The Rosicrucian Philosophy
in Questions and Answers
Volume I
by Max Heindel
(Part 6)
Question No. 165
Are not venomous and destructive reptiles created by the evil thoughts of men, so far as the form is concerned? And, therefore, is it not an act of love to kill them and thus liberate the divine spark within so that it may occupy a higher form?
Answer: None of the animal forms which we see about us have been
created by man. All these forms, from the highest to the lowest, are the
emanations of group spirits, which are spiritual entities belonging to
another evolution than the human kingdom, But man is a creator by means of
his thoughts, and the evil thoughts, the thoughts of fear and hatred, do take
form and in the course of centuries they crystallize into what we know as
bacilli. The bacilli of infectious diseases are particularly the embodiments
of fear and hate, and therefore they are also vanquished by the opposite
force, courage. As a tuning fork will commence to vibrate when we strike
another tuning fork of the same pitch, so also will these microscopic germs.
If we enter the presence of a person infection with a contagious
disease in fear and trembling, we most assuredly draw to ourselves the death
dealing poisonous microbes. If on the other hand, we approach that person
in a perfectly fearless attitude, we shall escape the infection,
particularly if we are prompted by love. But love does not prompt us to kill
in the usual sense of the word. It is true that if we could deal directly
with the life of evil and poisonous things and help them into a higher form, we might be doing good; but in the first place we are not capable of judging when that present form has outlived its usefulness, and, therefore, we cannot presume to take the responsibility of depriving the informing life of its
instrument in loving kindness. The only time when we may sometimes properly
kill for love is in case an animal has been maimed beyond chance of recovery,
and we kill it to end its sufferings.
What is a Group Spirit, where is it, and what does it look like?
Answer: As a man has a body composed of many cells, each with an
individual consciousness, so is a group spirit an entity functioning in
the Spiritual Worlds and possessing a spiritual body composed of many
separate animal spirits. The group spirit itself cannot function in the
Physical World, but it evolves by sending the different animal spirits into a
form of body which it creates, and which then forms a species or tribe of
animals, and the group spirit guides all these animal bodies by means of
suggestions which we call instinct. When the body of an animal dies, the
animal spirit has unconsciously derived a certain experience from functioning
in that vehicle, and after a time it is reabsorbed into the spiritual body
of the group spirit, where it remains for some time while the group
spirit assimilates the experience gathered by that separate animal spirit.
Thus in time the group spirit grows and evolves. So do the animal spirits
which are its wards. They will become human in a future incarnation of the
earth, and then the group spirit will look after them as race or a national
spirit until they have become perfectly capable of taking care of
themselves individually. The group spirits of the animals are in the
Desire World and circle the surface of the earth. The group spirits of
the plants are in that part of the Region of Concrete Thought which occupies
the center of the earth, and the group spirits of the minerals have not yet
properly entered the atmosphere of our earth. They are in the Region of
Abstract Thought.
The group spirits of the animals are very often seen in the Desire
World having human bodies and animal heads. The illustrations upon the
Egyptian temples represent in a crude way the appearance of these group
spirits. The trained investigator finds no difficulty in conversing with
them and often he has cause to marvel at their erudition.
Are animals amenable to the law of causation?
Answer: No, not in the sense of being morally responsible. Of
course, if an animal jumps out a window from a high building, that as a cause
will produce lesions according to the nature of the fall it sustains, just
as when a human beings jumps out of the window. But in the case of the
animal there is only the physical effect shown by the hurt it suffers, while
the man who deliberately commits such an act not only sustains certain
lesions, but he is also morally responsible for the instrument which he
possesses, and the law of causation brings to him an adequate moral
retribution of such a nature that he will learn to take care of his
instrument and not seek to destroy it by such acts in the future.
The reason why the animal has no moral responsibility is that is has
no reasoning power, but ordinarily acts by direction of the group spirit
which we call instinct, and it may be that instinct has instilled a fear into
the animal which causes it to commit an act resulting in injury to its
body. Before anyone can be morally responsible to the law of causation, he
must have a certain free will and choice, also the power of reasoning
properly, and, therefore, we reiterate that as animals are devoid of these
attributes, they are not at all amenable morally to the law of causation.
Do animals live after death?
Answer: That which lives is the Spirit, which has neither beginning
nor end, it is. But what you mean is, most likely, does it persist in the
shape of an animal? to that question we may say yes, it persists for a
longer or a shorter time, according to the stage of its evolution, in a
desire body made of the material of the Desire World. Even the beetle tat
crawls over the sidewalk and is stepped upon may be seen by the clairvoyant
to walk a few feet away and then gradually fade to nothingness. It
persists only for a few moments in its shape before the spirit returns to the
central source of the group spirit. In the case of a horse, a cow, or any
of the higher animals, there is a correspondingly longer time and more
consciousness in the Desire World than in the case of these lower forms. As
an illustration we may mention a case which attracted considerable attention a
few years ago when Rider Haggard, the English novelist, published a remarkable
dream. He had a dog to whom he was very much attached, and one night he
dreamed that the dog came to him showing signs of embarrassment and
distress, beckoning him to come along. Rider Haggard in his dream followed
the dog which led the way some distance to a brook. There among some
bulrushes, it showed Rider Haggard itself lying dead, looking up at him in
mute and piteous appeal for an explanation.
When Rider Haggard woke the following morning, he remembered the
dream most vividly, but took no notice of it until later in the day when it
was discovered that the dog was missing. After a search had been made in
the immediate neighborhood, Rider Haggard finally betook himself to the
spot seen in his dream. There he found among the bulrushes the body of his
dog in the very position he had seen it in his dream. Explanations, of
course, could not be given; it was a puzzling experience and that was all.
But to the esotericist it is very plain that the intelligent dog, having met
death and finding itself in the Desire World at night, went to its master, who
was at that time also outside his body, and brought him to the place of the
accident in order to obtain his help and explanation.
When a pet dog or cat dies, does the entire Group Spirit to which it belongs die at the same time? Also what becomes of the animal soul, and does the human love and care it has received help it on its upward journey?
Answer: The question shows that the inquire has not the proper idea
of what a group spirit is. As our body is composed of innumerable cells,
each cell having its own little cell life, but all the cells subjected to our
own central intelligence, so the group spirit of a species of animals is
a spiritual entity belonging to a different evolution and having a spiritual
body composed of many evolving animal spirits. These animal spirits it
sends into incarnation from time to time into the animal bodies of its
species, one spirit to each body, and at death they return to the group
spirit, having gained a higher grade of consciousness than when they were
born. This helps the group spirit to evolve, and in return it governs the
spirits of the separate animals in its tribe. Like all other spirits, a
group spirit cannot die. It is the guardian of the animal spirits, and as
they evolve the spiritual body of the group spirit undergoes a
metamorphosis. When the separate animal spirits have evolved sufficiently,
they become individualized human beings, but continue in charge of the same
group spirit, as we see nations or races under the domination of a race
spirit. They do not become their own masters until they have evolved even
beyond the point of having family or national ties. That was why Christ said
that "unless a man leave father and mother he cannot follow me," for
father and mother are bodies — they are ties and clogs. The spirits have no
father and no mother, but are all one in the ultimate.
As to what becomes of the animal soul at death, we may say that
after passing out of this body it soon returns to the group spirit, and the
love and care which we have given it naturally further it greatly in its
evolution, for while the wild animals act entirely under the dictates of
the group spirit by that which we call instinct, the domestic animals show a
capability of thought, entirely beyond their normal evolution at the present
time. They have received that ability from us on the same principle that
when we take a wire highly charged with electricity and place another wire
which is not charged close to it, the uncharged wire will become charged
with electricity of a lower voltage. In a similar manner the animal which
comes in contact with human beings is not itself capable of thinking, but
learns to do so in a measure by this contact. And we may safely infer that
those animals which have become domesticated will in time become the teachers
of their less advanced brothers.
What substance does a person or animal throw off whereby they can be traced, as , for example, criminals are traced by bloodhounds?
Answer: When a clairvoyant looks at other persons with etheric sight for
the first time, he is usually astonished at beholding showers of stars,
pyramids, double pyramids and all other geometrical forms issuing from their
hands and faces, and he wonders greatly what they are. Later on, he learns
that they are the crystals of which his body is composed and which are thus
being excreted by the skin. Most of the excretions remain in the clothing,
and furnish bloodhounds or dogs with the necessary starting point for their
search. As these atoms decay, they emit an effluvia similar to that of all
decaying bodies. This effluvia we sense ourselves where soiled clothing is
left unlaundered for some time. The dogs, having a keener scent than human
beings, distinguish between the effluvia from one person and another, and as
the atoms left by a person fleeing from justice are strewn along the path he
has taken, it is easy for the bloodhound to distinguish these from the atoms
of other people or animals for a short time after the fugitive has passed.
