RO SIC RUC IA N S

fdtbeir {Kites a rmM ys teries

F OURTH EDITION, REVISED

B Y HARGRAVE JENN INGS

AUTHOR OF‘THE l ND IAN REL I G ION ; OR, RESULT S O F THE M Y STERIOU S

B UDDHI SM ‘PHAL L IC I SM ‘

ONE O F .THE THIRTY ’

, ETC . ETC

Slllus tra teh by la ptn a rhs of (da n ce la ufib rth QEn gra b in gs

a n ! ) m(1311 3 13 1 11 8 JFuILIBa ge Pla te s

LONDON

GEORGE ROUTL EDGE SON-

s , L IM ITED

N EW YORK : E . P . DUTTON CO

Vn to th e ve r y po i n t s a n d p r icke s , h e r e a r e to b e fou n d gr e a tmi s t e r i e s .

—N z’

chola s F lamme l, I 3 99 .

Qu od s i t C a s te llumi nmmFr a tr e s d egu n t ? Qu in ame t qu a le s ip s is in t ? Cu r , i n te r a li a n omin a , a pp e lle tu r Fr a tre s ? cu r CRU CI S ? cu r

RO SE CRUC I S ? Ga s s e n d u s , 1 63 0 .

Qu od t a n to imp e n d io a b s co n d ltu r , e ti a rn s olummod o d emo n s tr a r e ,d e s tru e re e s t . Te rtu lli a n .

Pre fa c e to th e Th ird E d itio n

THE words Third Edition to a work of this character,

which,it will readily be confessed

,prefers claims to

being quite s u i ge n er i s , excite mixed feelings on thepart of its Authors .

The present edition has been carefully revised,at

the same time that it has been largely extended . It

comprises,now

,Two VOL UME S. The addition Of

new engravings— singularly suggestive,prepared with

great care,presenting very antique and authentic

claims—speaks for value .

The Authors can refer with pride to the numerousletters which reach them

,if pride , or even particular

gratification (according to ordinary ideas) , could a c

tuate in the statement Of the fact . This is a serioustreatise upon the Ros i cmci a n s L etters expressinggreat interest

,some anonymous

,some with names

,

addressed from all parts— from Germany,France

,

Spain,the West Indies from India

,I taly

,and Den

mark,and from remote corners in our own country

these have multiplied since the work was first publi s h e d . America has displayed unbounded curiosity .

To all these communications,with a few exceptions

,

no answers have been (nor could be) returned . Thevolumes themselves must be read with attention

,or

nothing is effected . The book must be its own interpreter , if interpretation is sought . B u t interpretationdoes not apply in this instance .

With o n e word we sha ll conclude . The Authors

vi PRE F ACE TO THE THIRD E DI TION

of The Ros i cmci a n s would quietly warn (for to domore would imply a greater attention than is due)against all attempts in books

,or in print or otherwise

,

to subscribe with ‘ letters or any addition (or a ffe ct a tio n ) , signifying a . supposed p e r s on a l connexion withthe real ‘

Rosicrucians ’. These haughty Philosophersforbade disclosure—this

,of either their real doctrines

or intentions,or of their personality .

We may most truly say,that in this work—as it

now stands,care being taken to keep all reserves

will be found the best account of this illustrious andmysterious Fraternity .

L ONDON :

ja n u a ry the Twe n ty- F i r s t,

1 887

Pre fa c e to the Se con d E d itio n

THE Authors of this important Book— such mustobviously be the fact of any work speaking withauthority in regard Of that extraordinary Brotherhoodthe Rosicrucians —feel assured that it will only benecessary to penetrate but to the extent of two orthree pages therein

,to secure vivid curiosity and

attention . The Producers—particularly in the i n

stance Of this much enlarged Second Edition—areparticularly desirous that no one shall identify themwith

,or consider them as maintaining personally

,the

strangely abstruse,and

,in some instances

,the start

li n gly singular ideas Of these Princes among the Mystics .We are—and desire to be viewed as—the Historia nsonly of this renowned Body ; of whom it may mosttruly be asserted that no one can boast of havingever—really and in fact—seen or known in any ageany supposed (or suspected) Member ’ in the flesh .

It is sufficient honour to Offer as the medium only,

or the Intermediaries to the reading- world—Of thisI llustrious Membership ; whose renown has filled

,

and whose mystical doctrines (assumed or supposed )have puzzled the ages —i n the intenser degree

,still

,

in the present time ; as the inquisitive reception Of

the Authors ’ First Edition of The Ros i cru ci a n s abund a n tly proved .

Dr . Ginsburg says of the Ca b a la,or Ka b b a la h (re

garding th e mysteries of which the Rosicruciansclaimed to be the only true exponents) , that it is a

v i i

i i i PRE F ACE TO THE SE COND E DITION

system of religious philosophy,or more properly of

theosophy,which has not only exercised

,for hundreds

Of years,an extraordinary influence on the mental

development Of so shrewd a people as the Jews,but

has captiva ted the minds of some of the greatestthinkers of Christendom in the sixteenth and sevente e n th centuries .

‘

It—and all that refers to it ’

therefore claims the greatest attention of both thephilosopher and the theologian . The thinkers Of

the past days,after restlessly searching for a scientific

system which should disclose to them the “ deepestdepths ”

Of the Divine Nature,and approve to the

understanding the re a l ti e which binds all thingstogether

,found the craving Of their mind SATISFIE D

by this Theosophy .

’

We say enough in reference to the august possessorsof this knowledge when we remind the reader thatamong those who knew how to wield (and to adapt)the stupendous acquisition to which they were supposed to have at last penetrated

,were Raymond

L ully,the celebrated scholastic

,metaphysician

,and

chemist (died John Reuchlin,the renowned

scholar and reviver of oriental literature in Europe

(born 1 455 , died John Picus di Mirandola,

the famous philosopher and classical scholar (1 463Cornelius Henry Agrippa

,the distinguished

philosopher,divine

,and physician (1 486—1 5 3 5) John

B aptist von Helmont,a remarkable chemist and

physician (1 577—1 644) Dr . Henry More (1 6 1 4and lastly and chiefly (in regard of whom this wholeB ook is but the translation and exposition Of hishighly - prized and very scarce works), our own country

man 1

,Robert Flood or Fludd (Rob e r tu s de F lu cti

1 In r e ga rd to th e v a lu e a n d r a r ity o f Robe r t F lu d d ’

s books i tma y b e me n tion e d th a t Is a a c D

’

Is r a e li s a ys th a t ‘ for ty a n d

PRE F ACE TO THE SE COND E DI TION ix

bus) the famous physician and philosopher (1 5741 63 7)

HARGRAVE JENNINGS .

LONDON,Apr i l 6th , 1 879 .

s eve n ty pou n ds we re give n for a s in gle volume a bro a d i nh is time— s u ch wa s th e cu r ios ity co n ce rn in g them. At th e p re

s e n t time th e va lu e Of the s e books h a s gre a tly in cre a s e d . F lu d d’

s

vo lume s , a n d a n y Of th e e a r ly e dition s of J a cob B oehme n ’

s books,

a r e worthmu chmon ey . I n de e d the y a re s o s ca rce a s to b e ca u ghtu p e ve rywhe r e whe n offe re d—e s pe cia lly whe n e n cou n te re d byfore ign e rs a n d Ame r ica n s .

Pre fa c e to th e F ir s t E d itio n

THIS book,which now leaves our hands

,concentrates

in a small compass the results of very considerablelabour

,and the diligent study Of very many books

in languages living and dead . It purports to be ahistory (for the first time treated seriously in English) of the famous Order of the Rose - Cross or ofthe Rosicrucians NO student of the occult philosophy need

,however

,fear that we shall not most

carefully keep guard— standing sentry (so to speak)not only over this

,which is

,by far

,the pre - eminent

,

but also over those other recondite systems which areconnected with the illustrious Rosicrucians .

An accomplished author of our own period hasremarked that He who deals in the secrets Of magic

,

or in the secrets of the human mind,is too often

looked upon with j ealous eyes by the world,which

is no great conj uror .

’

How is it that,after centuries Of doubt or denial

how happens it,in face of the reason that can make

nothing of it,the common sense that rej ects

,and the

science which can demonstrate it as impossible,the

supernatural still has such vital hold in the humannot to say in the modern—mind ? How happens itthat the most terrible fear is the fear of the invisible P—this

,too

,when we are on all hands assured that

the vi s i ble alone is that which we have to dread !The ordinary reason exhorts us to dismiss our fears .

That thing ‘ magic ’

,that superstition miracle is

PRE F ACE TO THE F I RST E DITI ON xi

now banished wholly from the beliefs of this clearseeing

,educated age . Miracle ’

,we are told

,never

had a place in the world—only in men’s delusions .

It is nothing more than a fancy . It never was anything more than a superstition arising from ignorance .

What is,fear ? It is a shrinking from possible

harm,either to the body

,or to that thing which we

denominate the mind that is in us . The body shrinkswith i n s ti n ctive n e rvou s alarm

,like the sensitive leaf

,

when its easy,comfortable exercise or sensations are

disturbed .

Ou r book,inasmuch as it deals—or pi ofe s s e s to

deal— seriously with strange things and with deepmysteries

,needs the means Of interpretation in the

full attention of the reader : otherwise,little will be

made,or can come

,of it . It is

,in brief

,a history of

the alchemical philosophers,written with a serious

explanatory purpose,and for the first time impartially

stated since the days Of James the First and Charlesthe First . This is really what the book pr etends tob e—and nothing more . It should be mentioned thatthe peculiar views and deductions to be found hereinwere hinted at as demonstrable for the first time bythe same Author i n the year 1 858, when a workentitled Cu r i ou s Thi n gs of the Ou ts i d e World wasproduced .

L e t it be understood,however

,that the Author

distinctly excepts against being in any manner id e n tifi e d with a ll the opin ions , religious or otherwise ,which are to be found in this book . Some of themare

,indeed

,most extraordinary but

,in order to do

full j ustice to the speculations Of the Hermetic Brethren,

he has put forward their ideas with as much Of theiroriginal force as he was able and

,in some parts of

his book,he believes he has urged them with such

apparent warmth,that they will very likely seem to

xi i PRE F ACE TO THE F IRST EDITI ON

have been his own most urgent convictions . As faras he can succeed in being so considered

,the Author

wishes to be regarded simply as the Historian of theRosicrucians

,or as an Essayist on their strange

,

mysterious beliefs .

Whether he will succeed in engaging the attentionof modern readers to a consideration Of this timehonoured philosophy remains to be seen but this heis assured of

,that the admiration of all students and

reflective minds will be excited by the unrivalledpowers Of thinking Of the Rosicrucians . The a pp lica tion

,proper or otherwise

,of these powers is a matter

altogether beside the present inquiry .

The Author has chiefly chosen for exposition theL atin writings of the great English Rosicrucian

,

Robert Flood,or Fludd (Rob e rtu s de F lu ctib u s ) , who

lived in the times of James the First and Charles theFirst .

Ou r final remarks shall be those of a very famousBrother of the ‘

R .C . writing under the date Of

1 65 3 :‘

I will now cloze up ’

,saith he

,

‘ with thedoxology of a most excellent

,renowned Ph ilocryph u s

Soli D eo L uu s e t Pote n ti a

Ame n i u ME RCURIO, qu i ped i bu s li cet cure u s d e cu rr i t AQUA ,

e t

meta lli ce u n iver s a li te r Operutur .

’

LONDON , ja n u a ry 20th , 1 870

CON T EN TS

PART I

CHAP .

CRITICS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS CRITICIZE D

I I : SINGULAR ADVE NTURE IN STAFFORD SHIRE

III : E VE R - BURNING L AMPS

IV : INSUFFICIE NCY OF WORLDLY OBJ E CTS

V : THE HE RME TIC PHILOSOPHE RS

VI : AN HISTORICAL ADVE NTURE

VII : THE HE RME TIC B RE THRE N

VIII : MYTHIC HISTORY OF THE F LE UR - DE - LIS

IX : SACRE D F IRE

F IRE - THE OSOPHY O F THE PE RSIANS

XI IDE AS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS A s To THE CHARACTE ROF F IRE

XII : MONUME NTS RAISE D To F IRE -WORSHIP IN ALLCOUNTRIE S

XIII : DRUID ICAL STONE S ‘

AN D THE IR WORSHIP

XIV : INQUIRY As TO THE POSSIBILITY O F MIRACLE

XV CAN E VIDE NCE B E D E PE NDE D UPON P E XAMINATION OF HUME ’S RE ASONING

XVI : F OOTSTE PS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS AMID ST ARCHITE CTURAL OB J E CTS

XVII : THE ROUND TOWE RS OF IRE LANDJi i i i

CONTENTS

CHAP . PA GEXVIII : PRISMATIC INVE STITURE OF THE MICROCOSM 1 62

XIX : CABALISTIC INTE RPRE TATIONS B Y THE GNOSTICS 1 67

XX : MYSTIC CHRISTIAN F IGURE S AND TALISMANS 1 78

XXI THE ROSY CROSS IN INDIAN , E GYPTIAN , GRE E K ,

ROMAN ,AND ME DIE VAL MONUME NTS

XXII : MYTH OF THE SCORPION , OR THE SNAKE ,IN ITS

MANY DISGUISE S

XXI II : OMINOUS CHARACTE R OF THE COLOUR WHITE ’

TO E NGLISH ROYALTY

XXIV : THE B E LIE FS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS—ME ANINGOF L IGHTS AND OF COMME MORATIVE F LAMB E AUxIN ALL WORSHIP

XXV : THE GRE AT PYRAMID

PART II

I : HISTORY OF THE TOWE R OR STE E PLE

I I PRE SE NCE OF THE ROSICRUCIANS IN HE ATHE N AND

CHRISTIAN ARCHITE CTURE

III : THE ROSICRUCIANS AMID ST ANCIE NT MYSTE RIE S .

THE IR TRACE S DISCOVE RABLE IN THE ORDE RS

OF KNIGHTHOOD

IV : ROSICRUCIANISM IN STRANGE SYMBOLS

V CONNE XION BE TWE E N THE TE MPLARS AND GNOSTI

GISM

VI STRANGE SPE CULATIONS OF THE TRANSCE NDE NTA

LISTS

VII ROSICRUCIAN ORIGIN OF THE ORDE R OF THE GAR

TE R . DE DUCTIONS , AND PROOFS , FROM HIS

TORICAL AUTHORITIE S

CONTENTS

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPOSE D ME ANS OF MAGIC THROUGHSIGNS , SIGILS , AND F IGURE S

ASTRO -THE OSOPHICAL (E XTRA - NATURAL) SYSTE M OF

THE ROSICRUCIANS—THE ALCHE MIC MAGISTE RIUM OR

‘

STONE ’

X : ROSICRUCIAN ‘

CE LE STIAL ’

AND‘

TE RRE STRIAL ’

(ME ANS OF INTE RCOMMUNICATION )THE PRE -ADAMITE S . PROFOUND CABALISTIC OR

ROSICRUCIAN SPE CULATIONS

XII THE ADAPTE D ROSICRUCIAN CONTE MPLATION . IN

TRUSION OF SIN . RUINS OF THE OLD WORLD S

XIII INDIAN MYSTE RIOUS ADORATION OF F ORM S . THE

UNITY OF THE MYTHOLOGIE S FOUND IN THE

B HUDDISTIC AND MOHAMME DAN TE MPLE S

XIV : DOCTRINE AND RATIONALE . THE E MBODIE D‘

CHILDRE N OF THE E LE ME NTS ’

,BOTH OF

HE ATHE N AND OF CHRISTIAN PE RIOD S

XV : ROBE RT F LOOD (ROBE RTOS DE F LUCTI B US), THE

E NGLISH ROSICRUCIAN

XVI : NOTICE S OF ANCIE NT AUTHORITIE S

XVII MYSTE RIE S OF THE ANCIE NTS THE ARK OF NOAH

XVIII : CABALISTIC ILLU STRATIONS . THE SAN - GRE ALE ,

GE B AL, OR HOLY GRE AL E

XIX THE ROUND TABLE 1 3 THE RATIONALE OR APOTHE OSIS OF THE MOST NOBLE THE ORDE R OF THE

GARTE R

XX : RE MARKS UPON Two CURIOUS B OOKS

XXI : RE MARKS RE LATING To THE GRE AT MYSTIC,RO

BE RT ‘

DE F LUCTIB US’

XXII : ALCHE MY . THE POWE R OF PRODUCING GOLDAND SILVE R , THROUGH ARTIFICIAL ME ANS .

DOCTRINE OF THE ROSICRUCIANS

PAGE

CONTENTS

CHAP . PAGEXXIII : THE OUTLINE OF THE CABALA , OR KABBALAH.

ITS MYSTIC INDICATIONS . THE PURPOSE OF

THE GRE AT ARCHITE CT OF THE UNIVE RSE IN THE

SE NSIBLE AND SPIRITUAL WORLDS (NATURALAND SUPE RNATURAL), AND THE CHARACTE R OF

THE IR RE CIPROCITY , AND DOUBLE WORKING

XXIV : CABALISTIC PROF UND ITE S

THE ROSICRUC IAN S

PART I

CHAPTER THE FIRST

CRITICS OF THE ROS ICRUC I ANS CRITIC IZE D

THAT modern science,spite of its assumptions and

Of its intolerant dogmatism,is much at fault—nay

,

to a great extent a very vain thing— is a conclusionthat Often presents itself to the minds of thinkingpersons . Thus thoughtful people

,who choose to

separate themselves from the crowd,and who do

not altogether give in with such edifying submissionto the indoctrination Of the scientific classes— notwithstanding that these latter _ have th e supportgenerally of that which

,by a wide term

,is called the

press ’ in this country— quietly decline reliance onmodern science . They see that there are numerousShortcomings Of teachers in medicine

,which fails

frequently,though always with its answer—i n theology

,

which chooses ra ther that men Should Sleep,though

not the right Sleep,than consider waking—nay

,in

all the branches Of huma n knowledge ; the fashionin regard to which is to disparage the ancient schoolsOf thought by exposing what are called their errorsby the light Of modern assumed infallible discovery .

It never once occurs to these eager,conceited pro

fe s s or s that they themselves may possibly havelear ned wrongly

,that the Old knowledge they decry

1 B

2 THE ROSICRUCIANS

is underrated because they do not understand it,and

that,entirely because the light of the modern world

is SO brilliant in them,SO dark to them

,as eclipsed in

this novel artificial light,is the Older and better and

truer sunshine nearer to the ancients : because timeitself was newer to the Old peoples of the world

,and

because the circumstances of the first making of timewere more understood in the then first divine disclosure

,granting that time ever had a beginning

,as

man ’s reason insists it must .

Shelley,the poet

,who

,if he had not been so great

as a poet,would have been perhaps equally eminent

as a metaphysician,that is

,when age and experience

had ripened and corrected his original brilliant crudities Of thought—used to declare that most men— a t

least,most thinking men—Spend the latter half Of

their lives in unlearning the mistakes Of the precedinghalf . This he declares to have been the fact in hisown expe rience—which was

,even for this test

,a very

brief one ; for Shelley was only twenty—nine whenhis lamentable death occurred . The early departureOf three brilliant poetic spirits Of our fathers ’ period

,

at the same time that it is very melancholy,is worthy

Of deep remark . Shelley was,as we have said

,twenty

nine ; B yron was only thirty- six ; John Keats— i nsome respects the most poetically intense and abstractOf the three—was only twenty—four . An d in theseshort several lifetimes

,measuring SO—few years

,these

distingui shed persons had achieved that which r e

s u lte d in the enrolment Of their names in a nation ’scatalogue in a grand branch of human attainment .

They live in lasting records,they grow in honour

,

and their names do not fade,as is the case with those

reputations which have been unduly magnified,but

which give way to time . Perhaps the lot of somecontemporaneous accepted important

,not to say

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

which I s extracted from Th e E n cyclopwd i a B r i ta n n i ca—which account is Copied again into several otherencyclop aedias

,and repeated into smaller works with

pertinacious,with even malicious fidelity :

I n fine,the Rosicrucians

,and all their fanatical

descendants,agree in proposing the most crude and

incomprehensible notions and ideas in the most Ob

scure,quaint

,and unusual expressions .

’—E n cycto

pwd i a B r i ta n n i ca : article ‘

RosicruciansDuring the age of J ames the First

,Charles the

First even during the Protectorate,and again in

the time Of Charles the Second,the singular doctrines

of the Rosicrucians attracted a large amount Of attention

,and excited much keen controversy . Sundry

replies or apologies ’ appeared on the part Of theRosicrucians . Among them was a most able workpublished in L atin by Dr . Robert Flood

,at L eyden

,in

1 6 1 6 . It was a small,closely printed

,very learned

octavo,entitled Apologi a Compe n d i a r i a F r a te r n i ta ti s

d e Ros e a Cru ce,etc .

,and abounds in knowledge . I t

is an exceedingly rare work but there is a copy inthe B ritish Museum . All this long period was markedby considerable speculation regarding these Rosicrucians . Pope ’s R a pe of th e L ock is founded uponsome Of their fanciful cabalistic ideas . Th e Spe cta torcontains notices of the mystic society and

,to prove

the public curiosity concerning the Rosicrucians,and

a strange incident,the particulars—Of which we are

going to supply from the best sources now for thefirst time

,we may state that there is included

,in one

number Of Addison’s elegant series Of papers calledTh e Sp e cta tor

,a resumption of a notice

,and some

after - comment,upon the supposed discovery of the

burial - place in England of one of these mighty menthe Rosicrucians . The story is to the following purpor t

,as nearly as it can be gathered . We have

POPE’S RAPE OF THE LOCK 5

written much more fully Of i t from other means ;for Th e Specta tor ’s account is very full of errors

,and

was e vi d e n tly ga i n e d afar Off, and merely from hearsay ,as it were . It is

,besides

,poor and ineffective

,gathered

from no authority,and produced with no dramatic

force for the life and the beliefs Of the Rosicrucianswere very dramatic

,at the same time that the latter

were very true,although generally disbelieved .

D e lph ic E(Wi th th e s ign ifi ca n t po i n t i n th e ce n tr e )

CHAPTER THE SECOND

S INGULAR ADVE NTURE IN STAFFORDSHIRE

DR . PLOT,who was a very well - known and reliable

man,and a painstaking antiquary and writer Of

natural history,in his Hi s tory ofSta fiord s hi r e , published

by him in the time of Charles the Second,relates the

following strange story :

That a countryman was employed,at the close of a

certain dull summer ’s day,in digging a trench in a

field in a valley,round which the country rose into

sombre,silent woods

,vocal only with the quaint

cries Of the infrequent magpies . It was some littletime after the sun had sunk

,and the countryman

was j ust about giving over his labour for the day . Dr .

Plot says that,in one or two of the last languid strokes

of his pick,the rustic came upon something stony

and hard,which struck a spark

,c learly Visible in the

increasing gloom. At th IS surprise he resumed hislabour

,and

,curiously enough

,found a large

,flat

stone in the centre Of the field . This field was faraway from any Of the farms or cotes as they werecalled in those days

,with which t h e now almost

twilight country was sparingly dotted . I n a Short timehe cleared the stone free Of the grass and weeds whichhad grown over it and it proved to be a large

,Oblong

Slab,with an immense iron ring fixed at one end in a

socket . For half - a n - hour the countryman essayed tostir this stone in vain . At last he b ethought himselfOf some yards Of rope which he had lying near amongsthis tools and these he converted

,being an ingenious ,

THE UNDE RGROUND CHAM B E R 7

inquisitive,inventive man

,into a tackle— b y means Of

which,and by passing the Sling round a bent tree in

a line with the axis of the stone,he contrived

,in the

last Of the light,and with much expenditure of toil

,

to raise it . An d then,greatly to his surprise

,he saw

a large,deep

,hollow place

,buried in darkness

,which ,

when his eyes grew accustomed a little to it,he dis

covered was the top - story to a stone staircase,seem

i n gly of extraordinary depth , for he saw nothingbelow . The country fellow had not the slightest ideaOf where this could lead to but being a man

,though

a rustic and a clown,Of courage

,and most probably

urged by his idea that the staircase led to some secretrepository where treasure lay buried

,he descended

the first few steps cautiously,and tried to peer in

vain down into the darkness . This seemed imp e n e trable but there was some Obj ect at a vast

,cold

distance below . L ooking up to the fresh air andseeing the star Venus— the evening star— shiningsuddenly like a planet

,in encouraging

,unexpected

brilliancy,although the sky had still some beautiful

placid sunset light i n it , the puzzled man left theupper ground

,and descended silently a fair

,though a

somewhat broken staircase . Here,at an angle

,as

near as he could j udge,of a hundred feet underground

,

he came upon a square landing - place,with a niche

in the wall and then he saw a further long staircase,

descending at right angles to the first staircase,and

still going down into deep,cold darkness . The man

cast a glance upward,as if questioning the small

segment of light from the upper world which shotdown

,whether he should continue his search or desist

and return . All was stillest of the still about himbut he saw no reason particularly to fear . SO

,imagin

ing that he would in some way soon penetrate themystery, and feeling in th e darkness by his han ds,

8 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

upon the wall,and by his toes to make sure first on each

step,he resolutely descended ; and he deliberately

counted two hundred and twenty steps . He feltno difficulty in his breathing

,except a certain sort

of aromatic smell of distant incense,that he thought

Egyptian,coming up now and then from below

,as

if from another,though a subterranean

,world . POSS

i b ly thought h e— for he had heard Of them theworld of the mining gnomes : and I am breakingin upon their secrets

,which is forbidden for man ’

.

The rustic,though courageous

,was superstitious .

But,notwithstanding some fits Of fear

,the country

man went Ou,and at a much lower angle he met a

wall in his face but,making a turn to the right

,with

singular credit to his nerves,the explorer went down

again . An d now he saw at a vast distance below,at the

foot of a deeper staircase of stone,a steady though

a pale light . This was shining up as if from a star,

or coming from the centre Of the earth . Cheeredby this light

,though absolutely astounded

,nay

,

frightened,at thus discovering light

,whether natural

or artificial,in the deep bowels Of the earth

,the man

again descended,meeting a thin

,humid trail of light

,

as it looked,mounting up the centre line Of the shin

ing though mouldering Old stairs,which apparently

had not been pressed by a foot for very many ages .

He thought now,although it was probably only the

wind in some hidden recess,or cre eping down some

gallery,that he heard a murmur overhead

,as if of

the uncertain rumble Of horses and Of heavy waggonsor lumbering wains . Next moment

,all subsided

into total stillness ; but the distant light seemedto flicker

,as if in recognition or answer to the strange

sound . Half - a - dozen times he paused,and turned

as if he would remount— almost flee for his life u p

ward,as h e thought ; for this might be the secret

CRYPTIC M YSTE RI E S 9

haunt Of robbers,or the dreadful abode of evil spirits .

What if,in a few moments

,he should come upon

some scene to affright,or alight in the midst Of des

perate ru ffi a n s,or be caught by murderers ! He

listened eagerly . He now almost bitterly repentedhis descent . Still the light streamed at a distance ;but still there was no sound to interpret the meaningof the light

,or to display the character of this mys

te r iou s pla ce,in which the countryman found himself

entangled hopelessly like a knight Of romance in anenchanted world .

The discoverer by his time stood still with fear .

But at last,summoning courage

,and recommending

himself devoutly to God,he determined to complete

his discovery . Above,he had been working in no

strange place ; the field he well knew,the woods

were very familiar to him,and his own hamlet and his

wife and family were only a few miles distant . He nowhastily

,and more in fear than through courage

,noisily

with his feet descended the remainder Of the stairsand the light grew brighter and brighter as he a p

p ro a ch e d , until at last , at another turn , he came upona square chamber

,built up Of large hewn ancient

stones . He stopped,silent and awe - struck . Here

was a flagged pavement and a somewhat lofty roof ,gathering up into a centre

,in the groins of which

was a rose,carved exquisitely in some dark stone

or in marble . B u t what was this poor man ’s frightwhen

,making another s udden turn

,from between

the j ambs,and from under the large archivolt Of a

Gothic stone portal,light streamed out over him

with inexpressible brilliancy,Shining over everything

,

and lighting up the place with brilliant radiance,

like an intense golden sunset . He started back .

Then his limbs shook and bent under him as he gazedwith terror at the figure of a man

,whose face was

1 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

hidden,as he sat in a studious attitude in a stone

chair,reading in a great book

,with his elbow resting

on a table like a rectangular altar,in the light Of a

large,ancient iron lamp

,suspended by a thick chain

to the middle Of the roof . A cry of alarm,which he

could not suppress,escaped from the scared discoverer

,

who involuntarily advanced one pace,beside himself

with terror . He was now within the illuminated chamber . A s his foot fell on the stone

,the figure started

bolt upright from his seated position,as if in awful

astonishment . He erected his hooded head,and Showed

himself as if in anger about to question the intruder .

Doubtful if what he saw were a reality,or whether

he was not in some terrific dream,the countryman

advanced,without being aware Of what he was doing,

another audacious step . The hooded man now thrustout a long arm

,as if in warning and in a moment

the discoverer perceived that this hand was armedwith an iron b a ton

,and that he pointed it as if tre

me n d ou s ly to forbid further approach . NOW ,how

ever,the poor man

,not being in a condition either

to reason or to restrain himself,with a cry

,and in a

passion Of fear,took a third fatal step ; and as his

foot descended on the groaning stone,which seemed

to give way for a moment under him,the dreadful

man,or image

,raised his arm high like a machine

,

and with his truncheon struck a prodigious blowupon the lamp

,Shattering it into a t housand pieces

,

and leaving the place in utter darkness .

This was the end of this terrifying adventure .

There was total silence now,far and near . Only a

long,low roll Of thunder

,or a noise Similar to thunder

,

seemed to begin from a distance,and then to move

with snatches,as if making turns and it then rumbled

sullenly to Sleep,as if through unknown

,inaccessible

passages . What thes e we re— if a n y pas s ages— n o~

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

lights in their sepulchres many ages by the oi li n e s s

of gold (here steps in the art Of the Rosicrucians) ,resolved by hermetic methods into a liquid substanceand it is reported that at the dissolution Of monasteries

,in the time Of Henry the Eighth

,there was a

lamp found that had then burned in a tomb fromabout three hundred years after Christ— nearly twelvehundred years . Two Of these subterranean lamps areto be seen in the Museum of Rarities at L eyden

,in

Holland . On e of these lamps,in the Papacy of Paul

the Third,was found in the Tomb Of Tullia (so named) ,

Cicero ’s daughter,which had been Shut up fifteen

hundred and fifty years (Second edition of Bailey’sCIDIAo

'

Aoy og,

CHAPTER THE THIRD

E VE R - BURN ING LAMPS

IN the Papacy Of Paul the Third,in the Appian Way

,

where abundance Of the chief heathens Of Old werelaid

,a sepulchre was opened

,where was found the

entire body of a fair virgin swimming in a wonderfulj uice

,which kept it from putrefaction so well

,that

the face seemed no way impaired,but lively and

very beautiful . He r hair was yellow,tied up arti

fi ci a lly ,and kept together with a golden circlet or

band . Under her feet burnt lamps,the light Of which

was extinguished at the opening Of the sepulchre .

By some inscriptions found about the tomb it appearedthat she must have lain there fifteen hundred years .

Who she was was never known,although many con

cluded her to be Tu lliola the daughter of Cicero .

This discovery has been reported from various hands .

Ce d r e n u s makes mention of a lamp,which

,together

with an image of Christ,was found at Edessa in the

reign of Justinian the Emperor . It was set over acertain gate there

,and elaborately enclosed and

shut out from the air . This lamp,as appeared from

the date attached to it,was lighted soon after Christ

was crucified . It was found burning—as in fact i thad done for five hundred years— b y the soldiers ofCo s ro e s

,king Of Persia ; by whom ,

at this strangediscovery and plunder

,the Oi l was taken out and cast

into the fire . As it is reported,this wild act occas

io n e d such a plague as brought death upon num1 3

1 4 THE ROSICRUCIANS

bers of the forces Of Cos roe s,sufficiently punished

for their sacrilegious mischief .

At the demolition of our monasteries here in England

,there was found i n the monument which was

supposed to be that Of Constantius Ch loru s,father

to the great Constantine,a burning lamp

,which was

thought to have continued burning there ever sincehis burial

,which was about three hundred years

after Christ . The ancient Romans are said to havebeen able to maintain lights in their sepulchres foran indefinite time

,by an essence or Oi l Obtained from

liquid gold ; which was an achievement assumedto have been only known to the Rosicrucians

,who

boasted this among some other Of their stupendousarts .

Baptista Porta,in his treatise on Natural Magic

,

relates that about the year 1 550,in the island Of N e s i s

,

in the Bay Of Naples,a marble sepulchre Of a certain

Roman was discovered ; upon the opening Of whicha burning lamp

,affording a powerful illumination

,

was discovered . The light of this lamp paled onthe admission of the air

,and it was speedily e xti n

gu i s h e d . It appeared from undoubted tokens inthe mode of inscription that this wonderful lamphad been placed in its present receptacle before theadvent Of the Saviour . Those who saw the lampdeclared that the effulgence was Of the most daz zlingcharacter ; that the light did not flicker or change

,

but burnt marvellously steadily .

A most celebrated lamp,called that of Pallas

,the

son Of Evander,who

,as Virgil relates

,was killed by

Turnus (the account will be found in the tenth bookOf Virgil’s E n e i d ) , is that reported as discovered notfar from Rome

,as far forward in time as the year

1 40 1 . It is related that a countryman was diggingin the neighbourhood

,and that delving deeper than

PE RPE TUAL LAM PS 1 5

usual,he came upon a stone sepulchre

,wherein there

was discovered the body of a man Of extraordinarySize

,as perfect and natural as if recently interred .

Above the head Of the deceased there was found alamp

,burning with the supposed fabulous perpetual

fire . Neither wind nor water,nor any other super

induced means,could extinguish it ; but the flame

was mastered eventually by the lamp being boredat bottom and broken by the astonished investigatorsof this consummate light . The man enclosed in thismonument had a large wound in the breast . Thatthis was the body of Pallas wa s evident from the i nscription on the tomb

,which was as follows

Pa lla s , E va n de r ’s s on , whomTu rn u s ’ s pe a rIn b a ttle s lew,

Ofmighty bu lk ,lie s he r e .

A very remarkable lamp was discovered about theyear 1 500 near Ateste , a town belonging to Padua ,in I taly

,by a rustic who in his explorations in a field

came upon an urn containing another urn,in which

last was deposited one Of these much—doubtedmir a cu lous lamps . The aliment Of this strange lamp appearedto be a very exquisite crystal liquor

,by the ever

during powers Of which the lamp must have conti n u e d to shine for upwards of fifteen hundred years .

An d unless this lamp had been so suddenly exposedto the action Of the air

,it is supposed that it might

have continued to burn for any time . This lamp,

endowed with such unbelievable powers,was dis

covered to be the workmanship of an unknown contrivernamed Maximus Olib iu s

,who must have possessed

the profoundest skill in chemical art . On the greaterurn some lines were inscribed in L atin

,recording

the perpetuation Of thi s wonderful secret Of the preparation and the starting Of these (almost) immorta lflames .

1 6 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

St . Austin mentions a lamp that was found in atemple dedicated to Venus

,which

,n otwith s ta n d

ing that it was exposed to the open weather,could

never be consumed or extinguished .

L udovicus Vives,his commentator

,in a supple

mentary mention Of ever—burning lamps,cites an

instance Of another similar lamp which was discovereda little before h iS ‘

time,and which - was considered to

have been burning for a thousand and fifty years .

It is supposed that the perpetuity Of the flame ofthese wonderful lamps was owing to the consummatetenacity Of the unctuous matter with which the lightwas maintained and that the balance was SO e xqu i

s i te ly perfect between the feeding material and thestrength of the flame

,and so proportioned for ever

lasting provision and expenditure,that

,like the

radical moisture and natural heat in animals,neither

Of them could ever unduly prevail . L icetus,wh o

has advanced this Opinion,Observes that in order to

effectually prevent interference with this balance,

the ancients hid these lamps i n caverns or in enclosedmonuments . Hence it happened that on openingthese tombs and secret places

,the admission of fresh

air to the lamps destroyed the fine equilibrium andstopped the life (as it were) of the lamp , similarly asa blow or a shock stops a

"

watch,in j arring the match

less mechanism .

CHAPTER THE FOURTH

INSUFFIC IE NCY OF WORLDLY OBJE CTS

IT is a constant and very plausible charge Offered bythe general world against the possession Of the powerOf gold—making as claimed by the alchemists

,who

were the practical branch of the Rosicrucians,that

if such supposed power were in their hands,they

would infallibly use it,and that quickly enough for

the acquisition Of riches and power,say they

,is the

desire Of all men . B u t this idea proceeds from anignorance of the character and inclinations Of realphilosophers

,and r e s u lts ~fr0man inveterate prej udice

relative to them . B efore we j udge Of these,let us

acquire a knowledge Of the natural inclinations ofvery deeply learned men . Philosophers

,when they

have attained to much knowledge,which wearies

them Of merely mundane matters,hold that the order

ing Of men,the following of them abou t by s u b s e rv

i e n t people,and the continual glitter about them

of the fine things Of this world,are

,after all

,but Of

mean and melancholy account,because life is so brief

,

and this accidental pre - eminence is very transitory .

Splendour,Show

,and bowing little delight the raised

and abstract mind . That circuit Of comfort formedby the owning of money and riches is circumscribedby the possessor’s own ken . What is outside of thissight may just as well be enj oyed by any other personas by the owner

,Since all is the thinking Of it only

granting that a man has sufficient for his daily wants,

1 7 C

1 8 THE ROSICRUCIANS

letting the morrow,indeed

,take thought for itself ’

.

On e dinner a day,one bed for each night

,in the alter

nations of sun and darkness,one Of every thing that

is agreeable to (or is desirable for) man , i s sufficientfor any one man . A man ’s troubles are increasedby the multiplication even Of his enj oyments

,because

he is then beset with anxiety as to their repetitionor maintenance . Reduction of things to attend to

,

and not multiplication,is his policy

,because think

ing Of it is all that can affect him about anything inthis world .

By the time that the deep,philosophical chemist

has penetrated to the control and conversion Of theultimate elements

,so as to have in his View the secret

operations Of Nature,and to have caught Nature

,

as i t were,preparing her presentments and a r r a n g

ing her disguises behind the scenes,he is no more to

be amused with vain book—physics . After his spying into the subtle processes Of Nature

,he cannot be

contented wi th the ordinary toys Of men ; for arenot worldly possessions

,honour

,rank

,money

,even

wives and numerous or any children,but toys in a

certain sense ? Where sink they in importance tohim when the great unknown sets in which awaitsevery man ? He who can work as Nature works

,

causing the sunshine,so to Speak

,to light fire up inde

pendently in itself,and to breed and propagate precious

things upon the atmosphere in which it burns,causing

the growing supernatural soul to work amidst theseeds of gold

,and to purge the material

,devilish mass

until the excrement is expelled,and it ‘ springs in

health into condensating,solid splendour

,a produce

again to be sown,to fructify into fresh harvests

the alchemist,or prince of chemists

,who can do this

,

laughs at the hoards Of kings . By the time that theartist is thus SO much more than man , is he the less

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

were going to be flown away with) to stay so high up .

You become giddy by looking up at the stars,which

then seem to be so much nearer as to be attainable .

L imited as it is,life itself— very brief

,very empty

,

very much disposed to repeat dull things,gathering

up from about you in a strange sensation sometimes ,in folds like a dream

,or flowing on like a sleep—induc

ing river to the sea,carrying faces seen and snatched

away,and obliterating voices which change into

echoes— life,at its very best

,ought to be the stoicism

Of the spectator,who feels that he has come here

somehow,though for what purpose he knows not ;

and he is rather amused as at a comedy i n life,than

engaged in it as in a business . Even perpetual youth,

and life prolonged,with pleasures i n fi n ite—even

the fancied ever - during life—would , to the deeplythinking man who had risen

,as it were

,ove r life

,a n d

to that strangely gifted being who has in himself thepower Of self - perpetuation (like the Wandering J ew) ,seem vain . Ma n can be conceived as tiring of thesun— tiring Of consciousness even . What an expression is that

,

‘ forgotten by Death ’ The only beingthrough whom the scythe Of the great destroyer passesscatheless ! That life

,as a phantom

,which is the

only conceivable terrible doom Of the Wanderer

(if such a magical being ever existed) ; whom as alocomotive symbol

,to be perpetuated through the

ages,the earth

,at the command Of the Saviour

,

refused to hide,and Of whom a legend— soon hushed

in again—now and then rises to the popular whisperand to the popular distrust !

W e o n ly adduce these remarks to Show that,in

the face Of the spectator Of the great ultimate,my s te r i

ous man,children are no necessity

,but an anxiety

,

estates are a burden,business ’ is the oft - told pur

p os e le s s tale to the wearying ear . He wh o can be

THE WANDE RING [E W 2 1

the spectator of the ages has no particulars in ordinarylife . He has nothing which can interest him . He

can have no precise and consolidated likings or affections Or admirations

,or even aversions

,because th e

world is as a toy - shop to him— its small mechanismis an artificial Show

,Of which (given the knowledge

Of the wheels) he can predicate as to the movementssafely— completely .

TO return for a moment to the idea Of the Wandering Jew which some have supposed to be derivedfrom the claim of the Rosicrucians to the possessionOf a secret means Of renewing youth

,and to the escape

of some notion of it from out their writings . Evensupposing that this strange tale was true

,nothing

can be imagined more melancholy than the state ofthis lone traveller

,moving with his awful secret

through the world,and seeing the successive ge n e r a t

ions,like leaves

,perishing from about him . He

counts the years like the traveller Of a long summerday

,to whom the evening will never come

,though he

sees his temporary companions,at the different hours Of

the day,depart appropriately and disappearing to

their several homes by the wayside . TO him thechildhood Of his companions seems to turn to Old agein an hour . He remembers the far - Off ancestors ofhis contemporaries . Fashions fleet

,but your u n s u s

p e cte d youth is accommodated to all . Yours is,

indeed,the persecution Of the day- life

,which will

not let you fall to sleep a n d cease to see the vanityOf everything . Your friends of any period disappear .

The assurance of the emptiness Of all things is thestone as into which your heart is turned . Grey hairs

(and the Old face) have nothing with you , thoughyou see them appearing upon all others . FamiliarObj ects disappear from about you

,and you and the

sun seem the o n lv things that survive as Old friends .

22 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Indeed,it may be doubtful whether

,to this supposed

man of the ages,the generations would not seem to

be produced as a purposeless e fflu x out of the groundby the sun

,like flowers or plants so as mere matter

Ofmou ld would all flesh appear,with a phenomenon

only going with it in the article of the fi gu r e’

s uprightness as man it having so strangely set its face againstthe stars

,unlike the creatures doomed to move hori

z on ta lly .

We make these Observations to show that,n otwi th

standing the opinions of the world to the contrary,

there ma y have been men who have possessed thesegifts— that is

,the power of making gold and of per

p e tu a ti n g their lives— and yet that the exercise ofthese powers was forborne and also that their secretsOf production have most carefully be en kept , lestless wise men should (to speak in figure) have rushedin where they feared to tread ’

,and have abused

where the philosophers even would n ot use— despising wealth

,which they could not enj oy

,and declining

a perpetuated life,which would only add to their

weariness— life being only a repetition Of the samesuns

,already found too unmeaning and too long .

For it is a mistake to suppose that this life is so equallyenj oyable by all . There is a sublime sorrow Of theages

,as of the lone ocean . There is the languish

ment for the ever - lost original home in thi s tearfulmortal state .

The philosophers knew that possession blunteddesire

,and that rich men may be poor men . A

remarkable answer was made by a man who,to all

appearance,possessed superabundantly the a d va n

tages Of life—wealth,honour

,wife

,children

,troops

Of friends even health,by d a y but in his night he

lived another life,for in it was presented another

picture,and that unfailingly uncomfortable

,even

DRE AM S 23

to this good man—exchanging j oy for horror . Myfriend ’

,replied he to an inquirer

,never con gr a tu

late a man upon his happiness until you becomeaware how he sleeps . Dreams are as that balefulcountry into which I pass every night of my life ;and what can be said to a man who dreams constantly

(and believes it) that he is with the devil’

There was no answering this,for every person leads

two lives,altogether independent Of each other— the

days and the nights both full Of life,though the night

,

with the dreams,may be of an opposite order . The

world ’s circumstances may afford you solace and

gr a tifi c a tio n—even happiness— i n the day ; but you

may be very miserable,notwithstanding

,if it happen

that you have persecution in your dreams . Herethe world’s advantages are of no use to you

,for you

are d e live r e d Ove r helpless,night after night

,in your

sleep—and you must have Sleep—to the dominionOf Other Powers

,whom all your guards cannot keep

out,for their inlet is quite of another kind than the

ordinary life ’s access . We advise you,then

,to b e

ware of this dark door the other will perhaps takecare Of itself

,letting in no ugly things upon you

but the former may let in unpleasant things uponyou in full grasp with your hands bound .

CHAPTER THE FIFTH

THE HE RM E TIC PHILOSOPHE RS

THE RE was among the sages a writer,Arteph iu s ,

whose productions are very famous among the He r

metic Philosophers,insomuch that the noble Olaus

B orr ich iu s,an excellent writer and a most candid

critic,recommends these books to the attentive

perusal of those who would acquire knowledge Of

this sublime highest philosophy . He is said to haveinvented a cabalistic magnet which possessed theextraordinary property of secretly attracting thea u r a

,or mysterious spirit of human e fflore s ce n ce

and prosperous bodily growth,out of young men ;

and these benign and healthful springs of lifehe gathered u p ,

and applied by his magic art to himself—b y inspiration

,transudation

,or otherwise

s o that he concentred in his own body,waning in age

,

the accumulated rej uvenescence of many youngpeople : the individual owners of which new freshlife suffered and were consumed in proportion to theextent in which he preyed vitally upon them

,and

some of them were exhausted by this enchanter anddi ed . This was because their fresh young Vitalityhad been unconsciously drawn out of them in hisbaneful

,devouring society

,which was unsuspected

because it afforded a glamour delightful . Now thisseems absurd but it is not SO absurd as we supposewhen considered sympathetically .

Sacred history affords considerable authority tothis kind of opinion . We all are acquainted with the

24

THE E L IXIR OF L I F E 25

history Of King David , to whom ,when he grew Old

and stricken in years,Abishag

,the Shunammite

,was

brought to recover him— a damsel described as veryfair ’ and we are told that she ‘ lay in his bosomand that thereby he gat heat —which means Vitalheat

,but that the king knew her not This latter

clause in 1 Ki n gs i . 4, all the larger critics , includi ngthose who speak i n the commentaries of Munster

,

Grotius,Vossius

,and others

,interpret in the same

way . The seraglios of the Mohammedans havemore Of this less lustful meaning

,probably

,than is

commonly supposed . The ancient physicians appearto have been thoroughly acquainted with the a dva n

tages of the companionship,without irregular i n d u l

gence,Of the young to the Old in the renewal of their

vital powers .

The elixir of life was also prepared by other andless criminal means than those singular ones hintedabove . It was produced out of the secret chemicallaboratories of Nature by some adepts . The famouschemist

,Robert B oyle

,mentions a preparation in

his works,of which Dr . L e Fevre gave him an account

in the presence of a famous physician and Of anotherlearned man . An intimate friend of the physician

,

as B oyle relates,had given

,out of curiosity

,a small

quantity of this medicated wine or preparation to anOld female domestic and this

,being agreeable to the

taste,had been partaken of for ten or twelve days by

the woman,who was near seventy years Of age

,but

whom the doctor did not inform what the liquor was,

nor what advantage he was expecting that it mighteffect . A great change did indeed occur with thisOld woman for she acquired much greater activity

,

a sort of youthful bloom came to her countenance,

her face was becoming much more smooth and agreeable ; and beyond this , as a still more decided step

26 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

backward to her youthful period,certain pu rga ti on e s

came upon her again with sufficiently severe i n d ica tions to frighten her very much as to their meaningSO that the doctor

,greatly surprised at his success

,

was compelled to forego his further experiments,and

to suppress all mention of this miraculous new cordial,

for fear Of alarming people with incomprehensiblenovelties— i n regard to which they are very tenacious

,

having prej udices inveterate .

But with respect to centenarians,some persons

have been mentioned as having survived for hundr edsof years

,moving as occasion demanded from country

to country when the time arrived that,in the natural

course Of things,they should di e

,or be expected to

die,merely changing their names

,and reappearing

in another place as new persons— they having longsurvived all who knew them

,and thu s being safe

from the risk Of discovery . The Rosicrucians alwaysmost j ealously guarded these secrets

,speaking in

enigmas and parables for the most part ; and theyadopted as their motto the advice of one of theirnumber

,one Of the Gnostics

,

Of the°

early Christianperiod : L earn to know all

,but keep thyself u n

known ’

. Further,it is not generally known that

the true Rosicrucians bound themselves to Obligations of comparative poverty but absolute chastityin the world

,with certain dispensations and remis

sions that fully answered their purpose ; for theywere not necessarily solitary people on the contrary

,

they were frequently gregarious , and mixed freelywith all classes

,though privately admitting no law

b u t their own .

Their notions Of poverty,or comparative poverty

,

were different from those that usually prevail . Theyfelt that neither monarchs nor the wealth Of monarchscould endow or aggrandiz e those who already esteemed

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

28 THE ROSICRUCIANS

This doubt of respectability until conviction disarmshas a certain constrained and unamiable effect on ourEnglish manners

,though it occasionally secures us

from imposition,at the expense perhaps Of our accessi

b ility . A stranger who arrived in Venice one summer

,towards the end Of the seventeenth century

,and

who took up his residence in one Of the best sectionsof the city

,by the considerable figure which he made

,

and through his own manners,which were polished

,

composed,and elegant

,was admitted into the best

company—this though he came with no introductions,

nor did anybody exactly know who or what he was .

Hi s figure was exceedingly elegant and well- proportion e d

,his face oval and long

,his forehead ample and

pale,and the intellectual faculties were surprisingly

brought out,and in distinguished prominence . Hi s

hair was long,dark

,and flowing his smile inexpressibly

fascinating,yet sad ; and the deep light Of his eyes

seemed laden,to the attention sometimes of those

noting him,with the sentiments and experience Of

all the historic periods . B u t his conversation,when

he chose to converse,and his attainments and know

ledge,were marvellous ; though he seemed always

striving to keep himself back,and to avoid saying

too much,yet not with an ostentatious reticence .

He went by the name of Signor Gualdi and waslooked upon as a plain private gentleman

,of mode

rate independent estate . He was an interesting character ; in short , one to make an Observer speculateconcerning him .

This gentleman remained at Venice for some monthsand was known by the name Of The Sober Signioramong the common people

,on account Of the regu

la r ity Of his life,the composed simplicity of his man

ners,and the quietness of his costume for he always

wore dark clothes,and these Of a plain

,unpretending

THE STRANGE R AT : VENICE 29

style . Three things were remarked Of him duringhis stay at Venice . The first was

,that he had a

small collection of fine pictures,which he readily

showed to everybody that desired it the next,that

he seemed perfectly versed in all arts and sciences,

and spoke always with such minute correctness as toparticulars as astonished

,nay

,silenced

,all who heard

him,because he seemed to have been present at the

occurrences which he related,making the most u n e x

p e cte d correction in small facts sometimes . An d

it was,in the third place

,Observed that he never

wrote or received any letter,never desired any credit

,

but always paid for everything in ready money,and

made no use Of bankers,bills Of exchange

,or let ters

of credit . However,he always seemed to have

enough,and he lived respectably

,though with no

attempt at splendour or show .

Signor Gualdi met,shortly after his arrival at

Venice,one day

,at the coffee - house which he was in

the habit Of frequenting,a Venetian nobleman Of

sociable manners,who was very fond of art

,and this

pair used to engage in sundry discussions and theyhad many conversations concerning the various Obj ectsand pursuits which were interesting to both Of them .

Acquaintance ripened into friendly esteem ; and thenobleman invited Signor Gualdi to his private house

,

whereat—for he was a widower— Signor Gualdifirst met the nobleman ’s daughter

,a very beautiful

young maiden of eighteen, of much grace and i n te lligence

,and of great accomplishments . The noble

man ’s daughter was j ust introduced at her father ’shouse from a convent

,or pe n s i on

,where she had been

educated by the nuns . This young lady,i n short

,

from constantly being in his society,and listening to

his interesting narratives,gradually fell in love with

the mysterious stranger,much for the reasons Of

3 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Desdemona ; though Signor Gualdi was no swarthyMoor, but only a well - educated gentleman— a thinkerrather than the desirer to be a doer . At times , indeed ,his countenance seemed to grow splendid and magicalin expression and he boasted certainly wondrousdiscourse and a strange and weird fascination wouldgrow up about him

,as it were

,when he became more

than usually pleased,communicative

,and animated .

Altogether,when you were set thinking about him ,

he seemed a puzzling person,and Of rare gifts though

when mixing only with the crowd you would scarcelydistinguish him from the crowd ; nor would youObserve him

,unless there was something romantically

akin to him in you excited by his talk .

An d now for a few remarks on the imputed characterOf these Rosicrucians . An d in regard to them ,

however their existence is disbelieved

,the matters Of

fact we meet with,sprinkled

,but very sparingly ,

in the history Of these hermetic people,are so astonish

ing , and at the same time are preferred with suchconfidence

,that if we disbelieve—which it is impo s s

ible to avoid,and that from the preposterous and

unearthly nature Of their pretensions—we cannotescape the conviction that

,if there is not foundation

for it,their impudence and egotism is most audacious .

They Speak Of all mankind as infinitely beneaththem their p r i d e i s beyond i dea , although they aremost humble and quiet in exterior. They glory inpoverty

,and declare that it is the state ordered for

them ; and this though they boast universal riches .

They decline all human affections,or submit to them

as advisable escapes only—appearance Of loving Obligations

,which are assumed for convenient acceptance

,

or for passing in a world which is composed Of them,

or of their supposal . They mingle most gracefullyin the society Of women

,with hearts wholly incapable

OCCULT PHILOSOPHERS 3 1

Of softness in this direction ; while they criticizethem with pity or contempt in their own minds asaltogether another order Of beings from men . Theyare most simple and deferential in their exterior ;and yet the self - value which fills their hearts ceasesits self - glorying expansion only with the boundless skies . Up to a ce r t a i n fp o i n t , they are the sincerestpeople in the world ; but rock is soft to their imp e n e tr a bili ty afterwards . I n comparison with the hermeticadepts

,monarchs are poor

,and their greatest a ccumu

la tion s are contemptible . By the side Of the sages,

the most learned are mere dolts and blockheads .

They make no movement towards fame,because they

abnegate and disdain it . If they become famous,

it is in spite of themselves they seek no honours,

because there can be no gr a tifi c a tio n i n honours to suchpeople . Their greatest wish is to steal unnoticed andunchallenged through the world , and to amuse themselves with the world because they are in it

,and because

they find it about them . Thus,towards mankind

they are negative towards everything else,positive

self—contained,self - illuminated

,self—everything ; but

always prepared (nay , enj oined) to do good , whereverpossible or safe .

TO this immeasurable exaltation of themselves,

what standard of measure,or what appreciat ion

,can

you apply Ordinary estimates fail in the idea Of it .

Either the state of these occult philosophers is theheight of sublimity

,or it i s the height Of absurdity .

Not being competent to understand them or theirclaims

,the world insists that these are futile . The

result entirely depends upon their being fact or fancyin the ideas of the hermetic philosophers . The puzzling part Of the investigation is

,that the treatises

Of these profound writers abound in the most acutediscourse upon difficult subj ects

,and contain splendid

3 2 THE ROSICRUCIANS

passages and truths upon all s u b je cts m upon th e

nature of metals,upon medical science

,upon the

unsupposed properties of simples,upon theological

and ontological speculation,and upon science and

Obj ects of thought generally— upon all these mattersthey enlarge to the reader stupendously—when theproper attention is directed to them .

CHAPTER THE S IXTH

AN HI STORICAL ADVE NTURE

B UT to return to Signor Gualdi,from whom we have

notwithstanding made no impertinent digression,since

he was eventually suspected to be one Of the strangepeople

,or Rosicrucians

,or Ever - L ivers of whom we

are treating . This was from mysterious circumstanceswhich occurred afterwards in relation to him

,and

which are in print .

The Venetian nobleman was now on a footing Of

sufficient intimacy with Signor Gualdi to say to himone evening

,at his own house

,that he understood

that he had a fine collection of pictures,and that

,if

agreeable,he would pay him a visit some day for the

purpose of Vi ewing them . The nobleman ’s daughterwho was present

,and who was pensively looking

down upon the table,more than half in love with the

stranger as she had become,thinking deeply Of some

thing that the Signor had j ust said,raised her eyes

eagerly a t this expression Of wish by her father and,

as accorded wi th her feelings,she appeared

,though

she spoke not,to be greatly desirous to make one of

the party to see the pictures . It was natural thatshe should secretly re]01 ce at this opportunity ofbecoming more intimately acquainted with the domesticlife Of one whom she had grown to regard with feelingsOf such powerful interest . She felt that the merefact Of being his guest

,and under the roof which was

his,would seem to bring her nearer to him and

,as

common with lovers,i t appeared to her that their

3 3 D

3 4 THE ROSICRUGIANS

being thus together would,in feeling at least

,appear

to identify both . Signor Gualdi was very polite,and

readily invited the nobleman to his house,and also

extended the invitation to the young lady,should

she feel disposed to accompany her father,since he

divined from the expression of her face that she waswishful to that effect . The day for the Visit wasthen named

,and the Signor took his departure with

the expressions Of friendship on all sides which usuallyended their pleasant meetings .

I t followed from this arrangement,that on the

day appointed the father and daughter went to SignorGu a ld i

’

s house . They were received by the Signorwith warm kindness

,and were shown over his rooms

with every mark Of friendliness and distinction . Thenobleman Viewed Signor Gu a ld i ’s pictures with greatattention ; and when he had completed his tour ofthe gallery

,he expressed his satisfaction by telling

the Signor that he had never seen a finer collection,

considering the number Of pieces . They were nowin Signor Gu a ld i ’s own chamber—the last of his setOf rooms and they were j ust on the point Of turningto go out and bidding adieu

,and Gualdi was court

e ou s ly removing the tapestry from before the doorto widen the egress

,when th e nobleman , who had

paused to allow him thus to clear the way,by chance

cast his eyes upwards over the door,where there

hung a picture with the curtain accidentally left u ndrawn

,evidently of the stranger himself . The Vene

tian looked upon it with doubt,and after a while his

face fell but it soon cleared,as if with relief . The

gaze Of the daughter was also now riveted upon thepicture

,which was very like Gualdi but she regarded

it with a look Of tenderness and a blush . The Venetianlooked from the picture to Gualdi

,and back again

from Gualdi to the picture . It was some time before

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 6 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

rather,when she did

,she dwelt on his face too much .

This little occurrence remained as a puzzle in themind of the nobleman . Hi s daughter felt lonely anddissatisfied afterwards

,eager for the restoration of

the same friendly feeling with Signor Gualdi,and

revolving in her mind,with the ingenuity of love

,

numberless schemes to achieve it . The Venetianbetook himself in the evening to the usual coffeehouse ; and he could not forbear speaking Of theincident among the group Of people collected there .

Their curiosity was roused,and one or two resolved

to satisfy themselves by looking at the picture attentive ly the next morning . B u t to obtain an oppor

tu n i ty to see the picture on this next morning , it wasnecessary to see the Signor Gualdi somewhere

,and

to have the invitation Of so reserved a man to hislodgings for the purpose . The only likely place tomeet with him was at the coffee - house and thitherthe gentlemen went at the usual time

,hoping

,as it

was the Signor’s habit to present himself,that he

would do so . B u t he did not come ; nor had hebeen heard Of from the time Of the Visit Of the nobleman th e day before to the Signor ’s house—whichabsence

,for the first time almost that he had been

in Venice,surprised everybody . But as they did not

meet with him at the coffee - house,as they thought

was sure,one of th e persons who had the Oftenest

conversed with the Signor,and therefore was the freer

in his ac quaintance,undertook to go to his lodgings

and inquire after him,which he did ; but he was

answered by the owner Of the house,who came to the

street - door to respond to the questioner,that the

Signor had gone,having quitted Venice that morning

early,and that he had locked up his pictures with

certain orders,and had taken the key Of his rooms

with him .

