onfessio C ‘.
ifraternitatis
CONFESSIO R.\ C.\ FRATERNITATIS Prepared by
BRO. PROFUNDIS 1918
ISSUED BY SPECIAL PERMISSION OF THE
IMPERATOR AN CI EN T M YS TI CA L OR DE R RO SA E CR UC IS
S.-.
S.-.
S.-.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
MANIFESTO
I
T i t l e p a g e o f r a r e o ld ld R o s i c r u c i a n b o o k , c o n t a i n i n g t h e “ a x i o m a t u m , ” the laws and truths, which appeared in the original Fama Fraternitatis R o se se e C r u c i s .
N o t i c e r e f e r e n ce ce t o “ F r a t e r n i t e t C h r i s t R o s e n C r e u z , ” a n d
t h e d a t e 1 6 1 8 a p p e a r i n g o n t h e l a s t l i n e. e.
T h e s y m b o l i s m o f t h i s t it it l e p a g e
allud es to the purposes and study of Rosicrucianism.
^J~)rioiE io iEa a o n is.n is .n o \i ETWHF.N the yea rs 16 10 and 16 14 a .d . there was issued in Europe a tract in several languages which caused quite a sensation among the literati and the scholars of that period. Th is pam phlet bore the La tin titl titlee of Fa m a Hraternitatis Rosse Cru cis, or the equ ivale nt in in the lan gu age in which it wa s issued. M ost Rosicruc ian and other other histori historians ans are of the opinion that the original pamphlet issued in Cassel, Germany, was entirely in Latin, and that the others which followed were translations of it into the socalled profane languages of the countries in which it was disseminated. From the public s point of view there were two factors of the utmost interest in the text of the tract and which made it sensational. tional. Th e first first w as the revelation revelation that a strange organization known as the Fraternitatis Crucis Rosse, or the Rosicrucian Fraternity or Order, had come into existence through the efforts of an enlightened individual by the odd name of Christian Rosen kreuz or C ’ R ' C • in the the fourteenth fourteenth century, and that this this individual, upon his transition, had been interred in a tomb which had been recently recently discovered with his body found intact, an d thal with wit h the b o d y w er e foun fo un d m an y sta rtlin rt lin g m an ife stoe st oe s an d d o cu ments of valu e to the entire w orld ; further, that the findi ng of this this tomb was declared to be the beginning of the reestablishment or new adve nt of this this Rosicru cian O rder. T he second factor of interest was the declared purposes of this Fraternitatis Crucis Rosse. Generally these purposes were said to be: (a ) To exalt m ankind ; to transcend m an ab ove the ordinary w a y s of liv li v in g ; to br ing in g to lig ht k n o w led le d ge wrhi wrhich ch b y ne cess ce ssity ity h ad to be concealed because of previous intolerance. (b) To cause man to app raise rightly his own worth and to understand his relationship to the universe in which he lives. THRF.K
(c) (c) To distinguish distinguish between the the two realms realms of ph en om en a^ the material and the divine. Th is Fa m a also also declared that this this was the the time time for reformareformation and that “the most Godly and illuminated Father, our Broth er C ’ • R ’ • C •, •, the chief and original of our Frat ern ity,” w a s one on e w h o h ad ar de n tly tl y la bo re d for fo r this th is ge n er al refor ref orm m atio at ion. n. This was the first time since the origin of the Order Rosae Crucis in the fourteenth century (if we accept literally the date of origin given in the Fama) that it had ever made itself so publicly known. A storm of cont co nt rove ro vers rsyy brok br ok e im m ed iate ia tely ly af ter te r the issu is su an ce of the Fama Fraternitatis in the many languages in which it was published. Th ere was considerable speculatio speculation n as to to who w as the author of the work. In other words, w ho w ere the Rosicru cians, cians, and who had issued such such a sensational sensational manifesto? Th e authorship was attributed by many contemporary writers and later historians to to different personalities of the period. A t first it was generally accepted, and it is still held by some, though erroneously, that one Johann Valentine Andrea wrote the Fama. A n d re a w a s bo rn at H er re n b er g in W iirt ii rt e m b e rg on A u g u s t 17 , 1586 . Fie came came of a wealthy and religious religious family. His uncle was known through throughout out Ge rm any as a second second Luther. An dre a received the elements of his education mainly under private tutorship as was the custom custom of the time time.. H e later attended a un iversity for a brief period but left in 1610 because of a falling into ba d com pany. Tt is related that he he repented and b ega n a series series of journeys to different countries to broaden his mind and to furth furth er his incomplete incomplete education. H e wrote m any wo rks in Latin . On e, entitl entitled ed “ Christian Rep ub lic,” caused considerable considerable comcomment because of its outspoken criticism of papalism of the period. It was said that because of it Andrea was accused of being a Rosicru cian. In that work we find the the first first actual connection connection in any w ay of And rea with the the ter term m Rosicrucianism. Rosicrucianism. La ter he wrote wrote many tracts on the subject of the Rosicrucians and their teachings but his literary style is recognized now as being so different from that used in the Fam a that even most historians historians of the day do not any longer credit credit him with the authorship authorship of the Fa m a. Th e con con FOUR
jec ture tu re of his hi s au th or sh ip of the F a m a is b a se d pr in cip ci p a lly up on
jec ture tu re of his hi s au th or sh ip of the F a m a is b a se d pr in cip ci p a lly up on the fact that he mentioned C • R • C • in later tracts issued b y him, and because some of his literary endeavors were of an occult nature. Ho wev er, by the same reasoning we could declare anyone a member of A. M. O. R. C. merely because he mentioned in a book by his pen the name of the organization or because he wrote books devoted to mystical lines of thought. O f greater conce concern rn than than the authorship authorship of the the Fa m a w as the question question as to who the Rosicrucians w ere. Inasm uch as the effects of the Protestant Reformation of the previous century under the leadership leadership of Ma rtin Luthe r were stil stilll being felt in in Eu rope and particularly in Germany, many persons concluded from the text of the F am a an d its proclaimed general reformation of the the world that it was a religious or Lutheran movement that was being re viv v iv ed . A lm o st ev eryo er yo ne acce ac ce pted pt ed the tale ta le of C • R • C • as eithe eit herr a fantasy or an actual fact. N o one except the R . C . brethren at the time time grasped its real significance. Ev en today there are small, unauthentic and selfstyled Rosicrucian societies and fellowships that accept the origin of the Rosicrucian Order as given in the Fa m a Fra tern itatis; in other other words, that it w as the sole concepti conception on and creation of an individual named Christian Rosenkreuz, and that it had its first great development in Europe immediately following the issuance of the Fa m a in in 1 61 4. Th e Fam a relates relates that O ’ R • O ’, ’, or or Christi Christian an Rosenkreuz Rosenkreuz,, was born of noble noble parent parentss in 13 78. Th e family, however, wa s said to to have suffered severe severe financial reverses and at the age of five years he was placed in a cloister cloister becau se of poverty. In his early youth he accompan ied a monk on a journey journey to to the the Ho ly Lan d. Th e monk died on the the Island of Cypru s. H e had no funds, but decided decided,, so the the tale tale continues, tinues, to to go on his pilgrimage alone. H e reach ed the ancient city city of D am ascu s, but owing to to the feebleness of his bod y he ha d to remain there for for a considerab le time. time. It is is said he im pressed the Turks in Damascus with his exceptional knowledge of physics. W h i le re sidi si ding ng there th ere , there th ere ca m e to his atten at ten tio n the ta les le s of great great accompl accomplis ishment hmentss of the W ise M en of Da m car in Arab ia (a city city wh ich never existed, or a misspelling of another). another). Th ese FIVE
W i
M
id
be
ith it h the in
ki
of
W i s e M e n w er e sa id to be co nv ersa er sant nt w ith it h the inne in ne r w or kin ki n gs of the law s of nature. nature. H e becam e so enthusiastic to to witness their feats and study with them that he abandoned his previous plans of proceeding proceeding to to Jerusalem. H e is said said to to have "m ade a bargain wit w ith h the A r a b ia n s that th at th ey sh ou ld ca rry rr y him for a cert ce rtai ain n sum of money to Da m car. Th oug h he wa s physically depleted depleted his his hardy Dutch constitution stood him in good stead, and he reached his destination destination at the youthful ag e of sixteen sixteen years. T he W^ise W^ise Men , w e are ar e told to ld in the th e F a m a , kn ew of his com co m ing. in g. T h e y w er e not the least surprised surprised at his his arrival or at at his his youth. Th is city w as hidden, so the Fam a relates, and its its enterprises enterprises main ly concerned adept ship. ship. The re he learned to to master master the the Ar ab ic langua ge, of which he had some knowledge previously, and higher mathematics, and acquired a more more profound profound knowledge of physics physics.. A secr secret et m anuscript w as given to him to translate into Lati n. It is is referred to in the Fa m a as Book M . O f course course it is a generally known historical fact that the Arabians were the preservers of much of the ancient wisdom of the mystery schools of Greece and of Egypt w h ic h h ad b ee n su pp re ssed ss ed b y R o m a n de cree cr ee cent ce ntur uries ies be fore fo re.. A ft e r a sojou so jou rn of thr ee ye ar s in D a m ca r, he m ad e a hu rried rr ied jo u rn ey to E g y p t an d there th ere he m ad e a cu rsor rs or y ex am in at io n of the plant and animal life life of of that that land. The W ise Men of Dam car had decided that he must sail the Mediterranean and finally go to Fez. Th is he did. Th ere he learned more of the secrets secrets of the K ab ala and the myster mysteries ies of the M agia . H e now b elieved that the learned learned of Europe, the literati, would welcome his wealth of newfound knowledge. So eventually he arrived arrived in Spain. Th ere he tri tried ed to introduce his reformation of the arts and sciences, but the scholars w er e eit he r sk ep tic al or litt le in clin cl in ed to ac ce pt him into thei th eirr rank s; for he failed in interesti interesting ng them. them. H e then ruminated at great length on his wisdom and responsibilities and finally concluded, so we are told in the Fama, that he should return to his native Germany. He arrived home and, after periods of great cogitation, decided to reduce his his trus tsth at is, the herita heritage ge of le a rn in g s to writing writing as a permanen t memorial. H e selected three three monks to to assist assist him. him. six
1
Key
chosen from the the cloister cloister in which he had dwe lled
Key were chosen from the the cloister cloister in which he had dwe lled as a child. child. Ea ch b ound himself to to C • R • C ■ by oaths of fidelity, fidelity, diligence and secrecy. secrecy. Th ey spent much time and considerable effort effort in translating the Booh M and they used m agical lan guag e and writing. Th is evidently meant that they employed a ciphe r or code. F in al ly C • R • C • be ga n the erection of a Dom us Spiritus Sancti (House of H oly Spirit). A fter the textual wor w or k w a s com co m ple ted, te d, so the F a m a rela re late tes, s, it w a s n ec es sa ry to spread the work of the the Order. Fo r this this five five others others were d raw n in who w ho w er e 'bac 'b ac he lo rs an d of a vo w ed virg vi rgin in ity . W i t h the ex ce p tion of two two who r em ained w ith C • R ■ C •, the others wen t to to va riou ri ou s pa rts rt s of E u ro p e to sp re ad the teac te ac hi n gs of the O rd er . T he Fam a says they gathered gathered in convent convention ion ann ually and made a full resolution resolution of that which they had done. O ne of the brethren passed through transi transitio tion n in En glan d and consequently consequently the Ma ster Ch ristian Ro senkreu z ordered them all to to return return to to him. him. H e later passed through transition at the age of 106 years, but none of his second successors knew exactly when or where. 1
The Fama continues by saying that a young student who had in the course of his studies studies taken the solemn solemn oath of fidelity and secrecy” was told by his spiritual father that the Order of the Rosy Cross would not continue to remain hidden, but before long w o u ld a g a in be di sclo sc lo sed se d to the w o rld. rl d. T h is yo un g mo nk w a s also a student of architecture and he prepared before setting out on his adv entu re into the wo rld to to improv e his build ing, this per haps mean ing the the same as the the Dom us Spiritus San cti. In his his w an d e rin ri n gs an d labo la bo rs he cam ca m e up on a tab ta b let le t w h ic h w a s in scribed with the name and insignia of the Rosicrucian Order. He felt that such a valuable find should be more appropriately placed, and it is related that while affixing it to a wall with a staple, a great stone pulled away, and behind it was revealed a secret door upon which was a Latin inscription indicating that one hundred and twenty years must elapse before it was to be opened, and Io, it was the very year^the time for the opening of the vault or sanctuary. A n d so the Fa m a tells tells that the monk and others entered, an d it goes to to great len gth in describin g the arr ange me nt SEVEN
of the tomb and sanctuary, its fixtures, walls and furnishings. They
of the tomb and sanctuary, its fixtures, walls and furnishings. They wer w er e a ll of a geom ge om etric et ric al an d sym sy m b ol ical ic al d es ig n ; the sym sy m bo lism lis m w e, as R o si cr u ci an s, w o u ld im m ed iate ia te ly reco re cogn gn ize . It conce co nce rns the interlaced triangles, the square, the circle, and their relation to each other. other. In the center of this this tomb or or sanctuary wa s a m agn ificent altar, and when this was moved and a brass plate beneath it lifted lifted up, there there they came upon the bod y of our careful and w ise father, C • • R • C . . H e w as clothed in the cerem onial ves tments of the O rder and wa s holding a parchment scroll scroll.. Th is va v a u lt or tom b, it is said sa id , co nt aine ai ne d oth er grea gr ea t tre asur as ur es of w is dom in in scroll scroll and book. Th e Fa m a goes to quite some length in describing these contents. A s said sa id,, m an y thou th ou gh t al l this thi s a h ig h ly fa n ta stic st ic lege le ge n d, w h ile il e others others accepted the story story without question. A s a matter of historical torical fact, fact, however, the Fa m a Fratern itatis itself itself w as actua lly known to exist as a manuscript before the year 1614 in which it w a s sa id to be first pu b lish li sh ed . O n e Ju li u s S pe rb er , in w riti ri tin n g in 1615, said it had existed for nineteen years before its public appearance. Ad am Haselmy er, a notary notary public who later became imperial judge under Archduke Maximilian, and who wrote a response response to to the the Fam a, said that that he had seen the the Fam a five five years before it was published, or perhaps in the year 1608 or 1609. Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England at the time, was actually secret Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order in England, and it was he, as is known to the Rosicrucian Order from the facts of its own records in the archives of the various jurisdictions, who w a s the re al au th or of the th e F a m a Fr at er n itat it at is in its L a ti n form . He had caused it to be issued for the purpose of reviving the O rder in Germ any. In other other words, in accordance accordance with with the the traditional custom of cyclical periods of one hundred and eight years of activity and then one hun dred and ei ght years of inactivity of the Order, it had become the time time for another period period of R osicrucian activity activity in Germ any. Ev en the most most skeptical skeptical and peripheral wr ite rs of R o sicr si cr u ci an histo hi sto ry ag re e that th at B a c o n ’s bo ok, ok , “ A d v a n c e ment of Le arn ing ,” h as a similar style style to to the Fa m a in particular that it proposes the advancement of the arts and sciences and of EIGHT
learning b y the inductive inductive method, b
scrutiny of nature
learning b y the inductive inductive method, b y a scrutiny of nature s own w a y s as dist di stin in gu ish is h ed from fro m the scho sc ho last la stic ic m eth ods od s em ploy pl oy ed by the monks of the period. Furthe r, the Do m us Spiritus S ancti, or House of the Holy Spirit, to which the Fama refers and which is meant as an allegory of a state or condition which enters man for the higher purposes of learning, seems to parallel the Salomon’s House menti mentione oned d in Baco n’s tale, tale, “ The N ew A tlantis.” Bacon says in his work, Th e N ew Atlantis, in referri referring ng to Salom on’s H ou se: It wa s the erection erection,, and instituti institution on of an Or der, or societ society, y, wh w h ich ic h w ee c a ll S a lo m o n ’s H o u se , the no bles bl estt fo un d atio at io n (as (a s w ee thinke) that ever was upon the earth; ^ it is dedicated to the study of the works and creatures of God.” Rosicrucian historians (that is, the official historians of the Order) who have access to its archives, know that C ■ R • C • • w a s a n a lleg ll eg o ri ca l n am e or ps eu do n ym give gi ve n to an em inen in en t R o s icrucian character of the fourteenth fourteenth century. century. Th e literal translation translation means A Christian of the Ro sy Cr oss.” Th is individual, this this outstanding character, like many before him, did journey to the East to bring wisdom from the ancient lands to a Europe steeped in darkness. A rn au d, a philosopher of the ninth century, w as the first to brin g such wisdom to Eu rop e. T hi s C • • R • C • •, consequently, by no means established the Order, for the Rosicrucian Order is mentioned in works prior to the legendary date of his birth. birth. A s for the opening of the tomb tomb referred to to in in the Fam a, that relates to the opening of the Order’s archives which had been sealed for the one hundred and eight year period of inactivity, and the bringing of the Ord er to to public attention attention again. Its sym bols, its its rituals, its its sacred law s an d principles, constitute “ the body to wh ich the the Fa m a refers, refers, and had no relationship relationship to the physical body of of a human. Ac tually, then, the Fa m a Fraternitatis Fraternitatis w a s a m an ife sto st o ca re fu lly ll y w o rd ed , in ve iled il ed la n g u a g e , to pu b licl li cl y proclaim the revival of Rosicrucianism in Germany and on other parts of the European continent. It wa s anticipated by the author author of the the F am a Fraternitatis Fraternitatis that much of its context would not be understood and that more explanatory works wou ld need need to to follow. follow. Th us the Fa m a Frater NINE
nitatis contains references to a confession of the Rosicrucian Order
