Preface

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By What Sign Shall I Overcome the Powers of Earth?" The Within: "By the Sign of the Son of Man" "Show Thou Me This Sign"
"BEHOLD"
" 'Tis the Magic Sign of Life and Immortality'
THE SOM OF GOD
THE lYSTSCAL TEACHINGS OF THE 1ASTERS
Giving a short sketch of the early life of Jesus and of His training by the Essenean Order, and an interpretation of some of His teachings, in har- mony with the fundamental principles of the Temple of Illumination, known as the
"CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION"
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Temple or Illuminati
By R. Swinburne Clymer
The Philosophical Publishing Co., Allentown, Pa.
For the Order of the Illuminati.
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COPYRIGHTED 1906, 1913, 1916
BY R. SWINBURNE CLYMER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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DEDICATION
To Dr. James R. Phelps, my beloved teacher of the long ago, this book is dedicated; and it is the hope of the author that it may be a lasting monument to him.
FOREWORD
Among the foremost teachers that America ever had, stood Dr. James R. Phelps, who is now passed to the Beyond.
Not only on account of his learning, his knowledge of the dead languages and of the Ancient Teachings, but also on account of his absolute honesty and sincerity was he one of the foremost teachers.
In a letter, which he invariably wrote to the beginner who came under his training, he said:
"My authority — and I dislike that word — goes back for years, and was conferred by honored brothers now resting from their labors. For reasons of my own, when I affiliated with the Order Illuminati — of which Count Giounotti, (then here he mentions the names by which the Master is known) was the Hierophant — I doubted my ability to take any prominent posi- tion in its activities, and they assigned me to the care of the back door, to take charge of those who, fainting by the way or discouraged by the apparent obstacles in the way, were giving
up in despair. They called me ' ,' or
'the Keeper of the Door.' I found out in time that there was but one door to The Temple, and that entrance and exit were the same. Our Master says: T am the door, by it any man enters in he shall be safe, and go in and go out, and shall find pasture.'
"Now, my dear brother, divest yourself of any idea you may have that my position confers on me any superiority over you. That is the rock on which many a pseudo teacher has gone to pieces. 'Call no man your Master on earth, for One is your Master, the Christ, and all ye are brethren.' "
8 The Son of God
This will show more clearly than any words of mine as to the worth of this grand teacher. No man would he allow to call him Master; but the student might call him Teacher or Guide.
And this was the man from whom I received much of my training and from whom I learned much of the Sublime Mys- teries concerning the Soul and its Powers.
In my interpretation, I therefore come to you with knowl- edge received through a training of nearly eighteen years, much of which was under men who claimed nothing for themselves except that they were laborers in the vineyard of the Master and desired no praise, but desired that all praise should be given to the Master.
Brotherly Given,
The Author
PREFACE TO THIRD EBIT50N
"Nothing Succeeds Like Success" Some ten years ago, when the first book of the Illuminati and its work was placed before the public, the general verdict was, that this work could not by any possibility meet with suc- cess, as the market had already been overcrowded with books on New Thought, Divine Science, Christian Science, and var- ious other Cults and Isms, but we were not dismayed, as we firmly believed that the Illuminati with its Soul Science could give the world that which had never been given before, namely, a four-fold Philosophy, a Philosophy which not only had the Mind, or the Body, or the Spirit in consideration, but which recognized all three as of equal importance, but which went a step further, and recognized the Soul as of equal importance with the other three, it also taught the development of the soul, and outside of the Rose Cross Order as established by Dr. P. B. Randolph in America, this was the only order to do this.
Admittedly, this Soul Science work was a difficult task, nevertheless, slowly but gradually, publication was added on publication, until at the present time there are more than fifteen actual Soul Science text books, and the demand has become so great for this work as first started by us and taught only by the Illuminati, that other teachers in the field who know absolutely nothing of the Philosophy of Soul Science, have deliberately stolen the title and are using it in teaching that which is entirely foreign to the true philosophy. These are plain thieves, parad- ing in the clothing of the gods.
Another proof of the growing demand for the teachings of this Philosophy is found in the fact, that this book is now in its
10 The Son of God
third large edition, and will soon be in its fourth edition as the demand is growing daily, but we warn all seekers, not to accept any Philosophy or training as Soul Science unless those who claim to teach it can show a certificate from the Royal Fraternity Association, under which it has been necessary for the Illuminati to come, in order that it might have its Philosophy and training protected.