‘ HERM IPPUS RE DI VI VUS 3 7

This affair made a great noise at the time in Veniceand an account Of i t found its way into most Of thenewspapers of the year in which it occurred . I n thesenewspapers and elsewhere

,an outline of the foregoing

particulars may be seen . The account of the SignorGualdi will also be met with in L e s M e

’moi r e s H i stor iqu e s for the year 1 687 , tome i . p . 3 65 . The chiefparticulars Of our own narrative are extracted froman Old book in our collection treating of well—attestedrelations of the sages

,and Of life protracted by their

art for several centuries H e rmippu s Re d ivivu s

or,th e Sa ge

’

s Tr i umph ove r Old Age a n d th e Gr a ve .

L ondon,Second Edition

,much e nlarged . Printed

for J . Nourse,at The L amb

,against Catherine Street

in the Strand,in the year 1 749 .

An d thus much for the history of Signor Gualdi,

who was suspected to be a Rosicrucian .

We shall have further interestin g notices Of theseunaccountable people as we proceed .

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH

THE HE RME TIC BRE THRE N

THE following passages occur in a lett er publishedby some anonymous members of the R .C .

,and are

adduced in a translation from the L atin by one ofthe most famous men of the order

,who addr essed

from the University of Oxford about the period ofOliver Cromwell ; to which university the greatEnglish Rosicrucian

,Rob e rtu s de F lu cti b u s (Robert

Flood), also belonged , i n the time Of James the Firs tand Charles the First . We have made repeated Visitsto the church where Robert Flood lies buried .

Every man naturally desires superiority . Me n

wish for treasures and to seem great in the eyes ofthe world . God

,indeed

,created all things to the

end that man might give Himthanks . B u t there isno individual thinks of his proper duties he secretlydesires to spend his days idly

,and would enj oy riches

and pleasures without any previous labour or danger .

When we ’

(professors of abstru se sciences)‘ speak

,

men either revile or contemn,they either envy or

laugh . When we discourse of gold,

—they assume thatwe would assuredly produce it if we could

,because

they j udge us by themselves and when we debateof it

,and enlarge upon it

,they imagine we shall finish

by teaching them how to make gold by art,or furn ish

them with it already made . An d wherefore or whyshould we teach them the way to these mighty possessions ? Shall it be to the end that men may livepompously in the eyes of the world ; swagger and

3 8

THE ROSY CROSS 3 9

make wars ; be violent when they are contradicted ;turn usurers

,gluttons

,and drunkards ; a bandon

themselves to lust ? Now,all these things deface

and defile man,and the holy temple Of man’s body

,

and are plainly against the ordinances of God . Forthis dream of the world

,as also the body or vehicle

through which it is made manifest,the L ord intended

to be pure . An d i t was not purposed,in the divine

arrangement,that men should grow again down to

the earth . It is for other purposes that the stars,in

their attraction,have raised man on his feet

,instead

of abandoning him to the all fours that were theimperfect tentatives of nature until life

,through the

supernatural impulse,rose above its original con

d emn e d level— base and relegate .

‘ We of the secret knowledge do wrap ourselves inmystery

,to avoid the Obj urgation a n d importunity

or Violence of those who conceive that we cannot bephilosophers unless we put our knowledge to someordinary worldly use . There is scarcely one who

thinks abou t us who does not believe that our societyhas no existence ; because , as h e truly declares , henever met any of us . An d he concludes th at thereis no such brotherhood because

,in his vanity

,we seek

not him to be our fellow . We do not come,as he

assuredly expects,to that conspicu ous stage upon

which,like himself

,as he desires the gaze Of the vulgar ,

every fool may enter winning wonder,if the man

’

sappetite be that empty w a y ; and, when h e has obta i n e d it

,crying out LO

,this is also vanity

D r . Edmund D ickenson,physician to King Charles

the Second,a professed seeker of the hermetic know

ledge,produced a book entitled

,D e Qu i n ta E s s e n ti a

Ph i los ophorum: which was printed at Oxford in1 686

,and a second time in 1 705 . There was a third

edition of it printed in Germany in 1 72 1 . In corres

40 THE ROSICRUCIANS

pon d e n ce with a Fren ch adept , the latter explainsthe reasons why the B rothers Of the Rosy Cross conce a le d themselves . As to the universal medicine

,

E lixi r Vi ta,or potable form Of th e preternatural

me n s tru um,he positively asserts that it is in the hands

of the ‘

Illuminated ’

,but that

,by the time they

discover it,they have ceased to desire its uses

,being

far above them ; and as to life for centuries , beingwishful for other things

,they decline availing them

selves Of it . He adds,that the adepts are obliged

to con ceal themselves for the sake of safety, becausethey would be abandoned in the consolations of theintercourse of this world (if they were not , indeed ,exposed to worse risks) , supposing that their giftswere proven to the conviction of the bystanders asmore than human when they would become simplyintolerable and abhorrent . Thus

,there are excellent

reasons for their conduct ; they proceed with theutmost caution

,and instead of making a display of

their powers,as vainglory is the least distinguish

ing characteristic of these great men,they studiously

evade the idea that they possess any extraordinaryor separate knowledge . They live simply as merespectators in the world

,and they desire to make no

di sciples,converts

,nor con fi d a n ts . They submit to

the Obligations of life,and to relationships— enj oy

ing the fellowship of none,admiring none

,following

none,but themselves . They obey all codes

,are

excellent citizens,and only preserve silence in regard

to their own private convictions,giving the world

the benefit of their acquirements up to a certain pointseeking only sympathy at some angles Of their multiform character

,but shutting out curiosity wholly

where they do not wish its imperative eyes .

This is the reason that the Rosicrucians passedthrough the world mostly unnoticed

,and that people

THOMAS VAUGHAN 4 1

generally disbelieve that there ever were such persons or believe that

,if there were

,their pretensions

are an imposition . It is easy to discredit thingswhich we do not understand— i n fact

,nature com

pels us to rej ect all propositions which do not consist with our reason . The true artist is supposed toavoid all suspicion

,even on the part Of those nearest

to him . An d granting the possibility of the Rosicrucian means of the renewal of life

,and supposing

also that it was the desire of the hermetic philosopher ,i t would not be difficult for him so to order his arrangements as that he should seem to die in one place (tokeep up the character of the natural manner of hislife) , by withdrawing himself , to reappear in anotherplace as a new person at the time that seemed mostconvenient to him for the purpose . For everything ,and every difficult thing

,is easy to those with money

nor will the world inquire with too resolute a curio s i ty ,

if you h ave coolness and address,and if you

have the art of accounting for things . The man ofthis order also is s olu s

,and without wife or children

to embarrass him in the private d i s po s i to n Of hisaffairs

,or to follow him too closely into his b y - corners .

Thus it will be seen that philosophers may live in theworld

,and have all these gifts

,and yet be never heard

o i—or,if heard of

,only as they themselves wish or

suggest .

As an instance of the unexpected risks which amember of this order may run if he turns his attention to the practical side of his studies

,spite of all his

precautions,we may cite the accident which hap

pened to a famous Englishman,who disguised him

self under the name of Eugenius Ph ila le th e s,but

whose real name is said to be Thomas Vaughan . He

tells us of himself,that going to a goldsmith to sell

twelve hundred marks ’ worth of gold,the man told

42 THE ROSICRUCIANS

him,at first sight

,that it never came out of the mines

,

but was the produ ction of art,as it was not of the

standard of any known kingdom : which proved sosudden a dilemma to the Offerer of the gold

,that he

withdrew immediately,leaving it behind him . It

naturally follows from this,that it is not only meces

sa ry to have gold,but that the gold shall be market

able or acceptable gold,as otherwise it is utterly use

less for the purposes Of conversion into money in thisworld . Thomas Vaughan

,who was a scholar of Ox

ford,and was vehemently attacked in his lifetime

,

and who certainly was a Rosicru cian adept if thereever was one

,led a wandering life

,and fell Often into

great perplexities and dangers from the mere suspicionthat h e possessed extraordinary secrets . He wasborn

,as we learn from his writings

,about the year

1 6 1 2,which makes him a contemporary of the great

English Rosicrucian,Robert Flood ; and what is the

strangest part of his history,as we find remarked by

a writer in 1 749, is , that he is believed by those of hisfraternity ’

(so the auth or adds) to be living evennow ; and a person of great credit at Nuremberg , inGermany

,affirms that he conversed with him a year

or two ago . Nay,i t is further asserted ’

(continuesthe author)

‘ that this very individual is the president Of the Illuminated in Europe

,and that he sits

as such in all their annual meetings Thomas Vaughan,

according to the report of the philosopher RobertB oyle

,and Of others who knew him

,was a man of

remarkable piety,and of unstained morals . He

has written and edited several invaluable worksupon the secrets of the philosophers

,some of which

are in our possession ; among others : I n troi tu s

Apertu s a d occlu s umRegi s P a la tium L ume n d e

L umi n e ; M a gi a Ad ami ca ; A n ima M a gi ca A b s con

d i ta,and other learned books advancing very peculiar

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

44 THE ROSICRUCIANS

what chance of credit has the abstruser knowledge,

and those assertions of power which contradict ourmost ordinary ideas of possibility ? Common sensewill answer

,None at all . An d yet all human con

clu s ion s and resolutions upon points which have beenconsidered beyond the possibility of contradictionhave been sometimes at fault . The most politiccourse is not too vigorously to take our stand upon anysupposed fixed point of truth

,but simply to admit that

our knowledge is limited,that absolute truth is alon e

in the knowledge of God,and that no more truth

is vouchsafed to man than he knows how to utiliz e :most of his uses

,even of his little quantum of truth

,

being perverted . He must await other states forgreater light

,and to become a higher creature— should

that be his happy destiny . A s to certainty in thisworld

,there is none—nor can there be any . Whether

there is anything outside of man is uncertain . Humehas pointed out that there is no sequence betweenone and two . Other philosophers have ingeniouslydetected that our senses are all one

,or all none . M a n

is the picture painted upon external matter,and

external matter is the individuality that surveys thepicture . I n the world Of physics

,colours are tones

in other senses,and tones are colours ; sevenfold in

either case,as the planetary powers and influences

are septenary—which,in the ideas of the Rosicrucians

,

produce both .

CHAPTER THE EIGHTH

MYTHIC HISTORY OF THE FLE UR—D E - LIS

THE maypole is a ph a llos . The ribbons dependingfrom the d i s cu s

,or ring

,through which the maypole

pierces,should be of the seven prismatic colours

those of the rainbow (or Regn e - b e a u ) . According tothe Gn os ti cs a n d the i r Rema i n s

,A n ci e n t a n d M od e r n

,

a work by the Re v . C . W . King,M .A .

,published in

1 864, Hor a p ollo has preserved a talisman , or Gnosticgem

,in yellow j asper

,which presents the engraved

figure of a Cynocephalus,crowned

,with bdton erect

,

adoring the first appearance of the new moonThe phallic worship prevailed

,at one time

,all over

India . It constitutes,as Mr . Sellon asserts

,to this

day one of the chief,if not the leading

,dogma of the

Hindoo religion . Incontestable evidence could beadduced to prove this—however strange and imp o s sible it seems— the key of all worship the world overand highest in esteem in the most highly civilizednations . Though it has degenerated into gross andsensual superstition

,it was originally intended as

the worship of the creative principle in Nature . I n

numerable curious particulars lie scattered up anddown

,in all countries of the world

,relating to this

worship,mad as it seems—bad as

,in its grossness

,

i t is . It is only in modern times that sensuality,and

not sublimity,has been actively associated with this

worship,however . There was a time when the rites

connected with it were grand and solemn enough .

The general diffusion Of these notions regarding the

46 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Ph a lli and the I on i,and of the sacred mystic suggest

ions implied i n both,as well as the inflections in

design of these unlikely,repulsive figures for serious

worship,prove that there was something very extra

ordinary,and quite beyond belief to the moderns in

the origin Of them . The religion of the Ph a llos (andof its twin emblem) is to be traced all over the East .

It appears to be the earliest worship pract ised byman . It prevailed not only amongst the H indoos

,

Assyrians,Babylonians

,Mexicans

,Etruscans

,Greeks

,

and Romans in ancient times,but it still forms an

integral part of the worship of India,Thibet

,China

,

Siam,Japan

,and Africa . We cannot

,therefore

,

afford,to ignore this grand scheme Of ritual

,when

we discover it to be a religion so widely spread,and

reappearing so unexpectedly,not only in the countries

with which we are contemporaneously acquainted,

but also in those Old countries of which we in realityknow very little

,or nothing at all ; for all history

reads doubtfully,being written for popular purposes .

I n the Temple -He rr e n of N icolai there is an accountof a Gnostic gem

,or talisman

,which represents a

Cynocephalus with a lunar disc on his head,stand

ing in the act of adoration,with s ceptrumdisplayed

,

before a column engraved with letters,and support

ing a triangle . This latter architectural figure is,in

fact,an obelisk . All the Egyptian Obelisks were

Ph a lli . The triangle symbolizes one of the Pillars ofHermes (Hercules) . The Cynocepha lus was sacredto him . The Pillars of Hermes have been Judaisedinto Solomon ’s ‘ Jachin and B oaz ’

. SO says Herz,

in regard to Masonic Insignia ’

. We will explainfully

,later in our book

,of these interesting sexual

images,set up for adoration so strangely ; and from

the meaning of which we foolishly but determined lyavert .

ORI GIN OF THE F L E UR-DE - L IS 47

We now propose to deduce a very original and avery elaborate genealogy

,or descent

,of the famous

arms of France,the F le u rs—d e—L i s

,

‘

L u ci fe r a L i s s e s,

L uces,

‘

L ucies ’

,Bees

,Scarabs

,Soara - bees

,or Im

perial ‘

B ees ’ of Charlemagne,and of Napoleon the

First and Napoleon the Third,from a very extra

ordinary and (we will , in the fullest assurance , add)the most unexpected point of View . The real beginning of these inexpressibly sub lime arms (or this‘ badge although in itself

,and apart from its pur

pose,i t is the most refined

,but mysteriously grand

,

in the world,contradictory as it may seem

,is also th e

most ignoble . It has been the cru x of the antiquariesand of the heralds for centuries ! We would ratherbe excused the mentioning of the peculiar item whichhas thus been held up to the highest honour (heraldically) throughout the world . It will be sufficientto say that mystically

,in its theological Gnostic

allusion,it is the grandest device and most stupend

ous hint that armory ever saw ; and those who arequalified to apprehend our

‘

hidden meaning will perhaps read correctly and perceive our end by the timethat they have terminated this stra nge section of ourhistory of Rosicrucianism— for to it it refers p a r ticula rly .

Scarab aei,L ucifera L ight - bringers L uce

,Fleur

de - L i s,L ily

,L ucia

,L ucy

,L u x

,

The L uce is the o ld - fashioned name for the pikeor j ack— a fish famous for the profuse generation ofa certain insect

,as some fi shermen know full well .

This once (incredible as it may seem) formed an Obj ectof worship

,for the sake of the inexpressibly sublime

things which it symbolized . Although so mean initself

,and although so far off

,this implied the beginn

ing of all sublunary things .

The bees of Charlemagne,the bees of the Empire

48 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

in France,are scarabs or figures Of the same affinity

as the B ourbon lilies They deduce from a commonancestor . Now

,the colour heraldic on which they

are always emblazoned is a z u re,or blue—which is the

colour of the sea,which is salt . I n an anagram it

may be expressed as C ’

. Following on this allusion

,we may say that Ventre - saint - gris is a very

ancient French barbarous expletive,or oath . L iter

ally (which , i n the occult sense , is always Obscurely) ,i t is the Sacred blue (or grey) womb —which isabsurd . Now

,the reference and the meaning of this

we will confidently commit to the penetration of thoseamong our readers who can felicitously privately surmise it and also the apparently circuitous deductions

,

which are yet to come,to be made by us .

Blue is the colour of the Virgin Maria ’

Maria,

Mary,ma re

,ma r

,ma r a

,means the bitterness ’ or

the saltness Of the sea . Blue is expressive of theHellenic

,I s i d i a n

,Ionian

,Yo n i a n (Yoni - Indian)

Watery,Female

,and Moonlike Principle in the uni

versal theogony . It runs through all the mythologies .

The L ady- B ird or L ady - Cow ’

(there is noresemblance between a b i rd and a cow

,it may be

remarked, e n p a s s a n t, except in this strangely occult ,almost ridiculous

,affinity) , and the rustic rhyme

among the Children concerning it,may be here remem

bered

L a dy - B ird ,L a dy - B ird ,

fly a wa y home !

You r Hou s e i s on fir e—you r Childr e n a t home !

Such may be heard in all parts of England when alady- bird is seen by the children . Myths are i n e x

tric a b ly embodied— like specks and straws and fliesin amber—amidst the sayings and rhymes of thecommon people in all countries and they are therepreserved for very many generations

,reappearing

STRANGE M YTHS 49

to recognition after the lapse sometimes of centuries .

Now,how do we explain and r e - render the above

rude couplet ? The ‘

L ady—B ird ’ is the VirginMaria ’

,Isis the Mother and Producer of Nature

the House is the ‘ Ecliptic —i t is figuratively onfire or of fire ’

,in the path of the sun ; and the

children at home ’ are the months ’ produced inthe house of the sun

,or the solar year

,or the

‘

signsof the Zodiac —which were originally ten

’

, andnot twelve ’1

,each Sign answering to one of the letters

Of the primeval alphabet,which were in n umb e r

Thus,r e—read

,the lines run :ten

L a dy - B ird, L a dy - B ird (Columb a , or Dove ), fly a wa y home

You r Hou s e is of F i re—you r childr e n a r e Ten !

The name of the flying insect called in England L adyB ird " is B ete - d - D i eu in French

,which means God

creature or God ’s creature The Napoleonic greenis the mythic

,-magic green of Venus . The Emerald

is the Sma r a gdu s , or Smaragd . The name of theinsect B a r n a b e e

,B a r n b e e

,B urning Fire - Fly whose

house is of fire,whose children are ten

,is Red Ch a /e r ,

Rothe r Son n e n—Ka efe r,Un s e r—F r a u e n Kohle i n ,

in German ; it is Sun - Chafer Ou r L ady’

s L ittleCow I sis

,or I0

,or C—Ow

,in English . The chil

dren Te n n e (Ti n ,or Ti e n

,is fire in some languages)

are the earliest Ten Signs i n the Zodiacal Heavens

1 L a dy - Cow , L a dy - Cow,All b u t a L ittle On e

F ly a wa y home ! Un de r a‘

Ston e’

Thy hou s e i s on fi re , F ly the e home , L a dy -Cow,

Thy Childre n a r e flown . E re it b e gon e .

Th e L a dy - B ird or Cow i s th e Virgi n Ma ry , th e L ittle On eu n de r th e Ston e or th e Mys tic Huma n Po s s ibility i s th e

In fa n t Sa viou r bor n in th e mys te r iou s Mon th of th e Prop i ti a

tion or th e mys tica l As tro logica l a n d As tron omica l ‘

E s ca pe dMon th of th e Zodi a c ; a n d th e Ston e i s th e Philos ophe r ’sSton e ’

50 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

—each Sign with its Ten D e ca n s,or D e cume n s

,or

L eaders of Hosts They a r e also astronomicallycalled ‘ Stalls ’

,or ‘ Stables ’

. We may here referto Porphyry

,Hor a pollo ,

and Ch i ffle t ’s Gnostic Gems .

The Speckled Beetle was flung into hot water to avertstorms (Pliny , N a t. H i s t

,lib . xxxvii . ch x) . The

antiquary Pign or iu s has a beetle crowned with thesun and encircled with the serpent Amongst theGnostic illustrations published by Abraham Gorlaeu s

is that of a talisman of the more abstruse Gnosticsan onyx carved with a ‘ beetle which threatens to

gnaw at a thunderbolt ’

. See N ote s a n d Qu er i e s°

Bee Mythology ’

.

The L ilies ’ are said not to have appeared in theFrench arms until the time of Philip Augustus . SeeMo n tfa u con

’

s M on ume n s d e la M on a r chi e F r a n ca i s e ,Paris

,1 729 . Also J ean - Jacques Ch iffle t

,A n a s ta s i s d e

Chi ld er i c,1 655 . See also N ote s a n d Qu e r i e s , 1 856,

L ondon,2d Series

,for some learned papers on the

Fleur - de - lis I n the early armorial bearings of theFrankish kings

,the ‘ lilies are represented as i n

sects ’

,s emeed (seeded) , or spotted, on the blue field .

These are,in their origin

,the s ca r a bwi of the Orientals

they were dignified by the Egyptians as the emblemsOf the ‘ Enlightened If the reader examines carefully the sculpture i n the British Museum representingthe Mithraic Sacrifice of the Bull

,with its mystic

accompaniments (NO . 1 4, Grand Central Saloon) , hewill perceive the s ca r a bce u s

,or crab

,

’

playing a peculiarpart in the particulars of the grand rite so strangelytypified

,and also so remotely . The motto placed

under the ‘ lilies which are the arms of France,runs

as follows : L ilia non laborant,neque nent This

is also (as all know) the legend, or motto , accompanying the royal order of knighthood denominated thatOf the Saint - Esprit in France . We are immediately

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Thus asserts the learned and j udicious Godfrey HiggIn s .

The Holie Church of Rome herself doth comparethe incomprehensible generation of the Sonne of Godfrom Hi s Father

,together with Hi s birth out of the

pure and u n d e fi le d Virgi n e Marie , unto the Beeswhich were in veric deede a great blasphemie

,if the

bees were not of so great valour and Virtue (valueand dignity) . B eehive of the Romish Church “

Hone ’s A n ci e n t M ys te r i e s D e s cr i bed , p . 283 .

In the second edition of N i n eveh a n d i ts P a la ce s,

by B onomi (L ondon , Ingram ,p . 1 3 8, the head

dr ess Of the divinity Ilu s is an egg- shaped cap termi n a ti n g at the top in a fleu r—d e - li s ; at p . 1 49, theDagon of Scripture has the same at p . 20 1

,fig . 98,

the same ornament appears ; at p . 202,

fig . 99, a beardedfigure has the u s u a l fleu r—d e - li s I n the same page

,

the tiaras of two bearded figures are surmounted with

fleu r s - d e - li s . At p . 3 22 ,fig . 2 1 1

,the Assyrian helmet

is surmounted with a fleu r - d e - li s at p . 3 3 4, fig . 2 1 7,the head- d ress of the figure in the Assyrian standardhas a fleu r - d e - li s at p . 3 40, fig . 245 , the bronzeresembles a fleu r—d e - li s at p . 3 50, fig . 254, an E gyptian example of the god N ilus

,as on the thrones of

Pharaoh - Necho,exhibits the fleu r - d e - li s .

Ve rt,or green

,and a z u re

,or blue (feminine tinc

tu r e S) , are the colours on which respectively thegolden bees or the silver lisses are emblazoned .

The Egyptian Sca r a b a i are frequen tly cut in stone,

generally in gre e n- colou r ed ba salt

,or ve rd a n tigu e .

Some have hieroglyphics on them,which are more

rare others are quite plain . I n the tombs of Thebes,

Belzoni found s ca r a b d i wi th huma n h e a d s . There ishardly any symbolical figure which recurs so oftenin Egyptian sculpture or painting as the s ca r a bwu s

,or

beetle,and perhaps scarcely any one which it is so

CROM L E CHS 5 3

difficult to explain . He is often represented with aball between his forelegs

,which some take for a sym

bol of the world,or the sun . He may be an emblem

of fertility . The crab ’ on the Denderah Zodiacis by some supposed to be a beetle ’

(E gypti a n A ntiqu i ti e s ) . It is for some of the preceding reasonsthat one of the mystic names of Lucifer

,or the Devil

,

is the L ord of Flies for which strange appellationall antiquaries

,and other learned deciph erers

,have

found it impossible to account .

Of the figure of the Fleur - de - Luce,Fleur - de - L i s

,or

Flower - de - L u ce (L u s , L u z , L oose) , the following maybe remarked . On its sublime

,abstract side

,it is the

symbol of th e mighty self- producing,self- begetting

Generative Power deified in many myths . We maymake a question

,in the lower sense

,in this regard

,

of the word ‘ loose namely,wanton

,and the word

lech or ‘ leche“

and lecher etc . Consider,also

,

in the solemn and terrible sense,the name Crom

L ech,or crown or arched entry ’

,or ‘ gate ’

,of

death . The Druidical stones were generally “calledcromle ch s when placed in groups of two 1

,with a cop

i n g or ca ps ton e over , similarly to the form of the Greekletter pi (II ,

which was imitated from that templeof stones which we call a cromlech .

Cromlechs were the altars of the Druids,and were

so called from a Hebrew word signifying to bowThere is a Druidic temple at Toulouse

,in France

,

exhibiting many of these curious Druidical stones .

There is a large,

flat stone,ten feet long , six feet wide ,one foot thick

,at St . David’s

,Pembrokeshire . It is

called in Cymric L ech L a ga r , the speaking stoneWe may speculate upon the word L ich

,Lych L ech

1 Th e whole formin g a ca pita l cha pte r ch a pitre cha pe l ’

,

ca n ce l’

,or ch a n ce l - he n ce ou r word , a n d th e s u blime j u dici a l

Office of Cha n ce llor a n d Ch a n ce ry

54 THE ROSICRUGI AN 5

in this connexion,and the terms ‘

L ich—gate orL ech—gate as also the name of L ich - fi e ld

’ Thereis a porch or gateway

,mostly at the entrance of Old

fashioned churchyards,which is called the Lyke

Porch ’

,or ‘

L itch - Porch ’

. L u g, or L i ik, is a wordin the Danish signifying the same as L yle in the Dutch ,and L e i che in the German . Thus comes the wordL ich - gate L i ch in the Anglo - Saxon means a deadbody ’

. See N ote s a n d Qu er i e s , vol . ii . p . 4 . TheL ich - gates were as a sort of triumphal arches (P ropylwa ) placed before the church , as the outwork calledthe Propylon or Propyl aeum was advancedbefore the Egyptian and the Grecian temples . Theyare found

,in the form of separate arches

,before the

gates even of Chi n e s e cities,and they are there gener

ally called triumphal archesP ropylwa is a name of Hecate , D i s , Chronos , or

the II,to which sinister deity the P ropylon or P ro

pylwum(as also , properly , the Lych - gate) is dedica te d . Hence its ominous import

,P ro

,or before ’

,

the Pylon or passage . Every Egyptian temple hasits Propylon . The Pyramid also in Nubia has one .

We re fer to the ground plans of the Temples of D e n

derah,Upper Egypt the Temple of L uxor

,Thebes

the Temple of Edfou,Upper Egypt ; the Temple Of

Carnac (or Karnak) , Thebes .

Colonel (afterwards General) Va lla n ce y ,in the

fourth volume,p . 8 0

,of his Ge n e r a l Works

,cited in

the Ce lti c D ru i d s,p . 223 (a valuable book by God

frey Higgins) , says :‘

In Cornwall they call i t ’

(i . e .

the rocking- stone)‘ the L ogan - Stone . Borlase

,in his

H i s tory of Cor n i s h A n tiqu i ti e s , declares that he doesnot understand the meaning of this term L ogan

,as

applied to the Druidical stones ‘ Ha d Dr . B orlasebeen acquainted with the Irish MSS

’

,significantly

adds Colonel Va lla n ce y ,

‘ he would have found that

THE GNOSTIC ‘

AB RAXAS ’

55

the Druidical oracular stone called L oghu n ,which yet

retains its name in Cornwall,is the Irish L ogh - ou n

,

or stone into which the Druids pretended that theL ogh , or divine essence , descended when they consultedi t as an oracle .

’

L ogh in Celtic is the same as L ogosin the Greek ; both terms mean the L ogosor the Holy Ghost .

Sa n cho n i a th o n,the Phoenician

,says that Ou r a n u s

contrived,in B oe tu li a

,stones that moved as having

life Stu ke le y’

s Abu ry , p . 97 , may be here referredto for further proofs of the mystic origin of thesestones

,and also the Celti c D ru i d s Of Godfrey Higgins

,

in contradiction to those who would infer that these‘ poised stones ’ simply mark bu r i a l- pla ce s

,or f oolish

conclusions of shallow and incompetent antiquaries .

The B a s ili d a n s were called by the orthodox Docetw,

or I llusionists . The Deity of the Gnostics was calledAbraxas ’ in L atin

,and Abrasax ’ in Greek . Their

last state,or condition for rescued sensitive entities

,

as they termed souls,was the Pleroma or ‘ Fullness

of L ight This agrees precisely with the doctrinesof the B uddhists or B h u d d i s ts . The regulating

,pre

siding genius was the P a n theu s f’

The Pythagoreanrecord quoted by Porphyry (Vi t. Pyth a g .) states thatthe numerals of Pythagoras were hieroglyphicalsymbols by means whereof he explained ideas concerning the nature Of things ’

. That these symbolswere ten in number

,the te n or igi n a l s ign s of the z od i a c

,

a n d the te n lette r s of th e pr imeva l a lph a b et,appears

from Aristotle (M et. Vii“. Some philosophershold ’

,he says

,

‘ that ideas and numbers are of thesame nature

,and amount to te n in all . ’ See Th e

Gn os ti cs a n d the i r Rema i n s,p . 229 .

But to return to the arms Of France,which are the

Fleurs - de - L i s and to the small representative creature (sublime enough , as the farthest - Off symbol which

56 THE ROSICRUCIANS

they are imagined in their greatness to indicate) .

A B ible presented to Charles the Second,AD . 869, has

a miniature of this monarch and his court . Hi s

throne is terminated with three flowers of the formof fle u r s—de - lis sans pied ’

. On his head is a crownfermée a fle u ro n s d’or

,relevez e t recourbez d

’

unemaniere s i n gu liér e Another miniature in the B ookOf Prayers shows him on a throne surmounted by asort of fle u r s - de—lis sans pied ’

. Hi s crown is offle u r s comme de lis a n d the rob e i s fa s te n ed wi th a

ros e,

‘

d’

ou sortent trois pistils en forme de fle u r sde - lis ’

. Hi s sceptre terminates in a fle u r - de - lis .

N ote s a n d Qu e r i e s .

Sylvanus Morgan,an old- fashioned herald abound

ing in suggestive disclosures,has the following :

‘ SirWilliam Wise having lent to the king

,Henry VI II

his signet to seal a letter,who having powdered

(s emee d , or spotted) ‘ eremites ’

(they were emmets—ants)

‘

e n gr a y’

d in the seale,the king paused and

lookit thereat,considering ’

. We may here querywhether the field of the coat of arms of Sir WilliamWise was not ermine ’ for several of the familiesof Wise bear this fur

,and it is not unlikely that he did

so also .

Why,how now

,Wise quoth the king . What

hast thou li ce here ? An’

,if it like your maj es

tie quoth Sir William,a louse is a rich coat for

by giving th e louse I part arms with the French king,

in that he giveth the flou r - d e - li ce . Whereat theking heartily la u gh

’

d,to hear how prettily so b yti n g

a taunt (namely, proceeding from a prince) was sosuddenly turned to so p le a s a u n te a conceit .

’—Stanihurst ’s Hi s tory of I r ela n d

,in Holi n s h e d

’

s Chron .

Nares thinks that Shakespeare,who is known to have

been a reader of Holinshed,took his conceit of the

‘

white lowses which do become an Old coat well ’,in

THE ENGL ISH B ROAD -ARROW 57

Th e M e rry Wi ve s 0/ Wi n d s or , from this anecdote .

See He r a ld i c A n oma li e s,vol. i . p . 204 ; also L ower

’sCu r i os i ti e s o/ Her a ld ry , p . 82 It may herebe mentioned

,that the mark signifying the royal pro

perty (as it is used in France) , similarly to the token ,or symbol

,or brand ’

,denoting the royal domain

,

the property,or the Sign upon royal chattels (the

b road as used i n England,is the L i s or

the Fleur - de - L i s The mark by which criminalsare

‘

branded’

in France is called the L i s— Fleurde - lis

The English‘

broad arrow ’

,the mark or sign Of

the royal property,is variously depicted

,similarly to

the following marks :

7 )I>

A<1

F ig . 1 F ig. 2 F ig. 3 F ig. 4 F i g. 5

These are the Three Nails Of the Passion . I n figs . 1

and 2 they are unmistakably so,with the points down

wards . Figs . 3 and 4 have the significant horizontalmark which

,in the first centuries Of Christianity

,

stood for the Second (with feminine meanings) Personof the Trinity ; but the points of the spikes (s pi cw,

or thorns) are gathered upwards in the centre . I n fig .

5 there are still the three nails ; but a suggestivesimilarity to be remarked in this figure is a dispositionresembling the cru x- a n s a ta — a n incessant symbol

,a l

ways reappearing i n Egyptian sculptures and hiero

glyph ics . There is also a likeness to the mysteriousletter Ta u The whole first chapter of Genesisis said to be contained in this latter emblem— thismagnificent

,all—including Ta u

’

.

Three bent spikes,or nails

,are unmistakably the

5 8 THE ROSICRUCIANS

same symbol that Belus often holds in his extendedhand on the B abylonian cylinders

,afterwards dis

covered by the Jewish cabalists in the points of theletter Sh i n

’

,and by the medi ae val mystics in the

Three Nails of the Cross —Th e Gn os ti cs a n d the i r

Rema i n s,A n ci e n t a n d M e d iwva l

,p . 208 .

This figure,which is clearly a nail

,

has also characteristics,which will be

remarked in its upper portion,which

suggest a likeness to the Obelisk,pin

,

spike,upright

,or phallus .

The Hebrew letter Shi n’

,or Si n

’

,

counts for 3 00 in the Hebraic numeration .

Each Sp i ca,or spike

,may be taken to

signify 1 00,or ten tens . We have strong

hints here of the origin of the decimal system,

which reigns through the universal laws of compu

t a tion as a natural substratum ,basis

,or principle .

This powerful symbol,also

,is full of secret

important meanings . It will be remarkedas the symbol or figure assigned in theformal zodiacs of all countries

,whether

original zodiacs,or whether produced in figu re

imitations by recognizing tradition . Themarks or symbols of the zodiacal signs

,Virgo

Scorpio ’

,are closely similar to each other

,with cer

F ig . 7

Be h old I s h ow you a S ign .

’

XII ,

—Virgo L ibr a Scorp io__Th e

‘ WOMAN CONQUEROR ’ —le a d i n g D ra gon

Th e Re s tor e d Wor ldor

CAPTIVITY C a ptive

tain differences,which we recommend to the j udicious

consideration of close and experienced Observers .

Fig . 8 is the symbol,or hook

,of Saturn

,the colour

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

60 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Von Hammer ’s M y s te ry of B a phomet Reve a led contains much sugge stive matter relative to these mys

F ig . I O F i g. 1 1

te r iou s supposed dreadful Templars . The ParisianTempli e r s ’ ass ert that there is a connexion betweenthe recent N i s kh i letter and the ‘

Cu fi c’ characters

,

and that the origin of the secrets of the order of theTemple is contemporary with the prevalence of thelatter alphabet . We here refer to the work entitledM ys ter i umB a phometi s Revela tum s eu

,F r a tr e s M i li

tiw Templi, qu a Gn os ti ci ci qu i d emOph i a n i , a pos ta s iw,

i dolola tr iw,

e t qu i d emimpu r i ta ti s con vi cti pe r ips acorummon ume n ta

,published in the M i n e s d e l’Ori e n t

,

vol . Vi . This treatise is illustrated with numerousadmirably executed copper - plates Ofmagical statuettes

,

architectural ornaments,mystical inscriptions

,vases

,

and coins . Amidst these there is a bearded,yet

fema le,

figure,

‘

Mete ’

(ma gn a , or ma xima ) , whomVon Hammer

,following Theodosius and others

,makes

the same as the ‘ Sophia ’ of the Ophites . Someparticulars referring to these subj ects a re containedin Th e Gn os ti cs a n d th e i r Rema i n s

,A n ci e n t a n d M ed i a z

va l although there is an evident betraying of totalignorance on the part of the author

,throughout his

book,as to the purpose

,meaning

,and reality of the

whole of these remote and mysterious subj ects : towhich he is

,however

,blindly constantly referring

,

without the merit of even feeling his way . It is well

THE‘

DOZEN WHI TE L UCE S ’

6 1

known that the preservation of Gnostic symbols byFreemasons was

,and remains so to this day

,exceed

i n gly sedulous .

We will terminate this part of our long d i s s e rta tion

,which commenced with the explanation Of the

descent,or the genealogy

,or the generation of the

famous ‘

fle u r s - de - lis ’

Of France— the noblest andsublimest symbol

,in its occult or mysterious meaning

,

which the monarch sun ’ ever saw displayed to it,

inexpressibly mean and repellant as the L i s seemswe will finish

,we say

,thus far

,by commenting in a

very original and unexpected,b u t strictly corrob or a t

ive,manner upon some words of Shakespeare which

have hitherto been passed wholly without remark orexplanation .

We may premise by recalling that the lu ce is a pike

(pi c), or Jack Jac,I a cc (B and I are complementary

in this mythic sense) , Bacc , Bacche , Bacchus . Shakespeare ’s well - kn own lampoon

,or satirical ballad

,upon

the name Of Lucy may be Cited as illustrative proofon this side of the subj ect :

L u cy i s lows ie , a s s ome volke mi s ca lle i t.

The Zodiacal Sign for February is the fishes Now,

the Observances of St . Valentine’

s Day,which point

to courtship and to sexual love,or to loving invita

tion,bear direct reference to the

‘ fishes ’

,in a cer

tain sense . The arms of the L ucys— as they are atpresent to be seen

,and where we not long since saw

them,beautifully restored upon the great entrance

gates of Charlecote Hall,or Place

,near Stratford

upon - Avon— are three luces or pikes,h a u r i a n t

,a r

ge n t’

.

The dozen white luces are Observed upon withintense family pride by Shallow (Lucy), in Th e M e rry

Wive s 0/ Wi n d s or

62 THE ROSI CRUCI ANS

Sh a llow . It is an old coat .

E va n s . The dozen white lou s e s do become an Old

coat well ’ . The significant part Of the passage follows to this effect

,though deeply hidden in the sly

art of our knowing,but reticent

,Shakespeare : I

agrees well p a s s a n t ’

(we would here read p a s s im,

everywhere ’

,which makes clear sense) .

‘

It is afamiliar beast to M a n

,and s ign ifi e s

— love (the gener a tive act) .

—M erry Wi ve s of Wi n d s or , act i . s o . 1 .

We commend the above history of the Fleur- deL i s

’ to the thoughtful attention of our reader,because

he will find under it the whole explanation of thearms Of France . An d yet

,although the above is all

essentially ‘ feminine ’

,this is the coun try that im

ported amidst its Frankish or Saxon progenitors

(Clodio , the‘ long - haired to the example

,who first

passed the Rhine and b rought his female ultramarineto supersede and replace

,in blazon

,the martial

,manly

carmine or gules of the Gauls)— this is the country that adopted and maintains ‘

la L oi Sa liqu e

CHAPTER THE N INTH

SACRE D FIRE

THE appearance of God to mortals seems always tohave been in brightness and great glory

,whether

He was angry and in displeasure,or benign and kind .

These appearances are often mentioned in Scripture .

When God appeared on Mount Sinai,i t is said The

L ord descended upon it in Fire ’

(E xod . xix .

An d when Moses repeats the history of this to thechildren of Israel

,he says The L ord spake unto

you out of the midst of the Fire ’

(D e u t . iv . Soit was when the Angel of the L ord appeared to Mosesin a flame of fire out of the midst

,

of the bush Thebush burned with Fire

,and the bush was not consumed

(E xod . iii . The appeara nces of the Angel Of

God’s presence,or that Divine Person who represented

God,were always in brightness ; Or , in other words ,

the Shechinah was always surrounded with glory .

This seems to have given occasion to those of Old toimagine fire to be what God dwelt in .

‘

Ipse ’

(Darius) solem M i th r e n,

s a crumqu e e t

aeternum i n voca n s IGN E M,u t illis dignam vetere gloria

ma jor emqu e mo n ume n ti s forti tu d i n em i n s p ir a re n t .

’

-Q. Curtius,1 . iv . c . 1 3 .

Whether it was that any fire preceded from God,

and burnt up the oblation in the first sacrifices,as

some ingenious men have conj ectured,we know not .

It is certain that in after ages this was the case . We aresure th a t a fi re from the L ord consumed upon the altarthe burnt - Offering of Aaron (L ev. ix . 24) and so it did

64 THE ROSICRUCIANS

the sacrifice of Gideon,both the flesh and the u n

leavened cakes (f u dg. Vi . When David builtan altar unto the L ord

,and offered burnt - offer ings

and peace - Offerings,and called upon the L ord

,He

answered him from heaven by Fire,upon the altar

of burnt—Offerings ’

(1 Chron . xxi . The samething happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple‘

The fire came down from heaven,and consumed

th e bu rnt - Offering and th e sacrifices,and the glory

of the L ord filled the house ’

(2 Chron . Vii . An d

much about a hundred years afterwards,when Elij ah

made that extraordinary sacrifice in proof that Baalwas no god

,The Fire Of the L ord fell and consumed

the burnt sacrifice,and the wood

,and the stones

,

and the dust,and licked up the water that was in

the trench ’

(1 Ki n gs xviii . An d if we go backlong before the times of Moses

,as early as Abraham ’s

days,we meet with an instance of the same sort

‘

It came to pass that when the sun went down,and

it was dark,behold a smoking furnace and a burning

lamp,that passed between these pieces (Ge n . xv .

The first appearance of God,then

,being in glory

or,which is the same thing

,in light or fi re— and He

showing Hi s acceptance Of sacrifices in so many i nstances

,by consuming them with fire

,hence it was that

the Eastern people,and particularly the Persians

,

fell into the worship Of fire itself,or rather they con

ce ive d fire to be the symbol of God’s presence,and

they worshipped God in,or b y ,

fire . From the

Assyrians,or Chaldaeans

,or Persians

,this worsh ip

was propagated southwards among the Egyptians,

and westward among the Greeks ; and by them itwas brought into Italy . The Greeks were wont tomeet together to worship in their P ryta n e i a ,

and therethey consulted for the public good and there was aconstant fire kept upon the altar

,which was dignified

VE STAL F IRE S 65

by the name of Vesta by some . The fire itself wasproperly Vesta ; and so Ovid

:

N e c te a liu d Ve s tam, qu amvivami n te llige re fl ammam.

The P ryta n e i a were the a tr i a of the temples , whereina fire was kept that was never suffered to go out .

On the change in architectural forms from the pyramidal

(or the horizontal) to the obeliscar (or the upright , orvert ical) , the flames were transferred from the altars

,

or cubes,to the summits of the typical uprights

,

or towers or to the tops of the candles,such as we

see them used now in Catholic worship,and wh ich are

called ‘ tapers ’

,from their tapering or pyramidal

form,and which

,wherever they are seen or raised

,are

supposed always to indicate the divine presence orinfluence . This

,through th e symbolism that th ere

is in the living ligh t,which is the last exalted show

of fluent or of inflamed brilliant matter,passing Off

b e yon d i n to the unknown and unseen world of celestiallight (or occult fire) , to which all the forms of thingstend

,and in which even idea itself passes from recog

n i tion as meaning,and evolves—sp iring , as all flame

does,to escape a n d to wing away .

Vesta,

‘

Or the fire,was worshipped in circular temples

,

which were the images or the miniatures,of the tem

ple of the world,with its dome

,or cope

,of stars

It was in the a tr i a of the temples,and in the presence

of,and before the above -mentioned lights

,that the

forms of ceremonial worship were always observed .

It is certain that Vesta was worshipped at Troy ;and ZE n e a s brought her into Italy

ma n ib u s vitta s , Ve s tamqu e pote n temE te r n umqu e a d ytis e ffe r t p e n e tr a lib u s Ign em.

—/E n e i d i i . 296 .

Numa settled an order Of Virgin Priestesses,whose

66 THE ROSICRUCIANS

business and care it was constantly to maintain th eholy fire . An d long before Numa’s days

,we find it

not only customary,but honourable

,among the

Albans to appoint the best - born Virgins to be priestessesof Vesta

,and to keep up the constant

,unextinguished

fire .

When Virgil speaks (E n e i d iv . 200) of Iarbas , inAfrica

,as building a hundred temples and a hundred

altars,he says :

vigilemqu e s a cr a ve r a t Ign em,

E xcu b i a s Divumae te r n a s ,

that he had consecrated a fire that never went outAn d he calls these temples and th e s ex ligh ts , or thisfire

,the perpetual watches ’

,or watch - lights or

proof of the presence,of the gods . B y which ex

pressions he means,that places and things were con

s ta n tly protected, and solemnized where such lightsburned

,and that th e celestials

,or angel- defenders

,

‘ camped ’

,as it were

,and were sure to be met with

thickly,where these flames upon the altars

,and these

torches or lights about the temples,invited them and

were studiously and incessantly maintained .

Thus the custom seems to have been general fromthe earliest antiquity to maintain a constant fi re

,as

conceiving the gods present there . An d this was notonly the opinion of the inhabitants in Judaea

,but it

extended all over Persia,Greece

,Italy

,Egypt

,and

most other nations of the world .

Porphyry imagined that the reason why the mostancient mortals kept up a constant

,ever- burning

fire in honour of the immortal Gods,was because

Fire was most like the Gods . He says that the ancientskept an unextingu ished fi re

'

i n their temples to theGods

,because it was most like them . Fire was not

like the Gods,but it was what they appeared in to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

68 THE ROSICHUCIANS

parts of the world,particularly in Phoenicia

,and in

the colonies derived from thence into Africa andother places . I n the intensity of th eir minds

, childrenwere sacrificed b y their parents , as being the bestand dearest oblation that could be made

,and the

strongest arguments that nothing ought to be withheld from God . This was expiation for that sadresult

,the consequence of the original curse

,issuing

from the fatal curiosity concerning the bitter fruit ofthat forbidden Tree

whos e mor ta l ta s teB rou ght de a th in to th e world , a n d a ll ou r woe ,

With lo s s of E de n,

according to Milton . That peculiar natural sense ofshame in all its forms lesser and larger

,and with all

the references inseparably allied to propagation inall its multitudinous cunning (so to speak) , whereverthe condemned mate rial tissues reach

,puz zled the

thoughtful ancients as to its meaning . This th eyconsidered the convicted

‘

Adversary ’

,or L ucifer

,

‘

L ord of light —that is,material L ight

,

‘ EldestSon of the Morning ’

. Morning,indeed ! dawning

with its light from behind that forbidden Tree of theKnowledge of Good and Evil . Wh at is this shame

,

urged the philosophers,this reddening

,however good

and beaut i ful,and especially the ornament of the

young a n d i n e xp e r i e n ce d and of children , who arenewest from the real

,glowing countenance of Deity

,

with the bloom of the first angelic word scarcely yetfading from Off their cherub faces

,gradually darken

ing and hardening i n the degradation and iniquityof being here as presences in this world

,although

the most glorious amidst the forms of flesh Whatis this shame

,which is the characteristic singly of

human creatures ? All other creatures are sinless in

HUMAN SAL VATION 69

this respect,and know not the feeling of that—cor

r e ctly looked a t— strange thing which men callshame something which is not right that the suneven should see

,and therefore stirring the blood

,and

reddening the face,and confusing the sp eech, and

causing man to hang down his head,and to hide

Himself,as if guilty of something : even as our gui lty

first parents,having lost the unconsciousness of their

child—like,innocent first state— that of sinless Virgin

ity—hid themselves and shunned their own light inthe Umbrage of Paradise

,all at once convicted to the

certainty that they must hide,because they were

exposed,and that they had themselves broken that

original intention regarding them .

Suffer the little children to come unto Me,and

forbid them not,for of such is the kingdom of heaven

That is,the innocent children should come up for

salvation,who

,though suffering under the mortal

liability incurred by all flesh in that first sin (andincident in the first fall

,which has empoisoned and

cursed all nature) , are yet free by the nature of the i rungrown possibility

,and from their unconsciousness

of it . They know not the shame of the conditiona dult

,and therefore they bear not the badge of men

,

a n d are not of this world really,but of another world .

To recur for a moment to the theory of humansacrifices which once largely prevailed . Interwoveninseparably with the forms of architecture from theearliest times

,proof of which we see con stantly In

classical buildings particularly,and in the Italian

modifications displayed in the cities of Europe,was

the habit of exposing as talismans the members (andparticularly the heads) of human sacrifices . This isobservab le in the innumerable masks (or heads fullfaced) placed on the keystones of arches or portals .

They are either deified mortals or demigods . Some

70 THE ROSICRUCIANS

times,but very rarely (because it is a sinister p a tla d

i um) , the head of Medusa is seen . Exposure of theheads of criminals on town - gates

,over bridges

,or

over arches,follows the same idea

,as ranging in the

list of protecting,protesting

,or appealing P a lla d i a

,

which are supposed to possess the same Obj urgatingor propitiating power as the wild

,winged creatures

Children of the air— a ffi xe d in penitential,magic

brand or exposure on the doors of barns,or on the

outside of rustic buildings . All this is ceremonialsacrifice

,addressed to the harmful gods

,and meant

occultly and entreatingly for the eyes Of the observant,

but invisible,wandering angels

,who move through

the world— threading unseen the ways of men,and

unwitted of by them,and most abundant and most

active there where the moth er of all of them is in theascendant with h e r influences ; or when N ight isabroad

,throned in her cope of stars— letters

,from

their first j udiciary arrangement in th e heavens,

spelling out continually new astrological combinations . For Astrology was the mother

,as she was the

precursor,of Astronomy

,and was once a power ;

into whatevermean roads the exercise of the art of herservants has strayed now

,in unworthy and indign

divination,and in the base proffer of supposed Gipsy

arts—ministration become ridi culous (or made so) ,which was once mighty and sublime .

The pyramidal or triangular form which Fire assumes in its ascent to heaven is in the monolith ictypology used to signify th e great generative power .We have only to look at Stonehenge

,Ellora

,th e B abel

towers of Central America,the gigantic ruins scattered

all over Tartary and India,to see how gloriously th ey

symboliz ed the maj esty of the Supreme . To theseuprigh ts

,Obelisks

,or li thoi

,of the old world

,including

the B ethel,or Jacob

’

s Pillar,or Pillow

,raised in the

A SCENDING AND DE SCE NDING ‘ SIGNS 7 1

Plain of L u z’

,we will add

,as the commemorative

or reminding shape of the fire,the Pyramids of Egypt

,

the Mille n a r iu s,Gnomon

,Mete - Stone

,or Mark

, called‘

L ondon Stone ’

,all Crosses raised at the j unction

of four roads,all Market - Crosses

,the Round Towers

of Ireland,and

,in all the changeful aspects of their

genealogy,all spires and towers

,in their grand h ie rogly

phie proclamation,all over the world . All these

are Ph a lli,and express a sublime meaning .

(i t ) Aries , (o ) Taurus , (1 1 ) Gemini , (95 ) Cancer ,(52) L e o , (up) Virgo , are the first six ‘ Signs

’

; andthey collectively (in their annual succession) form th e

Macrocosmos’ of the Cabalists . Then succeeds th e

turning - point balances or nave (n a vel) , ofthe astronomical wheel

,represented by the sign

L ibra ’

(A ), which , be it remembered , was added bythe imaginative (and therefore practically inventive)Greeks . The foregoing

,up to ‘

L ibra ’

,represent

the ascending signs ’

,or six of the spokes

,so to

speak,of the annual z odiacal wheel

,circling to the

zenith or vertex . The last six Signs ’ of the zodiacare called descending signs and they are the sinister

,

autumnal,or changing

,in reverse

,monthly spaces

,

each of thirty degrees,and a gain comprising six r a d i i

of this celestial wheel or this ‘ Ezekiel ’s Wheel’

.

The turning- point is Virgo - Scorpio which,until

separated in the mythical interruption from without atthe j unction - point between ascent and descent ,were the same ‘ single Sign The latter half (or leftwing of this grand zodiacal army or host of heavendrawn up in battle array

,and headed— as

,by a figure

,

we shall choose to say— b y the Archangel Michael’

,

or the Sun,at the centre

,or in the ‘ champion or

con qu e r i n g a po i n t is called by the Cabalists— andtherefore by the Rosicrucians—the abstract Microcosmos — i n which Microcosm or L ittle World

72 THE ROSICHUCIANS

in opposition to the Macrocosm or Great Worldis to be found M a n

’

, as produced in it from th e

operations from above,and to be saved in the Great

Sacrifice ’

(Cru cifi xion - Act) , the phenomena of thebeing (Ma n ) taking place in the mythic return of theworld ’

All this is incomprehensible,except in the

strange mysticism of the Gnostics and the Cabalistsand the whole theory requires a key of explanationto render it intelligible ; which key is only darklyreferred to as possible

,but refused absolutely

,by these

extraordinary men,as not permissible to be disclosed .

As they,however

,were very fond of diagrams and

mystic figures,of which they left many in those rarities

(mostly ill—executed, but each wonderfully suggestive)called Gnostic gems ’

,we will supply a seeming elucid

ation of this their astrological assumption of ‘ whatwas earliest for which see the succeeding figure .

(a ) L ibra (the Balances) leads again off as thehinge - point

,

’ introducing the six winter signs,which

are : (B ) L ibra again , (m) Scorpio , (1 ) Sagittarius ,(w) Capricornus , (a

s

) Aquarius , and (x) Pisces .

F ig. 1 2 (A ) E z ek i e l’s Wh e e l ’

'l 2 . 3 A. 5

M a crocosmo s7(a s ce n di n g )

8.q. IO ll . 1 2 .

Microcosmos (d e s ce n di n g )

Turning- point— L ibra . (The Sign L ibra was addedby the Greeks .)The first six signs , or ascendin g signs, are rep re

M YSTE RI E S OF THE‘

CROSS ’

73

sented by the celestial perpendicular,or de

scending ray,as thus :

The last six signs,or descendi ng Slgn s , are F ig , , 3

represented by the terrestrial ground- line,or

horizontal,or equatorial ’

(symbol or s igma ) ,F

as thusThe union of these (at the intersection of these rays)

at the j unction - point,or middle point

,forms the

Cross ’

,as thUS ‘

i g. 1 4

F ig . 1 5 (B ) Cros s

F ig. 1 6 F i g . 1 7 F ig . 1 8 F i g . 1 9

In figure C,the union of fig . 1 6 and fig 1 7 forms

the cross . Fig . 1 8 is the mundane circle . Fig . 1 9is the astronomical cross upon t h e mundane circle .

The union of fig . 1 8,

fig . 1 7, and fig . 1 6,in this r e

s p e ctive order , gives the crux- a n s a ta,so continual

in all the Egyptian sculptures,which mark or sign

is also the symbol of the Planet Venus,as below .

F ig . 20 Th e Cr u x An s a t a F i g. 2 1 : M a rk of th e Pla n e t Ve n u s

Their origin is thus traced Clearly to the same originalmeani ngs

,which reappear under all sorts of disguises

,

and are varied in innumerable ingenious ways,in all

74 THE ROSICRUCIANS

the mythologies— incessantly disclosing,and inviting

a n d as continually evading and escaping discovery .

This abstruse mark particularly abounds in theEgyptian temples

,where every obj ect and every

figure presents it . Its real meaning is,however

,

intended to be buried in profound darkness .

In regard to the mysteries implied in the Chris tianCross

,the schismatics contended (1 s t)

‘ that Christ,

alive upon the cross,humbled Himself

,u s qu e a d i n

ter n i tr eme n d a torme n ta even unto the dreadful torments of hell ’ . (Paget s Ga te ch . L a ti n .) (2md ) ‘

E u

dured for a time those torments, qu a li s r eprob i i n

wte rn ums e n s u r i s u n t,which the reprobates shall

everlastingly suffer in hell ’. (Pisc . i n L u c . xii .Even despaired of God ’s mercy

,finding God

,at this

t ime,N on pa tr ems ed tyr a n n um,

not a Father,but a

Tyrant and overcame despair by despair death bydeath ; hell by h ell ; and Satan by Satan (Ferus i nM a tth .

‘ suffered actually all the torments ofhell for our redemption

,and descended into the heaviest

that hell could yield endured the torments of hell,the

second death,abj ection from God

,and was made a

curse that is,had the bitter anguish of God’s wrath in

his soul and body,which is the fire that shall never

be quenched ’

.

— F a i th a n d Doctr i n e (Thomas Rogers) ,L ondon

,1 629 . Jacob B ohmen produces some of

these most stringent and dark Shades in his profoundmysticism— although essentially Christian .

It may be here distinctly mentioned that it is agreat mistake to suppose any of the Egyptian hieroglyph ics tell the story of that most profound andmost ancient religion . There are various series ofhieroglyphics

,more or less reserved

,but the real

beliefs of the Egyptian Priests were never (indeed ,they d a r ed n ot so have been) hazarded in sigma , orwriting

,or hieroglyphic of any kind—being forbidden

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE TENTH

FIRE - THE OSOPHY OF THE PE RS IANS

THE Fire - Philosophers,or Phi los ophi pe r ign em,

werea fanatical sect of philosophers

,who appeared towards

the close of the sixteenth century . They made afi gu re ‘

in almost all the countries of Europe . Theydeclared that the intimate essences of natural thingswere only to be known by the trying efforts of fire

,

directed in a chemical process . The Theosophistsalso insisted that human reason was a dangerous anddeceitful guide that no real progress could be madein knowledge or in religion by it ; and that to allVital—that is

,supernatural—purpose it was a vain

thing . They taught that divine and supernatur alillumination was the only means of arriving at truth .

Their name of Paracelsists was derived from Paracelsus

,the eminent physician and chemist

,who was

the chief ornament of this extraordi nary sect . In

England,Robert Flood

,or Fludd

,was their great

advocate and exponent . Rivier,who wrote in France

Severinus,an author of Denmark Ku n r a th

,an emin

ent physician of . Dresden ; and Daniel Hoffmann ,Professor of Divinity in the Univer sity of Helmstadt—have also treated largely on Paracelsus and on hissystem .

Philippus Au re olu s Theophrastus Paracelsus wasborn in 1 493 , at Einsiedeln , a small town of the Cantonof Schwitz

,distant some leagues from Zurich . Having

passed a troubled,migratory

,and changeful life

,this

great chemist,and very original thinker

,died on the

THE OPHRASTUS PARACE LSUS 77

24th of September 1 54 1 , in the Hospital of St . Stephen ,in the forty- eighth year of his age . Hi s works maybe enumerated as follow : 1 . The German editions :

Basil,1 575 , in 8VO ; lb . 1

,1 589

-

90 ,in 1 0 vols . 4to ;

and Strasbourg,1 603

- 1 8,in 4 vols . folio . 2 . The

L atin editions : Ope r a Omn i a M ed i co- chymi co- chi r

u rgi ca , F r a n cfort , 1 603 , in 1 0 vols . 4to and Geneva,

1 658, in 3 vols . folio . 3 . The French editions : L a

Gr a n d Chi ru rger i e d e P a r a cels e,L yons

,1 593 a n d

1 603 , in 4to and Montbeliard,1 608

,in 8vo . See

Adelung,Hi s toi r e d e la F oli e Huma i n e

,tom . vii

B iogr a ph i e Un ive r s elle,article Pa r a ce ls e and

Sprengel,Hi s toi r e P r a gma tiqu e d e la M éd e ci n e , tom . iii .

