Rosicrucian Interpretation of Christianity

 


   The Rosicrucian Order is an ancient Mystic Fraternity formed in the year 1313 by a high spiritual teacher having the symbolical name "Christian Rosenkreuz":
Christian Rose Cross. It was his mission to prepare a new phase of the Christian religion to be used during the coming age now at hand, for as the world and man evolve so also must religion change. The system of worship suited to the spiritual needs of our forebears is unsuited to our altered intellectual condition. Therefore, the great spiritual entities in charge of evolution, change the religions of the world in harmony with the passage of the marching orbs in the heavens.

   The Rosicrucian Philosophy is entirely Christian, striving to make religion a living factor in the land -- and to lead to Christ those who cannot find Him by faith alone.

 

The Sixth Sense

 

   The particular function of this Philosophy is to enable people to accept the Christian doctrines through the medium of esoteric knowledge, when they are unable to do so through the medium of faith. It aims to supplement the work of the churches, not to supplant them.

   The Rosicrucian Philosophy teaches that man possesses a latent sixth sense which has been developed in some and which eventually will be developed by all. This sense enables its possessor to perceive and investigate the super-physical realms, where the so-called dead live.

  It also teaches that the Earth is a great school to which we return life after life through rebirth, learning new lessons during each sojourn here, and thus ever evolving toward greater perfection of character and the powers which it confers. The grades attained by different individuals in this school account for the differences in fortunes which we see on every side. Therefore we do not despair of God's love when we see the inequalities of life, for we know that in time all will be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.

 

Facing Death

 

   Sooner or later there comes a time when the consciousness is forced to recognize the fact that life, as we see it, is but fleeting, and that amid all the uncertainties of our existence there is but one certainty -- Death!

   When the mind has thus become aroused by thought of the leap in the dark which at sometime must be taken by all, several questions inevitably present themselves: Whence have we come? Why art We here? Whither are we going? These are basic problems with which all must sooner or later grapple, and it is of the greatest importance how we solve them for the view we take will color our whole lives.

   The Rosicrucian Teachings also take the sting of sorrow out of the greatest of all trials, "the loss of loved ones," even if they have been what is called wayward, or black sheep; for we know that it is an actual fact that in God we live and move and have our being; hence, if one single Spirit were lost, a part of God would be lost and such a proposition is absolutely impossible. Under the immutable Law of Cause and Effect, we are bound to meet these loved ones sometime in the future, under other circumstances, and there the love that binds us together must continue until it has found its fullest expression. The Laws of Nature would be violated if a stone thrown from the Earth were to remain suspended in the atmosphere, and under the same immutable Laws, those who pass into the higher sphere must return. Christ said, "Ye must be born again;" and "If I go to my Father, I will return."

Adversity and Trouble

 

   When the bark of our life sails lightly upon smooth summer seas, wafted along by the fair winds of health and prosperity, when friends are present on every hand, eager to help us plan pleasures which will increase our enjoyment of this world's goods, when social favors or political powers come to us to gratify our every wish in whatever sphere our inclinations seek expression, then indeed, we may say, and seem justified in saying, with our whole heart and soul: "This world is good enough for me." But when we come to the end of the smiling sea of success; when the whirlwind of adversity has blown us upon the rocky shores of disaster, and the sea of suffering threatens to engulf us; when friends have failed and every human help is as far off as it is unavailing, then we must look for guidance to the skies as does the mariner when he steers his ship over the waste of waters.

  Likewise one who is looking for a guide which he may trust in the days of sorrow and trouble also should embrace a religion founded on eternal laws and immutable principles, able to explain the mystery of life in a logical manner so that his intellect is satisfied. At the same time, a system of devotion satisfies the heart, so that these twin factors in life receive equal satisfaction.

 

Divine Love

 

   Only when man has a clear intellectual conception of the scheme of human development is he in a position to range himself in line therewith. When it is made clear to him that that scheme is beneficent and benevolent in the very highest degree, that all is truly ruled by divine Love, then that understanding will sooner or later call out in him a true devotion and heartfelt acquiescence which will awaken in him a desire to become a co-worker with God in the world's work.