And thus, we must come near to an apology in placing the Order under the protection of a Corporation, because we found there were many who knew absolutely nothing of Soul Science and who were not members of the Order of Illuminati, but who, upon seeing the success of this Great Work, boldly proclaimed themselves as teachers of the Science, tagging thereto the word "Christian" or some other word in order to prevent being per- secuted as imposters and thieves.
And more is the pity, that, people who claim to be teachers of, and workers for, humanity, should become so degraded as to deliberately steal the name, or the philosophy of another, and palm it off as their own, when in fact, it is totally opposed to that which they claim it to be.
The Illuminati series of publications have proved to be a success. Men and women who were failures in that they had not peace, contentment, health or success in a chosen field; men and women whose souls were rent with doubts, but who had faith in our prophecy that these books would give them the instruc- tions they needed, have found our word to be true, and many of them have found health, the royal road to success and the path to contentment.
"Nothing Succeeds Like Success" Is there anything in life that you desire? What is it? Is it health, is it happiness, is it peace, or is it the desire for a perfect life here and now, and the continuation of a perfect life after you make the change, if you must make it ?
The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 11
If it is any of these things, or if it is a successful career; on the other hand, if it has to do with the things of the Soul, why have you not been able to get that which you desire?
Undoubtedly there is but one answer: You have not been in possession of the key to the situation, you did not know how to go about it ; possibly your philosophy of life has been entirely wrong, or perhaps destructive race beliefs have held you in bonds of iron and prevented ycu from attaining the highest goal.
But all this can be changed. The truth of this is proven by what the Illuminati publications have done for others and what they are continuing to do, and nothing can be a greater proof of what these publications are doing than the following facts :
First. The establishment of a Sacred Rose Cross College in Buffalo, New York, where the Philosophy is taught to Classes.
Second. The establishment of the above named College in Kansas City, Mo.
Third. The successful Convocation which closed on the 30th of June, after one full month of work and a report of which, by one who was present, wTill follow this Preface.
These things are but indicators of this Great and Mighty Work, and it depends upon yourself whether you will be the man or the woman that God intended you to be, or whether you will be a failure.
R. Swinburne Clymer "Beverly Hall," July 1st, 1916.
12
The Son of God
Ancient Mysteries of Egypt Given in an Initiation of Three Degrees
Under the authority of the Rose Cross Order founded in America in 1858 prominent delegates of the Order were gathered in the most remarkable conclave held during the last 5000 years, the publication of whose records now opens to the world, the connection of Egypt in her ages of true religion, power and glory, with the Mystic Seal of the United States, whose Heraldric symbolism declaring the mighty destiny of America, has, until now only been known to a limited number.
At "Beverly Hall" in the beautiful Tohickon valley about four miles from the town of Quakertown, men and women of all ranks of life, and from all parts of the world, high Masons, and members of the Eastern Star, physicians, teachers, authors, and members of all denominations inclusive of the Hebrew, all these assembled at the call of the Grand Master of the Rose Cross Order for the sixty-eighth Convocation.
Some years ago R. Swinburne Clymer, author of the Phil- osophy of Fire, Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry, The Rosi- crucians; Their Teachings, Mysteries of Osiris, Soul Science and Immortality, and over thirty other works, bought a mountainous tract of land, and on this was built "Beverly Hall," an Assembly Hall, press rooms and libraries, and chemical labora- tory which, surrounded by orchards, vineyards and rose gardens, set in terraced lawns, presents with its Collie kennels and poultry plants, a splendid combination of the beautiful and the practical.
To this has been added the Mystic, for in a secluded and wooded tract of fifty acres of this land, an artificial lake was made from a mountain stream, a throne room erected and other improvements made which would be needed for the Initiation of Neophytes in the Egyptian Mysteries,
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters 13
The Convocation was called to order on June first in the Assembly Hall, built over five years ago for that purpose, and the delivery of a series of lectures upon practical as well as Mystical subjects began and continued until the close of the Convocation. The delegates and teachers presented the lectures, which were followed by discussions upon the subjects of Eugenics, Scientific Motherhood, Code of Ethics for the Schools and home, Spiritual Christianity, Personal Hygiene, Diet and Health, Sin, Authority and Individuality, Jacob's Ladder, Ini- tiation, Reincarnation, Soul Development, The Second Coming of the Christ, and the Mystic Significance of the seal of the United States,
In the time of Solomon as in the time of the Egyptian Priesthood, no ceremony was ever held, unless the circle of Solomon, commonly called the Sacred Seal of Solomon, had been previously prepared, but since the fall of Egypt and of the Temple of Solomon, this seal has been practically unknown, except to a limited number of students of ancient religions and mysteries.