What is the origin of life?
Answer: When that question is asked a scientist, he will commence
to tell us about protoplasm, protyle or something else of a like nature,
but that is form. No matter how small, insignificant and simple that form
may be, it is still a form, and from the esotericist's point of view, the
question is poorly put, for the spirit, is, was and will always be. As
Sir Edwin Arnold says in his beautiful poem, "The Song Celestial":
"Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be
never;
Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are
dreams!
Birthless and deathless and changeless remaineth the
spirit for ever;
Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of
it seems!
"Nay, but as when one layeth his worn-out robes away,
And, taking new ones, sayeth, 'These will I wear today!'
So putteth by the spirit lightly its garb of flesh,
And passeth to inherit a residence afresh."
It is life that builds the forms and uses them for a time in order
that it may progress thereby. When their usefulness has ceased the life
passes on, leaving the forms behind, and then they are dead. Thus the
question should rather be "How did the dead originate?" for life is — it has
neither origin nor termination.
What is matter? Is it not unreal?
Answer: There are various theories of matter. If we ask the
materialist he, of course, maintains that matter is the one reality; that all
and everything is matter and that nothing can exist except that. The
Christian Scientist is of the very opposite opinion. He holds that
matter is nonexistent — a delusion; that everything that is, is Spirit, and
so those two classes of people are the very antitheses of one another. But
the truth is between.
When God desires to manifest, He emanates within Himself the
thought forms of such a universe as he desires to create, and these archetypal
ideas are spirit when first emanated in that central source. But under the
influence of time and space, they slowly crystallize and become that which
we know as matter. This is a similar process to that which we may observe
in the case of a snail. The juices of its soft and flexible body
gradually crystallize into the hard and flinty shell which is incapable of
moving save as propelled by the snail. Thus, as the house of the snail is
crystallized snail, so matter is crystallized Spirit. And as the house of
the snail remains stationary when not moved by the snail, so matter is
immobile save when moved by the spirit. But in the course of time the
snail's house goes to decay. The matter of which it was formed is broken up
into minute particles and becomes available for the building of other
flexible forms — it may become the body of a snail again. So, also
the crystallized spirit — matter — is re-etherealized and becomes spirit again.
Matter evolves as well as spirit, for it becomes more ethereal, more flexible,
and or amenable to the impacts of spirit when it is built into different
forms time after time.
Thus we may say with the Christian Scientist that all is spirit,
that which appears as matter being in reality spirit in a state of
crystallization, and we may also agree with the materialist that all is
matter, for spirit which has not yet crystallized into matter will eventually
do so. It is a mistake to consider anything in God's Universe as unreal;
both matter and spirit are real. They are the positive and negative poles of
God.
You said in a previous lecture that the Earth is the body of a Spirit which gives its life fro the dwellers upon the surface. Why does it give flowers and fruit to some and earthquake and famine to others?
Answer: During the interval between death and a new birth,
the discarnate spirits who have reached the Second Heaven where the
archetypes of everything are, build their future environment in which they
reap what they have sown. If they have been diligent in past lives, if
they have tilled the soil and made two blades of grass to grow where there
was only one, they will build for themselves a still more fertile land
which will yield greater fruits for less labor. If they have spent their
time thinking of Nirvana, a heavenly place of rest and indolence, and have
loved more to enter into metaphysical discussion than to look after material
things, they will continue to do so in the Second Heaven, and in consequence
their land will be arid when they come back to earth life. They will then
experience famine, flood and earthquake, so that they may realize the
necessity of providing for material conditions. Thus they will in time learn
their lesson and strive to conquer this world as we have done in the
West, for, of course, the inquirer has reference to the people of the East
who suffer from flood and famine. They are our younger brethren, behind us
in evolution, and must follow in our footsteps. They must learn to forget,
for a time, the spiritual worlds in order to attain the development which
only the material world can give them. Thus, there is a deep purpose in the
famine which is at present their lot and there is a purpose as deep in our
prosperity. Their famine will eventually drive them into more material
conditions, but we, having a land of plenty with all the good things of this
world, where ingenious inventions make life easier on every hand, will
eventually say to ourselves, when we have been satisfied with these material
blessings, "What is the good of it all? Give us, rather, the spiritual
things," and we will then enter a spiritual development much higher than that
of the East.
What is meant by the sentence "Man, know thyself?"
Answer: This sentence was found above the entrance to a Greek
mystery temple as an indication of the fact that it is obligatory upon man to
thoroughly understand the mystery of his own nature, which is much deeper
than is apparent on the surface. This, on the principle of the hermetic
axiom, "as above, so below." When he understands himself and knows
himself, he will be able by analogy to know about God. For it is truly said
that "Man was made in the image of God."
But to know himself it is not only necessary that he should
understand that which he sees, the physical body, but also the invisible
bodies which are the causes of his thoughts, feelings and emotions. This was
the teaching given in the mystery temples.
There is still another and a far deeper meaning to that sentence.
When we ask ourselves the causes of all the sorrow and the misery in the
world, we must revert to the earliest epochs of the earth's existence to solve
our problem. In the first two Epochs, the Polarian and the Hyperborean, man
was a complete creative unit, capable of sending forth from himself the
forces which generated a body for another being. But in the Lemurian Epoch,
when it became necessary to build a brain and a larynx, the sex force was
divided and one half retained in order to accomplish that object. Only the
other half remained available for generation. Then man ceased to know himself, but "Adam knew his wife," and as a result she bore him children.
The spirit inherently feels its own divine creative nature and
secretly rebels against the necessity of seeking the cooperation of another to
generate. As a result, sorrow, trouble and pain have come into the world,
and will exist so long as the present method of procreation makes it
necessary for two to cooperate to perpetuate the species. And it was the
glorious goal that is set before humanity in the future — the coalition of
the two poles of the creative force which will gain make man an individual
Creator complete in himself — that was adumbrated in the mystery words, "Man,
know thyself."
The Apostle John, in his First Epistle, the 3rd chapter, 8th verse,
tells us the way of attainment where he says that "He that commiteth sin is of
the devil...For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil....Whosoever is born of God does not
commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him."
Where the animal propensities are catered to and an abnormal use is
made of the sex force, a man is apt to become an idiot, but the thoughts of
a spiritual man are pure, chaste and full of wisdom.
At the present time, cooperation of the sexes is necessary to
procreation of vehicles for Egos who are coming to rebirth, but the time will
come when man will cease to create in that manner. He will know himself.
Concentrated thought as the seed will remain within himself, but he will
manifest it by means of the larynx as a Creative Word, a word that will form
things in the Physical World. Then it will no longer be necessary for
mankind to seek the cooperation of one another in providing new vehicles.
This he was taught in the mystery schools, which are way stations upon the
path of attainment, and therefore the saying "Man, know thyself" was
inscribed upon the Delphian oracle.
What is the Holy Grail?
Answer: The story of the Holy Grail is one of the myths used by
the great leaders of humanity to convey to us spiritual truths in symbols
which would at that time have been incomprehensible to our infant intellect.
The Grail story is found, variously told, in all the earlier races as
far back as we can trace religious teaching, and libraries have been
written about this wonderful mystic panacea for all ills.
In medieval times many versions of this legend were recited by
minstrels, minnesingers, troubadours or master-singers. Most beautiful,
perhaps, was the simple version of Wolfram von Eschenback, which was taken in
hand by the master artist of the nineteenth century, Richard Wagner, in his
famous music drama "Parsifal."
The story relates that on the night when our Savior ate the last
supper with His disciples, He drank from a certain cup or chalice, and later
one, when the lifeblood flowed from His wounded side, Joseph of Arimathea
caught the life blood of our dying Savior in yon chalice. He also took the
spear wherewith that wound had been inflicted. These relics he carried with
him for many years, and such was the wonderful life giving power of the
Savior's blood that it sustained him throughout all his privations, in prison,
and on his wanderings. At last, the relics were taken up into heaven for a
time in the care of Angels, but one night there appeared a mystic messenger
sent from God to the holy Titurel with command that he build a castle high in the air, upon a mountain top, and there gather around himself a bank of
knights, who must be chaste and pure. These Grail Knights were permitted to
behold the sacred relics at stated times and thus they became inspired with
desire and power to go into the world to do mighty spiritual deeds. In
time Titurel gave the wardership of the Grail to his son Amfortas and in
his reign as King of the Grail, a sad calamity befell the Grail Knights.