   Eye has not seen nor ear heard the glories that are yet in store for us, but Oliver Wendell Holmes has expressed a little of what we may look forward to in the following lines:

 

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul.
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from Heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leafing thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

 

Rosicrucian Fundamentals in Questions and Answers

 


  
Question: Who are the Rosicrucians and what does the name signify?

   Answer: The ancient Rosicrucian Brotherhood consisted of high spiritual beings who had advanced far beyond ordinary man in purity and spiritual wisdom. They were learned alchemists, doctors, and mathematicians -- twelve Supermen of the fourteenth century, who were guided by and who worked with a thirteenth known by the name of Christian Rosenkreuz (Christian Rose Cross). These thirteen august men worked secretly. They formed themselves into a Brotherhood known as the Rosicrucian Order or Order of the Rose Cross. The teachings of this Order were given only to a very few wise men; nothing was printed until the year 1614 when a small pamphlet written in the German language was circulated among those only who were ready to receive these teachings.

   This secret brotherhood is still in existence, is still working with and for the upliftment of humanity. Only those who are highly evolved spiritually are admitted into this inner branch of the Rosicrucian movement, and these physicians of the soul may be found among those who are at the helm of some great movement or country and are directly concerned with the forward movement of the world and its work. These Brothers never make themselves known and work unselfishly for the good of mankind.

   In 1908 Max Heindel, who was of Danish birth, was chosen as a messenger of these Brothers to carry the Rosicrucian Teachings to the western world, and after spending some time under their direct tutelage, was instructed to return to America and give to the world publicly what previously had been held secret. At this particular time in the world's work, mankind had reached the stage where it could be given a more exalted phase of the Christian religion and when the mysteries (which the Christ spoke of in Matthew 13:11, and Luke 8:10) should be given to the many instead of the few.

   After Max Heindel reached America he had these exalted teachings printed in the textbook entitled The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, which has been translated into various languages and continues to be shipped into all parts of the world. He also established The Rosicrucian Fellowship as the Preparatory School for the Rosicrucian Order, with International Headquarters at Mt. Ecclesia, Oceanside, California. The Fellowship has no connection with any other organization, even if the latter does use the word "Rosicrucian" as a part of its title.

 

   Question: Do the Rosicrucians teach that the Christ was a divine Messenger -- the Savior of the world?

   Answer: Yes, Christ Jesus was the greatest being that has ever functioned in a physical body on our Earth. However, the Rosicrucian Teachings explain that Jesus was a man, and that at the Baptism, he surrendered his lower vehicles to the Christ Spirit to use in His ministry on the material plane. At the Crucifixion the Christ was released from the bodies of Jesus and entered into the Earth. This great Archangel is still the indwelling Spirit of the Earth, is still the Savior of mankind. After a careful study of the teachings as given out by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, the Christ becomes a living factor in the lives of students, who not only recognize the divinity of Christ but who make every effort to follow in His footsteps.

 

   Question: Does the Rosicrucian student believe in a life after death?

   Answer: Yes, the Rosicrucian Teachings take the sting of sorrow out of death because they prepare the aspirant for what he is to expect in the life to come. A journey into foreign lands is made pleasant when we are prepared and know of the country into which we are to travel; likewise it is a great comfort to know of conditions existing in that land which has been made so mysterious by the dark shadow of ignorance which has rested over man for so many ages. Knowledge of the life beyond the grave is most comforting to the one who has lost loved ones.

   The Elder Brothers of the Rose Cross, with their superior knowledge of the spiritual worlds bring to us the proof of an existence of these higher worlds; also many advanced students have received positive proof of life after death: to them it is no longer a theory but a Truth. It is possible, with the development of a finer sense, to actually experience and see the conditions existing in this invisible land of the so-called dead which is interpenetrating our dense physical world, although unseen by those who have only the sense of physical sight developed. As John McCreery says in his beautiful poem:

 

"They are not dead. They have but passed
Beyond the mists that blind us here,
Into a new and larger life
Of that serener sphere."