Akin to the school of the ancient Fire - Believers,

and of the magnetists of a later period ’

,says the

learned Dr . E n n emos e r,in his H i s tory of M a gi c (most

ably rendered into English by William Howitt) , ofthe same cast as these speculators and searchers intothe mysteries of nature

,drawing from the same well

,

are the Theosophists of the sixteenth and seventeenth,

centuries . These practised chemistry,by which they

asserted that they could explore the profoundestsecrets of nature . As they strove

,above all earthly

knowledge,after the divine

,and sought the divine

light and fire,through which all men can acquire the

true wi sdom,they were called the Fire - Philosophers

(phi los ophi pe r ign em) . The most distinguished ofthese are Theophrastus Paracelsus

,Adam von B oden

,

Oswald Croll ; and , later , Valentine Weigel , RobertFlood

,or Fludd

,Jacob ‘ B Ohme n

,Peter Poiret

,etc .

’

Under this head we may also refer to the Medico - surgicalEssays of Hemmann

,published at B erlin in 1 778 ;5

and Pfaff’s A s trology .

As a great general principle,the Theosophists called

the soul a fire,taken from the eternal ocean of light .

- In regard to the supernatural—using the word in

78 THE ROSICRUCIANS

its widest sense—i t may be said that all the difficultyin admitting the strange things told us lies in the nonadmission of an internal causal world a s a b s olu tely

real : it is said,in i n telle ctu a lly admitting , because

the influence of the arts proves that men ’s feelingsalways have admitted

,and do still admit

,this reality ’

.

The Platonic philosophy of vision is,that it is the

View of obj ects really existing in interior light,which

assume form,not according to arbitrary laws

,but

accord ing to the state of mind . This interior light,

if we understand Plato,unites with exterior light in

the eye,and is thus drawn into a sensual or imaginative

activity ; but when the outward light is separated ,it reposes in its own serene atmosphere . It is

,then

,

in this state of interior repose,that the usual class Of

religions,or what are called inspired Vi sions occur .

It is the same light of eternity so frequently alludedto in books that treat of mysterious subj ects ; thelight revealed to Pima n d e r

,Zoroaster

,and all the

sages of the East,as the emanation of the spiritual

sun . Bohmen writes of it in his D ivi n e Vi s i on or

Con templa ti on,and Molinos in his Spi r i tu a l Gu i d e

whose work is the ground Of Quietism : Quietismbeing the foundation of the religion of the peoplecalled Friends or Quakers , as also of the other mysticor meditative sects . We enlarge from a very learned

,

candid,and instructive book upon the Occult Sciences .

Regard Fire,then

,with other eyes than with those

soulless,incurious ones

,with which thou hast looked

upon it as the most ordinary thing . Thou hast forgotten what i t is—or rather thou ha st never known .

Chemists are silent about it or may we not say that itis too loa d for them ? Therefore shall they Speakfearfully of it in whispers . Philosophers talk of itas anatomists discourse of the constituents (or theparts) of the human body—as a piece of mechanism ,

THE F IGURE OF ‘ MAN’

79

wondrous though it be . Such the wheels of the clocksay they in their ingenious expounding of the whysand the wherefores ’

(and the mechanics and themathematics) of this mysterious thing , with a supernatural soul i n it

,called world . Such is the chain

,

such are the balances,such the larger and the sma ller

mechanical forces such the Time - blood as it were,

that is sent circulating through it such is the striking,with an infinity of bells . It is made for man

,this world

and it is greatly like him—that is me a n,they would

add . An d they do think it,if they dare add their

thinkings . But is this all ? I s this the sum of thatcasketed lamp of the human body—thine own body

,

thou unthinking world’s machine—thou Ma n ! Or,

in the fabric of this clay lamp (lacquered in thy man’s

Imperial splendours) , burneth there not a L ight ?Describe that

,ye Doctors of Physics ! Unwind the

starry limbs of th a t phenomenon,ye heavy- browed

doctorial wielders of the scalpel—useful,however

,

as ye be,in that upholstery warehouse of nature

to which bodies and their make be referred by thematerialists as the godless origin of everything . Torich

at i ts heart,ye dissectors of fibres and of valves of

sinews and of leaves (hands , perchance) ; of thevein - work

,of the muscles

,as bark - integument ; of

the trunk ! Split and pare,as with steel tools and

wedge,this portent

,this Tree ’

(human though itbe) , round which ye cluster to examine , about whichye gather

,with your persuasions to wind into the

innermost secret of . Cyclops—one - eyed and savage—break into meaning this portent

,Ma n

,on your

science - wheels .

Note the goings of the Fire,as he creepeth

,ser

p e n ti n e th , riseth , s li n ke th,b ro a d e n e th . Note him

reddening,glowing

,whitening . Tremble at his face

,

dilating ; at the meaning that is growing into it , to

80 THE ROSICRUCIANS

you . See that spark from the blacksmith’s anvilstruck

,as an insect

,out of a sky containing a whole

cloud of such . Rare locusts,of which Pharaoh and

the Cities of the Plain read Of Old the secret ! On e,

two,three sparks ; dozens come : faster and faster

th e r fi e ry squadrons follow,until

,in a short while

,a

whole possible army of that hungry thing for battle,

for food for it—Fire—glances up but is soon warnedin again—lest acres should glow in the growingadvance . Think that this thing is bound as in matterchains . Think that he is outside of all things

,and

deep in the inside of all things ; and that thou andthy world are on ly the thi n g b etwe e n ; and that outside and inside are both identical

,couldst thou under

stand the supernatural truths ! Reverence Fire (forits meaning) , and tremble at it though in the Earthit be chained

,and the foot of the Archangel Michael

—like upon the Dragon—b e upon it ! Avert theface from it

,as the Magi turned

,dreading

,and (as

the Symbol) before it bowed askance . SO much forthis great thing—Fire !Observe the multiform shapes of fire ; the fl ame

wreaths,the spires

,the stars

,the spots

,the cascades

,

and the mighty falls of it ; where the roar , when itgrows high in Imperial masterdom

,is as that of

N iagara . Think what it can do,what it is . Watch

the trail of sparks,struck

,as in that spouting arch

,

from the metal shoes of the trampling horse . It is asa letter of the great alphabet . Th e familiar L ondonstreets

,even

,can give thee the Persian’s God though

in thy pleasures,and in thy commerce - operations

,

thou so oft forgettest thine own God . Whence liberated are those sparks as stars

,afar off

,of a whole

sky of flame Sparks deep down in possibility, thoughclose to us great in their meaning

,though small in

their Show ; as di stant single ships of whole fiery

F IRE -WORSHI P 8 1

fleets ; animate children of , in thy human con ce p

tion,a dreadfu l

,but

,in reality

,a great world

,of

which thou knowest nothing . They fall,foodless

,

on the rej ecting,barren

,and (on the outside) the

coldest stone . B u t in each stone,fli n ty and chilly

as the outside is,is a heart of fire

,to strike at which

is to bid gush forth the wa te r s,as it were

,of very F i r e ,

l ike waters of the rock ! Truly,out of sparks can be

displayed a whole acreage of fireworks . Forests canbe conceived of fl ame—palaces of the fire ; grandestthings—soul- things—last things—all thingsWo n d e r

g

n o longer,then

,if

,rej ected so long as an

idolatry,the ancient Persians and their masters the

Magi—concluding that they saw All in this supernaturally magnificent element—fell down and worshipped it ; making of it the Visible representationOf the very truest ; but yet , in man

’s speculation,

and in his philosophies—nay,in his commonest

reason —impossible God God being everywhere,and

in us,and

,indeed

,u s

,in the God—lighted man ; and

impossible to be contemplated or known outsidebeing AllL ights and flames

,and the torch e s

,as it were , of

fire (a ll fire in this world,the last background on

which all things are painted) , may be considered as‘

lancets ’ of another world—the last world : circles ,enclosed by the thick walls (which , however , by th e

fire are kept from closing) of this world . As firewaves and brandishes

,will the walls of this world

wave,and

,as it were

,undulate from about it . In

smoke and disruption,or combustion of matter

,we

witness a phenomenon of the bu r n i n g as of the edgesof the matter- rings of this world

,in which world i s

fire , like a spot that dense and hard thing,matter

,

holding it in .

'

Oxygen,which is the fin est of air ,

a n d i s the means of the quickes t burning out , or th e

82 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

supernatural (in this world) exhilaration of animallife

,or extenuation of the Solid ; and above all, the

heightening of the capacity of the Human,as being

the quintessence of matter this oxygen is the thingwhich feeds fire the most overwhelming . Nor wouldthe specks and spots and stars of fire stop in thisdense world -medium

,in this tissue or sea of things

could it farther and farther fasten upon and devourthe solids : eating

,as it were

,through them . B u t

as this thick world is a thing the thickest,it presses

out,thrusts

,or gravitates upon

,and stifles

,in its

too great weight and conquers not only that liveliest,

subtlest,thinnest element of the solids

,the finest

air,by whatever chemical name—oxyge n ,

a z ote,a z on e

,

or what not—i t may be called ; which , in fact , ismerely the nomenclature of its compos i ti on

,the nam

ing of the ingredients which make the thing (but notthe thing) . The denseness of the world not onlyconquers this

,we repeat but

,so to figure it

,matter

stamps upon,effaces

,and treads out fire : which

,

else,would burn on

,back

,as in the beginning of things

,

or into itself—consuming,as in its great revenge of

any thing being created other th a n i t,all the mighty

worlds which,in Creation

,were permitted out Of it .

This is the teaching of the ancient Fire - Philosophers

(re - established and restored,to the days of compre

h e n s ion of them,in the conclusions of the Rosicrucians

,

or I llumi n a ti , of later times) , who claimed to havediscovered the Eternal Fire

,or to have found out

God ’ in the Immortal L ight ’

.

There are all grades or gradations of the density ofmatter but it all coheres by the one law of gr a vi ta tion . Now

,this gravitation is mistaken for a force

of itself,when it is nothing but the sympathy

,or the

taking away of the supposed thing between two otherthings . It is sympathy (or appetite) seeking its food,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

84 THE ROSICRUGIANS

These changes can be wrought in matter,and

,as it

were,it can be taken in pieces and all this dissolut

ion of it may be effected without our getting as atthe fi re - blood of our subj ect .

But Fire disj oints,as it were

,all the hinges Of the

house —laps out the coherence of i t fi s e ts ablaze thedense thing

,matter—makes the dark metals run like

waters of light—conj ures the black devils out of theminerals

,and

,to ou r astonishment

,shows them

much libelled,blinding

,angel -white ! By Fire we

can lay our hand upon the solids,part them

,powder

them,melt them

,fine them

,drive them out to more

and more delicate and impalpable texture—fi r i n gtheir invisible molecules

,or imponderables

,into cloud

,

into mist, into gas : out Of touch , into hearing ; outof hearing

,into seeing out of seeing into smelling ;

out of smelling,into nothing—into real NOTHING

—not even into the last blue sky . These are the potentoperations of Fire—the crucible into which we cancast all the worlds

,and find them

,in their last e volu

tion,not even smoke . These are physical and se ien

tifi c facts which there can be no gainsaying—whichwere seen and found out long ago

,ages ago

,in the

reveries first,and then in the practice Of the great

Magnetists,and those who were called the Fire

Philosophers,of whom we have spoken before .

What is that mysterious and inscrutable operation,

the striking fire from flint Familiar as it is,who

remarks it Where,in that hardest

,closest pressing

together of matter—where the granulation compresses,

shining even in its hardness,into the solidest lami n a

of cold,darkest blue

,and streaky

,core - like

,agate

resembling white—lie the seeds of fire,spiritual flame

seeds,to the so stony fruit I n what folds of the

flint,in the block of i t—i n what invisible recess

speckled and spotted in what tissue—s crou ch the fi re

OPE RATI ONS OF F IRE 85

sparks - to issue,in showers

,on the stroke of iron

on the so sudden clattering (as of the crowbars ofman) on its stony doors : Stone caving the thingFire

,unseen as its sepulchre ; Stroke warning the

magical thing forth . Whence comes that trail of thefire from the cold bosom of the hard

,secret

,u n ex

plod in g flint —children as from what hard,rocky

breast ; yet hiding its so sacred , sudden fi re - birth !Who—and what science - philosopher—can explain thiswondrous darting forth of the hidden something

,

which he shall try in vain to arrest,but which like a

spirit,escapes him ? If we ask what fire is

,of the

men of science,they are at fault . They will tell us

th at it is a phe n ome n on,that the ir vocabularies can

give no fu rther account of it . They will explain tous that all that can be said of it is

,that i t is a last

affection of matter,to the results of which (in the world

of man) they can only testify , but of whose comingand of whose going—of the place from which it comes

,

and the whereabout to which it goeth—they areentirely ignorant—and would give a world to know !

The foregoing,however feebly expressed

,are the

Views of the famous Rosicrucians respecting thenature of this supposed familiar

,but yet puz zling

,

thing—Fire .

We will proceed to some of their further mysticreveries . They are very singularBut the consideration of these is exceedingly abstract

,

and difficult . The whole s ubj ect is abstruse in thehighest degree .

In regard to the singular name of the Rosicrucians,

it may be here stated that the Chemists,according to

their a rca n a,derive the Dew from the L atin Ros

,and

in the figure of a cross they trace the three letterswhich compose the word L u x

,L ight . Mosheim is

positive as to the accuracy of his information .

CHAPTER THE ELE VE NTH

IDE AS OF THE ROSICRUC I ANS AS TO THE CHARACTE R

OF FIRE

SPARK surrenders out of the world,when it disappears

to us,in the universal ocean of Invisible Fire . That

is its disappearance . It quits us in the supposedlight

,but to i t really darkness—as fi re - born

,the last

level of all—to reappear in the true light, which is to

u s darkness . This is hard to understand . But,as

the real is the direct contrary of the apparent,so that

which Shows as light to us is darkness in the supernatural and that which is light to the supernaturalis darkness to us : matter being darkness

,and soul

light . For we know that light is material ; andbeing material

,it must be dark . For the Spirit of

God is not material,and therefore

,not being material

,

it cannot be light to us,and therefore darkness to

God . Just as (until discovered otherwise) the worldit is that is at rest

,and the sun and the heavenly

bodies in daily motion— instead of the very reversebeing the fact . This is the belief of the oldest Th e o s o

phi s ts , the founders of magical knowledge in the East ,and the discoverers of the Gods ; also the doctrineof the Fire - Philosophers

,and of the Rosicrucians

,or

I llumi n a ti,who taught that all knowable things (both

of the soul and of the body) were evolved out of Fire ,and finally resolvable into it and that Fire was thelast and only- to - b e - known God : as that all thingswere capable Of being searched down into it

,and all

things were capable of being thought up into it . Fire,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

88 THE ROSICRUCIANS

in the blasting out of them that which holds them,

which then,as Secret Spirit

,springs compelled to

sight,and as instantly flies

,except to the immortal

eyes,which receive it (in the supernatural) on the

other side .

The Fire - Philosophers maintained that we transcend everything into Fire

,and that we lose it there

in the flash ; the escape of fire being as the doorthrough which everything disappears to the otherSide . In their very peculiar speculations

,and in

this stupendous and supernatural view of the universe

,where we think that fire is the exception

,and

is,as it were

,s potted over the world (in reality, to go

out whe n i t goe s ou t) , they held that the direct contr a ry was the truth , and that we , and all things , weres potted u pon fir e and that we conquer patches onlyof fire when we put it out

,or win torches (as it were)

out of the gr e a t flame , when we enkindle fi re—whichis our master in the truth

,making itself

,in our beliefs

(i n our human needs) , the slave . Thus fire,when

it is put out,only goes into the under world

,and the

matter- fl a gs close over it , like a grave - stone .

When we witness Fire,we are as if peeping only

through a door into another world . Into this,a ll

the (consumed into microscopical smallness) thingsof this world

,the compressed and concentrate matter

heaps of defunct tides of B eing and of Time,are in

combustion rushing : kingdoms of the floors of thethings passed through—u p to this moment held insuspense in the invi sible inner worlds . All roarsthrough the hollow . All that is mastered in theoperations of this Fire

,and that is rushing through

the hollow made by it in the partition -world of theKnowable— across

,and out on the other side

,into

the Unknowable— seeks,in the Fire

,its last and

most . perfect evolution into AB SOLUTE NOTHING

HE RM E TI C F I RE 89

as a bound prisoner urges to his feet,in his chains

,

and shrieks for freedom when he is smitten . I n Fire,

we witness a grand phenomenon of the subsidiary

(or further , and under , and inner , and multiplied)birth and death

,and the supernatural transit of micro

scopic worlds,passing from the human sense - worlds

to other levels and into newer fields . Then it is thatthe L ast Spirit

,of which they are composed

,is play

ing before us ; and playing, into last extinction , outof its rings of this- side matter ; all which matter , inits various stages of thickening

,is as the flux of the

Supernatural Fire,or inside God .

It will appear no wonder now,if the above abstract

ions be caught by the Thinker,how it was that the

early people (and the founders of Fire -Worship)considered that they saw God

,standing face to face

with Him—that is,with all that

,in their innermost

possibility of thought,they could find as God— i n

Fire . Which Fire is not our vulgar,gross fire neither

is it the purest material fire,which has something

of the base,bright lights of the world still about it

—brightest though they be in the matter which makesthem the L ighte s t to the ma te r i a l

’

s igh t but it is anoccult

,mysterious

,or inner—not even magnetic

,

but a supernatural—Fire : a real,sensible

,and the

only possible Mind,or God

,as containing all things

,

and as the soul of all things ; into whose inexpressib ly intense, and all - devouring and divine , thoughfiery

,gulf

,all the worlds in succession

,like ripe fruit

to the ground,and all things

,fall—back into whose

arms of Immortal L ight on the other side, as againreceiving them

,all things

,thrown Off as the smoke

off light,again fall !

At the shortest,then

,the theory of th e Magi may

be summed up thus . When,as we think

,fire is spotted

over all the world,as we have said

,it is we who make

90 THE ROSICRUCIANS

the mistake,necessitated in our man ’s nature ; and

we are that which is spotted over i t j ust as,while

we think we move,we are moved ; and we conclude

the senses are in us,while we are in the senses every

thing—o u t of this world—being the very oppositeof that which we take it . The views of these mightythinkers amounted to the suppression of humanreason

,and the institution of magic

,or god head, as

all . It will be seen at once that this knowledge waspossible but for the very few . It is only fit for menwhen they seek to pass out Of the world

,and to a p

proach—the nearer according to their natures—God .

The hollow world in which that essence of things,

called Fire,plays

,in its escape

,in Violent agitation

—to us,combustion—is deep down inside of us that

is,deep - sunk inside of the time - stages ; of which

rings of being (subsidences of spirit) we are , in thefle s h—that is

,in the human show of things

,in the

OUTE R . It is exceedingly difficult,through language

,

to make this idea intelligible but it is the real mysticdogma of the ancient Guebres

,or the Fire - B elievers

,

the successors of the B uddhists,or

,more properly ,

B h u d di s ts .

What is explosion ? It is the lancing into thelayers of worlds

,whereinto we force

,through turn

ing the edges out and driving through ; in surprisalof the reluctant

,lazy

,and secret nature

,exposing the

hidden,magically microscopical stores of things

,

passed inwards out of the accumula ted rings of worlds,

out of the (within) supernaturally buried wealth ,rolled in

,of the past

,in the procession of Being . What

is smoke but the disrupted vapour- world to the startedsoul- fi re The truth is

,say the Fire - Philosophers

,

in the rousing of fire we suddenly come upon Nature,

and start her violently out of her ambush of things,

evoking her secretest and immortal face to us . There

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

92 THE ROSICHUCIANS

doctrine of Universal Fire,and shown that there has

been error in imagining that the Persians and theancient Fire -Worshippers were idolaters simply offire

,inasmuch as

,in bowing down before it

,they only

regarded Fire as a symbol,or visible sign

,or thing

placed as standing for the D eity—having,in our pre

ceding chapters,disposed the mind o i the reader to

consider as a matter of: solemnity,and of much greater

general significance,this strange fact of Fire -Worship

,

and endeavoured to show it as a portentous,

first,

all- embracing as all- genuine principle—we will proce e d to exemplify the widespread roots of the FireFaith . I n fact

,we seem to recogniz e it everywhere .

Instead of—i n their superstitions—making of firetheir God

,they Obtained Him

,that is

,all that we

can realize Of Him by which we mean,all that the

human reason can find of the L ast Principle—out ofit . Already

,in their thoughts

,had the Magi exhausted

all possible theologies ; already had they , in theirgreat wisdom

,searched through physics—their power

to this end (as not being distracted by world’s obj ects)

being much greater than that of the modern faithteachers and doctors ; already in their reveries , intheir observations (deep within their deep souls)upon the nature of themselves

,and of the microcosm

of a world in which they found themselves,had the

Magi transcended . They had arrived at a newworld in their speculations and deductions upon facts

,

upon all the things behind which (to men) make thesefacts . Already

,in their determined climbing into

the heights of thought,had these Titans of mind

achieved,past the cosmical

,through the shadowy

borders of Real and Unreal,into Magic . For

,is

Magic wholly falsePassing through these mind- worlds

,and coming

out,as we may figure it

,a t th e other s i d e

,penetrating

PARACE LSUS 93

into the secrets of things,they evaporated all Powers

,

and resolved them finally into the L ast Fire . B eyondthis

,they found nothing ; a s into this they resolved

all things . An d then,on the Throne of the Visible

,

they placed this— i n the world , Invisible—Fire : thesense - thing to be worshipped i n the s e n s e s

,as the last

thing of them ,and the king of them—that is

,that

which we know as the phenomenon,B urning Fire

the Spiritual Fire being impalpable,as having the

Visible only for its shadow ; the Ghostly Fire notbeing even to be thought upon ; thought being itsmedium of apprehension when i t itself had slipped ;the waves of apprehension of it only flowing backwhen i t—being intuition—had vanished . We onlyknow that a thought is in us when the thought is offthe obj ect and in us another thought being

,at that

simultaneous instant,in the obj ect

,to be taken up

by u s only when the first has gone out of us,and so

on but not b efore to be taken up by u s— that thoughtbeing a ll of u s , and a deceptive and unreal thing topass at all to us through the reason

,and there being

no resemblance between it and its original : the truething being Inspiration or God in us ’

,excluding

all matter or re a s on,which is only built up of matter .

It is most difficult to frame language in regard tothese things . Reason can only unmake God ; He

is only possible in Hi s own development,or in Hi s

seizing of us,and ‘ in possession ’

. Thus Paracelsusand his disciples declare that Human Reason becomeour master

,that is

,in it s perfection—but not used

as our servant —transforms,as it were

,into the Devil

,

and exercises hi s Office in leading us away fromthethrone Of Spiritual L ight—other

,and

,in the world

,

seeming b e tte r in his false and deluding World- L ight,

or Matter - L ight,really Showing himself God . This

View of the Huma n Reason,intellectually trusted

,

94 THE ROSICRUCIANS

transforming into the Angel of Darkness,and effacing

God out of the world,is borne out by a thousand texts

of Scr iptu re . It is equally in the belief and in thetraditions of all nations and of all time

,as we shall

by and by show . Real L ight is God’s shadow,or

the soul of matter ; the one is the very brighter, asthe other is the very blacker . Thus

,the worshippers

of the Sun,or L ight

,or Fire

,whether in the Old or

the New Worlds,worshipped not Sun

,or L ight

,or

Fire—otherwise they would have worshipped theDevil

,he being all conceivable L ight ; but rather

they adored the Unknown Great God,in the last

image that was possible to man of anything—theFire . An d they chose that as Hi s shadow

,as the

very opposite of that which He really was honouring the Master through Hi s Servant ; bowing beforethe manifestation

,Eldest of Time

,for the Timeless ;

paying homage to the spirit of the Devil-World,or

rather to the Beginning and End,on which was the

foot of the AL L,that the AL L

,or the L AST

,might be

worshipped ; propitiating the Evil Principle in itsfinite shows

,because (as by that alone a world could

be made,whose making is alone Comparison) it was

permitted as a means of God,and therefore the opera

tion of God Downwards,as part of Him

,though

Upwards dissipating as before Him—before HIM inwhose presence Evil

,or Comparison

,or D ifference ,

or Time,or Space

,or anything

,should b e Impossible

real God being not to be thought upon .

But it was not only in the quickening Spirit ofDivinity that these things could

'

be seen . Otherwise than in faith

,we can hope that they shall now

- i n our weak attempts to explain them—b e gatheredas not contradictory

,and merely intellectual

,and

seen as vital and absolute . They need the elevationof the mind in the sense of inspiration and not the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

96 THE ROSICRUCIANS

shall we not assume this fi re—doctrine as being of truth—as a thing really

,fundamentally

,and vitally true

A s i n the East,so in the West as in the old time

,

so in the new as in the preadamite and postdiluvianworlds

,so in the modern and latter- day world ; sur

vivi n g through the ages , buried in the foundationsof empires

,locked in the rocks

,hoarded in legends

,

maintained in monuments,preserved in beliefs

,sug

gested in tradition,borne amidst the roads of the

multitude in emblems,gathered u p

—as the recurring,

unremarked,supernaturally coruscant

,and yet secret

,

evading,encrusted

,and dishonoured j ewel—i n rites

,

spoken (to those capable of the comprehension) inthe field of hieroglyphics

,dimly glowing up to a fi tfu l

suspicion of it in the sacred rites of all peoples , fi guredforth in the religions

,symbolized in a hundred ways

attested,prenoted

,bodied forth in occult body

,as

far as body can—i n fine,in multitudinous fashions

and forms forcibly soliciting the sharpness Of sightdirected to its discovery

,and spelt over a floor as under

placing all things,we recogniz e

,we espy

,we descry

,

and we may,lastly

,ADM IT the mysterious sacredness

of Fire . For why should we not admit itOf course

,it will not for a moment be supposed

that we mean anything like —or in its nature similarto—ordin ary fire . We hope that no one will be soabsurd as to suppose that this in any manner couldbe the mysterious and sacred element for which weare contesting . Where we are seeking to transcend

,

this would be simply sinking back into vulgar reason .

While we are seeking to convict and dethrone thisworld’s reason as the real devil

,this wou ld be dis

ti n ctly deifying common sense . Of common sense,

except for common - sens e obj ects,we make no account .

We have rather in awed contemplation the divine,

ineffable,transcendental SPIRIT —the Immortal fer

HUMAN REASON 97

vour—into which the whole World evolves . Wehave the mystery of the Holy Spirit in View

,called

by its many names .

It is because theologies will contest concerningdi vers names of the same thing

,that we therefore

seek,in transcending

,but to identify . It is because

men will dispute about forms,that we seek ph ilo s o

ph ica lly to Show that all forms are impossible—that ,when we take the human reason into account

,all

forms of belief are alike . Reason has been the greatenemy of religion . L e t us see if this world’s reasoncannot be mastered .

(

We are now about—i n a new light—to treat of facts,

and of various historical monuments . They all bearreference to this universal story of the mystic Fire .

We claim to be the first to point out how strikingly—and yet how

,at the same time

,without any sus

p icion of it—these emblems and remains , in so manycurious and unintelligib le forms

,of the magic religion

are found in the Christian churches .

CHAPTER THE TWELFTH

MONUME NTS RA ISE D TO FIRE - WORSH IP IN AL L

COUNTRIE S

WE think that we shall be able fully in our succeedingchapters to place beyond contradiction an extraordinary discovery . It is

,that the whole round of

d isputed emblems which so puzzle antiquaries,and

which are found in all countries,point to the belief

in Fire as the First Principle . We seek to show thatthe Fire -Worship was the very earliest

,from the

immemorial times— that it was the foundation religio n

— that the attestation to it is preserved inmonuments scattered all over the globe— that therites and usages of all creeds

,down even to our own

day,and in everyday use about us

,bear reference

to i t—that problems and puzzles in religion,which

cannot be otherwise explained,stand clear and evident

when regarded in this new light— that in all the Christian varieties of belief— as truly as in B h u d di sm

,in

Mohammedanism,in Heathenism of all kinds

,whether

Eastern,or Western

,or Northern

,or Southern—this

Mystery of Fire stands ever general,recurring

,and

conspicuous—and that in being so,beyond all measure

,

old,and so

,beyond all modern or any idea of it

,

general— as universal,in fact

,as man himself

,and

the thoughts of man ; and, as being that beyondwhich

,in science and in natural philosophy

,we can

not further go,it must carry truth with it

,however

difficult to comprehend,and however unsuspected :

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 00 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

stract or ‘

imp a rticle d existence—existence needing something other than itself to find itself— logiciansmust see at once in this that Comparison is constitu te d from out of which d if e r e n ce is built L ight andShadow

,or a world

,whether the moral world or the

real world .

The immemorial landmark,in the architectural

form,is the upright . We find the earliest record of

this in,the setting - u p of monumental stones . Seth

is said to have engraved the wisdom of the Antedi iuvi a n s upon two pillars—one of brick

,the other

of stone—which he erected in the Sir i a d ic landa Te rr a I n cogn i ta to modern antiquaries . This raising of the reminding- stone prevails in all places

,

and was the act of all time . It is the only i n d e p e ndent thing which stands distinct out of the cloudsof the past . It would seem universally to refer tothe single Supernatural Tradition— all that is heiredout of Time . A mysterious Cabalistic volume ofhigh repute

,and of the greatest antiquity

,is Th e

B ook of L i ght, whose doctrine divides . The firstdogma is that of L ight - Enlightened ’

,or Self

Existent which signifies God,or the L ight Spiritual

,

which is darkness in the world,or Manifestation or

Creation . This L ight - Enlightened is Inspiration,or

blackness to men (God) , opposed to knowledge , orbrightness to men (the Devil) . The second L ight isthe Enlightening L ight

,or the Material L ight

,which

is the producer,foundation

,and God of thi s World

—proceeding,nevertheless

,from God ; for He is All .

It is in reverence to this second light , and to theMysterious Identity of both (the third power Threein On e )—but only in the necessity of being —alldark—being constituting all bright - being in the Spirit

,

and B oth,and their identity

,being On e—that these

monumental pillars are raised—being really the mark

SUN - GODS 1 0 1

and the signal (warning on , in Time) of supernatural ,or magic

,knowledge .

Stones were set up by the Patriarchs : the Biblerecords them . I n India

,the first obj ects of worship

were monoliths . I n the two peninsulas of India,in

Ceylon,in Persia

,in the Holy L and

,in Phoenicia

,in

Sa rma th i a,in Scythia

,everywhere where worship was

attempted (and in what place where man exists is itnot everywhere where worship was practised (andwhere

,out of fears

,did not

,first

,come the gods

,and

then their propitiation — i n all the countries,we

repeat,as the earliest of man ’s work

,we recognize

this sublime,mysteriously speaking

,ever - recurring

monolith,marking up the tradition of the super

naturally real,and only real

,Fire - dogma . Buried so

far down in time,the suspicion a ssents that there

mu s t somehow be truth in the foundation not faneiful

,legendary

,philosophical creed- truth

,unexplain

able (and only to be admitted without question)truth ; but truth , however mysterious and awing ,yet cogent

,and not to be of philosophy (that is , illu

mination) denied .

The death and descent of Balder into the Hell ofthe Scandinavians may be supposed to be the purgatory of the Human Unit (or the God—illuminate) , fromthe L ight (through the God- dark phases of being) ,back into its native L ight . Balder was the Scandinavian Sun - God

,and the same as the Egyptian Osiris

,

the Greek Hercules,Bacchus

,and Phoebus

,or Apollo

,

the Indian Cr i s h n a,the Persian Mithras

,the Aten of

th e empires of insular Asia or,even Of the Sidonians

,

the Athyr or Ashtaroth . The presences of all thesedivi nities— indeed

,of all Gods—were of the semblance

of Fire ; and we recognize , as it were , the mark ofthe foot of them

,or of the Impersonated Fire

,in the

countless uprights,left

,as memorials

,in the great

1 02 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

ebb of the ages (as waves) to nations in the latterdivisions of that great roll of periods called Time ;yet so totally unguessing of the preternatural mystery— seeming the key of all belief

,and the reading of all

wonders—which they speak .

It is to be noted that all the above religions— allthe Creeds of Fire—were exceedingly similar in theirnature ; that they were all fortified by rites , andfenced around with ceremonies and that

,associated

as they were with mysteries and initiations,the dis

cip le was led through the knowledge of them in stages ,as his powers augmented and his eyes saw

,until

,to

wards the last grades (as he himself grew capable andilluminate) , the door was closed upon all after- pressing and unrecognized inquirers

,and the Admitted

On e was himself lost sight of .There was a great wave to the westward of all

knowledge,all cultivation of the arts

,all tradition

,all

intellect,all civilization

,all religious belief . The

world was peopled westwards . There seems somesecret

,divine impress upon the world’s destinies

and,indeed

,ingrain in cosmical matter—i n these

matters . All faiths seem to have di verged out,the

narrower or the wider,as rays from the great central

sun of this tradition of the Fire - Original . It wouldseem that Noah

,who is suspected to be the F o

,Foh

,

or F oh i,of the Chinese

,carried it into the farthest

Cathay of the Middle Ages . What is the ChineseTien

,or Earliest Fire ? The pagodas of the Chinese

(which name , t a god a ,was borrowed from the Indian

from which country of India,indeed

,probably came

into China its worship,and its B hu d d i s t doctrine of

the exhaustion back into the divine light,or u n p a r

ticle d nothi ngness,of all the stages of B eing or of

Evil)— the Chinese pagodas , we repeat , are nothingbut innumerable gilt and belled fanciful repetitions

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 04 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

fl ame - fanes of the Parsees,in the original of the cam

pa n i le s of the Italians , in the tower of St . Mark atVenice

,in the fl ame - shaped or pyramidal (pyr is the

Greek for fire) architecture of the Egyptians (whichis the parent of all that is called architecture) , we seethe recurring symbol . All the minarets that

,in the

Eastern sunshine,glisten through the L and of the

Moslem ; indeed , his two - horned crescent,equally

wi th the moon,or disc

,or two - pointed globe Of the

Sidonian Ashtaroth (after whose forbidden worshipSolomon

,the wisest of mankind

,in his defection from

the God of his fathers,evilly thirsted) also

,the mys

tic d i s cu s,Or round of the Egyptians

,so continually

repeated,and set

,as it were

,as the forehead -mark

upon all the temples of the land of soothsayers andsorcerers— this Egypt so profound in its philosophies

,

in its wisdom,in its magic- seeing

,and in its religion

,

raising out of the black Abyss a God to'

fs h a d ow it—all the minarets of the Mohammedan

,we say

,to

gether with all the other symbols Of - moon,of di sc

,of

wings,or of horns (equally with the shadowy and pre

te rn a tu r a l beings in all mythologies and in all theologies

,to which these adj uncts or i n s ign i a are referred,

and which are symboliz ed by them) —all these monuments

,or bodied meanings

,testify to the D e ifi ca tion

of Fire .

What may mean that Tower of Babel ’ and itsimpious raising

,when it sought

,even past and over

the Clouds,to imply a daring sign ? What portent

was that betrayal of a knowledge not for man—thatsurmise forbidden save in infinite humility

,and in the

whispered impartment of the further and seeminglymore impossible

,and still more greatly mystical

,

meanings ? In utter abnegation of self alone shallthe mystery of fire be conceived . Of what was th is

Towe r Of B elus,or the Fire

,to be the monument ?

THE TOWE R ,

‘

TOR’

,OR

‘

TAU’

OF B AB E L 1 05

When it soared,as a ph a ros

,on the rock of the tra

d ition a ry ages , to defy time in its commitment to‘ form of the unpronounceable secret— stage onstage and story on story

,though it climbed the clouds

,

and on its top should shine the ever - burning fi refi r s t idol of the world

,dark

,save with neglected

stars —what was the Tower of Babel but a giganticmonolith Perhaps to record and to perpetuate thisground- fi re of all ; to be worshipped, an idol , in itsvisible form

,when it should be alone taken as the

invisible thought : fire to h e waited for (spirit - possession ) , not waited on (idolatry) . Therefore was thespeech confounded

,that the thing should not h e ;

therefore,under the myth of climbing into heaven

by the means of it,was the first colossal monolithic

temple (in which the early dwellers upon the earthsought to enshrine the Fire) laid prostrate in the thunder of the Great God ! An d the languages were confounded from that day— speech was made babble—thence its name—that the secret should remain asecret . It was to be only darkly hinted

,and to be

fi tfu lly disclosed, like a false - showing light,in the

theosophic glimmer,amidst the world’s knowledge

lights . It was to reappear,like a spirit

,to the ini

ti a te in the glimpse of reverie,in the snatches of

sight,in the profoundest wisdom

,through the studies

of the ages .

We find,in the religious administration of the anc

icn t world,the most abundant proofs of the secret

fi re - tradition . Schwe igge f shows , in his I n trodu cti oni n to M ythology (pp . 1 3 2 ,

that the PhoenicianCabiri and the Greek Dioscuri

,the Curetes

,Cory

h antes,Te lch i n i

,were originally of the same nature

,

and are only different in trifling particulars . All

these symbols represent electric and magnetic phenomena

,and that under the ancient name of twin—fi r e s

,

1 06 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

hermaphrodite fire . The Dioscuri is a phrase e qu iv alent to the Sons of Heaven if

,as Herodotus asserts

,

Zeus originally represented the whole c ircle ofheavenAccording to the ancient opinion of Heraclitus

,the

contest of opposing forces is the origin of new bodies,

and the reconcilement of these contending principlesis called combustion . This is

,according to Mont

faucon , sketched in the minutest detail in the e n gr a vings of the ancient Phoenician Cabiri .From India into Egypt was imported this spiritual

fi re - belief . We recognize,again

,its never- failing

structure - signal . Rightly regarded,the great Pyra

mids are nothing but the world—enduring architecturalattestation

,following (in the pyramidal) the well

known leading law of Egypt ’s templar - piling—moundlike

,spiry—o i the universal Flame - Faith . Place a

light upon the summit,star - like upon the sky

,and a

prodigious altar the mighty Pyramid then becomes .

In this tribute to the world - fi lli n g faith , burneth expressed devotion to (r a d i a te th acknowledgment of)the immemorial magic religion . There is little doubtthat as token and emblem of fi r e - worship

,as indic

ative of the adoration Of the real,accepted deity

,

these Pyramids were raised . The idea that they wereburial—places of the Egyptian mon archs is untenable

,

when submitted to the weighing of meanings,and

when it comes side by side with this better fi re - explanation . Cannot we accept these Pyramids as thevast altars on whose top should burn the fl ameflame commemorative

,as it were

,to all the world ?

Cannot we see in these piles,literally and really trans

ce n d e n ta l in origin,the Egyptian reproduction

,and a

hieroglyphical signalling—o n,of special truth

,eldest of

time ? DO we not recognize in the Pyramid therepetition of the first monolith— all the uprights con

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 08 THE ROSICRUCIANS

fl ame - secret was preserved . I n most j ealous secrecywas the tradition guarded

,and the symbol alone was

presented to the world . Of the Pyramids,as pro

d igiou s Fire—Monuments , we have before spoken .

Magnificent as the principal Pyramid still is,it is

stated by an ancient historian that it originally formed,

at the base,a square of eight hund red feet

,and that

it was eight hundred feet high Another informs usthat three hundred and Sixty- six thousand men wereemployed twenty years in its erection ’

. Its heightis now supposed to be s ix hund red feet . Have histor i a n s and antiquaries careful ly weighed the fact

(even in the n ame of the Pyramids) , that Pyr , or P u r ,in the Greek

,means F i r e ? We would argue that

that obj ect,in the Great Pyramid

,which has been

mistaken for a tomb (and which is , moreover , ratherfashioned like an altar

,smooth and plain

,without any

carved work) , is , in reality, the vase , urn , or depository,of the sacred

,ever—burning fir e : of the existence of

which ever- living,inextinguishable fire

,to be found

at some period of the world’s history,there is abun

dant tradition . This View is fortified by the statementsof D iod oru s

,who writes that Cheops

,or Chemis

,

who founded the principal Pyramid,and Ce ph r e n ,

orCe ph re n u s , who built the next to it , were neitherburied here

,but that they were deposited elsewhere ’

.

Cheops,Ce ph re n u s , and Mycerinus

,the mighty

builders of these super - gigantic monuments,of which

it is said that they look as if in tended to resist thewaste of the ages

,and

,as in a front of supernatural

and sublime submission,to await

,in the undulation

of Time (as in the waves of centuries) , the expectedrevolution of nature

,and the new and recommencing

series of existence,surely h a d in View something

grander,something still more universally portentous

,

than sepulture—or even death !

THE PYRAM IDS 1 09

I s it at all reasonable to conclude,at a period when

knowledge was at the highest,and when the human

powers were,in comparison with ours at the present

time,prodigious

,that all these indomitable

,scarcely

believable,physical efforts— that such achievements

as those of the Egyptians— Were devoted to a mistakethat the Myriads of the N ile

"

were fools labouringin the dark

,and that all the magic of their great men

was forgery ? and that we,in despising that which

we call their superstition and wasted power,are

alone the wise ? NO ! there is much more in theseold religions than

,probably

,in the audacity Of modern

den ial,in the confidence of these s u p e rfi ci a l

- sciencetimes

,and in the derision of these days without faith

,

is in the least degree supposed . We do not understand the Old time .

It is evident from their hieroglyphics that theEgyptians were acquainted with the wonders of magnetism . By means o i it (and by the secret powerswhich lie in the hyper - sensual

,heaped floors of it) ,

out of the every - day senses,the Egyptians struck

together,as it were

,a bridge

,across which they

paraded into the supernatural ;"

the magic portalsreceiving them as on the other and a rmed side of adrawbridge

,shaking in its thunders in its raising (or

in its lowering) , as out of flesh . Athwart this,in

trances,swept the adepts

,leaving their mortali ty

behind them : all,and their earth - surroundings

,to

be resumed at their reissue upon the plains of life,

when down in their huma nity again .

I n the cities of the ancient world,the Palladium

,or

Protesting Talisman (invariably set up in the chiefsquare or place) , was— there is but little doubt— thereiteration of the very earliest monolith . All theObelisks— each Often a single stone

,of prodigious

weight - all the Singular,solitary

,wonderful pillars

1 1 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

and monuments of Egypt,as of other la nds

,are

,as

it were,only tombstones of the Fire ! All testify to

the great,so darkly hinted secret . I n Troy was the

image of Pallas,the myth of knowledge

,of the world

,

of manifestation,of the fi re - soul . I n Athens was

Pallas -Athene,or Minerva . In the Greek cities

,the

form of the deity Changed variously to B acchus,to

Hercules,to Phoebus -Apollo to the tri - formed Minerva

,

D ian , and Hecate to the dusky Ceres,or the darker

Cybele . I n the wilds of Sa rma th i a,in the wastes

Of Northern Asia,the luminous rays descended from

heaven,and

,animating the L ama

,or ‘

L ight - Bornspoke the same story . The flames of the Greeks

,

the towers of the Phoenicians,the emblems of the

Pelasgi ; the story of Prometheus , and the myth ofhis stealing the fire from heaven

,wherewith to animate

the man (or ensoul the Visible world) ; the forges ofthe Cyclops

,and the monuments of Sicily ; the

mysteries of the Etrurians ; the rites of the Ca r th a gi n i a n s ; the torches borne , in all priestly demons tr a tive processions

,at all times

,in all countries ;

the vestal fires of the Romans the very word flame n ,

as indicative of the office of the Officiating sacerdotethe hidden fires of the ancient Persians

,and of the

grimmer (at least in name) Guebres the whole mysticmeaning of flames on altars

,of the ever- burning

tombs - lights of the earlier peoples,whether in the

classic or in the barbarian lands— everything of thiskind was intended to signify the deified Fire . Firesare lighted in the funeral ceremonies of the Hindoosand of the Mohammedans

,even to this day

,though

the body h e committed whole to earth . Whereforefire

,then ? Cremation and urn - burial

,or the burn

ing of the dead—practised in all ages— imply a profounder meaning than is generally supposed . Theypoint to the transmigration of Pythagoras

,or to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

—s o to these men of Sidon,emblemed with the fi re

white horns of the globed Astarte,or Ashtaroth

,

showed the monster rocks pillar- portals— fi r e—toppedas the last world- beacon— to close in (as gate) thatclassic sea

,and to warn

,as of the terrors of the u n

known,new

,and second world of farthest waters

,

which stretched to the limits of possibility . Forsaking

,indeed

,daringly

,were these Iberi their altars

,

to tempt perils,when they left behind them that

mouth of their Mediterranean : that sea upon whoseembayed and devious margin were nations the mostdiverse

,yet the mightiest of the earth . The very

name of the Iberia which they discovered,and to

which they themselves gave title,hints the C a b i r i

,

who carried,doubtless

,in their explorations

,as equally

with their commerce and their arts,their religious

usages and their faith,as pyramidically intensifying

,

until it flashed truth upon the worlds in the grandFire—Dogm a—that faith to which sprung monumentsfrom all the sea - borders at which glittered the beak—itself an imitation fl ame—of every many - oared

,

single ship of their adventurous,ocean - dotting fleets

—the precursors of the exploring ships of the Vikings .

We claim the cauldron of the witches as,in the

original,the vase or urn of the fiery transmigration

,

in which all the things of the world change . Weaccept the Sign of the double - extended fingers (pointedin a fork) or of horn s , which throughout Italy, theGreek Islands

,Greece

,and Turkey ,

is esteemed as thecounter - charm to the Evil Eye

,as the occult Magian

telegraphic . The horns,or r a d i i of the Merry-Andrew

,

or Jester,or Motley

,and the horns of Satan

,indeed

,

the figure of horns generally 1,even have a strange

1 Horn s ge n e r a lly—whe the r th e horn s of th e cocu,which n e e d

n ot b e thos e of th e‘

witto l or con te n te d,b e tr a ye d hu s ba n d ,

b u t ge n e r a lly implyi n g th e mys te r iou s u ltr a - n a tu r a l s cor n ,r a n gin g

MAGIC SYMB OLS 1 1 3

a ffi nity in the consecrate and religious . The horseshoe

,so universally employed as a defensive charm

,

and used as a sign to warn - off and to consecrate,

when— as it so frequently is— displayed at the entranceof stables

,outhouses

,and farm - buildings in country

places,spea ks the acknowledgment of the Devil

,or

Sinister Principle . The rearing aloft,and throwing

out as it were,of protesting

,and— i n a certain fashion

—badge - like,magic signs

,in the bodies of bats

,and

wild nocturnal creatures,

fixed upon barn doors,we

hold to be the perpetuation of the old heathen sacrificeto

,

the harmful gods,or a sort of devi l - propitiation .

Again,in this horse - shoe we meet the hors e

,as indi

cative of,and connected wi th

,spirit power of which

strange association we shall by and by have more tosay . The horse - shoe is the mystic symbol of theWizard’s Foot

,or the s igma , or sign , of the abstract

Four—footed the strangely secret,constantly pre

sented,but as constantly evading

,magic meaning

conveyed in which (a tremendous cabalistic sign) weencounter everywhere . Ma y the original , in the EastOf the horse - shoe arch of the Saracens

,which is a

foundation—form of our Gothic architecture—maythe horse - shoe form of all arches and cupolas (whichfigure is to be met everywhere in Asia) —may thesestrange

,rhomboidal curves carry reference to the

ancient mysterious blending of the ideas of the horseand the supernatural and religious It is an awingthought ; but Spirits and supernatural embodiments—unperceived by our limi ted

,vulgar senses—may

make their daily walk amidst us,invisible

,in the

ways of the world . It may indeed be that they aresometimes suddenly h a ppe n ed u pon

,and

,as it were

,

in me a n in g wi th th e a ttir in g a n d s tigma tiz i n g of Actaeon tu r n e din to th e s ta g , a n d hu n te d by h i s own hou n ds

,for s u rpr i s in g D i a n a

n a ke d .

1 1 4 THE 1205c DorANS

surprised . The world—although so silent—ma y b enoisy with ghostly feet . The Unseen Ministers mayevery d a y pass i n and out among our ways , and weall the time think that we have the world to ourselves .

It is,as it were

,to this i n s i d e

,unsuspected world

that these recogn itive,deprecatory signs of horse

shoes and of charms are addressed that the harmingpresences

,unprovoked

,may pass harmless ; that the

j ealous watch of the Unseen over us may be assuagedin the acknowledgment ; that the unrecognized pres e n ce s amidst us

,if met with an unconsciousness for

which man cannot be accountable,may not be offended

with carelessn ess in regard of them for which he maybe punishable .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 6 THE ROSICRUCIANS

placing of upright stones as tombstones,which is

generally accepted as a mere means of personal record—for

,be it remembered

,the ancients placed ta blets

against their walls by way of funeral register ; allfollow the same rule . We consider all these as varia tio n s of the upright commemorative pillar .

The province of Brittany,in France

,is thickly

studded with stone pillars,and the history and man

ners of its people teem with interesting,and very

curious,traces of the worship of them . I n these parts

,

and elsewhere,they are distinguished by the name

of M e n h i rs a n d P eu lva n s . The superstitious ve n e r a t

ion of the Irish people for such stones is well known .

M . de F rémi n ville says in his A n tiqu i tés du F i n i s terr e ,p . 1 06 : The Celts worshipped a divinity whichunited the attributes of Cybele and Venus ’

. Thisworship prevailed also in Spain—as

,doubtless

,through

out Europe—inasmuch as we find the Eleventh andTwelfth Councils of Toledo warning those who offeredworship to stones that they were sacrificing to devils .

We are taught that the D ruidical institution ofBritain was Pythagorean

,or patriarchal

,or B rah

mi n ica l. The presumed universal knowledge whichthis order possessed

,and the singular customs which

they practised,have afforded sufficient analogies

and affinities to maintain the occult and remote originof Druidism . A Welsh antiquary insists that theDruidical system of the Metempsychosis was conve ye d to the Brahmins of India by

' a former emigrationfrom Wales . But

,the reverse may have occurred

,

if we trust the elaborate researches which woulddemonstrate that the Druids were a scion of theOriental family . The reader is referred to Toland’sHi s tory of the D ru i d s

,in his M i s cella n eou s Works

,

vol . ii,p . 1 63 also to a book published in L ondon in

1 829, with the title The Celti c D ru i d s or,A n A ttemt t

THE DRUIDS 1 1 7

to s how th a t the D ru i d s we r e the P r i e s ts of Or i e n ta l

Colon i e s,who emigr a ted fromI n d i a ,

by Godfrey Higgins .

A recent writer confidently intimated that the knowledge of Druidism must be searched for in the Talmu di ca l writings ; but another , in return , assertsthat the Druids were older than the Jews .

Whence and when the B ritish Druids transplantedthemselves to this lone world amid the ocean

,no

historian can write . We can j udge of the Druidssimply by the sublime monuments which are left ofthem

,surviving

,in their maj estic loneliness

,through

the ages of civilization . Unhewn masses or heaps ofstones tell alone their story ; such are their ca i r n s

,

and cromle ch s,and cor n ed d e s

,and that wild archi

tecture,whose stones hang on one another

,still frown

ing on the plains of Salisbury .

Among the most remarkable ancient remains inWales (both North and South) are the D ruidicalstones : poised in the most e xtr a or d i n a ry

'ma n n e ra real engineering problem— the slightest touch willsometimes suffice to set i n motion the L oga n ,

or rocking

,stones

,whether these balanced masses are found

in Wales or elsewhere . We think th a t'

th e re is veryconsiderable ground for concluding that all thesemounted stones were oracular

,or

,so to express it

,

speaking and that,when sought for divine responses

,

they were caused first to tremble,then to heave

,and

finally,like the tables of the modern (s o - called) Spirit

u a li s ts,to tip

,

_i n te lligib ly r To no other reason. than

this could we satisfactorily refer the name underwhich they are known in Wales : namely

,bowing

stones For the idea that they were denominated‘ bowing - stones because to the people they formedobj ects of adoration is a supposition infinitely lesssatisfactory . The reader will perceive that we admitthe phenomenon

,when the mysterious r a tt or i is effected,

1 1 8 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

of the spontaneous sensitiveness and ultimate sympathetic motion o i solid obj ects . No one who haswitnessed the strange

,unexplained power which tables

,

after proper preparation,acquire of supplying i n te llig

ent signals— impossible as it may seem to thosewho have not witnessed and tested these phenomena—but will see that there is great likelihood of thesemagic stones having been reared and haunted by thepeople for this special sensitive capacity . This ideawould greatly increase the maj esty and the wonderof them ; in other respects , except for some extraordinary and superstitious use

,these mysterious

,

solitary stones appear obj ectless .

The famous Round Table of King Arthur—i nregard to which that mystic hero is understood tohave instituted an order of knighthood 1—may havebeen a magical consulting - disc

,round which he and

his peers sat for oracular directions . As it is of largedimensions

,it presents a similarity not only to some

of the prophesying - stones,but also

,in a greater degree

,

to the movable enchanted drums of the L apps andFirms

,and to the divining - tables of the Shamans of

Siberia . There lies an unsuspected purpose,doubt

less Of a mysterious (very probably of a superstitiousand supernatural) character , in this exceedingly ancientmemorial of the mythic British and heroic time atWinchester .

When spires or steeples were p laced on churches ,and succeeded the pyramidal tower

,or square or

round towers,these pointed erections were only the

perpetuations of the original monolith . The universalsignal was reproduced through the phases of architecture . The supposition that the obj ect of thesteeple was to point out the church to the surrounding

1 I t wa s a ls o s ome thin g e ls e —to which we ma ke r e fe re n ce i nothe r pa rts of ou r book .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 20 THE ROSICRUCIANS

day,which formed the ancient Scandinavia

,and in

Germany,particularly in the North

,on the first of

Ma y ,as in celebration of some universal feast or festival

,

fires are even now lighted on the tops of the hills .

How closely this practice accords with the supers titiou s usages of the Bohemians

,or Fire—kings

,

’

of Prague,is discoverable at a glance . All these

western flames are representative of the early fire,

which was as equally th e obj ect of worship of theGu b h s

,Guebres

,or Gaurs of Persia

,as it is the admitted

natural principle of the Parsees . Parsees,Bohemians

,

the Gipsies or Zingari,and the Guebres

,all unite in a

common legendary fi r e - worship .

B eside the ancient market - crosses and waysideGothic uprights

,of which so many picturesque speci

mens are yet to be found in England,Wales

,and

Scotland,we may enumerate the splendid funeral

crosses raised by the brave and pious King Edwardto the memory of his wife . Holinshed writes : I n

the nineteenth ye a re of King Edward, queene E li a n or ,King Edward’s wife

,died

,upon saint And rew’s e u e n

,

at Hird e b i e,or He rd e li e (as some haue) , meere to

L i n coln e . I n e u e r ie towne and place where the corpserested by the wa i e

,the King caused a crosse of cun

ning workmanship to be erected in remembrance ofhir ’

. Two of the like crosses were set up at L ondon—one at We s tch e a p e (the last but one) , and theother at Charing which is now Charing Cross

,and

where the last cross was placed .

The final obsequies were solemnized in the AbbeyChurch at Westminster

,on the Sunday before the

day of St . Thomas the Apostle,by the B ishop of L i n

coln and the King gave twe lve manors and hamletsto the Monks

,to defray the charges of yearly Ob i ts

,

and of gifts to the poor,in lasting commemoration

of his beloved consort .

QUE EN- E L EANOR CROSSE S 1 2 1

Some writers have stated the number of crossesraised as above at thirteen . These were

,L incoln

,

Newark,Grantham

,L eicester

,Stamford

,Geddington

,

Northampton,Stoney- Stratford

,Woburn

,Dunstable

,

St . Alban’s,Waltham

,We s tch e a p e (Cheapside) , not

far from where a fountain for a long time took theplace of another erection

,and where the statue of

Sir Robert Peel now stands . The last place wherethe body rested

,whence the memorial - cross sprung

,

and which the famous equestrian statue of KingCharles the First now occupies

,is the present noisy

highway of Charing Cross and,as then

,it opens to

the royal old Abbey of Westminster . What a changedstreet is this capital opening at Charing Cross

,White

hall,and Parliament Street from the days— it almost

then seeming a river- bordered country road—whenthe cross spired at one end

,and the old Abbey closed

the Views southwards .

In regard to the royal and sumptuous obsequies of

Queen Eleanor , Fabian , who compiled his Chron i cle stowards the latter part of the reign of Henry VI I

,

speaking of her burial—place,has th e following remark

Sh e h a the I I wexe ta pe r s b r e n n yn ge u pon h er tomb eboth d a ye a n d n yght. Wh i ch s o h a th con tyn n ed s yn e

the d a y of h er bu ryi n ge to th i s pr e s e n t d a ye’

The beacon - warning,the Fiery Cross of Scotland

,

the universal use of fires on the tops of mountains,

on the seashore,and on the highest turrets of castles

,

to give the signal of alarm,and to telegraph some

information of importance,originated in the first

religious flames . Elder to these summoning or notifying lights was the mysterious worship to which firerose as the answer . From religion the beaconpassed into military use . On certain set occasion s

,

and on special Saints ’ Days,and at other times of

observance,as the traveller i n Ireland well knows

,

1 22 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

the multitude of fires on the tops of the hills,and in

any conspicuous situation,would gladden the eyes

of the most devout Parsee . The special subj ect ofillumination

,however we may have become accustomed

to regard it as the most ordinary expression of triumph,

and of mere j oyous celebration,has its origin in a

much more abstruse and sacred source . I n Scotland,

particularly,the reverential ideas associated with

these mythic fires are strong . Perhaps in no countryhave the impressions of superstition deeper hold than inenlightened

,thoughtful

,educated

,and (in so many

respects) prosaic Scotland ; and in regard to theseoccult and ancient fires

,the tradition of them

,and

the ideas concerning their origin,are preserved as a

matter of more than cold speculation . Countrylegendary accounts and local usages—obtained fromwe know not whence— all referring to the same myth

,

all pointing to the same Protean superstition,are

traceable,to the present

,in all the English counties .

Cairns in Scotland ; heaps of stones in b y - spots inEngland

,especially— solitary or in group— to be

found on the tops of hills ; the Druidical mounds ;the raising of crosses on the Continent

,in Germany

,

amongst the windings of the Alps,in Russia (by the

roadside,or at the entrance of villages) , in Spain , in

Poland,in lonely and secluded spots probably even

the first use of the sign—post at the j unction ofroads ; all these point , in strange , widely radiantsuggestion

,to the fi re - religion .

Whence obtained is that word sign as designating the guide

,or direction

,post

,placed at the inter

section of cross - roads ? Nay,whence gained we

that peculiar idea of the sacredness,or of the

‘

forh i d d e n attaching to the spot where four roads meetIt is s a cer

,as sacred

,in the L atin ; extra - church

or heathen ’

,supposedly

‘ unhallowed in the modern

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 24 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

changes of the faiths and the renewal of the Churches,

and as yet undreamt— burn the solemn lamps in multitude

,in their richly worked

,their highly wrought

,

cases of solid gold or of glowing silver,bright—glancing

in the mists of incense,and in the swell or fall of

sacredly melting or of holily entrancing music Beforespiry shrine and elaborate drop - work tabernacle ;in twilight hollow

,diapered as into a glory of stone

and in sculptured niche in the serried and starry ranksof the columned wax

,or in rows of bossy cressets

intertwine and congregate the perfumed flame s as implying the tradi tion eldest of time ! What meaneth

,

in the Papal architectural piles,wherein the Ghostly

Fire is enshrined,symbolic r e a l fi r e , thus before the

High Altar ? What speak those constellations oflights what those silvery stars of AnnunciationWhat s ign ifi e th fire u pon the altar ? What gatherwe at all from altars and from s a cr ifi ce— the delivering

,

as through the ga te of fi r e , of the first and the best ofthis world

,whether of the fruits

,whether of the flocks

,

whether of the primal and perfectest of Victims,or

the rich spoil of the world- states ’ What meanthe human sacrifices of the Heathen the passing ofthe children through the fire to Moloch ; the devotion of the consummate

,the most physically perfect

,

and most beautiful,to the glowing Nemesis

,in that

keenest,strangest

,yet divinest fi r e—appetite the

offered plunder,the surrendered lives

,of the pre

d a tory races What signifies theSacrifice of Iphigenia,

the burning of living people among the Gauls,the

Indian fiery immolations What is intended even bythe patriarchal sacrifices ? What is the meaning ofthe burnt offe r i n gs , s o frequent in the Bible In short

,

what read we,and what seem we conclusively to

gather,we repeat

,in this mystic thing

,and hitherto

almost meaningless,if not contradictory and silencing

CHRISTIAN AND HEATHEN M YSTIC L IGHTS 1 25

institution of sacrifice by fire What gather we,other

wise than in the explanation of the thing signified,

by it We speak of sacrifice as practised in all ages,

enj oined in all holy books,elevated into veneration

,

as a necessity of the highest and most sacred kind .