During the first week in June, in the grove especially pre- pared for the dramatization of the Ancient Mysteries of Osiris, the Seal of Solomon, often called the Magic Circle, was especially built, and on June 11 the dedication of the Magic Circle took place in the presence of the delegates of the Rose Cross Order, some of whom were natives of Germany, England and Russia. This was in accordance with the system as practiced by the ancient Priests of Egypt and the Sanhedrin of the Temple of Solomon.
On the night of June 13th the first section of the class, including those of the Order taking part in the Initiation, assembled in the grove of Osiris, which was illuminated by electricity from a central power house especially prepared for the purpose, and the Initiation of the Ancient Mysteries of Egypt
14 The Son of God
in three Degrees and six scenes.
AH students of the Ancient Mysteries and religions know that in the Temple of Solomon there were three Courts, the outer Court for the people being composed of seven hundred selected teachers and leaders. These were members of the First Degree, Illuminati, called also, seekers, travellers or soldiers. The middle Court, or members of the second Degree were seventy in number, and were supposed to be in the Hall of Meditation, and acted as mediators between the people and the inner Sanctuary. Above all was the Inner Court, or circle of the Seven Priests and the Master or High Priest, who were the teachers between God and man, mediators between the seen and Unseen.
In the Egyptian Mysteries, the first Court was made up of the Royal youth of Egypt, and such students from foreign coun- tries as desired to enter the Temple and Priesthood, and these, during probation, were often known as the "Soldiers of the Priesthood," as it was their duty while undergoing the prelimin- ary training and tests to guard the Priesthood and its work even to the death.
The second class corresponding to a Second Degree were those who had passed this test and who were in the Hall of Meditation, and purification, in preparation for the first vows, and the dedication of the body, mind, soul and spirit to God and the service of mankind.
The third class called The Third Degree were those who had passed with credit the tests of the first degree, the purifica- tion of the second, as well as the various stages of development required of all students in the Halls of Meditation.
In the Royal Third Degree, which took place in the Temple the Neophyte received the final instruction. After this came the final test in the beautiful ceremony of the death of the old life, the giving up of the body and its temptations and the raising of the slain Orisis or Spiritual body, by his faithful
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters j5
spouse Isis, the Soul, with the final Illumination.
On the fifteenth of June, the first section of the representa- tives left "Beverly Hall," for their respective homes and the second section began to arrive for the preparatory lectures, and on the nineteenth of June the ceremonies were repeated so that all might witness the Initiation and take part in it so as to become members.
So far as can be learned either through travel or history never before since the fail of Egypt and its Priesthood and the fall of the Temple of Solomon, has there ever been a grove, a lake to represent the Nile, a Magic Circle, or a Temple prepared, nor is it believed that anywhere in the world does there today exist such a Circle.
Nearest to this, however, is Stone-henge of the Druids of Britain, to which their descendants travel each year at a certain time to greet the Sun, and renew their vows.
This is the first time, therefore, in 5000 years that any Order has attempted to build up this Sacred emblem under the stately oak, so that people of modern civilization might witness the beauties of the life and religion of the ancient people, whose teachings of individual soul development, made the glory of Egypt, the lost dreams of all Israel, the teachings of the Magi of Persia, all that was true in India, the splendid philosophy of Greece, the magnificence of the early Romans, the basis of pre- Christian Ireland's great schools, as well as the familiar Holy Grail legends of Briton, Celt and Gaul. In this light of Brotherhood of man and Fatherhood of God was founded this great Republic foretold by Virgil, upon whose seal is set the Egyptian Pyramid, completed by the White stone of Spiritual purification as the crown of the ages.
The American Constellation of thirteen stars set in the form of a double triangle was foretold by Merlin of King Arthur's Court, and the Philosophy of the Holy Grail and of
16 The Son of God
Egypt's glory and Solomon's Temple, has been the Day star of every great American Statesman from Washington to Abraham Lincoln.
After the ceremonies in the grove, there was given in the dining room of "Beverly Hall" at midnight a "Feast of the Gods" at which neither meat nor spices formed part of the menu, but only fruits, nuts and other products of sun kissed foods.
The conclusion of the rites was held at sunrise in the grove with a musical communion service, in which Nectar of roses, distilled from the thirty thousand roses blooming each June upon the lawns at "Beverly Hall," was served as emblematic of the wine of the Soul, and for this service the rose bushes were planted several years ago.