   Death to the Rosicrucian student is but a shifting of consciousness, a casting away of a worn-out garment (the physical body) to take on that spiritual body which Paul tells us about in the 15th Chapter of 1st. Corinthians.

 

   Question: Do the Rosicrucians believe in Rebirth and the law of consequence?

   Answer: In the 17th chapter of Matthew verses 11, 12, 13, Jesus gave his disciples a very wonderful demonstration of the philosophy of rebirth. After his transfiguration he plainly said that Elias had come already and the disciples understood he had reference to John the Baptist. The 8th chapter of Job and the latter portion of the 19th chapter tells us of rebirth.

   The Rosicrucians teach that all the causes set into action in one life cannot ripen in one existence, and that all things must reach a stage of fruition, that "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." This is one of the biblical teachings, that man must reap his own harvests from the seeds he has sown, be they good or evil; therefore each individual passes through a number of earth lives during which he builds character. It is at this stage of his living that he either enjoys the fruits of his past building, or is suffering from the results of his evil deeds.

   Each life is as a day in school, where the spirit learns its lessons. We are told in Genesis that God made man in His own image; if man is divinely made he must also become as wise as the Father Who made him. Naturally this cannot be accomplished in one life, but a slow process of evolution is necessary to lift man from that tiny spark of divinity to become as wise and all knowing as his Father in heaven.

 

   Question: Tell us something about the Rosicrucian method of healing the sick.

   Answer: In each of the four gospels we find that the Christ preached the gospel of healing. He healed all who came to Him and He sent His disciples out into the world with the two commands: Preach the Gospel and Heal the Sick. These two commands are also given to the Rosicrucians, who are physicians of the soul, for sickness is first manifested in the Vital Body, which is the vehicle of the soul and healing can be best accomplished through this invisible vehicle. During the time of sleep when man is free from his physical body and functioning in the spiritual world, healing is more quickly accomplished. The esoteric students are trained for this particular work.

   Full details regarding healing may be secured by writing to The Rosicrucian Fellowship, Oceanside, 92054, U.S.A.

 

   Question: We understand that the Rosicrucians do not set a price upon their lessons nor upon their healing ministrations. Is not the workman "worthy of his hire?"

   Answer: In the 10th chapter of Matthew, Christ tells His disciples to go to the lost sheep of Israel and to preach the gospel and heal the sick. But he also tells them to provide neither gold, silver, brass, nor scrip for their journey. In the 10th chapter of 1st Corinthians, Paul also holds out this thought, to preach the gospel without charge. The Rosicrucians have followed this practice from the very beginning and never set a price on their teachings. No true believer of this exalted teaching will charge for lessons or require a monthly membership fee. This at once brands him as an impostor. If we have faith and work unselfishly, God will always take care of His own and the Love offerings will be sufficient to keep the aspirant in his simple needs.

 

   Question: But will this not encourage some to take all and give nothing? Will it not develop selfishness in some? There is a law in nature that we cannot obtain anything for nothing.

   Answer: Yes, numbers are attending the churches, lectures and classes, never dropping a penny into the collection baskets, feeling this unnecessary unless they are approached and, naturally, they will take all and give nothing. But they do not reason the matter from the standpoint of God's laws which are silently operating through the laws of Cause and Effect; sometime, somewhere, these debts will come to the Ego who thinks he is slipping through life defrauding, taking all and giving nothing.

 

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked,
For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

 

How the Rosicrucians Heal the Sick

 


    The Rosicrucian work of healing is carried on by the Elder Brothers of The Rosicrucian Order through a band of Invisible Helpers whom they are instructing.

    The work is conducted according to the commands of Christ Jesus, namely, "Preach the gospel and heal the sick."