nitatis contains references to a confession of the Rosicrucian Order w h ic h w a s to fo llo w . T h is conf co nf essio es sio n w a s to d isc lose lo se an d ad m it things which the original manifesto did not treat treat fully. It w as to provide further information regarding the book M . It further w a s to set forth for th thir th irty tys sev ev en reas re ason on s for fo r m ak in g kn o w n the th e facts fa cts of the Rosicrucian Fraternity to a profane world and for offering such high mysteries mysteries at that that time. time. Th e Fa m a also promised that that this confession to come would elucidate on the subject of a book called the Ro ta M un di wh ich wa s one of the books mysteriously referred referred to to in the Fam a. Ab ou t the the year 1613 in Cassel, Germany, this her alde d man ifesto, the Co nfes sio Fra tern itatis R • C •, put in its its appearan ce. T he original manuscript, like like that of of the Fa m a, is said to to hav e been pub lished in in La tin with the the full title title Fa m a Fraternitatis Rosse Cru cis cum eorum Con fessione. It had a preface add ressed to the reader who is desirous of of wisdom. It, too, like the Fama, had an extensive circulation and eventually w a s tr an slat sl at ed into se ve ra l la n g u a ge s. A n d re a s L ib a v iu s, co ntem nt em po rary ra ry w rite ri terr of the perio pe rio d, for ov er twenty years entered into a controversy over the origin and contents of these Rosicrucian manifestoes. He was a writer of voluminous works on on alchemy and hermetic medicine. His m agnum opus “ Neop aracelsia aracelsia which he issued issued in 1594, and which was an attack on the writings of the Greek philosopher Claudius Galen and Aristotle, d rew p articular attentio attention n to him. In this this work he, like many others of the era, advocated a break with the schools of thought of of Aristotle and G ale n. It wa s not necessarily a critic criticism ism of Aristotle and the writings of Galen, but that man should not look upon them as having all the fruits of knowledge, because there were still on the tree of knowledge many other fruits to be plucked, if man wo uld just reach reach for them. O ur particular interest interest in Liba vius is his monograph enti entitl tled, ed, An alysis Co nfessionis nfessionis Fraternitatis de Rosae C ru ci.” Th is is an extraction extraction after his own m ann er of the contents contents of the Con fessio. In it he sets forth his Argu m enta. Briefly, he gives the thirtyseven thirtyseven reasons which app eared in the Confessio for making known the R • C • Fra T EN
ternit ternity, y, and which he analy zed. of them:
Th e following is is a summ ary
1. The promised restoration of the world to that state of paradise which existed on earth before the fall of man because of temptation and degradation. 2. To point out to a more enlightened world the existing defects in art, science and religion, such defects being responsible for much of man’s adversities. 3. To point out how divinity freely offers to man through illumination and the practice of certain of the mysteries what he previously only attained through much toil and suffering. 4. To make known the healing balm (the healing methods) of the Rosicrucian Order for the alleviating of physical and mental pain. 5. The Order offers a medial way by which the ills of the country social and political difficulti difficulties es ma y be overcome. overcome. 6. It knows the wonders of the Sixt h A ge nam ely, it knows w h at co uld ul d be do ne to take ta ke a d v a n ta g e of the curre cu rre nt a ge of the wo rld . 7. It proffers great secrets and opens archives of heretofore unknown treasures. 8. It explains why the Order must function insofar as its teachings are concerned with circumspection and even in secrecy at times. 9. Th e O rd er alway s reveals new truth truth and striv strives es to build build in mind and matter an ark of such truth for posterity. 10. Such truths as it advances can be gained only through the portals of the Rosicrucian Order. 11. The Order is a refuge for those who would escape disease and infirmity. 12. The Order is a place for those who feel that they desire to live in harmony with the laws of nature as they are since the beginning of time, and as they will be in the end. ELEVEN
13. The brethren, wherever they live, shall be able to know
13. The brethren, wherever they live, shall be able to know of things which are transpiring at a great distance from themselves, and yet be conscious of their own immediate surroundings as well. 14. T he O rde r promises the destruc destruction tion of religious religious intolerance. intolerance. 13 . It does not not seek seek to to gain a ma n’s wealth. 16. It wo uld m ake others others partakers of its its own goods. 17 . T he O rde r does not resort resort to hypocrisies and chimeras. 18. It seeks to explain all mysteries in a simple and forceful manner. 19. It is the impulsion of the the Holy Spirit or Go d. 20. It rev eals the usag e of the good things of the entire earth. earth. 21. It brings mankind out into the light of learning and understanding. 22. It recognizes Christ as a great Master and Adept. 23. Th at C • R ■ C • lived one one hundred and six years and saw many changes in the world. 24. Darkness and perfidy pervade the whole world. 25. Those who wish light and freedom shall seek the Order. 26. The Order is in possession of certain rites, rules and regulations. 27. T he happ iness of the present age is inherent in the Ord er. 28. M an y prominent prominent men have accomplished accomplished a great deal by their writings in reforming the world; the Order must do likewise. 29. The counsel of God is to raise up the humble and abase the proud. 30. God sends His messages to those who are secret and silent. 31. He abandons dabblers to their own devices. 32. M an should be a carrier carrier of that which is good and noble. 33. That man must not spurn the common things of the earth for they, too, are the gifts of God. 34. But these common things do not always give indication of their value in nature s scheme. TWELVE
35 Nature proffers many other valuable things besides medi-
35 Nature proffers many other valuable things besides medicine for the healing of the ill. 36. M an ’s firs firstt need is know ledge, and philosophy is the means to provide it. 37
Th e R osicrucian s offer to man kind treasures ,—■come and share them. Throughout the Fama it is mentioned that "the unworthy may clamor a thousand times” yet they will not receive what the R • CV Or d er kas to offer. offer. T ka t rectitude rectitude an d proper comport comport are the necessary qualifications to attain what the Order has to offer offer is made known in both the Fa m a an d the Confessio. Confessio. O f consequence to us of today, who are members of the Esoteric Hierarchy of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, is the fact that at the time of the revival of Rosicrucianism in Germany in the seventeenth cen tury all of the facts concern ing the O rd er s establishment and purposes were not disclosed at at one time. time. Th e Confessio, as we have seen, told more at a later date about these things, and after it came even more revealing manifestoes, both public and private. W i t h the ree re e stab st ab lis hm en t of the R o sicr si cr u ci an O rd er , A M O R C , in North America for its second cycle in the early part of this twentieth century by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, certain manifestoes had again to be issued which in their purpose were not unlike the Fam a Fraternitatis Fraternitatis.. Th e tomb tomb wa s once once again opened; that is, is, from the archives of the Order the body was brought into light, for again a people was ready for Rosicrucianism, and in accordance with the traditional law of a recurring cycle of activity, literature was issued and histories were prepared for public reading, both in book and periodical form. form. Ho wev er, all of the the facts facts concerning the Order’s reestablishment in this jurisdiction could not be too too quickly and frank ly divulged. Prud ence h ad to be exercised, so though the present histories are basically true in fact, stil stilll they conceal much. Tim e has proven the early caution necessary, and be cause of it it the Orde r in the W est er n W rorId orId has grown in proportion to its accomplishments and its value to the THIRTEEN
peoples of thi
Bu t a time time came when the curtain curtain had
peoples of this this new era. Bu t a time time came when the curtain curtain had to he raised higher, for in the recesses of the stage of truth were scenes the audience was now prepared to witness with a full understand ing. Th e time time w as propitious propitious for another Confessio. Th is one, one, how ever, must differ by v irtue of circum stances from the original one one issued issued in the the yea r 1 61 3. It wou ld need not tell so much of the purpose of the Order Rosse Crucis; the world had come to know that. Bu t it should acq uaint certain of the brethren brethren wit w ith h the th e inne in ne r C o sm ic ex pe rien ri en ce s of the ir Im pera pe rato tor, r, that th at they th ey may be inspired to accomplish, in manifold ways, acts of equal conseq uence to ma nkind . In other word s, this this new Confessio was needed so that certain of the brethren could add to their Domus Spiritus Sancti. A n d so in 1 9 1 8 the late la te Im pe ra tor to r of A M O R C , D r . H . S p ence r Lewis, issued in manuscript form a new Confessio R. C. Fraternitatis, and I here bring to you a reproduction of it with the hope that from its reading you may be so Cosmically illuminated as to attain that state of Cosmic Consciousness which it has brought to many who have been privileged to read it previously.
'|«nruuj O'
RALPH
M.
LEWIS,
1904-198 7
IMPERATOR T h e R o s i cr c r u c ia i a n O r de d e r, r, A M O R C S u p r e m e T e m p l e , R o s i cr cr u c i a n P a r k S a n J o s e , C a l if if o r n i a
Third Edition September 1978
(CONTINUED IN MANIFESTO II)
FOURTEEN
AVERMENT Standing in the presence of the God of my Heart and ever mindful of the Terror of the Threshold, I do solemnly affirm that I have carefully read an d m editate d upo n the contents of this manifesto.
I f u r t h e r af af f ir ir m
t h a t a t t h e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n s c i o u s o f t h e s p i r it it u a l s u r g e within my being that enthralled and caused me to ascend in consciousness above and beyond my mortal and physical environment, and when I was also aware of the invisible presence of the Cosmic Hosts, I did affix my signature below and record the hour, day, month, and year of this Cosmic experience.
I d o a l s o s o l e m n ly ly a v o u c h b y t h e s e s a m e s a c r e d t o k e n s t h a t
I have permitted no other eyes but mine to peruse the contents of this manifesto.
N a m e
T im e
D ay
M o n th
Y e a r
onfessio '
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ifraternitatis
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CONFESSIO R.\ C.\ FRATERNITATIS Prepared by
BRO. PROFUNDIS 1 9 1 8
pAJVUj|
ISSUED BY SPECIAL PERMISSION OF THE
IMPERATOR A N C I E N T M Y S T I C A L O R D E R R O S A E C R U C I S
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SAN JOSE. CALIFO RN IA. U. S. A.
M A N I F E S T O II II
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INTRODUCTION Sunday morning I find myself in the sunny Soutfi of our country where, within the week, I will meet with those who have found the Light like unto myself; and as I look out upon the Carolinian landscape for the first time time in my life, I realize that this this crosscontinent” trip with the rare privilege of spending a few days in sunny California and in vis v isit itin in g m a n y othe ot herr attr at trac acti tive ve a n d inte in tere rest stin ing g po ints int s of m y coun co untry try is, indeed, an event in my life which I shall always remember and deeply appreciate. N th is
Two such trips have thus come into my life: the one to Europe in the ye ar 1909 , and this this one one just just begun. Bo th have been pe rmitted or made possible through the financial assistance of others and at no personal cost to me except that of service. It is this fact w h ic h le a d s me to d e e p cont co ntem em plat pl atio ion n u po n the la w w h ic h op erat er ates es in my life life in in man y w ay s. M y trip trip to Eur ope w as for the purpose of rendering to on e an unusual service, not wholly selfish and not with w ith o ut its h u m a n itar it ar ia n a sp e c ts ; m y m issio iss ion n w a s at th at time, tim e, however, the work of a servant in the employ of another, and as an employee I was compensated according to the worldly laws of service service and compensation. M y present tri trip p finds me no longer holding any positi position on as an employee in the service of one or a few, but a chief executive officer with others in his employment, yet I am still the servant of a gr ea t m an y and have found it necessary to interrupt my home enjoyments and associations, inconvenience the work normally necessary, and devote from four to five weeks in travelling in order to render service to thousands thousands rather than to to one. one. Ev er an d ever have I found found in in the the past nine nine years years that that I w as born born to to s e r v e t o be servant unto others, just as my old friend and astrologer, Henry W a te r h o u s e , told to ld me ten or m ore y ea rs ag o afte af te r a ca re fu l stud st ud y of my natal horoscope. THREE
A n d , the v e ry fa ct that th at nine ni ne y e a rs h a v e alm al m os t p a ss e d since sin ce m y life s work began, is significant in itself, for in July of this year, 1 91 8 — but three three months hence— hence— the firs firstt nine y ears of m y p ar ticular endeavor in behalf of mankind will have ended; and whatever meagre work has been done by me in the attaining of the first firs t po int in t of my course toward that ultimate goal which will be reached by others in the next few years, has been a pleasure fr a u g h t w ith it h su ffer ff er in g, sa cr ific if icee a n d m an y h eart ea rtac ac hes. he s. To me, of course, this ninth year is a year of considerable importance. It is m y final, final, my last ye ar of executive prepara tion of the work of the Order Rosae Crucis; it is the mystical year w h ic h com es into the liv es of a ll m en w h o enter en ter into the th e cy cle cl e of this this work. Histo ry proves this: the records of those wh o ha ve given their lives in the past in the same work, indicate that none escapes the mystical year,— year, — the ninth, the third point on the third third jo u rn ey ar o u nd the th e T r ia n g le . A ft e r this thi s nint ni nth h y e a r com es the cycle of suffering and crucifixion for the hardiness in daring to assu assume me the the burden burden of the C R O S S . For nine nine years years the the C R U then (begi (beginni nning ng with with July of 1927 ) a cycle cycle of of C IF IX IO N , then N I N E y e a r s of of R E S U R R E C T I O N , R E G E N E R A T I O N a n d A S C E N S I O N . I find, too, that just as 1 was informed would be the case, in this ninth year of my work the first and most advanced members of the the origina originall Lod ge of the the Ord er have reached the the Ninth D e gree .—■the D eg ree w hich corresponds w ith the ve ry principle making for my advancement to spiritual executiveship of the Order as soon as the Ninth year is completed. It is the year and the D eg ree of exoteric exoteric attainment an d esoteric esoteric birth, birth, o f esoteric esoteric fu Ifill Ifill-ment and exoteric fulfillment.* So, I have taken this opportunity while having many hours to think and write while journeying from city to city, to put into record and upon paper those facts which must form the fundamental laws and principles upon which the future executive chiefs of the Order Rosee Crucis may base their work and their plans, that the Order itself may never lose the traditions which constitute *The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth degrees had not as yet been instituted by the Imperator. FOUR
its hereditary power and personality and its truly Divine and Spir itual conception. In this his rega regard, rd, then, hen, this his C O N F E S S IO N is like unto others which have been issued in the past; three of these these are known to me — those those of Amenh otep IV , A rn au d II of France, and Christian Rosenkreutz (Francis Bacon) in Germany. Since that of Rosenkreutz, there has been none other than this; and while my words may be less veiled than those of my more illustrious and more scholarly predecessor, still the importance of w h a t I h a v e to s a y a n d its b e a rin ri n g up o n the th e O r d e r is no ne the less less evident evident and certainly certainly no no less less necessary necessary than than wa s a C O N F E S S IO N in the 16th cent centur uryy in Germany. A n d , w h a t h a v e I then th en to confess? W ou ld I dwell upon the fact or points of my humble service as a medium for the strange laws that have worked through me by no conscious choice on my p a r t ? N o ! In that regard I would remain quiet and silent that my boastfulness might not be the unbecoming conduct of a Roscecrucian. cian. But, I must must confess confess the the trut truth h regarding regarding our B elo ve d O rde r s mystic reincarnation in America and the divinity of its teachings and principles. W e h a v e b ee n told to ld that th at the truth shall make us free. Yet have I w ith it h h e ld the th e truth tru th h erei er ein n re v e a le d b e ca u se truth, truth, like other mighty powers and forces of nature, requires a time time and a place for expression that it m ay truly be beneficent and not destructive. T he experiences which have come to me in the past, and which are so carefully related here, might have come to me earlier in life (though the responsibilities resulting therefrom have been unusually heavy for a man of my youth); but there was a time and a place and circumstance, circumstance, and these I will now reveal, explain and record in the fullest detail, that a few chosen ones may read now, others at a later date, and still more in that future when the Order shall have blossomed into the matured Rose of immortality. A m an s re al w o rk in life li fe is seld se ldom om reco re co gn ized iz ed as such su ch until un til after he has made a considerable advance in it and finds that the motive or motives are of Divine inspiration, the results truly uni ve v e rs a l a n d altru al tru istic ist ic in effect eff ect,, a n d the th e ob liga li ga tion ti on s ar e th ose os e of personal sacrific sacrifice. e. Just h o w and w h e n a man, even a young man, FIVE
may be called upon to begin or perform his one great mission, are questions wkicH cannot be answered except, perhaps, through a prophetic Cosmic inspiration, which influx of awakening, like an inner call, has been aptly called a Cosmic Direction. In m y ow n ca se —' if I m ay be p ard on ed for assu m ing at this time that the work of the past nine years has been the basis for m y life work I w as conscious only of one thought at the time time I pledged to attempt that which seemed a colossal task; I knew that the inspiration, the impulse, the desire came from without and that it was free from selfishness and would mean greater per sonal sacrifices if I succeeded than if I failed. W ith this this in mind mind I resigned myself to the task and found in my resignation and w illi il lin n g n e ss a grea gr ea t en th us iasm ia sm w h ic h h as n e ve r fa ile il e d me ev en in the midst of the most disheartening circumstances and when confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. W it h o u t furt fu rthe he r intro in tro ducti du ction on,, then th en,, I s h a ll ente en terr into the th e minute details of my connection with the Order Rosse Crucis and of the part I have had to play or assume assume in order that the will of the Masters should be obeyed. Perhaps the enemies I have made in the past through this work and those who still seek to undo the go g o o d w o rk o f the th e O r d e r , w i ll fi n d in the th e fo llo ll o w in g p a g e s m u ch to censure and condemn, but they must unite with my friends .—my .—my many loyal Brothers and Sisters Sisters ,—' in saying that whatever I have done that might have been left undone found its promptings in an unselfish heart, an altruistic soul and an obedient servant, striving on ly to f ulfill the de crees of the Ma sters for the g oo d of others and hampered with a very limited education in some essentials, and forced into regrettable acts by the very ones who will now criticize what had to be done by a n honest mind, an emotional nature, and a clear conscience in order that Light might be given to those held in darkness.
