens to *think*, rather to *believe,* which makes them resemble in effect "nonsectarian religions."
+
+Conversely, trends of thought such as Rosicrucianism are not monolithic, rather they are open and pluralistic. In other words, they encourage dialogue with others and promote human relations. At the same time, they accept a plurality of opinions and the diversity of behavior patterns. Therefore, such systems of thought feed upon exchanges, interactions, and even contradictions, which totalitarian ideologies forbid and from which they abstain.
+
+Moreover, it is for this reason that Rosicrucian thought has been consistently rejected by totalitarian systems, whatever their nature may be. From its very beginning, our Order has advocated the right of each individual to create and express her or his own ideas freely. In this respect, Rosicrucians are not necessarily freethinkers, however they are all free to think.
+
+In the state of the world today, it seems to us that true democracy remains the best form of government - although certain weaknesses cannot be overlooked. In any genuine democracy, based upon freedom of thought and expression, we generally find a multitude of tendencies, as much among the governors as among the governed. Unfortunately, this plurality often engenders dissension, with all its resulting conflicts.
+
+Sadly, it is for this reason that most democratic states manifest divisions that continually and almost systematically conflict with one another. It seems to us that these political divisions, most often gravitating around a majority and an opposition, are no longer well suited to modern societies, and hold back the regeneration of humanity. The ideal in this regard would be for each nation to help promote the emergence of a government bringing together the personalities most capable of governing the affairs of state. In a wider sense, we hope that one day there will be a worldwide government representing all nations, of which today's United Nations is just the beginning.
+
+Concerning economics, we feel that the economic situation of the world is completely adrift. We can see that the current economic system conditions human activity more and more, and this is increasingly becoming the norm. On the one hand, this economic dominance takes the form of very influential, and therefore interventionist, structured networks which appear in various guises. On the other hand, today's economy operates from determined values that, more than ever before, are necessarily quantifiable, involving cost of production, break-even point, evaluation of profit, duration of labor, and so on. These values are essential to the present economic system and provide it with the means to achieve its ends. Unfortunately, these ends are fundamentally materialistic, because they are based on excessive profit and enrichment. This is how human beings have entered into the service of the economy, while the economy should instead serve human beings.
+
+Al nations are presently dependent on a worldwide economic system, which we may describe as being totalitarian. This economic *totalitarianism* does not meet the most elementary needs of hundreds of mil ions of people, while the supply of money has never been so vast on a worldwide scale. This means that the wealth produced by human beings only benefits a minority among them, which we find deplorable.
+
+Actual y, we notice that the gap never ceases to widen between the most affluent nations and the poorest. We can observe the same phenomenon within each country, between the most deprived classes and the most fortunate ones. We feel that this situation has arisen because the economy has become too speculative, and it supplies markets and interests that are more virtual than real.
+
+Quite obviously, economics wil fulfil its role wel only when it is serving al of humanity. This supposes that we shal come to view money for what it should be: a means of exchange and an energy meant to supply everyone with what he or she needs to live happily on the material plane.
+
+In this regard, we are convinced that human beings are not destined to be poor, and even less to be destitute; on the contrary, they are meant to have everything that may contribute to human welfare, so that we may lift our souls with perfect peace of mind toward higher planes of consciousness. In absolute terms, economics should be used in such a way that there would no longer be people who experience poverty, and every person would enjoy good material conditions, for such is the foundation of human dignity. Poverty is not destined; nor is it the effect of a divine decree. General y speaking, it is the consequence of human selfishness.
+
+Therefore, we hope that the day wil come when the economic system wil be based upon sharing and taking into account the common good.
+
+However, the resources of the Earth are not inexhaustible and cannot be divided endlessly, so it will certainly be necessary to control the birth rate, especially in overpopulated countries.
+
+Concerning science, we feel that science has reached a particularly critical phase. Indeed, it cannot be denied that science has advanced immensely and enabled humanity to achieve considerable progress.
+
+Without science, we would still be in the Stone Age. And yet, where the Greek civilization had worked out a qualitative understanding of scientific research, the 17th century brought on a veritable upheaval by establishing the supremacy of the quantitative concept, which is closely tied in with the evolution of economics. Mechanism, rationalism, positivism, etc., have separated *consciousness* and *matter* into two very distinct realms and reduced all phenomena to a measurable entity devoid of subjectivity. The *how* has eliminated the *why*. While it is true that research undertaken in the past few decades has led to important discoveries, the financial stakes seem to have taken precedence over everything else, and we have now reached the pinnacle of scientific materialism.
+
+We have made ourselves the slaves of science, more than we have subjected it to our will. Today, simple technological failures are capable of putting the most advanced societies in jeopardy, which proves that we have created an imbalance between the qualitative and the quantitative, and also between ourselves and that which we create. The materialistic goals that humans pursue today through scientific research have resulted in leading many minds astray. At the same time, these materialistic goals have estranged us from our soul and from the divine within us. This excessive rationalization by science is a real danger that will threaten humanity sooner or later. In fact, any society in which matter dominates conscience, advances that which is the less noble in human nature. Therefore, such a society condemns itself to disappear prematurely and most often under tragic circumstances.
+
+To a certain extent, science has become a religion - a materialistic religion, which is paradoxical. Based upon a mechanistic approach to the universe, nature, and humanity itself, science possesses its own creed:
+
+"Only believe what is seen"; and its own dogma: "No truth outside of science." Nevertheless, we notice that the research conducted on the *how* of things has led science to question the *why*, so that little by little science is becoming aware of its limitations, and in this regard is beginning to agree with mysticism. Some scientists - still too few it is true - have even reached the point of admitting the existence of God. It must be noted that science and mysticism were very close in ancient times, to such an extent that scientists were mystics, and vice versa. It is precisely toward the reunification of these two paths of knowledge that we must work in the coming decades.
+
+It has become necessary to rethink the question of knowledge.
+
+For instance, what is the true meaning of being able to reproduce an experience? Is a proposition that cannot be verified in all cases necessarily false? Surpassing the rational dualism that took hold in the 17th century seems imperative to us, for true knowledge lies in this "surpassingness."
+
+Moreover, simply because the existence of God cannot be proved does not justify the declaration that God does not exist. Truth may have many faces; to remember only one in the name of rationality is an insult to reason. Besides, can we truly speak of rational or irrational? Is science itself rational, when it believes in chance? In fact, it seems to us much more irrational to believe in chance rather than to not believe in it. On this same subject, we must say that our Order has always been against the common notion of chance, which it looks upon as an easy solution and resignation in the face of reality. We agree with Albert Einstein's comment about chance when he described it as: "The Path that God takes when God wants to remain anonymous."