We find it in all countries— east,west

,north

,and

south ; in the Old equally as in the New World .

From whence should this strange and unexplainablerite come

,and what should it mean as

,indeed

,what

should mean the display of bright fire a t a ll in themysteries

,Egyptian

,Cabiric

,Scandinavian

,Eleu

sinian,Etrurian

,Indian

,Persian

,Primal American

,

Tartarian,Phoenician

,or Celtic

,from the earliest of

time until this very modern,instant

,English day of

candles on altars,and of the other kindred religious

High - Church lightings — respecting which therer a n kle th such scandal

,and i n te n s ifi e th such purpose

less babble,such daily dispute ! What should all

this inveterate ritualistic (as it is absurdly called)controversy

,and this ill - understood bandying

,be

about ? I s it that,even at this day

,men do not

understand anything about the symbols of their r e

ligion ,and that the things for which they struggle

are mere words ? really that the principles of th eirwonderful and supernatural faith are perfectly u n

known,and that they reason with the inconclusiveness

,

but with nothing of the simplicity of children—nothingof the divine light of childrenBut

,we would boldly ask

,what should all this

wealth of fi re - subj ects me a n,Of which men guess so

little,and know less What should this whole prin

cip le of fi re and of sacrifice be ? What should itsignify but the rendering over

,and the surrender - u p ,

in all abnegation,of the state of man

,of the best and

most valued entities of this world,past and through

the fire,which is the boundary and border and wall

1 26 THE ROSICRUCIANS

between this world and the next — that last elementof all

,on which is all—Fire—having most of the light

of matter in it,as it hath most of the blackness of

matter in it,to make it the fi e rce r and both being

copy,or shadow

,of the Immortal and Ineffable Spirit

L ight,of which

,strange as it may sound

,the sun is

the very darkness ! because that,and the whole Creation

— as being D egree,or even

,in its wonders

,as Greater

or L ess—beautiful and godlike as it is to man,is as

the shadow of God,and hath nothing of Him; but

is instituted as the place of purification,

‘ being’

,

or punishment : the opposite of God,the enemy of

God,and

,in its results

,apart from the Spirit of

God—which rescues supernaturally from i t— thedenier of God ! This world and its shows— nay ,L ife— stands mystically as the Devil

,Serpent

,

Dragon,or Adversary typified through all time ;

the world terrestrial being the ashes of the firecelestial .The torches borne at funerals are not alone for

light they have their mystic meaning . They minglelargely

,as do candles on altars

,in all solemn ce le b r a t

ions . The employment of light in all religious rites ,and in celebration in the general sense

,has an over

p owe r i n gly great meaning . Festival,also

,claims

flame as its secret signal and its password to thepropitious Invisible . L ights and fi amb e a ux andtorches carried in the hand were ever the j oyousaccompaniment of weddings . T

’

h e torch of Hymenis a proverbial expression . The ever - burning lampsof the ancients the steady

,silent tomb - lights (burn

ing on for ages) , from time to time discovered amongthe mouldering monuments of the past in the hypoge a ,or sepulchral caves

,and build ings broken in upon by

men in later day ; the bonfires of the moderns ; thefires on the tops of hills the mass of lamps disposed

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 28 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Sh e to whomth e flameOfmidn ight torche s bu r n s .

‘ She ’

,this blackest of concealment in the mys

te r i e s,Isis

,Io

,Ashtaroth

,or Astarte

,or Cybele or

Proserpine ;‘ he ’ this B aal

,B e l

,

‘

B aalim ’

,Foh

,

B rahm,or B h u d d it —for the Myth is no personality

,

but sexless— Snake,Serpent

,Dragon

,or Earliest at

all of L ocomotion,under whatever ‘

L etter of theAlphabet — all these symbols

,shapes

,or names

,

stand confessed in that first,absolutely primal

,deified

element,Fire

,which the world

,in all religions

,has

worshipped,is worshipping

,and will worship to the

end of time,unconsciously we even in the Christian

religion,and in our modern day

,still doing it—um

witting the meaning of the mysterious symbols whichpass daily before our eyes : all which point

,as we

before have said,to Spirit - L ight as the soul of the

World —otherwise,to the inexpressible mystery of the

Holy Ghost .

L ittle is it suspected what is the myth conveyedin the Fackeltanz and Fackelzug of Berlin

,of which

so much was heard,as a curious Observance

,at the

time of the marriage of the Princess Royal of Englandwith the Prince Frederick William of Prussia . Th isis the Teutonic perpetuation of the ‘Bacchic glory i n gsof the Saturnian rout and fl ame - brandish ing of theearliest and last rite .

The ring of light,glory

,n imbu s

,a u reole

,or circle

Of rays,about the heads of sacred persons the hand

(magnetic and mesmeric) upon sceptres ; the openhand borne in the standards of the Romans ; thedragon crest of Maximin

,of Honorius

,and of the

Barbarian L eaders the D ragon of China and of Japanth e Dragon of Wales ; the mythic Dragon trampledby St . George ; the crowned serpent ’ of the RoyalHouse of Milan ; the cairns , as we have already

THE GHOSTL Y F LAM E 1 29

a ffirmed,

a n d the Runic Monuments ; the RoundTowers of Ireland (regarding which there hath beens o much

,a n d so diverse and vain speculation) ; th e

memorial piles,and the slender (on seashore and up

land) towers left by the Viki n gh s , or Sea- Kings,in

their adventurous a n d preda tory voyages the lege ndsof the Norsemen or the Normans ; the vestiges s o

recently,in the discovery of the forward - of—the~old ~

time ages,exposed to the light of criticism

,in the

time - out - of—mind antique and quaint cities of theextinct peoples and of the forgotten religions in CentralAmerica : the sun or fi re - worship of the Peruvians

,

and their vestal or Virgin - guardians of the fire ;the priestly fi re - rites of the Mexicans

,quenched by

Cortez in the native blood,and

,the context of their

strange,apparently incoherently wild

,belief ; the

inscriptions of amulets,on rin gs and on talismans ;

the singu lar,dark

,and in many respects

,uncouth

a r ca n a of the Bohemians,Zingari

,Gitanos

,or Gipsies

the teaching of the Talmud the hints of the Cabalaalso that little - supposed thing

,even

,meant in the

British golden collar of which is worn as a relicof the oldest day (in perpetuation of a mythos longago buried— spark - like— and forgotten in the dustof ages) by some of our officials , courtly and otherwise ,and which belongs to no known order of knighthood

,but

only to the very highest order of knighthood,the

Magian,or to Magic all these point

,as in the d ive rg

ing radii of the greatest of historical light - suns,to

the central,intolerable ringof brilliancy , or the phenom

enon—the original God ’s revelation,eldest of all creeds

,

survivor,almost

,of Time— of the Sacred Spirit

,or

Ghostly Flame— the baptism of Fire of the ApostlesI n this apparently strange—nay

,to some minds

,

alarming— cla s s ifi ca tion,and throwing under one head

,

of symbols diametrically opposed,as holy and unholy

,

K

1 3 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

benign and sinister,care must be taken to notice

that the types of the Snake or the Dragon standfor the occult ‘ World - Fire by which we mean the‘ light of the human reason

’

,or ‘ manifestation ’

in the general sense,as opposed to the spiritual light

,or

unbodied light into which,as the reverse—although

the same— the former transcends . Thus,s h a d ow is

the only possible means of demonstrating light . It

is not reflected upon that we must have means wherebyto be lifted . After all

,we deal only with glyph s , to

express inexpressible things . Horns mean spiritmanifestation ; Radius signifies the glorying absorption (into the incomprehensible) of that manifestation .

Both signify the same : from any given point,the

On e Spirit working downwards , and also transcendingupwards . From any given point

,in height

,that the

intellect is able to achieve,the same spirit downwards

intensifies into Manifestation ; upwards , dissipatesinto God . I n other words

,before any knowledge

of God can be formed at all,it must have a shape .

God is an abstraction ; Ma n is an entity .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 2 THE ROSICHUCIANS

hended revolves to us,and can come to us in no other

way,and we seize the idea of it through a machinery

-our own j udgment—which is a clear sight compounded of our senses— a synthesis of senses that

,in

the very act of presenting an impossible idea,destroys

it as huma n ly possible . Miracle can be of no date ortime

,whether earlier

,whether later

,if God has not

withdrawn from nature ; and if He has withdrawnfrom nature

,then nature must have before this fallen

to pieces of itself ; for God is intelligence—not lifeonly ; and matter is not intelligent , though it maybe living . It is not seen that during that space—whichis a space taken out of time

,though independent of it

in which mir acle is possible to us,we cease to be

men,because time

,or rather sensation

,is man ’s

measure a n d that when we are men again,and back

in ourselves,the miracle is gone

,because the con

vi ction of the possibility of a thing and its non -

p os s ib

ility has expelled it . The persuasion of a miracle isintuition

,or the operation of God’s Spirit active in us

,

that dr ives out nature for the time,which is the opposite

of the miracle .

No miracle can be j ustified to men ’s minds,because

no amount of evidence can sustain it no number ofattestations can affirm that which we cannot in ournature believe . I n reality

,we believe nothing of

which our senses do not convince u s—even these notalways . I n other matters

,we only believe b e ca u s e we

th i n k we b eli eve and since the con viction of a miraclehas nothing of God except the certain sort of motiveof possessed

,excluding exaltation

,which

,wi th the

mi r a cle,

fills us,and to which exaltation we can give

no name,and which we can only feel as a certain

something in us,a certain power and a certain light

,

conquering and ou'

tshining another light,become

fainter—i t will follow that the conviction of‘

the

QUE STIONS AS TO DRE AM S 1 3 3

possibility of a miracle is the same sort of unquestioning assurance that we have of a dream i n th e d r e ami ts elf ; and that , when the miracle is apprehended inthe mind

,it j ust as much ceases to be a miracle when

we are in our senses,as a dream ceases to be that

which it was,a reality

,and becomes that which it is

,

nonentity,when we awake . B u t to the questions

,

what is a dream —nay,what is waking —who

shall answer ? or who ca n declare whether in thatbroad outside

,where our minds and their powers

evaporate or cease,where nature melts away into

nothing that we can know as nature,or know as any

thing else,i n regard to dreams and realities

,the one

may not be the other ? The dream may be man ’slife to him— as another life other than his own life— and the reality may be the dream (in its variousforms) , which he rej ects as false and confusion simplybecause it is as an unknown language

,of which

,

out of his dream,he can never have the alphabet

but of which,in the dream

,he has the alphabet

,

and can spell well because th a t life is natural to him .

A pretence that every strong and peculiar express i onis merely an Eastern hyperbole is a mighty easy wayof getting rid of the trouble of deep thought andright apprehension

,and has helped to keep the world

in ignorance —M ors e ls of Cr i ti ci sm,L ondon

,1 800 .

It is very striking that,in all ages

,people have

clothed the ideas of their dreams in the same imagery .

Itg

ma y therefore be asked whether that language ,which now occupies so lOw a place in the estimationof men

,be not the actual waking language of the

higher regions,while we

,awake as we fancy ourselves

,

may be sunk in a ‘ sleep of many thousand years,

or at least,in the echo of their dreams

,and only

intelligibly catch a few dim words of that languageof God , as sleepers do scattered expressions fromth e

1 3 4 THE ROSICRUCIANS

loud conversation of those around them ’

. So saysSchubert

,in his Symboli smof D r e ams . There is

every form of the dream - state,from the faintest to

the most intense,in which the gravitation of the out

side world overwhelms the man - senses,and absorbs

the inner unit . I n fa ct,the lighte s t a n d fa i n te s t form

of d re ami s the ve ry thoughts th a t we thi n k.

A very profound English writer,Thomas de Quincey ,

has the following : In the English rite of Co n fi rmation

,by personal choice

,and by sacramental oath

,

each man says,in effect L o ! I rebaptize myself

and that which once was sworn on my behalf,now

I swear for myself .

” Even so in dreams,perhaps

,

under some secret conflict of the midnight sleeper,

lighted up to consciousness at the time,but darkened

to the memory as soon as all is finished,each several

child of our mysterious race may complete for himselfthe aboriginal fall . ’

As to what is possible or impossible,no man

,out

of his presumption and of his self- conceit,has any

right to speak,nor can he speak ; for the nature of

his terms with all things outside of him is unknownto h im. We know that miracle (if once generally b eli e ve d in) would terminate the present order of things ,which are perfectly right and consistent in their ownway . Things that contradict nature are not evokedby reason

,but by man in his miracle - worked imagin

ing,in all time and such exceptions are independent

of reason,which elaborates to a Centre downwards

,

but exhales to apparent impo s s ib ilty (but to realtruth) upwards , that is , truth out of this world .

Upwards has nothing of man ; for it knows himnot . He ceases there but he is made as downwards

,

and finds his man ’s nature there,lowest of all —his

mere bodily nature there perhaps,even to be found

origin ally among the four - footed ; for by the raisin g

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 6 THE ROSI CRUCIANS.

ple te and accepted L iving Great Sacrifice Ma y wenot in th i s ‘ Eucharist

’

partake,not once

,but again

and again,of that— even of that solid— which was our

atonement,and of that blood which was poured out

as the libation to the ‘ Great Earth ’

,profaned by

Sin partaking of that reddest (but that most trans ce n d e n tly lucent) sacrament , which is to be the newlight of a new world ? I s not the very name of theintercommunicating High - Priest that of the factor ofthis mystic

,glorious

,spirit—trodden

,invisible bridge

Whence do we derive the word P on tifex,or P on ti fex

M a ximu s (the Great , or the Highest , Bridge - Maker,

or B uilder) , elicited in direct translation from thetwo L atin words t on s and fa ci o in the earliest preChristian theologies

,a n d become ‘

Pontiff ’ in t h e

Roman and the Christian sense Pontiff ’ fromPontifexIt is surely this meaning— that of fabricator or

maker of the bridge between things sensible andthings spiritual

,between body and spirit

,between this

world a n d the next world,between the spiritualizing

thither ’ and the substantiating ‘ hither tr a n s

being the transit . The whole word,if not the whole

meaning,may be accepted in this Roman Catholic

sense of transubstantiation or thema ki n g ‘

ofmiracle .

Never Idolatry —but Idea recognizing and acknowledging .

CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH

CAN E VID E NCE B E D E PE NDE D UPON ? E XAM INATIONO F HUM E

’S RE ASON ING

‘

OUR evidence for the truth of the Christian religionis less than the evidence for the truth of our sensesbecause

,even in the first authors of our religion

,it

was no greater . It is evident it must diminish inpassing from them to their disciples nor can any onerest such confidence in their testimony as in the immediate obj ect of his senses .

’

This is wrong . The testimony of some men ismore valid than is the evidence of the senses of someothers . All depends upon the power of the mindj udging .

‘

It is a general maxim,that no obj ects have any

discoverable connexion together . All the inferenceswhich we can draw from one to another are foundedmerely on our experience of their constant and regularconj unction . It is evident that we ought not tomake an exception to this maxim in favour of humantestimony

,whose connexion with any event seems

in itself as little necessary as any other .

’

It may be put to a n y‘

per s o n who carefully considers Hume ’s previous position as to the fi xe d n e s sof the proofs of the senses

,whether this last citation

does not upset what he previously affirms .

‘ The memory is tenacious to a certain degree .

Me n commonly have an inclination to truth and aprinciple of probity . They are sensible to shame

1 3 7

1 3 8 THE ROSICRUCIANS

when detected in a falsehood . These are qualitiesin human nature .

’

This is a mistake ; for they are n ot qualities inhuman nature . They are the qualities of grown men

,

because they are reflective of the state of the manwhen he is living in community—not as man .

Contrariety of evidence,in certain cases

,may

be derived from several different causes : from theopposition of contrary testimony—from the characteror number of the witnesses—from the manner oftheir delivering their testimony—or from the unionof all these circumstances . We entertain a suspicionconcerning any matter of fact when the witnessescontradict each other—when they are but few

,or of a

doubtful character—when they h ave an interest inwhat they a ffirm—when they deliver th eir testimonywith hesitation

,or

,on the contrary

,with too Violent

asseverations . There are many oth er particularsof the same kind

,which may diminish or destroy the

force of any argument derived from human testimony .

’

Now,we contest these conclusions ; and we will

endeavour to meet them with a di rect overthrowinganswer . The recognition of likeli hood—not to sayof truth—is intuitive

,and does not depend on testi

mony . In fact,sometimes our belief goes in another

direction than the testimony,though it be even to

matters of fact .

Hume resumes with his cool,logical statements :

‘ The reason why we place a n y'

cr e d it in witnessesand historians is not derived from any connexionwhich we perceive a pr i or i between testimony andreality, but b e ca u s e we a re a ccu s tomed to fi n d a con

formi ty b etwe e n th em.

’

Ju s t s o ! we would add to this ‘ because we areaccustomed to find a conformity between them .

’

We are now arrived at the grand dictum of cool

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 40 THE ROSICRUCIANS

ence and individual experience will in no wise assisttowards the discovery of real truth . I n philosophy

,

no one has a right to lay down any basis,and to assume

it as true . The philosopher must always argue negative ly ,

not affirmatively . The moment he adoptsthe latter course

,he is lost . Hume presupposes all

his Tr e a ti s e on M i r a cle s in this single assumption thatnature itself has laws

,and not laws on ly to ou r fa cu l

ti e s . The mighty d ifference between these two greatfacts will be a t once felt by a thinker ; but we willnot permit Hume to assume anything where he hasno right

,and so to turn the flank of his adversary

by artfully putting forward unawares and carryingan assumption . Nature is only nature in man ’s mind

,

but not true otherwise,any more than that the universe

exists out of the mind—or out of the man,who has in

thinking to make it . Take away,therefore

,the

man in whom the idea of it is,and the universe dis

appears . We will question Hume,the disbelieving

philosopher,as to his right to open his lips

,because

it is very doubtful if language,which is the power

of expression,a n y more than that which we call con

sistent thought,is inseparably consistent to man

,

who is all inconsistence in his beginning,middle

,

and end— i n his coming here and in his going hencefrom here

,out of this strange world ; to which he

does not seem really to belong,and in which world

he seems to have been somehow obtruded,as some

thing not of it— strange as this seems .

As to the philosophy of Hume , granting the ground ,you have

,of course

,all the basis for the constructions

raised upon that ground . But suppose we,who argue

in opposition to Hume,dispute his ground ?

Hume,in his Tr e a ti s e on M i r a cle s

,only begs the

question ; and there is therefore no wonder that ,having first secured his position by consent or negli

IDEAS AND E M OTIONS 1 4 1

gence of the opponent,he may deal from it the shot

of what artillery he pleases and his Opponent,having

once allowed the first ground—or the capacity toargue—has unwittingly let in all the ruinous resultswhich follow ; these philosophically are indisputable .

We would urge that Hume has no capacity to arguein this way

,ina smuch as he has taken the

‘ humanmind ’ as the capacity of arguing . Either reason ormiracle must be first removed

,because you can admit

either ; for they are opposites , and cannot camp inthe same mind : one is idea

,the other is n o idea— i n

th is world and as we are in this world,we can only

j udge as in this world . I n another world,Hume

the philosopher may himself be an impossibility,and

therefore be a miracle,through his own philosophy

,

and the application of it .

Hume is the man of ideas,and is therefore ! very

correct,as a philosopher

,if philosophy were possible

b u t we deny that it is possible in regard to any s p e cu

lation ou t of this world . Ideas— that is,philosophical

ideas—may be described as the steps of the ladderb y which we philosophically descend fromGod . Emotions are also the steps by which alone we can ascendto Him. Human reason is a possibility

,from the

line drawn by which either ascent or descent mayb e made . The things Necessity

,or Fate

,and Free

Will,passing into the mind of man (b oth may be

identical in their nature,though opposite in their

operation) , d i cta te from the invisible,but t er s u a d e

from the visible .

Hume asserts that ‘ a uniform experience amountsto a proof It does not do so

,any more than ‘ ninety

nine ’ are a ‘ hundredHe also says that there is not to be found in all

history any miracle attested by a sufficient numberof men to be believed .

’ Now,we will rej oin to this

,

1 42 THE ROSICRUCIANS

that a public miracle is a public impossibility ; forthe moment it has become public

,it has ceased to be

a miracle .

‘

I n the case of any particular assumedmiracle ’

,he further says

,there are not a sufficient

number of men of such unquestioned good sense,

education,and learning as to secure us against all

delusion in themselves—of such undoubted integrityas to place them beyond a ll suspicion of any designto de ce ive oth ers .

’ Now,to this our answer is

,that

our own senses deceive us ; and why, then , shouldnot the asseverations of othersHume adduces a number of C i rcumstances which

,

he insists,are requisite to give us a full assurance

in the testimony of men but nothing can give usthis assurance in other men ’s testimony that he supposes . We j udge of circumstances ourselves

,upon

our own ideas of the testimony of men—not upon thetestimony itself for we sometimes believe that whichthe witnesses

,with the fullest reliance upon them ,

selves,deny . \Ve j udge upon our own silent con

victio n s— that is,upon all abstract points . It is for

this reason that assurances even by angels,in Scrip

ture,have not been believed by the persons to whom

the message was directly sent . Of course,if the

miracle was displayed through the ordinary channelsof human comprehension

,it was no miracle for com

prehension never has miracle in it .

The maxim by which we commonly conduct ourselves in our reasonings is

,that th e obj ects of which

we have no experience resemble those of which wehave ’ says Hume .

Now,this remark is most true but we cannot help

this persuasion . We conclude inevitably that thingsunknown should resemble things known

,because

,

whatever may be outside of our nature,we have no

means of knowing it,or of discovering anything else

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 44 THE HOSI CKUCIANS

quality of an ignorant mind ; it is rather i n cr edu li tythat is .

Eloquence,when at its highest pitch says Hume ,

‘ leaves little room for reason or r e fle ction .

’

Now,on the contrary

,true eloquence is the em

bodiment or s yn th e s i s of reason a n d reflection .

Eloquence resumes Hume,addresses itself entirely

to the fancy or the affections,captivates the willin g

hearers,and subdues their understanding . Happily

,

this pitch it seldom attains ; but what a Tully ora Demosthenes could scarcely effect over a Romanor Athenian audience

,every capuchin

,every itinerant

or stationary teacher,can perform over the generality

of mankind,and in a higher degr ee , by touching

such gross and vulgar passions .

’

All the above is simply superficial assumption .

Hume then speaks of ‘ forged miracles and pro

ph e ci e s but there is no proof of any forged miracleor prophecy . He says that ‘ there is a strong pro

p e n s i ty in mankind to the extraordinary and themarvellous . There is no kind of report which risesso easily and spreads so quickly

,especially in country

places and provincial towns,as those concerning

marriages,insomuch that two young persons of

equal condition never see each other twice,but the

whole neighbourhood immediately j oin them together .

’

This is all nonsense . There is always a reason forthese suppositions .

Hume then goes on to adduce this same love ofinspiring curiosity and delight in wonders as thecause of the belief in miracles .

Do not he asks,the same passions

,and others

still stronger,incline the generality of mankind to

believe and report,with the greatest vehemence and

assurance,all religious miracles ? ’

Q

COMMON SENSE NOT AL L SE NSE 1 45

Now,this is only very poor and

,besides

,it is all

assumption of truths where they are not .

Hume speaks of supernatural and miraculous relations as having been received from "ignorant andbarbarous ancestors ’

. But what is ignorance andbarbarism —and what is civilization He says thatthey have been ‘ transmitted with that inviolablesanction and authority which always attend receivedOpinions ’

. B u t supernatural and miraculous relations have never been received opinions . They havealways been contested

,and have made their wa y

a g a i n s t the common sense of mankind , because thecommon sense of mankind is common sense

,and

nothing more ; and, in reality , common sense goesbut a very little way

,even in the common trans

actions Of life for fe eli n g guides us in most matters .

‘

All belief in the extraordinary ’

,Hume declares ,

proceeds from the usual propensity of mankindtowards the marvellous

,which only receives a check

at intervals from sense and learning ’

. B u t what aresense and learning both but mere con ce i ts ?

It is strange a j udicious reader is apt to sayremarks Hume

,

‘ upon the perusal of these wonderfulhistories

,

“ that such prodigious events never happenin our B u t such events do occur

,we would

rej oin though they are never believed,and are always

treated as fable,when occurring in their own time .

‘

It is experience only ’

,says Hume

,

‘ which givesauthority to human testimony ’

. Now,it is not e xp e ri

ence only which induces belief,but recognition . It

is not ideas,but light . We do not go to the thing in

ideas , but the thing comes into us , as it were : forinstance , a man never finds that he is awake by e xp e r i

ence,but by influx of the thing waking —whatever

the act of waking is,or means .

‘

When two kinds of experience are contrary,we

1 46 THE ROSICRUCIANS

have nothing to do but to s u btr a ct the on e fromthe

other,and embrace an opinion either on one side or

the other,with that assurance which arises from the

remainder .

’

This which follows may be a conclusion in regardto the above . If beliefs were sums

,we should

,and

could,subtract the difference between two amounts

of evidence,and accept the product

,but we cannot

help our beliefs,because they are intuitions

,and not

statements .

Hume towards the close of his strictly hard andlogical Tr e a ti s e on M i r a cle s

,brings forward an argu

ment,which to all appearance is very rigid and con

e lusive,out of this his realistic philosophy— if that

were trueSuppose that all the historians who treat of England

should agree that on the I s t of January 1 600 QueenEliz abeth died

,that both before and after her death

she was seen by her physicians a n d the whole court,

as is usual with persons of her rank,that her successor

was acknowledged and proclaimed by the parliament

,and that

,after being interred a month

,she

again appeared,resumed the throne

,and governed

England for three years . I must confess that I sh ouldbe surprised at the concurrence of so many odd circums ta n ce s

,but should not have the least inclination

to believe so miraculous an event . I s hou ld n ot

d ou bt of h e r pr ete n d ed d e a th , a n d of thos e oth e r pu bli cci rcums ta n ce s th a t followed i t.

’

Now,in their own sequence

,as they occur to us

as real facts in the world,so unreal even

‘

are true,

positive circumstances,that we only believe them by

the same means that we believe dreams—that is,by

intuition . There is no fact,so to say . Startling as

it may appear,I appeal to the consciou sness of those

who have witnessed death whether the death itself

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH

FOOTSTE PS OF THE ROSICRUC IANS AM ID ST ARCHITE CTURAL OB JE CTS

THOM A S VAUGHAN,of Oxford

,a famous Rosicrucian

,

whom we have before mentioned,and who in the year

1 650 publi shed a book upon some of the mysteriesof the Rosicrucians

,has the following passage . Hi s

work is entitled A n thropos ophi a Theoma gi ca ; it hasa supplemental treatise

,called A n ima M a gi ca A b s con

d i ta ; we quote from pages 26 and 27 of the unitedvolume

In regard of the A s he s of Vegeta ble s says Vaughan ,although their we a ke r exter i or E leme n ts expire byviolence of the fire , yet their E a rth cannot be d e s troyed ,but is Vi tr ified . The F u s i on and Tr a n s p a r e n cy ofthis substance is occasioned by the Ra d i ca llmoys tu r e '

or Semi n a l wa te r of the Compou n d . This water resiststhe fury of the Fire

,and cannot possibly be van

qu i s h e d . I n h a c Aqu a (saith the learned Severine) ,Ros a la tet i n H i cme . These two principles are neverseparated ; for N a tu r e proceeds not so fa r in herDissolutions . When Death hath done her worst ,there is an Vn i on between the s e two

,and o u t of them

s hall God r a i s e us at the last day,and restore us to

a s p i r i tu a l con s ti tu ti on . I do not conceive there shallbe a Resurrection of every Spe ci e s

,but rather their

Terr e s tr i a l parts,together with the element of Water

(for the r e s h a ll b e“n omore s e a Revela ti on ) , shall

be united in one mixture with the Earth, and fixedto a pure D i a ph a n ou s s u b s ta n ce . This is St . John

’

s1 48

ROSI CRUCIAN L IM B US 1 49

Crystall gold,a fu n d ame n ta ll of the New Jerusalem

so called,not in respect of Colour

,but constitution .

Their Sp i r i ts,I suppose

,shall be reduced to their

first L imbu s,a s the r e of pure , e th e re a ll fir e , like rich

Eternal Tapestry spread under the Throne of God .

’

Coleridge has the following,which bespeaks (and

precedes) , be it rema rked , Professor Huxley’s late

supposed original Speculations . The assertion is thatthe matrix or formative substance is

,at the base

,in

all productions,from mineral to man the same .

The germinal powers of the plant transmute thefixed air and the elementary base of water into grassor leaves and on these the orga n ifi c principle in theox or the elephant exercises an alchemy still morestupendous . As the unseen agency weaves its magiceddies

,the foliage becomes indifferently the bone

and its marrow,the pulpy brain or the solid ivory ;

and so on through all the departments of nature .

’

Coleridge ’s A i d s to Refle cti on ,6th e d n .

,vol . i . p . 3 28 .

See also Herder ’s I d e e n,book v . cap . iii .

We think that we have here ' shown the origin ofall Professor Huxley’s speculations on this headappearing in his L e ctu r e s

,and embodied in articles

by him and others in scien tific j ournals and elsewhere .

I n a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution,Mr .

W . S . Savory made the following remarks :‘ There

is close relationship between the animal and the ve getable kingdoms . The organic kingdom is connectedwith both by the

“

process of crystallization,which

closely resembles some of’

the processes of vegetationand of the growth of the lower orders of animalcreation .

’

The Philosopher’s Stone ’

,in one of its many

senses,may be taken to mean the magic mirror

,or

translucent spirit - seeing crystal ’

,in which things

impossible to ordinary ideas are disclosed .

‘ Know

1 56 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

s ays Sy n e s iu s ,‘ that the Qu i n tessence

’

(fi ve - essenceand hidden thing of our “ stone ” is nothing lessthan our celestial and glorious soul

,drawn by our

magistery out of its mine,which engender s itself and

brings itself forth .

’ The term fOr Chrystal ’,or

Crystal ’ in Greek,is the following ; which may

be divided into twin or half- words in the way subj oined :

XPYZT jAAAOZ .

Crystal is a hard,transparent

,colourless ‘ stone ’

composed of simple plates,giving fire with steel

,not

fermenting with acid me n s tru a,calcining in a strong

fire,of a regular angular figure

,supposed by some

to be ‘ formed of d ew coagulated with nitre’

Amber is a solidified resinous gum,and is com

mo n ly full of electricity . It was supposed,in the

hands of those gifted correspondingly,to abound with

th e means of magic . In this respect it resembles the

thyrs u s or pinecone , which was always Carried inprocessions—Bacchanalian or otherwise— i n connexionwith the mysteries . We can consider the name ofthe palace

,or fortress

,or royal ’ house in Grenada

,

in Spain,in this respect following . The word Alh am

bra or Al-Hambra means the Re d’

. In Arabiathis means the place of eminence

,the place of places

or the Re d’

,in the same acceptation that the sea

between Arabia and Egypt is called the Re d SeaAll spirits generally (in connexion with those thingssupposed to be evil or indifferent especially) are laidin the ‘

Re d Sea ’

,when disposed of by exorcism

,or

in forceful conj uration . We think that this Hambra ’

,ambra ’

,or ‘ ambre is connected with the

substance amber,which is sometimes very red

,and

which amber has always been associated with magicalinfluence

,magical formularies

,and with spirits . We

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 52 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

half mammal,half fish or reptile

,but called by Mr .

Hodgson,of Newcastle - upon - Tyne

,a B asilisk

,appear

together on a Mithraic sculptured slab of the Romanperiod

,found in the North of England . What is

more remarkable still,the ‘ star ’ and ‘

Crescent ’

,

or sun ’ and moon also appear,the whole being

enclosed in what has been called the Fire - Triangleor Triangle with its Face UpwardsThe B u i ld e r

,of June 6th

,1 863 , has some valu

able observations on Geometrical and otherF ig. 22 Symbols

I n regard to the word Alhambra wema yassociate another word appropriated to DruidicalStones in England

,M e n -Amb er . A famous L ogan

Stone,commonly called Me n - Amber is In the parish

of Se th n ey ,near Pendennis

,Cornwall . It is 1 1 feet long

,

4 feet deep , and 6 feet wide . From this the followingderivatives may be safely made : Me n—Amber

,Mon

Amber,Mon -Ambra

,Mon -Amrh a

,Mo n -Amra (M

’

OmR a

,Om- Ra ) , Re d Stone ’

,or Magic

,or Angelic

,or

Sacred Stone . This red colour is male—it signifiesthe Salva tor .

The following is the recognitory mark or talismanof the Oph i d i ae : (I)

. The Scarabaeus,B e e

,As s

,

Typhon,Basilisk

,Saint - Basil

,the town of Basle (B asil ,

or B a le) , in Switzerland (of this place it may be remarked

,that the appropriate cognisance is a basilisk

Or a ‘ snake the mythic hor s e,

'

or hippocampu s,of

Neptune,the lion

,winged (or natural) , the Pegasus

or winged horse,the Python

,the Hydra

,the B ull (Osiris) ,

the Cow (or Io) , are myth ologica l'

i d e a s which haveeach a family connexion . All the above signify anidentical myth . This we shall presently show cone lusively

,and connect them all with the worship of

fire .

Ou r readers have no doubt often wondered to see

CROSS - L E GGE D E F F IGI E S 1 5 3

on the table -monuments in Christian cathedrals acreature resembling a dog

,or generally like some

four- footed animal,trampled by the feet of the recum

bent effigy . It is generally a male which is representedas performing this significant e fforceme n t , tramplingor piercing with the point of his sword , or the buttof the crosier (in his left h a n d , be it remembered) .

This crosier is the ancient p edum,or li tu u s . At B rent

Pelham,in Hertfordshire

,there is a tomb

,bearing the

name of a knight,Pierce Shonke

,bu i lt i n the wa ll.

He is said to h a ve died AD . 1 086 . Under the feet ofthe figure there is a cros s—flou r i e , and under the crossa serpent (Weever , p . There is an inscriptionwhich

,translated

,means

Nothin g of Ca dmu s n or Sa in t Ge orge , tho s e n ame s of gr e a tr e n own q s u rvive s themb u t the ir n ame s ;

B u t Shon ke on e s erpen t ki lls , t’

other d efie s ,An d in thi s wa ll, a s i n a fortre s s , li e s .

See Weever’s A n ci en t F u n er a l M on umen ts . He callsthe place B u r n t Pelham and

_

he says : I n thewall of this Church lieth a most ancient Monument :A Stone wherein is figured a man

,and about him an

Eagle,a L ion

,and a B ull

,having all wings

,and a

fourth of the shape of an Angell,as if they should

represent the four Evangelists under the feet of theman is a crosse F lou r i e .

’

‘ The being represented cross—legged is - not alwaysa proof of the deceased having had the merit eitherof having been a cru s a d e r

,or having made a pilgrimage

to the Holy Sepulchre . I have seen at Milton,in

Yorkshire , two figures of the Sherborn e s thus r e p r e

sented, who , I verily believe , could never have hadmore than a wish to enter the Holy L and .

’

Pennantwrites thus of the Temple

,L ondon .

1 54 THE ROSI CE UCIANS

Weever points out,in relation to the monument

of Sir Pierce or Piers Shonke described above Underthe Cross is a Serpent . Sir Piers Shonke is thoughtto h a vve been sometime the L ord of an ancient d e ca i e dHouse

,well moated not farre from this place

,called

O Piers Sh o n ke s He flourished A n n . a con

qu e s tu ,vi ce s imo pr ima l —Weever

,p . 549 .

‘ The personation of a dog —their invariable aecom

p a n ime n t , as it is also found amongst the sculpturesof Persepolis

,and in other places in the East— wou ld

F ig . 2 3

i n i ts elf b e s u fii ci e n t to fix the he a the n a pprogfir i a ti onof the s e cros s e s

’

(the ancient Irish crosses) , as thatanimal can have no possible relation to Christianity ;whereas

,by the Tuath - de - d a n a a n s

,i t was accounted

s a cr ed,and its maintenance enj oined by the ordinances

of the state,as it is still in the Zend books

,which

remain after Zoroaster .

’ —O’

B r i e n’

s Rou n d Towe r s

of I r ela n d , 1 83 4 , p . 3 59 .

I apprehend the word Sin came to mean L ionwhen the L ion was the emblem of the Sun at hissummer solstice

,when he was in his glory

,and the

Bull and the Ma n were the signs of the Sun at the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH

THE ROUND TOWE RS OF IRE LAND

IT is astonishing how much of the Egyptian and theIndian symbolism of very early ages passed into theusages of Christian times . Thus : the h igh cu t andthe hooked s ta fi

’ of the god became the bishop ’s mitre andcrosier ; the term n u n is purely Egyptian

,and bore

its present meaning ; the er ect ova l,symbol of the

F ig. 24 F ig. 2 5 F ig . 2 6

Female Principle of Nature,became the Vesica Piscis

,

and a frame for D ivine Things ; the Crux A n s a ta,

testifying the union of the Male and Female Principle

9 52 65F ig. 2 7 F ig. 2 8 F i g. 29 F ig . 3 0

in the most obvious manner,and denoting fecundity

and abundance as borne in the god ’s hand,is trans

formed,by a simple inversion

,into the Orb surmounted

by the Cross,and the ensign of royalty . Refer to

The Gn os ti cs a n d the i r Rema i n s,p . 72 .

1 5 6

PHALLI’

AT M E CCA I S7

The famous ‘ Stone of Cabar’

,

Kaaba,Cabir

,or Kebir

,at Mecca ,

which is so devoutly kissed by thefaithful

,is a talisman . It is called

the ‘Tabernacle ’ (Ta b ern a ,or Shrine) —j

of the Star Venus .

‘

It is saidthat the figure of Venus is seen tothis day engraved upon it

,with a P 1 5 . 3 1

crescent .

’ The very Caaba itselfwas at first an idolatrous temple

,where the Arabians

worshipped Ai - Uz a — that is,Venus . See B ob oviu s ,

Dr . Hyde Parker , and others , for particulars regarding

th e Arabian a n d S yr i a n Venus . She is the ‘

Ur a n i ae

corn icu la ta e sacrum’

(Selden , D e Ve n er e Syr i a ca ) .

The Ihram is a sacred habit , which consists only oftwo woollen wrappers one closed about the middleof devotees

,to cover etc .

,

‘ and the other thrownover the shoulders .

’

Refer to observations aboutNoah

,later in our book ; Sale

’s D i s cou r s e,p . 1 2 1 ;

Pococke’

s I n d i a i n Gre ece,vol . ii . part i . p . 2 1 8 . The

Temple of Venus at Cyprus was the Temple of Venus

Urania No woman entered this temple ’

(Sale’s

Kor a n,chap . Vii . p . 1 1 9 note

, p

'

; Accordingly,

Anna Comme n a and Glyca s (in Renald . D e M a h .)say that ‘ the Mahometans do worship Venus Severalof the Arabian idols were no more than large

,rude

stones (Sale’s D i s cou r s e

,p . 20 Kor a n

,chap . v . p .

The stone at Mecca is bla ck. The crypts,th e s u b te r

r a n e a n Churches and Chambers,the choirs

,and the

labyrinths,were all intended to enshrine (as it were)

and to conceal the central obj ect of worship,or this

sacred ‘ stone ’

. The pillar of Sueno,near Forres

,

in Scotland,is an obelisk . These Obelisks were all

astrological gn omon s , or pins ’

,to the imitative

stellar mazes,or to the fateful charts in the letter

written skies . The astronomical stalls or ‘ stables ’

1 58 THE ROSICRUCIANS

were the many sections ’ into which the hosts ofthe starry sky were distributed by the Chalda eans .

The D ecume n s (or tenths) , into which the eclipticwas divided

,had also another name

,which was A s hr e

,

from the Hebrew particle a s,or a s h

,which means

fiery or FIRE The Romans displayed reverencefor the ideas connected with these sacred stones .

Cambyses,in Egypt

,left the Obelisks or single magic

stones . The L i n gh ams in India were left untouchedby the Mohammedan conquerors . The modern Romanshave a ph a llu s or li n gh a in front of almost all theirchurche s . There is an Obelisk

,altered to suit Christian

ideas (and surmounted In most instances in moderntimes by a cross) , in front of every church in Rome .

There are few churchyards in England without aph a llu s or obelisk . On the top is usually now fiXe d

a dial . In former times,when the obeliscar form

was adopted for ornaments of all sorts,it was one of

the various kinds of Christian acceptable cross whichwas placed on the summit . We have the single stoneof memorial surviving yet in the Fire - Towers (RoundTowers of Ireland) . This ph a llu s

,upright

,or ‘ pin

of stone is found in every Gilgal or Druidical Circle .

It is the boundary - stone or te rmi n u s,the parish mark

stone it stands on everymote h ill lastly (and chiefly) ,this stone survives in the stone in th e coronation chairat Westminster (of which more hereafter), and also inthe famous L ondon Stone ’

,or the t a lla d i um, in Cannon

Street,City of L ondon : which stone is said to be

L ondon’s fate —which we hope it is not to be in theunprosperous sense .

The letter ‘ S ’

,among the Gnostics

,with its grim

mer or harsher broth er (or sister) Z was called thereprobate or malignant ’ letter . Of this por

te n tou s s igma (or sign) S (the angular a n d“

n ot

s erpe n ti n e S ’ is the grindi ng or bass S —th e letter

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 60 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

the Moon - god ; and it is perpetuated in that mystically magnificent badge of France

,the female L ily

or L i s All the proofs of this lie concealed in ourGenealogy of the Fleur—de - L i s (p . 47 and followingpages , also Dos t) , and the Flowers - de - L uce ’

,or the

Fleurs - de - L i s fi a s s im. It means ‘ generation orthe vaunt realized of the Turkish Soldan

,D on ec

totumimgble a t orb em The Prince of Wales ’s Feathers ’,

we believe to be,and to mean

,the same thing as this

sublime Fleur - de - L i s’

. It resembles the obj ect clo s ely ,

with certain effectual,ingenious di sguises . The origin

of the Prince of Wales ’s plume is supposed to be theadoption of the king ’s crest (by Edward the BlackPrince

,at the battle of Cressy) , on the discovery of

the slain body of the blin d King of Bohemia . B ohemiaagain —the land of the Fire—worshipping Kingswhose palace

,the Radschin

,still exists on the heights

near Prague . We believe the crest and the motto ofthe Prince of Wales to have been in use

,for our Princes

of Wales,at a much earlier period

,and that history ,

in this respect,is perpetuating an error—perhaps an

originally intended mistake . We think the following ,which appears now for the first time

,will prove this

fact . Edward the Second,afterwards King of Eng

land,was the first Prince of Wales . There is reason

to suppose that our valiant Edward the First,a mon

arch of extraordinary acquirements,was initiated into

the knowledge of the abstruse Orientals . An oldhistorian has the following On —their giving (i .e . theassembled Welsh) a j oyful and surprised assent tothe King’s demand

,whether they would accept a

king born really among them,and therefore a true

Welshman,he presented to them his new- born son ,

exclaiming in broken Welsh Eich dyn that isThis is your man —which has been corrupted intothe present motto to the Prince of Wales ’s crest

,Ich

PRINCE OF WAL E S ’S PL UM E 1 6 1

dien or I serve ”

. The meaning of I serve ’ inthis View

,is

,that I suffice

,or the L i s or the a ct

suffices (refer to pages and figures pos t) , for all thephenomena of the world .

CHAPTER THE E IGHTE E NTH

PRISMATIC INVE STITURE OF THE M ICROCOSM

THE chemical dark rays are more bent than the lumi nous . The chemical rays increase in power as youascend the s p ectrum

,from the red ray to the violet .

The chemical rays typified by the Egyptians underthe name of their divinity

,Taut or Thoth

,are most

powerful in the morning the luminous rays are mostactive at noon (Isis , or abstractedly manifestationthe heating rays (Osiris) are most operative in theafternoon . The chemical rays are the most powerfulin spring (germination ,

‘ producing ’

,or making

the most luminous in the summer (ripening, or knowing the most heating in the autumn (perpetuating) .The chemical rays have more power in the TemperateZone ; the luminous and heating , in the Tropical .There are more chemical rays given off from the centreof the sun than from the parts near its circumference .

Each prismatic atom,when a ray of light strikesupon it

,opens out on a

vertical axis,as a r a d iu s or

fan of seven di fferentwidths” of the seven colours

,from the le a s t re fr a n g

F 15 5“.

ible red up to the mos trefrangible violet . (Refer

to di agram above .)The Egyptian Priests chanted the seven vowels

as a hymn addressed to Serapis (E u s e b e - Sa lverte,

Dionysius of Halicarnassus) .1 62

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 64 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

at the height of 1 00 feet from the earth . There is adifference of one degree in the temperature

,corres

ponding to each feet,at the elevation of

feet . Colouration is effected,at the surface of the

earth,to the same amount in one minute that takes

half an hour over three miles high,in the full rays

of the sun . The dissemination of light in the a t

mos ph e re is wholly due to the aqueous vapour in it .

The s pe ctrumis gained from the sun . I n the air opp o s ite to it , there is no Spectrum. These conclusionsresult from balloon observations made in April 1 863 ,and the philosophical deductions are a victory foraqueous vapourIt has been demonstrated that flames are both

sensitive and sounding they have,therefore

,special

affinities .

The author of Th e N a tu re a n d Or igi n of E vi l isof opinion that there is some inconceivable b e n efiti n P a i n

,abstractly considered ; that Pain , however

inflicted or wherever felt,communicates some good

to the General System of B eing ; and that everyanimal is some way or other the better for the pain ofevery other animal . This opinion he carries so far asto suppose that there passes some principle of unionthrough all animal life

,as attraction is communicated

to all corporeal nature and that the evils suffered onthis globe may by some inconceivable means contribute to the felicity of the inhabitants of the remotestplanet .

’—Contemporary review ’ of the N a tu re a n d

Or igi n of E vi l.

‘ Without subordination,no created System can

exist : all subordination implying Imperfection ; allImperfection

,Evil and all Evil

,some kind of Iu con

ve n i e n cy or Suffering .

’— So ame Je n yn s , F r e e E n qu i ryi n to the N a tu re a n d Or i gi n of E vi l.

Whether Subordination implies Imperfection may

NATURE AND ORIGIN OF E VIL 1 65

b e disputed . The means respecting themselves maybe as perfect as the end . The Weed as a Weed is noless perfect than the Oa k as an Oa k . Imperfectionmay imply primitive Evil

,or the Absence of some

Good ; but this Privation produces no Suffering , butby the Help of Knowledge .

’ ‘

Here the point ofView is erroneously taken for granted . The end of theoak

,in another comprehension

,may be the weed

,as

well as the end of the Weed the oak . The contrariesmay be converse

,ou t of ou r appreciation .

’—Reviewof the above work in M i s cella n eou s a n d F u gi tive P i ece s .

L ondon : T . Davies,1 774 .

There is no evil but must inhere in a consciousbeing

,or be referred to it that is

,Evil must be felt

before it is Evil . ’ —Review of A F r e e E n qu i ry i n to

th e N a tu r e a n d Or igi n of E vi l, p . 5 of the same M i scella n eou s a n d F ugi ti ve P i e ce s . L ondon : T . Davies

,

Russell Street,Covent Garden , B ookseller to the

Royal Academy . 1 774 . Query, whether the Reviewof this B ook

,though attributed to Dr . Johnson

,be

not by So ame Je n yn s himself, the author of the bookThoughts

,or ideas

,or notions— call them what

you will—differ from each other,n ot i n ki n d

,but in force .

The basis of all things cannot be,as the popular philos

ophy alleges , mind . It is infinitely improbable thatthe ca u s e of mi n d— that is

,of exi s te n ce— is similar to

mind .

’ —Shelley’s E s s a ys . The foregoing is containedin that on L ife . He means Reason

,i n

'

th i s obj ectionto MIND . Shelley furth er remarks : ‘ The words I

,

and YOU,and THE Y

,are“ grammatical devices

,i n

vented simply for arrangement,and totally devoid

of the intense and exclusive sense usually attachedto them .

’

In the M emoi r s of the L i fe a n d Wr i ti n gs of M r .

Wi lli amWhi s ton,part ii . there occur the follow

ing observations

1 66 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

N .B .

—I desire the reader to take notice that thevery learned Ge r a rd john Vos s i u s , in his three accuratedissertations

,D e Tr i bu s Symboli s , or Of Th e Thr e e

Cr e ed s— that called Th e At os tle s’

Cr e ed,that called

Th e Ath a n a s i a n Cre ed,and that called the N i ce n e or

Con s ta n ti n opoli ta n Cr e ed,with the F i li oqu e , has proved

them to be all falsely so called : that the first wasonly the Creed of the Roma n Church about A .D . 400

that the second was a forgery about 400 years afterAthanasius had been dead

,or about A .D . 767, and

this in the West and in the L atin Church only,and

did not obtain in the Gre ek Church till about 400years afterwards

,or about A .D . 1 200 ; and that the

third had the term F i li oqu e firs t inserted into it aboutthe time when the Ath a n a s i a n Cr e ed was produced

,

and not sooner,or about A .D .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 68 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Fire,indeed

,would appear to have been the chos en

element of God . I n the form of a flaming ‘ bush ’

He appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai . Hi s presencewas denoted by torrents of flame

,and in the form

of fire He preceded the band of Israelites by nightthrough the dreary wilderness which is perhaps theorigin of the present custom of the Arabians

,

‘ whoalways carry fire in front of their caravans ’

(Re a d e’

s

Ve i l of I s i s ) . All the early fathers held God theCreator to consist of a ‘ subtile fire ’

. When theHoly Spirit descended upon the Apostles on the Dayof Pentecost

,it was in the form of a tongue of fire

,

accompanied by a rushing wind . See A n a ca lyp s i s ,vol . i . p . 627 (Parkhurst , i n voce

The personality of J ehovah is,in Scripture

,r e p re

sented by the Material Trinity of Nature ; whichalso

,like the divine antitype

,is of one substance .

The primal,scriptural type of the F a the r is F i re ;

of the Word,L ight ; and of the Holy Ghos t, Sp i r i t,

or A i r i n moti on . This material Trinity,as a type

,

is similar to the material trinity of Plato as a type,

it is used to conceal the Secret Trinity See A n a

ca lyps i s , vol . i . p . 627 . Holy fires,which were never

suffered to die,were maintained in all the temples :

of these were the fires in the Temple of the Ga d ita n e a nHercules at Tyre

,in the Temple of Vesta at Rome

,

among the B r a chma n s of India,among the Jews

,

and principally among the Persians . Now to provethat all appearances are born of Fire so to speak

,

according to the ideas of the Rosicrucians .

L ight is not radiated from a n y intensely heated

ga s or flu i d . If nitre is melted,it will not be visible

but throw into it any s oli d body,and as soon as that

becomes heated it will radiate light hence the phenomenon

,Nasmyth ’s willow- leaves ’

,in the sun

,must

be solid,not gaseous ; and through their medium

IDEAS OF THE B HUDDISTS 1 69

the whole of our light from the sun is doubtless derived .

See the records of the B ritish Association for theAdvancement of Science (Cambridge Meeting) , October1 862 . These physical facts were known to the ancientPersians .

The ancient ideas upon these subj ects have notcome down to us at all definitely . The destructionof ancient manuscripts was effected upon a large scale .

Diocletian has the credit of having burned the booksof the Egyptians on the ch emistry of gold and silver

(alchemy) . Caesar is said to have burned as manyas rolls at Alexandria ; and L e o I s a u ru s

at Constantinople in the eighth century,about

the time that the Arabians burned the famous Alexandr ian L ibrary . Thus our knowledge of the realphilosophy of th e ancient world is exceedingly limitedalmost all the old records

,or germinating means

of knowledge,being rooted out .

In regard to B ou d h i sme,ou syst eme mystique ’

as he denominates it,a learned author describe s i t

as ‘

Métaphysique visionnaire,qui

,prenant a ta che

de contrarier l’ord r e naturel,voulut que le mon d e

p a lp a ble e t ma te’r i e l ffi t u n e i llu s i on fantastique quel’

e xi s te n ce de l’

homme ffi t n u reve d on t la mort la e’

ta i t

le vr a i reve i l qu e son corps ffi t une t r i s on imtu r edont i l devait se ha ter de sortir

,ou une e n velogbpe

gros s i er e que , pour la rendre p e rmea b le a la lumiereinterne

,il devait atténuer

,d i a ph a n i s e r par le je fi n e ,

les macérations,les contemplations

, e t par une foulede pratiques anachorétiques si étranges que le vulgaireétonné me put s ’e xp liqu e r le caractere de leurs auteursqu

’

en les considérant comme des étr e s surnaturels,

avec cette d i ffi cu lté de savoir s ’i ls furent D i eu d eve n uhomme

, ou l’

homme d eve n u D i eu .

’ —Volney (C . FL e s Ru i n e s

,p . 2 1 0 .

‘

Mind cannot cr e a te,it can only t e rce ive .

’ This

1 70 THE ROSICRUCIANS

hazardous statement,in its utmost extent

,is used

simply as an argument against there being the thi lons ophi ca l possibility of religion as derivable from r e a s on

only- which will be found to be the mere operationof the forces of the world ’

. No religion is philosophically capable of being defended on the groundsof r e a s on though one religion may seem (but , in theInner light

,it will s e emonly) to be more reasonable

(or probable) than another . D ivine light,or faith

,

or intuition— i n other words,the enlightenment of

the Holy Spirit (to be recognized under its manynames) —is that means alone which can carry truth ,through the exposure of the futility of

,

all kn owa ble

(that is , of all intellectual) truth . Such are theabstract notions of the Gnostics

,or ‘

I lluminati ’,

concerning religion .

The curtains of Yesterday drop down,the curtains

of To - morrow roll up but Yes terday and To -morrowboth a r e

’

(Sa rtor Re s a rtu s,edit . 1 83 8,

‘ NaturalSupernaturalism p . To the divine knowledge

,

the future must be as much present as the presentitself .The explorations of the Rosicrucians may be said

to be ‘ as keys to masked doors in the ramparts ofnature

,which no mortal can pass through without

rousing dread sentri es never seen upon this side

(A Str a n ge Story , L ord Lytton , vol. i . p . Omniaex Un o

,Omnia in Un o

,Omnia ad Unum ,

Omnia per

Medium,e t Omnia in Omnibus

’

(He rmeti c a xi om) .

In the speculations of the Gnostics , the astronomicalpoints Cancer and Capricorn are called the

‘

Gatesof the Sun ’

. Cancer,moreover

,is termed the Gate

of Ma n Capricorn is the Gate of the Gods Theseare Platonic Views

,as Macrobius declares . With the

influences of the planets,Saturn b rings reason and

intelligence,Jupiter

,power of action ; Mars governs

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 72 THE ROSICRUCIANS

ingeniously anatomizes the inner man,and makes

him consist of Seele Nerven - geist and GeistThe Nerven - geist or nervous energy

,being of a

grosser nature,continues united with the Seele on

its separation from the body,rendering it Visible i n

the formof a n a pp a r i ti on,and enabling it to effect

material obj ects,make noises

,move articles

,and such

like things perceptible to the living sense— i n short,to

‘ spucken ’

According to its nature,this composite

being takes a longer or shorter time to be dissolvedthe Geist alone being immortal (Th e Gn os ti cs a n d

the i r Rema i n s,note to p .

An A n ci e n t Homi ly on Tr i n i ty Su n d a y has thefollowing At the deth of a manne

,three bells should

be ronge as his kuyli in worship of the Trinitie . An d

for a woman 1

,who wa s th e Se con d P ers on of the Tr i n i ti e ,

two bells should be ronge .

’

Here we have th e sourceof the emblematic difficulty among the master- masons

,

wh o constructed the earlier cathedrals,as to the a d

dition and as to the precise value of the second (orfeminine) tower at the western end (or Galilee) of achurch .

Valentinus is called the profoundest doctor of th eGnosis ’

. According to him,the Eons (angels , or

effusions) number fifteen pairs,which represent th e

thirty degree s of each Sign of the zodiac . The nameof the great Gnostic deity

,Abraxas

,is derived as

follows !‘Ab

’ or ‘Ai

’

(‘L e t it ‘

R a x’ or

R a k’ Sas ’ or ‘ Sax ’ for Sa d s h i

’

Name ’

) The entire Gnostic system was notderived either from the Kabala

,or from the Grecian

philosophy,but from the East

,as Mosheim long ago

maintained ’ so declares the author of Th e Gn os ti csa n d th e i r Rema i n s ; but it is a thorough mistake ,1 Thi s i s a cu r iou s dir e ct a s s e rtion tha t th e Sa viou r of th e World

wa s femi n i n e .

SE VE N ANGE L IC ‘

RE GI ONS ’

1 73

both in his authority (Mosheim) , and also in himself .We shall successfully show this before we have done .

As soon as Jesus was born , according to the Gnosticspeculative View of Christianity

,Christos

,uniting

himself with Sophia (Holy Wisdom) , descended throughthe seven planetary regions

,assuming in each an

analogous form to the region,and concealing his true

nature from its genii,whilst he attracted into himself

the sparks of Divine L igh t they severally retained intheir angelic essence . Thus Christos

,having passed

through the seven A n geli cRegion s before the THRONEen tered into the man Jesus , at the moment of hisbaptism in the Jordan . At the moment of hisbaptism in the Jordan —mark . Up to that pointh e was natural—but not the Christ This willrecall his exclamation of world’s disclaimer to theVirgin : Woman

,what have I to do with thee ? ’

From that time forth,being supernaturally gifted

,

Jesus began to work miracles . B efore that,he had

been completely ignorant of his mission . When on thecross

,Christos and Sophia left his body

,and returned

to their own sphere . Upon his death,the two took

the man Jesus and abandoned h i s material body tothe earth ; for the Gnostics held that the true Jesusdid not. (and could not) physically suffer on the crossand die

,but that Simon of Cyrene

,who b ore his cross

,

did in reality suffer in his room : An d th ey compelone Simon a Cyrenian , who passed b y ,

coming out ofthe country , th e father of Alexander and Rufus , toh e a r his cross

’

(St. M a rk xv . The Gnosticscontended that a portion of the real history of theCrucifixion was never written .

Asserting that a miraculous substitution of personstook place in the great final act of the Crucifixionthe Gnostics maintained that the Son of God couldnot suffer physically upon the cross

,the apparent

1 74 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

sufferer being human only— real body h aving no partwith h im.

At the point of the miraculous transference ofpersons

,Christos and Sophia

‘

(the D ivine) left hisbody

,and returned to their own heaven . Upon his

death on earth,the two withdrew th e

‘

B eing Jesus

(spiritually) , and gave him another body,made up

of ether (Rosicrucian E th e rwum) . Thenceforwardhe consisted of the two first Rosicrucian principlesonly

,soul and spirit which was the cause that the

disciples did not recognize him after the resurrection .

During his soj ourn upon earth of eighteen monthsafter he had risen

,he received from Sophia (Soph ,

Suth) , or Holy Wisdom ,that perfect knowledge or

illumination,that tru e Gnosis wh ich he communi

ca te d to the small number of the Apostles who werecapable of receiving the same .