There lived in "a heathen vale" below the castle a black knight by
the name of Klingsor who desired to become a Knight of the Grail. he was
not chaste, so in order to meet the condition he mutilated himself in such
a manner that it became impossible for him to gratify desire. But when he
applied to the holy Titurel, the latter saw his heart and refused him
admittance. Then Klingsor swore that if he might not serve the Grail, the
Grail should serve him. He peopled the garden of his magic castle with
illusory phantasmic flower maidens who waylaid the Knights of the Grail on
their passage to and from the castle, seduced them and thus disqualified
them for further service as Grail Knights.
Fearing that all the Knights of the Grail would become prisoners
of Klingsor, Amfortas decided to fight the black magician. He took with
him the holy spear to accomplish his object. But Klingsor evoked Kundry, who
is a creature of two existences. At one time she is the faithful and
willing servitor of the Grail, at another time the unwilling tool of Klingsor.
When serving the Grail, she is humble, obedient and simply clad. Under the
spell of Klingsor, she becomes beautiful in the extreme, a woman of
seducing charms, and these she is forced to use as Klingsor bids her, for
he has power over her by virtue of the fact that he is not susceptible
to her charms on account of his act of mutilation.
Kundry meets Amfortas, who falls before her charms. While lying in
her arms the spear falls from his hand and is snatched by the waiting
Klingsor, who inflicts a wound that cannot heal, and for many years the King
suffers tortures, particularly when he unveils the Holy Grail for the benefit
of his knights. Then the spear wound commences to bleed anew, causing him the
most excruciating pain.
Roughly speaking, the giving one of the several valid
interpretations which appertain to the Grail mystery, as to other symbols,
Kundry is the negative dense body which at one time is under the control of
the higher nature symbolized by the Grail Knights, and another time ruled by
the lower desire nature symbolized by Klingsor, which tempts the spirit to
forsake its higher ideals, and causes suffering when temptation is yielded
to. In Parsifal, the pure and guileless one, we see the man who
overcomes and therefore succeeds to the wardership of the Grail.
On Good Friday morning, 1857, Richard Wagner sat at the Villa
Wesendonck by the Zurich Sea, and as he looked about him the sun was shining,
all nature was smiling and from the millions of seeds buried in the ground
around him, innumerable plants and flowers were sprouting. The thought
struck Wagner, "What is the connection between the death of the Savior at this
time of the year and this manifold sprouting life," and in that thought he
came very near to the key to the mystery of the Grail, for the Grail was a
Mystery School, one of many which existed in the Middle Ages. The stories
of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are not fables, they
are facts. There was such a Mystery in Wales as late as the time of
Queen Elizabeth. And these Mystery Schools exist to the very present day,
though not as publicly known as they were in the more spiritual medieval
times. They Mystery of King Arthur dealt more with the material and temporal
side of life than the Mystery of the Grail, which was altogether pure
and spiritual. And there the pupil was taught, not in words, but the feeling was given to him, a teaching from within, which we may express as follows:
You see all around you the various kingdoms in the world. There is
man, animal, plant and mineral. The life which is in each of these kingdoms
is the one universal life of God, which manifests through all these
various forms. When the forms decay it becomes necessary to provide other
forms in their places, hence the generative activity which serves this
purpose. In the plant kingdom, which is beneath you, that activity is pure,
chaste and immaculate. There is no passion connected with it in any respect.
In the kingdoms of the Gods, which are beyond you, it is also carried
on as a process of regeneration which is pure and holy. But in the
kingdoms which stand between the plant and the gods, conditions are the
reverse of chaste. Man and animal are passionate. Man is, in fact, the inverted plant. The plant is unashamed and stretches its creative organ, the
flower, towards the sun, a thing of beauty and delight, pure, chaste and
passionless. Man turns his creative organ toward the earth; he hides it with
shame because it is filled with passion. In time man is to become a god, he
is to use his creative ability for the benefit of others and not for
sense gratification. And so in time man must become plant-like on a higher
scale. Therefore, you see this symbol: The pod of the plant which holds the seed is the grail cup, and the spear which brigs that seed forth from the
flower is the ray of the sun. You, also, must learn to take the solar force,
which is the builder of all forms, and use it in your creative organ without
passion, so that that which you create shall be immaculately conceived and
not as now begotten in sin.
The juice of the plant flows through its green stem and leaves
uncolored, pure and chaste. Your blood is red and filled with passion, but
in the regeneration that blood must be cleansed by the spiritual force
which will come to you from the spiritual sun, as the forces from the
physical sun bring forth the juice of the plant. And having become thus
regenerated, you will die as a man to be resurrected a God.
What was the connection between the pyramid builders of Egypt and the pyramid builders of Central America? Which is the older civilization?
Answer: Not much has been written concerning the pyramids of Central America,
but Piazzi Smith and Richard Proctor, both professional astronomers, have
written considerable concerning the pyramids of Egypt, and have endeavored
to find out what their use was. From the measurements of the pyramids,
Piazzi Smith deduces the theory that they were built by divine architects, a
theory which Professor Proctor ridicules, although he finds the measurements
support the theories of Professor Smith, but he attributes it to
coincidence. When the base of the pyramid measures as many hundreds of inches
as there are days in a year; when the diagonals of the base show the same
number of inches as there are years in the great sidereal world year, it
merely happened so, in the estimation of Professor Proctor. These
coincidences are so numerous, however, that to an unbiased mind they appear
to be an embodiment of a definite design. Professor Proctor, being an
unwilling witness for the theory that the Pyramid was designed for
astrological purposes, gives augmented value to his testimony when he
admits that of all the theories advanced concerning the use of the pyramids,
the theory that they were built for astrological purposes, is the only one
that can withstand the weight of the contrary evidence. Therefore, though
he characterizes it as a wild theory, it is the only tenable one, according
to evidence.
As a matter of fact, the pyramids were temples of initiation, built by
the Hierophants of the lesser mysteries, and as initiation of candidates
is founded upon the passage of the heavenly bodies, the stars, through
the twelve signs of the zodiac, so naturally, these temples of initiation
embodied all the cosmic measurements. Only the pyramid of Cheops among the Egyptian group was thus used. The others were simply imitations built at
later times by some of the Pharaohs. The lesser mysteries have
existed in different parts of the world and at various times. In India, in
Egypt, in Greece, and also in Central America. Therefore, the connection
between the pyramid builders of one part of the world and another is that they
were all the Hierophants of the lesser mysteries and that their temples were
used for purposes of initiations.
What is the essential difference between the teachings of the Rosicrucian Philosophy and the orthodox church?
Answer: There are many, but perhaps the principal one is the teaching
of orthodoxy that at each birth a newly created soul enters material
existence fresh from the hand of God, that it lives here in a material body
for a longer or shorter span of time and then passes out by death into the
invisible beyond, there to remain for all eternity in a state of happiness
or misery according to what it did while here in the body.
The Rosicrucian teaching is that each soul is an integral part of
God, which is seeking to gain experience by repeated existences in gradually
improving material bodies and that, therefore, it passes into and out of
material existences many times; that each time it gathers a little
more experience than it previously possessed and in time is nourished
from nescience to omniscience — from impotence to omnipotence — by means of
these experiences.
Our sense of justice revolts against a teaching which sends one soul
into a home of culture and a noble family where it has the advantage of
wealth, where moral teachings are implanted in the growing child, but sends
another into the slums, its father a thief and the mother, perhaps,
immoral, and where its teachings consist in lying, stealing, etc. If here
only once, all should have the same chance if they are to be judged by the
same laws, an we know that no two people have the same experiences in life.
We know that where one meets many temptations, another lives comparatively
untouched by the storms of life. Therefore, when one soul is placed in a
moral environment and another in immoral surroundings, it is not right to send
the one to a heaven of enjoyment and eternal bliss for doing the right he
could not help doing, nor is it just to send the other to a hell for stealing
and robbing when the environment and the conditions into which he was thrown
were such that he could not help himself.
Therefore, the Rosicrucian teaching holds that we come into
whatever place is best fitted for us by our previous experiences in former
lives, and that we get just what we deserve in all cases; that all
experiences which come to us are just what we need to give us the appropriate
impetus for our next step in unfoldment.
Kindly state the essentials wherein the Rosicrucian Philosophy differs from Theosophy.