Grace K. Morey
Secretary Sacred Rose Cross College, Buffalo, N. Y.
PREFACE
A. Reville, the French writer, sizing up the religious feel- ing of his time, wrote to this effect: "Always in all human societies, at a certain period of their existence, a time comes when their religion begins to diverge from its fundamental meaning, then diverges more and more, loses this fundamental meaning, and finally crystallizes into permanently established forms. When it does so, its influence upon the life of men grows weaker and weaker as it becomes more of a form from which the life has departed.
"At such periods, the educated minority, though no longer believing in the existing religious teaching, still pretend to be- lieve, finding this religion necessary for holding the masses in the established order of life; whilst the masses, although adhering hy the force of inertia to the established religious forms, are no longer guided in their lives by religious demands, but only by popular customs and laws.
"So it has been, many times, in many human communities. But what is now taking place in our Christian society has never occurred before. The ruling and more educated minority, which has the chief influence en the masses, not only disbelieves in the existing religion, but is certain that religion is no longer neces- sary at all. It teaches those who doubt the truth of the accepted faith not some ether more rational and comprehensive religion than that existing, but persuades them that religion in general has outlived its time, and has become not only a useless but even a harmful organ of social life.
IS The Son of God
"Religion is studied by this class of men not as something which we know through our inner experience, but as an external phenamenon, a ritual of mere fancy words, a disease, as it were, to which some people are subject, and which we can understand only in its external symptoms. It is because religion is thus considered that so very many have come to believe in nothing.
"Religion remains, as it always was, the chief motive power, the heart of the life of human societies. Without it, as without the heart, there can be no rational life. There have been, and there are, many different religions, because the expres- sion of the relation of man to the Infinite, to God, or the gods, is different at different times, according to the different degrees of development of different nations; but no society of men, since men have become rational beings, could ever live, and therefore never did live, without religion.
"It is true that there have been, and still occur, periods in the life of nations when the existing religion was so distorted and so far behind life that it no longer guided man, and such a period is the present one. But this cessation of the influence of religion has been only temporary. Religion, like everything vital, has the capacity of being born, developing, growing old, and dying, of reviving again, and reviving again in a more perfect form than ever before. After the period of the highest development of religion there always follows a period of weak- ness and lifelessness, after which again there generally follows a period of regeneration, or new interpretation, and of the establishment of a religious teaching more clear and rational than before. Such periods of development, decline, and regenera- tion have occurred in all religions; and such a period is there now. Religion, in fact, is the definition of man's life by the connection of the human with the Divine, the power of which over the universe and himself he recognizes, and with which he feels that he must unite himself and come into conscious relation-
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters 19
ship."
Each age * demands a distinctive type of interpretation of truth, adapted to the requirements of that particular period of history. Truth is ever the same. Divine laws have not changed since the beginning of time. But the world of thought advances ; and each outgoing cycle requires a laying aside of its cloak, as the snake sheds its skin, that the incoming cycle may be "clothed upon" with a new garment, better suited to its needs. The texture and the designs and the coloring of the cloak of thought are determined by the particular emphasis that a given age employs in the interpretation of truth. For the human race to be enriched by all the varied aspects that truth and its realization may assume, it is necessary for the cloak of inter- pretation to be doffed and donned, again and again, in accord- ance with the laws of progress ! it is necessary for a new system of emphasis in the interpretation of truth to be formulated from time to time.
The doffing of an old interpretation and the donning of a new marks a transition period that is attended by unsettledness of mind and by perplexity of thought. It is truly a period of stress and strain. The world of religious ideas is now in a transitional stage. To satisfy this need, the Temple of Illumina- tion, of which this little volume is a text-book, offers a new system of interpretation — an interpretation that claims to be the natural outgrowth of the cyclic stage through which the world has already passed, and it furthermore claims to be the highest interpretation that can be given to truth, because it goes at once to the base and the ultimate of all that is — the Soul of man.
The law of cyclic changes indicates that the time is ripe for a re-statement of religious principles, for a new presentation
*The following paragraphs are practically verbatim extracts from "The Fundamental Principles of the Church of Illumina- tion," which appeared in the The Initiates of November, 1912.
20 The Son or God
of fundamental laws. The unrest and the hunger of the present transitional stage of thought demands a different placing of emphasis in respect to the essential features of truth.