+
+The evolution of science also poses new problems, both ethically and metaphysically. While it cannot be denied that genetic research has made it possible to achieve incredible progress in the treatment of previously incurable illnesses, this same research has opened the way to developments making it possible to create human beings through cloning. This form of procreation can only lead to a genetic impoverishment of the human species and to the degeneracy of the human race. Further, it implies criteria of selection inevitably stamped with subjectivity and consequently presents risks when it comes to the matter of eugenics. Moreover, reproduction by cloning only takes into account the physical and material part of the human being, without paying particular attention to the mind or the soul. This is why we feel that such genetic manipulation not only harms human dignity; it also threatens the mental, psychic, and spiritual integrity of human beings.
+
+In this respect, we agree with the following saying: "Science without conscience is the ruin of the soul." The appropriation of human beings by other human beings has only left sad memories throughout history.
+
+Therefore, it seems dangerous to us that scientists be given free rein to conduct experiments involving the reproductive cloning of human beings in particular, and all living species in general. We entertain the same fears regarding the manipulations affecting the genetic makeup of both animals and plants.
+
+Concerning technology, we note that technology is also undergoing a complete transformation. From our very beginnings, humans have always attempted to fabricate tools and machines so as to improve their living conditions and to make their work more efficient. In its most positive aspects, this desire originally had three primary goals: to enable humans to create things which they could not fabricate by hand alone; to spare them effort and fatigue; and to save time. Of course, for centuries, if not millennia, technology was only used to help humans with manual work and physical activities, while today it also assists us in the intellectual sphere. Moreover, for a very long time technology was limited to mechanical processes requiring direct human intervention and causing little or no harm to the environment.
+
+Today, technology is omnipresent and constitutes the core of modern societies, to the extent that it has become almost indispensable. Its uses are many, and it now integrates all types of processes - mechanical, as well as electrical, electronic, computer, and so on. Unfortunately, the dark side of technology is that machines have become a danger to humans themselves. Ideally, machines were intended to help humans by sparing us from toil; now they are replacing humans. Moreover, we cannot deny that the development of mechanization has progressively led to a certain dehumanization of society, in the sense that it has considerably reduced human interaction - in other words, direct physical contacts. Added to this are all the forms of pollution generated by industrialization.
+
+The problem now posed by technology stems from the fact that it has evolved much faster than has human consciousness.
+
+Consequently, we believe that technology must break away from today's emphasis on materialism and become an agent of humanism. To bring this about, it is imperative that the human being again be placed at the center of our social fabric which, according to what we have said with respect to economics, implies having machines again serve human beings.
+
+To accomplish this necessitates a thorough questioning of the materialistic values that form the basis of today's society. This implies that all human beings reorient themselves and come to understand that we must respect the quality of life, and stop this frenetic race against time. This is only possible, however, if humans learn once more how to live in harmony with nature, and also with themselves. The ideal would be for technology to evolve in such a way that it would free human beings from the most difficult tasks and, at the same time, enable us to evolve harmoniously in contact with others.
+
+Concerning the great religions, we believe that they are now manifesting two opposite movements - centripetal and centrifugal. The first movement - which looks inward - consists of fundamentalist groups within Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, as well as other religions seeking a return to their religious roots. The second movement - which looks outward - has resulted in a neglect of religious creed in general and of religious dogmas in particular. People are no longer satisfied to remain on the periphery of a system of beliefs, even though a particular religion is said to be revealed. They now want to place themselves in the center of a system of thought arising from their own experiences. In this respect, the acceptance of religious dogmas is no longer automatic. Believers have acquired a certain critical sense regarding religious questions, and the basis of their convictions corresponds increasingly to a self-validation. Whereas in the past the need for spirituality brought forth a few religions having an arborescent form - i.e., that of a tree well rooted in its sociocultural soil, to the enrichment of which they have also contributed - today it takes the form of a rhizoidal structure, composed of many and varied small shrubs. Does not Spirit move where It wishes?
+
+What we have today, on the fringe or in place of the great religions, are groups of like mind, religious communities sharing similar ideas, or movements of thought within which doctrines, more proposed than imposed, are accepted through voluntary membership. Irrespective of the intrinsic nature of these religious communities, groups, or movements, their multiplication indicates a diversification of the spiritual quest.
+
+Generally speaking, we feel that this diversification has come about because the great religions, which we respect as such, no longer have a monopoly on faith. They exhibit increasing difficulties in answering people's questions and can no longer satisfy them inwardly. Furthermore, people may be estranged because the religions have alienated themselves from spirituality. And yet spirituality, although immutable in essence, constantly seeks to express itself through channels increasingly suited to the evolution of humanity.
+
+The survival of the great religions depends more than ever upon their ability to discard the most dogmatic moral and doctrinal beliefs and positions they have adopted through the centuries. If the major religions wish to endure, it is imperative that they adapt to society. If they do not take into account either the evolution of human consciousness or scientific progress, they condemn themselves to a gradual disappearance, and not without causing further ethnic, social, and religious conflicts.
+
+Nonetheless, we presume that their disappearance is inevitable and that, under the influence of a worldwide expansion of consciousness, they will give birth to a universal religion, which will integrate the best that the major religions have to offer humanity for its regeneration. Furthermore, we believe that the desire to *know* divine laws - that is, natural, universal, and spiritual laws - will eventually supplant the need just to believe in God.
+
+We assume, therefore, that belief will one day give way to knowledge.
+
+Concerning morality - a concept whose meaning is becoming more and more ambiguous - we observe that it is being increasingly disregarded. In our view, morality should not show a blind compliance with various rules or even dogmas - social, religious, political, or otherwise. However this is how much of society perceives today's morality, and so, they reject it. We feel that morality should instead relate to the respect that any individual should have for oneself, for others, and for the environment.
+
+Self-respect consists of living according to one's own ideas and not in assuming behavior that we disapprove of in others. Respect for others merely consists of not doing unto them what we would not want them to do unto us, as taught by all sages of the past. As to respect for the environment, let us be so bold as to say that to respect nature and preserve it for generations to come flows naturally from the heart. Seen from this standpoint, morality implies a balance between the rights and the duties of everyone, which gives it a humanistic dimension that is not at all moralizing.
+
+Morality, in the sense that we have just explained, brings up the whole matter of education, which now seems to be in a state of distress. Most parents have withdrawn themselves from the educational process, or no longer have the necessary qualifications to properly educate their children.