PROFUNDIS XII"
PART ONE
A s soon so on a s I b e ca m e cons co nscio cio us of the th e “ s e l f” w ith it h in m e a s a boy in my twelfth to thirteenth year, I slowly became cognizant of extreme degrees of those things which seemed to make little or no impression upon others. The clean things, the noble things and sacred things of life affected me so deeply at times that I dropped into a period of meditation resulting in hours of tears and a day or so of such sweet sadness that I could not fathom its significance; secondly, I found myself prophetic to the extent that, wit w ith h o ut inte in ten n d in g to do so a n d ev en w ith it h o ut k n o w in g at the th e time tim e that such was the case, I would make statements which became or rather later proved to be correct correct predictions. predictions. T his ra ther am used me as a boy, although I do not recall ever having made light of it or in any way derided the mystical element in such occurrences. To me it seemed at first as though my prophetic statements came as a result result of my rather quick and logical logical reasoning a combination of gifts very rare in young men, but not greatly appreciated by me then. I could not und erstan d wh y others could not make the sam e p rophecies — or at least see things in their process of development with inevitable, fu tu re results ~ as I did. E ve n to this day I find myself impatient at times with the poor and illogical reasoning of those who could, or should do better; and I am unable lo understand why many do not fo re se e results which are logical from from the the premise established. Bu t, as years hav e passed since since my boyhood days, I have come to realize and understand what was a great and serious serious problem in in my fourteenth fourteenth year. In that ye ar I w a s s u d d e n ly illu il lu m in at ed w ith it h the fact fa ct th at at such su ch times tim es as I thought my own objective or conscious mind was stating or presenting such facts as were prophetic or mystical in some element, it was in fact not my own mind, but that of another self or another per p er s o n a lity li ty eith ei th er w it h in me or co ns ta nt ly in touc to uch, h, m en ta lly , with me. SF.VF.N
Now such a conclusion on the part of a young man is calculated to plunge his more serious thoughts into an abyss of speculation and contemplation; and if constant test and experiment made stronger his conviction and its weirdness became a sacred thing wholly within the bounds of his emotional nature, then there could be no other result than that the young man would slowly and reverently turn his entire thought and studies to the fi e ld o f re lig iou io u s mysticism. I trus trustt I w ill be understood. understood. M an y m inds find much intere interest st in mysticism; many even devote time and thought to the subject, but few indeed (and I speak now after nine or more years’ contact w ith it h the th e most mo st a d v a n c e d m ystic ys ticss in A m e r ic a a n d othe ot herr coun co untri tries es)) are concerned with or realize that there is a religious mysticism w h ic h tra tr a ns ce n d s the th e othe ot herr form for m s, w h a te v e r th ey m a y be. So, appreciate if you will, a young man in his fourteenth, fif teenth and sixteenth years, still in public school, whose interests should be in the prescribed, limited, matter-of-fact subjects of gra g ra m m a r c lass la sses es , b ein ei n g not o n ly d e e p ly bu t em o tio ti o n ally al ly , re lig li g io u s lv and enthusiastically interested in the most profound mysteries of life s manifestation. But, such such w as the case. case. T he more I specuspeculated upon the possibility of there being another personality (or perh aps I said “ person” in those those days) within me, the more I conceived of such. B ea r in in mind that in those those days litt little le w as known by the Iaymind regarding secondary personalities, for Hudson and others had not placed upon the open market the books dealing with those subjects which might have either suggested the problem unconsciously to me or at least have helped me to solve it. So throughout throughout the years 189 7, 189 8 and 189 9 I worked on my problems alone and it was only in the latter year, the year I graduated from public school and started out in the world to work and study, that I came upon some of Hudson’s books and found in them a po int to to beg in m y rese arch es ,—■the point wh ere he e nde d his theories and useless hypotheses which utterly rejected or ignored the divine or religious elements in mysticism. mysticism. It is not my intention to go into the details of those months and years of solemn, lonesome investigation and study of the phenomena which daily FIGHT
grew more marked and more unconscious. N a t u r a lly ll y I fe ll, ll , or rather was led, into the habit or practice of daily and sometimes hourly meditation in the silence wherever I might be. M y teacher teacherss at school noticed it; our choir leader and Sunday School teacher saw it; my parents became alarmed over my health and on many occasions spoke to me about the deep sighs which came from me long after I had retire retired d and should have been sound asleep. I gave every outward sign of having a deep and serious weight upon my mind when I should have been happy and enjoying the games and pleasu res of boyhood but wh ich never interest interested ed me. To this this day I know nothing of baseball, football, lawn tennis and other games in which my brother and our school chums were very expert. But I did find in such silent and solitary meditation that which made me extremely happy and pea p ea c ef u l. I can find no other word for it. it. Ev en w hen the tears tears wo uld flow and my heart wo uld seem seem to sob sob ,—■as it ne ar ly a lw ay s did ,—■in contem plation of G o d ’s e xistence and the marvelous workings of nature, I found peace in the sadness and joy in the spiritual or mental world in which I lived at such times. A s y e a rs w e n t by , I fo un d that th at I h a d be com co m e m ore or e attu at tune ned d, or, as I would have expressed it then, more in sympathy or understanding with that other entity or personality which at least spoke to me from from within, even if its its existence existence w as w ithout. I had never experienced any sight sight of what others would have called spirits', but I did see, at times, beautiful lights, generally a light blue, and I often heard the sweetest of music, in full harmony but too soft to determine its nature although I was familiar with music through the education in that line given me by my mother and later by a Russian pianist, a young man, my own age, whose phenomenal success or ability I always attributed to a mystical cause. So it came about that I became a member of the Methodist Church on Seventh Avenue, known as the “Metropolitan Temple,” presided over by Rev. S. Parks Cadman, and since that church w a s op en ev er y d a y a n d ev e ry h ou r to thos th osee w h o d esir es ired ed to come com e there for meditation, I learned the value of a place made holy and harmonious by sacred vibrations, and as I had been, with my NINE
brother, tbe first member ol its Sunday School and the first member of it its choir choir before the the church came to Sev enth A ve nu e, 1 looked l ooked upon the place as my spiritual home and went there at times to meditate, much to the astonishment of the janitor and the mis understanding of others. It was at one of these periods of meditation after school hours on a W ed ne sd ay , that I w as questione questioned d by the assis assistant tant Pastor and to him I explained the joy and peace I found in such sacred meditati tation on and contemplation. contemplation. H e wa s a young man, then about twentyfive, with a truly lovable, loyal and sincere nature and the yo uth ut h of the C h u r c h lo ve d him hi m as th ey resp re sp ec ted te d an d a c tu a ll y wo w o rs h ip p e d D r. C a d m a n . I w a s a d v ise is e d to com co m e ofte of ten n a n d to pr ay . Th ere w as n augh t but life life itself itself that that I desired, for I did not even consider that I needed illumination; I simply did not know what was necessary and therefore did not pray for anything except love and peace. I w as told told to to thank G od each da y for the bread and the necessities which were being provided; but to my youthful understanding this seemed unnecessary, for fo r I fe lt that th at I w a s b ein ei n g supported or prepared by Him for some definite purpose, and that being the case, case, it it w ou ld be strange strange for me to thank G o d for w hat He gave me, as though it was being given to me for my own selfish sake. So, wh ile I felt ha pp y and app reciative for for the very life I experienced, I did not express such appreciation in the form of prayerful thanks. I was probably a mystery to the good young man and he did nott und erstand me, perhaps. Bu t w e came to no to love each other and he often often came to to ssit it with me in in silence silence and contemplate. So m etimes an hour would pass and not one word would be spoken by either of us; yet we grew to feel and enjoy a certain attunement w h ic h seem se em ed to surr su rrou ou nd us as w e sa t in the th e centr ce ntree of the th e C h u r ch and gazed with concent concentrati ration on upon the the altar. altar. W lia t he thought thought at such times I never knew; some day I will know. A ft e r I fini fi nish sh ed sch ool oo l in J u n e of 18 9 9 I star st arte ted d m y b u sin si n es s career in the same fashion as other boys, beginning in various lines until one w as found that seemed to be the ri ri ght one. one. A n d , I drifted from the Church and even from its locality and for several TE N
ye y e a rs the C h u r c h w a s sim si m p ly a fo nd m em ory or y w h ile il e m y hom ho m e, or some part of it, became my sanctum. T he kind young clergym an passed away and to his memory the young people of the Church gave the beautiful stained glass window to be seen now in the large centre circle of the front of the Church on Seventh Avenue near Fourteenth Fourteenth Street Street,, N ew York City. Th us closed closed my boyhood boyhood days and the days of my early development in mysticism.
ELEVEN
P A RT T W O
It seemed not only natural that I should delve deeply into the va rio ri o u s scie sc ienc nces es w h ic h seem se em ed to h a v e a n y h e a rin ri n g up o n the great work of my youth r—the solving of the psychic problem which app eare d to enslave me — but the studies likewise proved interesting and though heavy and ponderous for one of my age, I real ized more and more as I entered each field of research that the pri p ri n c ip les le s w e r e o ld a c q u a in ta n c e s in n e w dr ess. es s. It w as this latter point that is probably responsible for the fact that I never completed any one scientific study, nor thoroughly studied any one section or division of such subjects as did come within my special course of reading. I did not not like the new dress dress in which they were presented; the only exception to this statement being the book ntitled, d, N ew Kno wle dge , a semiscient semiscientif ific ic book wh ich came entitle into my hands in 1917, long' after all the fundamentals of the teachings of the Order Rosse Crucis in America had been established in the regular Temple lectures. Constantly I found that the modern authors or compilers of scientific textbooks lost sight of the natural fundamentals. fundamentals. After presenting their findings or the findings of others in the laboratories of the chemist, or physicist, the theories or hypotheses offered as explanations of the manifestations or demonstrations seemed too ridiculous to command my attention ^ the attention attention o f a boy of twenty uneducated in any school of science.* It was near the close of my school work in 1899 that as part of the school teachings, we made a few experiments in physics simple little demonstrations which meant little to the other boys except a relaxation from from more more tedious tedious studie studies. s. To me, howev er, such demonstrations awakened a sleeping phase of my mind, and as soon as I was earning sufficient money as a youth in employ, *It was not long after his twentieth year that the late Imperator plunged into the various fields of science in which he accomplished many things of recognized importance.
I devoted my spare time to getting together sufficient material to review the old school demonstrations and many others which constantly suggested themselves. Books I did not not hav e at my command and I did not know of the great public library reference rooms (having entered such treasure houses for the first time in the year i q i o ) , and the only books I could consult for reference w e re such su ch modern modern textbooks as were published by or for sale by the firm of Baker and Taylor, publishers, on East Sixteenth Street, New York City, where I had applied for a position as offi ce boy at a salary of seven dollars weekly in order to have such few books at hand for reading without cost. A t eigh ei gh tee te e n ye a rs of a g e m y ex p erim er im en ts in p h ys ics ic s h a d led le d me into simple chemical experiments and to this I owe my greater interest in the art of photography, which as some few may realize combines very many of the fundamental laws of both physics and chemistry, and in quite an occult occult or m ystical manner. M y first first camera was built entirely from wooden cigar boxes and my darkroom and laboratory was a small room in the cellar of my home at number 72 Seventh Av enue, N ew York. In and throu through gh thi thiss work work came a realization of a principle which had been trying to find expression in my thinking and doing for several years ^ that hat all we saw, felt, tasted or knew of objectively was the result of vibra tions impressing themselves upon us, just as the vibrations passing through the lens of the camera, although invisible to us, caused a m a te te ri ria l, l, a P H Y S I C A L a nd n d C H E M I C A L r es e s ul ul t d em em o ns ns tr tr a bl bl e in either labora tory. I n o w kno w this to be true but it w as indeed a wonderful and strange principle for a young man to conceive and mature without the aid of professional and expert assistance. Desiring to eliminate, as greatly as possible, the element of biography in this paper, I will skip over the many incidents of my youth which relate to my attempt to fathom and solve the problems involved in the realizations I constantly experienced and w h ic h to d ay I w o u ld cl as s u n d er the th e ge n e ra l h e a d of 'p s y c h ic ” to avoid using more profound or transcendental terms, but which I then understood so little as to leave them unnamed.
M y inv estigations led me to test test seriously the tenets of the the spirituali spiritualistic stic movement, so so popu lar in and about N ew York between 1903 and 1905, and from my investigations I found that socalled spiritual man ifestations wou ld help me but little little.. I found the average socalled manifestation innane and absurd. The messages purporting to come from spirits through professional (supposedly well trained and expert) mediums were childish prattle, compared with the messages which I heard or otherwise received from within and without, without, independent of any considerable preparation on my part. part. T h e demonstrations demonstrations of automatic writing (or unconscious writing) were on a par with the spirit messages usually given as proof that the spirits, or souls, of the departed retain certain knowledge and can communicate with those here. The few books and papers I read upon the subject of spiritualism convinced me that the authors based their claims entirely upon such twaddle as I had received in over one hundred seance rooms from possibly seventyfive different mediums. T he theor theorie iess ex ploited by the books and papers, like the theories offered by the mediums, mediums, were much like the theories offered by the authors of modern books on chemistry and physics, which I had completely cast aside and no longer thought of consulting. That it may be known that I did not lightly cast aside the possible proofs to be found through spiritualism, spiritualism, let it be known that soon after my start into that field I became a member of the Psychic Investigation League of New York composed of men and w o m en of a ll w a lk s of life li fe w h o w e re tryi tr ying ng to find fin d pr o o f a n d not consolati consolation on or or mysterious mysterious doings. ’ Th is L ea gu e had no theories theories and w as not biased. biased. It asked for demonstrati demonstrations ons und er conditi conditions ons to be agreed upon by the members and each medium to be tested. Meetings were held weekly in large and small halls, in churches, in homes and even in socalled haunted houses. houses. In the second yea r I w as elected its its Presid ent ,— a you ng m an of on ly twenty, w hile most of the the mem bers w ere from forty to seventy y ears of a ge ,— ,—■be cause I had been able in the year preceding to point out to the physicians and scientists present, many principles which they overlooked, and I had likewise used my pr p r o ph et ic a b ilit il itie iess in predicting FOURTEEN
w h at w o u ld occu oc curr at tim es at th e s e an ce s a n d th e re b y p ro ve d th at the mind, independen t of a medium or a definite ‘spirit” ‘spirit” could receive impressions from within and without the human consciousness. Fo r two two years I w as president of this this body, and the follow ing year a number of scientists and physicians as well as prominent laypersons laypersons organized the N ew York Institute Institute for Psy ch ical Re search . I was elected President of this, this, and its work continued along similar lines to that of the League, only more profound and w it h gr e at e r a n a ly s is an d re se arch ar ch , an d h a d m uc h to do w it h the expose an d elimination from from Ne w York of over fifty fifty fraudulent and criminal mediums, the exposes being conducted in connection w it h the th e N e w Y o rk P o li c e D e p ar tm e n t an d th e N e w Y o r k k W o r l d . For these reasons I feel that I have some right to say that if all the the medium s consulted consulted and tested, tested, including the famous M ar garet G au l and those those constantly referred referred to in books on spiritualism spiritualism and psychic phenomena, could not cast any Iigkt on the problems I had, then spiritualism and its theories and phenomena were use less to to me, even as a religion. So it, too, too, like the sciences, wa s cast aside. Th en cam e the period of of study study of the mind. I began ag ain wit w ith h som so m e of T h o m a s J a y H u d s o n ’ s th eo rie s, b u t a g a in ca st them th em aside and found much food in a book book entitled, entitled, ‘Thinkin g, Fee ling and D oin g,” written written by a professor professor of Y ale U niversity. Th is book led me into the field of applied psychology, psychology, and then into general psychology. psychology. Pa ge after page of some some large large and ponderous books I looked at on the shelves of a few bookstores, but never did I see a single paragraph that touched upon the points I wished illuminated illuminated . I admit, that that had anyone ask ed me at such times w h a t thos th osee po ints in ts were, I would not have been able to define or even classify classify them. them. (O ne can understand how much in the the dark I was working, when I explain that one of the points I then sought in chemistry, then physics, and then in psychology, I later worked out and demonstrated in my own private wireless telegraph laboratory with instruments purposely designed and made by me to prove and make visible the transmission of vibrations to attuned
or selected receivers.) In the the year 1904 wh en my fir first st son son Ra lph w a s born bo rn,, I b a d a w ire ir e le ss outfit ou tfit op er atin at ing g in m y borne. born e. Fin ally in 1906 I w as tbrougb with books books and tbeo tbeori ries. es. M y disgust for sucb books and tbeories included tbe authors wbo wro w ro te tbe m a n d tbe tb e scho sc hool olss or co lleg ll eg es w b ic b tbe tb e y repr re pres es en ted. te d. rhose who have been associated with me in the Order Rosee Crucis for the past three three years know how that disgust for the modern methods of teaching the sciences and the propounding of nature nature s fund am enta l laws laws has proven itself itself w ell found ed, and I am glad to to say that the work of our Order is doing much to bring this great fallacy of education before thousands of brilliant minds and has already laid the foundation for a new and perfect system of education in America. F or a ye ar ;—■19 ;—■19 06 to 19 07 ■—T did little little but po nder o ver certain tain principl principles es w bicb gra du ally formed in my conscious consciousness. ness. A ll tbis time I bad continued my almost daily sessions of meditations and attunement witb some Cosmic influx wbicb brought witb it greater understanding. I continually found that such information as I received .— ge g e n e r a lly ll y o f a se m i-sc i- sc ien ie n tifi ti ficc a n d reli re ligi gi o u s na tu re ,—' had the ear marks, so to speak, of a definite personality, and the mannerisms of this personality were consistent. I never asked a question, nor even tbe tbou gbt of a question. I did not seem to realize tbat tbis migb t ba ve be en of Kelp. I only realized one tbing: tbat wben I was in tbe relaxation of sucb periods I felt peaceful, calm and contented and tbat wben I returned to tense consciousness again, I bad an impression of having been told or in some w a y inform ed ,—• of certain facts, law s an d principles pertaining to G o d and nature. Th ese facts, law s and principles principles w e re not co n ne cted ct ed ; th ey w e re v a g u e a n d d id not form for m the b a sis si s of any philosophy or system; but they were, clearly, contrary to w h a t w a s b e in g ta ug h t b y the th e v ar io us scho sc ho ols ol s of scien sc ien tific tif ic subj su bjec ects ts.. I would at once recall that I knew differently, because I had been told sometime sometime the the truth truth in in that regard . It w as in this this w a y that most of the facts, acquired in my periods of meditation, were brought to light light or rathe r to my obje ctive con sciousn ess ,—■b y find ing them challenged by modern science.