When interpreted in the light of symbology, the Bible is accepted by the Temple of Illumination as an authoritative treatise of religious instruction; but, in order to secure a satis- factory comprehension of Biblical teachings, it is deemed neces- sary to give careful attention to its symbolic, allegorical, and mystic elements. The interpreter must learn to consult the vast library of legend and symbol and myth as faithfully and as accurately as he resorts to a lexicon of Hebrew and Greek stems and radicals; for such elements as these, sometimes considered mere meaningless child's play, are skillful devices for half- concealing, yet half-revealing, the deepest spiritual truths.
The religious thought of the past centuries has been largely characterized by faith and belief. In respect to the teachings of Jesus, the Christ of the first century, the race-conception of truth has been passing through the period of childhood and early youth. Childhood is marked particularly by faith. The child has faith in his father. The child believes in his father's works and in his principles. When young manhood is attained, he is no longer satisfied with mere belief: he must demonstrate his faith by executing ideals; he must do such works as his father does. As a young man, he still has faith in his father; but his faith now demands the opportunity to exercise its own powers and to accomplish its own works. Religious teaching in the past lias been largely occupied in the effort to convince mankind of the Messiahship of Jesus, and to establish the claims of the
ist. But mere faith does not long satisfy. "Faith without works is dead," is something more than a trite saying. It is a law of growth that faith must demonstrate its powers; it must work cut its principles; it must execute; it must create. The incoming age should be one that is characterized by the power of intelligent faith, one that executes ideals in harmony with a
The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 21
faith that understands divine law.
A clear distinction should be made between blind faith and intelligent, or a seeing, faith; between faith that is passive and one that is active; between an inert and a living faith; between faith in a personality and faith in a principle, faith in a Jesus and faith in the Christ. Jesus is the name of a man, a person- ality. The Christ is the name of the Conscious Individualized Illuminated Soul of Jesus. Jesus, as an historic character, lived his earth-life, and passed out of the plane of manifestation. The Christ, as a divine principle developed and individualized in Jesus, is eternal; as an Illuminated Soul, the Christ is immortal. Faith in Jesus, as a personality merely, is a blind faith. Faith in the Christ, as a state of consciousness that all may attain by living the teachings of Jesus paid by obeying the law of love he demonstrated, is an intelligent, an active faith.
How was Jesus enabled to live the perfect life — a life the entire biography of which may be condensed into five words, "lie went about doing good?" To many, these answers will be convincing: by an intelligent obedience to divine law; by a conscious realization of truth; by the transmuting power of good- ness; by a conscious application of the never-failing law of love and good-will to men; by a masterful directing of a purified will; by a faith that consciously operates in harmony with divine law ; by the unconscious influence of a thought-atmosphere, normally characterized by the qualities of love, truth, and justice; by an illumination of Soul that radiates its own light of understanding and its own warmth of love, on friend and foe, with impartial tenderness; by a prayer-life that attracts, from the infinite store- house, a supply equal to its own demands.
The many who are satisfied with such answers as these are ready for a change of emphasis in the interpretation of the life and the teachings of Jesus. The many already are thoroughly convinced of the genuineness, the sincerity, and the truth of his claim to be the Son of Man and the Son of God. Such as these
22 The Son of God
are eager for emphasis to be placed on the interpretation of the law that enabled him to realize His divine Sonship, and, in consequence, to live such a life. They are eager to understand "the way, the truth, and the life," that will enable them to become conscious of Sonship with the Father, and thus to live the good life. Their faith refuses to be satisfied unless it can express itself in works that exemplify its character. Their natures demand a fulfilment of the age of faith by an age of works that test and prove the law of faith, as lived by Jesus, the Master. Their natures demand a proof of the Christie teachings in their own experience, a verification of the Christie law in their own consciousness. Such a faith manifests itself by a will- ingness to put forth every effort to understand the law of the Christ, and by a determination to obey this law in their own lives.
To meet the need of the age in its demand for an interpre- tation of the laws of the kingdom of the Soul, is one purpose of this book as it is of the Temple of Illumination. That it is possible for man to understand, and that it is necessary for him to understand in order that he may intelligently obey the law and live a life in harmony with it, is a settled conviction among leaders of religious thought today.
That immortality of soul is attainable, is a fundamental doctrine of the Temple of Illumination. Immortality of soul, however, is not thought of as something that is thrust on all alike, regardless of their desire or their seeking. It is not an inevitable factor of existence. The positive law of goodness functioning in the lives of men leads to immortality of soul, or to Soul Consciousness. In each life is a spark, or a germ, of the divine nature. This divine spark is the potential Christ, or the potential individual soul, of that life. This may be nurtured and fed until it becomes "the light that lighteth all the world" of man's consciousness. When man becomes conscious of this Light within his own being, when he recognizes and obeys
The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 23
its "still, small voice," he has reached the state called Illumina- tion of Soul, or Immortality; or, to express the same thought differently, he has reached the plane of Soul Consciousness.