+
+Many parents are shifting their responsibility onto the teachers in order to compensate for this inadequacy. After all, is it not a teacher's role to instruct - that is, to transmit knowledge? Rather, education should consist of implanting civic and ethical values. In this, we concur with Socrates who believed it to be "the art of awakening the virtues of the soul," such as humility, generosity, honesty, tolerance, kindness, and so on. Apart from any spiritual consideration, we believe that these are the virtues which parents, and adults in general, should inculcate in children. Naturally, this implies that, even if they have not acquired these virtues themselves, they at least be aware of the need to acquire them.
+
+As you surely know, the Rosicrucians of the past practiced material alchemy, which consisted of transmuting raw metals - such as tin and lead - into gold. What we often ignore is that they also devoted themselves to spiritual alchemy. Contemporary Rosicrucians give priority to this form of alchemy, for the world needs it more than ever. This spiritual alchemy consists of transmuting every human fault into its opposite quality, so as to acquire precisely the virtues to which we have referred earlier. In fact, we believe that such virtues constitute human dignity, for we are worthy of our status only when expressing virtue in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Undoubtedly, if all individuals - whatever their religious beliefs, political ideas, or other thoughts may be - made the effort to acquire these virtues, it would be a better world. Consequently, humanity can and must effect a complete moral and spiritual reform, and for this to happen, each individual must regenerate oneself.
+
+Concerning art, we feel that during the past centuries, and most particularly during the last decades, it has followed a trend of intellectualization that has led it toward an increasing degree of abstraction.
+
+This process has divided art into two opposing trends: elitist art and popular art. Elitist art, which is expressed through the abstract, is most often understood only by those who claim to be, or who are said to be its initiates. Through a natural reaction, popular art opposes this tendency by intensifying its way of portraying the concrete, sometimes in an excessively representational fashion. And yet, as paradoxical as it may seem, both delve deeper and deeper into matter, since it is quite true that opposites attract. Thus, art has become structurally and ideologically materialistic, in the image of most realms of human endeavor. At the present time, it interprets the impulses of the ego more than the aspirations of the soul, which we regret.
+
+We believe that truly inspired art consists of interpreting on the human plane the beauty and purity of the Divine Plane. In this view, noise is not music; daubing is not painting; hammering is not sculpture; helter-skelter movement is not dancing. When these art forms are not limited to expressing some passing fashion, they become serious means of expression that convey a sociological message that cannot be ignored. We can appreciate such means of expression, of course, and yet it seems to us inappropriate to call them "artistic." In order for the arts to participate in the regeneration of humanity, we believe that they must draw their inspiration from natural, universal, and spiritual archetypes, which implies that artists "ascend" toward these archetypes, rather than "descend" toward the most common stereotypes.
+
+At the same time, it is absolutely necessary that the arts bestow upon themselves an aesthetic purpose. In our view, these two major conditions must be met so that the arts may truly contribute to the raising of consciousness and become the human expression of Cosmic Harmony.
+
+Concerning human relationships, we think that people are more and more self-seeking and leave less and less room for altruism. Of course, outbreaks of solidarity occur, although it happens only occasionally during such catastrophes as floods, storms, earthquakes, etc. In ordinary times, the policy of "everyone for oneself" predominates in behavioral patterns. In our view, this increase in individualism is again a consequence of the excessive materialism that is rampant today in modern societies.
+
+Nevertheless, the resultant isolation should eventually bring about the desire and need to renew contact with others. Moreover, we may hope that this solitude will lead everyone to go increasingly within and eventually become aware of spirituality.
+
+The general prevalence of violence also seems to us very disquieting.
+
+Of course, it has always existed, yet it now expresses itself increasingly in individual behavior. Even more seriously, it is manifesting itself at an earlier age. At the beginning of the 21st century, one child kills another without any apparent compunction. Added to this real-life violence is the fictional violence which dominates the motion-picture and television screens. The first kind of violence inspires the second, and the second feeds the first, creating a vicious circle that needs to be stopped. It cannot be denied that violence has any number of causes, such as social poverty, fragmentation of the family, desire for vengeance, need for domination, feelings of injustice, and so on; its worst agent is none other than violence itself. Clearly, this culture of violence is pernicious and cannot be constructive, especially since humanity has the means to destroy itself on a planetary scale for the first time in known history.
+
+In a paradox of modern times, we notice, moreover, that in this era of communication, individuals barely communicate with one another. Members of the same family no longer converse among themselves, so busy are they in listening to the radio, watching television, or surfing the Internet.
+
+Another established fact has more generally commanded attention: telecommunication has supplanted other forms of communication.
+
+In so doing, it places one in isolation and intensifies the individualism mentioned earlier. Please do not mistake our meaning: individualism, as a natural right to live autonomously and responsibly, should not be condemned at all in our eyes - quite the contrary. Yet when it becomes a way of life based on the negation of others, it seems particularly disturbing, in that it has contributed to the disintegration of the family circle and the fabric of society.
+
+As contradictory as it may seem, we feel that today's lack of communication among our fellow citizens is partly the result of an excess of information. Of course, we do not mean to question the right to inform and the right to be informed, for both are the pillars of any true democracy. Nevertheless, it appears to us that information has become both excessive and intrusive, to the point that it has generated its opposite: disinformation. We also regret that it is focused primarily on the precariousness of the human condition and overemphasizes the negative aspects of human behavior. At best, it feeds on pessimism, sadness, and despair; at worst, on suspicion, division, and rancor. Although there is a legitimate need to show those things, which contribute to the ugliness of the world, it is in everyone's best interest to also reveal those things that contribute to its beauty. More than ever, the world needs optimism, hope, and unity.
+
+This understanding would constitute a great step forward, more radical yet than the scientific and technological progress experienced in the 20th century. This is why every society should not only encourage face-to-face meetings among its members; it should also open itself up to the world. By doing so, we defend the cause of a humane society making all individuals citizens of the world, which implies putting an end to all forms of racial, ethnic, social, religious, or political discrimination or segregation. Such openness encourages the coming of a Culture of Peace, founded upon integration and cooperation, to which the Rosicrucians have always devoted themselves. As humanity is *one* in essence, its happiness is only possible by promoting the welfare of all human beings without exception.