A s m a y be seen se en from fro m the th e fo rego re go ing, in g, I d id not h a v e a n y theo th eo ry of my own, nor did I attempt to outline any theory as to h o w and w h y I came to receive such unusual knowledge or be permitted to become attuned with some occult source of information and understand ing. Jus t about the close close of 1907 , I believe, someone told me of the theory of reincarnation. I explained my probl problem, em, and at once once a solut solution ion w as offered offered.. M y information information came from my mind and my mind had been in the body of one or possibly two other men who in the past had been scientists of the old school, pos sibly of a m ystical order or or fraternity, etc. etc. etc. etc. T h is solution I soon rejected, for it did not take into consideration the pe p e a c e , the contentment and the peculiar sacred and religious attunement attunement I felt keenly wh ile in in the the periods periods of meditation. meditation. Bu t there there wa s one point revealed in the discussion I had regarding the theory and its relation to my problem, which makes me feel very grateful to the dear old lady who tried her very best to have me accept her explana tion. In questioning her as to w ha t mystical or scientific scientific sect sect or fraternity she thought the previous incarnation might have belonged, she mentioned the name of the Rosicrucians of Egypt. I remember distinctly that in the many days which followed its first mention she never spoke of the Rosicrucians as having been anywhere else than in Egypt, despite the fact that all references I could find regard ing such a sect spoke of its its existence existence in G e rmany only. From thence on, my various researches centered around the teach ings of the old mystics, with little little av ail. Co nsta nt references to the Rosicru cians sim ply veiled w ha t they they knew or taught. I never read, or even looked into a few public books purporting to be the secrets of the Rosicrucians, realizing that such books must be unreliable. A n d so the th e y e a r came to a close with my mind centered upon one determination: to find what the old mystics taught an d if they knew the the tru truee laws o f G o d an d nature as as I seemed to know in fragments. It was this one great desire, a single ambition, wholly unselfish, clean, noble and always associated with a sense of sacredness, of
Divine Privilege and Holy Inspiration, which dominated my life and my actions at that time, and who can say that it has not affected, if not dominated, my whole life thus far spent on this earth, and perhaps in time to come?
F.lflHTFFN
AVERMENT Standing in the presence of the God of my Heart and ever mindful of the Terror of the Threshold, I do solemnly affirm that I have carefully read and meditate meditated d upon the contents of this manifesto. I further affirm affirm that at the supreme moment when I was conscious of the spiritual surge within my being that enthralled and caused me to ascend in consciousness above and beyond my mortal and physical environment, and when I was also aware of the invisible presence of the Cosmic Hosts, I did affix my signature below and record the hour, day, month, and year of this Cosmic experience. experience. I do do also solemnly solemnly avouch by these same same sacred tokens that tha t I have permitted no other eyes but mine to peruse the contents of this manifesto. N a m e
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CONFESSIO R.\ C.\ FR ATERNITAT IS Prepared by
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I SS S S U E D B Y S P E C I A L P E R M I S S IO IO N OF THE
IMPERATOR A N C I E N T M Y S T I C A L O R D E R R O S A E C R I I C I S
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SAN JOSE. C ALIFORN IA. U. S. A
M AN IFESTO
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PART THREE
Now I come to the point which will be of greatest interest to the few advanced members of the Order Rosse Crucis who will he permitted to read this confession; confession; I trust, however, that even these few will not fail to find in the preceding pages much illumination and considerable regard for all that I had to meet and contend with wi th in re ac h in g the th e poin po intt w h e re I co uld ul d h a v e m y gr ea t d esire es ire materialized.* It w as in the the spring spring of 1 9 0 8 ^ I wish I could remember the the exa ct date, for it it is ver y important ~ it occurred to me that I should go again to the old Church, the Metropolitan Temple, on Seventh A v e n u e , w h e re I h a d gone go ne so m a n y times tim es be fore fo re , a n d once on ce more mo re sit sit there in silent silent meditation, meditation, as h ad be en m y custom. custom. I could find no definite reason for this impulse and even tried to reason against it. it. Bu t I did go on an Ea ster S u nd ay to hea r the the Ea ster m usic usic and carols, a feature of the Easter service in which I always toolc part in the days of old when I was one of the robed choir boys. The environment, the music, the familiar faces I saw awakened in me the old interest in the Church, although I had not been in it for six or seven yea rs. It w as Iilc Iilcee finding finding the old hom estead of one s youth, c alling to the the heart an d offering a ro yal welco me. Understand, it was not the religious feature of the service that ap pe ale d to me then, or even in the the past. It w as the more subtle influence of the sacred vibrations I felt within the walls of the place. To me that that Church was a spiritual home where I could find Cosmic or Divine communication and attunement, independent of an y service or or any ceremony. ceremony. A ll the emoti emotions ons of my nature were affected in the quiet of that old Church and there I loved to sit in silence. A n d so it cam ca m e ab ou t that th at on a T h u r s d a y afte af tern rn oo n, fo llo ll o w in g the Easter service, I went to the old Church again, leaving my *Even today when the membership is many times Inrger tiinn it was when this confession was writ ten , on ly a few w ill He perm itte d to rea d it. NINFTFFN
business in time time to to be tber tberee about 4 :3° Th ursd ay w as no nott intentionally selected as tbe day, for I bad tried since tbe Tuesday of tbat week to get away from business, and it was not until Thursday tbat I succeeded in being able to bave tbat mucb time to myself in tbe afternoon. I remember well wbat occurred, and it is so important tbat I w ill il l c a r e fu ll y sta te e a c b fact fa ct in its pr o pe r orde or der, r, a n d w ith it h o ut com co m ment, tbat otbers may judge of the cause and effects of each incident uninfluenced by what 1 believe. I entered the Chapel as usual and then through a small side door into into the rear of the the body of the Ch urch . Rev eren tly, yet with w ith ou t cere ce rem m on y, I w a lk e d to the th e centr ce ntree aisl ai sl e a n d u p th at aisl ai slee to about the centre of the Church and then entered a pew at my right han d side. Th ere wa s no one one else else in in the the Chu rch nor had I met met any one in in ttbe be Ch ap el. Th is wa s not unu sual at that time time of the da y. T he flowers and decorations decorations used for for the Ea ster service had been removed, except the wire framework for a large Cross which had stood and was still standing in the centre of the A l t a r pl atfo at form rm , ab o ut ten feet fe et b eh in d the th e A lt a r . The framework of this Cross had been covered with green moss, the Lillies had been put into the moss on Easter Sunday. Now the Cross was simply green, the flowers having been taken aw ay. T he Cross wa s about ten ten feet feet high, and from from where I sat sat in my pew this Thursday afternoon the Altar concealed only the lower part of the green Cross. Naturally, my gaze centered upon the Cross as 1 began my period of meditation, and very probably I speculated upon the forlorn appearance of the Cross now, now, whereas it had been a wonderful picture picture at the Ea ster service. service. Bu t I do know , and remember w e ll , that th at as I look lo ok ed a t the th e C r o s s an d its sign si gn ifica ifi ca n ce , ther th eree ca m e to me the fact that the Cross was one of the symbols of the Rosi crucians; and again I found myself centering my thoughts on that strange sect and its existence, teachings, etc. A s intim in tim ated at ed , I d id not com co m e to the C h u r c h to m ed ita te on the subject of the Rosicrucians, but simply to find again tbat old and
deeply appreciated peace, contentment and divine attunement. 1 me , the subject of tbe Rosicr ucia ns or similar m ystical sects sects ha d been on my mind practically every day for over a year, but I seemed to be objectively free from tbat tbougbt wben I entered tbe Cb urcb . T be Cros s, however, brought the subject to my consciousness again, and I must have lost all objective consciousness of everything else, entering into a quiet, peaceful, subjective condition, with no other thought in mind except that regarding the Rosicrucian s. Th ere w as littl littlee light light in the Ch urc h only that w h ic h cam ca m e th ro ug h the th e stai st ain n ed gl a ss of the th e m em o rial ri al w in d o w , dedicated to to my former friend, friend, the assistant Pastor. Th ere w as absolute quietness and profound vibrations of sacredness, and I slowly closed my eyes and then . . . I heard a voice, clearly and distinctly, not from within me, but from from without. E v en as I write this this my entire nervous system is is affected, emotionally, for I can easily hear that sound when the first word was spoken; it was “ P e a c e I ” Often have I heard that that wo w o rd spo sp o ke n sinc si ncee then th en,, a n d m a n y tim es h a v e I tried tri ed to im itate ita te the manner in which it was spoken then, but it seems impossible to imitate. imitate. It w as a com m and; there w as no mistaking mistaking that. that. It w as said kindly, softly, and yet so significantly, that I knew it meant I should not move, I should not be disturbed or perturbed, that I should not even arou se my self from from the position position I w as in. Yet, I opened my eyes, not in a startled manner, for I was not startled, but exc eed ingly calm . A t first first I sa w no one, one, or no thing. I looked looked at the Cross, and while it appeared no differently than before, I did detect that between me and the Cross there was a faint mist — that I w as looking at the Cros s through some sort sort of mist. mist. T h en I tried tried to gaze upon the mist and not at the Cross, and as I concentrated on the whiteness of the mist it seemed to become more dense, and I realized that the misty substance was but two or three feet in front front of my own body. Con tinuing to gaze at at it and not through it, I saw that it it had a form —
and in a few seconds opened my eyes again to find the figure more dense in whiteness, though in a slightly different position and nearer to me. A n arm ar m re a ch e d out a n d a h a n d po inte in ted d to w ar d the th e A l t a r an d I looked again past the misty figure (not through it this time) and saw that the Cross looked a little more yellow than green, as though the moss w as d rying a nd losing its its color color.. I concentrated on the Cross, not because I had any purpose in mind, but simply because it attracted me, and slowly the green color faded and in its place came a bright goldenrod color, until the Cross looked like like Go ld. The n, with my eyes stil stilll wondering, but in in n no o w ay doubting, the centre became more red until it was as bright as a large rose and seemed to have the modeling of a rose; I took it for a Rose and then realized for the first time that I was gazing at the Cross I h ad neve r seen bef ore, ore, but ha d the Rosey Cross read about. about. Slowly I brought my gaze back to the figure before me, and this time it was more intense or rather more opaque. I gazed into the face of the figure. figure. It w as indistinct, indistinct, but I saw that there was long white or light hair and a long light colored beard. I jud jud ged the hair to to be white or light, light, because it w as w hiter than the face or the neck and almost as white mist; yet all of the figure was of a white or light mist like a thick, white smoke. A g a in w o rd s ca m e from fro m the th e lips li ps of the th e figu fi gure re,, a n d I co u ld see the lips move and the eyes twinkle. I will not attempt attempt to to quote w h a t w a s said sa id , for fo r I ca nn ot rem re m em be r the th e e x ac t w o rd s. I w is h that I could; they were kindly said, and in language as Divine and beautiful as the most wonderful phrases in the Holy Bible. They impressed me as coming from a Holy, Infinite Mind, and I listened with a feeling of respect and appreciation, but not awed or perplexed. W h a t w a s sa id to me, me , in su b stan st an ce , w a s th is: is : I f I w is h e d to know more of the Rosicrucians and their teachings, I must prepare for an initiation into the fraternity which had an exoteric body immortal; that for several years I had been a dweller on the threshold of the fraternity or its immaterial temple, but had failed
to use sufficient determination to cross the threshold, and, therefore, was no further advanced than my own determination had taken me; that I would find naught ahout the fraternity in any book or paper, for its secrets had never been published and would not be published; that I must find illumination from within and hat he who spok spokee to to me was was an A M O R C U S not from without; that of the ancient fraternity and had been selected to be my guide; until I was prepared to cross the threshold and continue alone; that the exoteric body of the fraternity no longer existed in America, and had not existed for the past 101 years; that each exoteric body existe existed d for only 108 yea rs and that no nott until until 1 9 15 wo uld the new body come into existence and that it would then be the only exoteric body on the western face of the earth; and that while I w a s b ein ei n g p re p a re d for fo r m y initi in itiat atio ion n ther th erein ein , the ex oter ot eric ic bo dy w a s b e in g co nc eive ei ve d a n d m atur at ur ed for fo r its a d v e n t into the th e m ater at er ial ia l w o rl d ; th at I sh ou ld d ev ote ot e e v e ry T h u r s d a y ev e ni n g to attu at tune ne m ent en t for guidance; that the next exoteric body of the fraternity would be in France, or was still there, or something of this kind. There was probably considerably more said, and perhaps some of what I have written in the above paragraph was not said at that time or even said by this personality; but these facts did come to me either at that time through the speech made or the following T hu rsd ay ni ght’s period of meditation meditation when I heard a vo ice ic e s p e a k in g in m y ho m e bu t s a w no figur fig ure. e.
(C O N T IN U E D
I N M A N I F E S T O I II)
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The above is the title page of a very old and remarkable book con c e r n i n g t h e s c ie ie n c e s o f t h e m i c r o c o s m i c a n d m a c r o c o s m i c w o r l d s w r i t te te n b y th e e m i n e n t D r . R o b e r t F l u d d (15741637). English p h y s i c ia n R o s ic r u c i a n M a s t e r , a n d m y s t i c a l p h i l o s o p h e r . T h e s i m i l a r it it y o f h i s d o c t r in in e s concerning matter, mind, and soul to the subjects taught in present Rosic r u c i a n m o n o g r a p h s i s r e m a r k a b l e , t h e o n l y d i f f er er e n c e b e i n g m t h e a d v a n c e ment made since his time, and which changes appear in our present-day t e a c h in i n g s . A s m o s t R o s i c ru ru c i a n s F r a t e r R o b e r t F l u d d w a s a n a r d e n t s t u d e n t o f t h e w o r k a n d w r it i t in in g s o f P a r a c e l s u s . O r i g i n a l b o o k s by by h r a t e r Fludd are treasured possessions in the archives of the Rosicrucian Urder, AMORC.
