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The Rosicrucian Order

MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N

This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. It is not purchased by, but loaned to. the receiving member.

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The matter contained herein is oHclnlly Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered In the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies or officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts’* as authorized by the Impenuor of A. M. O. R. C. (The above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All mattery herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and arc Imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the right of possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation of tne Statutes of this Order. A. M. O. R. C. Is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements.

THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V

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It is through purging of sin rather than the damming up of weaknesses that one is liberated from materialism and gains spiritual heights. The purification of the soul of desires was the admonition of Plotinus, the Alexandrian philosopher of the third century after Christ.

We should be right in saying that the soul becomes ill-favored through mingling and mixing with the body and through inclination toward it, and toward matter. And this is ugliness in a soul: not to be pure and unalloyed, as it is bad for gold to be mixed with soil, which if removed leaves the gold beautiful, purged of other substances, being left in its purity. In the same manner the soul purified of desires which it has because of the body with which it has come into too close association, being freed from other passions and purified of those which it has because of its embodiment, remaining in its purity, puts away all the baseness derived from its other nature. - P L O T IN U S , A .D . 205(?)-270

AMORC

Temple Section

ELEVENTH DEGREE

N U M B E R SEVENTY-ONE

The Rosicrucian Order

PAGE ONE

Beloved Members, Greetings! Continuing our study of the ancient writings described in the monograph of last week, there are a few more points that I would like to give you this week. I think they are appropriate at just this universal period when with so much restlessness throughout the world we are all trying to think of peace and harmony along with human good will. The next subject pertains to visions produced by the hymns that are sung silently or inwardly; in other words, through commu­ nion or prayers between the outer self and the inner self or be­ tween the outer self and the Cosmic or God. The first point under this subject implores us not to create false visions through the use of ornamentations in our language, nor by parades of artificial phrases nor elegance of words. It is distinctly stated that "God loves the simple unadorned beauty of thought." It says that a hymn or prayer to God or to the Cosmic should be simple so that it is godlike. Any fire or fervor that may be needed in such a hymn or prayer should be a fire or fervor within our souls and not in the words that are used. GOD LOVES The more simple the thought, the more true to our simpleSIMPLICITY ness of soul expression, the more correctly will our prayers and hymns create visions before us that are like cosmic or heavenly visions. In other words, if we are praying to God or speaking to or about any of the great Masters, we want to visualize and have a vision of them before us. Our vision should be simple and not ornamental, and in order that these visions may be simple and true, our words and thoughts must be simple and almost childlike in their pristine purity of thought. This reminds us of what Jesus said. As one of the great Masters, knowing all of these great laws so well and attempting to teach them to his disciples, he reminded them that unless one be ­ came like a child one could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You will remember that this created a very strange reaction in the minds of his disciples and they asked whether Jesus meant that one would have to be born again in order to get into the kingdom of heaven and thereby become a little child before daring to approach the kingdom. Jesus, of course, did not mean that they were to become like children in a physical or earthly sense but in a mental and spiritual sense. This remark is also a condemnation of all of our elaborate earthly education that tends to make all of our thinking very complex and very elaborate instead of simple. We also understand why many of the great Masters in the past have chosen to live as monks or anchorites, or as we say in the present day, go back to the simple life by living out in the open and away from advanced and complex civili-