+
+Concerning humanity's relationship with nature, we believe that on the whole it has never been so deleterious. It is surely obvious to everyone that human activity is inflicting increasing degradation on the environment. Yet, it is also obvious that the survival of the human species depends upon its ability to respect natural balance. The development of civilization has generated many dangers because of biological manipulations affecting food, the widespread use of polluting agents, the poorly controlled accumulation of nuclear wastes - just to mention a few of the major risks. The protection of nature, and therefore the safeguarding of humanity, has become the responsibility of all people, whereas previously it concerned only specialists. Moreover, it has now become a worldwide matter. This is all the more important since our very concept of nature has changed, and we have come to realize how much we are part of it. We can no longer speak today of "Nature in itself" in that nature will be what humanity wishes it to be.
+
+One of the characteristics of our present era is our great consumption of energy. This phenomenon would not be worrisome in itself if it were intelligently managed. Yet we observe that such natural resources as coal, gas, and petroleum are being overexploited and are gradually becoming exhausted. Moreover, certain energy sources, such as nuclear power plants, present serious hazards, which are very difficult to overcome.
+
+We also observe that, despite the recent attempts at dialogue, certain dangers, such as the greenhouse effects of gas emission, desertification, deforestation, pollution of the oceans, and so on, are not the object of adequate protective measures, because of a lack of will. Apart from the fact that these assaults upon the environment cause humanity to face very serious risks, they show a great lack of maturity, both individually and collectively. Despite what some experts claim, we feel that present climatic disturbances, with such a large share of storms, floods, and so on, are the result of the damage that humans have been inflicting upon our planet for too long.
+
+Quite obviously, another major problem - that of water - is sure to confront us in the future with increasing impact.
+
+Water is an element indispensable to the maintenance and development of life. In one form or another, all living beings need it. Humans are no exception to this natural law, if only because water constitutes seventy percent of our bodies. And yet today, access to fresh water is restricted for approximately one out of six world inhabitants, a proportion which may reach one out of four in less than fifty years, due to the increase in worldwide population, and the pollution of rivers and streams. Today, most eminent specialists agree that "white gold," more than "black gold," will be the great resource of this century, with all the potential for conflict that this implies. An awareness of this problem on a worldwide level is imperative.
+
+Air pollution also entails serious dangers for life in general, and for the human species in particular. Industry, heating, and transportation contribute to the degradation of air quality and pollute the atmosphere, giving rise to potential health hazards. Urban areas are the most affected by this phenomenon, which threatens to increase along with expanding urbanization. In connection with this, the massive growth of cities constitutes a danger which could threaten the stability of societies.
+
+Concerning the growth of urban areas, we concur with the advice that Plato, who was mentioned earlier, expressed centuries ago: "To the point where, enlarged, it preserves its unity, the city can expand, yet not beyond."
+
+Gigantism cannot favor humanism, in the sense we have defined it. It inevitably brings about discord and gives rise to misery and insecurity.
+
+Humanity's behavior toward animals is also part of our relationship with nature. It is our duty to love and respect them. All are part of the life chain manifesting on Earth, and all are agents of evolution. In their own way, animals are also vehicles of the Divine Soul and participate in the Divine Plan. We can even go so far as to consider the most evolved among them to be humans in the making that are passing through the evolutionary process. For all of these reasons, we find the conditions in which many animals are reared and slaughtered to be appalling. As for vivisection, we view it as being an act of cruelty. Generally speaking, we believe that society must include all beings to whom life has given birth.
+
+Consequently, we agree with the following words attributed to Pythagoras: "As long as men continue to destroy ruthlessly the living beings from the lower kingdoms, they will know neither health nor peace. As long as they massacre animals, they will kill each other. In effect, whoever sows murder and suffering cannot reap joy and love."
+
+Concerning humanity's relationship with the Universe, we believe that it is based upon interdependence. As children of the Earth, and as the Earth is a child of the universe, we are therefore children of the universe. The atoms composing the human body originate in nature and remain within the confines of the Cosmos, which causes astrophysicists to comment that "We are children of the stars." Even though we are indebted to the universe, it should also be noted that the universe owes much to humanity also - not its existence, of course, rather its reason for being.
+
+Indeed, what would the universe be if human eyes could not contemplate it? If our consciousness could not embrace it? If our soul could not be reflected in it? The universe and humanity need each other to know and even recognize each other, which reminds us of the famous saying: "Know thyself, and thou shalt know the Universe and the Gods."
+
+Nevertheless, we should not deduce that our conception of Creation is anthropocentric. Indeed, we do not make humans the center of the Divine Plan. Rather, let us say that we make humanity a focus of our concerns.
+
+In our opinion, humanity's presence on Earth is not the result of mere happenstance; rather, it is the consequence of an intention originating from a Universal Intelligence commonly called "God." Although God is incomprehensible and unintelligible because of Transcendency, this is not true of the laws through which God manifests within Creation. As previously mentioned, we have the power - if not the responsibility - to study these laws and to apply them for our material and spiritual welfare.
+
+We even believe that in this study and application lie our reason for being, as well as our happiness.
+
+Humanity's relationship with the universe also brings up the matter of knowing whether life exists elsewhere outside of Earth. We are convinced that this is the case. Since the universe includes approximately one hundred billion galaxies, and each galaxy has about one hundred billion stars, there probably exist millions of solar systems comparable to ours. Consequently, to think that only our planet is inhabited seems to us to be an absurdity and constitutes a form of egocentrism. Among the forms of life populating other worlds, some are probably more evolved than those existing on Earth; others may be less so. Yet they are all a part of the same Divine Plan and participate in Cosmic Evolution. As for knowing whether extraterrestrials are capable of contacting humanity, we feel that this will happen, and we are not spending time waiting for it. We have other priorities. Nonetheless, the day will come when this contact will happen, and it will constitute an unprecedented event. Indeed, the history of humanity will then integrate into that of Universal Life.
+
+## EPILOGUE
+
+Dear Reader,
+
+This, therefore, is what we wished to tell you by means of this Manifesto. Perhaps it has seemed alarmist to you, however because of our very philosophy, let us assure you that we are both idealistic and optimistic, for we have faith in humanity and in its destiny. When we consider the most useful and beautiful works humans have created in the fields of science, technology, architecture, art, literature, and others - and when we think of the most noble sentiments that we are capable of feeling and expressing, such as wonder, compassion, love, and so on - we cannot doubt that humanity is innately divine and capable of transcending itself for the greater good. In this respect, we believe, at the risk once again of appearing utopian, that humans have the power to make Earth a place of peace, harmony, and community. It simply depends on us.
+
+The situation of the contemporary world is not hopeless; it is worrisome.