O W , my Brothers Brothers and Sisters, Sisters, I fully realize realize that wh at I have written in the last few paragraphs is decidedly difficult to understand, and to those who do not Icnow me or our work, it may well sound like either the ravings of a ma d mind or the fict fiction ion of a clever clever brain. T h e reaso n that it it is neither of these, and likely to be rejected, has forced me to wit w ith h h o ld the T R U T H a n d in its p la c e pr esen es en t a d iffe if fe re n t v ersi er sion on of my first first introduct introduction ion to the Ord er Rosse Cru ris. R ea d on a nd realize, if you can, what it has meant to me to know and always have impressed upon my mind that the real facts and T R U T H must must be veile veiled d and and the the F IC T IO N expl exploi oite ted d becau because se fiction seemed more plausible than truth. I who had become disgusted with the fiction theories of scientists, when most de siring the trut truth, h, now und ersta nd w hy T R U T H M A K E S U S F R E E O N L Y W H E N U N T R U T H H A S EX H A U S TE D IT S P O W E R TO E N SL A V E U S *
P A R T FO U R
Throughout the year 1908 and into the Spring of 1909 I continued my experiments each Thursday night in the quiet of a sanctum in my home. home. M y home I had m oved to to various parts parts of the city since 1903 in which year I married my first wife while en jo y in g a pr ospe os pe ro us b us ines in es s ca re er as an artis ar tist, t, an d a lw a y s h a d I set aside one room or a part of a room for my place of meditation, and the beautiful experience to be realized through this practice has led me to speak often to our Brothers and Sisters regarding the value, if not necessity, of some little sanctum in one s home. *As lias been previously explained, tbe early liistory of tiie Order for this Jurisdiction, prepared for public reading, had to veil many facts which now can be told in tiiese private manifestoes. THREE
TKe result of my Thursday night sessions brought forth much illumination and encouragement. I learned gradually, that whereas one personality did dominate the conversations and experiences in which I indulged so free fr ee ly, ly , there the re w e re other oth er pers pe rson onali alitie tiess in the background, so to speak, to whom my more intimate personality would speak at times or cause them to speak to me. A n d so it came that I realized that at most, if not all, of these sessions there w er e pres pr esen en t Seven Master Minds, each of which spoke to me at times, each having a very distinct personality and trend of knowledge on material and spiritual subjects, yet never succeeding in stepping beyond tbe limitations of conversation or revelation imposed by the the one one dominating personality. Th is dom inating inating per per sonalitv I recognized as being of a superior intellect, reserved and careful in speech, dignified, divinely attuned and quite used to receiving receiving hom age and obedience. Ye t this this as w ell as the the other other personalities seemed to be a part of my own self of years gone by. I could not explain this combination of personalities within and without my own existence or mind, and it was not until recently, cently, during some of our now w ellv alu ed T hird egree experi ments in the Supreme Grand Lodge of our Order, that I found or received an explanation which is at least more logical, more plausible and more demonstrative of proof than any explanation which other schools offer for the existence of such multiple personalities as these. . It appears then then — and this this must some some day be p ro v e n t h a t each of these quite distinct personalities are previous incarnations of mv present soul and mind, and that in the recess recesses es of the the m in d w h ic h is p e rp e tu a l an d co nsta ns tant nt w ith it h the th e soul so ul in al l its in c a r n a tionsthere are niches or chambers wherein is stored and ever preserved tbe personal entity of each incarnation s conscious existence. In that that regard I rather conceive of the So ul as being like like unto the planisphere, used by astrologers for making their natal maps, having twelve divisions divisions or houses. Th us, the soul m ay have twelve such chambers, each chamber representing a possible incarnation of tbe soul wherein is recorded, and immortally presewed, the memory “ storehouse” of each incarnated incarnated personality. I here here FOUR
fore the mind of man in each incarnation incarnation is a cumulative mind, a resultant of the addition or combination of all past personality minds. In my own case, there there we re but seven previous previous phases of the soul, or, in other words, seven chambers in the cycle of the soul already complete, and my present personality or conscious existence m aking for the completion of the eighth. Th ere are good reasons for believing that there are only twelve such cham bers in the soul s cycle, cycle, a nd this, this, of course, wo uld indicate that each soul must pass through twelve incarnations before it can attain that perfection for which it is placed into the cycle of evoluti lution on by the the Supreme M ind. W h a t follows follows then then,, or or wh at that that perfection may be, or its purpose, are questions which I trust will be answered some day, as have so many other and more perplexing questions. It would also appear that the mind or personality of the last incarnation preceding the present one is that which dominates the others when the present ego submits itself to a plane or condition on, or in, which the personalities of the various incarnations tions are m utually attuned attuned and intercommunicati intercommunicative. ve. Experim ents have shown that at times the various personalities of the memory chambers m ay stri strive ve for individual dominance dominance ^ much as personalities in various beings at the present time may strive for domination; and if we compare these periods of mutual attune ment and intercommunication, while one personality is conducting the psychic convocation, to a modern convention of men and minds assembled in a place to discuss the pros and cons of various related subjects, under the leadership of a chairman, chairman, we will not be surprised at the fact that when some important point is being discussed or considered by these personalities, one or two of them may take issue, and seek to present more forcibly or more under standingly standingly the facts which they know from experience. A n d so I h a v e fo u n d «— a n d our ou r v a rio ri o u s ex pe rim ri m en ts h a v e demonstrated that the dominating subjective personality may submit at times times to the tempora ry occupation of the " spe ak er’ s ch air” by one of his colleagues in this psychic college; and at other times one of the personalities, in the intensity of argument and with the FIVE
desire of insuring the utmost correctness or clarity on some point may overrule tKe standards of decorum, and w,th sudden psyc . force dominate not only the psychic chairman of the convention^ but even control the complete mind and body of the ego. w.th, wh w h o se a u r a all al l this th is is taki ta king ng p lace la ce . It was not my intention to enter into a long explanation of hou, and w h y I was able to secure from within such information as did secure during tbe many Thursday night sessions beginning in the Spring of tpo 8 and continuing up and into the month of July, , „ p P B ut it w as through through the the opera operati tion on of those those law s w W i make possible possible such such psychic psychic conventi conventions ons of previous previous pe rs o ^ .U es tha 1 w a s e n a b le d to le a rn that th at,, e v e n tu a lly ll y , I m ust us t go to F ra n c e , i w i l d ente en terr the th e T e m p le s of the th e O r d e r R o s * C r u c is or ev en go one step further than the very Threshold. Two points remained uppermost in my mind (they were given ,0 me by the great soul which appeared to me in the Church m the Spring o[ 1908): first, that there was no exotenc body o f the Order then in existence in America, had not teen for ,0 , years years
and would not he until .<.< 5 .' *«ond, that the last Order extsUng in an exoteric body was in France. In the Spring of .909. Aen. 1 became obsessed with the idea, the desire, of journeying to Fra nc e and trying trying to loca . s o m e w h e r e p e rh a p s under the the guidance guidance of the the dominat dominatin ing g psychic personality within me, and some of the many subtle reveW tions that tbe Order could not have existed in France ye y e a rs w itho it ho ut h a v in g le ft its m ater at er ial ia l as w e l a s sp irit ir itu u al or ps yc h ic results and influences; and that some must live who remember stori stories es or experiences of their their grandparen ts at le a st I did no no understand the many principles of the rebirth of the Order ,n d, ferent lands in different periods, as I now understand them. M y intere interest st in in books that that were old and rare led me to preserve the catalogues of old booksellers, and among these was one issued issued by an antiquarian in Paris. Franc e. To hun 1 wro w ro e one day . ashing ashing if if he knew of the the Ord er Ro sa; Crucis. H is reply and w h a t ca m e of m y inq in q u iry ir y h a s a lr e a d y b e en told a n d p u b h sh ed ,n
the the Am erican Rosae Rosae Crucis for for the the mont month h of M ay , 19 16 . A business opportunity enabled me to go to France, in July of 1909, and having considerable time in which to look after a few matters in var v ar io u s cities cit ies,, I w a s furt fu rth h er e n a b le d to v isit is it othe ot herr cities cit ies,, tow to w ns, ns , and sections of France, without limitation as to time or expense. Such an unusual opportunity, with its rare combination of privileges, seldom comes to a young man, and it was the great opportunity for the Order likewise. But although the story in our magazine just referred to is essentially true in every detail, even unto the end, the purpose of this Confession is to explain what was not explained in that story and to add those details which are necessary to make it complete, or, in other words, to make it consist of the whole truth rather than partially so. Know, then, each who is privileged to read this Confessio, that from the very moment I began my search for the Order in France, I was suspected, by those of whom I made inquiries, of being interested in fathoming one of the mysteries of the Masonic Frate rnity of Fra nce . It is not quite clear to to me even now, and perhaps never will be; and of course at the time I did not know that such w as the case. B ut it it seems that in Fra nc e, the remnants remnants of the old Order Rosee Crucis were absorbed by some division of the Masonic Fraternity in France; the absorption being an arbitrary matter, matter, without leg al right or authority. Furthe rmo re, it it a p pears from from all that I can learn, that there are several surely more more than two — kinds or forms forms of M as on ry in that country, each of w h ic h h a s little litt le or noth no thin ing g to do w ith it h the oth ers er s a n d p ro b a b ly only one form having the recognition of the English and American M ason ic Craft. I do not pretend to know ho w all this this m ay be; it concerns me very little; but it was this condition of affairs in that country, and the fact that Americans before me had tried to learn w h a t w a s w h a t t of French Masonry, that made my intense interes interestt in the the “ Ro se C ro ix” seem suspicious; for, Io! it it seems seems that many of the higher degrees of the Masonic rites in America we w e re take ta ke n from fro m or b a s e d u po n v a rio ri o u s secr se cret et rites, rite s, first fir st u se d in France (among them being the rites of the various L o d g e s o f P e r
fe c tio ti o n of France, and the Rose Croix of France, which constitutes tKe i8tK degree of American and EnglisK Masonry), and that tKe. branch of French Masonry which had overstepped its powers in laying claim to all that was left of the Order Rosa? Crucis was fearful that an American, representing some form of Masonry in A m e ric ri c a , w a s tryi tr ying ng to ta ke fro m it som e of its h o ld in gs to a d d to the rites in America. M y old book dealer, to whom I directed directed my first first inquiry in Pa ris w as an office officerr of of that branch of Fren ch M asonry, w hicK wa s jea je a lo u sl y , a n d w ro n g ly , K old ol d ing in g to a ll of tKe m ater at er ial ia l po sses ss essi sion on s of tKe Order Rosee Crucis, sucK as old manuscripts (in the form of records, not teachings), teachings), antique Lodge accessories from some old R . C . Tem ples now in in ruins, ruins, jewels, seals, seals, etc. etc. W he the r they possessed any of the rituals, I have not been able to learn. Tn approaching this book dealer, I approached the worst possible informant had I desired to keep my mission secret or if my purpose Kad been as he suspected. suspected. Bu t his suspici suspicions ons and h.s desire to test me, and to have me tested by others, caused h ,m to direct me to the very men who could tell me just what I wanted to know. Therefore, I hav e alw ays felt felt that that I w as truly guided guided by my Masters in going to the one man whom others would have avoided. A n d so it ca m e ab o ut that th at,, a fte ft e r b e in g w a tc h e d to see se e w h et h er I was in communication by mail or telegraph with any group or individual in America, I was permitted to call upon the old man in the tower in Toulouse. T o him had been sent sent my name, description birth date, etc., etc., for he w as re ally the Arc hiv ist not only ol w h a t w a s left le ft of the th e O r d e r Ro sae sa e C r u c is , bu t of this th is sm a ll grou gr oup p of French Freemasons who suspected me of having ulterior motives. tives. M y interview interview with him and its its results results we re essentially as 1 have given them in the magazine account, already referred to. A n d it w a s th ro u gh m y in q u iry ir y of him hi m a s to w h o m igh ig h t b e fo un d that could remember, having parents belonging to the original Order, that I was directed to go to the old Chateau outside of Toulouse and there receive my induction into the old Order Rosee Crucis. EIGHT
PAR T
F IV E
Those who have carefully read the account of my entrance into the Order, as published in the magazine, will remember that no details are given of the Initiation. Initiation. M uc h is inferred, b ut nothing nothing definite is stated. I refraine d from from m aking an y definite definite statements statements in that account on this point, and have consistently refrained from But now it is doing so in any conversations on that subject. necessary that the facts should be made very plain. The Chateau to which I was directed is still located on a hill near old old To losa. Th e sketch sketch used in the m agazine story is much like the place, and I have shown a photograph to some, which w a s take ta ke n on the th e spot sp ot a n d w il l e n a b le a n y o n e to fin fi n d the old ol d Ch ate au . It is w ell known to to all the the taxicarriage drivers who make tour tourss out out of Toulouse. Th e Ch atea u was originally owned by the family of Count Raymond VI, of Toulouse, and was one of the dozen or more which were taken from him by the Papal Legates to hold as security against his further activities in behalf of the heretics, when he was officially excommunicated by the Legates of Pope Innocent IV. It is a picturesque old stone building, with a large court, and all its its floors and stairs are of stone. stone. U po n reach ing the plac e, I found that the man to whom I ha d been directed directed lived lived there. there. His correct name is Raynaud E. de BellcastleLigne. I found that he was not simply caretaker of the place, but had some personal interest in the place, and with him lived his w ife if e a n d a d au gh ter. te r. T h e ir liv li v in g room ro omss oc cu pied pi ed bu t a sm a ll part of the old building and on the upper floor I was shown the remains of an old Rosaecrucian Lodge room, now dusty and musty, unused for over sixty years, though up to 1890 often visited by French Masons and others who knew of it. The old man, in his seventy-eighth year, was the son of the last Master that conducted a Rosaecrucian Lodge in that locality, NINE
and Ke was not sure wKetKer Kis fatKer Kad ever conducted a Lo dg e in in any otKe otKerr Lo dg e room room or no nott. Bu t Ke Ke Kad been engaged by tbe present owners of tKe CKateau to look after tKe property for tKe past twenty years and tKe FrencK Masons, wKo claimed an interest in tKe Rosa;crucian powers now, directed Kim (one of tKeir old BrotKers) to preserve tKe Lodge rooms intact (for wKat purpose and reason we knew not, since no effort was being made to pre ve nt rain ra in an d otbe ot berr elem el em ents en ts from fro m d a m a g in g tKe w a ll s a n d co n tents rapidly). W i t K me on tKis trip to tKe C K a te a u I K ad ta ke n an inte in terrpreter, a young FrencK man, supplied to me by a scKool of languages in Toulouse, wKicK, I think, was a branch of our own A m e r ic a n B e rl itz it z ScK Sc K oo l of L a n g u a g e s . H e spok sp ok e en ou gK E n g lisK li sK to enable me to find tKe CKateau and make myself known to tKe old peo ple living tKere tKere.. B u t tKe tKe old BrotK er could speak better En glisK tKan tKe tKe interpreter and tKis tKis deligKted me. H e Kad been a Secretary for some foreign Minister or Legate at Paris during tKe years i86 0 to to 1 8 7 1. TKerefore, during tKe tKe entir entiree period period of my conversation witK tKe old man, my interpreter sat in tKe centre courtyard, drinking tKe wine made on tKe estate, and caring for little else tKan tKe ease and deligKt wKicK tKis visit gave Kim. BellcastleLigne and Kis family Kad some royal titles in addition to tKat of Count, and despite Kis age and reduced financial circumstances, Ke retained Kis excellent military bearing and noble dignity; but witKal, Ke and Kis wife and daugKter extended to me tKat Kospitality and extremely courteous treatment wKicK makes one feel tKat tKe days of sunny Languedoc Kave not lost tKeir power or tKeir cKarm. I Kave gone into tKis detail regarding tKe place and tKe man, because I Kave learned tKat Ke Kas since passed away, and Kis w ife if e also al so,, I b e lie li e v e ; a n d Kis d au gK ter, te r, a w id o w , Ka s be co m e in terested in some pKase of war work and Kas left tKe vicinity of Toulouse. TKe old CK ateau remains, remains, Kowever, and wKen our A m e r ic a n p a rty rt y of Ro se ec ru cian ci an s v isit is it F r a n c e , w e w il l go to tKe old building and spend mucK time witK sucK ceremonies tKere as are befitting. TE N
A s soon so on as the C o u n t h e a rd m y story, sto ry, a n d h a d q ue stio st io ne d me closely regarding the many psychic sessions I had in America, and had learned what information had been given me thereby, he agreed that should I be the one who was to again take up the wor w ork k an d b rin ri n g it to A m e r ic a , it w o u ld be n e ce ss a ry for fo r me to Cross the Threshold.
T his constant reference to
Cr ossin g the
Threshold” aroused a considerable interest in me, yet I had no idea as to w hat it it meant.
H e plainly and significantly asked me
several times, before we ventured to the upper floors of the building, if I was sure I would have no fear of the Terror of the Threshold. I convinced him that that nothing nothing that I could could conceive of of could hav e any terror terror for me. H e smilingly asked whether I might not fear that which I could not (at that time) conceive of; whether there might not be something beyond my comprehension which could strike strike terror terror to my heart, mind and soul.
N atu ra lly , I tried tried to
imagine what such a terror or its cause could be; bodily harm I did not fear, and I could recall no event in my past life, that might give me concern concern regarding my soul. soul. I w as re ady to be into an abyss spiritually or phy sically. A fter my many p lunged into days of searching and meeting with trying obstacles and veiled w a rn in g s, I w a s p re p a re d , in ev e ry cell ce ll of m y b od y, fo r a n y sa cr ifice that might be demanded. The building was old enough and strange enough to suggest almost any weird possibility. In pass ing to to the up pe r floor, floor, he he pointed out to me the several stone secret chambers, used during the feud al days as hiding places or or dungeons. Th ere we re dark and gloomy corners and niches, narrow secret passageways, leading to underground tunnels for escape to the nearby hills, and there was an old well in the floor of the one dark chamber, into wh w h ic h bo d ies ie s h a d be en p lu n g e d to su ffo ff o ca te a n d star st ar ve d u ring ri ng the reign of terro terrorr conducted by the the P ap al L ega tes. Bu t not not one of these things aroused in me more than a great desire to go on and meet that Terror at the Threshold which I felt was more terrifying than any of these physical torments, which grew more significant every minute. i i . i :\ t
n
Finally, we reached the upper floor, and he paused before an old iron iron door and said : “ Th is leads to to the first first Ch am be r and through it you enter a second, where the Terror for years presented itself itself.. If the the Terro r failed to to para lyze your heart and body, and your soul could meet the test and trial, you were permitted to Cross the the Threshold in into the the T e m p le t h e thir third d Cham ber be yo nd . There are no ceremonies here now, and no one to conduct you yo u thro th roug ugh h the rooms as of old, so perhaps you would like to go through these Chambers alone — alon alonee with with Go d and ~ you your r Mas M aste ter, r, and then into the Temple where a ceremony will be conducted. A ft e r a fe w m inu tes te s h a d p a ss ed , I aros ar osee to m y feet fe et a n d s a w m one corner a bright light shaping itself into some form with a faint bluish haze about it. it. It seem seem ed to to be about two feet in diameter, but size is deceptive in such cases, and I am sure now that the light w as not more than twe lve inches. It w as about three three feet from from the the floor an d slow ly grew more more intense. M an y of our Brothers and Sisters have seen a similar Light in our Lodge room in New York during some special experiments. A ft e r a fe w m inut in utes es,, the L ig h t el o n ga te d un til it touc to uche he d the floor an d wa s almost to the ceiling. Its centre centre beca me more tran sparent until it finally had the appearance of a large aura with a voi v oid d in the th e centr ce ntre. e. Into In to this th is sp ac e a p p e a r e d a figu fi gu re a n d at once on ce I recognized the same wonderful mystic figure which had appeared to me in the Church in the Spring of 1908. H e — the mystic mystic M aster — motioned motioned for me to face toward his right, and, as I did so, I saw, faintly, the outline of another door. Th en he spoke spoke on onee wo rd: “ En ter !” It wa s said said kindly, but comm andingly. T h e door opened and creaked with its its rusty rusty hinges and I entered into another, as cold and musty smelling as the first, and seemingly darker. darker. Th e figure figure w as behind me and though I could not not see it, it, I felt felt it w as follo win g me. T he n I he ard the door closing back of me, and I faced in various directions searching for any sight that might be revealed. I found then that the mystic figure was once again in the form of a slowly slowly dissolving dissolving ball of blue Light. W h en it had condensed
to a glow of about tfie size of an orange, it rose toward tfie ceiling in one corner and shot forth a beam of white light, like a searchlight ray. I turned turned to see w ha t effect effect that that beam of Ligh t had upon the opposite wall, and there I beheld the great and beautiful symbol 1— 1—1 the Ro sey Cross, in beautiful G old , standing on the the flooring and r ising to a height of abou t six feet. In its its centre centre w as a red rose. rose. T he beam of Lig ht just illuminated the the Cross, without showing the wall or any of the floor or ceiling. Gradually I became conscious of a haze forming on the right side of the C R O S S and it seemed to form form itself into into a small figure draped in white; it pointed one very transparent hand and arm toward me and then then fad fad ed before I could understand. Th en to the left of the Cross another haze was forming, but its color was d a rk — like like a very dark red. red. It formed formed int into o a figure, figure, also, though though no face or arms could could be seen. seen. W ith my realizati realization on came a cold cold w a v e in the atm at m osp os p h ere er e of the room roo m an d a m en tal ta l im p ress re ssio ion n cam ca m e to me of w ar n in g ,—■dire and terrible ! I felt a great relief wh en this figure passed away and then, as the Cross became invisible bv a fading of the beam of light which illuminated it, another door opened and I saw within a large room, faintly lighted bv little rays of sunlight which shot through the cracks of the tightly closed old fashio ned shutters shutters of the win do ws . I slow ly started to leav e the small Chamber and enter the larger room, when I was repulsed by some strange force force and m ade to to hesitate. hesitate. Th is m ay have been a mental rather than a physical impression, but I halted expecting some word, for not one word had been spoken in that Ch am ber. Th en I noticed noticed that the doo rwa y through wh ich I w is h e d to p a ss b e ca m e illu il lu m in ated at ed at its two tw o side si de s a n d top an d bottom with a white haze, and through this oblong aura I was step s w er e easy ea sy,, my jour jo urne ne y h a pp y , a n d impressed to walk. M y steps accompanied with an inner joy and sense of sacredness which told me plainly that I had Crossed the Thresholds. A f te r en teri te ring ng the la rg e r room, roo m, w h ic h I lea le a rn e d w a s the old Temple or Lodge Room, I found that the old Count was standing near a door at the rear. H e came toward me and explain ed that so many of the appurtenances of the original Lodge had been re-
moved that ilil w o u lj be impossible [or [or me lo go go through through t ie regular form form of ceremony there. there. So be ta lk e d with me from from slat,on slat,on “ stati station” on” and explained some some point pointss but never alluded o w ha I ha d just pas sed through. H e seemed to to take „ (or (or granted that that I had crossed crossed tbe threshold threshold and accepted me as a N eo ph y p pared for further instruction or Initiation. 1T saw tbe an alcove in what was the 01 an altar in th e remains r e m a in s of ... — — "East,” and there was another triangular altar in the centre o the Temple upon a marble platform, approached by three steps^ There w ere a few old cathedral cathedral chairs chairs in in cert certai ain n places of the the r „ m and in tbe tbe W e st betwee n the two doors doors (throug (through h one of which 1 had entered and through the other he had entered) was a large cha ir with drape ries beh ind it: and directly in in rent rent of the the cha .r w a s a m ar ble bl e p e d es ta l. 1 ne ed not d etai et ai the th e de scrip sc rip t,on t, on s or e x planations given me by tbe Count, for all our members are now fam iliar with the equipment of our Te m ples. A s soon as,1 h a d s e e each pla ce a nd point, point, he escorted me to the exit door in the the W e st and ushered me into into another room room wh ich £ saken lounging roo room m and in wh ich were an old bed of the 7th century, century, old chairs, cabinets cabinets and whatnots. E ac h w as a master piece If anticue furniture and each was c o v e r e d w ith it h d ust us t a n d mold. Later 1 remarked about this furniture and the Count ex plaine d it w as stored there to keep out of the w ay . H e could be purch ased for practically nothing if it could be taken taken aw ay from there. 1 know that such pieces pieces of furniture furniture w ou ld ha ve been greatly valued in America, and some day I hope that some of our Brothers and Sisters will find find a w ay o getti getting ng from from the the old old C h ate au d 'Issus some of those pieces with interestin interesting g is on and bring them to our American Temples.