Answer: We are not as much concerned in seeking out differences as
in finding agreements. It may be said, however, that the Rosicrucian
Philosophy is the Western teaching given to the Western people at this time
for their advancement. If we take Theosophy as meaning Theo Sophia (Divine
Wisdom), then, of course, the Rosicrucian Philosophy is only a part of that
Divine Wisdom, like all other religious systems. But if we take theosophy to
mean the philosophy promulgated by the Theosophical Society, or Societies,
for there are several brands, then we may say that the Rosicrucian teaching
is much more comprehensive and complete. Besides, in teaching their
philosophy the Rosicrucians are diametrically opposed to the method of
the Theosophical Society, which has for its objects:
First, The formation of a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood,
Second, The study of comparative religion, and
Third, The investigation of the unexplained laws in nature and the
power latent in man.
The Brothers of the Rosy Cross contend that the majority of
advanced people are in sympathy with the idea of Universal Brotherhood, and
that we need not be theosophists to have that idea at heart. Countless
other societies have altruistic ideas along the lines of brotherhood. Many
scientists are studying comparative religion and doing it exceedingly well.
it is not necessary to be a theosophist in order to follow that object,
but it is necessary to be an esotericist in order to follow out the third object
of the Theosophical Society, namely, the study of the unexplained laws of
nature and the powers latent in man.
Therefore, the Rosicrucians recommend that all thoughts be centered
upon living such a life and practicing such exercises as will develop the
latent powers in each pupil so that he may see and know the invisible worlds
whence come the causes we see manifested here. When this object is attained,
and not till then, is he capable of investigating the unexplained laws of
nature. He is then also in a much better position than the scientists or
anyone else to study comparative religion, for he sees the central source
from when all religions sprang, each being adapted to the people to whom
given. He also sees how they fit into the grand scheme of evolution, and
when he has become capable of reaching the consciousness of the inner
worlds the unity of life is so apparent that he does not need to trouble
himself about the first object of the Theosophical Society, the
universality of the One Life which makes brotherhood a fact in nature,
beyond necessity of statement.
To reach that last step, we must have the true view of the matter.
We may preach to a stove that its duty is to heat and warm us, but unless
we comply with the laws of its nature and put fuel into it, our preaching
will be of no avail. On similar principle, unless we reach the step of
exaltation where our hearts are filled with the divine love, we may preach and
put forth teachings concerning Universal Brotherhood, but it will do no
good. If we fill the stove with fuel, it will heat us, and if we fill our
hearts with love they will radiate that quality without statement of objects
such as the first one mentioned.
Therefore, the principal difference between the Theosophical Society
and the Rosicrucian Fellowship is a complete reversion of method. For,
whereas the Theosophical Society aims to form a nucleus of the Universal
Brotherhood by the study of comparative religion and only take up the
development of the hidden side of man's nature last — and many even decry
development of the hidden powers — the Rosicrucian teaching urges the pupil
first of all to live the Life, to concentrate all the powers of his being to
so walk that he may be fitted for possession of the soulpowers absolutely
essential to the investigations he contemplates.
Is the White Lodge of the Theosophical Society the same as the Temple of the Rosicrucians?
Answer: No, the Theosophical Society is simply an exoteric
organization for the dissemination of a certain philosophy, mostly derived
from the Eastern Religions, while the Rosicrucian Teachings aims to
promulgate the spiritual treasure of the Western Mystery School, the Order of
Rosicrucians, which is secret and not accessible to anyone except upon direct
invitation.
As to the relation of the Order of Rosicrucians and kindred
Mystery Order to the White Lodge, we may say that there are in different
places of the earth a number of these schools of the lesser mysteries, each
of them composed of twelve brethren, and also a thirteenth member. The
latter is the link between the different schools, and all these Heads or
thirteenth members compose what is ordinarily known as the White Lodge,
namely, a supreme conclave of the Eldest among our Brothers, who are now in
full charge of human evolution and plan the steps we are to follow in order to
advance.
What do you understand by the term master, and are the Rosicrucian Teachings inspired by them?>
Answer: In the far East the pupil who aspires to the higher life seeks
a "Master" and is bound hand and foot, figuratively speaking, to that Master.
he must blindly follow the instructions of his Master, without the least
hesitancy or exhibition of curiosity concerning the purpose of whatever
directions are given him. He must render the Master personal service of
whatever kind required and at whatever cost or inconvenience to himself,
and thus, in short, he becomes virtually the slave of an often very
exacting taskmaster.
But here in the West such a
method would be altogether degrading, for we have advanced to such a stage of
individuality that we can only progress by action from within, and if we
make any promises or take any vows we ought not to obligate ourselves to
anyone else, but make our promises and vows to ourselves; for if we cannot
keep our vows to ourselves, we certainly cannot keep promises made to others.
Furthermore, we may break a promise given to someone else and deceive
him into believing that we have kept our faith, but we cannot deceive
ourselves. If we break a promise made to ourselves we know it at once, and
therefore the pupil in the West is instructed to make his promises to himself, for that is stronger than any vow to an outsider. The teacher in
the West is the closest friend and adviser of the pupil, for he follows the
example of the Christ, who said to his disciples: "This is my commandment,
that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Ye are my friends if ye do
what I command you (and) henceforth I call you not servants, for the
servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends,
for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
— John, chapter 15, verses 12, 14, 15.
The Rosicrucian Teachings are not backed by these teachers or inspired
by them; they gave certain teachings to the writer on the condition that
he should spread them to the best of his ability, and announced their readiness to help others who would qualify for that instruction. Students
of these teachings have banded together for the benefit of associated
study, but there is no hard and fast organization, nor is it intended to
form one, but to let people obtain this teaching anywhere they please. We
prefer that they should remain in their churches.
If one who believes in the teachings advanced by the Rosicrucians earnestly maintains that they are true, is he not in danger of becoming dogmatic and intolerant of the opinions of others? And what should be his attitude towards those who refuse to accept these teachings?
Answer: It is of utmost importance that we should recognize the
fact that, at least in our present limited existence, we cannot possible
arrive at truth in the ultimate. Therefore, that which seems to us "truth,
and the whole truth" is most likely after all only a part of the truth.
As we evolve and become capable of understanding more and more, our
conceptions of life, the world, and God, change. Therefore, we ought at all
times to have the open mind so that we may receive new truth, we should never
forget the fact that there are still greater truths which we have not yet
learned. Then we are open minded and cannot become creed bound or hide bound.
Some people grow so extremely enthusiastic when they have found
something which appeals to them as truth, that they at once commence a
veritable crusade to compel others to share it with them. That is a great
mistake. If we go into a church and commence asking questions which raise
doubts in the minds of the members and make them uneasy concerning their
faith, we may easily cause a sad state of disturbance. If that which we
have to give appeals to them and becomes an anchor to them, so that they may
rest in the new and higher faith, well and good. But if it so happens that
that which we have to give is beyond them, is unacceptable, we may lead them
into an extremely unhappy frame of mind and they may turn to materialism,
atheism or some other dreadful, skeptical attitude. Their life, in that case,
will lie at our door. We should always make it a rule in the world to be
very quiet about what we believe or do not believe, though never neglectful
to say a little word where an opportunity is given, and if that word brings
an inquiry we should answer it fearlessly. Thus we may gradually lead the
inquirer on. He will not be thus led unless he is seeking, and when we find
out that he desires the information, we should give him all he wants and
give it freely. But we reiterate that it is a serious responsibility to thrust our opinions upon ears that are unwilling or not ready.
How is it that not many who study the highest philosophy interest themselves in bettering industrial conditions, such as the abolition of wage slavery, which is as degrading and brutal as African slavery?
Answer: All esotericists recognize the crying needs of the day, and
none long more ardently for the day of liberation, the day when brotherly
love shall be a fact, when the nations shall beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, as prophesied by Isaiah, but
they go about making these conditions in a different way. Socialistic Labor
Unions and such like organizations are seeking to better conditions, but the esotericist maintains that their methods are inefficient, and frustrate lasting
realization of their object, for there can be no doubt that it is men who make conditions and not conditions that make the men. If, therefore, we
seek to better humanity and raise their standard of right and wrong, if we
seek to elevate their ideals, then when men have become better, as a natural consequence, conditions will be better.
Under the present conditions, when labor unions, by strike or through
the employer's fear of a strike, have succeeded in gaining a better
condition, the employer at once commences to plot how he may checkmate them
and frustrate their object. He bands together with other employers for
mutual protection and these organizations are always at war with the labor
unions. The better conditions which are obtained by one are continually
changed by the other. When, however, the employer as well as the employed
have been Christianized an have learned to do unto others as they would have
others do unto them, there will be no necessity for labor unions, for the
employers will look out for the welfare of their employees and anticipate
their wants. This state of affairs, the esotericist believes, can be brought
about by thinking about it, because all things and all conditions have
first been thoughts in the minds of men. Therefore, he earnestly prays that
the minds of men may be opened to the fact of universal brotherhood, that
they may take into their hearts the love of God and become united in seeking
to do the right instead of separately planning how to oppress and intimidate
others.