+
+What concerns us most is not so much the condition of humanity; it is that of our planet. We think that time is of no significance in terms of humanity's spiritual development, since we have all eternity to carry out this evolution, seeing that our soul is immortal. On the other hand, Earth is truly threatened, at least as a living environment for the human species.
+
+Time is running out for it, and we believe that its protection is a vital necessity in the 21st century. It is to this purpose that politics, economics, science, technology, and all other fields of human activity should devote their efforts. Is it really so difficult to understand that humanity can only find happiness by living in harmony with natural laws and, in a wider sense, with divine laws? Furthermore, is it so unreasonable to admit that humanity has the wherewithal to sublimate its own interests? Nevertheless, if humans continue to pursue materialism, the darkest prophecies will be fulfilled and no one will be spared.
+
+It matters little what political ideas, religious beliefs, and philosophical convictions people hold. The time has passed for divisiveness in all its forms; the time is now ripe for unity - unity of differences in the service of the common good. In this, our Order counts among its ranks Christians, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Hindus, Animists, and even Agnostics. It also includes people who belong to all social classes and represent all recognized political movements. Men and women enjoy complete equality in status, and each member enjoys the same prerogatives. This unity in diversity has given power to our ideals and to our *égrégore*, a reflection of the fact that the virtue we cherish the most is *tolerance* - in other words, the right to differ.
+
+This does not make us sages, for wisdom encompasses many other virtues.
+
+Rather, we think of ourselves as being philosophers - literally, as "lovers of wisdom."
+
+Before sealing this *Positio*, and thereby giving it the stamp of our Order, we wish to conclude with an invocation that expresses what we may call "Rosicrucian Utopia" in the Platonist sense of the word. We are appealing to the good will of everyone so that one day this Utopia may become a reality, for the greater good of humanity. Perhaps this day will never come, however if all men and women endeavor to believe in it, and act accordingly, the world can only become better because of it.
+
+## ROSICRUCIAN UTOPIA
+
+*God of all beings,God of all life,*
+*In the humanity we are dreaming of:*
+
+• Politicians are profoundly humanistic and strive to serve the common good;
+
+• Economists manage state finances with discernment and in the interest of al ;
+
+• Scientists are spiritualistic and seek their inspiration in the Book of Nature;
+
+• Artists are inspired and express the beauty and purity of the Divine Plan in their works;
+
+• Physicians are motivated by love for their community and treat both the soul and the body;
+
+• Misery and poverty have vanished, for everyone has what one needs to live happily;
+
+• Work is not regarded as a chore; it is looked at as a source of growth and well-being;
+
+• Nature is considered to be the most beautiful temple of all, and animals are considered to be our brothers and sisters on the path of evolution;
+
+• A World Government composed of the leaders of all nations, working in the interest of all humanity, has come into existence;
+
+• Spirituality is an ideal and a way of life, which springs forth from a Universal Religion, founded more upon the knowledge of divine laws than upon the belief in God;
+
+• Human relations are founded upon love, friendship, and community, so that the whole world lives in peace and harmony.
+
+*So Mote It Be!*
+
+**Sealed on March 20, 2001**
+**Rosicrucian Year 3354**

rc-manifestos/the-new-chymical-wedding-of-christian-rosenkreutz.md

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+# The New Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
+
+*Cosmica lex successit!*
+
+**Sealed January 6, 2016**
+**Rosicrucian Year 3368**
+
+Antiquus Mysticusque Ordo Rosae Crucis
+
+## MANIFESTO
+
+As the author of this Manifesto, I would like to introduce myself, before you set about reading it. In the past, I was known by the name of Christian Rosenkreutz, mythical founder of the Order of the Rosy Cross, a secret society whose origin is dated by historians of esotericism to the beginning of the seventeenth century, but whose Tradition is a lot older than this, going back to the Mystery Schools of Ancient Egypt.
+
+In the *Fama Fraternitatis*, published in 1614, it is explained in detail how and why, after having searched the world over for the most learned people of the time, I finally came to set up the Order of the Rosy Cross. Originally composed of a few members familiar with Hermeticism, Alchemy, and the Kabbalah, the Order went on to expand and has carried on right through to today. As its founder, I have continued to watch over its destiny, at times from the spiritual plane and at times while incarnated here below.
+
+A second Manifesto was published the following year, in 1615: this was the *Confessio Fraternitatis*. Without going into detail, this is an extension of the *Fama* and complements it, by clarifying the rules and functioning of the Rosicrucian Fraternity as I had set them out.
+
+Things are also revealed in connection with the *Liber Mundi* (The Book of the World), the true purpose of alchemy, and the Knowledge possessed by the Rosicrucians for the successful spiritual regeneration of Humanity.
+
+A third Manifesto, published in 1616, was then added to the two preceding ones: in a different style altogether, it gives an account of a dream I had at the time that I was establishing the Order of the Rosy Cross. During this dream, I saw myself on an initiatory journey lasting seven days, at the end of which I was invited to the marriage of a King and Queen, held in a mysterious castle. This allegorical dream, which is interspersed with alchemical references, has been the subject of many interpretations, some of which are eloquent and inspiring, while others are far-fetched and even absurd.
+
+In my current life, I was born on December 13, 1982 in Paris, the City of Light, where in 1623 the Rosicrucians made themselves known by putting posters up everywhere in the streets. I would like to remind you of what these posters said:
+
+We, the Deputies of the Higher College of the Rose-Croix, do make our stay, visibly and invisibly, in this city, by the Grace of the Most High, to Whom turn the hearts of the Just.
+
+We demonstrate and instruct, without books and distinctions, the ability to speak all manners of tongues of the countries where we choose to be, in order to draw our fellow creatures from error of death.
+
+He who takes it upon himself to see us merely out of curiosity will never make contact with us. But if his inclination seriously impels him to register in our fellowship, we, who are judges of intentions, will cause him to see the truth of our promises; to the extent that we shall not make known the place of our meeting in this city, since the thoughts attached to the real desire of the seeker will lead us to him and him to us.
+
+As I wish to remain anonymous, I am not going to tell you either where I live or what I do, or anything that could lead you to me.
+
+In accordance with the rules that my brothers and I set for ourselves long ago, I must remain "invisible." Perhaps we will meet one day, but if we do, it will be me who approaches you. However, I would like you to know that my love for the Rose-Cross remains unconditional, and that it is - and will remain - my spiritual path, until my ultimate and final reintegration into the Universal Soul.