The divine spark latent in each individual may become a well-formed center of pure, white light. It may become a dyna- mic nucleus of fire — the Fire of Love, the Light of Truth. This fact gives the key to the significance of the name, Temple of Illumination. The name signifies that each individual is capable of becoming a center of illumination. Man is the Temple of Illumination, the Temple of the living Christ. Man is the architect of the temple of Solomon, which is a spiritual structure. The purified love of his own heart and the clarified understanding of his own soul become the altar-fire of this temple. This flame unconsciously radiates its light of under- standing and its warmth of "good- will toward men."
Man is made in the image of God. He is a reflection of the Divine, possessing the powers and the attributes of the Infinite. In different beings, these divine qualities are in differ- ent stages of unfoldment. In one, they may be in a latent state, concealed from view beneath the crust of a selfish personality; but, unless they have been burned and seered by the fire of per- sistent wrong-doing, they are none the less a potentiality, await- ing the unfolding processes of growth. In another, they may be in the incipient stages of a nucleus of goodness. In this state, they indicate an active, wholesome conscience, although the life may be painfully entangled and fettered and hampered by the lower personality. Yet, again, these qualities may have become a dynamic, vital expression of individualized life, such that the soul is conscious of its inseparable connection with the Infinite. They may have condensed into a center of radiation, into a per- fect, pyramidal flame, which warms the desire-nature with love, and illumines the understanding with truth. In this state, the divine qualities of love, truth, and justice unconsciously radiate, to those with whom the life comes in contact, the blessings of
24 The Son of God
their inherent goodness.
Creation is the manifestation of the Divine Mind. All things, having been created by God, are, in themselves, good; but, through free-will, man may pervert the good by wrong use, and thus cause evil; he may misdirect possibilities that are in- herently blessed, and thus bring on himself and others a painful curse.
In his fourfold nature, body, mind, spirit, and soul, man is an epitome of the universe. Potentially, he is the divine creation in miniature, and consequently, has been called the microcosm, or "little world." He is the climax and culmination of forces, which for ages have been seeking expression. How to use his forces and to express them harmoniously, is the prob- lem placed before him. To use them in harmony with the divine purpose and to express them only in service to mankind — this is the ideal he must be led to understand and to choose for himself. To use his powers and his possibilities in obedience to the law of goodness and in keeping with the correct under- standing of truth, leads to good. To pervert his powers and to misdirect his inherent possibilities in channels of error and sin, result in evil.
God has placed no higher mark of honor en man than to give him the right of choice, the power of decision, and the ability to direct will-power and to execute plans in accordance with his own decree. Every power is, in itself, good, although it admits of a twofold expression, positive and negative. Every law of his nature is, in itself, good, although it admits of a twofold functioning, constructive and upbuilding or destructive and disintegrating. The use one makes of a law determines its effect. Every virtue admits of a corresponding vice. Results depend on the use given to power, on the direction that a ten- dency takes. Every force, every possibility placed within man's reach, is intended to fulfil certain beneficient ends. Every organ, every function, both of body and of mind, is intended to serve a
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters 25
certain noble purpose. When used in harmony with the lav/ of its highest purpose, the result is good. It is time for man to realize that he is individually responsible for putting forth in- telligent effort to understand the laws of his own being and to obey their highest call.
One distinctive aim of this book, as it is of the Temple of Illumination, is to give clear instructions concerning the laws of right and justice in order that man may intelligently choose his steps, and know how to cultivate his manifold powers and to direct them in proper channels.