The Gnostic authorities are St . Iren aeus in the firstplace

,Tertullian

,Clemens Alexandrinus

,Origen

,

St . E p iph a n iu s . The Gnostics are divided into sectsbearing the names of Valentinians

,Carpocratians

,

B a s ilid e a n s,and Manichaeans .

P rovo Gnosis,

Gn os s o s thence GnosticsAs the Son of God remained unknown to the world

,

so must the disciple of B a s ilid e s also remain unknownto the rest of mankind . As they know all this

,and

yet must live amongst strangers,therefore must

they conduct themselves towards the rest of theworld as invisible and unknown . Hence their mottoL earn to know all

,but keep thyself unknown

(Iren aeus) .

The speech of an angel or of a spirit with man isheard as sonorously as the speech of one man withanother

,yet i t i s n ot h e a rd by othe r s who s ta n d n e a r

,

but by the man himself alone . The reason is,that

the speech of an angel or of a spirit flows first into

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 76 THE ROSI CRUGIANS

(D e M ys ti ca Th eologi a ,cap . i . sec . 3 ; Hou rs wi th

the M ys ti cs , by R . A . Vaughan,note to book i .

chap .

The words graven upon the zone and the feet ofthe Ephesian Diana

,which He s ych iu s has preserved ,

are the following

Aski - Ka ta s kij

Darkness—L ightHaix- Te tr a x HimselfD amn ame n e u s Interpreted as

The SunAi s ion Truth

These Ephesian words ’

,says Plutarch (Sympos ) ,

the Magi used to recite over those possessed withdevils .

’

D amn ame n e u s is seen on a Gnostic amuletin the De la Turba Collection (The Gn os ti cs , p .

The Argha had the form of a crescent . The Argo,

a rc,or a rch e

,is the n a vi s b ipror a . It is clear that ,

as neither the full moon nor the half - moon was everthe obj ect of worship

,it is the cre s ce n t hor n s of the

moon which imply the significance . These meanthe woman - deity in every religion .

The snake associated with the mysteries amongthe Hindoos is the cobra - di - capella . It is said thatthe snake on the heads of all the Idols in Egypt wasa Cobra . The name of the monarch or Chief Priestin Thibet is the L ama

,or the Grand L ama . Prester

John is the great Priest,or Pr e s tr e (P retr e) , I a n

Io n,Jehan

,or John (the Sun) . L amia is the s n a ke

among the Ophidians L ama,

is the hand : lamh,

hand,is a divine name in the Scythian tongue . It

also means the number 1 0,and the Roman numeral

X,which is a cross . Now

,the double pyramid

,or

hand, (a ) A ,

of the Egyptians comprises the

X mystic mark signifying the two original princip le s water and fire

,as above—(b) —the union of

which,as inte rs ecting trian gles , forms the famous

HE ATHEN IDE AS AND CHRISTIAN IDE AS 1 77

He xa lph a , or Solomon ’s Seal ’,or Wizard’s Foot

’

,

which,according to the Eastern allegory

,is placed

(as that of St . Michael) upon the Rebellious Spiritsin their abyss ’

,or prison ’

.

Pyr is the Greek name of fire (thence Pyramid) ,and mythologically of the s u n

,who was the same

as Hercules . An d the great analyser of mythologyassures us that P u r was the ancient name of L atian

f uf i ter , the father of Hercules ; that he was thedeity of fire that his name was particularly retainedamongst the people of Praeneste

,who had been addicted

to . the r i te s of fir e . Fire,in short

,in these mytho

logies , as also in all the Christian churches , meetsus at every turn , But we must not mix up heathenideas and Christian ideas in these matters .

Moor i s h Arch . Ca th e dr a l of Cord ova

CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH

MYSTIC CHRISTI AN FIGURE S AN D TALISM ANS

OUR engraving borrows from the West Front of L aonCathedral

,France

,a Catherine -Wheel (or

‘

RoseWindow . The twelve pillars

,or r a d i i

,are the signs

of the Zodiac,and are i s s u a n t out of the glorified

centre,or opening ‘ rose —the sun

,or ‘ beginning

of all things ’

.

‘ King Arthur ’s Round Table displays the ‘ crucified ’

Rose i n its centre .

In the ‘ tables ’

(Ta bli e r , alternatingwith tying—knots

,of the Order of the Garter—which

Most Noble Order was originally dedicated

,be it remem

bered,to the B lessed L ady

,or

to the Virgin Mary the microco smica l

,miniature ‘King

Arthur ’s Round Table b e

comes the individual femaled i s cu s

,or Organ

,waxing and

waning,negative or in flower

,

positive or natural,alternately

red and white,as the Rose of the World : Ros a

mon d,Ros a mu n d i . An d here we will adduce

,as ou r

j ustification for this new reading of the origin of theOrder of the Garter

,the very motto of the princely

order itself

F ig. 3 4

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 80 THE ROSICRUCIANS

men from the reputed original it might be droppedand resumed without confusion and the only obj ection I can see to the use of such an ornament is thehazard of mistake from the double meaning of theterm per i s celi s , which signifies not only a ga rter , butb re e ch e s

,which our English ladies never wear Quae

Gr a eci wepte xeN’

i voc a n t , nostri B r a cc a s (braces orbreeches) d icu n t says an ancient Father of theChurch .

’ The Garter,to j udge thus from Camden

,

was not a garter at all for the leg,but an occasional

very important item of feminine under—attire ; andKing Edward’s knightly feeling

,and the religious

devotion of the obj ect,will be perceived upon close

and delicately respectful consideration .

There is great obscurity as to the character ofAbraxas

,the divinity of the Gnostics . The Eons

,or

Degrees of Advance in the Zodiacal Circle,are thirty

in number to each of the Twelve Signs,and con

sequently there are 3 60 to the entire AstronomicalCircle

,or 3 65 , counting for each day of the solar

year . The inscription upon the Gnostic gems,CE OY

,

is probably intended for OB OY ‘ for the Arabs yetsubstitute the s for the th in their pronunciation

(Gn os ti cs , p . 2 3 3 Matter,Hi s toi r e Cr i tiqu e du Gn os ti

ci sme) . In this ‘

s’

,and the ‘

th’ standing for it

,

lie all the mysteries of Masonry .

,Christos

,was designed for the guide of all that

proceeds from God . Sophia Achamoth i s the guide,

according to the Gnostics,for all proceeding out of

matter ’

. St . Iren aeus,whose period is the end of

the second century,draws all these startling infer

e n ce s from the Book of Enoch,and names Sophia

as signifying the Divine Wisdom . The Ophite schemeseems evidently the B h u d d i s tic B ytho s , answeringto the first Buddha . Sige

,Sophia

,Chr istos

,Achamoth ,

I ld a b a oth,answer to the successive five others (Gn os ti cs .

GNOSTI C TEACHING 1 8 1

p . 27 B e lle rma n n ’

s D r e i P rogr ammen u b er d i e A br a xa s

gemme n ,Berlin

,1 820 ; B a s ilid e s ; Tertullian

,D e

P r e s cr iptx Serpentem ma gn ifi ca n t in tantum ,u t

illumetiam Christo p r ae fe r a n t .

’ See Tertullian,Epi

ph a n iu s , and Th e od or e t . St . john iii . 1 4, also) . Wenow refer the reader to some significant figures towardsthe end of our volume

,which will be found according

to their numbers .

Figure 289 : The Abraxas - god,invested with all

the attributes of Phoebus . Green j asper ; a uniquetype . The Egyptians call the moon the mother ofthe world

,and say it is of both sexes (Plutarch ;

Sp a r ti a n ,L i fe of C a r a ca lla ) . The moon , in a mystic

sense,is called by the Egyptians male and female .

The above is a gem in the Bosanquet Collection . I n

the exerqu e is the address , CA B AQ,Glory unto

Thee ! ’

On the reverse,in a ca rtou ch e formed by a

coiled asp—precisely as the Hindoos write the i neffable name ‘

Aum—are the titles IAQ .A B PACA I: .

(The Gn os ti cs , p .

Figure 3 1 1 represents Venus standing under acanopy supported on twisted columns

,arranging her

hair before a mirror held up by a Cupid two othershover above her head

,bearing up a wreath . I n the

field,

CDAZIZ APIQPI® The Manifestation of Ar ior iph Venus here stands for the personificationof the Gnostic Soph i a

,or Achamoth

,and as such is

the undoubted source of our conventional representation of Truth (Montfaucon , pl . clxi) . Rever s e

,figure

3 1 2 , which represents Har pocrates seated upon thelotus

,springing from a double lamp

,formed of two

ph a lli united at the base . Above his head is histitle Abraxas and over that is the name I a o

I n the field are the seven planets . The sacred animals—the scarab

,ibis

,asp

,goat

,crocodile

,vulture

,em

b lems of so many deities (vi z . Ph re,Thoth

,Isis

,Me r i d e s

,

1 82 THE ROSICRUCIANS

B e b y s , Neith)— the principal in the Egyptian mythology

,arranged by thr e e s

,form a frame to the design .

Neatly engraved on a large,bright loadstone (Th e

Gn os ti cs,p .

ORIGIN OF THE TRICOLOR

THE ORY OF SACRAME NTAL MYSTICISM ADAPTE D FROM THE SPE CU

LATIONS OF THE SOPHISTS OR GNOSTICS

Su pe rn a tu r a l

B r e a d Hos t’

) Win e (cu p de n i e dto th e L a ity)

Sp ir it s ymbolica lB lood

S a cr amen ta ‘

B a ptisma n d th e Su ppe r of th e L ord ’

From the above cabalistic estimate of the Virtuesof colours

,it happens that the colour blue (sky- blue)

is chosen as the colour for the investiture of infantsat baptism

,and as the colour for children ’s coffins .

Blue or white (not white as meaning the‘

S.S. inthe sacred sense

,but white as the s yn th e s i s of material

elements,or of light

,or of sinlessness in irr e s pon s i

b ility are childr en ’s colours at other times . Therewere two great ordeals— b y water, and by fire . Theone is the occult trial - baptism by water in the sinisteror left - handed sense

,applied to those suspected of

witchcraft . The other (more perfect and more perfe cti n g) baptism is by symbolical fire . Both riteswere in use among the Egyptians . (Refer to mysticheraldic formu la elsewhere in our book .) The threeordeals (or sacraments) of the Ancient Mysteries wereby Water

,Air

,and Fire Thus

,also

,the Egyptian

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 84

(

Mus

cal

Notes

also

THE ROSI CRUCIANS

THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Se r a ph im Che ru b im

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 88 THE ROSICRUCIANS

i . p . 268,trans . by Howitt) . Among the Egyptians

,

Athor also signified the night (Hesiod , Orpheus) .‘

According to the Egyptians ’

,says Jablonski

,

‘ matter has always been connected with the mind . TheEgyptian priests also maintained that the gods a p

p e a re d to man , and that Spirits communicated withthe human race .

’ The souls of men are,according

to the oldest Egyptian doctrine,formed of ether

,and

at death return again to it .

’

The alchemists were a physical branch of the Rosicrucians . The more celebrated authors (and authorities) upon the art and mystery of alchemy are Hermes

(whose seven chapters and‘ smaragdine table ’

,as it

is called,contain the whole alchemical system) ;

Geber,the Tu r b a Rosary ’

,The a trumCh emi cum

,

B i bli othequ e H e rme’tiqu e , Chymi ca l C a b i n et Arte p h iu s ,Arn old u s de Villa Nova

,R a imo n d u s L u lliu s

,Trevisan

,

Nicholas F lame l,Za ch a re u s

,B asilius Valentinus

,Cos

mop olita ,and Ph ila le th e s (Thomas Vaughan) . Refer

also to Th e He rmeti ca l Tr i umph,or th e Vi ctor i ou s

Ph i los oph e r ’s Ston e : L ondon,1 723 ; L u ca s

’

s Tr a vels,

p . 79 ; Count Bernard of Treviso . Two leadingworks

,however

,on the hermetic subj ect are L a Ch i a ve

d el Ga b i n etto 1

,Col . 1 68 1

,1 2mo

,by Joseph Francis

Borri,an Italian ; and L e Compte d e Ga b a li s , ou E n

tr eti en s s u r le s Sci e n ce s Se crete s ; imprimée a Paris ,par Claude Barbin

,1 67 1 , 1 2mo

,pp . 1 50 . This book

is the work of the Abbé de Vi llars,or is supposed to

be so . J . V . Andrea,a writer Upon herme tic sub

je cts , was Almoner to the Duke of Wu r temb e rg , andwrote early in the seventeenth century . The Em

p e ror Rudolphus the Second greatly encouragedlearned men who had made acquaintance with alche

1 Ma rk—th e le tte rs G a n d C a re con ve r tible Thu s Ga b or

Ca b (‘

Ga b a la or Ca b’

a la ) . Th e‘

Compte ’ d e G a b a lis’

i s

prope rly th e Compte d e Ca b a lis or th e Cou n t of th e Ca ba la

ROB E RT F L OOD OR F L UDD 1 89

mical lore . At the supposed revival of Rosicrucianismin Paris

,in March 1 623 , the Breth ren were said to

number th irty - six of whom there were six in Paris,

six in Italy,six in Spain

,twelve in Germany

,four

in Sweden,and two in Switzerland . I n 1 6 1 6

,the

famous English Rosicrucian,Rob e rtu s de F lu ctib u s

(Robert Fludd) , published his defence of the society ,under th e title Agb ologi a Compe n d i a r i a , F r a te r n i ta temd e Ros e a - Cru ce

,Su spi ci on i s e t I n famiwma cu li s a s t er

s ama blu e n s,published in 1 6 1 6 at Frankfort . Since

this time,there has been no authentic account of the

Rosicrucians . We are now the first translators ofRobert Fludd .

Amongst an innumerable multitude of imagesand symbolical figures

,with which the walls —i .e .

those of the caverns of initiation at Salsette arecovered

,the L inga or Phallus was everywhere con

s p icu ou s , often alone , sometimes united with the petaland calyx of the lotus

,the point within the circle

and the intersection of two equilateral triangles

(Dr . Oliver,H i s tory of I n i ti a ti on . See also Maurice

on the I n d i a n I n i ti a ti on s ) .

The L inga,or pillar

,or stone - Of memorial

,in its

material form,is the perpetuation of the idea of the

male generative principle,as the physical means

,in

conj unction with the Yoni (Ioni) , or d i s cu s , of theproduction of all visible things . In this connexion

,

the addition to the name of Simon Peter (Petra , orPietra

,Cephas

,Jonas

,Bar - Jonas

,Ionas) will be r e

called as suggestive . There is a sacred stone in everyTemple in India . The Stone

,or Pillar

,or Pillow ’

,

of Jacob was sacred among the Jews . It was anointedwith oil . There was a sacred stone among the Greeksat Delphi

,which was also anointed with oil in the

mystic ceremonies . The stone of Caaba,or black

stone at Mecca,is stated to have been there long before

1 90 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

the time of Mohammed . It was preserved by himwhen he destroyed the dove and images . The Obelisksat Rome were

,and are

,L ingas (or L i n gh a s ) . I n the

Temple of Jerusalem,and in the Cathedral of Chartres

,

they are in vaults . They are the idea of the abstractmembrum

,or affluence or M E ANS . To the initiated

mind they imply glory,not grossness .

Figs . 25—26 are the Crux A n s a ta of the Egyptians .

This emblem is also found in India . According toRu ffi n u s and Soz ome n

,it imports the time that is

to come ’

. It is a magical symbol . Fig . 27 is theimperial mound

,and cross - sigma surmounting it .

Figs . 28—29 are symbols of Venus (Aphrodite) , thedeity of the Syrians and Phoenicians . They are phallic emblems .

Fig . 3 0 is the Phallus proper . It is the s igma ofZeus

,Mithras

,Baalim Bacchus .

Figures numbered 3 1 , Osiris these variousfigures signify also Jupiter-Ammon . Th e rectangularmarks denote the Scandinavian Tu i s co

,Thoth (Me r

cu r iu s,or Hermes) . Fig . 3 5 is the Indian form of thesame idea .

The figure marked 3 6 is to be found on thebreast of one of the mummies in the museum

F ig , 3 5of the L ondon University .

F ig. 3 6 F i g . 3 7 F i g. 3 8 F i g. 3 9

Ph a llu s a n d Lo tu s

Upon a monument discovered in Thebes , Anubisis represented as St . Michael and St . George are inChristian paintings

,armed in a cuirass

,and having

in h i s hand a lance , with which he pierces a monster

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 92 THE ROSICRUCIANS

HE RALD IC GE NE ALOGY OF THE‘ FLE UR—DE - L IS

’

,OR

FLOWE R- DE - L UCE

APOTHEOS I S OF THE SYM B OLF ig. 40

IO

4 . B e e 6 . B e e 7 . Impe r i a l B e e 8 . Fle u ro n 9 . Ch a rlema gn e1 0 . A B a bylo n i a n Gem

The opinion of M . Dupuis was (see his learnedmemoir concerning the origin of the constellations) ,that ‘

L ibra was formerly the Sign of the vernalequinox

,and ‘

Aries ’ of the nocturnal,autumnal

equinox that is,that since the origin of the actual

astronomical system,the procession (precession ?) of

the equinoxes had carried forward by seven signs theprimitive order of the Zodiac . Now

,estimating the

procession (precession ?) at about 705 years to a degree

,that is

,2 1 1 5 years to each sign , and observing

that Aries ’ was in its fifteenth degree 1 447 beforeChrist

,i t follows that the first degree of L ibra could

not have coincided with the vernal equinox morelately than years before Christ

,to which

,if

you add 1 790 years since Ch rist , i t appears thatyears have elapsed since the origin of the Zodiac ’

(Volney , Ru i n s of Emp i r e s , I s t English edition , 1 792 ,p .

E VOL UTION OF THE F L E UR—DE - L IS 1 93

All white things express the celestial and luminousgods all circular ones

,the world

,the moon

,the sun

,

the destinies ; all semicircular ones , as arches and

F ig.

r

4 1

cre scents , are descriptive of the moon , and of lunardeities and meanings .

1 1—1 2 . E a r ly Fre n ch (a ls o B a bylo n i a n ) 1 3 . M iddle Fr e n ch 1 4 . L a te rFre n ch 1 6 . Va lo i s 1 7 . He n ry o f N a v a r re 1 8 . I n E n gl a n d , th u s .

1 9 . Bou rbo n 20 . E gypt i a n Scu lptu r e s : Fle u r - d e -L i s ; A s p : Spe e dca lls th emth e Flowe r d e Li z e .

’

2 1 . Fi n i a l : me a n i n g th e Fle ur - d e -L i s’

22 . Fi n i a l 1

1 Se e figs , 1 90,1 91 , 1 92 , 1 95 , pos t. Se e , a ls o ,

p a ge s pr e ce d ing .

0

1 94 THE ROSICRUCIAN S

The Egyptians ’

,says Porphyry

,employ every

year a talisman in remembrance of the world . At

the summer solstice,they mark their houses

,flocks

,

and trees wi th r ed,supposing that on that day the

whole world had been set on fire . It was also at thesame period that they celebrated the Pyrrhic or FireDance (An d this illustrates the origin of the

p u r ifi ca tion s by fire and water . )There are seven planets in the solar system . These

seven planets are signified in the seven - branchedcandlestick of the Jewi sh ritual . The number is asacred number . These seven prophets or angels

,

have each twelve apostles,places s tella

,stalls ’

,or

regions or dominions (stalls as for theexercise of their powers . These are the twelve divisions of the great Circle

,or the twelve signs of the

Zodiac . All this is Cabalistic,Magical

,Sa b a i s tica l

,

and Astrological . The name Ashtaroth or Astartehas been derived from A s hr e

,a s te r

,a s t

,star

,or

starred ’ in the same way as the word Sephi - rothcomes from the Hebrew root

,roth

On the black sacred stone Kebla or Cabarat Mecca

,there appears the figure of a human head

cut ’

,which some take to be the head of a Venus

(E n th umiu s Zy a b e n u s , M od . Un . H i s t. i . 2 1 3 Sale ’sD i s cou rs e

,p . 1 6 ; B i bli oth e ca B i bli a ,

i . 6 1 3 ,Man ’s ideas

,outwards from himself

,must always

become more dreamlike as they recede from him,

more real as they approach him .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 96 THE ROSICRUGIANS

before Christ and from there,about 3 70 years after,

into Scotland,by King F e rga z e (Fergus). I n the

year of Christ 850 it was placed at the Abbey of Scone

(in the county of Perth) by King Kenneth ; thisbe ing the place where the Scottish Kings were generally crowned i n those days . I n the year 1 297 thisScottish wooden throne or ch air

,together with their

crown and sceptre,was brought into Englan d by the

English King Edward the First,and placed in West

minster Abbey .

Si qu id h a b e n t ve r i ve l chron ica ca n a fi d e s ve

Cla u d itu r h a c Ca the dr a n ob iliu s e cce la p is ,Ad ca pu t e ximiu s J a cob qu on damPa tr i a rch a

Qu empos u i t , ce r n e n s n umi n a mir a poli .Qu emtu li t e x Scoti s ,

Spoli a n s qu a s i victor hon or i s ,E dwa r d u s Pr imu s , Ma r s ve lu t a rmip ote n s ;Sco torumDomi tor

,n o s te r Va li d i s s imu s He ctor

An glorumD e cu s glor i a mi liti a s .

A n tiqu i ti e s of We s tmi n s te r A b bey ,1 7 1 1 .

It is still supposed,in accordance with the ancient

prophecies,that the s tone in the Coronation Ch air

has miraculous gifts,and that the sovereignty of

England depends upon it . This magical stone carrieswith it the tradition (how or whence derived no oneknows) , that it murmurs approval at the coronationwhen the rightful heir assumes his or her seat on itbut that

,on the contrary

,it would clap with terrific

noise,and fire flash from it

,implying protest a n d

denunciation,should an usurper a ttempt to counter

Work or control its mysteries . It still has hooks forthe chain which in former unknown times suspen dedi t

,when it was borne as a talisman of victory at the

head of the army—when doubtless it was regarded asa Palladium of Pro s perity

,and a Divinity . It is also

said that the pre - eminence of L ondon is connectedwith the preservation of L ondon Stone .

THE CORONATION STONE 1 97

Both the ancient relic,L ondon Stone

,and the

Coronation Stone in Westminster Abbey,seem of the

same Character . They appear to have been eitherworn down to their present smallness in the lapseof the ages

,or to have been mutilated at some u n

known,remote period—possibly thrown down and

broken as obj ects of superstitious reverence,if not

of direct and positive idolatry,thus very probably

exciting indignation,which

,as it found opportunity

and scope for its exercise,was successful in their de

molition . I n both these stones we certainly haveonly fragments—perhaps of Obelisks

,or of Jewish

‘ Bethel ’

Pillars or Stones —for all these supposedmagical stones are of the same sacred familyThe supposed magical stone

,enclosed in the wooden

block at the base of the Coronation Chair,has been

reputed,from time immemorial

,to murmur its a p

proval or disapproval of the royal occupant,only at

the moment when the Sovereign was placed in thechair for investiture with the sacred p a lli umor withthe state robes

,on the occasion of the King ’s or the

Queen’s coronation .

In this respect the stone is very similar in its ascribedsupernatural gifts

,and in this special oracular speak

ing - power,to all sacred or magical stones and more

particularly to the famous statue of Memnon in Egypt,

which is said to give forth a long,melodious ton e

with the first ray of sunrise,like that produced by

the wind through the IZE oli a n harp . It is not quite

clear whether this sound is expected to issue fromthe stone in the royal chair at Westminster when a pproval is intended

,and the meaning o f the stone is

benign,or whether sounds at all are to be heard only

when displeasure is to be expressed . This strangeasserted power of t h e sacred s tone at Westminsterto become vocal direc tly allies it with other oracular

1 98 THE ROSICRUCIANS

stones all over the world . The prevalence everywhere

,and in all time

,of the existence of special

stones having this miraculous gift is a striking andcurious proof of the continual

,invincible yearning

of man for supernatural direct help and directionfrom powers exterior and invisible to him . He earn e s tly desires the possibility Of personal communication with that intelligent

,unseen world

,which he

cannot avoid thinking is close about him,surveying

his doings . Ma n tries to overcome the assurancethat this invisible

,recognitive

,responsive world

,to

betake himself to in his time of trouble,is

,so far

as his senses insist,so hopelessly out of reach . He

languishes to think it attainable .

The oracular stone at Westminster seems only apiece of some pillar or li thos but no one will attemptto dispute that it is an obj ect of prodigious antiquity

,

and that its history is very remarkable and interesting . Its place of deposit

,too

,the shrine of Edward

the Confessor,is worthy of it and both inspire deep

reverence— n a y ,an awful feeling .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

200 THE ROSICRUCIANS

instance,because he was by accident clothed in white

at his coronation ; it being remembered afterwardsthat white was the ancient colour for a victim . This ,in itself

,was sufficiently formidable as an omen . D e

Quincey’s particular expressions are ;

‘ That whenKing Charles the First came to be crowned

,it was

found that,b y some oversight , all the store in L o n

don was insufficient to furnish the purple velvetnecessary for the robes of the king and for the furn i tu re of the throne . It was too late to send to Genoafor a supply ; and through this accidental deficiencyit happened that the king was attired in whi te velvetat the solemnity of his coronation

,and not in red or

purple robes,as consisted with the proper usage .

’

As an earlier instance of this singular Superstition,

the story of that ill - fated royal Wh i te Ship occursto memory

,as the vessel was called wherein Prince

William,the son of King Henry the First

,the heir

apparent,with his natural sister

,the Countess of

Perche,and a large company of the young nobility

,

embarked on their return to England from Normandy .

It might be supposed that the misfortunes of KingCharles the First

,which were accepted

,at that time

of monarchical dismay,as the reading (and the ex

h a u s tion ) of this evil - boding prophecy , were enough ;but there are some reasons for imagining that theeffects are not— even in ou r day—altogether expended .

The fatalities of the colour white to English royaltycertainly found their consummation

,or seemed so to

do,in the execution of King Charles the First

,who

was brought out to suffer before his own palace ofWhitehall —where

,again

,we find white intro

d u ce d in connexion with royalty and tragical events .

Whitehall is the Royal ‘ White ’

Palace of England .

The White Rose ’ was the unfortunate rose (andthe conquered one) of the contending two Roses in

WHI TE A MAGIC COLOUR 201

this country . This is again a singular fact,little as

i t has been remarked . We will pursue this strangeinquiry j ust a little further

,and see if the lights of

Rosicrucianism will not afford us a measure of helpfor it is one of the doctrines of the Rosicrucians thatthe signatures

,as they call them

,of obj ects have a

magical marking - u p and a preternatural effect , throughhidden spiritual reasons

,

‘of which we have no ideain this mortal state— i n other words

,that magic and

charming,through talismans

,is possible ; common

sense being not all sense .

,The colour white is esteemed both of good and ofbad augury

,according to the circumstances and the

periods of its presentation . In relation to the nameof our present King

,the supposedly unfortunate pre

fix ‘

Albert ’ has been practically discarded in favourof ‘ Edward ’ only . This name of Edward is an histor ica l

,triumphant

,and auspicious name ; for all

our Edwards,except the weak King Edward the

Second,have been powerful or noteworthy men .

Now,very few people have had occasion to remark

,

or have recalled the fact as significant and ominousin the way we mean

,that the word Albert ’ itself

means ‘ White ’

. The root of ‘

Albert ’ is,in most

languages,to be found in ‘ white ’

°

a lbu s,white ;

a lt ,white Alb a n i a

,the white ’ cou ntry . We here

recall the ‘

s n owy camese’

,to which B yron makes

reference as worn in Albania .

‘

Albion ’

(of the‘

white’

cliffs), Alb ,Al

,El

,[E l

,all mean ‘ white ’

.

E xamples might be mult iplied . AAcpog, a Awe,a lbu s

,

white ’

,are derived from the Celtic a lp ; and from

thence came the word Alps ’

,which are mountains

always white,as being covered with snow . A lbu s

,

“white

”

,certainly comes from the Celtic a lp,

ora lb says the historian Pe z ron for in that language

,

as well as in many others,the b and the is frequently

202 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

interchange ; from whence the ancient L atins , andthe Sabines themselves

,said Alt u s for white . I con

sider it therefore as certain continues Pe z ron,that

from Altu s the word Alps came , because the mountains are always white

,as being covered with snow

the words “Alp

” or Alb”

,and their compounds

,

meaning white everywhere . I conclude,also

,that

from the P e n of the Ce ltae Umbrians and Sabines,

which signifies a head top or high place ”

,

they made P e n n i n u s M on s,the Apennines

,vast moun

tains in I taly . Thus these celebrated words proce e d certainly from the Gaulish tongue

,and are older

by several ages than the city of Rome .

’

Th e following are all Teutonic or German words : a lb

,a lf (Qy .

Alfred and a lp,which all signify ‘ white ’ as their

original root . Thus much for white .

White is also a colour not auspicious to the Prussian royal family

,although

,again

,in a contradictory

way,the ensigns of Prussia (B orussia , or of the

B oru s s i are,as armorists well know

,the original

white and black ’ of the Egyptians,which were

adopted by the Teutons and the Templars . Thesewhite and black tinctures are heraldically a rgen t a n d

s a ble : L una,or pe a rl

,for ‘ tears ’

; Saturn ,or d i a

mon d,for ‘ sadness

,penance

,and ashes ’

. I n thesestra nge senses

,the Rosicrucians accepted colours as

in themselves talismanic,powerfully operative through

their planetary ‘

e ffi ci e n ts or ‘ signatures’

,as the

astrologers call them . These ideas,more or less pro

n ou n ce d,have prevailed in all ages and in all coun

tries,and they lurk largely in suspicion through our

own land . We are all aware in England, of theobj ection to the colour ‘ green in certain cases . It

is the spirit - colour,a magic colour

,the colour of the

‘ fairies ’

,as the cabalistic

,tutelary

,miniature spirits

are called,who are supposed to be very j ealous of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

204 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

spirits,or Celestial Flames ’

,which are the seven

Angels or Spirits of God,who keep the way round

about ‘ the Throne of the Ancient of Days ’

.

There is in most countries an obj ection to Friday,

although it is the Mohammedan sacred day or Sabbath . Friday is the day of the Green ’

. Emeralds,

or sma r a gd s , are proper to be worn on Friday, andbring good fortune

,as exercising occult influences

on this particular day .

The breastplate of the Jewish High - Priest had itsoracular gems

,which were the Urim and Thummim .

The reputed enchanter,Apollonius Ty a n e u s , is said ,

for the purposes of his magic,to have worn special

rings,with their appropriate gems

,for each day of

the sevenfold week,to command the particular spirits

belonging to the different days . The Hermetic B rethren had certain rules that they observed in relation to this View of the p ower of precious stones tobring good or bad fortune through the planetaryaffinities of certain days

,because they imagined that

the various gems,equally as gold and silver

,were

produced through the Chemic operation of the planets,

working secretly in the telluric body . They thoughtthat gold and silver

,and all the gems

,had but one

foundation in nature,and were simply augmented

,

purified,and perfected through the operation of the

hermetic or magnetic light— invisible and u n a tta i n

able under ordinary circumstances,and unknown

,

except to the alchemists . All yellow gems,and gold

,

are appropriate to be worn on Sunday,to draw down

the propitious influences,or to avert the antagonistic

effects,of the spirits on this day

,through its ruler

and name - giver,the Sun . On Monday

,pearls and

white stones (but not diamonds) are to be worn , b ecause this is the day of the Moon

,or of the second

power in nature . Tuesday,which is the day of Mars

,

THE SIGNI F ICANCE OF DAYS 205

claims rubies,and all stones of a fi ery lustre . Wed

n e s d a y is the day for turquoises , sapphires , and allprecious stones which seem to reflect the blue of thevault of heaven

,and that imply the lucent azure

of the supposed spiritual atmosphere,wherein

,or

under which,the Rosicrucian sylphs dwell —those

elementary childr en who,according to the cabalistic

theogony,are always striving for intercourse with

the race of Adam,seeking a share of his particular

privilege of immortality,which has been denied to

them . Thursday demands amethysts and deepcoloured stones of sanguine tint

,because Thursday

is‘

the day of Thor— the Runic impersonated MaleD ivine Sacrifice . Friday

,which is the day of Venus

,

has its appropriate emeralds,and reigns over all the

varieties of th e imperial , and yet strangely the sinister

,colour green . Saturday

,which is Saturn ’s day

,

the oldest of the gods,claims for its distinctive talis

man the most splendid of all gems,or the queen of

precious stones,the lustre - darting diamond

,which is

produced from the black of Sab,Seb

,or Saturn

,the

origin of all Visible things,or th e ‘ Great Deep ’

,or

Great Mother ’

,in one sense .

This is the day on which all green gems,and the

colour green should be un iversally used . Friday isthe ‘ woman s day ’ of the sevenfold weekly period ;a n d therefore

,as some ill - natured people might say

,

it is the unlucky day . Certain it is,however

,that

although it presents the exact contradiction of beingespecially the woman ’s 5 day

,few or no marriages

would be celebrated on this day,as popularly bearing

the mark of ill luck,which suppositions few woula

like openly to defy,or

,according to the familiar ex

pression,

fly in the face of ’

. Ma y is also forbiddenfor marriages

,although it is the woman’s month

or month in which Ma y—day occurs

,and in which

206 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Ma y- poles used to be set up everywhere . (See

figures of M a y- poles later in our book .)

But to return to the ill - omened colour to England,

white,and to the important shape in which we find

it to appear in the name borne by our present King‘

Albert Edward inheriting his name Albertfrom perhaps the most lovable prince whom thiscountry has ever known a s casting in his destinies

,

by marriage,with it

,but whose end—i n the prime

of life,and in the fu l lness of his i n flu e n ce—was surely

unfortunate enough,when the eyes of hope of all

Europe,in various respects

,were fixed upon him !

The name Albert has happily,however

,been passed

over in the person of the King as a name laid asideand he is known by the name—the p rop Itiou s name—of Edward only

,

‘ Edward the SeventhThe ‘ White L ady of Berlin ’ and her mysterious

appearances from time to time are well known tothe writers of modern romantic biographical story .

Whom she is supposed to represent seems to b e u n

known to all . Those who have recorded her fi tfu lrevelations of herself venture no surmise but she isconsidered in some way the evil genius of the Hohenzollern family

,much in the same manner as the um

accounted- for figure might have been regarded whorevealed himself to B rutus on the Plains of Philippi

,

and who announced the crowning misfortunes of thenext day . The Irish have a name for this supernatural appearance in the ‘ banshee ’

,or the speaker

or exponent,of fate . The ‘ White L ady of B erlin

is supposed to be seen b y some person in the palacebefore any pre - eminent disaster supervenes

,occurring

to a member Of the royal house . The glimpses ofthis White L ady are only momentary and delusive—s o vague

,indeed

,as to be readily contradicted or

explained away (perhaps willingly) even by the sup

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

208 THE ROSICRUCIANS

b iliti e s of which,we will terminate in the adj uration

of the sublime Roman s,those masters in the art of

augury and of di vination,

‘

Absit omen ! B u t thusmuch we have chosen to explain about the colourwhite

,in j ustification of the ideas of the Rosicrucians

as to the supernatural power of colours ; and as tothe magical qualities of those occult influences whichthey determined

,in their philosophical vocabularies

,

strangely and mysteriously to call the signaturesof things

4»

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - FOURTH

THE B E LIE FS OF THE ROS ICRUC I ANS—ME AN ING OF

LIGHTS AND OF COMM E MORATIVE FLAMBE AUX IN

AL L WORSHI P

FROM the name of the Temple,now Stonehenge

,comes

the name of Amb r e s b u ry ,which stands a few miles

from it . This is called the ‘

Ambres of the AbiriIt is two words

,and means the Ambres of the Di i

Pote n te s or of the “MN,or ‘ Cabiri —for they are

the same .

The star of the L egi on d’

Hon n eu r bears the i n s cr iption N a poleon ,

Emper eu r d e s F r a n ca i s This orderwas instituted by the Emperor Napoleon the First ,after the

“

discovery and dissolution of the SecretSociety

,or Brotherhood

,of which General Pich e gru ,

Georges Ca d ou d a l,the famous

‘

Moreau,and other

noted revolutionary men were members . This orderpossessed

,it is stated

,a talisman or mystic head ,

which served as a recognitive mark,and was supposed

to be a sort of bond to the brotherhood . After theirdeath

,their secret insignia were discovered ; and it

has been stated that the Emperor Napoleon,whose

attention was instantaneously arrested by great andunusual ideas or supernatural sugge stions

,in sup

pressing this mystic symbol or head,adopted i t in

another form,and substituted his own head in profile

,

as the p a lla d i um,or talisman

,for his new order of

the L egion of HonourThe s affron robe of Hymen is of the colour of th e

209 P

2 1 0 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Flame of Fire . The B ride,in ancient days

,was covered

with a veil called the ‘

F lammeum’

; unless madeunder this

,no vow was considered sacred . The

ancients swore,not by the altar

,but by the flame of

fire whi ch wa s u pon the a lta r . Yellow,or fl ame - colour

,

was the colour of the Ghebers,or Guebres

,or Fire

Worshippers . Th e P e r s i a n li li e s a r e yellow ; andhere will be remarked a connexion between this factof the yellow of the Persian lilies and the mysticsymbols in various parts of our book . Mystic rites

,

and the symbolical lights,which mean the Divinity

of Fire,abound at Candlemas - day (February 2md ) , or

the Feast of the Purifica tion ; in the torches b orneat weddings

,and in the typical fl ame - brandishing at

marriage over almost all the world ; in the illumi na tio n s at feasts in the lights on

,and set about

,the

Christian altar at the festival of the Holy Nativity inthe ceremonies at preliminary espousals in the B ale

,or

Baal,

fires on the summits of the mountains in thewatch - lights

,or votive sanctuary- lights

,in the hermit

age in the lowest valley ; in the ch a pe lle a rd e n te,

in the Romish funereal Observances,with its abun

dance of s ilent , touching lights around the Splendidca ta fa lqu e , or twinkling , pale and ineffectual , singlyat the side of the death - bed in the cottage of thepeasant . Starry lights and innumerable torches atthe stately funeral

,or at any pompous celebration

,

mean the same . I n short,light all over the world

,

when applied to religious rites,a n d to ceremon ial

,

whether in the ancient or in the modern times,bespeaks

the same origin,and struggles to express the same

meaning,which is Parseeism

,Pe r s e i sm

,or the wor

ship of the deified FIRE,disguised in many theological

or theosophic forms . It will,we trust

,n ever be

supposed that wemean,in this

,r e a l fi re , but only the

inexpressible something of which real fire,or rather

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 1 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

which,as they lie near to

,or dilate the farthest from

,

the earliest opening divine ‘

B rightness ’

,they deno

minate the Empyr aeum,the I

ZE th e r a eum,and the

Elementary Region,each filled and determinate and

forceful with less and less of the First Celestial Fire .

These regions contain innumerable invisible nations,

or angels,of a nature appropriate to each . Through

these immortal regions,L ight

,diffusing in the eman

a tio n s of the cabalistic Sephiroth,becomes the black

ness,sediment

,or ashes

,which is the second fiery

,

real world . This power,or vigour

,uniting with the

Ethereal Spirit,constitutes strictly the Soul of the

World It becomes the only means of the earthlyintelligence

,or man

,knowing it . It is ' the Angel

Conqueror,Guide

,Saviour born of ‘Woman ’

,or

‘ Great Deep ’

,the Gnostic Sophia

,the ‘ Word made

flesh of St . John . The Empyr ae umis properly theflower

,or glory (effluent in its abundance) , of the

divine L atent Fire . It is penetrated with miracleand holy magic . The Rosicrucian system teachesthat there are three ascending hierarchies of benefi ce n t Angels (the purer portion of the First Fire , orL ight) , divided into nine orders . These threefoldangelic hierarchies are the Teraphim

,the Seraphim

,

and the Cherubim . This religion,which is the

religion of the Parsees,teaches that

,on the Dark Side

,

there are also three counter - balancing resultant divisions of operative intelligences

,divided again into

nine spheres,or inimical regi ons

,populated with

splendidly endowed adverse angels,who boast still

the relics of their lost,or eclipsed

,or changed

,light .

The elementary world,or lowest world

,in which man

and his belongings,and the lower creatures

,are pro

d u ce d,is the flux

,subsidence

,residuum

,ashes

,or

deposit,of the Ethereal Fire . Ma n is the microcosm

,

or ‘ indescribably small copy ’

,of the whole great

ROSICRUCIAN TE ACHING 2 1 3

world . D ilatation and comp ression , expansion a n d

contraction,magnetic sympathy

,gravitation to

,or

flight from,is the bond which holds all imaginable

things together . The connexion is intimate b e

tween the higher and the lower,because all is a per

p e tu a l aspiration , or continuous descent : one long ,immortal chain

,whose sequence is never - ending

,reaches

by impact with that immediately above,and by con

tact with that immediately below,from the very

lowest to the very highest .

‘ So true is it that Godloves to retire into Hi s clouded Throne and

,thicken

ing the Darkn ess that encompasses Hi s most awfulMaj esty

,He inhabits an Inaccessible L ight

,and lets

none into Hi s Truths but the poor in spirit .

’ TheRosicrucians contended that these so poor in spiritmeant themselves

,and implied their submission and

ab asement before God .

The Rosicrucians held that,all things Visible and

invisible having been produced by the contention oflight with darkness

,the earth has denseness in its

innumerable heavy concomitants downwards,and they

contain less and less of the original divine light as theythicken and solidify th e grosser and heavier in matter .

They taught,nevertheless

,that every obj ect

,how

ever stifled or delayed in its operation,and darkened

and thickened in the solid b lackness at the base,yet

contains a certain possible d e po s It , or j ewel , of light—which light

,although by natural process it may

take ages to evolve,as light will tend a t last by its

own native,irresistible force upward (when it has

opportunity) , can be liberated ; that dead matterwill yield this spirit in a space more or less expeditiousby the art of the alchemist . There are worlds withinworlds—we

,human organisms

,only living in a dccciv

ing,or B h u d d i s tic

,dreamlike phase ’ of the grand

panorama . Unseen and unsuspected (because in it

2 1 4 THE ROSICRUCIANS

lies magic) , there is an inner magnetism ,or divine

a u r a,or ethereal spirit

,or possible eager fire

,shut and

confined,as in a prison

,in the body

,or in all sensible

solid obj ects,which have more or less of spiritually

sensitive life as they can more successfully free themselves from this ponderable

,material obstruction .

Thus all minerals,in this spark of light

,have the

rudimentary possibility of plants and growing organisms ; thus all plants have rudimentary sensitives ,which might (in the ages) enable them to perfect andtransmute into locomotive new creatures

,lesser or

higher in their grade,or nobler or meaner in their

functions ; thus all plants and all vegetation mightpass Off (by side—roads) into more distinguished highways

,as it were

,of independent

,completer advance

,

allowing their original spark of light to expand andthrill with higher and more vivid force

,and to urge

forward with more abounding,informed purpose

all wrought by planetary influence,directed by the

unseen spirits (or workers) of the Great OriginalArchitect

,building Hi s mi crocosmos of a world from

the plans and powers evoked in the ma crocosm,or

heaven of first forms,which

,in their multitude and

magnificence,are as changeable shadows cast off from

the Central Immortal First L ight,whose rays dart

from the centre to the extremest point of the universalcircumference . It is with terrestrial fire that thealchemist breaks or sunders the material darknessor atomi c thickness

,all visible nature yielding to h i s

furnaces,whose scattering heat (without its sparks)

breaks all doors of this world ’s kind . It is with immaterial fire (o r ghostly fire) that the Rosicrucianloosens contraction and error

,and conquers the false

knowledge and the deceiving senses which bind thehuman soul as in its prison . On this side of his powers

,

on this dark side (to the world) of his Character, the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 1 6 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

magic gold,of

‘ fairy gold ’

,condensed as real gold .

This growing gold,or self- generating and multiplying

gold,is obtai ned by invisible transmutation (and in

other light) in another world out of this world ;immaterial to us crea tures of limited faculties

,but

material enough,farther on

,on the heavenly side

,or on

the side oppos i te to our human side . I n other words,

the Rosicrucians claim not to be bound by the limitsof the present world

,but to be able to pass into this

next world (inaccessible only in appearance), and tobe able to work in it

,and to come back safe (and self

same) out of it , bringing their trophies with them ,

which were gold,obtained out of this master - circle

,

or outside elementary circle,different from ordinary

life,though enclosing it ; and the elixi r vi ta

,or the

means of the renewal or the perpetuation of humanlife through this universal

,immortal medicine

,or

ma gi s te r i um,which

,being a portion of the light out

side,or magic

,or breath of the spirits

,fleeing from

man,and only to be won in the audacity of God

aided alchemic exploration,was independent of those

mastered natural elements,or nutritions

,necessary

to ordinary common life . The daily necessary foodwhich is taken for the sustenance of the body was

,

as the Rosicrucians contended,the means of dissolut

ion,or death daily passing through and the real

cause of the destruction of the body,by the slowest

of all processes,but yet

,in instalments

,the effectual

one . They asserted that man d i e s d a i ly in his ownnative bodily corruptions . These singular philosoph e r s ventured the assertion that God di d not

,in

the beginning,intend that ma n ’

s life should be terminated by diseases

,nor that he should be made subj ect

to accidental,violent means of end . In the abstract

sense,and apart from our knowledge of man as man

,

the Rosicrucians contended that diseases are not

ORIGINAL SIN 2 1 7

necessarily incid ental to the body,and that death

may be said to have become an imported accidentinto the scheme of things our ideas being erroneousas to the original design in regard of us .

Ma n was to have lived as the angels,of an impreg

nable,impassab le Vitality

,taking his respiration

,not

by short snatches,as it were

,but as out of the great

cup of the centuries . He was to be the spectator ofnature—not nature h i s spectator . The real obj ectsof the adepts were

,in truth

,to remain no longer slaves

to those things supposed to be n e ce s s i ti e s,b u t

,by the

a ssistance of Heaven,to remove back to Heaven ’s

original intention to rise superior to the con s e

qu e n ce s of the original Curse , and to tread under foot ,in Vindicating the purpose of God

,that mortal (how

ever seductive) , sexual , distinctive , degradation entailing dissolution

,heired from Adam

,or from the First

Transgressor . That poverty and celibacy (undercertain limitations) must be th e Obligations of thetrue B rothers of the R . C .

’ will at once be seen fromthe above reasons

,however wild and mistaken

barely even comprehensible . This is the real origina l reason for the monastic state—defying and denying nature .

The original curse was entailed upon mankind byeating of

Th e fru itOf tha t forbidde n Tre e whos e mor ta l ta s teB rou ght de a th i n to th e world ,

a n d a ll ou r woe .

What that Tree ’ was,and what are its votive

,

idolatrous (in the bad sense) symbols in the Old worldand in the new

,we think we have abundantly shown

—a t least,in the occult

,shadowy idea . Why

,sup

posing that the alchemists ever possessed the powerof universal gold-making

,they fail of producing any

,

2 1 8 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

or o f . offe r i n g one of their rich gifts to the world , i sat once answered in these two conclusive

,obvious

facts : Firstly , that if this power of gold -making,

or of transmutation,were a recognized possibility

,like

any other art allowed or authorized,it would i n e vi t

ably become penal or impossible,in order to preserve

the existing value of gold,the richest metal ; and

the professor of the art would be at once put out ofsight . Secondly

,if supposed to be true

,and not fable

,

like any ordinary art or science,the man who had

arrived at such a stupendous secret would be sacrifi ce d or martyred in the insatiate haste of the peopleto compel him to produce gold

,in order to satisfy

th em— that gold,moreover

,which will destroy

,but

can never satisfy Ye cannot serve God and M ammon .

’ These things the alchemists too well know,

and therefore they (if any exist now) hide , as theyhave always hidden

,and deny

,as they have always

denied ; being desirous of stealing through the worldunknown and of serving God alone

,whose inaccessible

great glory,as we see

,has been imitated in the golden

lights of the inexpressibly grand (in the worldly andmortal sense) , apostate constructions of the ma gn ificent Mammon

,L ord of the Treasures of this World

,

for which men offer themselves willing Victims evento Him

,King of the Visible

,whose semblance is that

of the most brilliant yellow element—Fire—Or,

‘GoldenFlame the ‘ Flower ’ of the Fire .

The alchemists maintain that the metals are prod u ce d in the secret operations of the planets

,that

grow them daily in the bowels of'

the earth ; thatthe sun and moon

,red and white

,fire and water

,light

and darkness,male and female

,night and day

,are

active in the generation of the precious metals,of

which gold is due wholly to the invisible operationof the s u n and moon

,and silver is referable to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

220 THE ROSICRUCIANS

maintenance) is in itself that which (however slowly)destroys it . Ma n lives upon the lees of nature

,or

(in the B h u d d i s tic View) upon the‘ gross purgations

of the celestial fire which is urging itself clear throughthe operation of the divine rescuing spirit in it . It

follows that metaphysically all the wonderful showsof life are ph a n ta sma ta only

,and their splen dours false

and a show only . B u t as these Shows are the mediumand the instruments of life

,without which i n te lli

gen ce (i n the human sense) would be impossible , thiscelestial Second Fire has been deified in the acknowle d gme n ts of the first inhabitants of the world whoraised pillars and stones in its honour as the firstidol . Thus man bears in his own body the pictureof the ‘ Triune Reason is the head

,feeling is the

breast,and the mechanical means of both feeling and

reasoning,or the means of his being Ma n

,is the

epigastric centre,from -which the two first spring as

emanations,and with which the two first form ulti

mately but one The invisible magnetic,geometri

cal bases,or latitudes

,of these three vital points

,

whose consent,or coincidence

,or identity

,forms

the microcosm ’

,which is a copy of the same form

in heaven,answer magically to their stellar originals .

This is astrological ruling by pyramidal culmination,

and by trilinear descent or e fflu x,to an intersecting

point in the latitudes of the heavens and in the man’

sbody

,at which upper and lower

,or heaven and earth

,

interchange ; and M a n is therefore said to be madein the image of the Archetype

,who has descended

to man,who has ‘ ascended ’ to Him. This is the

‘ hinge - point ’ of the natural and the supernatural,

upon which the two wings of the worlds real and u n

real revolve The starry heavens,through whose

astrologica l cross—work complications (as in a map)all these infinite effects are produced

,and on whose

STRANGE IDE AS CONCE RNING M USIC 22 1

(for , taking gravitation away , they are the same)floor of lights

,or cope or dome of signs or letters

,all

the ‘ past,present

,and future ’ has been written by

the finger of God (although to man they are everrearranging) , can be read by the competent as Fate .

Natural and supernatural,though one is only the

reversed side of the other,as ‘ darkness is only the

reversed side of light,and light is only the reversed

side of darkness ’

,

1 are mistaken by man for opposites

,although they are the same man living in this

state in darkness,although his world is light ; and

heaven in this state being darkness,although this

state is light .

Music (although it is unheard by man) is necessarilyproduced in the ceaseless operations of material nature

,

because nature itself is penitential and but the painful (a n d musical) expression between two dissonantpoints . The B h u d d i s t contends that all forms arebut the penance of nature . Music is life

,and life

is music . B oth are pain,although made delightful .

Phenomena are not real,Thus colours to the human are negative as music

addressed to the ear,the musical notes negative as

colours addressed to the eye,and so on of the other

senses,although they are all the same in the imagina

tion,without the s e n s or i um—as dreams show . An d

life and the world,in this View

,are all imagination

man being made’

in idea,and only in his own belief .

This , again , is only pure Parseeism ; and the wholewill be rightly regarded as the most extraordinarydream of philosophy— as depth of depths beyondidea .

Schubert,in his Symboli smof D re ams

,has the fol

lowing passages,which we have before adduced and

61 Comte d e Ga b a li s Ro s i cru ci a n .

222 THE ROSICRUCIANS

made use of for illustration It may be asked whetherthat language

,which now occupies so low a place in

the estimation of men,be not the actual waking lan

guage of the higher regions,while we adds the

philosopher,coming out with something very strange

,

awake as we fancy ourselves,may be sunk i n a s le ep

ofma n y thou s a n d ye a r s , or , at least , in the echo of theirdreams

,and only intelligib ly catch a few dim words

of that lan guage of God,as sleepers do scattered

expressions from the loud conversation Of those aroundthem .

’

The following is a fair Vi ew of the Rosicrucian theoryconcerning music .

The whole world is taken as a mu s ica l ' i n s trume n tthat is

,a chromatic

,sensib le instrument . The com

mon axis or pole of the world celestial is intersected-where this superior diapason

,or heavenly concord

or chord,is divided—b y the spiritual sun , or centre

of sentience . Every man has a little spark (sun) inhis own bosom . Time is only protracted consciousness

,because there is no world out of the mind con

ce ivi n g it . Earthly music is the faintest traditionof the angelic state it remains in the mind of manas the dream of

,and the sorrow for

,the lost paradise .

Music is yet master of the man ’s emotions,and there

fore of the man .

Heavenly music is produced from impact upon thepaths of the planets

,which stand as chords or strings

,

by the cross - travel of the sun fromnote to note,as

from planet to planet ; and earthly music is micros cop ica lly an imitation of the same , and a

‘ relic ofheaven ’ the faculty of recognition arising from thesame supernatural musical e fflu x which produced theplanetary bodies

,in motived proj ection from the sun

in the centre,in their evolved

,proportional

,har

mo n iou s order . The Rosicrucians taught that the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

224 THE ROSICRUCIANS

in this manner of that which is supernatural for hisobj ections are futile and vain

,and his arguments con

tr a d ict themselves . Spirit and matter,when sought

to be explained,are totally opposed and hence

arises the reason why there can never be any beliefof impossible things

,and only the conviction that such

things h a ve b e e n in the mind,notwithstanding the i n s u r

mountable contradiction o i the senses .

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - FIFTH

THE GRE AT PYRAM ID

IN a very elaborate and interesting book,published in

the year 1 867, the title of which , at length , is thefollowing : L i fe a n d Work a t th e G r e a t Pyr ami d , byC . Piazzi Smyth

,Professor of Practical Astronomy

in the University of Edinburgh,and Astronomer

Royal for Scotland . Edinburgh,1 867 : the conclus

ions (though a mistake) which we now supply fromthe author are offered as definitions

,after infinite care

,

of this important name or word,PYRAM ID Pyra

mid is derived in this book from two Greek terms7rv

'

S,

‘ wheat ’

; ,u GTpOV, measure or from Cop

tic roots,signifying pyr ,

‘ division met,ten ’

.

However,we o ffer to deduce this term Pyramid

from quite another source . The present writer origi n a lly sought to do this in the year 1 860 ,

in a dissert a tion on the origin and purpose of the PyramidsOf Egypt ’

. It is well known that the letters P andF are radically the same letter (as is evidenced bytheir peculiar pronunciation in certain countries) , andthat they are interchangeable . In Professor Smyth ’sbook

,Iv o

’

g is wrongly translated wheat I t

signifies product ’

,or i

growth or ‘ elimination ’

;

in other words,and in the symbolical sense

,it means

‘ sun—begotten ’

,or fi r e - begotten ’

. The Coptic der iva tio n (r e - read by a new light) is the true one . Thuswe obtain another reason upon which we rely as thereal interpretation of the name of the pyramid

,or obe

lisk,or great original altar or upright

,raised in the

225Q

226 THE ROSICRUCI ANS

divinity Working secondarily in nature .“up is fire

(or D ivision produced by fire) ; M e r po r is Ten (ormeasures or spaces numbered as ten) . The whole wordmeans

,and the entire obj ect bearing this name means

,

the original Ten Measures or Parts of the FieryEcliptic or Solar Wheel

,or the Ten Original Signs of

the Zodiac . Therefore the Pyramids are commemorative altars raised to the di vinity Fire .

The Oph i te s are said to have maintained that theserpent of Genesis was the A07 09, and the Saviour

’

.

The L ogos was D ivine Wisdom ,and was the Bhudda

,

or Buddha,of India . The Brazen Serpent was called

A oy o s , or the‘ Word ’

,by the Chaldee Paraphrast

(B a s n a ge , lib . iv . ch . xxv) . It is very certain that,

in ancient times,the serpent was an obj ect of a d or a t

ion i n almost all nations . The serpent - worshippersseem to have placed at the head

,or nearly at the head

,

of all things (Maia) , and most intimately connectedwith the serpent

,a certain principle which they called

‘ Sophia This is clearly a translation of the wordBhudda into Greek . It also reminds us that theold B h u d d a s are always under the care of the CobraCapella . This is evidenced in all the Memnonian orEgyptian heads and in the asp (or fle u r - de - lis) , moreor less veiled or altered

,displayed as the Chief symbol

upon the universal Sphynxes . The serpent,in one View

,

was the emblem of the evil principle,or destroyer .

B u t,as we have seen before

,the destroyer was the

creator Hence he had the name,among his numer

ous appellations,of OCIJIZ in Hebrew

,3m

,Ob

and as he was the logu s or linga ",he was also O \If

,

and in Hebrew NWT-TD. Query, hence , Zvcpa p , a seraph

or serpent —see Jones ’s L exi con (i n voce) , and 2 6009,wise . The 2 110 and Zocf) are both the same root . Th e

famous ‘

B razen Serpent ’

,called N e h u s ta n

,set up

by Moses in the Wilderness,is termed in the Targum

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

228 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Gnost i cs is nowhere more admirably or more successfully displayed than i n their hieroglyphs and picturedformu la . Even in the blazonry and in the collarsand badges of chivalry (which seems so remote fromthem) , we find these Ophite hints . The heathen temples and the modern ritualistic churches alike abound inunconscious Gnostic emblems . State ceremony harbours them ; they mix with the insignia of all theorders of knighthood and they show in all the heraldicand masonic marks

,figures

,and patterns

,both of

ancient and of modern times . The religion of theRosicrucians is also concealed

,and unconsciously car

ried forward,perpetuated

,and ignorantly fostered

,

by the very persons and classes who form,contrive

,

and wear decorations with special mysterious marks,

all the world over . Every person,in unconsciously

repeating certain figures,which form an unknown lan

guage,heired from the ancient times

,carries into fut

u r i ty ,and into all parts of the world, the same carefully

guarded traditions,for the knowing to recognize

,to

whose origin the sun,in his first revolution

,may be

figuratively said to be the only witness . Thus the greatinexpressible Talisman is said to be borne to theinitiate through the ages .

Proposals were published some years ago for a bookentitled

,

‘ The Enigma of Alchemy and of (E d ip u sresolved ; designed to elucidate the fables , symbols ,and other mythological disguises , in which the He r

metic Ar t has been enveloped and signalized in variousages

,in ecclesiastical ceremonies

,masonic formu la

,

astronomical signs,and constellations—even in the

emblazonments of chivalry,heraldic badges

,and other

emblems which,without explanation

,have been

handed down,and which are shown to have originated

in the same universal mystic school,through each

particular tracing their allusion to the means and

THE HE RM E TI C M YSTE RY 229

mechanism .

’ This intended work was left in MS. byits anonymous author

,now deceased

,but was never

published . The unknown author of it produced alsoin the year 1 850,

in one vol . 8vo,a book displaying

extraordinary knowledge of the science of alchemy ,which bore the name A Sugge s tive E n qu i ry i n to th e

He rmeti c M ys te ry ; wi th a D i s s erta ti on on the mor eceleb r a ted of th e Alchemi ca l Ph i los opher s . This bookwas published in L ondon but it is now extinct , having been bought u p— for suppression , a s we believeby the author’s friends after his decease

,who probably

did not wish him to be supposed to be mixed up insuch out - of- the- way inquiries .

The Vedas describe the Persian religion (Fire -Worsh ip) as having come from Upper Egypt . Themysteries celebrated within the recesses of the hypogea (caverns or labyrinths) were precisely of thatcharacter which is called Freemasonic

,or Cabiric .