+
+You can be assured that I would never have taken the time or trouble to write these pages, had I not felt the pressing need to do so, following a dream I had on the night of March 20, 2015, the first day of Spring, the content and the nature of which impelled me to write an account of it. You be the judge: having gone to bed, after first taking the time to meditate on the day I had just spent which, it seemed to me, had been a constructive one, I fell asleep. When my sleep was at its deepest point, I suddenly saw myself in a glass egg about three meters tall and a few centimeters thick. Extraordinarily beautiful, the egg was completely translucent, and perfectly symmetrical and even. I was standing at the center of it, as if in levitation, and felt exceptionally well.
+
+Once my astonishment had worn off, I observed the egg closely, and at that point saw - engraved in the glass high up and spaced evenly around its outside - the symbols of salt, mercury, and sulphur. They were arranged in such a way that they could be connected up into an imaginary triangle.
+
+Halfway up the egg, I recognized the symbols of earth, air, water, and fire. They were placed around its circumference so as to form an invisible square.
+
+On the lower part of the egg, again evenly arranged around its outside, I could see the Hebrew letters aleph, mem, and shin.
+
+They could also be connected up into an imaginary triangle.
+
+I also noticed that on the curve at the top of the egg, like a crown, there was a representation of the Sun, and that on the curve at the bottom there was a representation of the Moon.
+
+Going from the top of the egg to the bottom, I could read on my left ***Ad Rosam per Crucem**,* and on my right, going from the bottom to the top, ***Ad Crucem per Rosam***. This made up an esoteric formula that is familiar to all Rosicrucians, but about which I shall here remain silent...
+
+## First stage
+
+**Lunae auspiciis...**
+
+All of a sudden, the egg started to slowly rise vertically upwards, before gently coming to a stop. I could not say how long this ascent lasted, but I felt myself taken off into another dimension.
+
+This feeling was confirmed when, looking at the space around me, I could observe Earth. On seeing this amazingly beautiful sight, I could better understand why it is called the *blue planet* and why astronauts are so overwhelmed when they see Earth from their craft or from space stations, to the point of no longer doubting the existence of God.
+
+While I was immersed in my contemplation, a gentle voice coming from space made itself heard to me:
+
+See the Great Work of the Moon: the human race that you are part of has reconnected with Nature, and is living in perfect harmony with it. Human beings have at last understood that the planet on which they have the privilege of living is their mother, and that the animals, for which they have the deepest love and respect, are their brothers and sisters; better yet, they know that all of the beings inhabiting Earth are vehicles for the Universal Soul, and that everyone - in their own way and at their own level - is taking part in Cosmic Evolution.
+
+Attempting to see where this voice was coming from, I perceived - looking in my direction, not far from me - a silvery-hued ethereal figure. Both intrigued and transfixed by this vision, I was reflecting on what I should make of it in connection with the idyllic picture I saw before me, when the egg - in which I still found myself as if in levitation - rose upwards again.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Second stage
+
+**Martis auspiciis...**
+
+Once again - after how long, I could not say - the egg came to a stop. What I then saw before me was equally as transfixing and inspiring, but I had an even more extensive view of Earth. While I was gazing contentedly at it, another ethereal figure appeared, of an exceptionally radiant red. Looking at me with gentleness yet also with intensity, it said:
+
+See the Great Work of Mars: the economy throughout the world is thriving, and is contributing to the well-being of all people, so that society is peaceful and harmonious; based on one currency, it is also fostering trade between countries, and leading to their coming together; there is no more shortage or poverty, for all people have what they need in order to be happy and to live in proper conditions on the material plane.
+
+While I was looking at Earth and listening to the spiritual entity speaking to me, I noticed that the egg's glass had become slightly reddish in color, without actually affecting the colors of what I could see through it. I also observed that its original thickness had lessened somewhat, but this did not cause me any concern. I felt really well, and was experiencing a great sense of lightness.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Third stage
+
+**Mercurii auspiciis...**
+
+When the egg came to a stop for the third time, the view that presented itself to me from this "cosmic floor" - in addition to the beauty of it, which was still every bit as sublime - gave me the feeling of a somewhat frenzied world, but one that was nonetheless peaceful.
+
+I had the impression of an organized disorder, so to speak. Another ethereal figure, glinting an orange color, then appeared to me and revealed the following:
+
+See the Great Work of Mercury: the men and women inhabiting Earth are behaving as world citizens, with everything positive that comes from this in terms of their relations: cooperation, sharing, unity, community... There is a World Government, which does not in any way replace national governments, but safeguards their sovereignty and promotes discussion between them. Globalization, long criticized and feared, is now bringing about union, mutual understanding, and social development for all people.
+
+At this point in my dream, I felt sure that this peculiar ascent was going to continue and further delight my soul with sublime visions, but I did not know where it would take me. I therefore approached the next stage with curiosity and trust, taking my eyes off Earth without actually knowing whether it was real or not.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Fourth stage
+
+**Jovis auspiciis...**
+
+Before starting to rise upwards again, the egg - whose appearance was becoming more reddish-colored at the same time as its wall was continuing to become thinner - tipped over, so that its upper part became the lower part, and vice versa. Curiously - and by what miraculous means, I do not know - this did not affect my body in any way. I remained in the same position, standing upright in levitation.
+
+I had the impression that this stage of my ascent lasted a lot less time than the previous ones, as if I had been teleported, rather than transported. All the same, my view had become broader, and Earth appeared to me with considerably more perspective and from a lot further away. Words cannot describe what my soul then perceived. As before, an ethereal figure appeared to me. The bluish-colored gleams it was emanating almost merged into the astral blue everywhere around me. This is what it said to me:
+
+See the Great Work of Jupiter: all countries and the world as a whole are being governed with wisdom, so that human relations are based on mutual trust and respect. The time when politics was partisan and narrow-minded has long gone: as you can see, it has become inseparable from philosophy, and its only purpose is to respond to the perfectly legitimate needs and wishes of all people, without discrimination.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Fifth stage
+
+**Veneris auspiciis...**
+
+The previous feeling of being teleported was repeated on the way to the next stop. The egg was continuing to get thinner, so that I had the impression the glass was turning into crystal. Its reddish color was continuing to become more and more pronounced, but not only was it not affecting what I could see outside in any way, it was in fact making it clearer.
+
+Suddenly there came back to my mind the moment when, on the fifth day of the "Chymical Wedding," I had the honor and privilege of looking upon Venus, deep asleep in a large four-poster bed. When I caught sight of the ethereal figure that had come to meet me, I understood why this vision had come to me: from where I was, its emerald-green radiations made me think of the Northern and Southern Lights, the Aurorae at Earth's Poles, which give such a particular glow to them. Looking at me, the figure said: See the Great Work of Venus: Peace is reigning at last on this planet, which gave birth to you such a long time ago.