 

 

The Elder Brothers

 

    These are high spiritual Beings through whom the Christ Spirit is working for the benefit of humanity.

 

The Invisible Helpers

 

   The Invisible Helpers are those who live a worthy life of helpfulness during the daytime while in their physical bodies, and whose evolutionary development is such as to earn the privilege of being helpful through the instrumentality of the Elder Brothers at night while functioning in the etheric bodies. This is indicated in the words of the Rosicrucian Fellowship Evening Service: "Tonight while our physical bodies are peacefully resting in sleep, may we as Invisible Helpers be found faithfully working in the vineyard of Christ." These Invisible Helpers are gathered together in bands according to their temperaments and their abilities. They are instructed by other Helpers who are physicians, and all of them work under the guidance of the Elder Brothers, who naturally are the moving Spirits of the whole work.

   Not infrequently, patients are aware of the presence of the Invisible Helpers.

 

Right Living Necessary for a Cure

 

   The Invisible Helpers never refuse to answer an appeal for help, but in order to respond to the divine Healing Force, patients must adopt the gospel of right living. They should observe a pure diet--meatless, insofar as it is possible. Meat should be left off gradually, however, in order that the body may adjust itself to the change. Patients must fill their living and sleeping rooms with pure air, their minds with pure thoughts, and their daily lives with pure actions. The divine Healing Force is pure. If someone asks for it in order to be relieved of ailments, he or she must be willing to conform to the natural laws of purity: pure air, pure food, pure thinking, and pure living! If the patient ignores these great health-giving factors, he may have called in vain upon the divine Healing Force.

 

Healing Force

 

   All Healing Force comes from God, our heavenly Father, the Great Physician of the Universe; it is latent everywhere; by prayer and concentration it is liberated and directed to the sufferer; it manifested through the Master, Christ Jesus; it goes forth from the daily and weekly healing meetings held at the Rosicrucian Fellowship Headquarters (Oceanside, California). Through the workings of this supreme Force, the Invisible Helpers raise the vibrations of the patient to a higher rate, thus enabling him, first, to eliminate the disease poison from the system, and second, to rebuild every blood corpuscle, fiber, tissue, and organ until the whole body is made new. This is done, not in a miraculous manner, but in accordance with Nature's Laws. If the patient continues to break these laws and, by a wrong mode of living, to accumulate poisonous substances in the system, he frustrates the healing Work.

 

Cause of Disease

 

   The wonderful organism called the human body is governed by immutable natural Laws. All disease results from willful or ignorant violation of Nature's Laws. People are ill because, in this Earth life or in a previous one, they have disregarded the fundamental principles on which the health of the body depends. If they wish to regain and retain their health, they must learn to understand these principles and to regulate their daily habits in conformity with them.

   This is what the Master Healer, Christ Jesus, meant when He said to the man who was a cripple: "Thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (John 5:14) Even the Christ could not give lasting health unless the recipient of the Healing Force refrained from indulging wrong habits which cause disease. The recipient had to live in obedience to the god-given laws that rule man's body and his relations with his fellow creatures.

 

The Right to Health

 

   Some people "demand" perfect health and claim they have a right to it. They forget that, either in this or a former life, some have forfeited their God-given right through disobedience to Nature's Laws which are God's Laws. Through suffering, they have to learn obedience. When they have mastered their lessons and are willing to "sin no more," their right to health will be restored to them.

 

Violations of the Laws of Health

 

   The divine Healing Force is constructive; wrong methods of living which disregard the Laws of Nature are destructive.

   The omissions and transgressions responsible for wrong living and, consequently, for disease are many. The following are the principal ones: unnatural food; too much food; ill-proportioned food; lack of fresh air and sunshine; lack of cleanliness; lack of self-control; sleeping in unventilated rooms; harboring thoughts of anger, hatred, and resentment; yielding to a hasty temper; gratifying low desires; harming fellow creatures, whether human or animal; abusing the sacred generative function. Since all organs and functions of the body are interdependent, the abuse and consequent affliction of one part hurts all the others, furthers the accumulation of disease poison throughout the system, and lowers the vitality of the whole. Local symptoms are actually evidence that the whole body is at fault. All true healing, therefore, in order to achieve lasting results, is directed, not to the suppression of symptoms, but to the removal of the cause that made the symptoms appear.

