RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page iiEach issue of the Rosicrucian Digest provides members and all interested readers with a compendium of materials regarding the ongoing flow of the Rosicrucian Timeline. The articles, historical excerpts, art, and literature included in this Digest span the ages, and are not only interesting in themselves, but also seek to provide a lasting referenceshelf to stimulate continuing study of all of those factors which make up Rosicrucian history and thought. Therefore, we present classical background, historical development, and modern reflections on each of our subjects, using the many forms of primary sources, reflective commentaries,the arts, creative fiction, and poetry.This magazine is dedicated to all the women and men throughout the ages who have contributed to and perpetuated the wisdom of the Rosicrucian,Western esoteric, Tradition.May we ever be worthy of the light with whichwe have been entrusted.In this issue we present the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis - the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC - from its inspiring beginnings to its far-reaching contributions to the world today.Page 1The Mystery Schools and the Rosicrucian Order2Julie Scott, SRCH. Spencer Lewis - Restorer of Rosicrucianism9Christian Rebisse, FRCImagination and Creativity16H. Spencer Lewis, FRCRosicrucian Initiatic Journeys to Egypt18The Function of a Rosicrucian21Ralph M. Lewis, FRCCreed of Peace25Ralph M. Lewis, FRCContribution to Peace26The Science of Intuition27George F. Buletza, PhD, FRCRosicrucian Park32AMORC - The Contemporary Era34Christian Rebisse, FRCRosicrucian Lesson38AMORC Around the World42Rose+Croix Journal44Rosicrucian Cultural Center of New York City46Appellatio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis47Cosmic Attunement52Christian Bernard, FRCEstablishedin1915bytheSupreme Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction,AMORC,Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, CA 95191.Copyright 2014 by the Supreme Grand LodgeofAMORC,Inc.Allrights reserved.Republicationofanyportion ofRosicrucianDigestisprohibited without prior written permission of the publisher.ROSICRUCIANDIGEST(ISSN #00358339) is published bi-annually for $12.00 per year, single copies $6.00, bytheGrandLodgeoftheEnglish LanguageJurisdiction,AMORC, Inc., at 1342 Naglee Ave., San Jose, CA95191.POSTMASTER:Send address changes to ROSICRUCIAN DIGESTat1342NagleeAve.,San Jose, CA 951910001.Official Magazine of the Worldwide Rosicrucian Order Ordo Rosae Crucis Vol. 93 - No. 2 No. 2 - 2014RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 2The Mystery Schools and the Rosicrucian Order, AMORCJulie Scott, SRCTe Mystery Schools were centers of study and mystic initiation in the ancient Western world where the mysteries of the Universe, of Nature, and of Humanity were explored. Tese spiritu-al centers educated students in natural laws and principles so they could better live in harmony with them; encouraged introspection in order to know oneself better; and engendered within a feeling of connection with the Great Mystery of the Universe. Today, the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC perpetuates many of the traditions of these ancient Mystery Schools and the philosophies that sprang from them. In this article, Grand Master JulieScottleadsusonajourneythroughtheseinspiringancientsourcestoRosicrucianism today. Each of the traditions described below has been the focus of one of the past sixteen is-suesoftheRosicrucianDigest,beginningwithmysteriousAtlantistomodernMartinism. Tis issue of the Digest concludes this seventeen-part series, culminating with the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.Tobegin,letsdefinetheword mystery.Mysterycomesfrom mysteriawhichismadeupofthe verb, muo, meaning to close, as in to close themouth(insecrecy)ortoclosetheeyes, andteriameaningfestival.Accordingto CarlKerenyi,oneoftheleadingexpertson theEleusinianMysteries,thewordmysteria means,thefestivalatwhichthesecretis communicated.1Te Dictionary of Philosophy and Reli-gion defnes the Mystery religions as Te namegiventoagroupofreligiouscults popularinHellenicandRomanperiods. Temysteryreligionswerecharacterized by a body of esoteric knowledge and ritual that allegedly had the power to purify the initiateandguaranteeunionwithGod andpersonalimmortality.Virtuallyallof themysteriescenteredarounddyingand rising saviors.2TeseincludetheEleusinianandOr-phicMysteriesofancientGreeceandthe RomanMithraicMysteries.Addedto thislistintheRosicruciantraditionare theEgyptianmysteriesofOsirisandIsis andtheMysterySchoolsassociatedwith Akhnaton and his great, great grandfather, TutmoseIII,aswellasthePythagorean School in Italy. What do we know about these ancient Mystery Schools?Insomecases,wedontknowalot, and even if we did, I shouldnt tell you ev-erything.Secrecyandambiguityarecon-sistentwiththeseancienttraditions.Te ancient Mystery Schools often required an oathofsecrecyfromitsinitiates(usually under the penalty of death) and lessons or answerswereoftenpresentedintheform ofriddlesorparadox,aswiththefamous oracles at Delphi. Tere is also a lot that has not yet been discovered.Egyptology,forexample,is arelativelynewfeld.Champollion,the FrenchlinguistandfatherofEgyptology, only frst announced the deciphering of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822. For centuriesbeforethen,nooneknewwhat thehieroglyphsmeant.Egyptologistsdid not recognize Akhnaton as a pharaoh until about 100 years ago because his name had Page 3beenexpungedfromtheancientrecords. Also, although there are some inscriptions and texts available to us related to some of these traditions (such as the descriptions of the rituals associated with the Cult of Isis, recorded by the ancient writers Iamblichus andApuleuis)defnitivetextsorinscrip-tions are rare. Tereisalsothechallengeofbeing able to accurately interpret them with our more modern minds and biases. Many of theinterpretationsofthetextsthathave beenfoundwerepresentedthroughthe perspectivesofar-chaeologistsandre-searcherswhowere ofteninfuenced bytheirVictorian upbringingsorthe dominantcultural or academic theories of their day. For example, for yearstheprevailing viewinEgyptol-ogyhasbeenthat thePyramidtexts wereonlyfunerary texts, a guide for the pharaohashetrav-eledtotheafterlife. Whatif,instead, thesetextswerein-terpreted from a sha-manicperspective, guiding not the dead king, but the shaman initiatetoanotherplane,fromwhichhe returnedwiththeabilitytohealandto communicatewiththoseonotherplanes of existence?Defnitiveknowledgeofwhathap-penedintheancientMysterySchools thereforeislimitedby;secrecyoverthe ages, a dearth of texts and artifacts available forresearch,andthelimitsofourunder-standing of the perspectives of the ancient peoples, especially their priests, priestesses, andshamans.However,wecanpieceto-gether the general themes and purposes of theancientMysterySchoolsbystudying theircontext,theavailableinscriptions, temples,texts,etc.,andbyattuningto thespiritoftheancientEgyptian,Greek, andRomanpeopletherebyopeningour-selvesuptootherwaysofperceivingbe-yondjustintellectualunderstanding.We can reach beyond our own time and space to step into the shoes of the ancient mys-tics, students, and initiates, as they did in their time. Finally, and most importantly, wecanstudyand experiencethewis-dom of these ancient traditionsasithas beenpasseddown through the Western esoteric tradition.Christopher Mc-Intosh, Ph.D. writes inhisbook,Te Rosicrucians,Te Rosicrucianmove-ment is part of a way ofthinkingwhose roots go far back into antiquityandwhich canbedescribedas theWesternesoteric tradition.Tistra-dition,drawingon manysources,has runthroughEuro-pean history exercising a strong infuence, sometimesunderground,atothertimes fourishingintheopenAgreatrevival of this tradition began in Italy during the Renaissanceandopenedupanewphase inthedevelopmentofesotericthought. Fromthenonithadanassured,ifstill somewhat underground, place in Western thought.3McIntosh traces the Rosicrucian move-ment beginning with Gnosticism, a move-ment,whichhadEgyptasitsfocalpoint RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 4of development, and Hermetism; through NeoPlatonism, including the Pythagorean strain that greatly appealed to Renaissance scholars; to Kabbalah; to the Esoteric Tra-dition in Germany that set the conditions for the release of the Rosicrucian manifes-tos in the early 1600s; up to modern Rosi-crucian movements.Te Rosicrucian Order, AMORC trac-es its tradition back to a Primordial Tradi-tion.Tisconceptfrstappearedinthe Renaissance,especiallyaftertherediscov-ery of the Corpus Hermeticum, a group of mysterious texts attributed to an Egyptian priest,Hermes Trismegistus.4Belowisthe timelinetracingtheRosicruciantradition fromsomeofitsmostancientsourcesto today.Rosicrucian Order, AMORCTime Line Atlantis (Prehistory)Plato (ca. 428 ca. 348 BCE) described Atlantis in detail in his books, Critias and Timaeus. He stated that his knowledge on this subject was reported to him by Solon (ca.640558BCE)who,accordingto his own words, obtained it from Egyptian priests.SomepeoplebelievethatAtlantis actuallyexistedandisthecradleofthe Primordial Tradition, which fows through theRosicruciantradition.Tishighlyso-phisticated and spiritual civilization four-ishedformillennia,untilitdeclinedinto corruption,warmongering,andsupersti-tion,andfnallyendedinacataclysmin 9564BCE.OthersbelievethatAtlantis merely symbolizes the unknown source of thePrimordialTradition,representinga previous Golden Age. Predynastic Egypt (ca. 10000 to ca. 3000 BCE)According to the Primordial Tradition, the Atlanteans chose Egypt as the place to lay the foundation for what was to become theculturalandspiritualhomeofnew-born antiquity. Dynastic Egypt (ca. 3000 to 30 BCE)LegendtellsusthatthefrstKingof Egypt was chosen from among the Atlan-teans.Later,TutmoseIII(14731425 BCE),inadditiontoservingasPharaoh, directed the mystery school at Karnak and organized the mystery schools together as asingleOrder.Hisgreat,greatgrandson, Akhnaton, (ca. 1353 ca.1335 BCE) was responsible for introducing monotheism to ancient Egypt and inspiring an artistic rev-olution.AfterAlexandertheGreatscon-questin332BCE,Egyptiancultureand spirituality blended with Greek Hellenism and was highly infuential throughout the Mediterranean.Troughmanyhistorical paths this ancient tradition fnds a modern manifestation in the Rosicrucians.Essenes (Second century BCE to 100 CE)TeEssenesweremysticswhocame together in spiritual communities through-out Egypt and Israel; one of these centers wasmostprobablyQumran,wherethe DeadSeaScrollswerefound.Jesusisbe-lievedbymanytohavebeenamember oftheEssenecommunity.Manyoftheir practicesparalleledthoseofthePythago-reans.AmongthediferentgroupsofEs-senesweretheTeraputaenearAlexan-dria,specializinginhealing,asdescribed byPhilo.Healthofbody,soul,andspirit always fgures prominently in the Rosicru-cian tradition and its antecedents.Orphic Mysteries (ca. sixth century BCE to 391 CE)TeOrphicmysterieswereassociated with the life of the greatest of all musicians Orpheus.Somemysticaltextsdescribe himasbeinganinitiatewhoactuallyex-isted.Accordingtothesetexts,hespent Page 5twentyyearsinEgyptandwasamem-berofthemysteryschoolassociatedwith Memphis.However,bythesixthcentury BCE,Orpheuswasdefnitelyamythical fgure.ItwassaidthatOrpheussmusic couldmoveeveninanimateobjectsand hissacredsongstoldthegreatestsecrets oftheuniverse.Orphismstressedastrict standardofethicalandmoralconduct. Initiatespurifedthemselvesandadopted asceticpracticesforthepurposeofpurg-ing evil and cultivating the Dionysian (Di-vine)aspectofhumanbehavior.TeOr-phics abstained from eating meat and were known to wear white, symbolic of purity. ItisdifculttoseparatetheOrphicand Pythagorean traditions.Delphic Mysteries (1700 BCE to 391 CE)Delphiservedasthespiritualcenter of Greece for over 2,000 years. Te Pyth-ias (priestesses) played a fundamental role intheoraclesofDelphi.Teyweresaid tohavethepowertocommunewiththe invisibleworldandtospeakonbehalfof the god, Apollo. Te temple of Delphi ex-erted a tremendous infuence in antiquity notonlybecauseoftheoracles,butalso becauseithousedaprestigiousmystery school. Above the portal of the temple of Apollo in Delphi was inscribed the injunc-tion, Know Tyself. Tis is ever the pur-pose of each Rosicrucian.Pythagorean School (Mid-sixth century to 492 BCE)Pythagoras taught about relationships, especially between seemingly disconnected elementsoftheuniverse,suchasmathe-matics and the physical world, and music andmathematics.Pythagoreansstudied thelawsof the universe inorder tobring Te Pythagorean School.Delphi.