Can anyone study esotericism, live the higher life and be a milionaire?
Answer: Christ said to the rich young man, "Go, get rid of all
thou hast," but the young man, being very much taken up with the good things
of this life, went away sadly, and the Christ remarked concerning the
difficulty besetting the rich man's entrance into heaven. He did not say that
it is impossible, but he knew what a snare and a temptation there is in
riches. Nevertheless, a man may be a millionaire and still striving to
live the higher life. Riches are a clog and a fetter, but it would be
absolutely wrong to infer that riches prevent esoteric development. All
depends upon what vie a man takes of his riches. If he uses them for the
purpose of self-aggrandizement and to oppress his fellowmen, of course there
can be no spiritual growth, but where a man regards himself as the steward of
his possessions, and where he aims to build factories having model conditions
and model tenement houses, etc., where he works strenuously himself to see that his philanthropic ideas are being carried out, and that his fellowmen
are receiving good conditions and every chance for self improvement, wealth
is an enormous power for good. When a man works thus unselfishly for the
welfare of others he will not have much chance to think of self-improvement,
and his spiritual growth will be unconscious rather than obvious.
Nevertheless, he will progress enormously, and his opportunities to do
better and greater work will increase as the years pass by in this life and
also in future lives. That was really the meaning of the parable of the
talents. Those who used their talents were made rulers over a number of cities
in order to give them adequate employment in the evolutionary scheme. On
the other hand, if a man owns a factory and becomes so imbued with a desire
for esoteric development that he selfishly sells out his factory and throws
his workmen out of employment in order that he may develop his own powers
and live the higher life, such a man is shirking his duty and will
undoubtedly receive a rebuke at the hands of the Master, for he has buried
his talent and in a new life he will find himself deprived of the opportunity
which he has neglected.
Do you believe in capital punishment? Is it not better and more merciful than imprisonment for life?
Answer: Among the savages might is right, the stronger always
overpowers the weaker. We pride ourselves that in our civilization we have
come to a higher stage, and that we practice altruism in all departments of
our polity. Nevertheless, although we do not go out with a club and
promiscuously murder our fancied adversaries, except in war, we do murder in a
refined way by what we call law. There was a time when the thief was hanged
by law. Nowadays we designate such punishment barbaric, but capital
punishment is still a blot upon our civilization. Besides, we are much
more refined in our cruelty than the people in older civilizations, for they
hanged or beheaded the so-called criminal in short order, while we keep him
incarcerated for years, subject him to the torture of long jury trials, set
the day for his execution a long way ahead and allow him in the meantime to
suffer death by anticipation during all the intervening time.
We profess that our object is not retaliation, but
plead that it is necessary to safeguard society and to deter others from
committing like crimes, but capital punishment promotes murder. When a man
has homicidal tendencies, he should be properly restrained so that he may
not hurt his fellowmen. To kill him, however, does not restrain him;
death liberates him in the Desire World, and as the Desire World is all about
us he is at perfect liberty to go among people and instill into them thoughts
of hatred and vengeance against society. Therefore, murder is
multiplied. Besides, homicidal mania is aided by the press. The glaring
headlines which recite the ghastly minutiae of the crime incite others to go
and at likewise. If the press would only be silent about murders and
suicides we should have a great deal less crime in the land, and it is very
gratifying to see that there are at least some newspapers, for instance a
Christian Science publication, which refuses to print anything that is not
good.
As to the part of the question which says, "Is death
not better than imprisonment for life?" we may say "Perhaps, under the
present conditions of prison regime, it is." But that branch of our
institutions also calls for reform and we have much to do and undo in our
treatment of those whom we call criminals. They are our brothers, just as
much as the so-called respectable members of society who have not yet
committed the unpardonable crime of being found out. It is true that we
have made prison life somewhat better and less barbaric than it used to be.
It is also true that we have probation and suspended sentences nowadays,
but we are far from treating these weaker brothers properly yet. If we
could understand thoroughly that they are our brothers and treat them as we
would treat a weak brother who was the son of our own mother, we should
be doing nearer right, for who amongst us if his own brother committed a
wrong would send him to prison with scorn or call him "jail bird" when he
had served his sentence, or ostracize him for life because of a weakness?
When a person is sick with typhoid fever we do not get angry with him and send
him to the hospital for a month; we send him there until cured, we take good
care of him, and aim to aid him in recovering his health, and we rejoice
with him when he is well. A criminal is weak and mentally sick. He should
not be sent to prison for a term, but should be sent to an institution where
he could be properly taught and helped to overcome his weakness. Not until we
treat our weaker brothers with such loving care may we say that we have
risen above the barbarian maxim of demanding an eye for an eye. How can
we dare to pray "forgive us our transgressions as we forgive those who trespass against us," while we treat these poor brothers as we do even now?
What is the viewpoint of the Rosicrucians on woman suffrage?
Answer: The spirit is neither male nor female, but
manifests alternately as man and woman, so that looking at woman suffrage
from the larger standpoint, it would be to the advantage of the men of the
present day to grant women that which is really their right — a full and
complete equality in every particular. The double social standard which
obtains at the present time, where by a man may commit the social sin
without being ostracized, should be done away with. Woman's work should
be paid as much as man's work, and in every case the lines which are laid
down so admirably in Edward Bellamy's novel, "Looking Backward," should be
followed.
The advisability of this equitable social arrangement will be evident if
we look at life from the viewpoint that this earth life is but one in many,
and that we are born as men and women alternately; but there are other
reasons why woman should be given the franchise. In man the dense body
is positive and man's positive forces are therefore particularly focused
upon the Chemical Region of the Physical World. He is most particularly
interested in that which he can weigh, measure, analyze and work with in
his daily life; his development is particularly along the material lines,
shaping the earth and everything upon it to suit his fancy, but taking little
or not interest in the spiritual side of things.
Woman, on the other hand, has the positive vital body and as a result
is intuitively in touch with the spiritual vibrations of the universe. She
is more idealistic and imaginative, taking a great interest in all the
things which make for the moral upliftment of the race, and a it is only by
the moral and the spiritual growth that humanity can advance at this time,
she is really the prime factor in evolution. It would be of an enormous
benefit to the race if she were given an equal right with man in every
particular. For not until then can we hope to see reforms brought about that
will really unite humanity. We see that by analogy if we will look into the
home, where woman is really the central pillar around which both husband and
children cluster. According to her ability she makes the home what it is, she
is the cementing influence and the peacemaker. The father may pass out by
death or otherwise, the children may leave, while the mother remains, the
home is there; but when the mother is taken away by death, the home is at
once broken up.
Some have argued, "Yes, but when she is taken away by politics the
home will be broken up just as much." But of that there need be no fear.
During the transition stage while women have to fight for their rights, and,
possibly, a short time afterward, until they have adjusted themselves,
there may in some cases a neglect of the home, but in the places where it has
already been tried no homes have been broken up and much good has been
achieved, for women can always be counted upon to stand for any improvement
which makes for morality. While laws are only makeshifts to bring humanity
to a higher plane where each one will be a law unto himself, doing right
without coercion, it is nevertheless necessary that such reforms should be
brought about at the present time by legislation.
If esotericists abstain from flesh eating because it requires a tragedy in its preparation, and they do no wish to be a party to taking life, either directly or by proxy, is it not also taking life when we eat eggs or fruit, vegetables, etc.?
Answer: The case mentioned by the inquirer is very different from
taking life by killing an animal. In fact, while it is necessary to kill an
animal in order to? obtain its flesh, and we are, therefore, doing it harm,
we are actually helping a tree when we take the fruit away from it, as
will be readily seen when we understand the process of germination.
The process is the same with animals a with human beings, and in
fact with all kingdoms. When an animal is to be born, the group spirit,
helped by nature spirits and angels, fashions the vital body of the coming
animal, which is then deposited in the womb of the mother and the seed atoms
are deposited in the semen of the male; then gestation takes place and an
animal is born. Without the presence of the seed atom and the matrix vital
body no dense animal body can be formed. Similar conditions govern
fecundation in the case of an egg, or of a plant seed. They are like the
female ova — they are so many opportunities. If an egg is put into an
incubator or under a hen, the group spirit sends for the the requisite life,
accepting the opportunity for embodiment. If a seed is dropped in the soil,
that is also fertilized when the proper conditions have been made for its
development, but not before. When an egg is crushed, cooked or in other
ways disqualified for its primal designation, or where a seed is stored for
years perhaps, there is no life, and consequently we do no wrong when we use
these products for food. It is even beneficial to plants when the ripe fruits
are removed, because then they cease to take sap from the tree unnecessarily.