Temple Section

ELEVENTH DEG REE

AMORC

NUM BER SEVENTY-ONE

The Rosicrucian Order

PAGE TWO

zation so that we can attune to nature and come closer to God and the simple things of life. All of our speculations about the Cosmic and the Masters and the soul's relationship to the universe, as well as our prayers and all of our contemplations of life's mysteries, should be along lines of simple thought, for it is in the simple truths and in the simple facts that the great mysteries of life are found. Then the next subject brings us to the law of morals. The very first statement made under this subject is certainly one of astonishing truths and yet undeniable experience. The statement is, "The body is the root of evil just as intellect is the root of v irtue." You may change the word body to flesh or physical existence and you have the same thought. Or you may change intellect into Divine Mind or Cosmic Consciousness and have the same thought. Certainly, the body, made of flesh and earthly things, is the root of evil, for all suffering, pain, evil, all sin must be in this physical part of man and all virtue must eventually reside in and be to the credit of the divine, mental, intellectual part of man. The physical body can never be virtuous because it is born of sin in a physical/ earthly sense and its virtue would be of no avail since the body must be cast aside at transition and take on cor­ ruption, while the spiritual part of man continues to exist. The next point under this subject is truly a very wonderful metaphysical law to contemplate. It is stated thus: "Our body is a part of generation, or the sphere of time and sense." The mere fact that all parts of the physical body are chang­ ing in accordance with the universal laws of nature brings the physical part of man completely under the dominion of the senses and of the physical limitations of time and space. These limita­ tions are unreal from a metaphysical point of view and are essen­ tially the field of sin. Through our senses and through our false conception of time and space, sin is able to find power to mani­ fest and at the same time we are able to find alibis for our sinfulness. The next point under this subject is also worthy of long speculation because it embraces a marvelous metaphysical law. Re­ duced to a few words the statement is to the effect that since the body of man is prone to sin or can enter into sin so easily with­ out knowing of its sinfulness, we are always— as spiritual beings in physical bodies— in the presence of sin. Now this means that one half or one part of us at least has a tendency toward sinfulness while another part of us has a tendency toward virtue and goodness. Some of the

Temple Section

ELEVENTH D EG REE

AMORC

NUMBER SEVENTY-ONE

The Rosicrucian Order

PAGE THREE

ancient philosophers attempted to teach the idea of restraining the sins of the body. This was the ancient philosophy of repres­ sion. Here we are taught in this wonderful writing that restrain­ ing or repressing is merely damming up weaknesses of the physical body without removing them. The ancient analogy of damming up a stream or restraining and repressing the flow of a stream is used very aptly here in these writings, for we know from all experience that unless there is some outlet to such a reservoir of restrained or dammed-up power there will come a breaking point when there will be an avalanche and all that has been suppressed or repressed will overtake the forces of repression and be victorious to the most bitter end. Likewise, attempting to repress or restrain the sins of the physical body is not purging the being, in a metaphys­ ical sense at least, for the sins are still present and are proba­ bly gathering power or strength to overcome the spirit at any time. This writing tells us that it is better for us to reject or eject all the weaknesses and purge them from the physical body rather than restrain them. This brings us, of course, to an analysis of what constitutes sin and why man is prone to yield to sin. It is absolutely true that sin loses its power to attract us as soon as the fascination of sin is overcome. Some years ago in writing one of our Rosi­ crucian pamphlets I attempted to paraphrase this very ancient Rosicrucian thought in a modern way. I heard so much being pub­ lished in those days about "Truth will make you free" that I could not help feeling how untrue that statement was when taken by it­ self. You may have all the truth in the world presented to you in book form or lesson form, but the mere knowing of that truth is not apt to make one free from all of the weaknesses and sins and other conditions of life. Something more than knowing the truth or having the truth at hand is necessary and so I added to the phrase and wrote this little proverb, "The truth will make you free when untruth has lost its power to fascinate." I remember that I was often criticized by others for this statement and yet it is true and I come across its equivalent many times in the ancient writings. SIN AND ITS Sin of any kind has the power to attract us through FASCINATION its fascination. Once that fascination is eliminated, appeased, satisfied or overcome we no longer need fear sin, even if we are in the presence of it or it is surrounding us. We notice some young people who are not easily overcome by tempta­ tion because many forms of temptation seem to make no appeal to them. We know that it is dangerous to put some types of young men in a bank as cashiers to handle large sums of money, be­ cause money of and by itself is a form of sinful power, or can be used as such, and is ever a temptation to the one who is fascinated by the glamor of betting or taking long chances in any system of gambling. Such a person