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 6theirmindsintoharmonywithCosmic reality,therebybecomingonewiththe universe. Tis was their sacred goal in life. Followingfveyearsofsilence,iffound worthy, Pythagorean postulants (men and women)wereconsideredforinstruction intotheMysteries,presentedinthreede-greesthefrst,dedicatedtothescience of numbers; the second, to moral and po-litical laws; and the third, to esoteric doc-trines.TePythagoreanmysticalunder-standingoftheuniversehasfaroutlived theactualschool,includingmanyGreek philosophersfollowingPythagoras,and hasinfuencedmuchofWesternthought inoneformoranother.Rosicrucianphi-losophy embodies many of these concepts.Eleusis (1800 BCE to 500 CE)Te Eleusinian Mysteries arose in Ele-usis (12 miles from Athens) before spread-ing to all of Greece and beyond. Te mys-teries were based on the myth of Demeter, thegoddessoffertility,andherdaughter, Persephone.Teirstorysymbolizesthe humansoulsreturn,afterthedeathof thebody,toitsuniversaloriginorloving source.TeEleusinianinitiationswere presentedinthreestages:theminorex-pression;themajorexpression(lastingnine days); and the highest of the three the ep-opteia (meaning the state of having seen). TeseMysteriesweresoimportantthat duringantiquitythewholeGreekworld held a 55-day truce to permit travel to and fromEleusis.Teprogressiveconceptof initiation and its efect on the individual is continued in Rosicrucian Initiation.Isis Mysteries (Fourth century BCE to sixth century CE)AstheHellenizedEgyptianmyster-ies of Isis spread throughout the Mediter-raneanworld,fromtheMiddleEastto Britain,theysoonbecameonethemost widespreadexportsofEgyptianspiritual-ity. Many suggest that the Isis-Horus pair continuesinimagesoftheVirginand Child.Teancientwriters,Apuleius,in his book, Te Golden Ass, and Iamblichus in Te Egyptian Mysteries, described in de-tail the rituals of the Isis Mysteries. Tese Mysteries addressed the desire for personal transcendence and salvation and presented a powerful image of the protective, nurtur-ing, and victorious Divine Feminine.Mithraic Mysteries (Second century BCE to ffth century CE)TeMithraicMysterieswereanini-tiaticmysteryschoolinwhichstudents weregraduallyintroducedtoastronomi-caltruthsthroughsymbol,andhowthis knowledge could lead the seeker to union withthepowerbehindallexistence.Te MithraicMysteriesincludedaseriesof seveninitiationsinwhichthecandidates underwent trials. Tis combination of sci-entifc study, symbolic initiation, and cos-mic union is a feature of Rosicrucian work.Page 7Hermetism (First century BCE to the present day)Basedonthewritingsattributedto Hermes Trismegistus (the Hellenized form of the Egyptian God, Toth) the Hermetic traditionwashonoredbypractitionersof Egyptian,Greco-Roman,Jewish,Chris-tian, and later Islamic religions, and many believeitrepresentsacontinuityofthe teachingsintheEgyptianTemplesand MysterySchools.Hermetisminspired manyRenaissancemysticsandscholars, andmodernevolutionsofthistradition are often referred to as Hermeticism. Her-metism emphasizes the organic connection of the Divine with the earthly (As above, so below) and points the way of return to thesourceofbeing.Rosicrucianphiloso-phy is heir to the Hermetic tradition.Gnosticism (First century CE to fourteenth century CE)One of the early varieties of the Judeo-Christianspiritualtradition,thevarious groupswecallGnosticstodayempha-sizedtheindividualcomingtopersonal and interior experiential knowledge (Gno-sis) of the transcendent Divine One which is within the innermost being.Tis Gnosis then allows the person to enter into union with the source of all existence. Persecuted in the Mediterranean in the fourth to ffth centuriesCE,Gnosticscontinuedtheir spiritualpractice,movingtoEasternEu-rope, the Middle East, Northern Italy, and fnallySouthernFrance,wheretheywere driven underground in the fourteenth cen-tury CE. Te interior center of knowledge is a familiar theme that manifests in Rosi-crucian studies and practice. Neoplatonism (Tird sixth centuries CE, infuential to the present day)TelastfoweringoftheClassical Greek philosophical tradition, the Neopla-tonists synthesized the approaches of Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and others, address-ingtheindividualyearningforsalvation fromaphilosophicalviewpoint.Neopla-tonismpositsasinglesourcefromwhich allexistenceemanatesandwithwhichan individualsoulcanbemysticallyunited. Tisphilosophicalschoolprovidedways that the individual could ascend the ladder of being through theoria contemplation oftheDivine.Neoplatonicapproaches havecontinuedtobeoftremendousim-portanceinJewish,EasternandWestern Christian,andIslamicMysticism,aswell as the esoteric schools, including Rosicru-cian thought. Kabbalah (From the beginning of Judaism to the present day)Te word Kabbalah means tradition orreceivedtradition.Atthebeginning it was taught only by word of mouth and in the greatest secrecy. Te primary books thatmakeupthefoundationalwritings of Kabbalah include a meditation manual called the Sepher Yezirah, or Book of For-mation, whose frst date of appearance in written form is unknown, but whose oral teachingsdatebackbeforethefrstcen-tury; and the Zohar, known as the Book of Splendor, frst printed in the late thir-teenth century. Tere are strong Kabbalis-tic connections to Neoplatonism, Rosicru-cianism, and Martinism. Alchemy (Originated in or through Egypt, frst written documents in third century CE to the present day)It is said that Hermes Trismegistus, to whom the Emerald Tablet is attributed, institutedalchemysoastomanifeston Earththepowerandwisdomofthedei-ties. Te goal of the alchemist is to trans-mutethatwhichisbasetothatwhichis pure.Dr.CarlJungunderstoodalchemy to represent the process of self-realization. Alchemyincludesphysicalalchemy(for example, turning lead into gold) and spiri-RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 8tual alchemy (personal transformation.) Its conceptsarepartoftheRosicruciancur-riculum.Rosicrucianism (1614 to present day)TeRosicruciantraditionemergedin Europewiththepublicationofthethree Rosicrucianmanifestos,FamaFraternita-tis,ConfessioFraternitatis,andChymical WeddingofChristianRosenkreuz;pub-lished in 1614, 1615, and 1616. For years, Europehadbeenembroiledinreligious, political, and social strife and many longed for a new Reformation aimed at disarm-ingthesuperstitionandreligiousintol-eranceofthetime.Temanifestoswere mostlikelytheworkoftheTubingen Circle, a group of thirty German scholars andstudentswhowerepassionateabout alchemy,Hermeticism,Kabbalah,astrol-ogy,naometry,andChristianMysticism. Temanifestosenjoyedconsiderablesuc-cessandcirculatedthroughoutEurope. Manyphilosophersofthetimebecame aware of their message; among them Fran-cisBaconandJohnAmosComeniusare mentioned most often. In 1623, the Rosi-crucianspostedplacardsonthewallsof Paris announcing that the Brothers of the Rose Cross were staying visible and invis-ibleintheircity. Today,theRosicrucian Order, AMORC perpetuates the Rosicru-cian tradition worldwide. Martinism (Eighteenth century to the present day)Fromahistoricalperspective,the originsofMartinismgobacktoaneigh-teenth century organization known as the Orderofthelus-Cohen,foundedby MartinsdePasqually(1717-1774).Te Traditional Martinist Order is an initiatic Order and a school of moral chivalry based essentiallyonJudeo-Christianmysticism. ItsnameisderivedfromthatofLouis-Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803), the French mystic and author, who wrote un-der the pseudonym of the Unknown Phi-losopher. It was formed into an Order by Grard Encausse, MD, known in esoteric circles as Papus, and Augustin Chaboseau in the late nineteenth century, and is now conducted under the auspices of the Rosi-crucian Order, AMORC.Rosicrucian Order, AMORC (1915 to the present day)In1909HarveySpencerLewistrav-eled to France where he accepted from the MastersoftheOrderthechartertorees-tablish the Rosicrucian tradition in Amer-icain1915.SincethentheAncientand Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, also known astheRosicrucianOrder,AMORC,has servedasaspiritualpathtohundredsof thousandsofwomenandmenthrough-out the world and continues to perpetuate many of the traditions of the ancient Mys-terySchoolsandtheimportantphiloso-phies that sprang from them.1. Carl Kerenyi, Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter. Translated by Ralph Manheim (New York: Schocken Books, 1967/1977), 46.2. William L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Reli-gion (Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press Inter-national, 1996), 501.3. Christopher McIntosh, Te Rosicrucians (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1997).4. Christian Rebisse, Rosicrucian History and Mysteries (San Jose, CA: Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction, AMORC, 2005), 3.ENDNOTESPage 9H. Spencer Lewis Restorer of RosicrucianismChristian Rebisse, FRCTeRosicrucianOrder,AMORCisoneofthemostdynamicphilosophicalandinitiatic organizationsintheworld.Rosicruciansaremenandwomenwhostudynaturallawsin order to live in harmony with them. Te roots of the Rosicrucian Order go back to early seventeenth century Europe, with a tradi-tional history that goes back much further than that, all the way back to the Ancient Mystery Schools of Egypt and Greece.In this article Rosicrucian historian Christian Rebisse presents the inspiring life and vision of AMORCs founder, H. Spencer Lewis Restorer of Rosicrucianism.Harvey Spencer Lewis was born on November25,1883inFrench-town,NewJersey.Afewyears laterhisfamilymovedtonearbyNew York City where he was raised. H. Spencer Lewiss family environment contributedmuchtothedevelopmentof hismysticalsensitivity.Notcontentwith simplyattendingchurchonSunday;the family read and also discussed the Bible at home. Until he was sixteen years old young Harvey participated enthusiastically in the activitiesoftheMetropolitanTempleof New York City also