(C O N T I N U E D IN M A N IF E S T O
IV )
A V E R M E N T S t a n d i n g i n t h e p re r e s e n c e of o f t h e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d e v er er m i n d f u l of the 1 error of the
I hre sh old , I do solem nly affirm affirm th a t I na ve care fully
read an d m editated
u p o n t h e c o n t e n t s ol o l t h is i s m a n i f e s to to .
t h a t a t th th e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n
I f u r t h e r af af fi fi r m
I w a s c o n s c io io u s o f th th e s p i r it it u a l s u r g e
w i th th i n m y b e i n g th t h a t e n t h r a l le le d a n d c a u s e d m e t o a s c e n d in c o n s c i o u sn sn e s s a b o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r ta ta l a n d p h y s i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n
I w as
a l so s o a w a r e o f t h e i n v i s i b le le p r e s e n c e o f th th e C o s m i c H o s t s , I d i d a l li li x m y s i g n a t u re r e b e l o w a n d r e c o rd r d th th e h o u r , d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f th th i s C o s m i c experience.
I d o a l s o s o le le m n l y a v o u c h b y t h e s e s a m e s a c r e d t o k e n s t h a t
I h a v e p e r m i t te te d n o o t h e r e y e s b u t m i n e t o p e r u s e t h e c o n t e n t s ol ol t li li is is m an i fest festo. o.
iVnnic
Time
Day
M o n th
Year
on tessio tessio *
*
jf jfra tern ern ita ita tis
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1
CONFESSIO R.\ C.\ FRATERNITATIS Prepared by'
BRO. PROFUNDIS 1918
'■"I \ > s 1
I SS U E D
p# W tfj
B Y S P E C I A L P E R M I SS IO N OF THE
IMPERATOR A N C I E N T
M Y ST IC A L
S.-. SAN
O R D E R R O S A E C R U C IS
S.-.
S.-.
J O S E . C A L I F O R N I A . U . S. A .
MANIFESTO
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■ T
IV
The above is the title page of a work by the eminent Rosicrucian, Count Michael Michael Maier Maier.. The work, work, as indicated, indicated, was published in 1618 . Michael Maier was a Doctor of Philosophy, Medicine, Medicine, and Alchemy. He was was born in Rendsburg, about the year 1568. His abilit abilityy attracted attracted the the attention of Emperor Rudolph II, and he was appointed body physician to the Emperor. Emperor. He was a prolific prolific writer, writer, and and there there are a great number number of RosiRos icrucian manuscripts and books credited to him, many of which are in existence. Some of the complete complete originals are in the the vaults of the RosiRosicrucian Order, AMORC.
old room, now used as a storeroom, was a large couch, or lounge, which the Count hurriedly dusted and assigned to me as a resting place, warning me that I might have to remain there for several hours waiting for others to come to meet me and aid in what was to tal
THIS
A s I rose ro se to m y feet, fe et, a su d d en cons co nscio cio us re aliz al izat atio ion n p a ss e d over my being and at once I knew. W h ile I "slept,” the the M aster — the one who had appeared to me in the first Chamber, had taken me through the First Degree Initiation again, assisted by other mystic figures and personalities, in the very Lodge Room I had just ju st visi vi site ted. d. B u t, for fo r this thi s m ystic ys tic,, ps y ch ic Initi In itiat atio ion, n, the old ol d L o d g e Room had resumed its former appearance and completeness and w a s , in fact, fa ct, as it w a s in the th e d a y s of its grea gr ea test te st glor gl ory. y. I shal sh alll never forget that Initiation, and those who have been with me during the past three years, have often heard me recall the many points of equip eq uip m en t or fitti fitti ngs I sa w then an d th ere ,—■thou gh th ev nev er knew ho w I sa w — and , afte r all, that matters little to them them or to me. I left the room and went downstairs, meeting the Count who hea rd me descen ding the old stone stone stai stairs. rs. I sim sim ply stated stated that I believed I had pa ssed through the ceremony in a dream y way , but could recall mu ch of it. it. I asked if he knew that this this wa s to be my experience and if an y more more were to to follow. H e w as indefinite and evasive in his replies, but did ask that I go into the THR THRF.F F.F
large livin g room room wh ere I first first met Kim. Kim. Th ere I found three otker men, old and dignified, quiet and mystical looking, but typical in all other ways of the old men of that country. I he Cou nt exp lained that they were “ neighbors” for for whom he had sent sent my taximan taximan while I “ slept.” slept.” Ea ch, he explained, had parents in the Order Rosae Cnicis, or foreparents, who were members or officers, and he had asked them there to question me. 1 hrough the Cou nt I exp laine d to them them w h y I sought entrance
into the old Order and why I desired, if possible, to establish the Order in America. 1 hey questioned me closely as to any selfish selfish motive I might have, my determination, my realization of the obstac ob stac les, the dang da ng ers, er s, the cost in time and wTorry, etc. A ffir ff irm m in g at every question that I cared not what it would cost me of time or labor, nor what danger I encountered, encountered, they finallv agreed to go with wi th me into the old ol d L o d g e R o o m a n d one on e of the oth er men me n h an d ed the the Cou nt an old wood en casket wh ich he carried. carried. From out out of the Casket the Count took a Gold Cross with its Rose and suspended it about his his neck. neck. Th en one of the men handed him him a la m p __ an a n old copper or bronze oil burner, in which there was some oil, and the Count lighted this and placed it before him on the broken altar. I was directed to stand back about midway between the centre altar (the (the Sh ek inah) an d the Ea st (reallv in the centre centre o f the the Sanctum ) and face the Ea st. W h ile standing thus, thus, the the Count slowly made the Sign of the Cross, just as I had seen it made by the mystic master in my dream initiation, initiation, a fewr fewr minutes before, and then he spoke as foil foil ows or as ne arly so as I can now remember: Unto you is granted, so far as we the only remaining descendants of the Masters of this 7 emple can grant, the privilege of taking our glorious work to America, the land which every Frenchman loves loves and the the Lan d W her e T he Ea gle Spreads Its Its W ing s, as decreed by the the Masters of old .”
FOUR
PART SIX So m uck for the form of my initiation in its its first first part. A ll of this, or nearly all, has been understood by some of our American mem bers for some time. time. T he allim portant part, howev er, is that w h ich ic h pe rtai rt ains ns to the furt fu rth h er instr ins truc uctio tio ns I re ce ived iv ed an d the th e pa pe rs w h ich ic h w e re p la c e d in m y h a n d s b y this grou gr ou p of men. me n. A ft e r the cere ce rem m on y, d es cr ibed ib ed on the pr ec ed ing in g p a g es , I w a s permitted to look into an old notebook which one of the men owned, and which he cherished so greatly that I could not induce him to part w ith it; I va lu ed it at at the time as a me mento — as he did — but I now k now that the the book would ha ve been of u nusua l va v a lu e to me as a m ark ar k of ev iden id en ce . It w a s b o u n d in old ol d leat le athe her, r, the binding having been taken from some old historical book, and the pages were closely written in French, with many attempts at decoration decoration and lett letteri ering. ng. O n m any pages there there were designs and symbols, and, as was explained to me, the book contained the principles and laws of the Order as given by a Master in the Te m ple Lectures. In other other words, the book w as a m ember’s note note book book,, much like like those those wh ich are used by our own members today. Prom this book I copied into a memo book I had with me, all the symbols and alphabets, the terms or marks used by officers, and ma ny diagram s of temple ceremoni ceremonies es and principles. principles. I asked some questions, and some points were explained to me, but I was constantly reminded that in due time time,, you will understand ev erything.” H ow often often I hav e used thi thiss same phrase to to our mem bers! Some have been as patient as I tried to be, and some have not been. Th ose who hav e been patient patient are about to be reward ed; the impatient ones will not receive their reward as seekers of Light, in this this incarnation. A t ab ou t 9 :3 0 , I w a s d ire cted ct ed to ente en terr the th e la rg e liv li v in g room downstairs, and sit in consultation with the group, while they FIVK
examined an old trunk which had been brought into the centre of the room and was now being opened by Count BellcastleLigne. I found that it contained several old robes and surplices, some symb olical aprons, a covering covering for an A ltar, a Ro se Cloth, and m any papers and reco records rds.. A s each wa s taken taken out out and examined wit w ith h re ve re nc e a n d grea gr ea t since sin cerit rity, y, the v ar io us piec pi eces es of attire att ire w e re hung on me and I was shown their use, while with each draping certain signs were made and these in turn w’ere pointed out to me in the notes notes I ha d m ade from the the old notebook. notebook. I w as passin g through the form of being invested with certain robes and symbols for the the various degrees of of the Ord er. Pe rha ps h alf an hour w as utilized in in this this w ay . T he n those things we re repla ced in the trunk, trunk, and I was asked to be seated at the table and glance over certain papers and sign a few obligations at the bottom of sheets which wer w er e cro cr o w d ed w ith it h old , y e llo ll o w a n d p a rtly rt ly fa d e d sig na ture tu res. s. The instructions I then received I will attempt to give here, in as near the words as I can remember them; most surely I make no mistake in the import or purpose of what was said, even if I do fail to use the exact words and signs. Th e man w ho acted acted as Ch airm an of the the meeting meeting — and really assume d the the M astersh ip of of the ceremonies, ceremonies, w as L as alle . I met met him twice after this occasion, and found him to be a very kindly and truly lovable mystic who seemed to be waiting for the Great A d v e n t u r e .—■the C ro ss in g of the th e M u n d a n e T h re sh o ld . It w a s he wh w h o spok sp okee in fa ir E n g li s h — ev en bette be tterr th a n did di d B e ll c a s tl e L ig n e . “ Yo u h ave received all the inst instruc ructi tions ons we can give you at thi thiss time. time. Yo u will not consider you rself a fully initiated Brother of the Order until you have gone through certain other ceremonies in your ow n tem ple or sanctum in the future, for you m ust not — cannot — open the first first L od ge of this this O rde r in your country until the the year 19 15 . Do no nott appe ar disappoint disappointed ed or or anxious. anxious. Yo u will have so much to do in the meantime, that the time will come only too too ssoon oon.. Bu t let let me exp lain wh y the the year 19 15 is the the great year for the resurrection of the Order. “ E ve r since since the the Or der survived the catastrophe catastrophe wh ich fell upon upon Egypt, the Order has been devoted to the evolution of human souls SI X
and Human polit politics. ics. In every great crisis crisis of people or nation, nation, tke Order Has challenged the evil forces and has arrayed itself on the side of G o d and freedom freedom freedom from from supers supersti titi tion, on, freedom freedom from from political political slavery, and freedom freedom from from m ental bondage. In the the days when Jesus, the Master of the East, suffered under the political rule, because He dared to point the way to Light, Life, and Love, and was crucified on the very Cross He loved, the Order has quietly saved the people and the nations from the powers that that darken the face of the Earth . Jesu s wa s save d from from an untimely death of His body by our Order, especially by the members of the Council, whose lives were pledged to His work. Yo Y o u m a y not kn ow , bu t the th e m an Je s u s w a s re scue sc ue d from fro m the th e T o m b by these Brothers of the Order and Jesus lived for many years thereafter in secrecy and silence, meeting only the tried and tested ones, and directing the secret work of the Order and its several d ivisions until He was raised to the Higher Plane, later in life. T he facts facts surrounding this this event, you will receive later. later. It w as our Order which again freed man from political bondage in this country, by its silent and secret preaching and teaching of the doctri doctrine ne of L IG H T , w hereb y men and women in thi thiss countr countryy could become illuminated in science and religion, and free themselves selves from from the the hold of the the Rom an C atholic Ch urch. Ev en the the Je J e w s from fro m P a le s ti n e w e re invi in vite ted d to com e h ere er e a n d un ite w ith it h the libertyloving, truthseeking heretics, who formed the mystic groups, for which Toulouse and the South of France have been famous. Thousands of these loyal mystics lost their lives and sacrificed their homes and w orld ly possessions possessions then to make G o d ’s principles principles free to all. "T h en came the the later later cris crisis is.. O ur O rder has been accused accused of ha ving started started the the Fren ch Revo lution. Th is is is true true,, if you say we caused it by instilling the principles of revolution in the process of evolution; for we had so affected several generations of men and wo w o m e n in this th is coun co untry try , th at w h e n the th e time tim e ca m e a n d the th e en em y of freedom attacked liberty, millions were ready to sacrifice everythin thing, g, that that T R U T H migh mightt be F R E E . W e assi assist sted ed in the same same manner in your country at one time, and the day is soon at hand SEVEN
w h e n w e sh a ll as sist si st R u s s ia a n d oth er coun co untri tries es,, w h er e our ou r p rin ri n ciples ciples have evolved so greatly in the past. Bu t wh at I intended to say was that, in the near future, your country will not only be engaged in assisting in a great strife for freedom, but will itself need assistance in combatting the great forces of evil and soul slavery in America. 'No doubt you understand by this that our Order is pledged to combat the efforts of one great institution, which has for ages held the minds and souls of the masses in the grip of ignorance, fear, an d superstiti superstition. on. Th is is the the Hier arc hy of t h e .... ...... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. From the days when the Master Jesus was chained by the hands of the Roman bigots, our Order has been secretly and sacredly pledged to prepare man and woman for the hour, when the hand ol evil reaches out in the name of God to stifle the soul and blunt the mind. T his , too, too, will be your solemn duty, your obligation, obligation, and to which you must pledge your life and possessions and your every earthly act and power, before you may receive from our hands the final key, the last and lost word, the jewel and the blessings, w ithout which you can do na u ght. ght. “And so, in the year 1915, while your country and your people, along with other peoples and other countries are at strife in warring combat, to stop the march of greed and evil power, your country w ill il l q u ietl ie tlyy enter en ter the th e cycl cy clee of p re p a ra tio ti o n for fo r the th e com co m ing in g grea gr ea ter te r battl battlee in your own own land. B y the year 1920 your work, if if performed formed accordin according g to to the the La w L .L .L .,* will have reached a point point wh w h er e it w il l h a v e P e a c e a n d P o w e r of its ow n e sta st a b lish li sh ed in ev er y division of your country, for so it is decreed in all the ancient papers, bearing upon the the destin destinies ies of of nations nations and peoples. Th en soon soon th ere afte r,—■w ill come the d ay of conflict conflict within your co untry’s boundaries, when the Sign of the Cross will be held aloft b y t h e .................. under the rule of the King of Darkness, and it w ill il l be met a n d n eu tral tr aliz ized ed b y the th e true tru e S ig n of the th e C ro ss , he ld in the hearts and minds of your Brothers and Sisters in every city an d state. To your assistan ce w ill come our oth oth er Broth ers of the *Life, Light, Love. LIGHT