+
+The use of weapons is banned, including by countries. The very idea of war is sickening to people, both those governing and those being governed. Fellowship between individuals and populations is no longer a utopian ideal: it is one that each person is cultivating in themselves, and is expressing in their daily life. Humanity is at last living in rhythm with Universal Love.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Sixth stage
+
+**Saturni auspiciis...**
+
+I would have liked to stay on this level of contemplation for longer, but the egg started to rise up once again. There was a sort of will or intention emanating from it, which I sensed without actually understanding it. The thickness of the glass had reduced so much that I had the impression it would be possible to put my finger through it, which I did not dare to do, in case I cracked it. In fact I was trying to guess at what, this time, would be bringing delight to my heart, my mind, and my soul.
+
+When the egg came to a stop, there was the same sense of awe in the presence of so much beauty and purity. The more I gazed upon Earth, the more I had the feeling of being as one with it and with Humanity itself. Once again, an ethereal figure came to meet me. The violet tones emanating from it made it all the more airy and insubstantial. It then said to me:
+
+See the Great Work of Saturn: Science is acting in the genuine interest of Humanity and with an absolute respect for Nature. It is concerned solely with contributing to the welfare of all human beings, improving their living conditions, and increasing their understanding, or to be more precise, their knowledge. In other words, Science has become profoundly humanistic, and is genuinely directed towards the happiness of all.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+## Seventh stage
+
+**Solis auspiciis...**
+
+Through previous experience, I knew that a mystical dream - which was definitely what I was having - generally unfolds according to a sort of schematic pattern based on the coinciding of events, the science of numbers, and the law of correspondences. Therefore reason, more than intuition, made me think that the celestial ascent I was experiencing with such interest and joy would be completed by a seventh and final stage. And so when the egg started to rise up again, I felt sad at the thought that, afterwards, I would only be able to go back down again into the world I had left behind me. This feeling of sadness stayed with me until what I thought was the last point of stopping.
+
+The egg in which I still found myself did indeed come to a gentle stop. The glass had become so thin that I could only make it out thanks to its coloring, now a vivid red. I still could not figure out how this coloring, which I had seen gradually deepening during my celestial ascent, allowed what I was looking at outside to pass through without it getting at all distorted. From this height, it was impossible to make out Earth, so radiant was the aura surrounding it.
+
+Then an ethereal golden-glinting figure came to me and said, with the same distinctive gentleness:
+
+See the Great Work of the Sun: religiosity has given way forever to a spirituality that is founded not on belief, but on knowing. The vast majority of human beings accept the existence of the soul as an obvious fact, and know that they are living on Earth for the purpose of developing this soul, in contact with others. Rather than worshipping God the Father, Jehovah, Allah, Brahma, or any other God, they are endeavoring to understand and abide by the divine laws, in the sense of the natural, universal, and spiritual laws. Humanity is well on the way to its Regeneration, and even to its Reintegration.
+
+**...Cosmica lex successit!**
+
+The words "regeneration" and "reintegration" were still echoing within me when I saw coming, from the six directions in space, the six spiritual entities that had appeared to me at each stage of my celestial ascent. They placed themselves in a circle around the one who had just spoken to me, and then intoned the sound OM nine times in succession, on a note unfamiliar to me. On the ninth intonation, before my spellbound eyes, the seven entities merged together and gave rise to a white star, which flew off at great speed towards Earth and blended into the light emanating from it.
+
+A few moments later, I saw rising up out of this light a winged shape of enormous size. As it got nearer, there was no longer any doubt: it was a Phoenix, the mythical bird so beloved by the alchemists. On seeing it coming towards me, I thought momentarily of an engraving I had looked at again a few days previously in the book *Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians*, which was printed for the first time in the eighteenth century and has always provided material for Rosicrucians to meditate on: in it can be seen two double-headed Phoenixes, one holding the Sun between its two beaks, the other holding the Moon.
+
+## Beyond the Seventh Heaven
+
+**Phoenicis auspiciis...**
+
+Remembering this ancient engraving, I continued gazing at the Phoenix. It was majestic, with magnificent plumage exactly the same color as the egg in which I remained in levitation. While I was observing this, I became aware that the egg had completely dematerialized, or rather that it had turned into spirit, and that I was left on my own. The result was immediate: I fell into the void at an increasingly breath-taking speed. Clearly, I was going to hit the ground and perish...
+
+Over the course of a few seconds, I re-experienced the most significant moments of this life that was coming to an end, especially those connected to my Rosicrucian progression, and also those I had experienced in contact with those dear to me who had brought me so much joy. I experienced neither fear nor regret, however. I knew that death does not mark the permanent end of our existence, but is just a transition of the soul to the spiritual plane. It was true that I had the feeling of still having tasks to carry out in this world, but this would be for later on; I will be reincarnating.
+
+As I was about to hit the ground, I felt myself being caught.
+
+Looking up, I realized that the Phoenix had just taken me gently between its claws and, in so doing, saved my life. Better yet, it continued to fly off, and took me far beyond the Seventh Heaven.
+
+From this celestial elevation, I could see not only Earth, still enveloped in the radiant light of its aura, but also the other planets of our solar system, from Mercury the smallest to Jupiter the most massive. But the manner in which I was perceiving them was not in any sense an astronomical one; instead, I was aware of the hidden energy coming from them, and better understood the meaning and the significance of all that I had seen before.
+
+The Phoenix then headed towards the Sun, leaving behind it Earth which, with astonishing rapidity, became nothing more than a luminous point in the vastness of space. Although we were getting closer and closer to the Sun, I could look at it without being blinded.
+
+Likewise, I was not in any way troubled by the heat of its rays. Rather, I had the impression of turning into spirit, to the point of no longer being aware of my body, and of feeling I was pure soul. Never had I experienced such a sensation of freedom, purity, and peace.
+
+With the Phoenix and myself about to dissolve into the Sun, I got myself ready, so that I would experience this merging with as much clear-headedness and intensity as possible on the inner plane.
+
+At this point, I heard extraordinarily beautiful music, in comparison to which our most wonderful symphonies are like the work of infants.
+
+It was unquestionably the "Music of the Spheres" so beloved by Pythagoras, wisest of all sages. There then came into my mind this music poem known to Initiates:
+
+**Ut**queant laxis
+**Re**sonare fibris
+**Mi**ra gestorum
+**Fa**muli tuorum
+**Sol**ve polluti
+**La**bii reatum
+**S**ancte **I**oannes.