known as the Church of the Open Door. He loved to sing in the choir,andhelistenedattentivelytothe sermonsofDr.S.ParkesCadman,the church pastor and a pioneering radio min-ister. H. Spencer Lewis often spent his free time meditating in this church, and it was herethathehadhisfrstmysticalexperi-ences.Teseexperienceshadsuchanim-pact on his soul that he was led to question himself about the profound nature of hu-manity and the possibility of establishing a dialoguebetweenthesoulandthehigher worlds. In March 1903 H. Spencer Lewis mar-ried Mollie Goldsmith, and the following year they had a son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis. A Mystical ExperienceInthespringof1908,ontheTurs-dayafterEaster,whileseatedinapewto meditate, he had a mystical experience that would afect the rest of his life. During this experience, he came to understand that the knowledgehesoughtcouldnotbefound inbooks,butratherdeepwithinhimself. Hewasalsoconvincedthathehadtogo toFrancesoastocomeincontactwith Rosicrucians. Tis mystical experience left RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 10aprofoundimpressionuponH.Spencer Lewisandbecamethestartingpointfor his Pilgrims Journey to the East. Inthehopeofobtainingsomein-formationregardingRosicrucianismin France,hedecidedtowritetoaParisian booksellerwhosecataloguehehadob-tained.Wehavenotsucceededinidenti-fying this individual, however this person contactedH.SpencerLewiswiththefol-lowing reply:If you came to Paris and found it con-venienttocallattheStudioofM., theprofessoroflanguagesatNo., Blvd. St. Germain, he might be able to tell you something of the circle of which youinquire.Itmightbeadvisableto hand him this note. Certainly a letter to him announcing your coming (by date and name of boat) would be courteous.Te Journey to FranceAlthoughhisfnancialsituationdid not permit him to consider such a voyage, an unexpected opportunity presented itself the following week. His father, Aaron Lew-is,anexpertinauthenticatingdocuments aswellasarenownedgenealogist,needed anassistantwhileconductingresearchin France for the Rockefeller family. On July 24,1909,thetwomensailedforEurope on the Amerika, of the Hamburg Amerika Line.OnSunday,August1,theshipar-rivedatCherbourg,andthetwotravelers set of for Paris by train. Te days that fol-lowedwereentirelydevotedtogenealogi-cal research, and it was only in the follow-ingweekthatH.SpencerLewiswasable to visit the bookshop and the professor of languages on Boulevard Saint-Germain. A Pilgrims Journey to the East reported his meetingswiththeprofessoronSaturday, August 7, and on Monday, August 9. Tis manwasaboutforty-veyearsold,spoke perfectEnglish,andaskedmanyprobing questionstodetermineLewissintentions. At the end of the second meeting, he rec-ommended that his American visitor travel to southern France, where he would receive further instructions.ToulouseOnceagaingoodfortune(ormaybe moreappropriately,DivineProvidence) smileduponourtraveler,becausehisfa-ther had just planned to travel to southern France where he could continue his genea-logical research for the Rockefeller family. On Tuesday, August 10, the two men left Paris, and following some adventures that H.SpencerLewisinterpretedashishav-ingbeenputtothetest,theyarrivedin ToulouseonWednesday.Onthefollow-ingday,hisfatherresumedhisworkand probablywenttotheDonjon(Keepor OldTower)toconsultthecityarchives. Meanwhile, H. Spencer Lewis went to the SalledesIllustres(GalleryoftheIllustri-ous)oftheCapitol,wherehemetanin-dividual who was instrumental in bringing his quest to a successful conclusion. After abriefdiscussion,thispersongavehima pieceofpaperonwhichwaswrittenthe name ofthe streetwhereheshouldgoso as to meet some Rosicrucians.H. Spencer Lewis does not disclose the nameofthisindividual,butmerelyindi-cates that his profession was photography. Later, Ralph M. Lewis, his son, indicated thatthispersonwasaneminentphotog-rapher.Inalllikelihood,hewasClovis Lassalle,aphotographerwhospecialized in the ne arts, archeology, commerce, and industry.Tishypothesisisconrmedby thefactthatH.SpencerLewisspersonal archives contain a letter that Lassalle wrote to him on August 26, 1909. Around three oclock in the afternoon, Lewisengagedataxiandwenttothead-dressprovided.Afterpassingthrough theoldtownofTolosa,hearrivedata stoneediceencircledbyhighwallsand situated on a hill. It was in this castle that, accordingtoAPilgrimsJourneytothe Page 11East,hewasinitiatedintotheRosicru-cianOrder.Althoughthistextdoesnot giveanydetailsregardingthisceremony, hisautobiographyprovidessomeintrigu-ing information. We learn that the person who greeted Lewis was Count Raynaud E. deBellcastle-Ligne,aseventy-eightyear old man, who lived here with his widowed daughter and whose means of living were modest,despitehisnobleorigins.Speak-ing perfect English, he conducted Lewis to a drawing room where he questioned him about the psychic research he conducted in America,andshowedgreat interestinhis visitors previous mystical experiences.At the end of the interview, Count de Bellcastle-Ligne informed our pilgrim that the moment had now come for him to be initiated and asked whether he felt ready to confront the terror of the threshold. He was then led to the second oor of the cha-teauwherehewasshownwhatremained of an ancient Rosicrucian lodge. Te count indicatedthatthistemplehadnotbeen usedformorethansixtyyears,although ithadbeenvisitedbyafewFreemasons on several occasions until 1890. His father had been the last presiding ofcer. Teconversationcontinueduntilthe countstoppedbeforeanirondoortotell hisvisitorthathemustnowenterthree chambers one after the other, alone with GodandhisMaster.Carryingoutthe command,Lewisenteredtherstroom, anantechamber.Hethenwentintothe secondroom,adarkenedplacewherehe underwentthetestofthethreshold;he thenhadamysticalexperiencewherehe sensed once again the presence of the invis-ible being who had manifested to him the previous year. He nally came to the third room where the count awaited. Te latter explained to him that this room no longer had the decorations or furnishings it once had,andconsequentlyhewasforcedto adapttheinitiationceremony.Tecount led him to diferent places in the chamber and communicated the secret meaning of this ritual. Now considering his visitor to be initi-ated,theoldmasterledhimintoalittle room.Herecommendedthattheyoung man lie down, because he needed to rest in this room a few hours before meeting sev-eral other people. H. Spencer Lewis sat on a couch and dozed of. Upon awakening, he realizedthathehadsleptforthreehours. While asleep, he had dreamed the ceremo-ny he was about to take part in. However, this time around, it was not the count who conductedhim,buttheMasterwhose presencehehadperceivedinthesecond chamber.Afterashorttime,Bellcastle-Ligne introduced him to three elderly men whoseforebearsaswellasthemselveshad beenmembersoftheRosicrucianOrder. At the end of this conversation, Lewis was led once more into the former lodge, where thecountplacedaroundhisneckacross adorned with a rose, thus signifying that he was now charged with the founding of the Order in America.After thisceremony,oneof themem-berspresentpermittedLewistoconsulta collection in which the principles and ma-jor laws of the Order were represented. He was also allowed to copy the symbols and diagramsofthevariousRosicruciancere-monies. From a trunk placed in the middle of the room the count drew out some sym-bolic aprons, an altar cloth, and various ar-chivaldocumentssothatthenewinitiate RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 12couldtakenoteofthesymbolsbelonging to the diferent degrees of the Order. After-wards the necessary information for the es-tablishment of Rosicrucianism in America was communicated to him. Te man direct-ingthemeetingatthispointwasnotthe count, but an individual named, who acted as the master of ceremonies. Although the spelling of his name difers slightly, might thisnotbeClovisLassalle,thephotogra-pherLewishadmetthesamemorningin the Gallery of the Illustrious? We would be tempted to think otherwise, seeing that the latterdescribedthemasterofceremonies asbeingtheauthorofnumeroushistori-cal documents, whereas we know that this photographerwrotenobooks.However, itispossiblethathisstatementalludesto innumerable photographic works concern-ingarcheologyandprehistorythatwere produced by Clovis Lassalle. Whatever the case, the master of ceremonies informed H. Spencer Lewis that he was now in posses-sionofallthenecessaryinstructions,but thatotherinnerexperienceswereyetto come. He concluded by requesting that no lodge be opened in America before 1915.On August 13, 1909, the day after his acceptanceintotheRosicrucianOrder, Lewis wrote to his wife Mollie:...allmyhopesonthistriphavebeen realized,butnotwithoutmanytests and trials.... A pretty place, here. I have takenplentyofphotosoftheoldfor-tress where I have participated in many strangeceremoniesthatIhavenever seen .... At last I am in the R+C, thank Godbuttheoathsandvowsarese-vere. How many in America will I nd to keep them with me?A few days later, on August 26, when he was about to return to Paris, Lewis re-ceived a letter from Clovis Lassalle. On the followingMonday,AaronLewisandhis son traveled by train to Paris. After a stop in London,wheretheyvisitedtheBritish Museum,theyboardedtheWhiteStar, oftheMSAdriaticLine,onWednesday, September 1, and sailed for New York. For HarveySpencerLewis,itwasthebegin-ning of a great adventure.Te Renewal of RosicrucianismForseveralyears,H.SpencerLewis prepared for the resurgence of the Rosicru-cian Order in America. In May 1913, his wife Mollie died as a result of appendicitis. He was profoundly afectedbyherpassing,whichshattered his family life. InDecember1913,Lewisconded to members of the New York Institute for Psychical Research his intention of estab-lishing the Rosicrucian Order in America and he invited them to a meeting. How-ever,moretimewasneededtoseethis project come to fruition. After a difcult period, Lewis began to see the hints of a new day. In the middle of 1914, he mar-riedMarthaMorfer,ayoungwoman whomhehadmetafewmonthsprevi-ously. Tis understanding spouse accom-paniedhimunobtrusivelyinhisgreat projectofrestoringRosicrucianism.In-deed, a few months later, events began to unfold, and a meeting held on Tursday, April1,1915,culminatedintheofcial founding of the Ancient and Mystical Or-derRosaeCrucis(AMORC)inAmerica. H. Spencer Lewis was elected to head this order,which,underhisdirection,would experiencearapiddevelopment.Inthe followingmonthsotherLodgeswerees-tablishedinPhiladelphia,Boston, Wilm-erding(Pennsylvania),Altoona,Roches-ter, Harlan (Iowa), and Detroit. InJanuary1916,H.SpencerLewis launchedtheAmericanRosaeCrucis,a monthlymagazineforRosicruciansthat was dedicated to science, philosophy, and religion. Until his death in 1939, he reg-ularlywrotearticlesonRosicrucianphi-Page 13losophy and mysticism for this magazine, which changed its name several times until it became the Rosicrucian Digest in 1929.Technology Serving the IdealIn 1926 H. Spencer Lewis, whose mind was endlessly bubbling over with ideas, be-gan to engage in new activities. One of his projectswastosetuparadiostationthat would broadcast special programming. He did not want this to be a source of propa-ganda for AMORC, but rather a tool dedi-catedtothearts,culture,andspirituality