 

Spiritual Healing

 

   Spiritual healing operates on the higher planes of being but is effected in strict adherence to Natural Laws which prevail below as above. Consequently, all natural therapeutics applied on the physical plane are in harmony with the work of the Invisible Helpers on the higher planes.

 

Right Food is Natural Medicine

 

   Since the body is built up of the physical substances introduced into the blood by the daily food, right food is the natural medicine which the patient must take in order to cooperate with the Invisible Helpers in their task of reconstructing his system.

 

Effluvia Transmitted in Weekly Report

 

   Before the Invisible Helpers can work with the patient they must have effluvia from his vital body. This is the etheric counterpart of the physical body and the operating sphere of the vital forces. The effluvia are obtained by having the patient write a weekly letter consisting of a few words or a few lines with pen and ink. This is important, as a pen charged with fluid is a greater conductor of magnetism than a dry pencil. The ether which thus impregnates the paper upon which the patient writes week by week gives an indication of his condition at the time of writing, and furnishes an entrance key to his system. It is something which he has given voluntarily and for the express purpose of furnishing access to the Invisible Helpers. Unless the patient does his part in this respect, the Invisible Helpers are unable to do anything for him, so it may be seen that it is of the utmost importance to keep up the weekly letters to Headquarters.

 

Time Required for Cure

 

   Instantaneous cures are frequent when the Invisible Helpers are called upon to assist in cases of acute disease. In the case of a chronic ailment which is of long standing and has taken years to develop, a certain amount of relief may be experienced immediately; complete recovery, however, which is equivalent to a renewal of the whole system, usually can be achieved only in gradual stages. As said before, the healing work of the Invisible Helpers is not suppression of symptoms but reconstruction of the whole system. This reconstruction requires time as well as the patient's faithful and constant cooperation along the lines indicated.

 

Healing Meetings at Headquarters

 

   Healing meetings are held at Rosicrucian Headquarters on nights when the Moon is in Cardinal Signs of the Zodiac (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). The hour of this service is 6:30 pm (7:30 pm during Daylight Savings Time). The virtue of the Cardinal Signs is the dynamic energy which they infuse into every enterprise started under their influence. Therefore, the healing thoughts of helpers all over the world are endowed with added power when launched upon their errands of mercy under this cardinal influence.

   If you would like to join in this work, sit down quietly when the clock in your place of residence points to the given hour, 6:30 pm (7:30 pm during Daylight Savings Time), meditate on health and divine love, and pray to the Great Physician, our Father in Heaven, for the restoration to health of all who suffer, particularly those who have applied to Headquarters.

  


 

For more information, please contact the Healing Department at Mt. Ecclesia:

 

Rosicrucian Fellowship - Purposes, Aims, and Activities

 

 

The Rosicrucian Fellowship is a Christian organization composed of men and women who are students of the Rosicrucian Philosophy as presented in The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception. This philosophy is known as the Western Wisdom Teaching and establishes a meeting-ground for science and religion. Its students are located throughout the world; but their International Headquarters is located at Oceanside, California, USA.

The Rosicrucian Fellowship has no connection with any other organization. It was launched during the late summer and autumn of 1909, after a course of lectures in Seattle by Mr. Max Heindel. A study center was formed and the Headquarters were temporarily located in that city. Arrangements were also made for publishing The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception. With the issue of this work by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, the Association was definitely started.

The General Work of
The Rosicrucian Fellowship

The work of the Fellowship is to preach the gospel (of the coming Aquarian Age) and heal the sick. This is achieved by making the Western Wisdom Teaching available to all who are ready to receive it and by conducting a Healing Department which emphasizes spiritual healing along with principles of right living. The work of the Fellowship is done through the efforts of its entire membership assisted by Headquarters. Many friends in the world work through Centers which hold classes in the Philosophy and in spiritual astrology, the study and teaching of which is an integral part of the work of the Fellowship.