The Christie Lav/ is the law of growth, advancement, and progress. Both in its positive and in its negative aspects, this lav/ is exacting and relentless. Obedience to it is constructive and upbuilding, and tends toward growth of soul, reaching as its natural goal the plane of Soul Consciousness, or immortality of soul. Failure to comply with the conditions of the Christie Law is destructive and disintegrating in its effects. It tends toward diffusion and dissolution. Its results are the opposite of :h; namely, self-destruction and continual tearing down of cells. The Temple of Illumination is pronounced in its recogni- tion of this law, both in its positive and its negative aspects. Consequently, while it continually holds before the mind the ideal of growth and development which leads to immortality of soul, yet it admits that persistent evil thinking and evil doing tend toward total destruction of soul. To create and to follow evil persistently, by the operation of its own law, generates the fire that is self -destructive, and thus makes possible the dissolu- tion of the individual soul that creates such disintegrating conditions, thereby liberating the original element of potential divinity.,
The positive work of the law of the Christ is known as the process of salvation, or regeneration ; while, in its negative work- ing, it is called degeneration, or loss, of soul. The doctrine of salvation, or regeneration, receives practical attention in the
26 The Son of God
teachings of the Temple of Illumination; but, as a dogma or definition of terms, the doctrine offers little interest. Salvation does not specify a definite act, but a long-continued process of growth, or development, of soul. It results in Illumination of Soul, or Immortality, or Soul Consciousness. These, in turn, are stages of growth, and are not to be thought of as a climax of perfection that ends all effort, struggle, and attainment. Illumination of soul is but the beginning of thought and exper- ience on a higher plane of expression.
The chief reason for the Christie teaching is the establish- ment of direct communication or communion between God and man. Every man who takes upon himself the role of intercessor in this communion hinders those whom he wishes to guide, from entering into direct communion with God through the means of their own Conscious Individualized Soul. All that the teacher can do is to point the way. Man himself must travel the path that leads to Divine Illumination.
The book now before the reader attempts to do this. It attempts to give a clear, positive interpretation of the teachings as given to mankind by Jesus— an interpretation, which if lived and not merely believed in, will help those so living to reach illumination of soul.
JESUS AS AN ESSENE
At the time of the birth of Jesus, there were three orders among the Jews. They were very similar in their organization; but there was a wide difference in their teachings. These sects or organizations were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. We will first speak of the Pharisees and the Sad- ducees.
Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were cordially united in sentiment respecting all those fundamental points which con- stituted the basis of the Jewish religion. All of them rejected with detestation the notion of a plurality of gods. They acknowl- edged the existence of but one Almighty God, or Power, whom they regarded as the Creator of the Universe, and whom they believed to be endowed with the most absolute perfection. In this belief, the Essenes also shared. Both sects were equally agreed in the opinion that God had selected the Hebrews from among all other nations of the earth as His peculiar people, and had bound them to Himself by an unchangeable and everlasting covenant. With the same unanimity they maintained the divine mission of Moses: that he was the ambassador of heaven; and, consequently, that the law delivered at Mount Sinai and pro- mulgated by his ministry was of divine origin. It was also the general belief among both sects, that in the books of the Old Testament were contained ample instructions respecting the way of salvation and eternal happiness ; and that whatever principles or duties were inculcated in those writings must be reverently received and implicitly obeyed.
But an almost irreconcilable difference of opinion, and the
23 The Son of God
most vehement disputes prevailed among them, respecting the original source, or fountain, whence all religion was to be deduced. The Sadducees rejected with disdain the oral law, to which the Pharisees paid the greatest deference. And the inter- pretation of the written law yielded still further ground for acrimonious contention. The Pharisees maintained that the law as committed to writing by Moses, and likewise every other part of the sacred volumes had a twofold sense, or meaning : the one plain and obvious to every reader, and the other abstruse and mystical. This was also a fundamental belief of the Essenes, and is, to this day, of the successors of the Essenes — the Rosi- crucian Fraternity. The Sadducees, on the contrary, would admit of nothing beyond a simple interpretation of the words according to their strict literal sense. The Essenes, however, differed somewhat from both in this: first, they considered the words of the law to possess no force or power whatever in them- selves, but merely to exhibit the shadows or the images of celestial objects, of virtues, and of duties; second, they regarded that salvation could not come by mere faith in the law, but by doing as the law commanded.
In point of number, riches, authority, and influence, the Pharisees took precedence of all Jewish sects. And as they constantly manifested an extraordinary display of religion, in an apparent zeal for the cultivation of piety and brotherly love, and by an affectation of superior sanctity in their opinions, manners, and dress, the influence that they possessed over the minds of the people was unbounded ; insomuch that it may almost be said that they gave whatever direction they pleased to public affairs. It is unquestionable, however, that the religion cf the Pharisees for the most part was founded in consummate hypocrisy, and that in reality they were generally the slaves of every vicious appetite, proud, arrogant, and avaricious, consulting only the gratification of their lusts, even at the moment of their professing to be engaged in the service of their Maker. These odious
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters 29
features in the character of the Pharisees drew upon them the most pointed rebukes from Jesus ; with more severity indeed than he bestowed on the Sadducees, who, although they had departed widely from the genuine principles of religion, yet did not impose themselves upon mankind by a pretended sanctity or devote themselves with insatiable greediness to the acquisition of hon- ors and riches. The Pharisees admitted the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and a future state of rewards and punishments. They admitted, to a certain extent, the free agency of man ; but,, beyond that, they supposed his actions to be controlled by the decree of fate. These points of doctrine, how- ever, seem not to have been understood or explained by the sects in the same way, neither does it appear that either of the two took any great pains to define and to ascertain them with accu- racy and precision or to support them by reasoning and argument.