ingeneral.In1903,hehadconstructeda radio apparatus, and in November 1913 he had obtained an operating license. He was thus in possession of all the elements allow-ing this experiment to be placed in service of his ideal. Te radio station was soon in operation,andinApril1927,TeMystic Triangle,AMORCsmagazine,maderef-erencetotheOrdersbroadcastingactivi-ties.Onceagain,H.SpencerLewisgave proof of his creativity by introducing a new trendin this instance by engaging the lis-teners by means of the telephoneand he wouldfollowthiswithotherinnovations thatwouldsoonbecopiedbynumerous radio stations.Nicholas RoerichInNovember1927,AMORCestab-lisheditsheadquartersinSanJose,Cali-fornia. Tis was the beginning of activities atRosicrucianPark,whosearchitecture was inspired by ancient Egypt. Soon after-wardsanEgyptianMuseumwasopened. RecognizedbytheInternationalCouncil of Museums (ICOM) and by the Egyptian NationalMuseumofCairo,ithaswel-comed millions of guests over the years and remainsthelargestEgyptianmuseumin Western North America.Atthebeginningofthe1930s AMORCsdevelopmentwassuchthat H.SpencerLewishadbecometheleader ofaworldwideorganization.Hefeltthat ithadbecomenecessarytocreateanIn-ternationalSupremeCouncil,theWorld Council,composedofthoseindividuals whodirectedtheOrderinthediferent partsoftheworldFrance,Denmark, theNetherlands,Canada,PuertoRico, Bolivia, Australia, Sweden, England, Chi-na,andPoland.Amongthesemembers, wemaynotethepresenceoftheRussian painterNicholasRoerich,whohadap-parentlybecomeamemberoftheOrder in 1929, the period in which he was pro-posedasacandidatefortheNobelPeace Prize.H.SpencerLewisrelatedthathe met Nicholas Roerich at the inauguration oftheRoerichMuseuminNewYork,in October 1929. Te two men were on such friendlytermsthatNicholasRoerichwas named AMORCs legate and was charged with carrying out certain missions for the Order. In 1934, during an expedition across ChinaandMongoliatondplantscapa-bleofcombatingthedeserticationofthe American prairies, Roerich stopped at Har-bin in order to meet his Rosicrucian compa-triots. Te local press related the Rosicrucian activitiesthatheparticipatedinduringhis stay in China.Writer, Lecturer, and ArtistIn1929H.SpencerLewispublished severalbooks,includingRosicrucianQues-tions and Answers, which presented the Order through a series of questions and answers, as well as its history; then Te Mystical Life of Jesus, an essay on the mystical life of Christ, a subject he would return to in a later pub-lication. Always preoccupied with adapting the traditional teachings to modern life, he alsowroteSelfMasteryandFatewiththe Cycles of Life, an original work that proposed a method for understanding all matters, al-lowing people to regulate their lives by using the planetary and biological cycles that mark their existence.Althoughendowedwithapenetrating, ever-restless mind, Lewis did not lack a sense RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 14of humor, and during conversations he loved to slip in humorous maxims that set of vol-leys of laughter. Tis big-hearted man knew howtomaintainanexemplarysimplicity despite his important responsibilities. A mu-sician from an early age, he skillfully played the cello and piano. He was also an excellent painterwhocreatedworkswhosethemes were intimately associated with his centers of interest. Tus, one of the oldest pieces that has come down to us, Arabian Nights, evokes the Orient. Egypt was for him an inexhaust-iblesourceofinspiration,andmanyofhis pictures were dedicated to this land, such as TeLoveIdol,ortheinspiringEntranceto Karnak Temple, Luxor, which he painted on the spot during a trip in 1929. Esotericism wasneverabsentfromhiscanvases,ascan beseeninTeAlchemist,completedafew months before his death.Humanism and FraternityH.SpencerLewisaccordedspecial importancetothematteroffraternity andhadakeenawarenessoftheequality ofmenandwomen,whatevertheirback-groundsmaybe.Onnumerousoccasions heexpressedhimselfonthispointinhis writings. In 1929, in Te Mastery of Life, a booklet providing information concerning AMORC, he emphasized that racial supe-riority did not exist. In his book Mansions of the Soul, published in 1930, dealing with theoriginsofandthenatureofthesoul, he stated: ...it may be mentioned that this ancient understandingoftheassociationofall egoswitheachother,andtheuniting of all souls into one soul, establishes the fact that all human beings are brothers and sisters under one creator and of the sameessence,samevitality,andsame consciousness, regardless of race, creed, color,orotherdistinctiveelementsof the ego.An International FederationAlthoughbusydirectingtheactivities ofAMORC,H.SpencerLewiscontin-uedtomaintainrelationswithotherin-dividualsintheworldofesotericismand inAugust1934hetraveledtoBrussels so as to participate in the creation of the FUDOSI,afederationmeanttobring togetherauthenticinitiaticorders.He becameoneofthethreedirectorsofthis worldwide organization. He also used this occasion to renew ties with the Martinist Tradition.Duringthisfrstcongressof the FUDOSI, Victor Blanchard, director oftheOrdreMartinisteetSynarchique, conferredonhimtheinitiationsandau-thority necessary for the establishment of Martinism in the United States.DuringhistravelstoEurope,H. Spencer Lewis had the opportunity to vis-it the planetarium at the Deutsches Muse-um in Munich. On his return to San Jose, hedevotedallhisenergytodrawingup plansandcreatingthefrstplanetarium projectorputtogetherbyanAmerican. InJuly1936, theMoorish-style building constructed for housing this projector was inaugurated. Tis audacious creation was a testimony to the genius of the frst Im-perator of AMORC.Page 15H. Spencer Lewis was a humanist and was a member of numerous philanthropic societies and associations. Despite his con-stant activities and numerous travels that he carried out in serving AMORC, he still found the time to devote himself to writ-ing.In1936,hepublishedTeSymbolic Prophecy of the Great Pyramid, a book that broughtforththemysteriousknowledge of the Egyptians. In the following year, he publishedtwomorebooks.Inthefrst, Te Secret Doctrines of Jesus, he returned to ideasthathehaddiscussedinaprevious work. In the second, Mental Poisoning, he denounced the detrimental efects of neg-ative suggestions and superstitious beliefs. He showed how the laws associated with theactivitiesofthesubconsciouscondi-tion our life, and he proposed keys allow-ing us to not only liberate ourselves from all forms of mental poisoning, but also to use suggestion in a constructive way.Te Departure toward the LightShortlyafterhisreturnfromhisEu-ropeantravels,wherehehadparticipated in the FUDOSI congress that brought to-gether Rosicrucian leaders from all around the world, H. Spencer Lewiss health went intoadecline.Perhapshehadovertaxed himself while serving others for too many years and thus began to pay the price. As is true of all extraordinary individuals, he was naturally criticized and slandered, but healwaysworkedwithardorandconvic-tion in serving his ideal. He passed through transitiononAugust2,1939,beingonly ffty-sixyearsold.Tusdisappearedthe individualwho,followingalongquest, had attempted to give a fresh momentum toRosicrucianismbywayoftheAncient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis. Tat is why,withoutfallingintothecultofper-sonality,whichiscontrarytoRosicrucian ethics, the members and present leaders of AMORCrecognizehimfortheworkhe accomplished.AlthoughHarveySpencerLewisgave AMORCaspecialtouch,itmustbeem-phasizednonethelessthattheOrderhas evolvedconsiderablysincethattime.In fact,thisworldwideinitiaticandphilo-sophicalmovementhasneverceasedto perfect itself due to the research and work ofitsdirectorsandmembers.Inkeeping withthewishesofitsrestorer,theteach-ingsthemselveshavebeenconstantly enrichedandupdatedsoastobealways adapted to the evolution of consciousness, knowledge, and society. Almost a century after its resurgence, the Rosicrucian Order remainsfaithfultothespiritofHarvey SpencerLewisbybringingtogethermen and women without regard to race, social class, or religion, in a spirit of humanism, fraternity,andspirituality.Itthusconsti-tutes in our era one of the most dynamic andmostinnovativeesotericmovements in the world.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 16Imagination and CreativityH. Spencer Lewis, FRCIn this article, H. Spencer Lewis provides powerful guidance on how we can serve as instruments of the Divine in manifesting that which best contributes to the evolution of humanity.Imaginationistheonegreatcreative powerwithinthehumanbody.Itis that which has built cities, put bridges over rivers, covered the oceans with ships, andflledtheairwithairplanes.Ithas changedpeoplescustomsandhabits, theirclothingandfood,theirlanguages and ways of thinking. In fact, imagination is the keynote of human evolution...Te individual who lacks imagination or the use of it, or who has not permitted thisunusual,divinefacultytodevelop,is bound by ancient traditions and customs, andisblindtothefutureinallofits creative stages. Such an individual can live only in the past, can have no foresight, and must therefore be lacking in ambition and creative desires.Wehavethreewaysbywhichnew knowledge, new ideas, and new things may comeintoourlivesandintotheprocess ofhumanevolution.Tefrstoftheseis cosmicrevelation,wherebyattunement withtheUniversalMindandwiththe divineconsciousnessgraduallyreveals toourconsciousnessthegreatwisdom thatistimelessanddealswiththepast, thepresent,andthefuture.Tiswisdom inspires, instructs, guides, and leads us on. It teaches us the lessons that come through the errors of human existence, and fortifes usagainstsimilarerrorsinthefuture.It laysthefoundationforcontemplation andmeditation.Itsuppliesideasinan embryonicstatethatmaybeevolvedand matured into living things. Tesecondgreatgifttousisthatof imaginationbywhichwemaytakethe inspired and embryonic idea and develop, unfold,andreconstructitmentally,ina mentalworldthatknowsnolimitations. With this faculty we can build things out of invisible material, intangible substances, and construct an immaterial and intangible edifceoraninvisibleandintangiblena-tion. We can unfold in our minds the pos-sibleandimpossiblethingsalike.Wecan conceive of that which is beyond achieve-menttodaybutpossibleofachievement tomorrow.Teimaginationislikethe blueprintsofthegreatestarchitectswho canplanandoutlinethatwhichshould bedonewithoutregardtocost,totime, ortosurroundingconditions. Withitwe cansurroundourconsciousnesswiththe picturesofpossiblefutureachievements andholdthesebeforeusastheidealsto-ward which all our efort may be directed. Imaginationisthelightthatleadsuson, anditisthegoldenlightthathasledthe Page 17movement of human evolution through all of the darkest ages. Te third great blessing is the power to create mentally. Tis is diferent from that ofimagination,forwiththepersonwho developsthefacultyofmentallycreating, the plans and the designs conceived in his orherimaginationaretakenonebyone andreconstructednotofintangibleand invisible substances but of a very tangible essence,radiatingfromthehumanmind into space and materializing into concrete, defnite, material forms out of which all of the world has been built and all of the uni-verse made manifest. Mentallycreatingistheprocessthat the Divine used when