SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANA IN ANGLIA
THE SEVEN STEPS OF WISDOM - STEP 3
We have said that the major purpose of Rosicrucian Philosophy is the renewal of self and the return of the eternal spark within us to the Divine Source from which we came, and that the purpose of the Soc.'. Ros.'. is mutual aid in achieving the aims.
The aspirant promises in the Zelator ritual to study with persistence and enthusiasm: study what? The ritual itself says that 'among the subjects you have promised to study with zeal are the secrets of the Kabbalists' and the various First Order grade lectures include numerology, colour, alchemy and comparative religion. These seem at first sight a rather arbitrary selection of subjects: what do we really study? And what does the Society teach?
Recent and Upcoming Subjects for the Metropolitan Study Group
The Metropolitan Study Group, attached to Metropolitan College in central London meets on the third Saturday of every month except December. The usual format is a paper followed by a discussion. What are the subjects of the papers, because that would be a guide to the interests of members? In 2006 subjects included speculations on the History of Rosicrucianism and on the Role of Mary Magdalene, a study of soe Sufi practices and a look at the role of Mysticism & Music. In 2005 papers covered such topics as Shamanism; The Nature of Sacrifice; The Aryans and the Hindus and Dr Bob Black on the life of a famous alchemist.
What constitutes the Esoteric Tradition?
What constitutes this 'esoteric tradition' and in what ways is quantum physics saying something similar to that tradition about the nature of reality? There are, first of all, the 'psi skills': the tradition generally holds that these skills are real and can be developed. The Western Mystery Tradition is a loose body of knowledge that could be held to cover: telepathy, clairvoyance (the SRIA has one of Madame BlavatskyÕs 'Magic Mirrors') and clairaudience, dowsing, astrology, gemetria, divination (geomancy etc), alchemy, the Tarot and most of all the Kabbalah.
With the subject matter has developed a methodology for developing the skills, meditating the issues and progressing generally on the path of the return of the soul. This is a body of teaching developed in Europe and the Middle East over millennia and a path developed by Adepts of the European tradition over centuries.
There are many philosophies one might follow and in saying that, as Christians, we are rejecting the other great religions and philosophies to follow the Western and near Eastern approach to spiritual enlightenment should not be taken as meaning we do not consider any other religion or path 'true' or that they offer something less valid. We mean only that we think the path is not valid for us. We should not judge another's soul or intentions, as long as they do not inhibit the right to pursue our own path. Rosicrucians and many Christian mystics have, over the centuries, lived under the direct threat of the Inquisition and the ridicule of western materialistic science themselves to have any taste for the ridicule or persecution of another for his (or her) genuinely held belief system.
The 'Psi Skills'
If you have taken our advice and started reading The Field by Lynne McTaggart you will be now be aware of the overwhelming evidence in support of many of the abilities previously thought to belong to the realms of the psychic, fantasy or science fiction. Of particular interest are the eighteen years of study undertaken at Princeton University Engineering Faculty by a team headed by the former Dean of Engineering Bob Jahn. The team has amassed data from millions of trials and provided evidence of very ordinary people influencing the output of random number generators. Their experimental results are ten times better than those showing that aspirin substantially reduces some kinds of heart attack and it also helps prove some of the things which the esoteric tradition and the spiritual masters have always said. Do read The Field and, if the topic interests you, another cheap paperback Footprints in the Psychic Wilderness by Dale Graff MSc., for 22 years director of the CIA/American Military's research into Remote Viewing, is also worth reading.
Astrology & Numerology
Critics of astrology often say that the idea that the movement of the planets can exert any influence over events on earth is ridiculous and point out that the daily readings in newspapers are vacuous and general, in that they would apply to a twelfth of the population, which is too general. Critics and skeptics point out that the dates applying to each sign of the zodiac is fixed as it was 2000 years ago when, in reality, the apparent position of the sun on any given day moves on as a result of precession.
Astrologists might answer that the system works in some way: sales of little horoscope books published for each sign and for each year vary in consistent ways between signs across countries and years, suggesting that something is happening. Most astrologers would regard the daily predictions in newspapers as being of highly questionable value.
Following the Stock Market crash, the US stock market commissioned a man called Dewey to look for any signs leading up to the crash, so that in future they might be forewarned. Dewey looked painstakingly at trends and took more than ten years to publish his findings: he found thousands of examples of ÔcyclesÕ of varying lengths applying to things like the price of Goodyear rubber shares, the price of butter in the US, taxpayer conscience payments in the UK, temperatures in Paris, the numbers of the skunk population in Canada, numbers of salmon caught in N. America etc. Perhaps Dewey's cycles are the raw material described by either or both of astrology and numerology.
Those of you who are reading The Field might also be wondering whether, since consciousness does operate at a quantum level and the Zero Point Field is universal, influence exists at a quantum level. Certainly astrology and numerology are legitimate studies for members though doubtless many members are skeptical.
The Tarot and the Kabbalah
The word Kabbalah is a transliteration - that is, a word originally in another language (in this case Hebrew) and the spelling attempts to render the word in English characters. It can equally be written Qabbalah or Cabbala and with or without the double B or the final H. The different spellings don't matter, though K spellings tend to be used by people studying the mystic elements and Q spellings by those with more practical interests.