The Sadducees were a sect much inferior in point of num- ber to that of the Pharisees, but composed entirely of persons distinguished for their opulence and prosperity. Those who belonged to them were wholly devoid of the sentiments of benevo- lence and compassion towards others; whereas, the Pharisees, according to authority, were ever ready to relieve the wants of the needy and the afflicted. The Sadducees were fond of passing their lives in one uninterrupted course of ease and pleasure; insomuch that it was with difficulty they could be prevailed on to undertake the duties of the magistracy or any other public func- tion, Their leading tenet was that all our hopes and fears terminate with the present life, the soul being involved in one common fate with the body, and, like it, liable to perish and be annihilated.
Upon this principle, it was natural for the Sadducees to maintain that obedience to the Divine Law would be rewarded by the Host High with length of days and an abundance of the good things of this life, such as honors, distinctions, and riches;
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while the violators of it, in like manner, would find their punish- ment in the temporary sufferings and afflictions of the present time. Therefore, they always connected the favor of heaven with a state of worldly prosperity, and could not regard any as virtuous, or the friends of heaven, except the fortunate and the happy; they had no bowels of compassion for the poor and the miserable; their desires and hopes centered in a life of pleasure, leisure, ease, and voluptuous gratifications. This is precisely the character that reliable authority gives them. Also, this idea appears to be countenanced by the sacred writings — especially if, as is now generally admitted, the master Jesus, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, designed, in the person of the former, to delineate the principles and manners of life of a Sadducee.
Although not mentioned openly in the Bible for the reason that Jesus was one of them, the Essenes existed as a sect in the time of Jesus and were divided into two branches: the one was characterized by a life of celibacy, dedicated to the instruction and education of the children of others; while the other branch — the Therapeutae — thought it proper to marry, not with a view of sensual gratification, but for the purpose of propagating the human species, and for the purpose of the development of a certain power which is possible only through the rites of true marriage. Hence, they were distinguished by the people as the practical and the theoretical Essenes.
The Essenes were distributed in the cities and throughout the countries of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. In fact, they were the natural successors to the Egyptian Initiates after the fall of the temples of Initiation in Egypt. Their bond of association embraced not merely a community of tenets and similarity of manners and particular observances, but it extended also to an intercommunity of goods. Their demeanor was sober and chaste; and their mode of life, in every respect, was subjected to the strictest regulations and was submitted to the superintend- ence of governors, whom they appointed over themselves and who
The Mystical Teachings oe the Masters 31
held such position for life. In like manner, the governor, now known as the Grand Master, is at the head of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, in each country, for life.
The whole of their time was devoted to labor, meditation, and prayer; and they were most sedulously attentive to the calls of justice and humanity, and of every moral duty. They believed in the unity of God, or the one Supreme Being, with principali- ties and hierarchies less than the One Supreme God. They believed the soul to have fallen, through disobedience to the Divine Law, from the regions of purity and light into the dark bodies which men occupy at the house of the soul; they consid- ered men, during their continuance in the body, to be confined, as it were, within the wall of loathsome prisons which had to be changed into the temples of God through obedience to the Divine Law. They cultivated great abstinence, allowing them- selves but little bodily nourishment or gratification. The cere- monies and rituals, or external forms, which were enjoined by the laws of Moses to be observed in the worship of God, were not regarded by the Essenes as necessary except as symbolizing the greater worship within the temple of man. Like the old Ini- tiates cf Egypt, they held that the Ritualistic form or ceremony should net be held by the neophytes until after they had first manifested an interior Initiation. The experience of Initiation, the Temple of the Illuminati calls Individualized Soul Con- sciousness; and the Rosicrucian Fraternity calls it "Passing the Threshold/'
This same form is today observed by the Rosicrucian Fra- ternity, as also by the Temple of the Illuminati, which is the outer court of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, as was the Thera- peutae, an outer circle of the Essenes. No neophyte can take