conceiving the idea of a world for human beings and breathed forth from Divine Consciousness the pow-erofthelawswhichsetintomotionthat which was conceived in the Divines imagi-nation.Outofchaosanddarknesscame form and light, and the form of things was changed into great diversity of nature. All livingthingswereconceivedandcreated inthesamemannerandultimatelyhu-man beings were created by the same great power. Andthentohumankindwasgiven thisDivinepowertocontinuethecre-ationthattheDivinehadstarted.While people may imagine great things and hold them in their consciousness as an idea to-wardwhichtostriveordreamabout,to hope and pray for, the person who uses the mentalcreativefacultytakeseachimagi-nary picture of human conception and, by concentratingandfocalizingthecreative power of his or her being upon it, brings it into concrete, material manifestation. Temysticknowsonlytoowellthe valueanddanger,thegoodnessandthe evil,thatliesinthepowerofmentally creating. We know that if we hold in our minds a picture and give it the vibrations of living possibility, and if we prophetically proclaim that it is to be or will be, we bring it about; we create it in the world of actu-ality,bytransferringitfromtheworldof reality to material manifestation. We know thataseachhourofthedaypasses,the things which we have held in our imagina-tion and which we now allow to pass into the chamber of mental alchemy are likely tobecrystallizedimmediatelyinearthly form. Wemust,therefore,bepureminded. Wemustbepureandholyinourimagi-nary concepts. We must keep the chamber of mental alchemy so clear and so whole-some and of such a high standard that no evil thought, no evil admission, no unholy conceptofourearthlyimaginationmay take form there and grow and be born in the world of actuality. Human evolution is the result of cos-micinspiration,humanimagination,and divine mental creation, but when the cen-terfacultyofthesethreeislackingand imaginationhasnotbeenpermittedto develop,orisnotused,thehumanbeing stagnatesandbecomesaslavetothepast andavictimofthepresent.Tereareno hills of the future over which he or she may rise to see the grand perspective of valleys and plains beyond. Tere are no ships ly-ing in port waiting to take the person from the land of the old and the land of the past to the land of the new and the future. Letyourimagination,therefore,have full sway. Build it up until it is flled daily andhourlywiththepicturesthattheles-sons of the past and the trials of today sug-gesttoyourconsciousness.Tenanalyze these imaginary things, select the best, and take them into the laboratory of your cre-ative powers. Let the divine consciousness fowing through you reconstruct them, ra-diate them, and bring them to pass in your lifeandinthelivesofthosearoundyou, thus adding to the world the assets of the futureandthebeautifulthingsofhuman evolution.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 18Rosicrucian Initiatic Journeys to EgyptRosicrucianinitiaticjourneystoEgyptbeganin1929withImperatorH.SpencerLewis leadingthefrstgroup.Teseextraordinarypilgrimagescontinueuntiltoday.Seventy-fve Rosicrucians from throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe accompanied H. Spencer Lewis on that frst initiatic journey. Te principal destination was Egypt, however on the way to and from that mystic land, the travelers visited mystical sites in the Madeira Islands,theMediterranean,NorthAfrica,theHolyLand,andEurope.Asthiswasinthe days before regular transatlantic air service, the journey lasted seventy days. It concluded on the Spring Equinox.Tis trip was especially tailored for Rosicrucians. As is the case today, the travelers were treated to unique experiences and unusual sites normally passed over by the casual tourist of the day. At every site, in every city, members learned about cultural and mystical aspects related to the site generally unknown to the ordinary traveler. Of course the most special features of this trip weretheuniqueinitiationsconductedbyImperatorLewis.Tistraditioncontinuestoday with Imperator Christian Bernard conferring the initiatic rituals in Egypt. Teentire1929tourwaschronicledinelevenconsecutiveissuesofTeMysticTriangle magazine (the predecessor to todays Rosicrucian Digest), from February through December 1929. We present below an excerpt from the original series.Te Luxor InitiationAfterleavingCairo,theRosicru-ciantouring party proceeded intoUpper Egypt by train up the Nile Valley, arriving atLuxorfortheapexinitiationoftheir journey to this mystic land.Webeganourpreparationsonthe morningofFebruary14,forthegreatest eventofourentirejourneythecon-cluding initiation ceremony in Luxor. Te Rosicrucians in Egypt had planned with us to have the ceremony begin at sunset and continue into the early evening, so that we might sit and meditate in the darkness of the ancient temple.Early in the afternoon our entire party assembled on the lawn of the hotel and re-ceived fnal instructions from the Impera-tor so that everything would move with or-der and system during the ceremony. Ten justatsunsetourmembersstrolledcaus-ally, in twos and threes out of the grounds of the several hotels and wended their ways slowlyandwithoutattractingattention towardtheancientruinsonthebanksof the Nile.And on everyimportantheight ofthe walls and ruins around the temple Rosicrucians in Egypt, 1929.Page 19therewerestationedmembersofthean-cient Amenhotep LodgeofRosicrucians ofLuxorand Cairo as outer guards and tilers.Finally, all of themembersofthe par-tywere within the great court of Amenho-teps old temple, onthewallsandcol-umnsofwhichwerehis cartouche and thecartoucheofourOrder.Tetemple containedthirty-twoenormouscolumns arrangedinfourrowsofeight,andeach columnwastoppedwiththesymbolic lotusinenormoussize.Tearrangement ofthecolumnsformedvariousaisles,the largerofwhichraneastandwest,north and south. In the center where they crossed stood the symbolical Shekinah of black sat-in, with the Rosicrucian emblem embroi-dered in its center, and standing upon it a large bouquet of roses. In various parts of the aisles incense was burning, and the low setting sun just showing above the hills of Tebes,andshiningacrosstheNile,illu-minated the upper parts of columns of the temple with a golden hue, which refected downwarduponthemembersstanding thereinsilenceandreverence,bathing themintheilluminationwhichallRosi-crucians adore.Intheantechambersadjoiningthe temple were the ofcers of the Rosicrucian Lodge of Egypt, and standing in the east-ern end of the west aisle stood the Impera-tor with his purple robe, whitestole,gold-en rosecross,and embroidered emblems. At the southoftheShekinah stood the ancientstonelecternfromwhichmany Mastershavereadtheceremonialritual formanyholyassemblies.Eachmember ofthepartywasbroughtbeforetheEast, facing the Shekinah, and the holy sanctum attheeastendofthetemple,sothatall couldsensethevibrationsofthemar-velousplace containing as it did the holy thoughts of thousands of persons through manyages.Asallthemembersstoodin silencewiththeiraurasrapidlyincreas-inginsize,andas theywerebecoming attunedwiththe vibrationsoftheplace, the Imperator invoked the presence of the great Masters seen and unseen, and in the darkening recesses of the shadowy parts of the sanctum we could plainly see the great lights gathering which indicated the pres-Rosicrucians in Egypt, 2014. RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 20enceoftheseveralgreatMastersfrom Tibetand Egypt, who we knew would be present on this occasion.IwishthatIcouldgointodetailre-gardingtheentireceremony,andtellyou precisely what occurred during the hour or morethatallofusstoodtherewithour hearts welling up, our emotions overcom-ingus,andourvibrationssothrilling uswiththeirelectricpowerthatwewere almost unable to speak and to answer the questions that were put to us, or repeat the vowel sounds which made the place seem to tremble. One by one we pledged our al-legiance,ourloyalty,andourdevotionto theOrder,toitsgreatprinciples,andto thejurisdictionofEgyptthroughwhose powerandunderwhoseauthoritywe were receiving this wonderful lesson.Duringtheceremonyeachinitiate wastakentotheShekinahandbrought face to face withasolemnunderstanding oftheancientprinciples asperformed so many times in the same manner. We were notsurprisedtoseetheappearance,per-sonality, andevenphysicalaspectofthe Imperatorgraduallychangeandassume thelikenessandmannerismofoneof theancientMasters;andthenitwasthat we of thehighergradesknewinstantly whytheImperatorwassofamiliarwith ancientEgyptianhistory,therituals,the customs, and the work of this great orga-nization. His voice resounded throughout the temple, and echoed and reechoed from columntocolumnwithapoweroverus andanefectuponusthatwecouldnot possiblydescribe,whichwillremainwith us the rest of our lives. At the conclusion of the ritualistic part of the initiation, weweredirectedtoseat ourselvesuponthe oldstones surround-ingthecolumnsandinthesoftlight ofpaleevening,with incense flling the temple,withchantingcarriedonbythe Rosicrucianmembersinthearchivesad-joining,andwithorientalmusicplaying softly inthecourtyard. Wesatinmedi-tation,eyesclosed,awaitingtheper-sonal,intimatetouchand whisper of the great Masters who walked aboutthrough thetempleandcametoeachoneof us as we were ready or prepared and gave untousaswewerequalifedtoreceive. Whatmessageswerewhisperedinthose fewminutes!Whatconsolation,advice, hope,cheer,andinspirationmostofus received from justa handclasp, or a word, or a smile! Some there felt butlittleand heardevenless,butmostreceived in ac-cordance with their development, and we whoknewandunderstoodincomplete-ness will never forget what was given to us andwhatwewereassignedtodoforthe future.CanyouwonderthatIwouldlike totellyouallthathappened,and can you wonder that we shall never forget, and certainly never reveal what most of us ac-tuallysawandlearned?Certainlyifthere had ever been doubt in the minds of any of us as to the high position that the Impera-tor occupied in the Order, or the high re-gard that he had in the other lands and in the minds and hearts of the great Masters, or if we had any doubt as to the relation-shipofourOrdertothisancienttemple of Amenhoteps in Egypt, or doubt of any kind pertaining to any phase of the work, these things were so quickly thrown aside and so completely dispelled and cast out of ourconsciousnessforeverthatwecannot think of them as ever having existed.When all of the ceremony was ended, and moving pictures had been taken of us standingthereinthatancientplace,we slowlywendedourwayagain,humbled, thrilled, reverent, and inspired, toward the banks of the Nile. As we passed out of the walls of the enclosure, there were none of us who could venture to make a comment. TeafternoonandearlyeveningofFeb-ruary14,1929,willbeamemorable occasion,notonlyinthisincarnationof mostofuswhowerethere,butinmany incarnations to come.Page 21The Function of a RosicrucianRalph M. Lewis, FRCRalph Maxwell Lewis served as the Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order for forty-eight years, from 1939 to 1987. In this article, he explores the purpose and function of being a Rosicrucian.Aristotle,inhisrenownedEthics, sought to define the nature of good. Hesaidthateachthinghasits function.The function is the ideal, that for whichthethingexists.Teperfectionof afunctionisitsexcellence,thefulfllment