The signification of this latter epithet is,as to written

letters,a desideratum . Selden has missed it so have

Origen and Sophocles . Strabo,too

,and Montfaucon

,

have been equally astray . Hyde was the only onewho had any idea of its composition when he declaredthat It was a P e r s i a n word

,somewhat altered from

Ga br i of Gu e br i,and signifying FIRE -WORSHIPPE RS

See O’

B r i e n’

s Rou n d Tower s of I r ela n d , 1 83 4, p .

Pococke,in his I n d i a i n Gre ece

,is very sagacious and

true in his arguments but he tells only half the storyof the myths in his supposed successful divestment ofthem of all unexplainable character

,a n d of exterior

supernatural origin . He supposes that all the mysterymust neces sarily disappear when he has traced

,and

carefully pointed out,the identity and transference of

these myths from India into Egypt and into Greece,

and their gradual spread westward . But he is whollymistaken and most other modern explainers are e qu

23 0 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

ally mistaken . Pococke contemplates all from theethnic and realistic point of view . He is very learnedin an accumulation of particulars

,but his learning is

of the earth,earthy by wh ich we mean that

,like

the maj ority of modern practical philosophers,he

argues from below to above,and not

,in the higher way

,

from above to below,or (contrary to the inductive , or

Aristotelian,or B aconian method) from generals to

particulars,or from the light of inspiration into the

s a ga ci ti e s of darkness , as we may call unassisted world’s

knowledge—always vain .

The Feast of L anterns,or Dragon - Feast

,occurs in

China at their New Year,which assimilates with that

of the Jews,and occurs in October at the high tides .

They salute the festival with drums and music,and

with explosions of crackers . During the Feast,noth

ing is permitted to be thrown into water (for fear of profaning it) . Here we have the rites of Aphrodite orVenus

,or the Watery D eity

,observed even in China

,

which worship,in Protean forms

,being also the wor

ship of the Dragon or Snake,prevails

,in its i n n ume r

able contradictory and effective disguises,over the

whole world . How like are the noises and explosionsof crackers

,etc .

,to the tumult of the festivals of Dion

usus or D ionysius,to the riot or rout of the Corybantes

amongst the Greeks,to the outcry and wild music of

the priests of the Salii,and , in modern times , to thenoises said to be made at initiation by the Freemasons

,

whose myths are claimed to be those (or imitative ofthose) of the whole world , whose Mysteries are saidto come from that First Time

,deep - buried in the blind

,

unconscious succession of the centuries I n theRoyal -Arch order of the Masons

,as some have said

,

at an initiation,the companions ’ fire pistols

,clash

swords,overturn chairs

,and roll cannon - balls about .

The long - descended forms trace from the oldest tra

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

23 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

b a oth as a bear,E r a ts a oth as a dog

,Ou r i e l as an ass .

Emanations are supposed to pass through the sevenplanetary regions

,signified by these Chaldaean names

,

on their way to this world . It was through theseseven planetary Spiritual regions

,or spheres

,filled

with their various orders of angels,that the Gnostics

myth e d the Saviour Jesus Christ to have passedsecretly disguising Himself and Hi s Mission in orderto win securely to Hi s obj ect . I n evading recognition

,

in Hi s acceptable disguises,through these already

created Princedoms of Angels He veiled Hi s purposeof Hi s Voluntary Sacrifice for the Human Race till He

was safe,in Hi s investment in ‘

Humanity ’ for theaccepted ‘

Propitiation —through the Virgin forproduction only not for officeThere was deep mystery in the Gnostic method of

teaching that,although the Sacrifice ’

(the source ofsacrifi ce in all faiths) was complete and real and perfe ct

,the Saviour did not—nor could—suffer bod i ly

or be nailed r e a lly , and d i e upon the Cross , but thatHe suffered in appearance only

,and vicariously—the

Scripture being misread . The Gnostics maintainedthat Simon the Cyr e n e a n—who , the Evangelist states ,bore Hi s Cross - did really bear it as the culprit

,and

suffered upon it . As human and divine are totallydifferent

,this could not impair the efficacy of the

Crucifixion ’

,for the substitution of persons was

miraculous and remote (of course) from human sense .

THE ROSICRUC IAN S

PART I I

CHAPTER THE FIRST

HISTORY OF THE TOWE R OR STE E PLE

WE have asserted,in an earlier part of our book

,that

the pyramidal or triangular form which fire assumesin its ascent to heaven was

,in the monolithic typology

,

used to signify the Great Generative Power . Thecoarse sensuality which seems inseparable from modernideas about the worship of the pillar or upright hadno place really in the solemn ancient mind

,in which

ideas of religion largely and constantly mingled . Wemust not j udge the ancients by too rigid an adherenceto our own prepossession s—foolish and inveteratelyhardened as they continually a re .

The adoration paid to this image of the ph a llu s,

which has persisted as an obj ect of worship throughall the ages

,in all countries

,was only the acknow

ledgment,in the ancient mind

,of wonder at the

seemingly accidental and unlikely,but certainly most

complete and effectual,means by which the con ti n u a t

ion of the human r a ce“ i s secured . The cabalistic

arguers contended that Ma n was a phenomenon ;that he did not

,otherwise than in his presentment

,

seem intended that there appeared nothing even inthe stupendous chain of organisms that seemed speciallyto hint his approach

,or to explain his appearance

(strange as this seems) , according to likelihood and23 3

23 4 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

sequence ; that between the highest of the animalsand the being ‘

Ma n’ there was a great gulf

,and

seemingly an impassable gulf ; that some afterreason ’

,to speak according to the means of the com

prehension of man,induced his introduction into the

Great Design ; that , in short , M a n originally wasnot intended . There is a deep mystery underlyingall these ideas

,which we find differently accounted

for in the various theologies .

We are here only speaking some of the abstrusespeculations of the old philosophers

,whose idea of

creati on,and of the nature of man and his destiny

,

differed most materially—if not wholly—from theacceptable ideas which they chose to inculcate

,and

which they wish ed to impress upon ordinary minds .

Thus their deeper speculations were never committedto writing

,because they did not admit of i n te rp r e

ta tio n in this way ; and if so handed down or promu lga te d ,

they would have been sure to h ave beenrej ected and disbelieved

,on account of the impos s i

b ility of their being believed . I n indicating some ofthe strange notions propounded by the Sophists

,a n d

,

if possible,still more remarkably by the early Christian

Fathers,we desire to disclaim any participation with

F ig. 42 F ig . 4 3 F ig. 44

them . Ou r personal belief of these theories must notbe necessarily supposed from our seeming to advocatethem . There is no doubt that they were very acute

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

23 6 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Fig . 42 is the Winged Human - headed L ion . It

comes from the N ineveh Gallery . It may be recogn i z e d as the Winged Bull

,and also as the Winged

L ion of St MarkThe ‘

L ion ’

,

‘ Bull ’,

‘ Eagle ’

,

‘

M a n’

,are the

O l s cg

C o h rmCa

Pe l C ob rq cb

pe ilu

M e r cy. J'L SII

‘

CQ

F ig . 5 2 E gypt i a n Colos s u s

symbols of the Evangelists ; the M a n’

,or Angel ’

standing for St . Matthew,the ‘

L ion for St . Mark,

the ‘

B ull ’ for St . L uke,and the ‘ Eagle for St . John .

I n these strange aspects the Evangelists figured inmany ancient churches

,and on most fonts . These

F ig . 5 3 : Pyr amid F ig. 54

E gypt i a n Se a te d Figu re (Br i t i s h Mu s e um)

representative forms are also said to have been theFour Cherubim of the Ark of the Hebrews . He r

me tic a lly they signify the four elements or the fourcorners or angle - points of the L esser or Mani

fe s te d World’

,or the Microcosm ’ of the Cabalists .

THE PYRAM IDS 257

Fig . 45 represents an Obelisk at N ineveh , now inthe B ritish Museum . Jacob ’s Pillar

,the Sacred Stone

in Westminster Abbey,

‘ Bethel ’,etc .

,

‘ Gilgal ’,have

a mythic alliance with the obelisk .

Regarding the pyramids the following may be

F ig . 5 5 Co lo s s a l He a d (Br i t i s h Mu s e um)

advanced : Murphy,the delineator of the Alhambra

,

considered the Pointed Arch to be a system foundedon the principle of the Pyramid . The pointed orvertical Saracenic or Gothic arch presents the formof the upper portion of the human qb a AAoe . The Sara

F i g . 56

cenic arch denotes the union of th e L inga and Yoni .I n fig . 56 we have the sun rising from between the

horns of Eblis (here taken for the pyramids) . Thisis a poetical superstition of the Arabians

,who there

fore turn to the N orth to pray ; in contradiction to

23 8 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

the practice of the Persians,who adore the rising sun .

The Arabians avert in prayer from this ma lifi c signof the ‘ horns because the sun is seenrising from between them ; and whendisclosing from between these mythicpillars

,the sun becomes a portent .

F ig. 5 7 Fig . 57 is an Egyptian seal , copiedby L ayard (N i n eveh a n d B a bylon ,

p .

Subj ect the Egyptian god Harpocrates,seated on the

—lfi v

b fir

4 /

Nfi §O -QM SA $ s v s

F ig . 5 8 Figu r e s o n th e E gypt i a n S a rcoph a gu s i n th e Br i t i s h Mu s e um

mythic lotus,in adoration of the Yoni

,or r un

,or

h a va h .

The Druidical Circles,and single stones standing

in solitary places,are all connected with the mystic

speculations of the Rosicrucians .

F ig 5 9

The eminences,St . Michael ’s Mount and Mont

St .-Michel

,were dedicated by the Phoenicians to the

Sun - God (Hercules) , as the Hydra or Dragon

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

240 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Tower or Upright,and furnish evidence how it passed

into the Christian times,and became the steeple .

When thus Changed and reproduced, according to the

F ig. 6 3 F ig . 64

Dr u id ica l S to n e i n Pe r s i a D r u idica l Cir cle a t D a r a b , i n Ar a b i a

F i g. 65 Figs . 66 . 67

Ki t’s Cot t y -h ou s e Ke n t A n ci e n t Br i t i s h Co i n ,me nt io n e d by C amde n

F ig. 68 F ig. 69

E n gl a n d : St . M ich a e l’s Br i t i s h Ch a n Fr a n ce , Norma n d y : Mon tMou n t , Mou n t ’s B a y , n e l,

‘

D r a gon St. -M ich e l . (‘

Mon tjo i eCor n wa ll . Dr a gon mou th (G a Mo n tjoy —Old B a t tleHor n s , or Fir e s . (MO li le c fr omth e cry o f th e G a u ls . )

‘

D r a

loch or B a a l ) We s t ) gon’

. Hor n s , or Fir e s .

(Moloch or B a a l )St . M ich a e l or th e Su n (He rcu le s ).

ROUND TOWERS AND OB E L ISKS 24 1

architectural ideas of the builders of the differentcountries where the same memorial pillar was raised,it assumed in time the peculiarities of the Gothic or

F ig. 7 1 F ig . 70

Rou n d Towe r Rou n d Towe r , Ir e l a n dD eve n i s h , Ire l a n d

pointed style . The steeples of the churches,the

figures of which we give on p . 244 , indicate the gradualgrowth and expansion of the romantic or pointed

75 72

F ig. 72 Ob e li s cu s F ig. 73 Ob e li s k F ig . 75 Two Rou n d Towe r s

architecture,which is generally called Gothic ; and

they prove how the upright,or original phallic form

,

was adopted and gradually mingled in Christianarchitecture—i n reality at last becoming its dominantfeature .

242 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Fig . 96 represents one of the Western Towers ofSt . Paul ’s Cathedral , L ondon , which is one of thedouble li thoi (or Obelisks) , placed always in front of

F ig. 74 Pr opylo n , Th ebe s

every temple,Christian as well as heathen . It is

surmounted by the fi r—cone (thyr s u s ) of B acchus ,and the sculptured urns below it are represented asflaming with the mystic fire .

F i g. 77 F i g. 78 F i g. 76

Th e‘

Cootu b M i n a r’

, An tr imRou n d Rou n d Towe rn e a r D e lh i , s u ppos e d Towe r a t B h a u gu l

to h a ve be e n bu i lt por e , In di aci rca 1 220

The Architectural Genealogy of the ‘ Tower ’ or‘ Steeple ’ in fig . 97, p . 246, exemplifies a parallelof growth between all the uprights

,and exhibits

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

244 THE ROSICRUGIANS

The two pillars in fig . 1 02 are monuments in PenrithChurchyard . These are the familiar double Runic ’

uprights,pillars

,or spires .

All the minarets and towers in the East display in

F ig . 86 F i g. 88

Br ixwor th Ch u rch , Tu rr e t a t th e e a s tN or th amp to n s h . , e n d o f St . Pe t e r ’ss u ppos e d ci rca Ch u r ch , Oxford ,670 ci rca 1 1 80

the peculiar curves of their summits the influenceof the same phallic idea

,as an attentive examination

will prove .

There seems to be little or no reason to doubt thatthe much - disputed origin of the pointed Gothic arch

,

F ig. 89 L i t tle Sa xamCh u rch , Su ffolk , ci rca 1 1 20

F i g. 90 : Roch e s te r C a th e dr a l (Tu rr e t ), 1 1 80

F ig. 9 1 B i s h op ’s Cle eve Ch ur ch , Glou ce s te r s h ir e , ci rca 1 1 80

or lancet - shaped arch,and the Saracenic or Moorish

horseshoe arch,is the union and blending of the two

generative figures,namely

,the discus or round

,

and the upright and vertical,or phallic shape

,as

indicated i n the diagrams on pp . 248, 249 . These

CHRISTIAN TOWE RS 245

forms,in their infinite variety

,are the parents of all

architecture .

The Zodiac itself is,in certain senses

,a Genesis

,

F ig. 92 : Almon d s bu r y Ch ur ch , Glou ce s t e r s h ire , ci rca 1 1 50

F i g. 9 3 (D e cor a te d Pe r iod ) S a li s bur y Ca th e dr a l , Ce n tr a l Sp ire , 1 3 50

F i g. 94 : St . M a ry’s Ch u rch , Ch e lt e n h am, Ci rca 1 250

or History of Creation The Twelve Signs ’ maybe interpreted as the ‘ Twelve Acts ’ of the DivineDrama . Some of the Mosques in the East are sur

F ig . 95 B a ye u x Ca th e dr a l , Norma n dy , ci rca 1 220

F i g . 96 : St P a u l’s Ca th e dr a l

mounted with twelve minarets,and the number

twelve occurs frequently in connexion with thetheology of the Moslems .

Fig . I I 5A is a scale enrichment , introduced into

246 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

architecture,to symbolize the Female Deity

,or

‘ Virgin born of the Waters

F ig 97

The spectator looks to the faces of the figure marked1 1 6 .

Fig . 1 1 7 is a Masonic , Mosaic , or Tesselated Pave

F ig . 98 W a lth am, E s s e x (o n e of th e E le a n or Cros s e s )F i g. 99 An ci e n t Cro s s , L a n gh e r n e , Cor n w a llF i g . 1 02 Memor i a l S to n e s

ment . (Query, whether this pavement of black andwhite squares is not the origin of the ancient ChessTable

,or Chess - Board The game of Chess

,with

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

248 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

testant churches,where they figure most co n s p icu

ou s ly—the two tables of stone of the Mosaic Dis

p e n s a tion are placed over the altar , side by side , asa united stone

,the tops of which are rounded .

1 06 1 07

F i g . 1 04 Column (C amp a n i le of Sa n F ig . 1 06 Top of th e Ph a llu s Mos qu eM a rco , a t Ve n ice ) of Ib u Tooloom, C a iro

F i g . 1 05 D ome s a t J e r u s a lem F ig. 1 07 Sma ll Moh amme d a n Mos qu e

Fig . 1 1 8,on p . 250 ,

represents the separated originalL i th o i when united . They then form the DoubleTables (or Table of Stone . I n the L atter

I I OA 1 1 0

F ig. 1 08 Mos qu e of Oma r F i g. 1 1 0 Moor i s h Towe r

F ig. I 1 OA Cu rve s of a Moor i s h or S a r a ce n ic H or s e s h oe ArchF i g . 1 1 2 C a th e dr a l of Cordov a formof th e Arch e sF i g . 1 1 3 P a t te r n s of Moor i s h Door s

F i g. 1 1 4 More s qu e Arch F i g. 1 1 5 Alh ambr al

or ‘ Christian Dispensation ’

,the ‘ Ten Com

ma n dme n ts are over the Altar ’

,composed of the

L a w (Five Commandments to the Right) , and the‘ Gospel ’ (Five Commandments to the L eft) .

The ten commandments are inscribed in two

RUSSIAN ARCHI TE CTURE 249

groups of five each,in columnar form . The fi ve to

the right (looking from the altar) mean the L a w

the five to the left mean the Prophets ’

. The rightstone is masculine

,the left stone is feminine . They

F ig . 1 09 Ru s s i a n C a th e d r a l , Mos cow

Ru s s i a n a r ch i te ctu r e i s s tro n gly i n fu s e d wi th th e e a s te r n p ictu re s qu e s pir i t . Th e

cu rve s of i ts d ome s a n d th e forms of i ts s te e ple s a r e a ll or ie n t a l .

correspond to the two disj oined pillars of stone (ortowers) in the front of every cathedral , and of everytemple in the heathen times .

The pomegranate is a badge of the Plantagenets ;

1 1 5A

F ig. 1 1 1 Th e Ph a llu s a n d Di s cu s , a s s e e n i n fi g. 1 I OA , u n i te dF i g. 1 1 4A : Qu e ry, Aqu a r iu s ? F ig . 1 1 5A , Sca le E n r ichme n t

in its form it resembles the crescent moon ; it isa symbol of the female influence in nature . Thereis here an unexpected concurrence with the crescentmoon and star of the Orientals for above the pomegranate—which is figured sometimes as the crescentmoon in the heraldic insignia of the Plantagenets—the six- pointed star appears in the hollow of the

2 5 0 THE ROSI CRUCIANSv

crescent,with its points in the curvilinear or s e rp e n

tine form . The crescent moon of Egypt and tha tof Persia is the thin Sickle of the new moon reclining

,A 8 9.

F i g. 1 1 6 F ig . 1 1 7

1 Ro s icru ci a n M a croco smo s2 Ros icru ci a n M icrocosmo sA : J a ch i n (P2 )B Bo a z (THIN—I s i s

on her back,and seemingly with the star i s s u a n t

from between her horns ; which is evidently anEgyptian hint coming from the old hieroglyphictimes . This mysterious crescent and star is the badge

Double L i th o i Th e Ta b le s of S ton e .

J a ch i n(Righ t P ill a r . )

F ig. 1 1 8

Th e u n ion o f a n d Oi—i s co n s e qu e n tly or th e Cros s

of the sect of Ali among the Mohammedans , and itplays a most important part in augurial or religiousheraldry . The standards of Egypt

,Persia , and

Arabi a a re gu le s , or Ma rs , or the fiery colour . It is

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

252 THE ROSI CRUCIAN S

tecture,and shaped like a boat or a shuttle

,cou n te r

ch a n gi n g the letters and the closing arcs , white andblack—the black occupying the left or female side

,

according to the ideas of the Templars . The standards of these soldier - monks were white and black

,

either oblong or forked .

There are two columns of that heavy,severe order

,

however grand and impressive,which distinguishes

the early Norman period of architecture in England,

in regard to which,though abounding in far - Off her

metic suggestions,we have seen no notice in anti

qu a r i a n quarters . These two columns comprise apart of the colonnade in the White Tower

,or central

tower,of the Tower of L ondon . The capital of the

first column is square,but it is rounded at the angles

by a cut to the hypotr a ch eli um,or base - ring

,of the

ca p ti a l . The tops of these cuts are formed by volutessimilar to the horns of the Corinthian and Ionic capitals .

The male volute is to the right,and is a spiral volve

,

from which issues a dependent budding flower droppingseed . The volve to the left

,which is a series of rings

enclosing a point,is female . A twisted perpendicular

,

like a horn,proj ects from the base on this left side .

The capital of the other column presents a not u n

usual Norman form of two truncated tables or facesrounded below and divide d in the middle . Thesewe interpret as meaning the woman and the manside by . side

,and left and right . These glyphs in

the two capitals of the columns : signify ‘ Jachinand Boaz and stand for the First Ma n

,and the

First Woman The mysterious letter Tau whichis th e same as the Runic Hammer of Thor , and whichin truth is a Cross

,

’ occupies the centre - point,Or

,

heraldically,the honour- point of the first column

to the right . The master -masons were celebratedin their art of concealing myths

,or hinting them

NAPOLE ON 253

cautiously in the most difficult and far - off resemblances .

The curious reader is referred to our illustration,

figs .

1 1 9, 1 20 .

The character of th e Head which the Templarswere charged with having worshipped in their secretencampments or mystic lodges has been thesubj ect of much dispute . Some say it was the headof Proserpine

,or of Isis

,or of the Moth er of N a tu re

'

j’

presented under certain strange aspects . Othersassert that the figure was male

,and that of Dis or

Charon,according to the classic nomenclature . The

obj ect was reputed to be a talisman,and it is called by

some the head of Medusa,or the snake - haired Visage

,

dropping blood which turned to snakes,and trans

forming the beholder to stone . It was this head,or

one of a similar,

description,which was supposed

to serve as the talisman or recognitive mark of thesecret fraternity or society

,headed by Pich e gru and

others,which was suppressed by Napoleon

,and the

members of which were tried and condemned asaiming at revolutionary obj ects . Why Napoleonadopted this mysterious supposed magical head

,as

he is said to have done,on the suppression and de

struction of this revolutionary body—to which werefer elsewhere—and why he chose to place his ownhead in the centre - place before occupied by thisimagined awe - inspiring countenance

,and adopted

the whole as the star of his newly founded L egionof Honour it is very difficult to say . I n the Eastthere is a tradition of this insupportable magic cou n te nance

,which the Orientals assign to a Veiled Prophet

similar to the mysterious personage in L a lla Rookh .

CHAPTER THE SECOND

PRE SE NCE OF THE ROS ICRUC I ANS IN HE ATHE N AND

CHRISTI AN ARCHITE CTURE

A QUE STION may here arise whether two correspondingpillars

,or columns

,in the White Tower

,L ondon

,

do not very ingeniously conceal,masonically

,the

F ig. 1 22

F ig. 1 2 1 E gypt , Pe r s i a : Se ct of Ali

mythic formu la of the Mosaic Genesis,Male and

Female created He them etc . Refer below to figs .

1 1 9, 1 20 .

1 . Tor,or Hammer of Thor T(au) .

1 24 1 2 3

Figs . 1 1 9 , 1 20 : Column s to Ch a pe l i n th e‘ Wh i te Towe r

’

, Lo n do n . S tyle ,E a rly Norma n , 1 08 1 . F ig. 1 1 9 Mys t ic ‘

T a u’

; (2 ) M a le , R igh t ; (3 )Fema le , Le ft .

F ig. 1 2 3 : Ca s tle -R i s i n g Ch u rch , Nor folk . F ig. 1 24 : Roms e y Abbe y , H a n t s .

25 4

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

256 THE ROSICRUCIANS

green,which is female . The ‘

Hadgi ’,or Pilgrims

to Mecca,wear green the Turkish Mussulmans wear

F ig . 1 28 F ig . 1 29 F ig . 1 3 0

A l amp , Roma Sotte r a n e a IKO’

I‘

E

red and green,according to their various titles of

honour,and to their various ranks .

The Hospital of St . Cross,near Winchester

,abounds

0 0

F ig . 1 3 1 D e v ice s fromth e Tomb s i n th e C a t a comb s a t Rome

in the earliest Norman mouldings . The"

architectureof St . Cross presents numerous hermetic suggestions .

The identity of Heathen and of Christian Symbols

F ig . 1 3 2 F i g . 1 3 3 F ig . 1 3 4 F i g . 1 3 5 F i g. 1 3 6

is displayed in all our old churches in degrees moreor less conclusive .

The ‘ Ten fingers ’ of the two hands (made up ofeach ‘ Table ’ of Five) are called in old parlance , the‘ ten commandments ’ ‘

I will write the ten com

GNOSTI C F IGURE S 257

ma n dme n ts in thy face ’ was spoken in fury,in the

old- fashioned days,of an intended assault . The

hands explain the meaning of this proverbial expression

,interpreted astrologically . Palmistry is called

Chiromancy,because Ap ollo

,mythologically

,was

taught ‘ letters ’

b y’

Ch iron,the Centaur ’

F ig . 1 3 7 : Mo n ogr amof th e Th r e e Figs . 1 3 8 , 1 3 9 : Th e He a th e n Mon ogr amEmblems ca rr ie d i n th e Mys te r i e s of th e Tr iu n e

The devices on most Roman Bronze L amps presentcontinual Gnostic ideas .

The Temple Church,L ondon

,will be found to

abound with Rosicrucian hieroglyphs and anagramma tica l hints in all parts

,if reference be made to it

F ig . 1 40 Mon ogr amof th e S a viou r

by an attentive inquirer—one accustomed to theseabstruse studies .

These designs supply a variety of Early ChristianSymbols or Hieroglyphs

,drawn from Roman originals

in all parts of the world .

The IE oli a n Harp,or Magic Harp

,gave forth real

strains in the wind . These were supposed to becommunications from the invisible spirits that peoplethe air in greater or lesser number . See figs . 1 4 1 ,1 42 .

The above music con sists of a magical incantationto the air

,or musical charms

,supposed magically to

258 THE ROSICRUCIANS

be played from theO

fro n ti s p i e ce s , as musical i n s truments

,of two of the most celebrated ancient religious

F i g . 1 4 1 Me lod y (or M e lodi c E xpr e s s ion ) of th e Por t ico of th e P a r th e n onF i g . 1 42 Ge n e r a l Me lody (or Me lod ic E xpre s s ion ) of th e P a n th e o n , Rome

stru ctures . The Cabalists imagined that the arrangements of the stars in the sky

,a n d particularly the

F ig. 1 43

Alte r n a t e Dir e ct a n d Crooke d R a di i , or Glor i e s s e t rou n d S a cr e d Ob je ct s

accidental circumvolve n t varying speed of the planetsof the solar system

,produced music—as men know

Figs . 1 44 , 1 45 Coll a r of E s s e s

music . The Sophists maintained that architectur e,

in another sense,was harmonious communication

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

260 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

of the Parthenon,Athens

,and the Pantheon

,Rome

,

according to the ideas of the superstitious Greeks andof the Oriental Christian Church .

I n fig . 1 5 3 we have a representation of BerstedChurch

,as seen (magnified) from a rising hill , over

F ig. 1 54 S ton e Cros s e s a t S a n d b a ch , i n Ch e s h ir e

a hop - garden,at about the distance of half a mile .

Bersted is a little Village,about three miles from Maid

stone,Kent

,on the Ashford road . I n the chancel of

B ersted Church,Robert Fludd

,or Flood (

‘

Rob e rtu s

F ig. 1 56 F ig. 1 5 5

de F lu ctib u s the head of the Rosicrucians in England

,lies buried . He died in 1 63 7 .

Fig . 1 55 displays the standard Maypole , or authenticMaypole

,with all its cu rious addi tions and we add

their explanation . In the upper portion we have the

THE MAYPOL E 26 1

Apex of the Phallus,the Quatre - feuilles

,and the

Discus or Round . The lower portion is the L inga,

O ~ ©5 - 4 - 3 . 2 . e. z

b fi g g fi o oF ig . 1 57 : Hi n doo Mo n ogr ams of Pla n e t s : (1 ) Me rcu ry , Bu dd h a (Boodh ) ;(2 ) Ve n u s ; (3 ) M a r s ; (4 ) J u p i t e r ; (5 ) S a tu r n ; (6 ) Moo n ; (7 ) Su n

F ig. 1 5 8 As trologica l Symbo ls of Pla n e t s : (I ) Sol ; (2 ) Lu n a ; (3 ) Me rcu ry(4 ) Ve n u s ; (5 ) M a r s ; (6 ) J u p i t e r ; (7 ) S a tu r n

L i n gh am,or Phallus

,

‘ wreathed ’

; also the Pole ’

of the ship ‘

Argo ’

(‘

Arco otherwise the ‘ Tree

F ig. 1 59 Bu ddh i s t EmblemF i g. 1 60 Sh i e ld of D a vid or , th e Se a l of Solomo nF i g. 1 6 1 Ph a lli c Tr i a dF ig. 1 62 A s trologica l H a n d (1 ) J u pi te r (2 ) S a tur n (3 ) Su n (4 ) Me rcu ry

(5 ) M a r s ; (6 ) Moon ; (7 ) Ve n u sF i g. 1 63 I n di a n a n d Gr e e k

of Knowledge The ribbons of the Maypole shouldbe of the seven prismatic colours .

Fig . 1 56 shows the union of the Phallus and Yoni ,

F ig. 1 64 : I s i s , D r a go n ’

s He a d F ig. 1 65 H a n d i n B e n e dict io n

and exhibits unmistakably the destination and purpose of the familiar Maypole .

262 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Each finger in fig . 1 62 is devoted to a separate planet.

Refer to the engraving of the hand .

Fig . 1 67 , Hook of Saturn ’

,Crook of Bishops ’

By hook or crook’

,meaning

,By fair means or

foul ’

,is a proverbial expression

,continually heard .

There are two works which will assist in throwinglight upon that mystic system of the ancients

,pro

bably originating in the dreaming East,that refers

the production of music to architectural forms orgeometric diagrams ; as columns and entablatures ,or upright lines and cross - lines

,and mathematical arcs

and diagonals,in their modifications and properties

,

of course are . These books,which will help to explain

F ig. 1 66 : E gypti a n Alto -Re li e vo F ig. 1 67 : Hook of S a tu r n(Br i t i s h Mu s e um) Crook of B i s h ops

the passages of music given at p . 258, figs . 1 4 1 , 1 42

a re Hay’s N a tu r a l P r i n ciple s a n d An a logy of th e H a r

mon y of F orm,and a very original and learned musical

production,entitled Th e A n a logy of th e L a ws ofM u s i ca l

Temper ame n t to the N a tu r a l D i s s on a n ce of Cre a ti on ,

by M . Vernon,published in L ondon in 1 867 . Th rough

a strange theory,the music at p . 258 of our book is

taken as the expression of the geometrical fronts ofthe two great temples

,the Parthenon at Athens and

the Pantheon at Rome,which are supposed to have

been built with perfect art . We have ‘ translated ’

these phantom IE oli a n melodies played in the winds

(so to express it) , and fixed them in modern musicalnotation .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

264 THE ROSICRUCIANS

in this form the Fleur - de - L i s is intended to eludeordinary recognition . The reader will observe thehint of these significant L isses

’

in the triple scrollsor Esses coiled around the bar in the reverse of the

Figs . 1 69 , 1 70 , 1 7 1

Gnostic gem,the Chnuphis Serpent elsewhere given .

This amulet is a fine opalescent chalcedony,very

convex on both sides . It is the figure of the ChnuphisSerpent rearing himself aloft in act to dart

,crowned

with the seven vowels,the cabalistic gift to M a n in

his Fall,signifying speech ’

. The reverse presentsthe triple coiled around the ‘

Phallus ’

.

I n fig . 1 70 we have the Prince of Wales’s Feathers

,

from the Tomb of Edward the Black Prince,in Canter

bury Cathedral . This badge presents the idea of theFleur- de - L i s Ich Dien I serveFig . 1 7 1 represents the

' Egyptian Triple Plumes,

which are the same badge as the ‘ Fleur - de - L i s’ and

the Prince of Wales ’s Feathers,meaning the Trinity

Fig . 1 72—also (a n te ) referred to as fig . 1 9 1

—is aGnosti c Gem . It represents the Chnuphis Serpent "

,

spoken of above .

A famous inscription (Delphic E) was placed abovethe portal of the Temple at Delphi . This inscription

THE TE M PL E AT DE LPHI 265

was a single letter,namely

,the letter E

,the name of

which in Greek was E,which is the second

-

person ofthe present of the indicative of the verb andsignifies Thou art b e i n g a s Plutarch has interpretedit

,the s

-

a lu ta tion of the god by those who entered

X N OVM ! O

CHNUPHIS .

F i g . 1 72

the Temple . See Plutarch d e E a pu d D elph . L ordMon b od d o

’

s Or igi n a n d P rogr e s s of L a n gu a ge

vol . ii . p . 85 , refers to this letter E .

The Delphic E means the number Five or thehalf of the Cabalistic Zodiac

,or the Five Ascending

Signs . This Delphic E is also the Seleucidan Anchor .

F i g. 1 73

I t was adopted by the Gnostics to indicate the ‘ Saviourand it is frequent in th e t a li sma n s and amulets of theearly Christians . It is one of the principal gems ofthe Gnostics

,and is a cameo in flat relief .

On e of the charges against the Knights Templarswas as follows : That they bound

,or touched

,the

head of an idol with cords,wherewith they b ound

themselves about their shirts or next their Skins’

266 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Processus contra Templarios Du gd . M on a s t. A n g.

vol . V i . part ii . pp . 844- 846 , etc ) . There is something

strange about these cords,cordons

,ropes

,belts

,bands

,

baldrics (also in the term‘ belted These are

always male accessories except the ‘ zones ’

,sashes

,

or girdles,worn as the mark of V irgins

,which cinctures

may yet draw their symbolic meanin g from this same‘

umb i li cu s in question . The reader will noticealso the connexion of these ideas

'

and the practicein the Roman race of the L upercal at the FebruaryRoman religious solemnities (February of the FishesAt these it was the custom of the runners to flogbystanders

,p a rti cu la rly wome n ,

with thongs or cordswhich were probably intended to be the racers ’ owngirdles . Julius Caesar

,Mark Antony

,and Ca lp hu r n i a

form a group illustrative of this meaning . ThusShakespeare

Ou r e lde r s s a y ,

Th e b a rr e n,tou che d in thi s ho ly Ch a s e ,

Sha ke off th e s te r i le cu rs e .

—]u li u s C a s a r , a ct i . s o . 2 .

I s this the origin of the custom of the people peltingor flogging each other at the Italian Carnivals ? I t

seems highly probable . The Carnivals occur at th esame time as these Roman L uperca li a .

Many early Norman mouldings exhibit variousexamples of the cable . Thongs

,ties

,and network

are seen to bind all the significant figures in the earlyEnglish and Irish churches . I s there any connexionbetween these bonds

,or ties

,or lacings

,with the

‘ cable - tow ’ of the initiates among the Masons ?Perhaps the ‘ tow ’ in this ‘ cable—tow ’ means the‘ Tau ’

,or stood for it originally . Reference may

here be made to the snake which forms the girdle ofthe Gnostic ‘ Good Shepherd in the illustrationlater in our book (fig .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

268 THE ROSICRUCIANS

s e cu r i s and fa s ce s conj ointly,or the axe of the sacrifice

and the rods for the scourging of the Victim first,if

human,and afterwards for his burning—the rods

being the firewood . L ictors have their name probablyfrom L le c From this peculiar cutwater arose theDragon - beak

,the ‘

Prow or Frow the figu rehead and fi d d le - head . They have all a feminineorigin .

Fig . 1 74 represents S . Johan (St . John) , from anearly woodcut of the Twelve Apostles . Hi s r ight

hand is raised in the act of the holy Sign,whilst his

left clasps the chalice of the ‘

SS or Sacramentof Wine ; in the cup is a salamander , signifying the

F ig. 1 74

H . G ’

. This is St . John the Apostle,the author of

the ‘

Apocalypse ’

; or the‘ Sanctus Spiritus who

baptizes in the mystic Eucharist with the Holy Ghostand with FireThe following are the names of the angels of the

planets,according to the Gnostics . At the beginnin g

of all things is Jehovah (Sabaoth) , Victory ; at theend

,the Old Serpent (Ophis) . Between these are

the Seraphim (Intelligences) and Cherubim (Benevole n ce s ) , and their representatives . Origen callsthe Sun

,Adonai the Moon

,I a o Jupiter

,Eloi

Mars,Sabao ; Orai

,Venus ; A s ta ph a i , Mercury ;

THE DRAGON AS AN E NSIGN 269

Ild a b a o th,Saturn . All this is Gnostic—highestmy s ti

ci smtherefore .

The name Tarasque is given for the Dragon of aNorthern Nation . (Qy . the ‘

Hill of Tara ’

,etc .

Under the Roman Emperors,and under the Emperors

of Byzantium,every cohort or centurion bore a d r a gon

as its ensign (Modestus , D e Voca bu l. Re i M i li t. Flav .

Vege t . D e Re M i li ta r i,lib . ii . 0 . xiii . Georget

,I n s ig.

E u rop .

,loc . ci t.) Matthew of Westminster

,speaking

of the early battles of this country of England,says

The King’s place was b e twe e n the D ragon and theStandard Regius locus fuit inter d r a con em e t

s ta n d a r d um’

(L ower’s Cu r i os i ti e s of Her a ld ry p .

This is the undoubted origin of the ensign’s pair ofcolours in a battalion ; vi z . the first colour

,or

King ’s Colour ’

,wh ose place is to the right

,i s pro

perly the standard and the second colour,or the

regimental colour to which is a ssigned the lefthand

,or female

,or sinister place

,is the Dragon

The Dragon was supposed to conduct to victory,

because its figure was a most potent Charm . Thestandards and guidons of the cavalry follow the samemagic rule .

The planets are supposed by the astrologers andalchemists to exercise dominion more particularly inthe order following

,and to produce effects upon their

own appropriate under -mentioned metals,on plane

ta r ily corresponding days . These are Sol,for gold

,

on Sunday ; Luna,for silver

,on Monday ; Mars ,

for iron,on Tuesday ; ~Mercury

,for quicksilver

,on

Wednesday Jupiter,for tin

,on Thursday Venus

,

for copper,on Friday ; and Saturn , for lead , on

Saturday (L u ca s’

s Tr a vels,p . 79 ; Count Bern a rd of

Treviso) . The emblematical sculptures,in which the

whole enigma of the art of transmutation is supposedto be contained

,are those over the fourth arch of the

279 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Cemetery of th ejl n n oce n ts , at Paris , as you go throughth e great gate of St . D enis

,on the right - hand side .

They were placed there by N icholas Flamel .The old traditions

,from time immemorial

,aver

that it is neither proper for sailors nor for servants ofthe sea to wear beards . That they have never doneso is true

,except at those times when profound mythic

meanings were not understood or were neglected .

This smoothness of a sailor’s face arises from the fact

that the sea has always been mythologically feminine,

and that sailors and men or followers of the sea areunder the protection of the Queen of the D eep

’

,or

the Virgin of the Sea Hence the figure of B ritannia,

with her sceptre of the sea or trident,and not that of

Neptune .

The Virgin Mary,the Star of the Sea and

Patroness of Sailors,rules and governs the ocean

,and

her colours are the ultramarine of the Deep and seagreen

,when viewed in this phase of her divine char

acter . In all representations,ancient or modern

,

sailors have beardless faces,unless they belong to

the reprobate and barbarian classes—such as piratesand outlaws

,and men who have supposedly thrown

off devotional observance,and fallen into the rough

recusancy of mere nature .

Fig . 1 75 is a very curious design from SylvanusMorgan

,an old herald . Above is the spade

,sign ify

ing here the ph a llu s ; and below is the distaff, orinstrument of woman’s work

,meaning the answering

member,or Yon i ; these are united by the snake .

We here perceive the meaning of the rhymed chorussung by Wat Tyler ’s mob : When Adam delved

(with his spade), and E ve span (contributing her

[producing] part of the work) ,‘ where was then the

Gentleman —or what,under these ignoble condi

tions,makes difference or degree ? It is supposed

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

272 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Antiquaries,namely

,the famous Font

,which is of

unknown and b ewilderin g antiquity , in the nave ofWinchester Cathedral . Milner (a feeble narrator andmisty

,unreliable historian), in his Hi s tory of Wi n

ch e s te r,has the following superficial notice of this

relic : The most distinguished ornaments on thetop are doves bre a th i n g (they are not breathing

’

,

they are d ri n ki n g)‘ into phials surmounted with

crosses fichée . An d on the sides ’ (the north side , heshould say

,which is faced wrongly

,and ought pro

perly to front the east) the doves are again depictedwith a s a lama n d er

,emblematic of fire in allusion to

that passage of St . Matthew He shall baptize youwith the Holy Ghos t a n d wi th fir e

”

.

All the secrets of masonry are concealed in theHebrew or Chaldee language . I n the First Chapterof the Gos pel a ccord i n g to St. joh n is contained themythical outline of the Cabala

,in its highest part .

L e s anciens astrologues,dit le plus savant les

Juifs ayant consacré a chaque plan ete,

une cou leu r,uma n ima l

,u n boi s

,u n meta l

,u n fru i t

,

une pla n te,ils formaient de toutes ces choses une

figu r e ou representation de l’astre

,observant pour

cet effet de choisir umi n s ta n t a ppropr i e’

,u n fou r

h eu r eux,tel que la con jon cti on ,

ou tout autre aspectfavorable . P a r leurs cérémonies (m a giques) ilscroyaient pouvoir faire passer dans ces figures ou idolesles influences des étr e s supérieurs (leurs modeles) .

C’

éta i e n t ces idoles qu’

a d or a i e n t le s Ka ld ée n s - s a b e’

e n s .

L e s pr etres égyptiens,indiens

,perses—on les croyait

lier les dieux a leur s idoles,les faire descendr e d u Ciel a

leur gr é . Ils menacent le soleil e t la lune de révélerles secrets des mysteres .

’—Eusebius I amb licu s,D e

M ys te r i i s E gypti orum.

The mystic emblems of the religions of India ,China

,Gre ece

,and Rome are closely similar

,and are

M YSTI C E M B L E M S 273

set forth in the ornaments on the friezes of the templesof all those countries

,explaining their general prin

cip le s . Your popular societies are an emanationfrom the lodges of the Freemasons

,in like manner

as these proceeded fromthe funeral pile of the TemplarsC a s tle of the Tu i le r i e s , year viii) . Thus the ‘ eggand - tongue moulding ’ egg and adder ’s tongue

’

,

for the egg and the serpent were two of the em b lemsof the Egyptian and Greek mysteries) , the griffin ,the lion of St . Mark

,the honeysuckle - and - lotus orna

ment,the convolutions and volutes

,the horns as

flor i a tion springing from the lighted candelabra,th e

lotus and tori of Egypt,and the Greek ornaments

and Roman Templar ornaments,are all related in

their religious meanings .

The names of the Three Kings ’

,or Shepherds

’

,

who descried the Star of Annunciation in the East ,are Caspar

,Melchior

,and Balthasar . Caspar

,or

Gaspar,is the White On e ’

Melchior is the Kingof L ight ’ Balthasar

,the L ord of Treasures

’

.

Balthasar,or Balthazar

,is the Septuagint spelling of

Belshaz z ar .

L i n ga is the old name of an island near Iona , calledthe ‘ Dutchman’s Cap ’

(Qy . the Phrygian cap ?

also the first cocked hat ’

,and its recondite mean

i n g ?) Ga llu s,or the Cock

,is sacred to Mars

,whose

colou rl

i s r e d . I n this connexion,and as bespeaking

Hermes or Mercurius,the messenger of the dawn

may have arisen the use of the cock as the emblemsupposedly of the first de

’

scrier of the daily light fromthe tops of the steeples . It probably signifies thephallic myth . The grasshopper

,dragon

,arrow

,and

fox,as weathercocks

,have undoubtedly a remote

reference to the same i dea of symbolizing the Princeof the Powers of the Air ’

The form of the Pointed Arch reached the Orientals

274 THE ROSICRUGIANS

—as we see in their Temples—i n the shape of thePhrygian and Median Bonnet (L ascelles , I n

these strange curves we have mingling the s ca t/ a b,

scorpion,2

,or

Cocks crow at day- dawn . Weathercocks turn tothe wind

,and invite the meteoric or elementary

influences,the Powers of the Air The question as to

the mystic side of all this is very interesting andcurious . The fields of the air were supposed by theRosicrucians to be filled with spirits .

Tous les L amas portent la mitre,ou bonnet conique

,

qui était l’emb léme d u soleil . L e Dalai - L ama,ou

immense pretre de L a,est ce que nos vieilles relations

appelaient le pretre Jean,par l ’abus d u mot persan

Djeh cih ,qui veut dire le monde . A insi le pretre

Monde,le dieu Monde

,se tient parfaitement .

’

Volney,Ru i n e s

,p . 25 1 . (Qy . Prester - John ? Qy .

also this verbal connexion with Sa i n t John ’

,as if

PVéi t’e John I n the old Norman - French M d i s tr e isfrequently met for M a iti e . This Pr e s tre

,or Prester

(Anglicized) , or Pretre John , is probably no other thanthe Priest or High - Priest John otherwise“ Saint John

,

or the Saint - Esprit The recognition of the inthe Great L lama

,Al-Ama

,Ama

,Anima (Soul , Spirit) ,

Alma,E l- Om

,etc .

,meaning white is very curious .

The antiquary Bryant is positively of Opinion,from the

very names of Columb kil and Iona,that this island

Iona was anciently sacred to the Arkite divinities .

The great asylum of the Northern Druids was the Islandof Hu or Iona

,Vs Colan

,or Columba (M ythology a n d

R i te s of th e B r i ti s h D ru i d s,by Edward Davies

,1 809 ,

p 479)The glories around sacred persons and obj ects

,which

have straight - darting and curvilinear or wavy or serpentine rays alternately

,are continual in theological

or heraldic illustration ; which waved and straight

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

276 THE ROSICRUCIANS

invisible Power operating from without . It is to descend very deep i n to

'

c a b a li s tic and Talmudical mysteriesto gain comprehension of an idea concern ing the originof this absurd worship of animal horns .

The cabalist Simeon Ben - Ioch a y declares that i twas in gratitude for this changed intention

,and be

F i g. 1 76 : Th e Templa r B a n n e r , Be a u s ea n t

cause the creature man became M a n and not thebovine creatures—a catastrophe which might havehappened

,except for this diversion of the brain - power

into horns (mere fable or dream as all this sounds l)that the Egyptians set up the very horns to worshipas the real thing—the depository or ark —into whichthe supernatural rescue was committed . Thus the

F ig. 1 77 F ig. 1 78 F ig. 1 79

Arch e s of th e Temple E igh t -po i n te d Bu ddh i s t Te u ton ic Kn igh t sCh u rch , Lo n do n , Sym Cro s s , Poor Sold i e r s ’b ol o f th e B .V .M . A ls o of th e TempleD e lph ic E , or Se le u c i

d a n An chor

horns of the a nimal—as the idol standing for the means,

equally as another representative figure (the ph a llu s ) ,expressive of the mighty means to which man

’

s existence and multiplication was entrusted—were exaltedfor adoration

,and placed as the trophies heroically

won eve n ou t o/ th e r e lu cta n ce a n d hos ti li ty ofn a tu r e

SHAKE SPE ARE 277

and adored,not for themselves

,but for that of which

they spoke .

F ig. 1 80 F ig. 1 8 1 F ig. 1 82

Kn igh t s of M a lt a Cro s s Pote n t , Kn igh t s St . J oh n . (Ho s p i t a l of St .

Ho s pi t a lle r s Cros s , Win ch e s te r )

Sh a ks p e a r e has several covert allusions to the digmity of the myth of the Horns There is muchmore

,probably

,in these spoils of the chase—the

branching horns or the antlers— than is usually supposed . They indicate infinitely greater things thanwhen they are only seen placed aloft assylvan trophies . The crest of his late RoyalHighness Pr i n ce . Alb e r t displays the Runichorns

,or the horns of the Northern mythic

hero . They were always a mark of F i g. 1 83

princely and of conquering eminence,and E g

ggggggggg;they are frequently observable in the £

1

333 ,crests and blazon of the soldier - chiefs

,the Symb ols

Princes of Germany . They come from the original

F ig. 1 84 F i g. 1 85

Temple of Apolli n opo li s M a gn a , Norma n C a p i t a l, D oor - s h a ft : Hon e ys u cklei n Uppe r E gypt a n d -L otu s Or n ame n t , e a rly e x ample

Taut,Tat

,Thoth

,Teut

,whence ‘ Teuton ’ and Teu

tonic ’

. These names derive from the mystic Me r

278 THE ROSICRUCIANS

curin s Trismegistus,Thrice - Master

,Thrice Mistress

—for this personage is double - sexed Phoebe above,

Diana on earth,Hecate below .

’

F ig. 1 86 Ur aeo n F ig. 1 87 Wi n ge d D i s c

Fig . 1 77, a n te (from the arches of the Temple Church ,London) , is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin ’ it isalso the Delphic E or Seleucidan Anchor ’

.

1 89

O O'

O

F ig. 1 88 : Io n ic—Gr e e k : E gg- a n d - to n gu e Mou ldi n g (two of th e Emblemsof th e mys t e r i e s )

F ig. 1 89 Gre ci a n Mou ldi n g , e xpr e s s i n g Re li giou s Mys te r ie sF ig . 1 90 Cor i n th i a n—Temple ofVe s t a . Ce n tr a l Flowe r , prob a bly th e E gyp t i a nLo tu s

I 99

F ig. 1 9 1 P a n th e o n a t Rome . F i g. 1 92 Volu te F i g. 1 9 3 Cor i n th i a nF ig. 1 94 : Ion ic Ca pi t a l, E r e cth ae uma t Ath e n s F ig. 1 95 Compos i te fe a tur e sF i g. 1 96 : Temple of Ve s t a , or th e Syb i l, a t Tivoli ; R am’

s Hor n s for Volu t e sF ig. 1 97 Temple of E llor a a n d B h e ems -Ch lor i (Moku n d r a P a s s )F i g. 1 98 I n di a a n d Gr e e ce (s imila r ca pi t a ls )F i g. 1 99 Gre ek—Cor i n th i a n Ch or a gic Mon ume n t , Ath e n s

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Ve r t ica l Arch E a r ly Norma n (Temple Ch u rch )

CHAPTER THE FOURTH

ROS ICRUC IAN I SM IN STRANGE SYMBOLS

IN the following part of our book we supply,in a

series of figures,the succession of changes to which

the most ancient head - covering—i n itself a significanthieroglyph—the Phrygian cap

,the classic Mithraic

cap,the sacrificial cap

,or bon n et con iqu e , all deducing

from a common symbolical ancestor,became subj ect .

The Mithraic or Phrygian cap is the origin of thepriestly mitre in all faiths . It was worn by the priestin sacrifi ce . When worn by a male

,it had its crest

,

comb,or point

,set j utting forward ; when worn by

a female,it bore the same prominent part of the cap

in reverse,or on the nape of the neck

,as in the instance

of the Amazon ’s helmet,displayed in all old sculptures

,

or that of Pallas -Athene,as exhibited in the figures

of Minerva . The peak pi c, or point , of caps or hats

(the term cocked hat is a case in point) all refer tothe same idea . This point had a sanctifying meaningafterwards attributed to it

,when i t was called the

Chr i s ta,cr i s ta

,or crest

,which signifies a triumphal top

,

or tuft . The ‘ Grenadier Cap ’

,and the loose black

Hussar Cap,derive remotely from the same sacred

,

Mithraic,or emblematical bonnet

,or high pyramidal

cap . It,in this instance

,changes to black , because it is280

THE PHRYGIAN CAP 28 1

devoted to the illustration of the fi r e - workers (grenadiers) , who , among modern military, succeed the Vulcani s ts

,Cyclope s , classic smiths or servants of Vulcan

,

or Mulciber,the artful worker among the metals in the

fire,or amidst the forces of nature . This idea will be

found by a reference to the high cap among the Pe rsians

,or Fire -Worshippers and to the black cap among

the Bohemians and in the East . All travellers inEastern lands will remember that the tops of theminarets reminded them of the high- pointed blackcaps of the Persians .

The Phrygian Cap is a most recondite antiquarianform the symbol comes from the highest antiquity .

It is displayed on the head of the fi gure sacrificing inthe celebrated sculpture

,called the Mithraic Sacri

fi ce (or the Mythical Sacrifi ce) , in the British Museum .

This loose cap,with the point protruded

,gives the

original form from which all helmets or defensive headpieces

,whether Greek or Barbarian

,deduce . As a

Phrygian Cap,or Symbolizing Cap

,it is always s a n

gu i n e in its colour . It then stands as the Cap ofL iberty a revolutionary form also

,in another

way,i t is even a civic or i n corpor a ted badge . It is

always masculine in its meaning . It marks the needleof the obelisk

,the crown or tip of the ph a llu s

,whether

human or representative . It has its origin in therite of circumcision—unaccountable as are both thesymbol and the rite .

The real meaning of the bon n et rou ge , or cap ofliberty ’

,has been involved from time immemorial

in deep obscurity,notwithstanding that it has always

been regarded as a most important hieroglyph or figure .

It signifies the supernatural simultaneous sacrifice ’

and triumph ’

It has descended from the time ofAbraham

,and it is supposed to emblem the strange

mythic rite of the ci rcumci s i o pr epu ti i The loose

282 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Phrygian bonnet,bon n et con i qu e , or

‘ cap of liberty ’

may be accepted as figuring,or standing for

,that de

t a ch e d integument or husk,separated from a certain

point or knob,which has various names in different

languages,and which supplies the central idea of this

sacrificial rite—the spoil or refuse of which (absurd andunpleasant as it may seem) is borne aloft at once as a‘ trophy and as the ‘ cap of liberty ’

. It is now amagic sign

,and becomes a talisman of supposedly i n ex

pressible power—from what particular dark reason itwould be difficult to say . The whole is a sign of‘ initiation ’

,and of baptism of a peculiar kind . The

Phrygian cap,ever after this first inauguration

,has

stood as the sign of the Enlightened The heroicfigures in most Gnostic Gems

,which we give in our

illustrations,have caps of this kind . The s a cr ifi ce r

in the sculptured group of the Mithraic Sacrificeamong the marbles in the British Museum

,has a Ph ry

gian cap on his head,whilst in the act of striking the

B ull with the poniard—meaning the office of the immola ti n g priest . T h e bon n et con iqu e is the mitre ofthe Doge of Ven i ce .

Besides the bon n et rouge , the Pope’s mitre—nay

,all

mitres or conical head- coverings—have their namefrom the terms Mi th r a d ic or Mithraic The originof this whole class of names is Mittr a

,or Mithra . The

cap of the grenadier,the shape of which is alike all

over Europe,is related to the Tartar lambskin caps ,

which are dyed black ; and it i s black also from itsassociation with Vulcan and the Fire -Worshippers

(Smiths) . The Scotch Glengarry cap will prove onexamination to be only a cocked Phrygian . All theblack conical caps

,and the meaning of this strange

symbol,came from the East . The loose black fur

caps derive from the Tartars .

The Cap of L iberty ’

(B on n et Rouge) , the Cri s t a or

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

284 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

when necessary,folds round the soldier ’s face on each

side,and forms a comfortable night - cap . I n our

service,on e s i n gle s lip is left to fly .

’—Sir Walter Scottto T . Crofton Croker

, 7th July 1 827 . (Qy . whether

u'llllllllllllll

,r

i

F ig . 2 1 1 F i g. 2 1 2 F ig . 2 1 3

Mo tle y or Sca r amou ch Kn igh t ’s h e a d - ge a r , Ca p of M a i n te n a n ceBon n e t Co n i qu e , wi th tor s e

clove n a n d s e t a bou twi th be lls

the a b ove - named d ou ble fly of the Hussar Cap be notthe dependent ears or horns of the original Motley ?)The Hussars wear the original fur cap of Tubal - Cain

,

or the Smiths,or Artful

‘

Workers in Nature The

F ig. 2 1 4 F ig. 2 1 6

T a r t a r or Cos s a ck F u r D ouble M i tr e—Hor n s

Ca p , wi th dou ble of th e J e s te r or B u f

pe n d a n t s foo n , s e t a bou t wi thbe lls or ji n gle s

name Hussar is borrowed from the Oriental exclamation to (or invocation of) Al hu z a

‘

Al- husa orVenus

,

“or Aphrodite—the original patroness of theseIshmaelitish irregular light troops . The d olrn a n or

F ig . 2 1 7 F ig. 2 1 8

Fool’s Ca p . Th i s s h a pe h a s Bu lga r i a n a ls o wor n b yE gypt i a n i n dica t io n s th e Pa n dour s

pelisse,properly worn on the left shoulder of the Hu s

sar,has its signification and origin in the following act

related in Scripture,which refers to a certain Ro s icru

ciammyth Shem and Japheth took a garment

i SHMAE L I TISH IRRE GULAR L IGHT- TROOPS 285

(a cover or extra piece of clothing) , and laid it uponboth their shoulders ’

(on the left shoulder of each)and we n t b a ckwa rd

,and covered their father Noah .

It is astonishing how‘

s u cce s s fu lly this mythic act ,with its original strange Rosicrucian meaning

,should

have been hidden away in this apparently little cor

F i g . 220 F i g . 2 22

Hu s s a r Co n ica l C a p S a pe u r , Pion e e r

responding,trivial fact

,of the wearing of the Hussar

loose cloak or pelisse (pa lli u rn or pall) on the left orsinister shoulder ; which is the shoulder nearest tothe woma n because the Ta lmu d i s ts s a y th a t M a n wa s

ma d e fromth e left h a n d .

F ig . 22 3 F i g . 22 5

F u r C a p of th e Sword -be a re r J u dge , i n imi t a t io n o f th e

(myth i c gla d i u s ) of th e C i ty E gyp ti a n EKla ft th e bla ckof Lon don Co i f, pla ce d o n th e s e n

s or ium, i s th e ma rk or‘ br a n d ’

of Is i s (S a tu r n )

Regarding the Templar i n s i gn i a ,we may make the

followin g remarks . The famous flag,or Beauseant

was their distinguishing symbol . B eauseant—thatis to say

,i n the Gallic tongue

,B i e n - s éa n t

,because

they are fair and honourable to the friends of Christ,

but black and terrible to Hi s enemies : Vexillumbipartitum

,ex Albo e t Nigro

,quod n omi n a n t B e a u

s éa n t id est,Gallica lingua

,B i e n - s éa n t e o quod

Christi amices candidi sun t e t benigni,i n imice s vero

te r r ib ile s atque nigri ’

(J ac . de Vi tr . Hi s t. Hi eros ol .

apu d Ge s ta D e i,cap . lxv) .

286 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

The Cardinal de Vitry is totally uninformed as tothe meaning and purpose indicated in this mysteriousbanner . Its black and white was originally derivedfrom the Egyptian sacred black and white ’

,and it

conveys the same significant meanings .

Now,in the heraldic sense— as we shall soon see

there is no colour wh i te . A rge n t is the silver of themoon’s light

,the light of the woman or it is light

generally,in opposition to darkness

,which is the

absence of all colour . White is the synthesis andidentity of a ll the colours— i n other words

,it is light .

Thus white is blazoned,in the correct hera ldi c sense

,

as also in reference to its humid,feminine origin (for ,

as the old heralds say,light was begotten of darkness

and its type,product

,and representative

,woman

,

also as the melancholy or silver light of the moon,

Argent also,in the higher heraldic grade

,Pearl

as signifying tears ; lastly, Luna ’

,whose figure or

mark is the crescent or V } which is either thenew moon (or the moon of hope) , or the moon of theMoslem (or horned moon resting on herBlack (or s a ble , s a b .

,s a b b a t

,Sa t.

,Saturn) is the absence

of light,and is blazoned sable ’

,diamond (carbon ,

or the densest of matter) , without form and void’

,

but cradle of possibilities,end being taken as s y n o n y

mous with beginning ’

. It is s a b .

,or Saturn

,whose

mark is b and who is both masculine and femininesex being indifferent to this D ivine Abstraction

,

whose face is masked in Darkness .

’

L ykos wolf ’

,lyke light whence comes L u x

(Volney , 1 st English edition , 1 792 , p. Je andV ’ are of Tartar origin . I t is probable that St .