Is that terrible entity which Glyndon saw in Bulwer Lytton's "Zanoni" the same as Mr. Hyde in Robert L. Stevenson's story?
Answer: No. There is a similarity in certain respects, but in
other points there is a very great difference. The dreadful entity seen
by Glyndon is spoken of in esotericism as the "Dweller on the Threshold."
When the neophyte enters into the Desire World consciously, having left
his physical body behind in sleep, he must pass an entity such as that
described by Glyndon. This is the embodiment of all the evil deeds of his
past which, having not yet been expiated, await eradication in future lives.
He must recognize and acknowledge that entity as part of himself. He must
promise himself to liquidate, as soon as possible, all the debts represented
by yon terrible shape.
This entity is not even apparent to the ordinary man during the times
between death and a new birth, though ever present. It is a demon, and is
offset by another shape which represents all the good a man has done in the
past, and may be called his guardian angel, but these twin forms, as said,
are invisible to the ordinary man at all times, though ever potent in his
life.
It sometimes happens, however, that an individual passes out at
death with a desire nature so extremely strong that after he has expiated
the deeds it contained in Purgatory, and has entered the Second Heaven,
this shell holds together and lasts until the man is reborn. It is then drawn
to him by magnetic attraction and he possesses, as it were, a double desire body. The desire body of the old life may then at times make itself
felt and cause him to lead a double life, substantially as related by
Robert Louis Stevenson, impelling him to do deeds which he loathes, because
the suffering engendered in expurgating them is acting as conscience and
causing him to repel the evil. Fortunately, however, such cases are
extremely rate at this present date.
If we amputate the arm of a man, saw off the limb of a tree and blast away a portion of a cliff, will the invisible counterpart of these different objects also be severed?
Answer: In the case of the arm which is amputated, the etheric
counterpart will still remain with the vital body, although there is a certain
magnetic tie between that and the physical arm which is buried. A case is
on record of a man who, having had his arm amputated, complained bitterly
of pains as if something were piercing the flesh of his arm. This pain
continued for several weeks, when the arm was at last exhumed and it was
found that in boxing a nail had been driven through the flesh in the place
where the man felt pain. When the nail was removed the pain ceased. Persons
who have had arms or limbs amputated sometimes complain of pain in the
member for a few years after the operation. Then the pain ceases because
the etheric arm has decayed synchronously with the limb in the grave.
The vital body of the plant is only composed of the two
densest ethers — the chemical ether and the life ether — which enable the plant to grow and propagate, but it lacks the two higher ethers — the light ether and reflecting ether — hence it has no sensation or memory of what passes around it. Therefore, amputation of a limb will not be felt by the plant, and in the case of the cliff which is blasted, only the chemical ether is present, so that the crystals will have no feelings at all. Still, it would
be wrong to infer that there is no feeling in either of these cases, for
though the plants and the minerals have no individual means of feeling, they
are enveloped and interpenetrated by the ethers and the Desire World of the
planet, and the Planetary Spirit feels everything, on the same principle
that our finger, having no individual desire body, cannot feel, but
we, the indwelling spirits inhabiting the body, feel any hurt done to the
finger.
Do you know of a place, a home or retreat where one may go to live this beautiful, simple and harmless life you are advocating?
Answer: No, we do not know of any home, and if a home were founded
for that purpose, we should feel very sorry for its inmates. If we have a
high temper and go into the mountains to live as recluses where there are
not people to rile our sensibilities, it is small credit to us that we do
not become impatient with others. If we find it difficult to overcome our
vices or faults in the city, and go into the wilds where those temptations do
not exist, small is our credit for not yielding. We have been placed in
cities and among our fellows in order that we should accustom and accommodate
ourselves to them, and learn to keep our tempers despite any riling — learn
to shun temptations where they exist. One may be in the mountains and
his heart in the city, or he may immure himself in a monastery and yet be
longing of the pleasures of the world. It is best to stay in the place where
we are found and there develop the spiritual qualities that shall make us
better men and women. There is work to be done in the world, and if we
fly from the world, how shall we do it? We have a responsibility to our
fellowmen. unless we discharge that responsibility we are shirking our duty,
and fate will bring us back in such an environment that we cannot
escape. Therefore, it is better to aim to learn all the lessons that are
at our hands instead of running away from them.
List of Questions
Questions Concerning
Life On Earth
1.
If we were pure spirits and part of an all-knowing God, why was it
necessary for us to take this long pilgrimage of sin and sorrow
through matters?
2.
If God made man a little lower than the Angels, how will man
ultimately become their superior in the spiritual world?
3. Why should it be
necessary for us to come into this physical existence? Could we not have
learned the same lessons without being imprisoned and limited by the dense
conditions of the material world?
4. If this earth
life is so important, and really the basis of all our soul growth, the latter
resulting from the experiences we gain here, why is our earth life so short in
comparison with the life in the inner worlds, approximating a thousand years
between two earth lives?
5. How long will it
be before we can do without these physical bodies and function altogether in
the spiritual world again?
6. Does the spirit
enter the body at the time of conception or at the time of birth?
7. What was the
purpose in the division of the sexes?
8. Is the soul of a
woman masculine and the soul of a man feminine?
9. Do we keep the
same temperament through all our lives?
10. Is the desire
body subject to sickness, and does it need nutrition and
replenishment?
11. How is it that
we atone for all sin in Purgatory and then at rebirth must again suffer
through the law of cause and effect for sins of a former life?
12. Is conscience the voice of God or
of our Guardian Angel?
13. What is
genius?
14. Is a soul that
is born as a woman always a woman in its after lives, and how long is the
interval between two earth lives?
15. When a man pays
his debts, cares for his family and lives a moral life here, will he not be
all right hereafter?
16. It is sometimes
contended by people that we have a right to think what we will and are not
responsible for our thoughts. Is that so from an esoteric point of view?
17. If a person is
constantly bothered by evil thoughts which keep coming into his mind although
he is always fighting them, is there any way in which he can cleanse his mind
so that he will think only good and pure thoughts?
18. If woman
proceeded from man as per the rib story, will she in the final return to unity
be reabsorbed, losing her individuality in the masculine divinity?
19. Why has woman
been cursed by inequality, assumed inferiority and injustice since the
beginning of human existence upon this plane?
20. Why was the
suffering Marguerite so extreme and out of proportion to that of Faust, even
to imprisonment and the death penalty, while his life, liberty and pursuit of
happiness were unmolested?
Marriage and
Children
21. Is there any
place, either in the Old or New Testament, where men were told to marry and
then live as brother and sister at any time or under any conditions? And if
not in the Bible, why do you teach it?
22. Is there a soul
mate belonging to every soul throughout all eternity? If so would it not be
better to remain unmarried a thousand years than to marry the wrong mate?
23. Is it wrong for
first, second or third cousins to marry, and if so, why?
24. Would it be
wise for two people of the same temperament to marry if they were both born
under the same sign of the Zodiac, in August, for instance?
25. In the case of
death by violent means is the next life, when the person dies as a child,
lived by a body of the same sex as before or the opposite; that is, will a
soldier killed on the battle field be reborn as a boy or a girl, or does sex
play little part when the life is a very short one?
27. Has the
Rosicrucian Philosophy any specific teaching concerning the training of
children?
28. Why are
children born in a family where they are not welcome?
29. When children
do not come to a man and wife who deeply long for them, is there not some way
to induce some soul in the unseen world to accept their invitation to
reincarnate? Where the conditions in the home are most favorable, it would
seem that among the many souls awaiting incarnation one would find the
conditions right?
30. How do you
explain the fact that a child so often inherits the bad characteristics of the
parents?
31. Does not the
child inherit the blood and nervous system from its parents? If so, will it
not inherit disease and nervous disorders also?
32. Can a person be
influenced in natural sleep as he can in hypnotic sleep, or is there a
difference?
33. What are
dreams, have they all a significance, and how can we invite or induce
dreams?
34. What is sleep
and what causes the body to go to sleep?
35. Do the
Rosicrucians believe in materia medica or do they follow Christ's method of
healing?
36. Do you think it
wrong to take medicine to remove pain, since all is the result of our own
doing, if one is not hopelessly ill or dying?