ortheendwhichathingattains.Te excellenceofafunction,then,isits summumbonum,or,inotherwords,the highestgoodofthatthing.Forexample, agoodharpistisonewhoisanexcellent harpist;agoodcarpenterisonewho fulflls his function, namely, the skill of his trade.What, then, may be said to be the functionofaRosicrucian?Whatisthe excellenceofthatfunction?What,may wesay,constitutesthegoodRosicrucian? TefunctionoridealofaRosicrucian should be that reason for which he became amember.Furthermore,itshouldbe what is always expected of a Rosicrucian.Broadly defned, the true function of a Rosicrucian is the acquisition and the ap-plication of knowledge.Likewise, whether one is a good Rosicrucian depends on the excellence of this function of acquiring and applyingknowledge.Tisexcellence,in turn, depends upon the knowledge which theRosicrucianseeks.Teendtowhich she applies the knowledge is another factor of the excellence of a Rosicrucian.TeknowledgewithwhichRosicru-ciansmustbeconcernedshouldbeuni-versalincharacter.Onewhocontinually channels his experience along certain lines, or in certain felds, or who always focuses hisconsciousnessuponcertainimpres-sionsonly,cannotbeconsideredagood Rosicrucian.Tebrilliantempiricist,or the learned scientist who acquires through his research or studies a useful knowledge, maynotnecessarilybeaworthyRosicru-cian.Tereissomethingmorerequired ofhim.Pythagoras,thegreatphiloso-pher,theleaderofthemysteryschoolat Crotona;Paracelsus,thephysicianand alchemist;MichaelFaraday,thephysicist; Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher and states-personeachofthesepersonagesgained eminenceintheacademicandscientifc worlds.But their creditable achievements by which the world recognizes them were not the principal reasons for their becom-ing distinctive in Rosicrucian annals.Tere wereotherfactors,otherfunctions,that caused them to be honored by the broth-ers and sisters of the Rosy Cross.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 22Te knowledge which the Rosicrucian seeks must always be related to the trinity ofmysteries.Tesemysteriesare:birth, life,anddeath.Anotherwayofreferring to these mysteries is:being, manifestation, andtransition.Teso-calledmysteries are really only aspects of one single nature. Tey are divisions of the totality of human experience.Inotherwords,thehuman minddividesitsexperiencesintothecat-egoriesofthesethreeso-calledmysteries. Tefactthatweperceivetheoneasthree stresses the necessity for us not to limit our search for knowledge to any one of them.Te Known and the KnowerTefrstrequisiteofaRosicrucianis to have the proper attitude of mind.Te Rosicrucianmustaccepttwobasicprem-ises: First, that there is that which is to be known.Second, there is the knower.Tat which is to be known is all-inclusive; it is the Absolute, the ultimate, the omniscient theperfection.Terefore,thatwhich is to be known is the plethora or the full-ness of all being.Early in her metaphysi-cal studies, the Rosicrucian realizes that no thinghasrealexistenceuntilitisknown. Nothing is, except what it is realized to be. We are often told in philosophical abstrac-tions, and it is a scientifc fact as well, that without the ear, there is no sound.Like-wise,withouttheconsciousness,theAb-soluteiswithoutform.Wecansaythat until a thing is known, it is not; it has no existence.Tehumanbeingistheknower.It is menandwomenwhogivebeingorthe Absoluteitsrealitybytheirconceptions. Troughhumanswhoarepartofthe Absolute,theCosmicacquiresitsself-consciousness,itsownrealization. Withthegradualbreadthofhuman consciousness, the Absolute becomes more expansive.It is not that the human mind actuallyaddsanythingtotheCosmic substance.Tatwouldnotbepossible. ButthroughhumanmindtheCosmic substanceassumesidentity.Itspotential manifold images increase in proportion to the structure of human knowledge.Foranalogy,thenatureofamirroris not the sum of all of the images, all of the refectionswhichmaybeseeninit.We cannot say that a mirror is a collection of the things which we perceive on its surface. But it is such images that cause mirrors to be known to us as such.Tese images re-veal that phenomenon by which we iden-tify it as a mirror.In like manner the hu-man mind helps us to appreciate, through its concepts, that there is such an existence astheCosmic.Temajesty,thebeauty, the harmony of the Cosmic are really born within the mind of humans.Humans are theknower.Tatwhichisself-contained, self-sufcient, as is the Cosmic, has no op-posedstatesorcounterconditions;ithas no determinative factors.In the Cosmic, therearenosuchconditionsaslargeor small, old or new, chaos or order.Tere is but a one-ness of a being.It is human be-ings who in contrasting our consciousness andthevariousstatesofourmindtothe Cosmic,conceivefromthiscontrastsuch qualities as beauty, harmony, and others.Mental ExplorationsTeRosicruciancomestorealizethat thereisnothingwhichhumanscannot know if one sincerely inquires.Tere are no defnite mandates established prohibit-ing human scrutiny of the universe.Te-ology once thought that there were certain limitations beyond which humans should notgoinoursearch.Butthereareno limitations which are irreverent.Tere are no Cosmic powers which attempt to con-strain the human mind.As Holbach, the greatFrenchencyclopedistsaid,Nature tells the human to seek light and to search for truth.Inourexplorations,peoplecannot makeaseriousmistakeinourappraisal Page 23of the Cosmic.Now, it is true as we look backthroughthecenturiesatthevarious concepts that humans have had about the universe, about being, and our own nature, that some seem to be erroneous, but these conceptswereinaccordwiththelevelof humanconsciousnessatthattime.After all,theessenceoftheCosmicassumes various forms in the molds of the human understanding.As people think, that is ex-istence to us at the moment of our thought.Like sand, the Cosmic contains within itselfnopermanentimpressionsbutmay be molded into any kind or form.Te Cos-mic is ever-ready to assume various forms, diferent kinds of reality, when the human consciousnessispreparedtoperceiveand conceive them.Since the Cosmic is poten-tialwithallthings,itnaturallyisplastic, and the mind can mold, or adapt this plas-tic substance to its conceptions.Te more extensive the understanding of the human mind,themoremagnifcentappearsthe Cosmic design, just as the more extensive the ability and aesthetic conception of an artist,themoremagnifcentbecomeher creations.Teonlyseriousmistakewhichhu-manscanmakeistodenythefullnessof our own nature.Tis denial is the mystical concept of the old theological doctrine of the original sin.In other words, the orig-inalsin,totheRosicrucian,isapersons denialofhisspiritualfaculties,hisdivine powers.Hewhorefusestounderstand himself is damming his own powers.It has been truly said that there are none so blind as those who will not see.No One is FreeTeproblemoffreedomentersearly intothefunctionsofaRosicrucian.Te Rosicrucianlearnsthatnooneisactually afreeagent.Nopersoniswhollyanar-biter of her own wishes.Te Rosicrucian knowsthatnopersoncansetupideasor conceptswhichareabsolutelyindepen-dent of the inclinations of her nature.She whowillsasshedesiresmakesachoice which she considers free, but she is, in fact, dependent.Afterall,whenwedecideto do something, we are only conforming to what we really are.Our apparent victory over ourselves when we say we are asserting ourwillsis,afterall,butthedominance of one impulse of our nature over another. As a consequence, the Rosicrucian says, if will is the product of the impulses of our nature, and we are truly free in the exercise of it, then it is advisable for will to repre-sent not just one aspect of our being.We wouldmakeitrepresentourspiritualas well as physical side.Te Rosicrucian understands life to be morethanjustanattainmenttoapoint ofobservation.TotheRosicrucian,life isnotmerelytheclimbingtoapinnacle tolookdownuponacollectionofready-made realities lying at his feet.But rather, totheRosicrucian,lifeisaspanofmate-rialization.Life afords him the opportu-nityofconvertingCosmicintangibilities intorealities;or,inotherwords,lifeisa theater for Cosmic expression.Our bodies and our minds are the actors on the stage ofthistheater.Itishereonthisphysical plane that beauty and the elements of the artsandsciencesareborn.Itisherealso thattheheavenofecstasyisexperienced, and that the hell of torment is fashioned.Duringthisconsciousinterval,the lightofthemind,ourconsciousness,is likelightshiningintoadarkenedroom. Atfrst,allisdarkandformless.Ten, with the entrance of the light, things come intoexistence.Teyhaveanature,are-ality.Itisthesamewiththelightofthe mindwhichgivesorderandformtoan otherwise unrealized universe.Te human minddoesevenmore;itconferspurpose ontheCosmic.Purposeexistsnowhere elseexceptwithintheinnervision,the idealismofhumans.Afterall,theCos-mic has no end in view; the Cosmic is not RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 24trying to perfect itself nor is it aspiring to be something it already is.Te Cosmic, therefore,isperpetuallyinastateofself-sufciency.Humansinourlimitedcon-sciousnessconceivepurpose;webelieve that there is an idealism toward which the Cosmicismoving,andinspiredbythat conception,weendeavortoemulateit. We thus move forward in our own life.To use an illustration, it is like walking toward a star which we never reach but, in doing so, we travel far and we learn much.TeRosicrucianattitudetowardour mortal,physical,andearthlyrelationship is an expedient one.Te Rosicrucian does notdenyhermaterialobligations.She is obligated to her family, her friends, to her business connections, to society in general. Te Rosicrucian does not try to escape the world by venturing into a series of vagaries andspeculations.TeRosicruciandoes not seek a refuge where her ideals remain sound only because they have not been ex-posed to down-to-earth realities.TeRosicrucianattitudetoward thislifemaybesummarizedinthesefew words.We work to live that we may live to know.By living as long as we can and as intelligentlyaswecanandwithanopen, liberal mind, we glorify the unknown.We arethenfulfllingthefunctionofgiving theunknownexistenceinourowncon-sciousness.Human Responses MaterializeIf our daily labors lie within the scope of the trades, the arts, and the sciences, we areindeedfortunate.Wearethengiven theopportunityofmanifestingtheso-calledCosmicmysteries.Wecanthen materialize our human response to the Ab-solute.Inotherwords,wearegiventhe opportunitytoexpressinsomematerial formthatharmonyoftheCosmicwhich wesensewithinourownnature. Weex-perience, as inspirations and as ideals and plans,ourunitywiththeCosmic.Such individualsarereallybuildingamicro-cosm,asmalluniverse,which,tothem, refects the macrocosm.In their creations, inthethingstheydoandbuild,theybe-lievetheyseetheorderandharmonyof the Cosmic.It is like the artist who tries to catch a sunset on his canvas.No mat-ter how perfect his work, it is not actually what the sunset is, but it becomes a symbol of what his eyes see and what his emotions experience.It gives him pleasure in feeling that he has caught part of the spirit of the great universe.Te real builder, the real creator, is not onewhomerelyprovidestheworldwith strange new devices.Te world is already too laden with gadgets, with innumerable thingswhichkeepusfromourselvesby compelling us to be continually devoted to them.Te gadgets we have today, the bau-blesweareturningout,fgurativelyhave upon them a label which reads: To escape the responsibilities of life, indulge me! Te person who is really a builder is the one who fnds gratifcation in her personal humanitarianimpulses.Terealbuilder fndssatisfactionnotinthethingwhich she is building, but in its impact, the efect it will have, upon society what it will do for humankind generally.She believes, or wants to believe, that her products, or her services,areinsomewayadvancinghu-manity toward a fuller living.Tis fullness of life she interprets in the spiritual, intel-lectual, and cultural sense, not only in the economicsense.Suchmechanics,artists, scientists,teachers,areallcontributingto the excellence of humanity, and this excel-lence or goodness, as we have seen, is the knowledgeandappreciationofthegreat unknown.Tosewhosedailylaborsmaynotbe directly related to the crafts, arts, and sci-ences,should,nevertheless,begratifed thattheirlaborsprovidesustenanceand certain leisure hours as well.During such leisure,thefunctionsofonesbeingmay attain their excellence through such chan-nels of study as AMORC.Page 25Creed of PeaceRalph M. Lewis, FRCRalph Maxwell Lewiswas a great humanitarian and citizen of the world as expressed in his Creed of Peace.