 

Why I Am a Rosicrucian Student

 


Who is a Rosicrucian?

   Not infrequently, we find that someone takes the platform to explain why he is a Baptist, Methodist, or Christian Scientist, and what his particular faith may be. We often have been asked by our students for something which would help make plain to their associates why they had embraced the teachings of the Elder Brothers given through The Rosicrucian Fellowship. We, therefore, will endeavor to give a succinct résumé of reasons which appeal to us as sufficient, but students will doubtless find many other reasons equally good or better, which they may add verbally to what is said here.

   It should be made clear in the very beginning that students in the Rosicrucian Fellowship do not call themselves Rosicrucians. That title applies only to the Elder Brothers, who are the hierophants of the Western Wisdom Teachings. They are as far beyond the greatest living saint in spiritual development as that saint is above the lowest fetish worshiper.


Satisfying Head and Heart

   When the bark of our life sails lightly upon smooth summer seas, wafted along by the fair winds of health and prosperity, when friends are present on every hand, eager to help us plan pleasures which will increase our enjoyment of this world's goods, when social favors or political power come to us to gratify our every wish in whatever sphere our inclinations seek expression, then, indeed, we may say and seem justified in saying with our whole heart and soul, "This world is good enough for me." But when we come to the end of the smiling sea of success, when the whirlwind of adversity has blown us upon the rocky shores of disaster and a wave of suffering threatens to engulf us, when friends have failed and every human help is as far off as it is unavailing, then we must look for guidance to the skies as does the mariner when he steers his ship over the waste of waters.

   When the skipper scans the sky in search of a star whereby to steer the ship safely, he finds that the whole heavens are in motion. Therefore, to follow almost any one of the myriad of wandering stars visible to the eye would be disastrous. To meet the requirements, the guiding star must be perfectly steadfast and immovable, and there is only one such, namely, the North Star. By its guiding light the mariner may steer in full confidence and bring his ship to the haven of rest and safety. Similarly, one who is looking for a guide which he may trust in days of sorrow and trouble should embrace a religion founded on eternal laws and immutable principles, a religion able to explain the mystery of life in a logical manner to satisfy the intellect. At the same time, a system of devotion should be included that may satisfy the heart. Thus these twin factors in life will receive equal satisfaction. Only when man has a clear intellectual conception of the scheme of human development is he in a position to range himself in the therewith. When it is made clear to him that this scheme is beneficent and benevolent in the very highest degree, that all is truly ruled by divine love, this understanding will sooner or later call out a true devotion and heartfelt acquiescence which will awaken a desire to become a co-worker with God the world's work.

   When seeking Spirits come to the door of the church to seek surcease from sorrow, they cannot be satisfied with platitudes that it is the will of God that sorrow and suffering have come to them, that in His divine will He has seen fit to scourge them, and that they must take it as an indication that He regards them as His beloved children and be satisfied no matter what happens. They cannot see that Deity does justice when He makes some rich and many poor, a few healthy and many sickly; it is evident only too often that iniquity is prosperous while rectitude is in rags.

   The Rosicrucian Teaching gives clear and logical information concerning the world and man; it invites questions instead of discouraging them, so that the seeker after spiritual truth may receive full satisfaction intellectually; its explanations are as strictly scientific as they are reverently religious. It refers us for information regarding life's problems to laws that are as unchangeable and immutable in their realms of action as the North Star is in the heavens.


Law of Cause and Effect

   Though the world whirls upon its axis at the rate of 1,000 miles per hour, we stand safely anywhere upon its surface because the principle of gravity prevents us from being hurled into space by the terrific speed. We know that the Law of Gravity is eternal; it will not act today and suspend action tomorrow. When we enter a hydraulic elevator we rest safely upon a column of water because that fluid is more incompressible than most solids, and this property is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Were its action suspended for even a few moments, thousands of people would fall to their deaths.