+
+Soothed by this cosmic chant, I trustingly allowed myself to be absorbed into the Sun, having first looked the Phoenix in the eyes for a final time and thanked it, not so much for having saved my life as for what I was experiencing while with it. At this exact moment, I had the profound feeling of being as one with it - or more precisely, of marrying my soul with its soul, and thus undergoing the "Chymical Wedding" aspired to by every Rosicrucian. And then came Illumination: going back in consciousness to the beginning of Creation, I witnessed the Big Bang, the astounding cosmic explosion from which the Universe sprang forth, and which then continued extending to the furthest reaches of the Infinite.
+
+I saw too how God − the absolute, eternal Intelligence, Consciousness, Energy − breathed into the forming Universe a pure and perfect Soul, and how this Universal Soul came to give life to all the creatures that, for eons of time, have been inhabiting the Universe.
+
+What I sensed as an obvious fact was then confirmed to me: there are an infinite number of worlds in Creation, and ours is one among many others; some of them are more evolved, and others less evolved.
+
+Then, like a speeded-up film, I saw the major stages in the formation of Earth taking place, from the igneous state it was in at the beginning, to the forming of the continents that we know today.
+
+I also witnessed the appearance of life - from the first creatures that developed in the seas and oceans, via the much-talked-about reign of the dinosaurs, to humankind itself. Human beings definitely do not form a separate realm: they are the culmination of an evolutionary process going back to the first creatures that inhabited our planet.
+
+Humanity's overall history, taking in all countries and periods of time, then passed across the screen of my consciousness. In a few moments, I saw many prominent events; strangely, all of them were positive and constructive, which made me think again of the wonderful visions that had been presented to me earlier on. This journey through time made me especially happy, and only served to renew the confidence that I have always had in Humankind, knowing as I do that we are of divine origin and that the soul that gives us life is inherently benevolent.
+
+I thought the journey was coming to an end, when I saw myself at the period when I made myself known for the first time by the name of Christian Rosenkreutz. It was very emotional for me re-living the initiatory journey that led me to found the Order of the Rosy Cross, along with the time spent in assembling the knowledge that my brothers and I wanted to pass down to posterity; this included particularly the time when we copied out the *Liber Mundi*, having put commentary of our own into it.
+
+The idea of seeing "from the outside" how my death - or more precisely, the transition of my soul - had taken place, together with the grave where my body was at rest, was already one that I was relishing when a vehicle alarm snapped me out of my sleep. It was still dark but, rather than going back to sleep, I got up so that I could write down as accurately as possible what I had dreamed about. Once I had done this, I meditated until daybreak on the meaning of all that I had seen, heard, and felt during the course of this strange voyage outside of time and space, not forgetting to thank the God of my Heart for having inspired it within me.
+
+The reason I wanted to share this dream with you is that I thought it might be thought-provoking for people in a helpful way. I am well aware that, as this year 2016 begins, the world is a long way away from the idyllic visions I had during what I have described as a "celestial ascent": its situation is, in many spheres, rather worrying.
+
+Do these visions therefore have merit as premonitions, or are they just the fantastical projections of the future I passionately hope will belong to the whole of Humanity? It is up to you to decide...
+
+Who has never dreamt of a world which, if not perfect, is at least a better place for all, regardless of which country people live in? If we truly want it to, this dream can become a reality. Of course, this entails our acting appropriately, both individually and collectively. Four centuries after the publication of the *Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz,* this *New Wedding* is therefore a message of hope, as well as an invitation to imagine, today, what the Humanity of tomorrow can - and must - become. It is this that spurred me into recounting my dream to you.
+
+As you probably know, the alchemists of the past were working mainly on the transmutation of base metals into gold by means of the Philosophers' Stone, an ultrafine Substance that they obtained through an operative process comprising seven major stages.
+
+However, some of them, including myself, devoted themselves not to material alchemy, but to spiritual alchemy. What mattered to them was not the obtaining of gold: it was the acquiring of wisdom. This remains the goal of the Rosicrucians who live among you, for I know just how much they want to contribute to improving the world.
+
+In the *Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis*, published in 2001 by the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, can be read the following about alchemy:
+
+As you surely know, the Rosicrucians of the past practiced material alchemy, which consisted of transmuting base metals - such as tin and lead - into gold. What we often ignore is that they also devoted themselves to spiritual alchemy. Contemporary Rosicrucians give priority to this form of alchemy, for the world needs it more than ever. This spiritual alchemy consists, for all human beings, of transmuting each one of their flaws into its opposite quality, so as to acquire precisely the virtues to which we have referred earlier. In fact, we believe that such virtues constitute human dignity, for we are worthy of our status only when expressing virtue in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Undoubtedly, if all individuals - whatever their religious beliefs, political ideas, or other thoughts may be - made the effort to acquire these virtues, it would be a better world.
+
+In 2014, AMORC published a second Manifesto entitled the *Appellatio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis*. Complementing the *Positio* in the same way that the *Confessio* complemented the *Fama*, the *Appellatio* is not unrelated to the dream I have recounted to you in these few pages. Indeed I would go so far as to say that this second Manifesto contains the keys to it, and indicates the way for this dream, this Utopia, to become reality. Having read the *Appellatio* and deliberated on it, I would urge you to do the same, and bring out the full meaning of this *New Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz*. So that you can see for yourself, I would like to give you a short extract from the *Appellatio*:
+
+Anthropologists believe that modern humans appeared around two hundred thousand years ago. Compared to a single human lifetime, this may seem a long time. But in terms of its cycles of evolution, humankind is only in its adolescence and is showing all the characteristics of this in so far as it is searching for its identity and destiny, is carefree and even reckless, considering itself to be immortal, indulging to excess, defying reason and disregarding common sense. This evolutionary stage, with its share of difficulties, trials, and failures, but equally its satisfactions, successes, and hopes, is a necessary transition that should allow humankind to grow up, mature, flourish, and finally reach fulfillment: that is, fulfill itself on both the material and the spiritual planes. But in order for this to occur it must become adult.
+
+With these thoughts, I will now let you get back to your business, and carry on with mine. As I said to you at the beginning, I continue to watch over the destiny of the Rosicrucian Order. Perhaps some day we will be meeting one another. In any event, may I convey to you my most fraternal thoughts and send you my best wishes for Peace Profound, with the hope of a future that is as good as it possibly can be for the whole of the world...
+
+**!EB TI ETOM OS**