@ I am guilty of war when I proudly exercise my intelligence to the disad-vantage of my fellow man.@ I am guilty of war when I distort others opinions which difer from my own.@ I am guilty of war when I show disregard for the rights and properties of others.@ I am guilty of war when I covet what another has honestly acquired.@ I am guilty of war when I seek to maintain my superiority of position by depriving others of their opportunity of advancement.@ I am guilty of war if I imagine my kin and myself to be a privileged people.@ IamguiltyofwarifIbelieveaheritageentitlesmetomonopolizere-sources of nature.@ I am guilty of war when I believe other people must think and live as I do.@ IamguiltyofwarwhenImakesuccessinlifesolelydependentupon power, fame, and riches.@ I am guilty of war when I think the minds of people should be regulated by force, rather than by reason.@ IamguiltyofwarwhenIbelievetheGodIconceiveistheoneothers must accept.@ I am guilty of war when I think that a land of a persons birth must neces-sarily be the place of his or her livelihood.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 26Contribution to PeaceInspired by Imperator Ralph Lewiss Creed of Peace, over several years Rosicrucian members from around the world created the Rosicrucian Contribution to Peace, which serves as the basis for the Rosicrucian Peace Day Ceremony, which is celebrated worldwide on the fourth Sunday of June each year.@ I contribute to Peace when I strive to express the best of myself in my contacts with others.@ IcontributetoPeacewhenIusemyintelligenceandmyabilitiesto serve the Good.@ I contribute to Peace when I feel compassion toward all those who suf-fer.@ IcontributetoPeacewhenIlookuponallmenandwomenasmy brothers and sisters, regardless of race, culture, or religion.@ I contribute to Peace when I rejoice over the happiness of others and pray for their well-being.@ I contribute to Peace when I listen with tolerance to opinions that dif-fer from mine or even oppose them.@ I contribute to Peace when I resort to dialogue rather than to force to settle any confict.@ I contribute to Peace when I respect Nature and preserve it for genera-tions to come.@ I contribute to Peace when I do not seek to impose my conception of the Divine upon others.@ I contribute to Peace when I make Peace the foundation of my ideals and philosophy.So Mote It Be!Page 27The Science of IntuitionGeorge F. Buletza, PhD, FRCTe Rosicrucian Orders scientifc research into mystical and transpersonal experiences began with H. Spencer Lewis in the early 1900s. It continued with the establishment of the Interna-tional Research Council (IRC) in 1934 with a very active team of experts in various related felds who researched and taught at Rose Croix University International (RCUI) at Rosicru-cian Park. In the 1970s and 1980s, a series of reports from the IRC was published in the Rosicrucian Digest under the title Mindquest. Te following article, from that series, was written by George Buletza, PhD, FRC, Director of the IRC at that time.AMORCs IRC is still very active in scientifc investigations around the world today. Some of the researchers fndings are published as books, others as papers in the Rose+Croix Journal (www.rosecroixjournal.org), and others as presentations in person and online.IntroductionThroughthestudyofintuitionthe Rosicrucianreachesthefrontier ofintellectualandspiritualpower. Rosicrucianslearnthatallgreatprogressin peoples lives depends on the release and use of intuitive powers.No significant discovery, insight,orcreativeproductionhascome aboutsolelyasaresultofobjectivemental activity.Laboratoryexperimentsaswellas scoresofinterviewswithscientists,writers, composers, and artists attest to the fact that solutions to problems are achieved only after they have been released to the subconscious or intuitive faculty of the mind.ClaudeM.BristolandHaroldSher-man,intheirbookT.N.T.ortheCreative Power Within, tell about Tomas Alva Edi-sonspracticeoftakingmultiplecat-naps asheworkedonaninvention.Whenhe feltblocked,afterexertinghimselftothe utmost,Edisonwouldliedownonhis couchandfallasleep.Heclaimstohave alwaysreceivedsomeadditionallighton his problem.Germanpsychiatrist,HerbertSilberer experimented with this process by putting himselfintoaborderlinestateandtrying tothinkthroughcomplicatedproblems he had been unable to solve in the normal waking state.He found that the compli-catedproblemhewasconsideringwould disappear from awareness and would be re-placedbyameaningfulformofsymbolic imagery.OneproblemSilberercontem-platedwas:Ifintuitionisuniversal,why dosomepeopleintuittodoonething, while others intuit to do something else?Silberer wrote: InastateofdrowsinessIcontem-plateanabstracttopicsuchasthena-tureofjudgmentsvalidforallpeople. A struggle between active thinking and drowsinesssetsin.Tedrowsinessbe-comes strong enough to disrupt normal thinkingandtoallow,inthetwilight state so produced, the appearance of an auto-symbolicphenomenon.Tecon-tentofmythoughtpresentsitselfim-mediatelyintheformofaperceptual picture (for an instant apparently real); I see a big circle (or transparent sphere) in the air with people around it whose heads reach into the circle. Tis symbol expressespracticallyeverythingIwas thinkingof.Te[universal]judgment RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 28isvalidforallpeoplewithoutexcep-tion;thecircleincludesalltheheads. Tevaliditymusthaveitsgroundsin commonality:theheadsallbelongin thesamehomogeneoussphere.Not all judgments are [universal]: the body and the limbs of the people are outside (below) the sphere as they stand on the groundasindependentindividuals. Whathadhappened?Inmydrowsi-nessmyabstractideaswere,without consciousinterference,replacedbya perceptualpicture,byasymbol.(See Figure 1.)Silberer goes on to say that he found this picture-thinking an easier form of thought thanrationallogic.Conductingextensive experimentsinthisborderlinestate,he consideredcomplexabstractthoughtand waitedattentivelyforsymbolicimagesto appear. He found that his thoughts in this state always gave rise to images, thus dem-onstrating to him that the mind automati-callytransformsverbalinformationinto unifying picture-symbols. AnotherexampleSilberergaveisas follows: My thought is: I am to improve ahaltingpassageinanessay.Symbol:I see myself planning a piece of wood. He therefore proceeded to shave words from the essay.In terms of our Rosicrucian principles, whatSilbererdidwastoputhimselfina receptive,borderlinestate;heintroduced aproblemhehadalreadyanalyzed,and lookedforananswertoappearasavisu-alization.Teresultsofhisexperiments demonstrated that problem-solving visual-izations are often symbolic.Imaginativeimagesorsymbolsthat spontaneouslycometoourawarenessar-rive from beyond our objective conscious-ness.Teycometousfromaninner center,fromanintuitivefacultyofmind. Teydosoinanattempttojoininner andouterworlds,spiritualwithmaterial, invisiblewithvisible,macrocosmwith microcosm,imaginationwithobjectivity, actualitywithreality.Teybringabouta marriage of the mind.Symbolismistheartofthinkingin imagesratherthanwords.Animageis expressedasasymboltocommunicatea meaning beyond the obvious, beyond the graspofreason.Becausethereareinnu-merable things beyond the range of objec-tivehumanunderstanding,weconstantly usesymbolictermstorepresentconcepts (such as infnity ) that we cannot defne or fully comprehend.Tesymbolthen,isamechanismfor understanding. It forms a bridge between a metaphysical world in which the Divine MindencompassesAllandthephysical world of the brain and the senses in which Allcanneverbeperfectlyknown.Inthe physicalworld,nomatterhowpowerful atelescopeormicroscopehumansbuild, there always remains matter that cannot be seen even with the aided eye. Our physical senses,ascomplexandmarvelousasthey are, are limited in what they can perceive. Terefore, knowledge gained through our physical senses can never be perfect.Intuition and ReasonContrarytopopularbelief,thescien-tifc method combines intuition with em-Figure 1. Silberers symbolic conception of human judg-ments is valid for everyone. Silberer studied in great de-tail the psychology of intuition.Page 29pirical observation to acquire new knowl-edge.Newideascomefromintuition, without which the information we gather throughrandomobservationwouldbea meaninglesstrainoffacts.Intuitionand reason bring the random observations to-gether into a meaningful relationship and anorderedsystem.Experimentationand empirical observation are methods of then verifyingandvalidatingthenewideasal-readyhypothesizedbytheintuition,thus addingtheseideasintotherealmofnew knowledge.In scientifc research the key is to pos-sess the insight that will enable one to ask the right question. Te accurate answer is implicit in the right question. Tis can only be arrived at by transcending the physical senses.Anditisthesymbol,theinstru-mentofunderstanding,thatallowsusto transcend the limits of the physical senses. Goethe said: In the symbol, the particu-lar represents the general as a living and momentary revelation of the inscrutable.Intuitivesymbolscanrevealthees-sence of great truths that cannot be com-prehended by the intellect alone. Symbols, by their nature, can resolve paradoxes and createorderfromdisorder.Infashesof insight, they provide knowledge that joins dispersed,disparatefragmentsintoauni-tary vision. We see, if only for a moment, thegreatschemeofthings,theunityof theuniverse,andourplaceinit.Wesee unity in terms of concrete images from the objective world around us, the only things that are seeable, but we see these concrete images in a novel, non-ordinary light.Intuitive cognition is apt to be unreli-able unless preceded by an energetic efort togaininformation,andunlessfollowed byapplicationandscientifcevaluation of the idea. Te symbolized model or hy-pothesismustbeevaluatedbyexperience intheobjectiveworld.Tus,whilesym-bolic models and intuitive hypotheses can be derived by producing stepwise through theRosicrucianprocessofconcentration-contemplation-meditation,wemustre-turn to the objective state of concentration in order to verify the validity of the intui-tive symbol.Te Rosicrucian thought-process is an ascendingspiral:inreturningtoconcen-tration,moredetailsareagainobserved; areturntocontemplationrevealsmore about the operation of the idea being con-sidered;whileareturntotheborder-line ormeditativestatemaydemonstratethat ouroriginalintuitivesymbolcanexplain more and give meaning and signifcance to moreaspectsoftheobjectiveworldthan we originally realized.Figure 2. (Contemplation, concentration, meditation).Amodelofspiralingplanesofconsciousnessinwhich realities are continually transformed by the repeated pro-cessofconcentrative-contemplative-meditativeexperi-ence.