John ’s College at Cambridge is the Dorn u s Templiof the Round Church of the Templars there . Thepresent St . John ’s is only of modern foundat ion .

There is annexed to,or connected with

,this church

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

288 THE ROSICRUCIANS

neum ,B uda

,or Buddha . These were

,I believe

,old

names restored (vi d e D’

An ville’

s A tla s ) . The societybearing the name of the Ros s icru ci a n s (or Ros icru xians) is closely allied with the Templars . Their emblem is a monogram or j ewel ; or , as malicious andbigoted adversaries would say their obj ect of adoration is a red rose on a cross Thus

F i g. 226

When it can be done,it is surrounded with a glory

,

and placed on a Calvary . This is the N a u ru tz,N a ts ir

,

or Rose of I s u r e n,of Tamul

,or Sharon

,or the Water

Rose,the L ily Padma

,Pema

,L otus crucified ’ for

the salvation of man—cru cifi e d in the heavens at theVernal Equinox . It is celebrated at that time bythe Persians in what they call their Nou - Rose

,i . e .

Neros,or N a u ru tz (Malcolm

’s H i s tory of P e r s i a , vol .ii . p . Th e Tudor Rose

,or Ros e - e n - Sole i l (the

Rose of the Order of the Garter) , is the RosicrucianRe d Rose crucified

,with its rays of glory

,or golden

sunbeams,or mythical thorns

,i s s u a n t from its white

,

immaculate centre - point or lily - point —all whichhave further occult meanings lying hidden in theurgicmysticism . All these are spoken in the famous RoundTable of the Prince (and Origin) of Christian knighthood

,King Arthur . Hi s table is now hanging on the

wall,dusty and neglected

,over the ‘ King ’s Seat or

B ench ’ in the Court—House on the Castle Hill of ourancient Winchester . But upon this abstruse subj ect of

E DWARD THE F IRST AND RAYMOND L UL L Y 289

the Round Table ’ we have spoken more fully inanother place . See Elias Ashmole .

Pope John XIV,about the year 970 ,

issued a Bullfor the baptizing of bells To cleanse the air of devilswith which it was imagined to be full in the time ofstorms or of public commotion . To this end

,the

kettledrums of the L acedaemonians were also supposedto be used on a ll extraordinarily harmful occasions .

Pagodas are uprights and obelisks,with the same

meaning as other steeples,and their angles are s e t

-aboutwith bells

,which are agitated in the wind

,and are

supposed to exercise the same power of driving off

evil spirits . Vesper bells secure spiritual serenity .

The bells of the churches are tolled in thunderstormsstill

,in some parishes in England

,supposedly to

disperse the clouds,and to open their rifts for th e

returning sunshine .

Edward the First of England was in every wayan extraordinary man . There are certain reasons forsupposing that he was really initiated in Easternoccult ideas . It is to be remembered that he madethe Crusade to Palestine . He invited to England

,

Guido dalla Colonna,the author of the Troy - book

Ta le of Troy ; and he also invited Raymond L ullyinto his kingdom . Raymond L ully is affirmed tohave supplied to Edward six millions of money

,to

enable him to carry on war against the Turks . Theorigin of the rose—nobles is from the Rosicrucians .

No . I . Catherine - wheel window—1 2 columns .

Query , the 1 2 signs,with the Rose

,Disc

,or L otus

,

in the centre ? From a Saracenic fountain near theCouncil -House

,Jerusalem . This fountain seems to

be b uilt of fragments the proof of which is that thisinscribed stone (No . 2) is placed over half the d i s cu s .

The whole structure,though Oriental or Saracenic

,

abounds with Gothic or pointed features . Such areU

290 THE ROSICRUCIANS

the frets,the spandrel -work

,the hood—moulding

,etc .

No . 3 . Query , Aquarii The Aqu a r i i alwaysindicate the Lunar element

,or the female . The

B aptisteries dedicated to St . John,or to the SS

,

are eight - sided . The B a pti s ter i a in Italy follow thesame emblematical rule . Th e sections into which theOrder of the Knights of Malta were divided wereeight

,answering to the eight points of the cross

,which

was their emblem . The Order was composed of eightnations

,whereof the English

,which was one

,d i s a p

p e a re d at the Reformation .

The colours of the monastic knightly orders were thefollowing : The Teutonic Knights wore white

,with

the eight - pointed black cross ; the Knights of Maltawore black

,with the eight - pointed white cross . The

4 1 1 1 19No ’ 2 I” ‘J l .

’mn u u

W No - 3

F ig. 227

foregoing obtained their B lack and White from theEgyptians . The Knights Templars

,or Re d - Cross

Knights,wore white

,with the eight - pointed B h u d d i s t

red cross displayed on their mantles . The Guardianof the Temple Chapel was called ‘

Cu s tos C a pellw,

(Ca pe lla , a kid ’

,star ’

,she - goat also ‘ cha pel

Attila,surnamed the Scourge of God is represented

as having worn a Teraphim or head,on his breast

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

292 THE ROSICRUCIANS

d’E ph es e , d

’

ou dérivent celles des pretres,portent les

douze animaux d u zodiaque .

’

Fig. 23 0, Chapter -Houses of York Cathedral and of

Salisbury Cathedral . Most of the Chapter - Housesof the Cathedrals are eight - sided . I n this they imitatethe eight - sided or ‘

B h u d d i s t’

cross of the Templars .

This is the crown,cap

,capital , chapiter, tabernacle ,

mythic domu s templi , or d omu s D e i . They aremi n i a ture

,mystical Round Churches

,or Tors The

F ig . 229

An a gr amof th e Divi n e

Powe r s a n d D i s t i n ctio n s e xemplifyi n gth e Ath a n a s i a n Cre e d

F ig. 2 3 0

Chapter -Houses oblong in shape are imitative of theArk

’ of the Mosaical Covenant . All the B asilicasare of this figure . The symbol is a parallelogram

,or

an oblong,when the shape adopted is that of the

temples . It then is the n a vi s,nave or ship—which

is the ArgoL e s Chinois l’a d or e n t dans F ot . L a langue chin

oise n’

a y a n t n i le B n i le D,cc peuple a prononcé

F ot cc que les Indiens e t les Perses prononcent B ot,

B ot,Bod

,B od d

,ou B oud d—par ou bref F ot

,a u

Pegou,est devenu Fota e t F ta .

’

Query, Pth a h

(Vulcan) of the Egyptians , and the Teutonic F’

s inFriga ’

(the Runic Venus) , F fr iga’ Friday

THE zE OL IC DIGAMMA 293

B — F,P—F

,are interchangeable letters (see Arabic

and Sanscrit vocabularies) .

The Z—Eolic Digamma is the crux of philologists . Theancients pronounced every word which began with avowel with an aspirate

,which had the sound of our w

,

ma cro co smo s D r a g o n

'

s He e d.

M i c r c c o smo s .

D r a go n’5 TQ i

F ig. 2 3 1

and was often expressed by ,8 or u , and also 7 . For thisthe figure of a double F

,or f was invented

,whence

the name D igamma which was called ZE olic,because

the E olians,of all the tribes

,retained the greatest

traces of the original language . T hus,the ZE oli a n s

wrote or pronounced F otuog, F ekéa , veli a . TheL atin language was derived from the o lic dialect ,and naturally adopted the Digamma

,which it generally

Fylfo t D igamma (Dr . Va lp y’

s cre s t )A n o t a ble Ros icru ci a n , C a b a li s t ic , a n d M a s o n ic emblem

expressed by V. These significant,mysterious s ou n d s

and characters—V,W

,B

,and F — are reputed to be

the key of the L unar,or Feminine

,Apotheosis . The

symbol (or that meant in the symbol) is the keynote , asit were

,of all Grecian architecture and art which is

294 THE ROSICRUCIANS

all beauty,refinement

,and elegance

,with power at the

highest .

This is the foundation mark of the famous symbols

Te u ton ic (Four fold Mys t ici sm) (Gre e k forms )

This latter double Cross (in ascension) is indicative of the L eft -Hand Greek forms

,or of the Eastern

Church .

F I P H I'

W

P U.) P O M H-l

N A R P H

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

296 THE ROSICHUCIANS

to the other ; and contrariwise . The Gnostic hierarchy consisted of an arch - priest or patriarch

,twelve

masters,and seventy- two leaders or bishops . The

Gnostics called Matter,or Body

,evil ’

,and dark

ness and seemed uncertain whether,in its operat

ions,i t were active or passive . It was believed by

these sectaries that there were successive emanationsof intelligent beings—these were the ZE o n s (a iwue s) ,producing the various phases in creation . I n thisway

,there arose in time a mighty being

,the Demi

urge,who set to work on the inert matter then exist

ing,and out of it formed the world . The reconcile

ment,or restoration

,is to the B h u d d i s tic ple roma

,or

fullness of light . It is absorption into ‘ annihilationor into victory

,oblivious of the vexations of ‘ life ’

.

Here,in this fullness of light—or independence of all

worlds,or of life

,according to Man ’s ideas—the

Supreme God has Hi s habitation : but it is not‘ nothingness according to our ideas of nothing ;i t is so only because it has not anything in it comprehensible . The Alexandrian Gnostics inclined tothe opinion that Matter was inert

,or passive ; the

Syrian Gnostics,on the contrary

,held that it was

active . Valentinus came from Alexandria to Romeabout A .D . 1 40 . St . Augustine fell under the Gnosticinfluence

,and retained their beliefs from his twentieth

to his twenty- ninth yea r—vi z,from 3 74 to 3 83 A .D .

Their books have for titles the M y s te r i e s , the Ch a p

te r s or He a d s,the Gos pel

,and the Tr e a s u re . Refer

to B e a u s ob r e , Walch , F u é s s li n ,and Hahn .

The Gnostics held that Christ’

s teaching was notfully understood even by Hi s disciples ; and therefore He promised to send , in due time , a still greater

Apostle,the Paraclete

,who should effectually separate

truth from falsehood . This Paraclete appeared in Mani .The West Front of L ich fi e ld Cathedral displays

SYM B OLS IN THE TE MPL E CHURCH 297

accurately the myth ic idea of the union of the Maleand Female Principles in the parallel double towers ,which are uniform .

The claims for the ‘real reading of the Egyptianhieroglyphics are distinct and unhesitating

,as put

forward by the Egyptologists who,if industry could

have succeeded,certainly would have realized their

desire . But it is extremely doubtful whether , afterall

,they are not very widely astray . The late Sir

George Cor n ewa ll L ewis,in his Hi s tory of A n ci e n t

A s tron omy ,has disposed conclusively of the assumed

correctness of most of these interpretations . TheEgyptologists

,the principal of whom are Champollion ,

Rawlinson,Dean

,Milman

,Sir George L ewis (per

haps the best critic) , Professor Wilson , Sir Gardner“

Wilkinson,Dr . Cureton

,Dr . Hincks

,M . Opp e rt , Mr .

Fox Talbot,with a large amount of ingenious and

very plausible research and conj ecture,have not truly

touched or appreciated these enigmas . They yetremain

,baffling the curiosity of the modems ; and

they are likely to preserve their real mysteries i in r e a das long as the stones of the Pyramids and the remembrance of the Sphinx— if not he r Visible fi gu r e

-

j

themselves endure . We believe that there is noadequate mystical comprehension among moderndecipherers to read the hopeless secrets— purposelyevading discovery—which lie locked in the hiero

glyph ics : the most successful readings are probablyguesses only

,founded on readily accepted likeness

and likeliness .

The Temple Church,L ondon

,presents many mythic

figures which have a Rosicrucian expression . I n

the spandrels of the arches of the long church,besides

the ‘ Beauseant which is repeated in many places,

there are the armorial figures following : Argent,

on a cross gules,the Agnus Dei

,or Paschal L amb

,

298 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

or ‘ Gules,the Agnus D e i

,displaying over the

right shoulder the standard of the Temple ; or , abanner

,triple cloven , bearing a cross gules Azure

,

a cross prolonged,potent

,issuant out of the crescent

moon argent,horns upwards ; on either side of the

cross,a star or ’ This latter figu re signifies the

Virgin Mary,and displays the cross as rising like the

pole,or mast of a ship (a rgh a ) , out of the midst of

the crescent moon,or n a vi s b ipror a , curved at both

ends ;‘ azure

,semée of estoiles

,or ’

. The staff ofthe Grand Master of the Templars displayed a curvedCross of fou r splays

,or blades

,red upon white . The

eight - pointed red B hu d d i s t cross was also one of theTemplar ensigns . The temple arches abound withbrandished e s toi le s

,or stars

,with wavy or crooked

flames . The altar at the east end of the TempleChurch has a cross flou r i e , with lower limb prolongedor

,on a field of e s toi le s

,wavy ; to the right is the

D ecalogue,surmounted by the initials

,A . $2. (Alpha

and Omega) ; on the left are the monograms of theSaviour

,I C 'X C ; beneath , is the L ord

’s Prayer .

The whole altar displays feminine colours and emblems,

the Temple Church being dedicated to the VirginMaria . The winged horse

,or Pegasus

,argent

,in a

fi eld gules,is a badge of the Templars . The tombs

of the Templars,disposed around the circular church

in L ondon,are of that early Norman shape called d os

d’

d n e ; their tops are triangular ; the ridge -moulding passes through the temples a n d out of the mouthof a mask at the upper end

,and issues out of the

horned skull,apparently

,of some purposely trodd e n

creature . The head at the top is shown in the honourpoint of the cover of the tomb . There is an amountof unsuspected meaning in every curve of theseTemplar tombs ; but it would at present too muchoccupy us to more fully explain .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 00 THE ROSICRUCIANS

L ondon,and to the insignia of the Templars

,as

displayed in all countries,for hints as to

, their conn e xion with the mysterious beliefs constituting thatwhich is called Gnosticism .

Concerning the Pillars of Seth (see fig . Josephus

C R E A WF ig. 2 3 9 F ig . 240

asserts that No . I was existent in his time .

"

It is aCabalistic tradition that No . 2 was destroyed in the

Deluge . Notice also their resemblance to the Phallusor Phallos

,L ingam or L i n gh am. L ith o i l - th - oi .

F ig. 24 1 F ig. 242

J a ci n th Gn os t ic Gem M i th r a ic S a cr ifi ce Gn os t ic

Figs . 23 9—240,

represent,under different aspects

,

the armed Abraxas,the chief deity of the Gnostics .

I n fig . 23 9 he is displayed with characteristics ofApollo

,or the Sun rising in the East

,in the qu a d r iga

or four - horsed chariot . Fig . 240 : Abraxas brandi s h i n g his whip , as if chasing away the evil genii .

GNOSTIC M YSTE RI E S 3 01

On his shield , the titles N'

.IAQ . Neat work . Green

j asper ’

(Th e Gn os ti cs , p .

The Ur a zon or winged solar disc,or egg

,from

which issue,on reverse d sides

,the two emblematical

F ig. 243

E gypt i a n Api s , or Gold e n Ca lf

asps,has certain characteristics which ally it with

the ‘

Sca r a bwu s Both Ur aeo n and Scarab aeus aresymbols continual on the fronts of the Egyptiantemples

,and they are principally pla ced over t he

portals ; they are talismans or charms .

Fig . 248 Osiris ’

,or the Old Ma n

’ a terminal

T IMMIT H QN C I

F ig. 244

C a n ce r gr a s pi n g wi th On e Cla w a t th e Lu n a r Cr e s ce n t Gn os t ic Gem

figure . At the foot,the celestial globe and masonic

pentagon,or ‘ Solomon ’s Seal ’

. The field is ocenpied by symbols and lette rs

,seemingly Hebrew . The

whole design is media eval,hardly a production of

even the lowest times of the Empire . This is one ofthe pieces most evidently bespeaking a Rosicrucianorigin . Deeply cut in a coarse - grained green j asper

(Gn os ti cs , p .

Fig . 249 : Anubis walking ; in each hand , a long

3 02 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Egyptian sceptre terminating in a ball ; in the field,

the sun and moon (adj uncts marking the astrological character of this talisman

,which therefore must

be ascribed to the class of Ab r a xo i d s ) . The wholeenclosed in a sunken circle . Rev . MIXAHA

,between

four stars . The Cabalists make Michael the Angelof the Sun . Plasma of bad quality (The Gn os ti cs ,p .

Fig . 250 : This obj ect is the ‘ Chnuphis Serpent ’

,

F ig. 245 Ureeon F ig. 246 : Ur aeon F ig. 247 : Ur aeu s

to which frequent reference has been made in ourbook . The Serpent ’ is raising itself i n

'

act to givethe mythic dart . On its head is the crown of sevenpoints or vowels . The second amulet presents thename of the Gnostic Unknown Angel ’

,with the

four stars in the angles . This is Michael or th e

F ig . 248

‘ Saviour ’

,the ‘ Chief of the ZE o n s

’

,seventy - two

in number,and composed of six times twelve there

being three ‘ double decades ’

,for the night and for

the day,in each lunar period or sign of the zodiac

each of which consists of thirty degrees . I n anotheraspect

,this symbol stands for the Gnostic Chief Deity

Abraxas,the letters of whose name make up the

number of days of the solar circle .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 04 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

We give in another place the Procession of theL ogos ’

,or Word ’

,according to the Gnostics

.

Fig . 252 : The Good Shepherd bearing upon hisshoulders the L ost L amb

,as he seems to the u n i n it

i a te d eye : but on close inspection he becomes thedouble- headed Anubis ; having one head human ,the other a j ackal ’s

,whilst his girdle assumes the form

of a serpent,rearing aloft its crested head . I n his

hand is a long hooked staff . It was perhaps thesignet of some chief teacher or apostle among theGnostics

,and its impression one of the tokens serv

F ig. 252

ing for mutual recognition mentioned by E p iph a n iu s .

Neatly engraved in a beautiful red sard,fashioned

to an octagon form a shape never met in the classof antique gems

,though so much affected in Medi aeval

art,on account of its supposed mystic virtues ’

(TheGn os ti cs

,p .

On e of the Gnostic Gems,reputed the most e ffi c

a ciou s of amulets,is of red j asper

,and presents the

Gorgon’s Head Gorgoneion with th e legend below,

‘APHI

‘

Q PQPOMANAAPH 1 protect RhommandaresIn India

,the ‘ Great Abad is B hudda

,B a u d dh a

,

Buddha,or B a ddha . There is a connexion sug

gested here with the Abaddon ’ of the Greeks . I n

the same way,a relation may be traced with B u d h a

’

s

Spiritual Teacher who was the mythic Pyth a g

THE AMAZONS 3 05

oras,the originator of the system of transmigration

,

afterwards transplanted to Egypt,and thence to

Greece . Thus i n Sanscrit it i s"Bud h a—Gooro s ’ in

Greek it is ‘

Putha—Goras ’ in English it is ‘

Pyth a

goras t h e whole,B u d h a

’

s Spiritual Teacher ’

.

The cr i s ta,or crest

,or symbolic knob of the Ph ryg

ian cap or Median bonnet,is found also

,in a feminine

form,in the same mythic head- cover or helmet

,for

it unites both sexes in its generative idea,being an

‘ idol ’ . In the feminine case—as obviously in allthe statues of Minerva or Pallas -Athene

,and in the

representations of the Amaz ons,or woman - champions

,

or warriors—everywhere the cap or helmet has theelongated

,rhomboidal

,or globed

,or salient part in

reverse,or dependent on the nape of the neck . This

is seen in the illustration of the figure of the armedPallas - Athene among our array of these Phalliccaps . The whole is deeply mythic in its origin . Theideas became Greek ; and when treated femininelyin Greece

,the round or display—which in thema s cu

line helmet was naturally pointed forward,saliently

or exaltedly (the real‘

chr i s ta or ‘ crest —becamereversed or collapsed

,when worn as the trophy on a

woman ’s head . On a narrow review of evidence whichevades

,there is no doubt that these classic helmets

with their crests ’

,this p i leu s

,Phrygian cap

,Cap

of L iberty,or the Grenadiers ’ or Hussars ’ fur caps

,or

cocked hats,have all a phallic origin .

The Cardinal ’s Re d Ha t’ follows th e same idea

in a different way ; it is a chapel , chapter , chapiter ,or ch a gbe a u ,

a d i s cu s or table crimson,as the mystic

feminine‘

rose ’

,the Queen

’ of Flowers,is crim

son . The word ‘ Cardinal ’ comes both from C a rd o

(Hinge , Hinge - Point,Virgo ’ of the Zodiac) , and

also from C a ro,It . C a r n e

,fle s h—the Word made

flesh .

’

3 06 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

It is probable that these mythological hints andsecret expressions

,as to the magic working of nature

,

were insinuated by the imaginative and ingeniousGreeks into dress and personal appointments . I n

the temples,and in templar furniture

,mythological

theosophic hints abound ; every curve and everyfigure

,every colour and every boss and point

,being

significant among the Grecian contrivers,and among

those from whom they borrowed—the Egyptians .

We may assume that this classic Grecian form of the

F i g. 254

Gn o s t ic In voca t io n

head - cover or helmet of the Athenian goddess PallasAthene

,or Minerva

,not only originated the well

known Grecian mode of arranging women ’s hair atthe back

,but that this style is also the far - off

,classic

progenitor of its clumsy,inelega nt imitation

,the

modern chign on ,which is only an abused copy of the

antique . I n our deduction (as shown in a previousgroup of illustrations) of the modern military furcaps —particularly the Grenadier caps of all modernarmies

,as well as those of other b ranches of the mili

tary service— from that common great original,into

which they can be securely traced,the mythic Ph ryg

ian cap when red,the Vulcan ’s pi leu s when black

,

we prove the transmission of an inextinguishableimportant hint in religion .

The following are some of the most signifi cant talismans of the Gnostics :

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 08 THE ROSICRUCIANS

and decrescent moons,placed back to back

,with

a trace or line,implying that the ‘

Microcosmos ’

,

or‘

Ma n’

,is made a s b etwe e n the Moons ’ This

F ig. 2 5 8

figure suggests a likeness to the sign of the ‘ Twins ’

,

and to that of the February FishesFig . 257 is the mythological

‘

Medusa’s Head ’

,

terrible in her beauty,which transforms the beholder

to stone . This“

direful head is twined around withsnakes for hair

,and the r a d i i which dart from it are

lightning . It is,nevertheless

,esteemed o n e of the

most powerful talismans in the Gnostic preservativegroup

,though it expresses nothing (in a strange ,

contradictory way) but dismay and destruction .

Fig . 258 is referred to in a previous part of ourbook as fig . 3 1 3 .

CHAPTER THE SIXTH

STRANGE SPE CULATIONS or THE TRANSCE NDE NTALISTS

‘

HAD Ma n preserved his original innocence and re

fused to taste of the means of that bitter and condemmed knowledge (or power of recognition) of goodand evil

,as then there would have been none of that

physical deficiency asserted to be debited to Women,

would there likewise have been no females engenderedno propagation of the human species By somethe preference of the robust to the delicate sex isaccounted beyond all question as self- evident . A

certain class of philosophers have made no scruple tocall a woman an imperfect and even monstrous a n i

mal . These have affirmed that nature,in generation

,

always intends a male,and that it is only from mis

take or deficiency,either of the matter or the faculty

,

that a woman is produced .

’ The oriental ethics havedegraded woman to the level of a chattel . It is Christi a n ity alone , in the discovery of the Divine MaryVirgin -Mother Mother- Virgin —that has elevatedWoman ’

,and found for He r a possible place (of

course as a Sexed- Sexless,Sexless - Sexed Idea

in Heaven—or in that state other than this state :

irradiated with the light breathing with the breathof Divinity .

Alma r icu s,a doctor at Paris in the twelfth century

,

advances an opinion that,had the state of innocence

continued,every individual of our species would ha ve

3 09

3 1 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

come into existence a complete MAN and that Godwould have created them by Himself

,as He created

Adam . He theoriz es that woman is a defectiveanimal

,and that the generation of her is purely for

tu itou s and foreign from nature’s intent . He therefore infers that there would have been no women‘ in a state of innocence On the other hand

,there

exists a counterbala ncing singular idea,combated

by St . Austin in his Ci ty of God , Book xxii . chap . xvii .and of which its partisans take upon themselves tosay that at the universal resurrection this imperfectwork (woman) will be rendered perfect by a changeof sex ; all the women becoming men— grace andfinish being th en to complete th e work of the humanform

,which nature (in Ma n ) only , as it were , had left

coarse,unfinished

,rough - hewn . These ideas resemble

closely the conclusions of the alchemists (or of theRosicrucians when applying to practical art) , whodeclare that nature

,in the production of metals

,

always i n te n d s the generation of gold,and that it is

only from accidental diversion or interposing difficulty,

or from the deficiency of the virtue or faculty,that

the working out of the aim falls short,and issues

(bluntly and disappointed) in another metal—theblanker

,blacker

,and coarser metals being

,in fact

,

only as the D ISE ASE S of matter,which aims at clear

perfect he a lth—or a s gold . Here the alchemists contend that their superhuman (in apparent - sense) science ,felicitously applied

,completes the operation and

transmutes or compels - ou,

‘ into gold what weakerhanded nature was compelled to ‘ forego as ‘ ironThus nature always intends the production of male

(sun—gold—fi re being the workman , or agentbut that in the production of female (silver as againstgold—the moon—sublimated matter

,or ‘ patient

nature ’s operation miscarries ; the effort degenerates

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 t 2 THE ROSICRUCIANS

gu i s h e s to Redemption i h'

repent a nce . Thus thepathetic languishment of the Saviour (and Sufferer)J esus Christ : My soul is sad , even unto death !Hence the Garden ’ of AgonyThis is the Ge n i u s Optimu s

,the ‘ Soul of th e Soul ’

and the Eye of the Mind —that part i n ca p a ble ofdamnation even in the greatest sinner (this was Cromwell ’s firm reliance and belief

,and his last question to

his attendant chaplain bore reference to the assuranceof it) . This is the last supernatural power which canand will defend man from all the assaults of evilangels

,and unto this holy principle and benevolent

upspring the dictates and the efforts of all Good Angelsand Spirits do tend

,it being a great part of their work

and business to assist man,and to defend and preserve

him from the inward incursions of the multitude ofthe malignant Spirits in their various degrees .

Tr ith emiu s,a noted Rosicrucian

,asserts that never

any good Angel appeared in the shape of a woman .

’

Van Helmont,in the ninety- third chapter of one of

his books,has these words : ‘

If an Angel appearbearded

,let him be accounted an evil one ; for a

Good Angel hath never appeared with a beard . Thetruth is

,a woman is the weaker vessel

,and was first in

the Transgression . Therefore,that sex is an emblem

of weakness and a means of seduction . An d thereforethere is no reason why the Good Angels

,amongst

whom there is no difference of sex,should elect to

appear as a female ; but r a th e r,

'

b e i n g a species ofcreature above humankind

,they assume the shape of

the most excellent of that kind (only feminine inregard of grace and beauty) and for the same reasonthey may appear without beards

,both because hair

is an excrement ”

,and verges greatly

,in the more

conspicuous instances,to the brutish nature

,as also

more especially in their beardless,beautiful

,glorified

THE M YSTIC B G HM E N ,AND PLATO 3 1 3

aspects,and graceful delicacy and yet powe r of form

,

to express their perpetual virgin - youth,unspoiled

heavenly beauty,and immortal star- born vigour .

Hair being an abhorred,tentacled

,reaching—out or

brute - like animal s u p e rflux —the stigma or disgrace ofthe glorious spark of light or nearly suffocated humanentity

,condemned to its earth- birthed investiture or

body—i t can have nothing about the parts of theD e ifi e d Idea of Ma n — or the various classes of the

B lessed Angels .

’ The contrary of all this is to beassumed of the evil Genii or the Recusant Genii (Lucife r e n t and yet L u ci fu ge n t) , except in regard to theirpower or knowledge . For the Soul of the World ’

and Matter and to an important one - half,the Means

of the World —are Feminine For N ight (whichis the other side of the curtain of Day) is Feminine .

Thus B oehme n and Plato as representing all the closestof- thought of the centuries .

All the above is the reproduction of the singularideas of the ‘

Idealists of the Middle Ages .

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH

ROS ICRUC I AN ORIGIN OF THE ORDE R O F THE GARTE R .

D E DUCTIONS,AND PROOFS

,FROM HISTORICAL

AUTHORITIE S

THE natural horns of the Bull or the Cow—bothwhich animals were deified by the Egyptians

,and

also by the Indians,who particularly elected the Cow

as the obj ect of religious honour —we r e,th e models

from which originally all the volves and volutes,pre

senting the figure of curved horns,or the significant

suggestion of the thin horns of the crescent or growingmoon

,were obtained . The representative horns figured

largely afterwards in all architecture,and were copied

as an important symbol expressive of the secondoperative power of nature . The L unar or F emi nine Symbol ’ is the universal parent of the Hindooand Mahometan returned arches and therefore

,also

,

of the Horse - shoe curves of“

the Arabian arches,and

the hooked curves of all Gothic architectural r ep rod u ction

,whether in arches or otherwise . The Egyptian

volutes to the pillars,the Egyptian horns everywhere

apparent,the innumerable spiral radii distinct in all

directions,or modified

,or interpenetrating the orna r

mentation of buildings in the East the Ionic volutes,

the Corinthian volutes,which became pre - eminently

pictorial and floral in their treatment in this beautifulorder

,particularly in the Greek examples (which are ,

however,very few) ; the more masculine volves and

volutes,or horns

,of the Roman solid

,maj estic columns

the capitals to the ruder and more grotesque of the3 1 4

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 1 6 THE ROSICRUCIANS

d e n t,of not quite the character commonly accepted

and not quite so simple and ordinary as letting fall agarter . B u t this accident

,which brought about the

foundation of the exalted Order,pre - eminently Rosi

crucian in its hidden meanings—however clear i tbecomes when understood

,and however sublime

,as

the Rosicrucians asserted it was,when it is apprehended

in its physiological and also in its deeply mythic sensecould not

,of necessity

,be placed before the world

,

because ordinary persons could not have appreciatedit

,nor would they have felt any other idea than r e p u l

sion and disbelief at the statement . The commonplace

,coarse

,unprepared mind instantly associates

indecency with any explanation,however conclusive

,

which cannot for obvious reasons be spoken ‘ on thehouse - tops We are now ourselves

,against our

desire,compelled to speak circuitously about the real

,

successfully concealed,very strange origin

,in our

modern ideas,of this famou s Order of the Garter

The subj ect is,however

,of very great consequence

,

because there is either meaning of the highest forcein this

,which may be called the brotherhood of

princes as the Order undoubtedly is in a high senseor there is no particular meaning

,and certainly no

thing challenging startled attention . There is eithertruth i n the abstract

,occult matters which the Order

supposedly is forme d to whisper and to maintain,or

there i s only empty,meaningless pretence and a ffe cta t

ion . There 1 s grandeur and reality i n its formalities,

or the whole institution is no more than a parade ofthings that have no solidity

,and an assumption of oaths

and obligations that regard nothing of consequencenothing of real

,vital seriousness . We seek thus to

e n n oble the Order in idea,by giving it conclusively

the sanction of religion,and rendering to it the respect

due to the mighty mystery whichma y be s uspected

ORIGIN OF THE NAM E ‘

GARTE R’

3 1 7

to lie in it ; which it wa s supposed to emphasize ,wh a tever i t b e h eld n ow. We are inclined to view withsurprise— although in no grudging

,prej udiced spirit

the obtrusion of the Crescent and Star,

’ the symbol ofthe Grand Signior

,Soldan

,or Sultan of Turkey

,the

Representative of Mohammed,the D enier of Christ

according to his supposed religious obligations . It iscertainly an anomaly to admit the denier of Christin an Order intended

,to exalt into vital distinct recogn itio n the Divinity of Christ as the Saviour of M a n

kind How can the Sultan of Turkey,or any Mahomet

an,or any disbeliever

,discharge the oaths which he

is solemnly assumed to take in this respect We aredisposed to contemplate the addition of the Moslembanner—the direct contradiction and neutraliser ofthe ensigns of the Christian knights— suspended in theChapel of the Order

,the Chapel of St . George at Windsor

,

as a perplexing,uncomfortable intrusion

,according

to assumed correct Christian ideas . We fear thatthe admission of this heathen knight may possiblyimply heraldically the infraction of the original constitu tio n s of the Order

,which created it as exclusively

Christian . The Garter ’ is specially devoted to theVirgin Mary and to the honour (in the glorificationof Woman ’

) of the Saviour of Mankind . Theknights - companions are accepted

,supposedly

,as the

special initiated holy guard of the Christian mysteries,

and they are viewe d as a sworn body of ‘ brothers ’

,

by day and night,from their first association

,bound

to maintain and uphold,in life and in death

,the

faith that had B ethlehem for its beginning and Calvaryfor its end . The bond and mark of this brotherhoodis the Re d Cross of Crucifixion . The Re d Cross

’

which is the ‘ Cross of the ‘

Rosicrucians ’—thencetheir name .

Even the b adge and star and symbol of this most

3 1 8 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Christian Order,if ever there were a Christian Order

—which presents this red or sanguine cross of theRedeemer

,imaged in the cognisance of Hi s champion

,

or captain,or chief soldier

,St . George or St . Michael

,

the Trampler of the Dragon,and Custos of the Keys

of the B ottomless Pit,where the devils are confined

—protests against the mingling of this Mussulmanbanner with the Re d Cross

,which opposed it in the

hands of the Crusaders,and in those of all Christian

knights . Now all the Christian Garter ’ badges onlyseem to appeal and to protest quietly and under allowance

,with bated breath as it were (as if afraid) ,

deficient in firmness and life,leaving results to chance

,

and abandoning expostulation to be regarded or disregarded (or taken up faintly) a ccord i n g to ci rcums ta n ce s .

These are matters,however

,which properly a pp e r

t ain to the office,and lie in the hands of the d ign i

taries of the Order of the Garter . These officialsare its Prelate and Garter himself (the personifi ed

who are supposed,because of the sublime

duties with which they are charged,to be the guard

ians of the meanings and the myths of an Order ofKnighthood whose heraldic display in one form orother covers the land (or covers the world) , and mustbe interpreted e ither a s ta li sma n or toy . The B ishop ofWinchester is always the chief ecclesiastical authorityof the Order . Remark here

,as the sanctions of this

Most Noble Order ’

,that in Winchester we directly

alight upon King Arthur and his Knights of theRound Table ” —what the Round Table is

,we have

explained elsewhere . I n these days without faith,

wherein science (as it is called in the too arbitraryand overriding sense) has extinguished the lights ofenthusiasm

,leaving even our altars dark

,desecrated

,

and cold,and has eliminated all possible wonder from

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 20 THE ROS]CRUCIAN 5

of Woman,and to raise into dignity the expression of

the condemned means ’

(until sanctified and reconciled by the intervention of the or of the HolySpirit , or of the Third Person of the Trinity) , which isher mark and betrayal

,but which produced the world

in producing Ma n,and which saved the world in the

person of the Redeemer,born of Woman It is to

glorify typically and mystically this fle s hly vehiclethat the Order of the Garter —or Garder — thatkeeps it sacred was instituted . The Knights of theGarter stand sentinel

,in fact

,over Woman ’s Shame

at the same time that they proclaim her Glory inthe pardoned sense . These strange ideas are strictlythose of the old Rosicrucians

,or Brethren of the Re d

Cross and we only reproduce them . The early writers saw no indecency in speaking openly of thesethings

,which are usually hidden away

,as improper

to be spoken about .

The blackness or darkness of Matter ’

,or of the

‘

Mother of Nature is figured in another respect inthe belongings of this famous feminine Order

,insti

tu te d for the glory of woman . Curious armorists,

skilled in the knowledge of the deep sacred symbolismwith which the old heralds suffused their illustrationsor emblaz onments

,will remember that bla ck is a feat

ure in the Order of the Garter ; and that , amongfigures and glyphs and hints the most profound

,the

Black Book ’

,containing the original constitutions

of the Order— from which ‘

B lack B ook ’ comes theimportant ‘

B lack Ro d —was los t,or taken away

for some secret reason before the time of Henry theFifth . See various pages

,a n te

,for previous remarks

about the ‘ Garter ’

Elias Ashmole mentions the Order in the followingterms : We may ascend a step higher ; and if wemay give credit to Harding

,it is recorded that King

COMM ON THE ORY OF THE GARTE R 3 2 1

Arthur paid St . George,whose red cross is the badge

of the Garter,the most particular honours ; for he

advanced his effigy in one of his banners,which was

about two hundred ye ars after his martyrdom,and

very early for a country so remote from Cappadociato have him in reverence and esteem .

’

I n regard to the story of the Countess of Salisburyand her garter , we shall insert the j udgment of Dr .

Heyli n who took great pains to ascertain its fou n d ation . This I take to be a vain and idle romancehe says

,derogatory both to the founder and the

Order,

first published by Polyd ore Virgil , a strangerto the affairs of England

,and by him taken upon

no better ground than fama vu lgi , th e tradition of thecommon people—too trifling a foundation upon whichto raise so great a building .

’

The material whereof the Garter was composedat first is an a r ca n um

,nor is it described by any writer

before Polyd or e Virgil , and he only speaks of it i ngeneral terms . The Garter was originally withouta motto 1 As to the appointments of the Order

,we

may gain the most authentic idea of them from thee ffigi e s of some of the first knights . Sir WilliamFitz -warin was buried on the north side of the chancelof the church of Wantage

,in Berkshire

,in the thirty

fi fth year of the reign of King Edward the Third .

Sir R ichard Pembridge,who was a Knight of the

Garter,of the time of Edward the Third

,lies on the

south side of the cathedral of Hereford . The monument of Sir Simon Burley

,beheaded A .D . 1 3 88 , was

raised in the north wall,near the choir of St . Paul

’

s ,L ondon . It is remarkable that Du Chesne , a notedFrench historian

,is the source from which we derive

the acknowledgment that it was by the specialinvocation of St . George that King Edward the Third

1 A proof tha t i t d id n ot or igin a te with E dwa rd th e Third .

3 22 THE ROSICRUCIANS

gained the Battle of Cressy ; which‘ lying deeply

in his remembrance,he founded ’

,continues Du

Chesne,a chapel within the Castle of Windsor

,and

dedicated it in gratitude to the Saint,who is the

Patron of England .

’ The first example of a Garterthat occurs is on the before -mentioned monumentof Sir Francis Burley ; where , on the front , towardsthe head

,are his own arms

,impaling his first wife ’s

,

set within a garter . This wants the impress,or motto .

Another shield of arms,

“ having the same impalement placed below the feet

,is surrounded with a

collar of ‘ S.S. of the same form with that abouthis neck . It was appointed by King Henry theEighth

,and embodied in the Statutes of the Order

,

that the collar should be composed of pieces of gold,

in fashion of Garters ; the ground enamelled blue ,and the letters of the motto gold . I n the midst ofeach garter two ros e s were to be placed

,the innermost

enamelled red,and the outermost white contrarily

,

in the next garter,the innermost Rose enamelled

white,and the outermost red

,and so alternately ;

but of later times,these roses are wholly red . The

number of these Garters is so many as to be theordained number of the sovereign and knights - companions . At the institution they were twenty - six

,

being fastened together with as many knots of gold .

An d this mode hitherto has continued inva r iable ;nor ought the collar to be adorned or enriched withprecious stones (as the George may be) , such beingprohibited by the laws of the Order . At what timethe collar of came into England is not fullydetermined but it would seem that it came at leastthree hundred years since . The collar of S.S.

’

means the Magian,or First Order

,or brotherhood .

I n the Christian arrangements,it stands for the Holy

Spirit ’

,or ‘ Third Person of the Trinity I n the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 24 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Arthur ’

,is a perfect display of this whole subj ect

of the origin of the Garter ’

; it springs directlyfrom it

,being the same obj ect as that enclosed by

the mythic garter,

‘ garder or gir th e r

King Edward the Third chose the Octave of thePurification of the Blessed Virgin for the inauguration of his Order . Andrew d u Chesne declares thatthis new Order was announced on .

‘ New Year’s Day,

A .D . There were j ousts holden in honour ofit on the Monday after the Feast of St . Hilary following—January 1 9th There are variations in thehistories as to the real period of the. institution ofthe Garter most historians specifying the year 1 3 49 .

Ashmole states that a great supper was ordered toinaugurate the solemnity of the institution

,and that

a Festival was to be annually held at Whi ts u n ti d e

(which means the that King Edward erecteda particular building in the Castle

,and therein placed

a table Round Table ’

) of 200 feet diameter , givingto the bu i ld i n g i ts elf the name of the Round TableHe appropriated per week—a n enormous sumin those days—for the maintenance of this table .

In imitation of this,the French King

,Philip de Valois

,

instituted a Round Table ’ for himself at his court .

Some say that he had an intention of instituting anorder of knighthood upon the same feminine subj ectbut that he was anticipated b y

‘

Ki n g Edward whichshows that it was something more than an accidentand a mere garter which inspired the idea of thisRose forming the mystery . The knights were denomi n a te d Equites Au re ee Pe r i s ce lid i s King Edwardthe Third had such veneration for the Blessed VirginMary

,that he ordained that the habit of his Knights

of the Garter should be worn on the days of her FiveSolemnities . Elias Ashmole states that the originalof the Statutes of Institution had wholly perished

SIR jOHN F ROISSART 3 25

long before his time . There was a transcript existingin the reign of Henry the Fifth

,in an old book called

Regi s trumOrd i n i s Ch a rta ceum. Though the Orderwas instituted so lon g ago as in the year 1 3 44, i twas not till the reign of Charles the Second that theKnights were empowered to wear the star they useat present embroidered on their coats . The rays arethe ‘ glory ’ round the Re d Cross ’

.

Sir John Froissart,the only writer of the age that

treats of this institution,assigns no such origin as the

picking up of the Countess of Salisbury’s garter ; nordoes he adduce the words of the motto of the Garteras having been spoken by King Edward the Thirdwhen encountering the laughter of his court

,and

assuring them that he would make the proudesteventually wear it as the most illustrious badge .

There can be only one conclusion as to the characterof the investment which was picked up and whicharticle of dress makes it clear that the Countess ofSalisbury—or the lady

,whoever she may be

,who

has succeeded in becoming so wonderfully celebratedin the after - age s of chivalry—should have rather been athome

,a n d a t r e s t

,than inattentive to saltatory risks

in engaging in a dance or in forgetful gambols at acrowded court . There was no mention of this supposed picking u p of a garter for 200 years

,nor was

there anything referring to such an origin occurringin any of our historians other than Sir John Froissart

,

until Polyd or e Virgil took occasion to say somethingof it in his notices of the origin of the Order . I n theoriginal Statutes of the Order (which is a mostimportant point in the inquiry) there is not the leastco n je ctu r ezexp r e s s e d , nor does the compiler of thattract entitled I n s ti tu ti o cla r i s s imi Ord i n i s M i li ta r i sa prwn ob i li Su bliga cu lo n u n cupa ta , prefaced to theB la ck B ook of th e Ga rter , let fall any passage on which

3 26 THE ROSICRUCIANS

to ground the adroit conclusions about the Garter .

Polydore does not mention whose garter it was ;this he cautiously declines to do . He saysthat it was either the Queen

’s,or that of the King ’s

mistress—meaning Joan,Countess of Salisbury

,with

whom it was supposed the King was in love,and

whom he believed when she was bravely holding outfor him against the Scots

,in her Castle of Wark - upon

Tweed ; but she was certainly no mistress of theKing ’s

,in the inj urious and unworthy sense . It

is to be particularly noticed that the L atin wordss u bli cAR s u bliga cu lum,

mean n ot a garter butbreeches

,drawers

,or trousers ’

. It was thereforenot a garter for the leg

,but a cincture for the body

,

which was thus picked up publicly,and elevated for

honour,as such an unexpected illustrious obj ect ;

one around which the most noble knights were totake enthusiastic oaths of the most devoted religioushomage . Now

,unless there had been some most

e xtraordinary meaning under all this (lying underthe apparent but only apparent

,indecency) , such

an idoliz ing of a garter could never have occurred,

and the whole occurrence ages ago would have beenlaughed into oblivion

,carrying the sublime honours

of the Garter with it . Instead of this,the Garter

is the highest token of greatness the Sovereign ofEngland can bestow

,and it is contended for and

accepted with eager pride by Princes . Su b liga cu lum,

b re ech e s,d r a we r s

,trou s e r s

‘

Su b liga tu s , ci n ctu r ed ,

b ou n d,

etc.

,we a r i n g d r a wer s The origin of the

‘ Garter is proven in this word not to be a garterat all .It is most generally supposed that it was on January

1 9th ,1 3 44, that King Edward instituted his famous

Order of the Garter . This period,it will be perceived

,

was almost within an octave of the purification of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 28 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Garter ’

. It is the centre - point round which haveconverged the noblest ideas and the most illustriousindividuals in the world . It is still the proudestand most solemn badge

,and the chiefest English

knightly dignity . Strangely enough,too

,this whole

history of the Garter teaches,as its moral

,the

greatness of the proper independence of shame,and

the holiness of its unconsciousness .

Also the gallantry and the knighthood of the holding sacred these strange natural things .

CHAPTER THE EIGHTH

ROS ICRUC IAN SUPPOSE D ME ANS OF M AGIC THROUGHS IGNS

,S IGILS

,AN D F IGURE S

THE Dragon’s Head and Dragon’s Tail are the points

called Nodes,in which the ecliptic is intersected by

the orbits of the planets,particularly by that of the

moon . These points are of course shifting . TheDragon’s Head is the point where the moon or otherplanet commences its northward latitude ; it is cons i d e r e d masculine and benevolent in its influence .

The Dragon ’s Tail is the point where the planet ’ssouthward progress begins i t is feminine and malevolent . The Dragon mystically is the self- willedspirit ’

,which is externally derived into nature by

the ‘ fall into generation ’

(He rme s Tr i smegi s tu s ) .The same fine

,catholic nature—which in its preter

natural exaltation appears so very precious in theeyes of the philosopher—is in the common worldd e fi le d abiding everywhere in putrefactions andthe vilest forms of seemingly sleeping

,but in reality

most active,forms of life .

According to E n n emos e r,Ma giu s i a h , M a d s ch u s i e

’

signified the office and “knowledge of the priest,who

was called ‘

M a g, Ma giu s , Ma giu s i’

,and afterwards

‘

Magi ’ and ‘

Magician ’

. B rucker maintains (H i stor i a Ph i los oph iw Cr i ti cw

,i . 1 60) that the positive

meaning of the word is Fire - worshipper ’

,Worship

of the L ight ’

; to which opinion he had been ledby the Mohammedan dictionaries . In the modern

3 3 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Persian the word is Ma g and Ma gb e d signifieshigh - priest . The high - priest of the Parsees at Surat

,

even at the present day,is called Mobed

The mythic figure placed in the front of the IrishHarp— the meaning of which we have explained in aprevious part of our book

,and which is now r e p r e

sented as a woman with the lower parts twined asfoliage

,or as scrolls

,into the body of the h arp—is

properly a Siren . This Siren ’ is the same as VenusAphrodite

,Astarte

,the Sea-Deity

,or Woman - D eity

,

the Dag,Dagan

,Dagon

,or idol of the Syrians

,Tyrians

,

or Phoenicians ; hence her colour is green in theIona

,Ierne

,or Irish acceptation . The woman or

virgin of the Irish Harp,who is impaled on the stock

or Tree of L ife —the Siren whose fatal singing meansher mythic B h u d d i s tic or Buddhistic penance ofexistence —the Medusa whose insupportable beautycongeals in its terror the beholder to stone

,according

to the mythologists— this magic being is translatedfrom the sign of Virgo in the heavens

,and sent mythic

ally to travel condemned the verdant line of beauty,

or the cabalistic b e n e d i cta li n e a vi r i d i ta ti s . Th e wholeof the meaning

,notwithstanding its glory

,is

,none

the less,sacrifice The Woman of the Harp of

the Seven Strings,or the seven vocables

,vowels

,or

aspirations,or intelligent breathings

,or musical

notes,or music - producing planets (in their progress) ,

is purely an astrological sigma— although a grand oneadopted into heraldry . I n the old books of heraldry

,

the curious inquirer will find (as will all those whodoubt) this Woman or Virgin of the Irish harp—to wh om

,in the modern heraldic e xemp lifi ca tion ,

celestial wi ngs are given,and who is made beautiful

as an angel (which in reality she is , the other formbeing only her disguise)— represented as a dragonwith extended forky pinions

,and piscine or semi

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 2 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

derived from the earliest astronomical studies,and

which extraordinary hieroglyphical zodiacal fi guresdescended originally from the summit of the famousTower of Bel

,or Belus —the first observatory where

the movements and the story of the stars were at the outset noted

,and handed as from the earliest expositors of

the secrets of the heavens . This Procession of Twelve

(in the origin it was the Procession of Ten underthe name of the Zodiac

,tells

,in its signs the history

of the making of the world,according to the Chald aeans

and Egyptians,and also

,in the hidden way

,according

to the account in the Bible .

A s the little and the large have sometimes a closerconnexion than is ordinarily supposed

,we will pass

on now to some more familiar and commonplaceexamples .

It may be worth while to dwell with greater minu te n e s s on the little - understood origin of those lightauxiliary troops

,as they were organized originally

,

the modern Hussars . This irregular,lightly- equipped

European cavalry plays an important part as a skirmishing or foraging force . We are all accustomedto see the elegantly appointed light cavalry calledHussars

,and doubtless many persons have frequently

wondered as to the origin of that d olma n,pelisse

,or

loose j acket,which is worn

,contrary to all apparent

use,dangling— a h encumbrance rather than a cover

or defence— on the trooper ’s left shoulder . Thispelisse

,richly embroidered in the E astern fashion

,is

a lwa y s'

th e genuine distinctive mark or b a d ge h withthe Wallachian or Hun garian

,or Oriental

,busb y of

the Hussar . The precise time when this originallyloosely disciplined and heathen soldiery came intoEurope is not fixed . They now form a dazzling andformidable branch of light - cavalry service everywhere . All armies of modern times possess regiments

NOAH ,AND HIS SON HAM 3 3 3

of Hussars . They came originally from Tartaryand the East

,and they brought with them their

invariable mark,the rough fur cap

,or Ishmaelitish or

Esau - like black head - cover . They adventured intothe West with the now thickly ornamented andembroidered ‘ trophy ’

,called the pelisse or skin - coat

(‘

pel from pelli s,skin thence pall

I n these modern tasteless,ignorant days all these

distinctive learned marks are obliterated in the equipment of troops . We may also instance

,as proofs

of disregard and of bad taste,the blundering dishonour

offered to the maj estic Obelisk brought to Englandin 1 878, in the choice of its inappropriate site , and inthe ignoring

,for state reward

,those who brought it

to this country .

This pelisse is an imitation or reminder,and is the

very remote symbol,or garment

,or cover of shame

,

’

as it is called,with which

,for very singular cabalistic

reasons (which , however , do not admit of explanation)the two dutiful sons of Noah covered and atonedfor that disgrace of their father

,when

,after he had

planted a vineyard,and had drunken of the wine

,

he lay disgracefully extended in his tent ’

,and was

seen by his son H am whom Noah denounced . TheHussars (under other names) were originally Eastern ,Saracenic

,or Moslem cavalry The horse - tails and

j ingles,or numberless little bells

,which ought to

distinguish the caparisons of Hussars to the modernday

,and which are part of the special insignia of their

origin,are all Oriental . in their character, like the

bells of the wandering Zingari,Morris or Moresque ,

or Gypsy,or Bohemian fantastical dancers . Deep

lying in the magical ideas of the Eastern peoples wasthe sacredness

,and the efficacy against evil spirits

,of

their small bells,like the bells of the Chinese pagodas .

All bells,in every instance

,even from the giant bell

3 3 4 THE ROSICRUCIANS

of the Dom - Kirche or Duomo,or the cathedrals of

Kasan or Casan,Moscow or Mu s covi a generally

,down

to the knell ’

,or the sacring or warning bell of

the Romish Mass (which latter signal has a s ign ification overpowering i n its profundity) , are held todisturb and to scare and drive off evil spirits . Thesewere supposed

,according to the old superstitious

ideas,to congregate thickly

,with opportunities acci

dentally offered either in the din of battle to impairinvisibly the exertions of the combatants

,or in the

church to Spoil the Eucharist,by tempting the cele

b r a ti n g priest , or hampering or hindering the ceremonial and its triumphant sacred climax .

The Eastern name of Venus is Al-Hu z a or Hu s a,

which stands for the Egyptian Divine Woman ’

,or

Isis .

Hussey with its inflections of opprobrium,in

the vernacular—strangely to say in regard of thechampions mentioned above

,who are the followers

and the children of Venus . Venus Hussey as ina certain sense she may be considered .

Al-Hu z a means the hyacinth,acacia

,or lily

,sacred

to the Woman or to the complying and thereforeproductive powers of nature . The word Hussarcomes

,through circuitous paths of translation

,from

its original A l-Hu s a . These Hussars are the alert,

agile,armed children , or soldi ers , of Cybele . It is

well known that the knights of old—particularly theCrusaders when they returned to the West - adoptedthe Oriental fashion of covering their appointmentsand horse - furniture with bells

,the j ingle raised by

which,and at the same time the spreadi ng or flyi n g

out,in onset

,of the lambrequ i n or slit scarf attached

to the helmet,with the shouted war—cry

,or cr i d e

gu erre , struck terror into the opposed horse and rider .Naturalists suppose that even the spangled tail of the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 6 THE ROSICRUCIANS

man can be permitted to behold 1 and live —and towithdraw . For the Divinity to be seen by the profane eye is guilt and annihilation to the latter therefore the gods and all spirits have

,in every account

of their appearance,been seen in some worldly form

,

which might be acceptable to,and supportable by

,

a human face . There is,theoretically

,such con

tr a r i e ty ,and such fatal difference to the constitution

of man,in the actual disclosure of a spirit

,that it is

wholly impossible except by his death ; thereforespirits and divine appearances have always beeninvested in some natural escape or guise

,by the

medium of which the personal communication,what

ever it might be,might be made without alarm

,and

without that bodily disturbance of nervous assentwhich should destroy . This alarm would

,by the

utter upsetting of the mind,and the possible fatal

effect,otherwise have rendered the disclosure impo s s

ible . The denial of the interior parts of a sanctuary,

or a dytum,to the priests of the temple

,or even to the

chief hierarch sometimes,is supposed to have arisen

on this account . Mythological story is fu ll of thedanger of breaking in unpreparedly upon spiritualpresences

,or of venturing into their haunts rashly

or foolhardily The real obj ect and purpose of theveil to the Hebrew Temple

,and of the curtains and

enclosures ordered in the Jewish ceremonial complicated arrangements

,are certainly of this class . Thus

,

in the idea that God did really pa ss down at chosentimes from Heaven

,even in a possible visible shape ,

to Hi s Altar (though not , perhaps , in the form expectedby man in his ignorant notions) , the sacred placewas carefully shut in

,and all access to it set round

with rigid,awful caution . There is fine and subtle

meaning in that old expression in Ge n e s i s,to brood

1 Un le s s s e lf- di s clos e d.

TEMPL E S 3 3 7

as if to be fixed or rapt,and thus to be self

contained and oblivious,even inattentive The

ancients— the Greeks especially—constructed theirtemples originally without roofs

,in order that there

might be no obstacle interposed by them to the descentof the God to the temple which was especially raisedin Hi s honour . He was imagined

,at favourable

opportunities,to descend— either visibly or invisibly

—into Hi s appropriate temple ; and it was not toseem to exclude

,but rather in every way to invite

straight from the supernal regions,that the ancients

left open the direct downward way to the pe n etr a li a .

From this sacred point,when the God was supposed

to be expected or present,every eye

,even that of

the High- Priest,was shut out . The covered temple

,

or the ceiled temple—o i which the chapter - house,or

particular temple,with a ‘ crown ’

,or ‘ cap ’

,or

cover ’

,presents the small example— is the domu s

templi or d omu s D e i,where the ‘

Manifested God ’

is supposed to be enclosed,or wherein the ‘

M a n

is made Flesh — the microcosmos or spirit withinhis cincture

,or walls

,or castle of comprehension

,or

of senses .

CHAPTER THE NINTH

A STRO- THE OSOPH IC AL (E XTRA - N ATURAL) SYSTE M or THE

ROS ICRUC I ANS—THE ALCHE M IC M AGISTE RIUM OR

‘ STONE

THE letters of all languages are significant marks orsymbols which have the ‘ Twelve ’

,or rather the

original Ten,Signs ’ of the Zodiac ’ for their beginn

ing . Of these letters there is a certain group whichhas

,in the characters of all languages

,a secret hiero

glyp h ica l, hagiographical reference to the originallysingle

,and afterwards double

,Sign Virgo - Scorpio

which is supposed to give the key to the secret orcabalistic Story of Creation These letters are Sand Z

,L and M or rather a group

,which is marked

by A,II

,M

,2

,S,Z—L

,M V

,W . The significant

aspirates,or vowel - sounds follow the same rule .

The Snake - like Glyph or mystery of the Serpentor disguise

,in which the ‘

Recusant Principle issupposed to have invested himself

,has coiled (so to

say) , and proj ects significant curves and inflections,

through all this group of letters and sounds ; whichis perceivable

,by a close examination and quick ear

,

in all languages, ,living and dead : The sigma presents

itself to the eye (that recognizes) in the Hebrew,the

Sanscrit,the Persian

,the Arabic

,the Coptic

,the

old Gothic,the Georgian or Iberian

,the A ncient

Armenian,the Ethiopic or Gh e e z

,the Scla vo n ic

,the

Greek,the L atin

,the Samaritan

,the Irish

,the

Etruscan—o i all which alphabets,and the symbols

serving for their numerals ’

,we had prepared a

3 3 8

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 40 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

her advent upon the scheme of creation— to use oneof their mysterious expressions— was at a la te ' s po ile d

and evil period of the world,which had sunk from the

‘

supernatural ’ into the natural ’ . As woman hadno part in the earliest world

,and as her origin was

altogether of another nature and from other sourcesthan that of man

,the traces of her introduction

,and

the hints as to her true character,are to be found

mystically in the original Sign Virgo - Scorpio doublesided (yet identical) at first but afterwards divided .

These divided ‘ personalities ’ were set thereafter inmythologic opposition . The reader is referred to theprevious Zodiac

,fig . 1 2

,where will be found the dia

gram illustrative of this idea,which was originated

amidst the magic of the Syro - Chalda—zans ; it yetremains the key to all the mythologies and to all thereligions .

The sign ‘ Virgo - Scorpio ’ stands in the presentorder of things

,or in this non—angelic or mortal world

,

as a divided Sign,because in the World of Ma n

as ‘ born of Woman —enmity has been placed b etween the Snake ’ and the Woman Thenceforth

,

from the Fall ’,and as a consequence of it

,they are

in opposition . The sign of the ‘ Balances ’ is placedb etwe e n

,as the rescuing heavenly shield

,miraculously

interposed,separating

,as the tremendous [Egis

the two originally conj oint signs,and Simultaneously

presented both ways (to speak in figure) , defending‘ each from destruction by either until the timeshall be complete ! —which means the ApocalypticNew Heaven and New Earth ’

.

Marks,movements

,or influence from the side of

‘ Scorpio ’

,or from the sinister side

,are malign ,

and mean danger ; because they represent the Old

Serpent ’ or,in other terms

,the Great Deep ’

,or

‘

Matter Of such magic character are the letters

THE RE AL‘

CAB ALA’ NE VE R WRI TTEN 3 41

S and Z and a ll their compounds because thisoriginally ‘ single ’

s ou n d,or letter ‘

S- Z,Z- S came

into the world representing its sinful side . Ma n ispardoned through the ‘

Promise to the Woman ’

,

and ‘ Woman ’ is saved because through her theSaviour of the World or the Rescuer of the Worldor the ‘

D e ifi e d Ma n’

,or the Sacrifice ’

,came into

the world . Woman has the intermediate office ofreconciling and consoling . In the abstract sense

,as

vi rgo i n ta cta’

(or holy unknowing means) , womanis free and unconscious of that deadly Original Sinwhich in the disobedience to the Divine Command

(to refrain from that Fruit ’ with Eve ’

,or with

the Natural lost Ma n’ his place in the

scheme of the ‘

Immortal World ’

. All this is partof the cabalistic view of the Mysteries of Creation .