   The Law of Cause and Effect also is immutable; if we throw a stone into the air, the act is not complete until by gravitation it has returned to Earth. "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap," is the way this law is expressed in the realm of morals. "The mills of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small." Once an act has been done, the reaction will come sometime, somewhere, as surely as the stone that was thrown into the air will return to the Earth.


The School of Life

   It is manifest that all the causes we set going in life do not ripen in the present existence, and it follows that they must find their fruition somewhere else at some other time, or the law would be invalidated. The cancellation of this law would be as absolutely impossible as the suspension of the Law of Gravitation, for cancellation of either would make chaos out of Cosmos. The Rosicrucian Teachings; explain this by a statement that man is a Spirit attending the school of life for the purpose of unfolding latent spiritual power, and that for this purpose he lives many lives in earthly bodies of increasingly fine texture which enable him to express himself better and better. In the lower grades of this school of evolution, man has few faculties. Each life-day he comes to school in the morning of childhood, and is given lessons to learn, and at night, when old and gray, the nursemaid of nature, Death, puts him to sleep, that he may rest from his labors until the dawn of another life-day when he is given a new child body and new lessons. Each day "Experience," the teacher of the school, helps him to learn some of the lessons of life, and gradually he becomes more and more proficient. Someday he will have learned the entire curriculum of the school, which includes building bodies as well as using them. Thus when we see one who has few faculties, we know that he is a young Spirit who has not learned life's lessons; when we find a beautiful character, we recognize an old Spirit who has spent much time in mastering its lessons. Therefore we do not despair of God's love when we see the inequalities of life, for we know that in time all will be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect.


Meeting Loved Ones

   The Rosicrucian Teachings also take the sting of sorrow out of the greatest of all trials, the loss of loved ones, even if they have been what is called wayward or black sheep. We know that it is an actual fact that in God we live and move and have our being; hence, if one single Spirit were lost, a part of God would be lost, and such a proposition is absolutely impossible. Under the immutable Law of Cause and Effect, we are bound to meet these loved ones sometime in the future under other circumstances, and there the love that binds us together must continue until it has found its fullest expression. The laws of Nature would be violated if a stone thrown from the Earth were to remain suspended in the atmosphere, and under the same immutable laws those who pass into the higher spheres must return. Christ said, "If I go to my Father, I will return."


Firsthand Knowledge

   Although our reason may reach into the mysteries of life, there is still a higher stage: actual firsthand knowledge. As a matter of fact, the foregoing propositions are capable of verification. We all have a sixth sense latent in our being, which will sometime enable us to view the spiritual worlds with the same distinctness as that with which we see the temporal. This sixth sense will be developed by all in the course of evolution, and there are certain means whereby it may be developed now by all who care to take the necessary time and trouble to do so. Some have done this and have told of their travels in the land of the Spirit. We believe their testimony concerning that place just as we believe people who have traveled in Africa or Australia who tell us of those countries. Just as we say that we know the Earth rotates upon its axis and revolves in its orbit around the Sun because we have been thus informed by scientists who have made the investigations and calculations that establish these facts, so also we say that we know that the dead live. We know that whether dead or alive, in the body or out of it, we all are enfolded in the love of our Father in Heaven, without Whose Will not the smallest sparrow fails to the ground. We know that He cares for all and orders our steps in harmony with His plans to develop our powers to the highest possible degree.

   Eye has not seen or ear heard the glories that are yet in store for us, but Oliver Wendell Holmes has expressed a little of what we may expect in the following lines:

 

Build thee more stately mansions O my soul!
As the swift seasons roll,
Leave thy low vaulted past,
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea.

   We follow the Rosicrucian Teaching in preference to other systems, because of the logical soul-satisfying philosophy of life given by it, and invite others who wish to share the blessings thereof to investigate.