Temple Section

ELEVENTH DEG REE

The Rosicrucian Order

AMORC

NUMBER SEVENTY-ONE

PAGE FOUR

would be tempted by the handling of large sums of money in a m an­ ner that other young men would not be tempted. The young man who cares nothing about gambling, who sees in money only a medium for doing something worthwhile, and realizes that it must be good money to be of any value to him, is in no wise tempted by the handling of large sums of money that do not belong to him; he may be surrounded day after day by large sums of money without the slightest temptation affecting him. The same is true of many other forms of sin. Repressing our sinful natures without eliminating the fascination of sin is in no wise purging ourselves. Undoubtedly, knowledge, study, and cul­ tural development eliminate more of the temptations of sin than any other factors in life. Persons who become deeply interested in certain subjects of study, or in certain hobbies of an intellec­ tual nature, are less apt,to be fascinated by any of the more sor­ did or commonplace sins of life. As they develop spiritually and mentally they do not repress their tendencies toward sin but purge themselves of the tendencies until sins have no fascination or attraction for them. So we may contemplate long and studiously on this matter of repression and suppression and bear in mind that by locking up our sinful tendencies and hiding them within us, instead of purging them from the system, we are creating something that is equivalent to one major sin which includes all the minor ones. We are defiling the soul and spirit by holding these sinful things in repression in us. We will understand, therefore, the closing statement on this subject of the ancient writings where the Oracle says, "Defile not the spirit through that which is hidden within." I think that I have given you enough to think about for this week while certain other conditions are taking place within you. I am purposely trying to give the inner self of each of you suffi­ cient time for certain changes which I know will take place, be ­ cause they must take place at this period of your progress in the planes of Cosmic Consciousness prior to another advancement that is not far away. You may make of these short talks of mine very lengthy lessons worthy of weeks of study or many hours of study, or you may look upon them as short and inconsequential— as you choose. In either case the result and effect upon you, and within you, will be pre­ cisely what you have decided upon. I shall regret it if any one of you takes these present monographs too lightly, because accord­ ing to my estimation and personal desires the results which you should have are close at hand. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER

Summary of This Monograph V

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Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory.

5} Prayers to God should be simple. It is in simple truths that the mysteries of life are found. 11 “The body is the root of evil just as intellect is the root of virtue.” H “Our body is a part of generation, or the sphere of time and sense.” Physical limitations are unreal from a metaphysical point of view. H The physical body is always in the presence of sin. Repression is merely the damming up of weaknesses of the physical body without removing them. 11 As soon as the fascination of sin is overcome, sin loses its power to attract. H “Truth w ill make you free when untruth has lost its power to fascinate.” 11 “ Defile not the spirit through that which is hidden (suppressed) w ithin.” H Certain changes must take place at this period of progress in the planes of Cosmic Consciousness; they are necessary to further advancement.

The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.—UNTO THEE I GRANT The repressing of certain desires is a common aspect of human behavior. These are not necessarily bad or harmful desires, but desires that we fear to expose because of feelings of insecurity or false pride. Yet they are things that we really would like to do. When we repress them, we do not eliminate them from our system. They stay buried, eating away at us from within, subconsciously, affecting much of what we think or do. Rather than repress these desires, we should try to provide escape valves for them. Bring them out into the open where they can be examined, tried, and tested. If they are harmful, then instead of burying them again, you can eliminate them by simply recognizing their real harmful potential, and cast them away. Examine one of your latent desires, one that you have never brought out into the open. Bring it into consciousness. Let it happen, even if on a limited basis. Then watch its effect in your life, or in the lives of others. Now you can judge whether it should be eliminated because it brought no joy, or should be pursued because of the happiness it brings you.

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R E G IS T E R E D IN U .S . U T E ’ IT O F F IC E ( A L * 0 R E G IS T E R ! O T H R O U G H O U T THE w o k l o ) P R IN T E D IN U . 5 . A .

The matter contained herein Is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies or officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Imperator of A. M. O. R. C. (The above emblem arid name of the Order are also registered In countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the right of possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and It shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive Information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation of tne Statutes of this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements.

THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V

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