37. In case of
sickness, what form of healing do you advise, physician's or practitioner's,
as in the Christian Science belief?
38. What is your
opinion in regard to fasting as a means of curing disease?
39. Do you consider
it wrong to try to cure a bad habit, such as, for instance, drunkenness, by
hypnotism?
40. Are there any
methods of eradicating the calcareous matter which comes into our bodies by
wrong methods of diet?
41. Is not nature
guilty of frequent physical malformation in the plant and animal world, as
well as the human race, and can there be a perfectly whole and sane
intelligence with a forceful will in a diseased or malformed body?
42. Do you believe
in vaccination?
43. If, as you
state, the Ego dwells in the blood, is not the practice of blood transfusion
from a healthy to a diseased person dangerous? Does it affect or influence
the Ego in any way, and if so, how?
44. What are the
causes of insanity?
45. When an insane
person dies, will he still be insane in the Desire World?
Questions Concerning
Life After Death
46. What is the use
of knowing about the after death state, what happens in the Invisible World,
and all these things? Is it not far better to take one world at a time?
Sufficient unto the day is the trouble thereof, why borrow more?
47. Is there any
time set to the limit of earth life before we are born?
48. If is possible
to shorten the time between death and a new birth so as to hasten one's
evolution, and if so, how?
49. Are there
seasons and times, ages and epochs in the other world?
50. Does a person
who has been buried alive become conscious of his condition, and how does the
spirit get back to the body when it lies in the grave?
51. Why do children
die?
52. What is the
cause of the vast number of deaths which occur in infancy and childhood?
53. Does the
cremation of the dense body after death affect the spirit in any way?
54. If a person has
lost his memory through nervous shock or fever, does that affect his vital
body and prevent him from getting the record of his life in the three days
immediately following death?
55. If a
disembodied spirit can pass through a wall, can it also pass through a
mountain an the earth, and can it see what is inside?
56. Do we meet our
loved ones after death, even if they have held a different belief from our
own, or, perhaps, been atheists?
57. Do we recognize
loved ones who have passed out through the gate of death?
58. Does the man
who commits suicide stay longer in Purgatory that the people who die
naturally?
59. Does a good man
have to go through Purgatory and be conscious of all the evil that is there
before he can get into the First, Second and Third Heavens, and if so, isn't
that an undeserved punishment?
60. What is the
condition of the victim of a murder and the victim of an accident subsequent
to death?
61. Where is
heaven?
62. It is said that
there is no sorrow in heaven, but if our loved ones are met there and then
pass on, does not the parting from them involve a sense of
dissatisfaction?
63. Please explain
how to concentrate in order to help those in the other world. Do you mean
sitting in the silence and sending out loving, helpful thoughts to them?
64. Do those who
have passed out of earth life keep watch and ward over us who are left behind?
For instance, do mothers look after their little children or even the larger
ones?
65. Why, with a few
exceptions, are we reincarnated without having the slightest knowledge of any
previous existence, and thus suffer blindly in this life for transgressions of
which we are entirely ignorant, committed in some former life? Does it not
seem as though we could get better and quicker spiritual advancement if we
knew how and why we had erred before, and what acts we must correct before we
can progress?
66. Are all the
human beings that people the earth at the present time souls that have gone
through earth life before, or are new souls being created all the time?
67. How do we know
beyond a doubt that rebirth is a fact? Is it not possible that those who so
state may be suffering from hallucination?
68. Do the souls
that have passed into Purgatory and through the First, Second and Third
Heavens come back there and reincarnate on this earth, or do they go to other
spheres?
69. Do we come in
contact with friends of one life when we are born again into a new life?
70. Is the
experience gained in each incarnation recorded separately and added to the
previous ones, so that in the ultimate the spirit is entirely conscious of the
complete sum of its experiences, or is that experience more or less
unconsciously absorbed by the next succeeding incarnation, so that only a
general effect is obtained?
71. When the spirit
coming down to rebirth has drawn to itself its mind stuff and sinks into the
Desire World, will it not then be in Purgatory again?
72. Who can you
believe in the theory of reincarnation — that we come back here in the body of
an animal? Is it not much more beautiful to believe in the Christian doctrine
that we go to heaven with God and the Angels?
73. Why is it that
every sect interprets the Bible differently and that each one gets an apparent
vindication for its idea from that book?
74. What is meant
by the second aspect of the Triune God?
75. Were the
Recording Angels individual beings?
76. Do the Angels
and Archangels watch over us individually as well as collectively and know
just what our lives are?
77. Have Angels
wings as shown in pictures?
78. Do the
Rosicrucians accept the Bible as the Word of God from cover to cover?
79. What is the
viewpoint of the Rosicrucians concerning the creation of the world in seven
days?
80. The Bible
teaches the immortality of the soul in an authoritative manner. The
Rosicrucian teaches the same professedly by appealing to reason. Are there no
positive proofs of immortality?
81. Is there any
authority in the Bible for the theory of rebirth?
82. According to
the Bible only man was given a soul. Why, then, do you say that the animals
have a group spirit?
83. Is it true that
Eve was taken out of Adam's side?
84. If God made man
in his image and likeness and supposedly perfect, why were the different
epochs prior to the fall of Adam and Eve necessary?
85. What was the
sin or fall in Eden?
86. Is the Tree of
Life spoken of in the Bible the same as the Philosopher's Stone of the
Alchemist?
87. The Lord had
respect unto Abel and his bloody offering, but unto Cain and his sweet and
clean offering He had not respect. Why?
88. What is the
esoteric significance of the Ark of the Covenant?
89. Is there an
esoteric significance in the various Christian feasts of the year?
90. I understood
you to say that the Christ had been incarnated only once, in Jesus. Was he
not previously incarnated in Buddha and still earlier in Krishna?
91. We are told
that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him shall not die but have everlasting life. How do you
reconcile that idea with the words of Christ, "I came not to bring peace, but
a sword."
92. What is meant
by everlasting salvation and damnation?
93. What is the
teaching of the Rosicrucians concerning the Immaculate Conception?
94. Was not the
Star of Bethlehem a comet?
95. What were the
gifts of the Wise Men?
96. Was not Jesus a
Jew, and if so, what did he mean by saying "Before Abraham was I am," for even
if He reincarnated, Abraham was the father of the Jewish race?
97. Jesus was
baptized at thirty, receiving the Christ spirit. Please explain this
baptism.
98. In your
teaching you state that we stay for a time averaging one-third of the length
of the earth life in Purgatory, in order that our sins may be expiated prior
to going to heaven. How, then, do you reconcile this teaching with the words
of the Christ to the dying thief, "Today thou shalt be with Me in
Paradise."
99. What is the
estoeric meaning of the two thieves on the cross?
100. What is the
meaning of the cross, is it simply the instrument of torture as usually taught
in the orthodox religion?
101. Could not the
mission of Christ have been accomplished without such a drastic method as
crucifixion?
102. According to
the Rosicrucian teahcing, when will Christ come again?
103. What is meant
by the saying that Christ was made a High Priest forever after the order of
Melchisedec?
104. What did
Christ mean when he said, "All who came before Me were thieves and
robbers"?
105. What did
Christ mean when He said "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a
little child, shall not enter therein"?
106. Did not Jesus
eat fish? Why, then, are the Rosicrucians vegetarians?
107. If Christ fed
the multitude with fish, why is it wrong for us to use them as food?
108. Please explain
why the fatted calf was not killed for the righteous son instead of for the
prodigal. Was that not given a reward for wrong doing?
109. Why did the
lord commend the unjust steward, as related in the sixteenth chapter of
Luke?
110. What is meant
by sinning against the Holy Ghost?
111. Is the
Christian Creed authoritative?
112. How do you
reconcile the law of cause and effect with the doctrine of the forgiveness of
sins?
113. By what power
did Peter raise Dorcas from the dead?
114. Do you believe
in conversion?
115. Is there any
value in confession and absolution?
116. Is there any
value in the Latin ritual used by the Catholic Church? Would it not be better
if it were translated so that people could understand it, and are not the
extemporaneous prayers used in the Protestant Churches much to be preferred to
the ritual and stereotyped masses of the Catholics?
117. What is the
actual merit in Martyrdom; did the martyrs really become saints?
118. In one of your
lectures, you said in effect that it was a mistake to send missionaries to
foreign countries; that the religions practiced by the so-called heathen re
right for them at the present time, but that the missionaries have done little
harm as yet. How, then, do you reconcile the command of the Christ, "Go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
119. Is mediumship
injurious to health?