The Kabbalah was written down by the Jews of Spain the 13th century but the oral tradition goes back much further - to the 2nd century BC at least and possibly much further back than that. There is speculation that, during the period of captivity in Babylon (anyone familiar with the ritual of the Royal Arch or with Bible history will know what we are referring to), Chaldean ideas were picked up and became absorbed into Jewish mysticism.
The Kabbalah can be a lifetime study and some find it obscure and boring! However, even if you are not interested you should learn some basics. The idea, simple enough at its elementary level, is built around a meditation glyph called the Tree of Life. This consists of 10 Circles call Sephiroth (Hebrew word - one Sephira, two or more Sephiroth) representing aspects of God and also forces within the mind of man. These Sephiroth are linked by 22 paths. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, which are also used a numbers, leading to a host of other factors we will ignore for the moment (and which many members of the SRIA would ignore altogether.)
A Tarot pack has 22 Trumps, so the Tarot has been absorbed for several centuries into the Western Mystery Tradition, for fairly obvious reasons. One of the other Rosicrucian societies leans heavily on the archetypal images of the Tarot trumps and claims that it had its origin in Fez in Morocco around 1200. They would say that was brought back to Europe by Christian Rosenkreuz, to appear in Italy, disguised as a game to keep it away from the Inquisition. There is, of course, no proof of the tradition.
There are variations of the format of the Tree of Life and the 22 paths and also of the numbering of Tarot Trumps (often referred to as the Major Arcana) and the paths attributed to them, but the version shown here is the most common. (most 'common' should not necessarily be taken as meaning most 'correct'.)
In the Soc.'. Ros.'., as in other Rosicrucian societies and in most Kabbalistic Orders, the grades relate to the Sephiroth: those of the First Order relating to Malkuth, Yesod, Hod and Netzach, in that order. The veil of the Adepts lies across the paths leading further and the Adept grades relate to Tiphareth, Geburah and Chesed, with the third order beyond.
Study Groups, the Internet and Thomas Linacre College
There is a Metropolitan Study Group, mentioned earlier, and several other Colleges in various parts of the world have study groups or other arrangements for members who want to take their exploration of the subject further.
There is Library at Stansfield Hall, Hampstead, in north London with hundreds of esoteric works, some not available anywhere else in the world. Most of these can be borrowed. If you are not able to attend the Study Group, email Stan Brown at Stansfield Hall to make arrangements to come at some other time or to borrow by post.
On the internet there is an informal SRIA correspondence circle run by John Priede, Secretary of the Adelaide Study Group. This circle includes sincere seekers from other Rosicrucian societies, including quite a few women contributors. You do not have to be an SRIA member to join but, if you're not, you will need to convince John you are a serious seeker after the light and will add to the circle. (John's e-mail address is: glossary@trg.co.au
Finally there is the Thomas Linacre College. Based at Croydon (South London) the College was seriously considering giving up its warrant because of a falling roll. Instead the Supreme Magus took it over and said that IN ADDITION TO ITS CROYDON MEETINGS (4th Monday in February, September and October) it should meet wherever and whenever he directed and that it would be the premier research College, publishing its transactions. It has so far met in the West Midlands and in Florence, Italy.
Meditation & Study
Reading
Continue reading selected bits of The Rosicrucians by McIntosh: pp42-43 from "Fludd replied ..." to "... speculative Masonry." And pp 46-48 from: "Another important English figure..." to "... a highly active German Order." We repeat that we stress these pages rather than asking you not to read anything!
We also urge you to read The Field to which we have repeatedly referred this week.
Meditation Topics
Depending on the time of year, get a single flower of some kind. Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor and hands along your thighs and relax. Take the flower and study it every detail, then close your eyes and see if you can still see it in your imagination.
At first you may find yourself closing your eyes for only a few seconds at a time, but persist. Practice every night for a week and you will find yourself visualizing the flower.
You could also try getting a suitable picture. It needs to be a reasonable size, like an 8 x 10 photograph or magazine full page (and, if youÕre using a magazine picture, cut off anything that might distract you and make sure nothing shows through from the other side. Do the same with the picture as the flower.
Be sure to do this exercise every day for a week, at the end of which time you will find yourself improving a little.
Diary
Write up in your diary a record of how you are progressing. As before, you are both judge and record keeper, and no one will yet see anything you write.
Topics for Contemplation
1. What do YOU think of astrology and numerology?
2. Have you any psychic skills yourself? Have you ever had any experiences which might be considered psychic?
3. Have you experienced examples of sychronicity – meaningful coincidence?
Can all coincidences be explained in a mechanical universe or just shrugged
off? If you have been reading The Field you will know that the Quantum behaviour
of sub atomic particles has an uncertainty factor which can be influenced by
outside influence, including especially the mind of the human observer. Do you
think this relates in any way to the experience of sychronicitous events
4. Do you think that any of these skills or topics is un-Christian? For readers
of The Field - can the sceptical scientist with religious (particularly) Christian
remain doubtful of pychic abilities or continue to think of religion as apart
from science?