Holy Craft of King Solomon, whose workmen have been laying the material stones upon which your esoteric structure can be builded. "Naturally, you will suffer much, individually and collectively, before the the day and hour of triumph triumph comes. Bu t these sorrows sorrows,, these tests and trials will make your souls purer and stronger, and yo u as the B u il d e r of this thi s G r e a t tem te m ple pl e of H u m a n S o u ls , w ill il l meet great opposition, and must sacrifice the greater part of your life that trut truth h m ay com e.* Som e time, time, w he n you least expect it it, yo u w ill il l find fin d in yo ur cou co u ntry nt ry the p la c e w h e re the secre se crett R . C . Stone Stone wa s placed b y our our delegates delegates,, the “ Mo nks of the the Mo unt,” and w here, in the ruins ruins of an old T emple, you w ill meet aga in face to face the Master, who has guided you here, and who has ever been your Master, preparing you for the task and the work you have so blindly blindly come here to begin. Th en, your own great illumination will come, as it has come to others in their thirtyfifth years, and you you will will know know what L O V E is, what esot esoter eriic P O W E R is, and and w h a t P e a c e a n d T r ia l are, ar e, w h e n w a lk in g h a n d in h a n d to gu ide id e and direct. I now ask vou to pledge to us that vou will take up the work F O R m a n ’ s f r e e do do m, m , A G A I N S T m an a n s s la la v er e r y; y ; f or or M A N ’ S k no n o w le le dg d g e a ga g a in in st st M A N ’ S I G N O R A N C E , f or or L ig i g h t a ga ga in in st st Da rkness, for for O U R O R D E R against th e .................T” W^ith a ll so lem le m nity ni ty I took too k the o ath at h of a ll e g ia n c e in this re gard, an d then I wa s told told to to come come aga in another da y — three three or four days hence — and receive my final instructions instructions.. In the the m ean time, I was to visit several libraries and museums, and see some old paintings and relics and make such notes as I found necessary. A f t e r two tw o d a y s h a d p a ss e d I met me t the se v e ra l m en, en , b y thei th eirr appointmen t, in ano ther pla ce — the old To w er, the one pl ace so greatly disputed by those who cannot believe that the tower still exists, but which does exist, and will be visited some day by our Broth ers and Sisters. H ere I w as given m y fina l instructions, instructions, w h ich ic h I no w outli ou tline ne here he re b rie ri e fly fl y , so that th at th ey m ay be p a ss e d on to those who will be greatly concerned in the work of the future. *How prophetic this statement was is indicated by the facts of the late Iniporator's life and his comp aratively early transition. transition. . NINE
THE IMPERATOR’S INSTRUCTIONS First: Th e O rder in in Fran ce hav ing ceased to to have an exot exoteri ericc body since the year 1880, and since there was only the fraction of a thousand souls in the Order in Europe having no secret chief or Imperator, the Order in Europe could not grant any Charter or paper of patent; furthermore, the Order had never granted such charters or patents, but evolved its leaders or Imperators through Cosm ic processes.* processes.* S e c o n d : : The last secret head of the Order in Europe had been Christian Rosenkreutz, Rosenkreutz, socalle socalled d ^ who wa s in trut truth h Francis Bacon, and who used other names, such as Andrea, in the Order, and Shakespeare in other work. T h i r d : : That, in other countries, there were thousands of men and women who were born Rosaecrucians from Rosaecrucian grandparents, but although living according to the principles and in some cities meeting in small groups for study under various names, they were not organized into regular Lodges, since the ending of Ch ristian Rosenk reutz cycle of 108 years. Fourth: Fourth: That all these men and women and small groups w e re p a tie ti e n tly tl y a w a itin it in g the th e com co m ing in g of the n ex t le a d e r, w h ic h th ey knew would be in in 19 15 ; and this this prophecy had been made for several hundred years ^ even during Ro senkre utz’ time, time, and in India, where the last Eastern chief of the Order lived and was raised raised to the the Highe r Realm . *The Order in France during this period was not conducting any outer activities. 1 here w as no semblance of fratemalism fratemalism as we knowr knowr it in America today. There were not even even any established established temples designated as places where Rosicrucian conclaves are held regularly, as now exist in North Am erica and else where. F'ratres F'ratres and Sorores of the Ord er in Fran ce met at irregular times and there was not that methodical pursuit of the studies that we who are members of this juris dict ion enjo y. Th ou gh the late Im pera tor w as give n sole auth orit y in 19 09 to brin g Ro sicr u cianisin into active existence again in America, and was allowed to copy notes pertaining to its teachings and precepts as he has explained herein, he was not given any paper or document that proclaimed him Imperator, for that wa s not the custom custom of the Orde r as he has explain ed. To be made Imperator, he had first to prove himself qualified, to labor in the vineyard of the Order for years. Howeve r, at a later period, documentary confirmation confirmation of his his noble work was given him as is is explained explained in the published Rosicrucian History History of A M O R C , and in 19 15 he was duly recognized as Imperator of this this jurisdiction by the Orde r in Fran ce. Since that year, m any writ ten char ters an d docu men ts of fur the r auth orit y ha ve bee n given him by the Su pre m e officers of foreign jurisdictions of the Order and these historical manifestoes repose in the archives of the Order at the Supreme Lodge in San Jose, California, and are inspected by committees of members at each annual convention convention of the the A. M. O . R. C. of North and South America. [This jurisdiction now includes Central America, Australasia, and Africa—31650] T EN
Fifth: Fifth: That those journeying to India and Egypt or other Eastern lands in search of the Order, were always told that in the W e s t , w h e re the E a g l e S p r e a d s Its W in g s , w ill il l come co me the ne xt incarnated soul of Amenhotep IV, in the year of 1915, to take up the work for the next cycle of 108 years. Sixth: Sixth: T h at such a lea de r wyouId make h imself known , not by papers or documents, but by his work: that without funds he w o u ld a ccom cc om p lish li sh w h a t oth ers w o u ld not no t a cc o m plis pl ish h w ith o ut or even with funds; that he would demonstrate in a simple manner w h a t others oth ers pr eten et en d ing in g to be grea gr ea t w o u ld not de m on stra st rate te in the most complex manner; that without previous education or training,* he would know such things as only the most learned man or w o m a n co uld ul d kn ow , a n d ev en more mo re th an this, thi s, w h a t o nl y the sa g es or mystics of the past had eve r know n — all w'isdom combined, a m aster in in the the arts an d sciences in every hand iwyork and e very la w ; that without political power or material assistance, he would change the laws of man and nation and cast light over darkness w h er e others oth ers h a d fa ile il e d in spite sp ite of po liti li tica ca l p o w er , e ar th ly forces for ces and material strength; that as a young man he would do that w h ich ic h o lder ld er men me n w o u ld h esita es ita te to d o ; that th at w ith it h m a n y m ater at er ial ia l opportunities for using his Cosmicgiven abilities, talents and unusual knowledge, he will forsake the material world and its glimmer and sacrifice his future happiness, his worldly ease and pleasures and even the happiness of those nearest and dearest to him, to fulfill his mission in life; that, instead of applying all his wor w or k a n d efforts effo rts s el fish fi sh ly for fo r h im se lf or for fo r thos th osee ne ar es t to him, him , he would unselfishly give to others; that he would day by day demonstrate a kindness and love and a tolerance for others seldom found in human beings; that he would take and receive naught but suffering suffering and sorrow as his rew rewyyard, and w ou ld a lw ay s be ready to take more of it and work under and against the worst obstacles possible, with joy in his heart, instead of revenge or hatred; and that he would prove himself the true leader of the Order and True Master by his acts and his omissions, his kindness an d his reverence, his stead fastness an d his pe rsona lity — *This refers to training in tlie mystic arts and sciences. ELKVEN
though all he against him and evil seem to conquer, still would he grow stronger and more beloved by those who knew him and wer w er e w ith it h h im .* S e v e n t h : : That he would make himself the Imperator, not by decree of any Council or power from any individual, but by his fulfillment of the purposes of the Order, living the life of a Rosae crucian and by truly establishing again the Order in all its glory and with all its power, and by bringing the true light to the world again, and thereby proving that he did resurrect the Order in (9/5, as decreed by the old masters. Eighth: Eighth: That by establishing the Order in this way and re viv v ivin ing g a ll its old ol d la w s a n d p rinc ri nc iple ip les, s, an d b y sp re a d in g the th e wo rk 1 O O T H E R L A N D S , p r o ve ve h im im se s e lf lf th e true descendant of the old Masters. N in t h : That by adding to the work and making it more simple and comprehensible; that by receiving from the Cosmic Masters their newer instructions and latest teachings; that by reaching the heights of attunement, and proving that he could develop others to attunement and soulfreedom with him; that by developing others to go to lands and places by projections; that by developing others to do the great healing work; and that by causing others to love him for his own sake and the work he has done and the suffering he has gone through — by all these things he would make himself the True Master of the Order, for the cycle beginning in 1915, throughout the world. T e n t h : : That when the great time came and he had established Lodges in in his his own own land land and in O T H E R L A N D S , he would the then n appoi appoint nt from among among hi his T R IE D and T E S T E D Brot Brother herss and and Sisters a Council to rule the work of the Order throughout the wo w o rld rl d , so that th at he w o u ld a g a in h a v e, a s h a v e the M a st e rs of old a S U P R E M E C O U N C I L O F T H E W O R L D to h e l p him that his work might grow greater and richer everywhere.f * Ih e great love, love, respect respect and admiration h ad by tlie membership for for tile tile late Imperator wa s evidenced in tiie several thousand condolence letters, telegrams, and cables received at the Supreme I^odge upon the occasion of his transition. fF h is Suprem e Coun cil lie later organized and it has keen in continuou continuouss existence for over thirty years. TWELVE
E l e v e n t h : 1 hat he w ou ld continue to receive from the Co sm ic Masters the further instructions, unguided by any earthly advice, and that he would keep secret the real purpose of the Order to those who should not know, and would in every way keep holy and undefiled the good name of the Order, even at the sacrifice of his earthly life and peace. T w e l f t h : Th at when he did appoint appoint his his Suprem e Council of the W orld or other other advisors he w ould bind them them to the the O rder and its principles and himself, in the same way as he had been bound and as the great Masters would Cosmically direct him, even to having each pledge his life and his earthly efforts in the most binding and sacred manner possible. Th ese were tlie tlie instructi instructions ons a nd law s I received a nd under w hich I h a v e toile to iled d for fo r ov er thre th reee ye a rs, rs , an d for fo r w h ich ic h I h a v e planne d and mad e sacrific sacrifices es for nearly nine years — since since Ju ly of 1 Q O Q . A l l the ritu ri tual alss an d instru ins tructi ction onss w h ich ic h I h a v e used us ed I h a v e h ad to secure secure in many strange w ay s — but gen erall y through the the sam e process a s I used before findin g the O rd er — that of entering into into a state of attunement about nine o clock in the evening and staying in that condition for hours until I had received what I desired.* So, for the past four years I have devoted one, two, and sometimes four ni ghts a we ek in such attunem ent until as late a s two an d three o clock in the the morning. I wou ld sit in the the da rk or a soft light until I lost objective consciousness, and there, with pencil and paper at a table, I would permit my hand to write out the leachings and the ceremonies, the laws and the principles. Sometimes the writing would be brief and needed amplification; sometimes there would be many symbols and hieroglyphics which I wou ld have to to translate. translate. O ften the the lan gu age wou ld be so wo nderful and so perfect that I have used it in our work without alteration or addition. *M ur h of the written written material, or manuscripts, manuscripts, transmitted to to the late Imperator upon his several later journeys to Europe were of such an abstract nature that thev required his personal interpretation pretation and elucid ation. to make them comprehensible to to A M O R C members. members. T H 1R T F F N
One suck example of wonderful writing from the Cosmic M asters is tlie tlie old old N od in Man uscript used in our Fourth Deg ree. T h at cam e to me in one n ig h t.—■from nine in the eve ning to four in the m or ni ng ,—■an d the orig inal m anu script, just as I wrote it then, I still have in my files where a few will see it upon request. In the copies we use in our lectures only a few words have been ad ded or changed . It came direc directt fro from m the M aster who originally wrot wr otee it — N o d in — an d w h o is no w one on e of the M a st e rs w h o helps me. Some of our members have seen or heard Padre speak through me in the the third de gree lectures or experim ents — or at other times from from the the Temple Platfor m . It w as he and ano ther great M aste r — wh w h o se n am e I w ill il l give gi ve la ter te r — w h o h a v e give gi ve n me a ll the work wo rk of our Order and who continue to guide me.
(CONTINUED
F O l ’ RT RT F F N
IN M A N I F E S T O V)
AVERMENT S t a n d i n g i n t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d e v er er m i n d f u l of the Te rror of the
I h r e s b o l d , I d o s o l e m n l y a f fi f i rm rm t h a t 1 h a v e c a r e f u l ly ly
r e a d a n d m e d i t a t e d u p o n t h e c o n t e n t s o f th th i s m a n i f e s t o . thal at the suprem e mom ent wh en
I f u r t h e r a ff ff ir ir m
I w as conscious of the spiritual surge
w t t h i n m y b e i n g t h a t e n t h r a l l e d a n d c a u s e d m e l o a s c e n d i n c o n s c i o u s n es es s a b o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r ta ta l a n d p h y s i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n
( was
also aware of the invisible presence of the Cosmic Hosts, I did affix my s i g n a t u r e b e l o w a n d r e c o r d t h e h o ur u r , d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f th th i s C o s m i c experience.
I do also solemnly avouch b y these sam e sacred tokens thal
f have permitted no other eyes but mine to peruse the contents ol this manifesto.
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CONFESSIO R.\ C.\ FRATERNITATIS Prepared by
BRO. PROFUNDIS 1918
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B Y S P E C I A L P F .K M I S S I O N OF TH E
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T h e a b o v e i s a r e p r o d u c t i o n o f a t i t l e p a g e f r o m w h a t is is te te r m e d t l ie ie t r u e h is i s to to r y o f t h e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r . I t w a s w r i t t e n b y a D r . G . N a u d e a n d l ir ir st st p u b l i s h e d i n P a r i s i n 1 62 62 5. 5. O r . N a u d e w a s l i b r a r i a n to to C a r d i n a l Mazarin and thus was obliged to be very critical in his review ol the history of the R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r , a n d f r i e s to d e r i d e t h e t e a c h i n g s o l t h e O r d e r R o s a e C r u c i s . H o w e v e r , h i s n e g a t i v e w o r k ve v e r if if ie ie s th th e f a c t t h a t distinguished individuals who were said in Rosicrucian tracts to be m e m b e r s of o f t h e O r d e r w e r e a c t u a l l y so so . C o n s e q u e n t l y , h e u n w i t t in in g l y p r o v e s i n h i s w o r k t h e e a r l y e x i s t e n c e o f t h e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r a n d e v e n t h e m e m b e r s h i p i n it it of of t h e e m i n e n t S i r F r a n c i s B a c o n . T h e p h o t o s t a t o l t h is i s o r ig i g i n a l w o r k is i s in i n t h e a r c h i ve ve s o f t h e A M O R C .