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 30Areturntothemeditativestatemay alsobringaboutatransformationofthe originalrealizationintoamorepowerful symbol or model. Te transformed symbol ismorepowerfulinthesensethatithas thecapacitytoexplainandpredictmore about nature. (See Figures 2 and 3).Whenthehumanmindapproachesa basicproblemsuchasthenatureofmat-ter, its observations provide only raw data withwhichtobegin.Teobservations themselvesdonotcontaintheconcepts with which the data can be given form and meaning.Forexample,astoneorasolid block of wood does not suggest the mov-ingparticlesofmatterintermsofwhich the atom is conceived.Te conception of the atomic theory does not lie in the wood but in the mind of the person who inter-prets it.It is an image brought forth from the intuition, proving its value by its use-fulness in the fruitful interpretation of raw data.Ultimately,thetestoftheimagelies in facts of observation, as the image of the universecontainedinEinsteinsgeneral theoryofrelativityrequiredaneclipseto validate its insight.Even when a symbolic image, as a the-ory, is verifed in a specifc case by external evidence, it still remains a working symbol whosetruthisnotabsolutebutrelative and metaphoric.A symbol is a reality and not an actu-ality.Itisdefnedbythesymbolicterms of the governing image, as the conception oftheatom.Tisisthesenseinwhich Einstein says: Physics is an attempt con-ceptuallytograsprealityasitisthought independentofitsbeingobserved.Te consequence of this approach followed by physics is a self-consistent version of reality marked of by the framework of the sym-bols it is using. At certain points this ver-sion of reality is tested by external observa-tion but its essence lies in the inner logic of its symbolic system.In this sense, Ein-stein wrote, we speak of physical reality.Physical reality, as Einstein defnes the term,isnotthecommon-senserealityof the physical world.It is not the stone we stubourtoeon.Physicalrealityisrath-ertheself-consistentbodyofknowledge impliedbythesymbolstructureofmod-ernphysics.Itisarealitydefnedbyits framework of imagery.No claim is made that the images portrait of truth is more thanrelativeandpartial;butitnonethe-less greatly extends human knowledge and wisdom.BymeansofsymbolsaRosicru-cian learns to direct the forces of nature.Just as atomic physics opened access to adimensionofrealitythathadnotbeen experienced before and made tremendous amounts of new energy available to people, the growth and evolution of our personal realitiesandsymbolicconceptionsmake contactwiththenewsourcesofpersonal strengthandreleasegreatnewpowersof personality.TotheRosicrucian,eachandevery shape,color,object,andactioninthe world is a visible form of a vibrational level ofaprimalthoughtexistingbeyondthe sensate mind.Tese visible forms of vibra-tionallevels,likesymbols,arecapableof infnitecombinationandrearrangement, giving rise to the innumerable nuances of knowledge.Ifweviewtheworldofour sensesinthisway,webecomesensible toallsimilarorcorrespondingmoments withinour experience. Wetranscendthe limitations of the physical world and enter the world of the Absolute.Tetruebasisofintuitivesymbolism then,isthecorrespondencelinkingto-getherallordersofreality,bindingthem one to the other and consequently extend-ingfromthenaturalorderasawholeto aCosmicOrder.Byvirtueofthiscor-respondence,thewholeofnatureisbut asymbol.Tetruesignifcanceofnature Page 31becomes apparent only when it is seen as a pointer that can make us aware of Cosmic Truth.Te parallel between physics and Rosi-crucianphilosophyofmindisthatboth usesymbolicconceptstosetenergyfree; but there our parallel ends.Te quality of theirapplicationisdiferent.Eachleads to a body of knowledge regarding its spe-cial segment of reality but the Rosicrucian conceptionofamindandpsychicreality leadstomoreintellectualknowledge.It leadstoourRosicruciandisciplinesfor developinglargerpersonalcapacitiesfor experienceandfullerparticipationindi-mensions of reality that reach beyond the individual.Figure 3. Correspondence of the methodologies of science and Rosicrucian mysticism.One of the basic tenets of both methodologies is the rejection of authority and dogma, the refusal to accept a statement just because someone says it is true.Rather, by keeping an open mind toward new realities and by using the process of concentration-contemplation-meditation, individuals come to self knowledge and knowledge of self.For further reading:@ M.L.R Bonelli and W.R Shea, editors (1975) Reason, Experiment & Mysticism in the Scientifc Revo-lution, Neale Watson Academic Publications, New York, USA.@ J. Bronowski, Science & Human Values, Harper & Row, New York, USA.@ M. Bunge, (1962) Intuition & Science, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA.@ Albert Einstein, (1950) Out of My Later Years, Philosophical Library, New York, USA.@ T. S. Kuhn, (1970) Te Structure of Scientifc Revolutions, 2nd Ed., University Chicago Press, Chi-cago, USA.@ H. Rugg, (1963) Imagination, Harper & Row, New York, USA.@ H. Silberer, (1951) Report of a method of eliciting and observing certain symbolic hallucination phenomena, in: Te Organization and Pathology of Tought, ed. by D. Rapaport, Columbia Univer-sity Press, New York, USA.@ E. Sinnot, (1957) Matter, Mind & Man, Harper & Row, New York, USA.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 32Rosicrucian ParkEighty-sevenyearsagoH.Spencer Lewishadadream.Hevisualized theestablishmentofbeautifulRos-icrucianParkinSanJose,California,asthe headquartersoftheRosicrucianOrder, AMORC.HeenvisionedtheParkwithits authentic Egyptian-style buildings and splen-did gardens as the spiritual home and center for Rosicrucians throughout the world.From the very beginning he referred to thisspecialplaceasRosicrucianPark even when the frst headquarters consisted ofonlyonebuildingonacitylotatthe edge of town. And when a skeptical mem-ber asked Why do you call this small lot RosicrucianPark?...H.SpencerLewis,in his customarily positive manner, answered, Because that is the way that I see it will be in the future. Te many decades since that time have proven his vision to be true, and Rosicru-cian Park has grown to encompass most of a large city block.Today Rosicrucian Park annually at tracts hundreds of thousands of guestsfromallovertheworldandisthe destinationofthousandsofRosicrucian travelersworldwidewhoexperiencethe GrandTemple,EgyptianMuseum,Plan-etarium,ResearchLibrary,PeaceGarden, thetranquilgrounds,andtheclassesand seminars ofered through Rose-Croix Uni-versity In ternational. TankstoH.SpencerLewissvision and Rosicrucian members worldwide who havesupporteditscreationandgrowth, Rosicrucian Park is a dream come true!Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.To practice divine principles is far better than simply to profess them.H. Spencer LewisPage 33Rose+Croix University International Building (site of the future Rosicrucian Alchemy Museum). Rosicrucian Research Library. Rosicrucian Peace Garden.Historic Rosicrucian Planetarium. RosicrucianDigestNo. 22014Page 34AMORCThe Contemporary EraChristian Rebisse, FRCIn this excerpt from his book Rosicrucian History and Mysteries, Christian Rebisse describes some of the more recent history of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.AfterWorldWarII,Imperator RalphM.Lewis(1904-1987) reorganizedtheactivitiesofthe AncientandMysticalOrderRosaeCrucis. Underhisdirection,GrandLodgesand Lodgeswereestablishedinmostcountries of the world.Inkeepingwiththe wishes ofH.Spencer Lewis, he proceeded with a revisionoftheteachingsintendedforthe members.Atthesametime,hewrote alargenumberofarticlesconcerning esotericismandphilosophy,aswellas manynoteworthybooks,suchasThe SanctuaryofSelf(1948)andEssaysof aModernMystic(1962).DuringRalph Lewissadministration,hetraveledall overtheworldtomeetmembersofthe Orderanditsdirectors,notablyduring Rosicrucianconventions.OnJanuary12, 1987,heleftthisworld,afterhaving worked for forty-eight years in the service of theRose-Croix.Heleftuswithmemories of a cultivated man, an inspired philosopher, and a great humanist.In1990,ChristianBernard,whoat that time wastheGrandMasterofthe French-languagejurisdiction,wasunani-mouslyelectedtotheofceofImpera-tor. Having worked for more than twenty years in serving this jurisdiction, henow devotedhisexperiencetotheOrderasa whole. Under his direction, AMORC has ImperatorRalphLewisandfutureImperatorChristianBernard,thenGrandMasteroftheFrenchGrandLodge, 1983.Page 35becomeincreasinglyinternationalized, anditsteachingshavebeenrevised once more,inkeepingwiththenecessaryrule that they always bekeptuptodatesoas torespondtotheevolutionofconscious-ness and thinking.Te Teachings of AMORCConcerning the teachings of AMORC, and without entering into details that have noplaceinabookthatisprimarilycon-cernedwithRosicrucianhistory,wewill limitourselvestostatingthattheytake the form of monographs that cover twelve degreesofmaterial.Teygenerallydeal withthegreatthemesof theTradition, includingthoseoftheoriginsoftheuni-verse;thenatureoftimeandspace;the laws of matter, life, and consciousness; the nature of the human soul and its spiritual evolution; the mysteries of death, theaf-terlife,andreincarnation;traditional symbolism; and the scienceofnumbers. To these topics are added practical experi-ments devoted to learning such fundamen-tal mystical techniques as mental creation, meditation, prayer, and spiritual alchemy. As AMORCfavorsfreedomofcon-sciousness,itsteachingsarenotdogmatic or sectarian in character. Tey are proposed to members as the basis for refection and meditation, with the aim of passingonto thematraditionalknowledgethatcon-tributestotheirspiritualunfoldment. Tus,theultimategoalofinitiaticde-velopmentistoreachtheRose-Croix state.Itisimportanttoemphasize herethatthewordsRosicrucianandRose-Croixdonothavethesamemeaningin AMORC.Tefrstdesignatesanindi-vidualwhostudiesthe Ordersteachings andphilosophy,whereasthesecondin-dicatesan individualwho,attheendof thisstudy,hasattainedperfection,inthe sense of being wiseinhisor herjudg-mentsandbehavior.It is to this state of wisdom that every Rosicrucian aspires.Alongwiththewritteninstructional material, AMORC perpetuates an oral in-struction that may be obtained by attend-ingtheorganizationsLodges.Although attendingtheLodgesisnotmandatory, they are a useful complement to the Rosi-crucian study, in the sense that they favor theritualisticaspectofRosicrucian-ismandservetheframeworkofcol-lectivestudy.Itshouldalsobenoted thatAMORCinitiations,intheirmost traditionalform,areconferredinthese Lodges.Itcanbesaidthatthes