120. Where mediums
make socalled soul trips, what is it that leaves the physical body, and can
it leave in the waking state to gather data?
121. I have taken
many soul flights, and on one of these journeys my guide took me through gates
into a crystal city and on into a temple filled with ethereal people, saying,
"This is God's Holy City." Will you kindly tell me where this is and why
there are gates and walls around the city, and why everything looked like
crystal?
122. Are not the
desire bodies left by those who have progressed beyond the Desire World used
by elementals to deceive friends and relatives of the deceased person? How
can they be detected and recognized by them?
123. Can elementals
assume the shape of animals or reptiles, and what can be done to stop them
from doing it?
124. How can one
avoid becoming obsessed?
125. What is
psychometry?
126. Is it true
that at spiritualistic séances persons are sometimes transported bodily from
one place to another by invisible hands, flowers are brought into the room
through closed windows and doors, and if so, how can that be done?
127. Will you
kindly explain the use of the planchette, and state if it is advisable to try
to produce the phenomena among amateurs?
128. Is a vampire
the same as a werewolf?
129. What is the
difference between a trance medium, materializing medium, the trained
clairvoyant and the ordinary person?
130. If mediumship
is so dangerous, why do not the mediums cease to allow themselves to be
controlled?
131. What is the
difference between a clairvoyant, an Initiate and an Adept?
132. Why is it that
trained clairvoyants do not offer to lend themselves to some simple but
conclusive tests conducted by men of science which would convince everybody of
the reality of faculties transcending the physical senses?
133. If
clairvoyance is such an accurate means of investigation, such a high spiritual
faculty, why do we usually see it in possession of people of little education
and coarse breeding, who have seemingly very little spirituality and who often
tell lies?
134. What do you
mean by initiation, and why are only men Initiates?
135. Is it not the
duty of one who is informed on subjects concerned with the higher life to give
information and help to the less informed?
136. What
qualifications are necessary to become an Invisible Helper? Must the whole
life be given over to spiritual endeavor?
137. What purpose
has the person in going out of his body?
138. Is it
absolutely necessary to live a life of asceticism in order to become spiritual
and endowed with psychic powers?
139. Are all
children clairvoyant up to a certain age?
140. What is the
difference between white and black magic, and what is the effect of the
practice of black magic upon the soul?
142. What is the
difference between etheric sight, clairvoyance, and the sight pertaining to
the World of Thought?
143. Is it safe for
a person in a greatly debilitated nervous condition to take esoteric training
given by the Rosicrucians, or is it necessary for such a person to first
recover? Is health regained by esoteric training?
144. A sound body
being necessary for spiritual unfoldment, what does the Rosicrucian teaching
hold out to one not a present in the best physical condition? Will perfect
health be one result of the study of this philosophy, and if the teaching is
practiced, will it tend to keep a person in good health?
145. In what way
will it help us in the life after death if we have cultivated clairvoyance in
the present life?
146. Would the
contemplation of the God within, if persistently carried on, aid one in
spiritual growth and bring one to adeptship?
147. Has it not
been recorded that certain individuals have developed spiritual power,
clairvoyance, sixth sense, or whatever we wish to call it, by living a clean
life in harmony with nature's laws, and does not the teachings of modern
esotericists with so many terms of technicality have a tendency to create
confusion rather than bring the desired results?
148. Is it possible
to cultivate clairvoyance by the use of drugs, by crystal gazing or breathing
exercises, and do these methods not bring results quicker than the methods you
advocate?
149. What time in
the morning is best for concentration?
150. It is
difficult for me to review the events of the day in reverse order when doing
my evening exercises. Is this absolutely necessary, and if so, why?
151. What value are
breathing exercises in developing body and mind?
152. Is not the
Invisible World of which you speak very unreal and shadowy in comparison to
this world in which we now live?
153. Is it possible
that astrology and palmistry can be true, inasmuch as we could avert coming
disaster by being forewarned in that manner? And would it not interfere with
our destiny?
154. Is it wrong to
use palmistry, astrology or phrenology as a means of livelihood?
155. Are Mars,
Jupiter and other planets inhabited; if so, are those people superior to the
people on earth; do the souls from the earth ever reincarnate on other planets
and vice versa?
156. Does not the
nebular theory account for the existence of the universe in a much more
scientific manner than the creation stories of the Bible?
157. What are
comets?
158. Does the
movement of a planet through space create a noise?
159. What is the
esoteric significance of the use of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob in
connection with the twelve signs of the zodiac, and are these used in
connection with the earth's zodiac or the sun's zodiac, or both?
160. Can you give
an idea of the difference between heliocentric and geocentric astrology? Is
the geocentric concerned only with the affairs of this earth, the material
life, and the heliocentric with the soul or the spiritual side? The sun,
being the spiritual planet and the ruler of our solar system, would lead to
this conclusion. Inasmuch as we use the sun's zodiac in heliocentric
astrology and the earth's zodiac in geocentric. Can predictions in this life
ever be made by the sun's zodiac, or is the latter simply concerned with the
spiritual side of a person's nature?
161. How is it
possible to get on good terms with Saturn? The inquirer has been under his
influence all his life. Sickness, poverty, loss of inheritance, and accidents
are bad enough, but can Saturn also cause us trouble spiritually; can he put
barriers up for our unfoldment when our spirit is struggling for the good, and
are we liberated from his influence when we pass out at death?
162. How may we
pray to or address Saturn when he is the ruling star causing us trouble and
sorrow?
163. Why do
animals, which are a lower evolution, have an instinct which seems so much
more reliable than the reason of human beings?
164. Can you throw
some light on what our attitude toward the lower forms of life should be?
Have we the right to kill anything harmless, since every living thing is in a
sense our brother? How about the venomous insects and reptiles?
165. Ware not
enormous and destructive reptiles created by the evil thoughts of men, so far
as the form is concerned? And, therefore, is it not an act of love to kill
them and thus liberate the divine spark within so that it may occupy a higher
form?
166. What is a
group spirit, where is it, and what does it look like?
167. Are animals
amenable to the law of causation?
168. Do animals
live after death?
169. When a pet dog
or cat dies, does the entire group spirit to which it belongs die at the same
time? Also what becomes of the animal soul, and does the human love and care
it has received help it on its upward journey?
170. What substance
does a person or animal throw off whereby they can be traced, as, for example,
criminals are traced by bloodhounds?
171. What is the
origin of life?
172. What is
matter? Is it not unreal?
173. You said in a
previous lecture that the earth is the body of a spirit which gives its life
for the dwellers upon the surface. Why does it give flowers and fruits to
some and earthquake and famine to others?
174. What is meant
by the sentence, "Man, know thyself"?
175. What is the
Holy Grail?
176. What was the
connection between the pyramid builders of Egypt and the pyramid builders of
Central America? Which is the older civilization?
177. What is the
essential difference between the teachings of the Rosicrucian Philosophy and
the orthodox church?
178. Kindly state
the essentials wherein the Rosicrucian Philosophy differs from Theosophy.
179. Is the White
Lodge of the Theosophical Society the same as the Temple of the
Rosicrucians?
180. What do you
understand by the term Master, and is the Rosicrucian Fellowship a movement
inspired by them?
181. If one who
believes in the teachings advanced by the Rosicrucians earnestly maintains
that they are true, is he not in danger of becoming dogmatic and intolerant of
the opinions of others? And what should be his attitude toward those who
refuse to accept these teachings?
182. How is it that
not many who have studied the highest philosophy interest themselves in
bettering industrial conditions, such as the abolition of wage slavery, which
is as degrading and brutal as Negro slavery?
183. Can anyone
study esotericism, live the higher life and be a millionaire?
184. Do you believe
in capital punishment? Is it not better and more merciful than imprisonment
for life?
185. What is the
viewpoint of the Rosicrucians on woman suffrage?
186. If esotericists
abstain from flesh eating because it requires a tragedy in its preparation,
and they do not wish to be a party to taking life, either directly or by
proxy, is it not also taking life when we eat eggs or fruit, vegetables,
etc.?
187. Is that
terrible entity which Glyndon saw in Bulwer Lytton's "Zanoni" the same as Mr.
Hyde in Robert L. Stevenson's story?
188. If we amputate
the arm of a man, saw off the limb of a tree and blast away a portion of a
cliff, will the invisible counterpart of these different objects also be
severed?
189. Do you know of
a place, a home or retreat where one may go to live this beautiful, simple and
harmless life you are advocating?
Reference: The Rosicrucian Philosophy In Questions and Answers, Volume I, by Max Heindel (1865-1919)
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