so I have devo ted m an y ye ars ol m y life w hic h mi ght have been spent in pleasure or worldly things, to build up this this Order. Nigh ts when 1 w a s not in attu at tu n em e n t in my little sanctum at home 1 w a s at the th e T e m p le le ctu ct u rin ri n g or giving treatment treatments. s. I ha ve m ade my wife an d children children suffer wit w ith h me in o rd e r that th at othe ot hers rs m ight ig ht h a v e the th e resu re sult lt of m y w ork or k a n d the profits of the the pled ge s I m ad e in old I oulouse. n d
A n d — 1 have kept my promises in other ways which our members here ha ve n ever learned. In w ha t hours I could spare from the the T 'em pie w ork an d from from my attuneme nts with the M aste rs, I have been busy establishing Lodges in other Lands as I promised I wo n Id. Id. Ye t I did not not permit a ny Br ot he r or Sis te r to to help me in this foreign work. 1 had to keep it secret and do it alone, that it might be done and under way before I appointed my Supreme Cou ncil of the the W o rld . A n d so, so, with all the the other work I ha ve had to do, I ha ve for over two two yea rs kept up a ste ad y correspond ence in foreign lands with every secret group and every mystic body until I have succeeded in establishing a Lodge in Madras, India, under my own dir direct ection ion there, there, one in in the the G o ld C oa st ol W es t A f r ic a u n d e r m y ow n dire di rect ctio ion, n, on onee in P e rs ia , a n d on onee in E g y p t , w h e re for fo r o v e r a h u n d r e d y e a r s o n ly a fe w d e s ce n d a n ts ol the O rde r remained. I ha ve started started Lo dg es in other countri countries es and have recognition now in many lands, and yet all this had to be done quietly and secretly and alone.* I he work ha s b een stup end ous, bu t it it has m ade me h ap py — more happy than anything else in this world and after all these ye y e a rs ol la b o r a n d w h ile il e I am n o w a b o u t to b e g in the th e last la st h a ll ol my thirty thirtyf fif ifth th year and whe n the the great great change or T R A N S I I IO N and IL L U M IN A T IO N is to co come me,, I fee) ee) tha thatt 1 must make arrangement arrangementss and appoint appoint my Supreme Council ol the the W orld . For over six months now, I have warned those around me that a great an d imp imp ortant crisis crisis in in my life life w as coming. I expected * I his corresponde correspondence nce is on on file at the Sup reme Gr an d Iodge. TIIRPI
that that Ilie lie transition wo uld take me to the H igh er R ea lm s an d I am am sure that some such change will come before the year is ended. That is why I spoke to the Brothers and Sisters ol our Lodge last Ro saecrucian N ew Y ea r’s night night and said: I his his may he the last ast time I will appear before you as the Imperator or your Master. Ho we ver, G o d s will he don e! I have u ndertaken on thi thiss tri trip p acro across ss the count country ry to prepare prepare th this C O N F E S S IO N and it it is is now done, and as 1 face the W es ter n Lig hts a nd see the the fir firsst signs signs of C alif o rn ia I realize that that my W es te rn trip trip is is end ed.— this eigh teenth clay clay of A pril, ig i 8 — and that m y C on fessio n is ende d.— ye t more mo re is to he a d d e d som so m etim et im e, I am sure su re,, b y thos th osee ev en ts w h ich ic h com co m e a s a cris cr isis is w ith it h in a fe w m on onth ths. s. M a y G o d b e m erci erc i ful to all, just as ever, and kind to one who has striven all his lile to help others, who has to deceive some that power for evil might not be given into their hands, and who has had to pay dearly lor every hour of joy and for every minute of unselfish efforts for others. Y e t P e a c e P ro fo u n d w ill il l re ign ig n in A m e r ic a a n d o th er la n d s some day, and then others will see that 1. simple American, guided by love, have added to Peace Profound, through those efforts and law s wh ich I must must now transfer into into other other hands. M a y G o d bless each who reads this and becomes one of the Masters in the 1 emple of God. H. S P E N C E R L E W I S Profun dis XII
FOUR
|Alden| |Alden|
Enroute from San hrancisco to Ogden, Utah, Thursday, M ay Qt Qth. 1 918. R. C . 327 1. TO BROTH ERS BRA SSARD
AND
B IN I N I M E L I S :* :*
I feel, now that I am leaving the State ol California and out ol its immediate environment and influence, that I must write this message and have it read by Brothers Brassard, Lindstedt, Bini melis, and the one or two others whom they may give this to in the same spirit as it is given to them. Yo Y o u a re a w a r e th at lo r so m e y e a rs I h a v e look lo oked ed fo rw a rd to the time when the great transition would occur which is plainly indicated in my horoscope and likewise predicted and predicated in all my communications and dealings with the unseen Masters. Yo Y o u h a v e rece re cen n tly tl y le a rn e d from fr om m e, d u rin ri n g the th e p a st s ix m on onth thss and from he who knows that the time of this personal transition w a s n e a r at h a n d ; a n d w h i le its coming and its very imminence did not disturb or perturb me, its nature and its effects were of considerable interest, for there was great work to be done before I could fully resign myself to its unforeseen and unknown results, be they whatever the Masters or Supreme Master decree.^' V e r y re ce n tly tl y yo u h a v e w itn it n e ss e d the in cr e a s in g a n x ie t y on my part and the outer manifestations ol inner and other preparations * I his his communica communication tion is addressed to two Fratre s. A M O R C officer officers, s, who w ere very active at the time in tlie work ol tlic Order and who resided in New York City, tlie first location of the Supreme Gra nd Lod ge ol A M O R C for this this cycle. cycle. T he first first,, Fraler Brassard, was Supreme Secretary. A copy of the original lette letterr was attached to the R . • C • Confession and its its content content hears directly upon the late Imperator s experiences at the time time of his writin g it. it. Co nsequently. it is of importance that it be included with his manifesto, f I he transition transition to which the late Im perator refers is not not the Gr ea t Initiat Initiation ion or the returning of the soul to to the Cos mic an d the realm ol the Abs olut e from when ce it came. It refers instead to a coming t r a n s i t i o n o f h i s p s y c h i c s e lf , a sudden attainment of great illumination, that would transcend him him abov e the ordinary realm of objective perception. From such a time on, he realized he would be able at will to attain that state with its magnificent perspective and consequently he would be obliged to keep his consciousness on that plane frequently to derive the great we alth of knowled ge that wou ld come to him through such contacts. contacts. A nd thus he wa s war w arni ni ng these the se I'r atr es that it wo uld be ne cessa ce ssa ry fo r him to relin re lin quish qu ish m an y of his previou pre viou s duties that occupied his objective consciousness so many hours of the day. FIVE
for such an event, and while I may not have veiled these things from most of yo u , I have fried to keep the knowledge of a coming crisis from the minds or conscious realization of ihe majority of our members. w a s w ith c o n s id e ra b le re lu cta ct a n ce that tha t I v e n tu re d upon up on ihis ih is transcontinental trip, and you may well remember the attitude of mind with which f addressed the members ol our Lodge on the night of our Rosaecrucian New Year and left an unmistakable impression upon them that it might be the very last time that their Imperator and Brother would thus address them upon the occasion of a sacred sacred N ew Y ea r Fe ast. A ll in all, I hav e tri tried ed lo prepare each and all ol you lor the crisis which was inevitable and i( was wit w ith h the th e h o p e that th at this thi s trip tri p to the th e W e s t w ith it h its m a n y hour ho urss lor contemplation and meditation—»and facilities to typewrite— w o u ld p re p a re m y m ind in d a n d soul so ul for fo r the th e in e v it a b le , a n d permit perm it me to write the Great Confessio Confessio required of me as it was required of all past Suf>reme Executives ol our Order, up to and including “ Ch ristian ristian Rosenkreutz ’ whose F a i n a C O N F E S S I O is a sacred document to the secret Masters of our Order. 11
A n d fort fo rtu u n ate at e in d ee d is it that th at m y C o n fe s s io n is no w com co m pleted in many pages of closely typewritten matter, for the end has come and the purpose of this message to each of you is to let yo u k n ow th a t the Im p e ra to r ol the th e p a st w h o m yo u k n ew so w ell el l and whose love and kindest regards each of you possessed in unstinted stinted de gree, is no more. H is soul and mind hav e passed throug through h the great transition, instead of his body, although that loo has been greatly transmuted in ways which all true mystics will discern with un derstan ding very shortly. shortly. A n d , so it has come about that that 1 spoke to each of you not too soon regarding this matter, and it is is and will be. now necessary that I prepare you for what is w is h that th at I c ou ld g iv e yo u a ll the th e d e ta ils il s of this th is gr ea t even ev ent, t, but I must reserve them as part of the closing words of the Great Confessio, which I completed before reaching California, where this last event in my life and in in the history of our Order is mosl properly an d logica lly affiliated. Bu t a few points points must be mad e 1
S IX
clear lo you now, that each ol you may prepare lor the changes w h ic h w ill il l com co m e w ith my h om ec om ing in g a n d the th e lile li le [ w ill il l live liv e Irom this lime onward lor a definite number ol years. A n d so the th e h ou r c a m e lor lo r the grea gr ea t tran tr an siti si tion on ; a most mos t p roro pitious time finding me not unprepared in mind and soul and not unmindful ol my obligation to completely resign myself to the sacrifices, the conditions, and the results. w a s on S u n d a y a fter ft ern n oo n , A p r i l 2 i s ( (p re c ise is e ly on onee month mon th alter the the Rosaecru cian N ew Y ea r Feast) at 5:5 5 p. m. Pa cific I ime ime (6:55 Eastern 1ime), or one hour earlier by the true sun time, that transition began with the first sound I uttered from the platlorm ol the hall in which I was speaking lor the first time in the Slate ol Califo rnia . A ccom pan ying the vibrations ol my voice, voice, which trembled around and about me until my being was tingling like the action ol the piano wire alter being struck, were vibrations ol the Cosmic and the Mundane world until the earth trembled, the buildings creaked and moved on their loundations, and with the audience in fright and leaving rapidly. I could only stand still, unmoved, for I could not not move. I w as tran sfixed, speec hless, sens sensel eles ess, s, and cons consci cious ous only only of of on onee thing: thing: T H E R E , IN F R O N T O F M E , IN T H E C E N T R E O F T H E A U D I T O R I U M A N D O N L Y S L IG IG H T L Y B E L O W T H E L E V E L O F T H E P L A T FO R M O N W H IC H I ST O O D W A S T H E M O S T B E A U T IF U L F IG U R E A N D F A C E I H A V E E V E R S E E N . The supremely grand figure and personality gazed steadily at me, and about it came the most perfect violet aura that my eyes have ever wit w itn n e ssed ss ed . 11 did not move, but the smile ol encouragement that greeted me told the story ol the coming of the time and I knew that that the hour struck and all of natu re s lorces w ere in accord, wo w o rk ing in g to b rin ri n g ab ou t the th e transition I was awaiting. Il
I need not not now go into into w h at follo w ed this antecrisis. I spoke on to those who finally returned to their seats, while sobs and tears and prayers were mumbled or vented in all parts of the hall. M y words were soft; I wa s inspired and liste listened ned to the message ol P E A C E which flowed flowed through through my lips lips Irom Irom the the divine being being still before me. SHVIN
I he ne wsp apers next m orning orning stated stated that a strange an d unusual earthquake had passed over Southern California, and while buildings toppled and some fell, and railroads and telegraph lines they knew we w e re ru ine in e d , no lives were lost, no souls destroyed. A h, they nott the truth. no truth. N o life life lost lost an d no no soul destro yed, w a s hut part o f th e t r u t h ; fo fo r t h e r e W A S A S O U L T R A N S F O R M E D A N D A N E W P E R S O N A L I T Y B O R N . In the the day s of old old tli tliee G rea t M as te rs soul soul w as freed while the multitude looked up at his body sacrificed upon the Cross of Love and Service, while the earth trembled and the Cosmic Forces vibrated and man ifested their their culmination. culmination. A n d. H e then then retired for a while in the wilderness to come again a resurrected being. A n d so it ha s been with with yo ur Imperator, wh o in in all hu mi lity lity make s the com pariso n ol his tran sition w ith that of the the Great Master, mindful of the great difference in souls, being, and personality. I hat S u n da y night night I w as in deeper trance w hile speaking to the members of the Los Angeles Lodge in private session, and my demo nstration s wer e of an u nu sua l n a tu re »—
essence and being was slowly preparing and attuning mine for w h a t w a s soon soo n to com co m e. I ben came the the meeting meeting in in O ak lan d, C aliforn ia, on M ond ay evening, April 29th, when again the mysteries ol transition manifested fested themselves in in a w ay wh ich ca lled fort forth h more of of the unu sual comments I heard at all my meetings and which I may add or record at the close of my Confessio. D urin g that that da y I had purch ased my railroad railroad ticke tickets ts and sleeper accomm odations for for my jo u rn e y from fro m S a n F r a n c is c o to O g d e n , U t a h . M y p la n s w e re all al l made conscio consciously usly for for leaving S an Francisco, I uesday , A pril 30th, though I must confess, I was exerting great effort to have a perfect realization of my objective acts. A f t e r the m ee tin g ol M o n d a y nigh ni gh t I retu re tu rned rn ed to S a n F ra n c isc is c o by w ay of the the boat between 1 1 an d 12 o clock clock an d lelt the party I was with, to stand alone at the edge ol the boat and watch the playing of the lights on the dark waters of th e great great B ay . I w as fascinated, spellbound, and undoubtedly affected in some strange w a y b y the th e fig fi g u re w h ic h n o w w a lk e d u p o n the th e s u rfa rf a c e ol the w a te r a n d b id me follow' follo w' or com co m e to it. T h a t I d id not try this thi s w a s d u e to the th e fac fa c t th a t 1 s a w in it a sy m b o lism li sm ra th e r th a n a literal interpretation and I returned after a time to the group awaiting me, and with them I returned to my hotel in San Francisco, packed my grip and satchel ready for an early departure in the morning for Ogden, Utah. It is probably useless for me to attempt lo explain or even outline outline the the events follow follow ing that night s profound profound sleep. sleep. W ith prayers that the Masters might guide me aright and conscious of the presence ol the great and beautiful spirit always calling me to lollow, 1 fell asleep . It w a s after mid night wh en I lost lost con sciousn ess of sell — midnight ol A p ril 2Qth 2Qth,, with the d aw n ol 1 uesday, April 50. but a few hours away, in the country ol roses and poppies where lile is at its best and the air inspiring to one wh w h o seek se ekss the fu lln ll n e s s of e a rt h ly ex iste is ten n ce . W h e n 1 awoke—w awoke—w he n I cam e to to consciousness ol my self and my surround ings— I w as no nott in in the sam e room, the sam e city, or, or, NINE
seem ingly, llie llie sam e land land . I w as in an old old and ancient building, w h e re q u ietn ie tn e ss a n d p e a c e w e r e so so evident that they seemed like music in the air; where the odor ol roses and wild flowers clung to me like an invisible mantle and the sun was shining more brig htly than in an y clime I b ad eve r seen. I did not know— I could no nott know w here I w as , nor nor did this lack ol ol unde rstanding arouse an y concern concern in in me. I kn ew on ly that I w as in the the presence.— the complete a nd perfect perfect re al m —of the m ystic ystic soul which w a s s lo w ly m e rg ing in g into m y o w n a n d a s s lo w ly a b so rb in g that tha t wh w h ich ic h h a d here he reto tofo fore re b een ee n m y soul so ul,, f he h e grea gr ea t tran tr an sitio sit ion n w a s at han d. I w as just just across the the borderline and could ha ve but litt little le realization ol the objective world. I found in the room all my personal effects properly unpacked an d arran ged for a long stay. I found m any other articles of w orship of a Rosaecrucian nature, and before me, in Iront ol a large mirror, was a beautiful gold Rosey Cross. 1 arose and lifted my hands to heaven and cried cried aloud: Th ank G od , the D aw n has come: God be praised! 1 fell to my knees, I chanted and I heard swe et voices voices cha nting alte r me: So mote it be, so mote it be ! A s 1 stood upon my feet a clear and solemntoned voice at my side thrilled me with these words, slowly and sweetly spoken: “ R I S E F R O M T H E T O M B IN IN W H I C H T H O U H A S T B EE N
AND
W ALK
FO R T H
IN T O
THE
W ORLD.
W H E R E . I N T H Y R E S U R R E C T I O N F R O M T H E C R O S S . T H O U S H A L T B E K N O W N A S A L D E N !” I walked as in a dream, but I knew it was all in actuality and nott dream realizations. I found no found that d ay that I w as up on a hill hill overlooking a great bay in a place unknown to me, but now known and which I shall keep nameless lor reasons which must be evident evident.. I found found also also that the da y was W ed ne sd ay , M ay First, and that the whole of Tuesday, April 50th. had come and gone without my conscious realization: that on that missing Tuesday I had in fact left San Francisco but not for Ogden, but for this strange place, arriving at this mystic goal late in the TEN
night of 1 uesda y an d never knowing it its reali realiti ties es unti until W ed n es day morning. I hen, lor some d a y s I lived in I his mystic my stic home, eatin ea tin g an d sleeping, walking on tlie strange shores ol the restless ocean, dozing on the sand dunes or basking in the warm sun on weird rocks rocks olf the shore, f sa w no one who m I knew or now know except the the m aster soul which w as my constant comp anion. I spent hours in prayer and meditation; I found myself able to project project myself to fill fill place s with eas e and pea ce. I held communion with many great unseen masters and was instructed in my future work and my future obligations. I w as ab le to to see the the souls of those who were associated with me in the work ol the Order, and I know each of them now as I could never have known them otherwise; I know the true and false, and I am sending this letter to you that you may he warned of this fact. O n F riday, M ay 3rd, 3rd, I w as led by my Master to to a place place between two of the green hills where was marked with a huge wh w h ite it e C ro s s , tlie tli e p la c e w h e re the th e R o s a e c r u c i a n S to n e w a s brou br ou gh t and buried in in A m eric an soil soil before white men lived lived here. here. A t the sam e p lace I w ors hip pe d in the the ruins ruins of an o ld I em ple erected to our work long before there was any other Temple in America, as the the M aste rs told told me in To ulou se. I w a s able to photograp h these things and to keep notes, and these I will show some day. 1 he day s cam e and passed so gloriously gloriously that whe n the the last last d ay came and my transition was completed, I could only weep and ask that 1 might come again; and so a date was set for my return, a date and event which all my Brothers and Sisters of our Lodge in New York must help me prepare for. A n d . so, a ft e r s e v e ra l d a y s a b s e n ce from fro m S a n F r a n c is c o a n d wit w ith h 110 on onee k n o w in g w h e re I w a s ex ce p t thos th osee w h o h a d p la n n e d this mystic period, I lound myself conscious of the world again at a railroad station on my way to San I'rancisco. I realize that this account will be taken as a mystic story; but the facts are true and my life hereafter wifi prove it. ELEVEN
I will remain in this existence many years and my great work is just begun. 1 ask tbat Sisters Mitcbell and Sanderson and Sister Linke be permitted to read tbis, lor a group of five and some others, including Brothers Richter and Lindstedt, will reach the the great heights with me and I w ish them them prepared. No ne who se names I have not mentioned shall read this, and when all have read, these pages must be saved for me, for I must preserve them according to instructions, and add this to my Confessio. M ay all who read become become illuminated, illuminated, w a r n e d , and blessed that they may prepare lor the great awakening which is surely coming to them; and may they view with love, tenderness and deep consideration the present and future eflorts ol their Brother Imperator to help them. ALDEN”
TWELVE
AVERMENT S t a n d i n g i n t h e p r e s e n ce c e of of t h e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d e v e r m i n d f u l of the
T e rr rr o r o f t h e
I h r e s h o l d , I d o s o l e m n l y a ff ff i rm rm t h a t
1 ha ve carefully
read an d m editate d u pon the conten ts ol this manifesto.
I f u r t h e r af af fi f i rm rm
t h a t a t t h e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n s c i o u s o f th th e s p i r i t u a l s u r ge ge w i t h i n m y b e i n g t h a t e n t h r a l l e d a n d c a u s e d m e to t o a s c e n d i n c o n s c i o u sn sn e s s a h o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r t a l a n d p h y s ic ic a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n I w a s a l s o a w a r e o l t h e i n v i s i b l e p r e s e n c e o f t h e C o s m i c H o s t s , I d i d a ff f f ix ix m y s i g n a t u r e b e l o w a n d r e c o r d I fi e h o u r , d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f t h is is C o s m i c e x p e r i e nc nc e .
I d o a l so so s o l e m n l y a v o u c h b y t h e s e s a m e s a c r e d
I have perm itted no other eyes but m ine to peruse
t o k e n s t h at at
the con tents ol this
manifesto.
N a m e
Time
/)av
Mo M o n t h
Y e a r
I