The Cabalists say that the L ost M a n Adam shouldnot have yielded to those which he found the irresistiblefascinations of Eve

,but should have contented him

self— to speak in parable—with ‘ his enj oined , otherimpersonated delights ’

,whomhe outraged in this

preference,winning ‘ Death ’ as its punishment . We

conceal,under this term

,a great Rosicrucian mystery

,

which we determine to be excused explain i ng moreparticularly

,and which must ever remain at its safest

in the impossibility of belief of it . This is of courseobscure

,because it is a part of the secret

,unwritten

Cabala,never spoken of in direct words—never referred

to except in parable .

I n the views of the refining Gnostics,woma n is

the accidental unknowing obtrusion ’ upon the universal design . The ideal woman (as

‘ ideal virgin ’

)is spiritually free (because of her nothingness exceptpossessed ’

) from the curse and corruption of thingsmaterial . From these ideas came the powers supers titiou s ly imagined to be possible in the virgin

3 42 THE ROSICRUCIANS

222

Samcow

eme

>>

Aom“we

?

oo

EmU

O

H

588

3EBB

c

59

i

w

vmm

moo“.

vcmpoemHoemEn

$3

5fine

mwo

q

Hafiz-

vas e

A

88m9

8wemam.

AA.A

ooA.A

aa

o

o

msw

EH9

8

nE

mAAA

A

SAA

wmwa

wAA

SA

co

O

99

8aw

w

Eo

A

9

8mfiomSn

fiu

A0

33?

Swa

g.o

xoam9

8“

5

oA

oo

A

m

£

88

kcamammoum

e

ee

eoemA

sa

SEA

AAAA

ae

o

m

GA

Ex

82

fis

hé

h

u

oowmpad

93

2

$2

2H

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 44 THE ROSICRUGIANS

state,and capable of being exercised by virgin

woman .

All the marks and forms connected wi th theseproscribed letters S and Z have

,on their material

and worldly side,the character of charms

,sigils

,and

talismans,in the evil sense

,or dark sense . They were

supposed to be means of magic by the old soothsayers .

The celebrated L ord Mon b o d d o produced a veryelaborate treatise— quite contrary to recognized ideas—to Show that speech was n ot n a tu r a l to M a n

,but

that language was a result of the Primeval Fall,and

that the punishment of Babel signified the a cqu i s i ti on

of the tongues,and not the ‘ confusion of language

This idea is sufficiently startling .

A general display of the ‘ Esses (SS ) and theZeds ’ and their involutions

,combinations

,

and sounds in all languages,would result in a per

suasion of their s erpe n ti n e origin . The forms of thesesnake - like glyphs and their cursive lines in all thealphabets will

,on examination

,present the same

suspicious undulation . These letters have an intimate re flu e n t connexion with all the signs whichmean the ‘ Sea ’

,the Great Deep ’

,Ma tte r i n the

abstract or the ‘

Pe r s on ifi e d Receptive FemininePrinciple which eventually is to be the Con qu erorof the Dragon

’

or Enemy ’

. We thus desire toshow the unity of the myths and the forms made useof for the expression of religious ideas in the glory ofWoman Woman

,in fact

,is the maker of Nature

as we know Nature .

We wish the reader particularly to take noticethat the above singular notions are in no way sharedby us

,further than as occurri ng in our account of

some of the strange reveries of the ‘

Illuminati ’ orGnostics due , therefore , in our comments .

‘

I will put e nmity between thee and the woman,

CAB AL ISTI C ‘

F ALL’

OF MAN 3 45

and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruisethy head

,and thou shalt bruise his heel ’ (Ge n e s i s

iii .A careful and cr itiCa l inspection of all the alphabets

or letter - forms,whether cursive or fluent

,or rigid

and rectangular— as in the Greek,and still more

obviously in the L atin—will Show that certain ideasare expressed pictorially in them . Two principal ideasseem to be furtively suggested . These are the uprightor ph a llu s

,and the cross - line or snake whether the

horizontal be undulated or direct . In the Greekletters these ideas make the form . The first letters

,

according to the Cabalists,were the original Ten

Signs of the Zodiac ’ which contained mythologicallythe history of the making of the world ’

. TheseTen Signs ’ afterwards multiplied and producedother broods of letters (when the original magicalknowledge was veiled) ; some of which were thecuneiform and early tree - like alphabets . There seemsto be an event ’ symbolized or pictured

,in the alpha

bets . This mystic idea,which is hidden in the hiero

glyph ics Called letters,is supposed by the more pro

found of the Talmudists to b e the introduction of‘

M a n’ into the world

,through the very fact and in

the force of his Fall ’,or as arising through the

‘ Temptation the chief agent or efficient in whichis the Snake ’

. Thus every letter is an anagram ofMa n

,Woman

,and Snake ’

,in various phases of the

story . Each letter has embodied in it the L egendof the Temptation ’

,a n d conceals it safely in a

signUt omnia uno tenore cu rru n t

,r e d e amu s ad

my s ticamserpentis s ign ifi ca tion em. Si igitur subserpentis imagine Ph a llicumSignum i n te lligimu s , quampla n a s u n t et con ci n n a cu n cta pi ctu r a li n e ame n ta .

Neque enim pro Phallo pon e r e tu r Serpens nisi res

3 46 THE ROSICRUCIANS

s ign ifi ca ta cum typo accurate co n gru e re t’

(f a s h er ,editio secunda

,p .

The late Dr . Donaldson has a dissertation uponthe word which is translated he el

’ in Ge n e s i siii . 1 5 . He adduces jer emi a h xiii . 22

,and N a hum

iii . 5 , and , comparing the words made use of in theoriginal shows that the h e el

’ is a euphemism,as

are the fe et ’ in I s a i a h vi i . 20 . Hi s exhaustive argument demonstrates that the part intended to be s ign ifi e d by the word is pu d e n d a mu li e br i a . The wholeproves the extreme importance— i n the mythical andmagical sense— of this unexpected figure

,and throws

quite a new philosophical light on it . These viewsfortify completely our Rosicrucian explanation ofthe origin of the Order of the Garter

,and other kindred

subj ects,fully heretofore discussed in our book . This

significant connexion of the two fi gu r e s— the ph a llu sand the d i s cu s— explains the text in Ge n e s i s i . 27Male and Female created He them i .e .

“19 1, gla d i u s ,

sword ’

;‘ sheath ’

. I n this latter word,the

part which characterizes the female is used for thewoman herself . Qy .

,in this connexion R e b a h case

or ‘ container or the Caaba at Mecca,and

Keb or Cab,standing for Cabala

,Kabbala

,Ge b a la

,

Kebla,or ‘

Ark’

,or ‘ Mystery —the grand central

point of all religions ?A modern learned writer

,Thomas Inman

,M .D .

gives the following as an interpretation of the passageThou shalt bruise his h e a d

,and he Shall bruise thy

h e el’ Gloriam fascini con gr e s s io tollit e t caput eju s

humile facit,sed i n fligit inj uriam moriturame n tu la ,

qu umimp r egn a tion eme ffi cit e t uteri per novas mensestumor emprofert .

’ This may explain the reason whythe cube of the Phrygian Cap

,in the ancient sculptures

of the armed female is worn in reverse,or at the

b a ck of the head , as shown in figs . 207 and 208, p . 283 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 48 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

him with a stupendous puzzle,that of passing the

entire interpretation of Scripture over,not to

“

theMystics only

,but to Alchemy . This is fully com

me n te d upon in the latter part of this work . Gass e n d u s asserts

,as the opinion of Flood

,that the key

of the B ible mysteries is really to be found in theprocesses of alchemy and of the hermetic science ;that the mystical sense of Scripture is not otherwiseexplainable than by the ‘

Philosopher ’s Stone ’ andthat the attainment of the Great Ar t ’

,or of the

secrets which lie locked,is ‘

Heaven in the Rosicrucian profundities . Old and New Testament

,and

their historical accounts,are alike hermetic in this

respect . The Grand Magisterium the Great Workas the Alchemists call it

,ismyth e d by Moses in Ge n e s i s ,

in the D eliverance from Egypt,in the Passage of the

Re d Sea,in the J ewish Ceremonial L a w

,in the L ives

of the Patriarchs and Prophets,such as Abraham

,

David,Solomon

,Jacob

,Job . I n this manner the

true Cabalists are supposed to be Alchemists in common with the Magi

,the Sages

,Philosophers

,and

Priests,when these possessed the true and only know

ledge The Just M a n made Perfect is the Alchemist who

,having found the Philosopher’s Stone

becomes glorified and immortal by the use of it . Tobe said to die ’ is when the material elements canno longer maintain or cohere . To rise is when theimmaterial life or spark is liberated out of its perishable temporary investment . To ' be glorified iswhen the powers

,or independence

,are attained

which properly appertain to the supernaturally perfeet L ight ’

,into which

,like Enoch or Elij ah

,the

Rosicrucian is tr a n s figu r e d and in which he knowsall can be all and do all It is this draughtof immortality which enables him to assume whatform he will

,by passing through Nature as its master

,

L IGHT AND com.) 3 49

and renewing his body by means of his art proj ectedby Nature through

,to the other side of Nature .

The adept stands in the place of Nature,and does

that with the obstruction of matter—separating bydissolution the pure from the impure—which it takesunassisted Nature ages

,perhaps

,to effect . Th e Alche

mist is supposed to be superior to Nature to thatextent

,that he can pass through it (that is , through

its appearances) , and work on it , and in it , on theother Side . It is here— i n this true A nmi a M u n d i

,

or Soul of the World —that the Alchemist,or Rosi

crucian,regathers the light dispersed or shaken out of

its old broken forms . Gold is the flux of the sunbeams,

or of light,suffused invisibly and magically into the

body of the world . L ight is sublimated gold rescuedmagically

,by invisible stellar attraction

,out of the

material depths . Gold is thus the deposit of light,

which of itself generates . L ight in the celestial worldis subtle

,vaporous

,magically exalted gold

,or spirit

of flame ’

. Gold draws and compels inferior naturesin the metals

,and

,intensifying and multiplying

,

converts into itself . It is a part of the fi r s t - formedGlory ’ or Splendour ’

,of which all obj ects and all

souls are points or parts .

G a s s e n d u s asserts that when the Rosicrucians teachthat the ‘ Divinity ’ is the ‘

L ight ’ or the ‘

R e a li z a t

ion of Creation ’

,displayed from the beginning (A )

to the end (9 ) of the whole visible or comprehensibleframe

,they mean that the D ivine B eing is not possible

or existent,according to human idea

,unless He

’

,

or the Original L ight ’

,is manifested or expressed

in some special comprehensible ’ other light or form .

The Second ’ reflects the glory of the ‘ First L ightand is that in which the First displays . This secondlight

,or A n ima TWu n d i

,is ‘

Manifestation ’

,or the

Son as proceeding from the F ather This synth esis

3 50 THE ROSI CRUCIAN 5

is the light,breath

,life

,a u r a

,or Sacred Spirit . It is

the solar or golden alchemical soul,which is the sus

t a i nme n t and perfection of everything .

The pendulum of the world beats between i n s p ir a tion and expiration . This is the breath of the angelswho ‘ burn and glow ’

(scriptural expression) , in thepulsative access and r e - i n forceme n t of the soul of theworld ’

. This ‘ breath of the angels ’ is made humanin the mechanism of the heart

,and is eternal ; but

becomes personal and limited in the world of man—down

,in inhalation

,to a point

,and up,

in exhalation,

fromthat point . So Jacob Boehm . All lies betweenhermetic rarefaction and con densation—mortal andspiritual both .

I s not the Devil the D eep Darkness or Ma t

ter ” the “terr a d amn a ta et ma led i cta which is

left at the bottom of the process of the SupremeDistiller

,who condenses and evokes the L ight

from out of it IS not L ucifer ” the L ord of theFalse L ight ”

,and the Splendours of the Visible

World Can the Prince and Ruler of this Relegateor L ower World soar with his imitations ? Can theAdversary ” pass into the Region of God’s L ight ”

Can he rise anew to combat in that Heaven wherehe has already encountered the Mighty Ones ” whohave driven him down ; and can he there Spreadagain

,like a cloud

,his concentrate darkness The

Cabalists and Talmudists aver that Scripture,history

,

fable,and Nature

,are alike obscure and unintelligible

without their interpretation . They aver that theB ible is the story of heavenly things put forward in away that can be alone comprehen sible by man

,and

that without their Cabala,and the parab les in which

they have chosen to invest its revelation,not religion

only,but even familiar Nature—the Nature of Things

and of Me n—is unintelligible .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 2 THE ROSI CRUGIANS

and tr a n s ce n d e th Nature for Ar t,directed upon

Nature,may in a short while perfect that which

Nature by itself is a thousand years in accomplishing .

Fifthly,God hath created every metal of its own

kind,and hath fixed in them a principle of growth

,

especially in the perfect metal gold,which is the

master of the material,and which in itself has mag

netic seed,or magic light

,an unseen and heavenly

power,unknown in this world

,but which can by Ar t

be evoked,be made to inspire and multiply and take

in all matter .

It is said of the alchemical philosophers,that no

sooner did they attain this precious Stone or Powerthan the very knowledge of it

,in the magic surprise

at its existence,delighted them more than aught that

the world could give . They made greater use of itin its supernatural effects upon the human body thanin turning it upon the base matter

,to make gold ’

of this latter,which they treated with contempt .

An d in answer to those who would ask what was thereason that those supposed greatest of all philosophersdid not render themselves and their friends rich by aprocess so speedy and thorough

,it was rej oined

,that

they wanted not,that they were satisfied in the possess

ion of the ability,that they lived in the mind

,that they

rested satisfied in theory and declined practice,that

they were so overcome and astonished at the immensityof the power accorded by God’s grace to man

,that

they disdained to become gold- makers to the greedy,

or suppliers to the possible idle and mischievousneedy

,and that they were afraid to be made the prey

and sacrifice of avaricious,cruel tyrants which would

be but too surely their fate if they were,through vain

glory,or temptation

,or avoidable effects of force

,to

make known their wondr ous gifts,or to disclose or

betray the fact of the supernatural method of their

B RE THRE N OF THE ROSY CROSS 3 5 3

existence—clearly at the safest in being disbelieved,

and being looked upon as lie or delusion .

Therefore these conclusive reasons,and others

similar,impelled the Society to hide from the world

,

not only their stupendous art,but also themselves .

They thus remained (and remain) the unknown ,‘

i n

visible ’ ‘ illuminated Rosicrucians,or Brethren of

the Rosy Cross regarding whose presence and intentions no one knows anything

,or ever did know any

thing,truly and in reality

,although their power has been

felt in the ages,and still remains unsuspectedly con

s p icu ou s : all which we think we have in somemeasure proved .

An d shall still farther establish (we hope) , before wearrive at the end of ou r . b ook .

CHAPTER THE TENTH

ROS ICRUC IAN ‘

CE LE STI AL ’

AND‘

TE RRE STRIAL’

(M E ANS or INTE RCOMMUN IC ATION)

CONSC IE NTIOUS readers will thank the man who statesaccurately that which they agree with

,b u t will be

almost equally grateful to the man who states clearlywhat they most dissent from . What they want iseither truth or error ; n ot a mu ddle b etwee n them.

’

The reason of the real superlative importance of

the ideas entertained b y people respecting the Rosicrucians

,is that they were RE ALLY magical men ,

appearing like real men ; carrying , in very deed ,through the world ete r n a lly for b i d d e n s e crets—safe

,

however,in the fact that they were sure never to

be believed . D e Quincey, who has written the mostlucid and intelligible (until this present work) s p e culation concerning these profoundest of mystics ; andwhich account

,though (most naturally) huma n ly

lucid and intelligible—grop i n g as it“were at the claims

of these men—is yet as far from the truth and asdifferent to the real beliefs of the Rosicrucians as darkness is from light De Quincey says , in exemplifi ca tion of the grandeur of their mystery To be hiddenamidst crowds is sublime . To come down hiddenamongst crowds from distant generations is dou blys u blime .

’ This appears in Th e L on d on M a ga z i n e

of 1 82 1 ; reprinted , corrected, enlarged, and greatlyimproved in the last edition of his collected works involumes

,published by Groombridge

,Paternoster

3 5 4

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 56 THE ROSICRUCIANS

exists not without Him. All the foregoing is thegroundwork of the arguments of the deep B uddhistsin regard to the r e a l nature of things .

The result of all these sound and only possiblephilosophical conclusions is

,that there is nothing left

for man but e n ti r e s u bmi s s i on —entire subj ection tothe UNKNOWN POWE R—the humbleness of the UNKNOWING CHILD . An d herein we see the force ofthat d i ctumof the Saviour Unless ye become as oneof THE SE (little children) , ye shall in nowise see theKingdom of God .

’ Certainly,we are unable to know

absolutely (that is , philosophically) that WE OURSE LVE SE XIST . (B erkeley, in showing that our senses are onlyme d i um

,but notme a n s

,implied that we did not exist .)

By a side - glance,as it were

,we can suspect whether

L ife itself be only a grand DRE AM which may be,

or be not be anything,or be nothing . There is no such

thing as pain or pleasure,radically without a medium

which makes it pain or pleasure . An d both are only‘

di sturbance ’

,ma d e p a i n or ple a s u r e fromwithou t.

Ou r pain may be pleasure in another differently- constituted nervous method (or medium of) existence .

Ou r pleasures may be pains (or PE NALTIE S) elsewhere .

This possibility,which is the foundation of super

naturalism - or of the doctrine of th e‘ intelligent

population of the elements —proves that pain andpleasure

,and the countless shades between them

,

necessitate the idea of body , or of ca p a ci ty , of somekind or other because capacity

'

is state and stateis material ’ . So says Paracelsus ; so says VanHelmont ; so says Jacob Boehm . Nothing can beanything

,unless it is fixed in something material .

Hume,in demonstrating that in reality there is

no connexion between cause and effect provedthat there is some d elu s i on between cause and effectand therefore that life ma y b e a dream . Benedictus

B UDDHI ST IDE AL I TY 3 57

Spinoz a,in his merci less logic

,although he was a

man so interpenetrated with the idea of D eity as tobe called The God- intoxicated man ’

,proved that

GOD MUST B E MATTE R’ in evaporating

,or exhaust

ing,or ca lcu la ti n g Himth e clos e s t OUT of Hi s own

works ’

. So much for the AUD AC ITY of mind—mindwhich is knowledge knowledge which is the devilthe devil which is the D E N IE R Ou r highest knowledge— the most refined ‘ sum - u p

’ of the thinnestsifted (until disappearin g , eva n i s hi n g) metaphysics , isperemptorily passed back upon us when we essaybeyond the frontier of ‘ secon d causes ’

. All is guessover that brink . All is cloud where this pathwayturn which way we will— ends . Man ’s human armsare insufficient to lift as weights aught than secondc a u s e S C AUSE D C AUSE S ’

. He falls asleep,helpless ,

when the Great Veil is dropped over him to insulatehis understanding . All is possible in SLE E P becauseDRE AM S ’ are in sleep . God is in sleep . An d God ,who is in sleep

,although He is a reality AWAY from

us,is a delusion

,when sought to be demonstrated TO

us . An d sleep,which is me n ’

s_

th ou gh ts , or ratherthe d r e ams a r e that a r e in his (man

’s sleep) , is thestumbling- block over which the whole comprehensibletheory of man parts into nothing and falls intoabsurdity ; as in which dreamhe is himself ALONE

,

perhaps,made . These general ideas of the profound

constitute the ‘

B YTHOS’ of the GNOSTICS

,and the

MAYA ’

,or annihilation

,of the B UDDHISTS— however

defectively interpreted heretofore,where these sublime

subj ects have not been wholly misunderstood orthought absurdF i rs tly .

~—I n the affairs of God Almighty and theworld there is some mighty reason —a b extrd— Whichcontradicts itself inasmuch as it contradicts reason—h a vi n g n o r e a s on . B u t b e ca u s e it contradicts reason

,

3 58 THE ROSICRUCIANS

i t'

proves itself to HAVE a RE ASON—divine and AB OVERE ASON—Which is human that is

,INTE LLIGIBLE ONLY .

It,

follows from this,logically

, (even)—that in beingUN INTE LLIGI B LE it is master of the INTE LLIGI B LETherefore ‘

M IRACLE ’ is superior to ‘

RE ALITY ’

.

Because miracle is true(being impossibility and wonder) ,and reality is untrue

,being possible

,and the r efor e

limited (in the face of the i llimi ta ble ) . Reality (reason)is satisfied

,and complete

,a n d

‘ full —s o to speak .

While the ‘ impossible and therefore the supernatural ’

,must be true

,because it e n clos e s nature :

which is only intelligible up to its certain point of nature .

(B u t not beyond . ) Nature itself b e i n g yet to b e a ccou n ted

for—inasmuch as NATURE is NOT RE A SONABLE . Whatis truth ? There is no truth—inasmuch as natureitself

,which must necessarily be the basis of every

thing,is not tru e tru th

,but only apparent truth .

Secon dly—So long as Nature must have a farther

—or a whereto -beyond the present apparent‘ whole ’

(and forward to which , in the necessity ofthings it must pass)— i t may be reasonable—that is ,all of TRUTH APPARE NT . (The Cabalists (Rosicrucians ,the Brothers of the CRUC IFIE D ROSE ’

) say thatMa n

’ is unintelligible,that ‘ Nature ’ is unintelligible

,

that the Old Testament,with its Genesis

,its Penta

teuch that the New Testament,with Christianity and

the Scheme of Redemption that all is unintelligiblewithout their s e cr et—to the world wholly forbiddeni n te rpr eta ti on B u t it cannot be TRUE TRUTH

or abstract,positive truth . M a n is made . Ma n is

not a maker . I n other words,man gets nothing that

is outside of him . He only obtains that which is alreadyin him . He is in his world . He is of his world . Buthe is not of another world . Hi s helplessness—u n

supported— is perfectly ridiculous . He only livesforgetting himself . He

‘ fa lls a s le ep ’

,blindly ‘

i n to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH

THE PRE - AD AM ITE S . PROFOUND C A B ALISTIC OR

ROS ICRUCI AN SPE CULATIONS

THE monastic or separate (sexual) state , where natureis ignored and its suggestions and the indulgence ofthe seductive individual a ppeti te is held to be ruinous

(to the spiritual aims of the human creature) , is adangerous—nay

,almost an impossible abnegation .

From the spirit—side,in this respect

,nature is held

abominable . Its practice is the shutting of theheavenly door . Thus fle s h ly incitements are AWFUL ;and yet— such are the contradictions of nature—theyare necessitated . We must whip ’ the body

,as it

were,

‘ into wood ’ before we can drive the deviltherefrom 1 We must fast and watch

,and watch

and fast . We must reduce our robustness into leanness . Ou r physical graceful

,worthy or handsome

selves ’

,we must punish down into everything that

is incapable and pitiable . We must become pi ti le s sin our body’s own maceration and mor tifi ca tio n .

Meanwhile (in faith, and in reliance on the efficacy ofour penances) we grow into holiness—intensifyinginto SAINT- HOOD . The lights of th e soul are to shinethrough the rents and fractures of the fl a ge lla te d andpunished body

,until the fle s h ly sense or enchantment

and enticement is trampled- u p ,through the d e s tru c

tion of its med i um,into life othe r th a n th i s life .

B u t truly,in this view

,the necessities—or rather

th e requirements—o i nature cannot be set at n aught1 An d the r e ou t .

3 60

CURI OUS PHYSICAL F ACTS 3 6 1

—cannot be contended with . Religion evades thisquestion . M e n suffer to a very grievous extent . Todescend to realities in this living world of flesh ofours . Farther

,however

,in natural arrangements .

The most cruel nervous disorders,such as the fu ror

u te r i n u s,hysteric spasms

,and a whole train of venge

ful mischiefs,chiefly attack such women as have

throughout life r efu s e d the pleasures of love . Manyfatal affections

,such as mania

,epilepsy

,and so on

,

prey upon those of both s exe s who have imposed uponthemselves too severe refraining or bridling . Thisincidence is ingrain in nature . But the dangers r e

sa lting from the abuse of these amiable pleasures aremuch more formidable . Pp . 3 8, 3 9, of Cu r i os i ta te sE roti cw Phys i ologi a e Woman’s physical cons ti tu tion adapts her for love . Excitements mor en umerou s

,and of more exqu i s i te s e n s e

,are b e s towed

on Woma n —Casanova,P hys i ology ,

1 865 , p . 78,quoting from Swedenborg . Polarity of the TwoSexes—Vi to- electro ga lva n i c . Attractive power iseffected from within —Casanova p . 25 .

‘ Theslumber of the body seems to be but the waking of thesoul —Grindon

,on ‘

L ife — Casanova,Phys i ology , p .

3 9 . B u t (until proven) she is rigid , and to a certainextent (like virgins usually) insensate , and evenrebelliously irresponsive .

All the ‘ p i ttor e s qu e s to the number of twelve,

invented by the Greek courtesan Cyrene,as being

the best in which to signalize that particular lovingmystery which h a s everything (enj oined) under it ;all those enchanting modes of sympathy which Phyleiris and A s hy a n a s e published , which E le ph a s e u s

composed in L eonine verse,and which afterwards the

Roman Emperor Nero caused to be painted on the\Valls of the Imperial B a n qu e tti n g Hall , in his famousGolden Palace

,by the firs t artists of Rome

,all these

3 62 THE ROSICRUCIANS

prove that wome n are much better adepts in the a r s

ama n di and its mysteries than men—that they havea much keener relish for its intricacies

,to which they

deliver themselves u p—wi th th e chos e n obje ct—with

a delight and a b a n don u n kn own to ma n . I n short,

in all the solicitation of love,women are the most

inventive,assiduous

,intense and persevering . Cathe

rine the Second of Russia possessed boundless power .

She set no limits to her gratification in the sensualrespect . She was imperial and magnificent in herluxurious enormities . He r will was law— Sh e was the‘ modern Messalina ’

; she richly earned the titlewhich was accorded to her of literally being (no smalldistinction in its way)

‘

la pi n fu ta tr i ce n el mon d o ’

B u t,on the other hand

,there were wonderful contra

dictions to this state of irregular eagerness . Maria

(Mariana) Co a n e l, wife of Juan de la Cerda , not beingable to bear the absence of her husband

,preferred

committing suicide to yielding to the otherwise irres i s tib le temptations of the fle s h— as she found them intheir occasional assaults . The extraordinary u n con

s ciou s n e s s and ignorance of some women is remarkable—however rare ; especially in these , in some r es p e cts , scarcely modest , all - knowing times . I sabellaGonzaga

,the wife of the Duke of Urbino

,passed two

years with her husband still remaining a vi rgin andso great was her ignorance of the matrimonial usagethat

,until enlightened

,she had imagined all married

women lived as Sh e lived ; and she received the newknowledge in all Simplicity .

Greek pictorial and statuary art was suffused withideas of matchless and of immortal beauty . Thecurves and undulation of form

,the enchanting and

enchanted art which peopled Grecian landscapeswith shapes of ravishment and Greek temples withwonders : the eye that saw

,the hand that traced

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 64 THE ROSICRUCIANS

hence Ganymede,hence the loves of Salmacis and

Hermaphroditus,hence the feminine Bacchus

,hence

Hylas—hence these deities,in tresses

,of neither sex ,

and yet of both . Greek art in this respect presents aphenomenon . A s a phenomenon we must recognizeand regard it . The flower is s upr a - n a tu r a l

,treasonous ,

and abhorren t . It is a flower of Hell ’

. N eve r th e

less,it i s a flower ’

. An d thus the idea dominatesth e a ltern a te s h a d ed a n d s hi n i n g h a lve s of the wholeworld of all art of all philosophy of all RE LIGION .

Philosophy must not ignore,or affect not to see

,or

decline hypocritically,or too nicely (not wisely) , to

consider these powerful— these ALL - POWE RFULfactors . This whole round of subj ects intimatelyrefers to the Rosicrucians

,and to their supposed

unintelligible ’ beliefs . They are intelligible enoughto the ‘ knowing ones ’

; but they are not to bedivulged .

The most difficult problem of the Greek artists wasto exercise their talent in the production of a kind ofb eauty mixed with that of the TWO Sexes

,and time

has spared some of the masterpieces . Such is thefigure known under the name of the He rma phrod i te(H e rme s—Aprod i te Ve n u s - M e rcu ry) . I n the classictimes

,both amongst the Greeks and Romans

,as also

in Oriental countries,a cruel and fl a gi tiou s vi ola ti on

of nature (not supposed- s o even accepted as sacred)produced this beauty by enforcing sacrifice of a peculiarkind on young male victims . In the case of true He r

ma ph ro d iti sm,that which art could only effect by dis

possession,nature brings about by super- addition

,

or rather by concurrent transformation or mutual‘ coincidence ’

. The idea even lies perdu e ’

(like asilver snake) in the supposed origin of Mankind .

The most extraordinary ideas as to the origin of thehuman race have been en tertained by speculative

PLATONI C DRE AM S 3 65

thinkers,and» by theologians . The celebrated William

L a w believed that the First Human B eing was acreature combining the characteristics of both sexesin his own individua l person . God created man inHi s own Image . I n the Image of God created He

him .

’ Some co n trove r s ion i s ts consider that thereis a LONG space due (but not allowed) between theforegoing and the succeeding :

‘

Male and Femalecreated He THE M

Increase and multiply,and replenish the earth .

’

This command was given on the Sixth Day . Evewas not created until the Seventh Day . Hence Evemust have been born of Adam—or separated fromhim . E ju s autem imago ea est quae e xh ib e tu r

,ore

videlicet excelle n ti s s imo,u t sunt Ar n ob i i verba

,e t

specie inter virgi n eme t pu e rumeximia . Catullushoc idem volu it . Carm . 64 .

Qu od e n imge n u s figu rme s t , ego qu od n on h a b u e r im?

E go mu lie r , ego a d ole s ce n s , ego ephebu s , ego pu e r ,E go gymn a s i i fu i flo s , ego e r amde cu s ole i .

Marcianus Capella,L ib . i

Atys pu lche r itemcu rvi e t pu e r a lmu s a r a tr i .

Caput autem tectum mi thr a Phrygemi n d ica t .

’

L a u re n ti i Pign or i i Patavini Magn a e Deum MatrisId ae ae e t Attid i s initia . Ams te lo d ami An d r e ae Frisii .MDCLXIX .

Admitting,moreover

,that the term Day —as

used in Ge n e s i s—is employed to express an indefi niteperiod of time

,in order to form Woman

,God deprived

Adam of his a n d rogyn e character, and reduced himto a Being having one sex only . An d here steps ina fanciful idea of some Speculative thinkers ; which

(however extravagant) is very poetical and beautiful .They ask in specifying the question—i n serious truth

3 66 THE ROSICRUC IANS

a not - altogether improbable conj ecture—whether theirresistible inclination and the otherwise mysterious

,

unaccountable drawing- together and sympathy of twopersons who meet for the first t ime and find themselves mutually charmed (they cannot tell how orwhy) or who even hear ’ or read ’ of each otherwhether even the continual natural inclination whichimpels man to woman and woman to man be notthe spirit - r e flex and the atoning ‘

Penance (there isa great amount of s a d n e s s which mingles in the delightof these feelings) of the Original Grand HumanDivision ’

An d that this extra - natural (and yetnatural) inclination which draws On e Se x towards theOther be not the movements of Fate (lying down deepburied in the necessities of things) and that the wholeis the active tendency and forced (however latent ,sometimes) searching th rough the world for theMissed and L ost Half (whether feminine , whethermasculine) , to once more embrace and supernaturallyin rapture in the recognition to become ON E again ?

Hence,perhaps (also) , that inconstancy and feebleness

of decision and ‘ puzzled distress (‘ seeing through

the glass darkly ’

) so aboundingly manifest in humannature

,becoming dramatic in a thousand ways in the

confusions of history— a stupendous scheme of contr a d iction s itself .Ma y such a ffi n iti e s—and such unsuspected enchant

ment in this hard,practical

,disbelieving world—lie

mysteriously deep as the eternal—secret of originalhuman fellowship and society ? A n d may even theamusement and the wonder of uninterested spectatorsand standers - b y arise only from their having the u n

imagined fact (to them) of dream and magic beingpresented

,while this unaccountable show is the

secret foundation (as dream started at the beginningof time) of all the sentimental phenomena of the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 68 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

summ'

ed as the On e B eing —sexless in the bosomof

ODIVINITYwhere there is ‘ neither marr iage

,nor

g i vi ng i n marriage

But the reader will find,in the latter part of the

b ook , plausible theories—nay,cogent arguments

,

scarcely to be refuted—not only as to the possible(and likely) incorporation of Spirits ; but as to thedifference of sexes among them

,with natural incidents

,

and apparently contradictory results from their semispiritual , semi - bodily Rosicrucian conditions .

The idea that Adam and E ve were both originallyHermaphrodites was revived in the thirteenth century by Amaury de Chartres . He held—among otherfanciful notions—that at the end of the world—bothsexes s hou ld b e r e - u n i ted i n the s ame per s'on .

Some learned Rabbis asserted that Adam wascreated d ou ble ; that is , with two bodies , one ma leand the other fema le

,j oined together by the shoulders

their heads (like those of Janus) looking in oppositedirections . An d that

,when God created E ve

,He

only d ivi d e d such body in Two . Others maintainedthat Adam and Eve were each of them

,separately

,

an Hermaphrodite . Other Jewish authorities,among

whom are Samuel Manasseh and Ben - Israel,are of

opinion that our Great Progenitor was created withTwo Bodies

,and that HE

’ separated them afterwards during Adam’s sleep ; an opinion founded bythese writers upon the second chapter of Ge n e s i s

,

verse 2 1 the literal translation of the Hebrew beingHe (God) separated the Woman from his side , andsubstituted Flesh in her place .

’ This idea resemblesthat of Plato . Origen

,St . Chrysostom

,and St . Thomas

believed that the Woman was not created till theSeventh Day . But the most generally received opinionis

,that Adam and Eve were created on the Sixth . These

particular notions—extravagant as they must be

PLATO’

S DREAM S 3 69,

admitted to b e— as to the original single - dual,dual

single characteristics of Adam and Eve are eminentlyPlatonic—nay

,cabalistic .

Plato proceeds to account for the love which somemen have for some women

,and vi ce ver s a .

‘ Themales ’

,he says

,which are halves of an Androgyne

,

are much given to women ; and the women , whichare the halves of an Androgyne

,are passionately fond

of men . As for the women ’

(a not uncommon case)who indulge an inclination for their own sex

,they are

the halves of the Androgyne females who were doubled ,and the men who exhibit a liking for other men arethe halves of the males who were also doubled . I n

the beginning there were three kinds of Human B eings

,not only the Two which still exist (namely ,

the Male and the Female) -but a Third,which was

composed of the Two First .

’

Of this last sex— or

ki n d—nothing remains but the tradition,and the

name .

‘ The Androgynes,for so they were called

,

had not only both the male and female faces,but also

possessed the sexual distinctions of both . Of thesecreatures

,likewise

,nothing now exists but the n ame

,

which survives as a stigma,and Which is considered

i n famou s .

’ Nature has made this,the fact as ‘ out

of ’ nature . The reason assigned for the differentshape of these three kinds was that ‘ the males wereformed by the Su n the females by the E a rth andthe mixed race of Androgynes by the M oon

which partakes both of the Su n and the E a rth .

’

Ecclesiastical writers d ecla r e that such an Eunuchwas the Holy Evangelist

,St . John

,whom Jesus loved

beyond all Hi s other disciples,who lay upon Jesus’

bosom ; who , while Peter tardily advanced,

flew,

borne on the wings of virginity,to the L ORD ; and

penetrating into the secrets of the Divine Nativity,

was emboldened to declare what preceding ages hadB B

3 70 THE ROSICRUCIANS

been ignorant of . I n the Beginning was the Word .

An d the Word was with God,and the Word was

God .

’

Reyn a rd i Oper a , vol . viii . p . 252 .

If the disciples of the doctrine of evolution ’ orselection of the fittest are right—if your Darwi ns ,your Huxleys

,your Herbert Spencers

,your L ewe s e s ,

your dense unimaginative men (only specious philosoph e r s ) , are correct in their deductions of correlationbowing - out God 1 as it were (in sublimity of

fools ’ not ma d ’ presumption) , exterior of Hi sown Creation —then reverence

,and devotion

,and

martyrdom,and the sacredness

,and the magic of

vi rgi n i ty , must be the merest ludicrous superstitiona n d figment . IS MAN alone in his world Are thereOTHE RS in it with him ? The ancients universallyheld Virginity as a real magic

,transcendental

,mys

te r iou s something,which exercised power s uper n a tu r

a lly both through Heaven and through Earth . It

was an unnatural - natural outspring set apart andsacred ‘ of the God s ’

. None but the barbaroustouch

,the brutal touch

,could profane it . It worked

miracles .

’

Ti s s a id th a t th e L ion will tu rn a n d fle e

F roma Ma id in th e pr ide of h e r pu r ity .

For maidhood and virginity is a phenomenon i n d e

pe n d e n t of Cr e a ti on ,and bears through the worlds

visible and invisible—the worlds immortal—the impress and seal upon its forehead of GOD ’

S RE ST,and

Refusal ’,not of Hi s ACTIVITY and ‘ Consent ’

Hence its sacredness in all religions and under allbeliefs .

‘

Voi la pou rqu oi , pe n d a n t le s pe rs ecu ti on s ,i t y eu t ta n t d e vi erge s chréti e n n e s ou tr a gée s pa r le u r s

bou rr e a u x, qu i n e fa i s a i e n t qu

’

a ppliqu er l’

a n tiqu e loi

1 B owi n g - ou t or‘

complime n ti n g - ou t to e xpr e s s i n a

s tron g fi gu re—b u t n ot in a pt .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 72 THE ROSICRUCIANS

dise . We live,in nature

,in contradiction—in ‘

impossibilities ’ that make possibilities ’

. Ou r‘ forms ’

ignore ‘ ourselves ’

. Maidhood is the possibility ofbearing j oy beyond compare (the human - natural j oyslocked therein) —the first

,last

,and best of this world’s

pleasures—through the world ; and yet withstandingthe use of it . Refraining in the carrying the preciouscasket from one world ’

(throu gh th e world for whi chi t i s i n te n d ed a s the tempta ti on into another worldIt is the successful resistance and baffling of the D evil

,

who lures in this mysterious respect,with his most

exquisite inducement . Hence the reason of our KingEdward the Confessor being marked as the ‘ Saint ’

for he ‘ forbore his wife Edith ’

. This is the r a i s on

d’

etr e of all triumph of the kind . Virginity in itself

(strangely as it may sound for mankind) , thoughwithout its infraction heaven could not b e—for it isour senses that make heaven— is a Key of Heaven .

Hence the inherent sacredness of the—human‘

Act’ all the world over ; and highest so in the

religions of the most civiliz ed peoples,those which

have risen to the highest refinement . Mary Magdalenwas the fir s t at the tomb of the Redeemer

,and was

the fir s t to whom our L ord showed Himself . It wasthrough a WOM AN that our race was rendered possible .

This must never be forgotten .

It is not difficult to discover how inveterate thebelief of their system

,which seems naturally to account

for everything,has become to the Materialists ; who

(to use a wild figure) have identified the time that hasgot into the watch with the r e a s on th a t the wa tch

goe s . Their whole work is the falling - i n - love - withand believing their own work . It would be cruel tomake these men believe . It would be the dispossessionof themselves

,out of themselves . Their scope

,and

range,and j udgment are an impenetrable world

’

s

MATE RIAL ISTI C REASON E RS 3 73

presumption working only from the centre outwards—as from particulars ’ to ‘ generals —the falseway . These accepted r e a s on a ble r e a s on e r s do not seethat if God’s reasons had been man ’s reasons manwould never have been ; because MAN has no placei n r e a s on—h e is not reasonable . It is the self - assertion and the self—presumption that is at fault—meremiserable self- conceit produces these men z—volub ili ty

—and reading—provide them with a cloud ofwords wherewith they may (and do) confuse . Theyhave dared in their lofty (toppling) philosophicalclimbing—like the men o i

'

B abel- or B ab b le as thetongues afterwards became—forcing into their Heightsof Metaphysics (as it were) to look d own upon Godspying Himat Hi s work Impious—mad stupidity—tru sting br a i n s

,in which the Devil (or Denier)

forges lies—forgetting that D a rkn e s s i s on ly th e

r ever s ed s i d e of L ight, as light is only the presentedside of Darkness—and that Both are the Same . Weshould know no light without darkness

,which shows

us the light ; j ust in the same way as we see thewrong side of the light in seeing the darkness whenthe welcome l i ght appears—s o to speak .

These men want contradiction . They are ruined intheir own self- esteem . They are floated upward inthe pride of knowledge—with w ings of wax . Theygrope in the d ebr i s of nature . Their knowledge isscientific knowledge . Knowledge as an acquisitionto enlighten (its only u se ) is as ashes with the fire allout of i t—fi r e which is fa ith . These philosophers areconverted into the vehicle of the comprehension oftheir own theories : and there they rest

,absorbed

and occupied in these alone . Self - centred,complete

,

satisfied,distrustless

,they fortify themselves in their

triumph,and become incompetent to see aught that

shall challenge their own fixed ideas . I n regard to

3 74 THE ROSICRUCIANS

these merely scientific people,an apt and a forcible

remark has been made ‘ Natural selection can onlypreserve such Slight variations as are immediatelyuseful . It cannot provide a savage with brain s u i ted

to th e r emote n e ed s of hi s civi li z ed d e s ce n d a n ts s omethou s a n d s of ye a r s la te r .

’

All is progressive,and all

is development,with these philosophers . They have

no idea of cataclysm . When the whole world is theoffspring—when the mountains

,with the mutilated

and the riven faces which they present to us,are

the children—thunderstricken —of the INTE LLIGE NT

(s u d d e n to the world sometimes , snapping‘ gradat

ions and evolutions with mi r a cle ) , MASTE R,GU IDE

and GOD of AL L ! ‘ Thinkest thou that. those skieshave forgotten to b e in earnest

,because thou goest

mouthing through the world like an ape B e what youwish to be then

,and go down into the dust ! Very

probably your fate it may prove to be ; though itmay be the lot of some others to escape . B y humbleness—b y FAITHRevelation and supernatural disclosure

, quite different to progress and circumstantial natural advanceas the ‘ nature o f nature —are to be inferred from

the apparition of certain deplorable maladies—diseaseswhich puzzle and bewilder as to their true characterwhich lead us astray

,sometimes

,as to their likeliest

best treatment . The ideas of the ROSICRUC IANSas to the real (hidden and unsuspected) origin of thesediseases

,which seem—large as is the catalogue of

maladies— s o con tr a ry to all the physiological , naturalgroundwork upon which (so to say) man

’s health andhealthy exercise of his nature expand and expound

,

are speculati ve and r e ch er ch e’

in the extreme . Suchquerists ask in vain where such diseases—s o momentous

,so super—horrid—could have first sprung . Philos

oph e r s of this class affirm that there is nothing o i

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 76 THE ROSI CRUCI ANS

is evil continually .

’ There are blots and imperfectionswhich have fastened upon Man’s very mortal composition or body . Hi s nature is struggling to free itselfof the contagion . But the poison is not poison ofthis world . The generations suffer in all the crowdforward— i n all their procession and replication forthe sin—for the unbelievable sin— for the wanton

,

out - Of- the—way wickedness of predecessors . This isthe theory as to the origin of certain diseases

,which

are considered NOT HUM AN ’ but which have beenconveyed - to

,and are inherited by

,those who have no

affinity with these i n flictio n s by their nature or bythe intentions of the EXTE RIOR PROVIDE NCE

’

. Ma n

has brought all this upon himself,as farther fruits

and newer penalties arising from the First Great L apse ,and in farther proof

,in still more degrading and still

more disfiguring decadence,of the imbibing of the

first sweet poison—s o deliciously and yet so treacherou s ly (lecherously) brewed by the First Great Tempter—Nameless —Anonymous —with ‘

Its Janus Maskand offering to that Phenomenon man

,under Its

many Names Ma n is another ruin,perhaps

,in a

series of s ever a l previ ou s ru i n s,of which mortality

has lost all trace .

The terms superstition and science are counterchanged . In reality science may be the superstition

,

and superstition the truth (otherwise the‘ science

assumed as truth) . Scientific men are the most supers ti tiou s of any class

,for they have r aised an idol which

they call science,and therefore truth (why, th er efor e ,

forsooth and they have fallen down and worshipped Science (their own ignorance) as God . Theyhave taken themselves out of themselves

,and wor

shipped themselves —otherwise their heads,instead

of their hearts their reason (their head) , which is noreason (no head) really , instead of their hearts , or

P I E RRE DUF OUR QUOTE D 3 77

their emotions and instincts ; which are true , andwhich are infallible—because they contradict theapparent and the reasonable

,whi ch i s n ever tru e .

Hence we cannot know God through God,or rather

through the Intellect but we must know God throughthe ‘ Saviour ’

,or through the heart or affections ;

which entity,or sum of heart and affections

,is Second

God,or Ma n in the image etc . The Third Person

of the Trinity is the Holy Ghost,or Recognition ’

in which Both ’ are Seen in the Spirit wherein,

and absorbing the Two Others is i n te rflu e n t,mir a cu

lous,instant union and ‘

ASSUMPTION ’ of God andMeans

,in B elief ’ Th is is the groundwork of all

religious systems . God’s anger (the denunciation ’

or the ‘ shaking—off by the All- Pure and the AllPowerful) is shown in those immortal (become fle s h ly) ,or ‘ Spirit - Cancers ’

(so to speak) , imported , as a d a p ta tions to the nature of physical man

,into body - corpor a te

(that is , intelligible) the supernatural become natural .

E n fi n , u n d e s plu s gra n ds homme s qu i a i e n t porté le fl amb e a uda n s le s te n ebr e s d e l’a r tmed ica l Gr a n d Chi ru rgi e (liv . 1 . ch . 7)L a vérole d it - il a ve c ce tte con viction qu e la gén i e pe u t s e u l

don n e r , a p r is s on or igin e da n s le comme rce impu r d ’

u n F r a n ca is

lépre u x a ve c u n e cou r tis a n e qu i a va it d e s bu bon s V én ér i e n s , la qu e llei n fe cta e n s u ite tou s ce u x qu i e u re n t a ffa ire a e lle . C

’

e s t a in s i

con ti n u e ce t ha bile e t a u da cie u x obs e rva te u r , c’

e s t a i n s i qu e la

vérole ,prove n u e d e la lepre e t d e s bu bon s Vén ér i e n s , e p e u p r es

comme la r a ce d e s mu le ts e s t s or ti e d e l’

a ccou pleme n t d ’

u n che va le t d ’

u n e a n e s s e , s e r ép a n dit p a r con ta gion da n s tou t l’u n ive rs .

"

Pa r a ce ls e con s idér a it , don c , le vérole d e 1 494 comme u n ge n r en ou ve a u da n s l’a n tiqu e famille de s ma la die s vén ér ie n n e s Pie rre

Du fou r,tome qu a tr i éme , p . 292 .

Ums a in t la iqu e d it J e a n B a ptis te va n He lmon t da n s s on

Tumu lu s P e s ti s , ta ch a n t d e divi n e r pou rqu o i la vérole a va it p a rua u s i ecle pa s s é e t n on a u p a r a va n t , fu t r a vi e n e s pr it e t e u t u n e

vis ion d ’

u n e jume n t ron gée d u fa rci n , d ’

oti il s oupcon n a qu’

a u

s iege d e N a ple s , on ce tte ma la di e pa ru t pou r la premi ere fo i s ,qu e lqu e homme a va i t e n umcomme rce a bomi n a ble a ve c u n e b éte

d e ce tte e s pece a tta qu ée d u meme ma l, e t qu ’

e n s u ite , pa r u n efi e t

3 78 THE ROSI CRUGIAN s

d e la ju s ti ce d ivi n e , il a va it ma lhe u r e u s eme n t in fe cté le ge n r ehuma in .

’

Pie rr e Du fou r , tome qu a tr iéme , cha p . xx . p . 292 .

‘

Ma n a rd i , Ma th iole , B ra s s a vola , e t Pa r a ce ls e dis e n t qu e l’

i n

fe ction V én ér i e n n e e s t n ée d e la lepr e e t d e la pro s titu tion .

’

Pi e rr e

Du fou r , tome qu a tr i éme , p . 297 (8vo e dition ) .

Nothing can exceed the importance of the foregoingObservations in regard to the welfare (bodily andspiritually) of Ma n ; especially in these questioning ,inquisitive modern times

,when everything is brought

to the front,and remorselessly (although often

foolishly,because conceitedly) canvassed . Such

names as the great (much—libelled) Paracelsus , theprince of chemists and physiologists

,and that of Van

Helmont,the most subtle and profound of magnetists

and psychologists,secure attention amo ii g the best

informed,and carry their own consummate guarantee

the most convincingly to the adepts . ME N of

RE FLE CTION are needed to comprehend these theoriesand Speculations

,and to weigh this evidence .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 80 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

b ru torum,n ihil e s s e a liu d , qu amp a rticu la s e ju s dema n imae . B a n dem

a n imame s s e An ge lumMich a e lem,s e u Mita ttron .

Qu a rto . Qu od e s t amplios , e a n d emmu n di a n imame s s e ve rumMe s s i am, Sa lva torem, Ch r i s tum,

L a pidemAn gu la rem,e t Pe tr am

u n ive rs a lem, s u pr a qu amE ccle s i a , e t tota s a lu s fu n da ta s it . Ha n c

n empe e s s e p r aecip u amp a r temPh iIOSOph ici L a p id is , qu aecuma dde n s a ta ru b es ca t , exin d e d ica tu r e s s e s a n gu i s Chr i s ti , qu oemu n d a ti , e t r e d emp ti s umu s . N equ e e n imn os emu n d a r i s a n gu in eChr i s ti huma n o , s e d hoc divin o ,

e t mys tico .

Qu i n to . Homin emju s tume s s e a lchymis tam, qu i Ph iIOSOph ico

L a pide i n ve n to , illiu s u s u immorta lis fi a t . Mor i tame n dici, cum

pa rte s corru p tib ile s a b ijici t ; Re s u rge re , cumfi t in corru p tib ilis ;

Glor ifi ca r i , cump ro in d e e a s d emdote s a s s equ itu r , qu ae tr ib u u n tu r

corpor ib u s glor ios is . Homin e s qu ih u c eva s e r in t F RATRE S CRUCISROSE /E d ictos , s cir e omn i a , pos s e omn i a ,

n on a rb itra r i r a pin ame s s e s e e qu a le s D e o , cume a demi n illis s itme n s , qu ae i n Chr i s toJ es u .

‘ Sexto . Cr e a tion emn on e es s e p rodu ction emrei ex n ihilo,u t

n o s vu lgo in te lligimu s n ihil. Ma te r i am(qu ams aep is s ime te n e b r a svoca n t) e s s e id , qu od propr i e a pp e lle tu r n ihil a c p ro in d e cumD e u sd ici tu r cr e a re , a u t fa ce r e a liqu id ex n ihilo ,

i n te lligi cr e a r e , a u t

fa ce r e ex ma te r i a . Moys e n , cumCre a tion emMu n di d es cr ip s it ,fu is s e a lchymis tam, i temqu e D a vid em, Sa lomon em, J a cob , Job ,

e t omn es a lios ; a de o u t e ti amve ri Ca b b a li s ta e n ihil a liu d qu ama lchymis tae Sin t ; i temqu e Ma gi , s a pi e n te s , ph ilos oph i , s a ce rdote s ,

e t a li i .’

Ma r in u s Me r s e n n u s s ign ifica n tly a dds : Qu ae s o a u tem,

n i s i i s ta s u n t imp i a , qu id potes t e s s e imp ium

I n the first place,the whole of the Sacred Scriptures

are a grand mystical puzzle referring to ALCHE MY,

and to the universal alchemic process . The mysticalsense of the Old and the New Testaments is none otherthan the HISTORY OF ALCHE MY— originated in theC a b a la (with the secrets contained therein) , and ther a ti on a le of that called ‘ The Philosophers ’ Stone ’

.

It matters not to the question of these secrets fixedwhat religions be professed : whether Christian

,

whether those of the Sects whether infidel andheathen . That only is Catholic which lies in theStone —otherwise pr a cti ca lma gi c whereby Demonsare commanded

,good spirits evoked

,and the innermost

SUPE RNATURAL TRANSLATION 3 8 1

hidden resources of nature,and the Spirits of Nature

,

laid bare and availed - of.

Secon dly—When Deity is said to be L ight

’

,per

vading and vivifying all nature,He enters not in any

thing unless a ma s k of the obj ect is adopted as themedium in which He fixes . This a u r a (or the deli~

qu e s ce n ce of the uproused light) is the infinite EtherealSpirit . The spring or the moving spirits

,or the means

,

of alchemy evolve out of it . They are fivefold in theirexercise or delimitation . God is indeed i d e n ti ca l

with this supreme spirit . An d th e radiant of intensematerial - nucleus is the lucid co n flu x - spot or the SUNstored (by its spirits) with vigour, sensitiveness , andintelligence . From this Intense Centre or Fiery Blazeof Power (the Sun) , agitations and life vibrate in masterdom from the middle - point to circumference . God

,

thus,in producing

,is said to be identified with Matter

,

and He so fills (and I S) that there are not (nor canthere be) secondary causes , except to Ma n who canon ly kn ow s e con d ca u s e s . This

,be it noted

,is

Berkeleyism ’ on the one side,and its opposite

,or

Spinozism on the other—both being the same thingin reality looked at frome i th er s i d e or from beforeand from behind .

Thi rd ly .

—Composed of this ‘ mask ’

,and of this

infinite medium or D ivine Movement,is the general

investment (or spirit) called the Soul of the WorldThe purer part of this sensitive

,responsive soul is

,

in its own nature,of the breath of the angels (for the

A n gels we r e Th e a n ima mu n d i is the FlamingSpiritual Region

,in which all things live . Even the

devils are portions of this e fflu x,which is the general

life . But the Rebellious Spirits (the vi s i n erti ce,or

the la z i n e s s,so to speak) of matter —dense , contradict

ory,inaccessible—are buried or lost— and were after

wards ch a i n ed—i n inapprehensive matter . All p a rtic

3 82 THE ROSICRUCIANS

ular sentiences —whether of the brutes or manare nothing other than parts of the whole lucid spirit .

Of the same soul (in essence) is the Archangel Michael ,or Mita ttro n . Also all the Angels in their SevenfoldRegions both of the B a d

,and of the Good ; of the

Dexter and of the Sinister Sides of Creation .

F ou rthly .

—Which is still more dreadful (in appearance) , the same a n ima mu n d i

,or Soul of the World

,

is the real Messiah,Saviour

,Christ

,the Corner

Stone of the Temple the Temple itself (the universe)the STONE ’

(P e tr amUn ive r s a lem) , or ROCK ’

(Peter—St . Peter) , upon which the Church , and Salvation ,is founded . This is the mystical end and scope of thatlonged—for B eatitude—or Magical Tr a n s fi gu r a tionthe Philosophers’ Stone or Fou n d a tiOn Which

(being to be obtained out of the material by supernatural means) when contracted into itself, and conce n tr a te d and intensified

,glows (or martyrises) into

flami n g r e d,or possession

,or Glorifi ed Agony (made

Heaven) . From thence it is said to be the ‘

B lood ’

Of Christ (and the Cross ’ of Christ) , which blood ’

was shed for the redemption of the world from thepenalties of the (First ?) FALL (b y Which We Are ) .

By means of the Great Sacrifice mortality is purgedinto purity back into the celestial fire

,and redeemed

from Hell or Matter . However,we are not redeemed

by the blood of a Human Christ,but by the atoning

blood i n a d ivi n e a n dmys ti ca l s e n s e . (See corresponding plates .)Fire is contention—whether holy or unholy . Heat

,

intensified in the struggle,agitates furiously to FIRE .

Fire,triumphing and mastering the matter which

lends it its material and strength,when passing into

victory brandishes i n to th e ca lma n d th e glory of vi ctory ,

and becomes yellow in its flaming precious gold,and

quiet L IGHT intense as the grandest phenomenon

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 84 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

world invisible) —following into the LIGHT the divinebeckon to Paradise of the ANGE LS of L IGHT

,are the

BROTHE RS of the ROSY CROSS,or the ROS ICRUC I ANS

,

as they have been called : who ‘ know everything ’

,

can do anything and have even arrogated to themselves

,when i n them should be set up the same

a n ge lica lema gica l spirit which was in the Christ - Jesus ,to be of the COUNC IL of GOD Though

,in the world

,

they were the humblest of the servants of the Almighty .

I n th e Sixth Pla ce — Creation is not the makingof things out of nothing

,which we understand com

mon ly (or vulgarly) of God’s work in the beginning ofthe universe or of Creation . Matter

,which the Rosi

crucians frequently refer to as Darkness,is that only

which is properly to be called Nothing Thus whenGod is said to create

,or make something out of nothing

(to do which is impossible) , it is to be understoodthat He worked with material

,or with D ARKNE SS

,which

is the B lank Side or the Other Side of L ight turnedaway ’ These profound metaphysical distinctionsare the key of all the Theologies . Moses

,when he

describes the Creation of the World,is the Alchemist ,

relating in parable the generation of the solids,and the

flowi n g- over into the border - country (out of the flesh)

of the Invisible—WHE RE EVE RYTHING ULTIM ATE LYI S . The history of David

,Solomon (of the Temple

Jacob (of the‘

L adder ; or Staircase from Earth toHeaven

,and fromHeaven to Earth

’

,Job

the accounts of the Heroes of the stories of the Apo

cryph a (the most concealed or recondite of the thingshidden —th e n ce i ts n ame) , etc .

,are cabalistic a n d

alchemical,similarly to all the mythologies , which are ,

in their fanciful and mystic range of supposed facts ,cabalistic and alchemical . The true C a b a li s tw arenone other than Alchemists and Rosicrucians . L ikewise the Magi

,Wise Me n

,Philosophers , Priests , and

THE TRINITY 3 85

Heroes from Jason and the Three Kings ’ to KingArthur

,and from Adam

,Noah

,Abraham

,and Moses

,

to Numa,Paracelsus

,B orr ich iu s

,Rob e rtu s de Fluc

tib u s (nearer our own‘

time ) , AND OTHE RS .

The Rosicrucian system took the following forms :—These Philosophers believed that there were TwoPrinciples in the B eginning—L ight and Darkness

,or

Form and the Material ou t of whi ch th e F ormwa s .

That before the Creation (distinctively so called) , theL ight Itself was as Divinity L atent ’ or At Rest ’

.

I n the Creation,or in the production of things

,Divinity

became active,aroused

,and inventive . By whatever

name distinguished,or by whatever style identified

,

Moses ’ description of Creation is to be taken as theprocess of alchemy

,as worked by Nature itself

,being

her Form to which head are referred the kingdomsof darkness

,or chaos

,and the L ight emerging out of

its own bosom or D ARKNE SS .

After the active movement from the centre,or evolve

ment,or Creation

,the radiation and counter—working

or interchange of L ight and Darkness in crossing andencountering irritated mutually

,naturally ; became

expansive and contractive an gularly— then ce pyramidal and starry . An d in the relative cou n te rb a la n cing contemperation

,the diversity of things arose at

the points of the masterdom into form or L ight . Themedium in which the elements were (and the elementsthemselves) now grew ‘ in their natures ’

. Fromthese various rudiments of being—(i n the vehicleL ight) the archetypical scheme arranged itself which

,

On e’ in essence

,was ‘

Triple ’ in procession orparade Hence the TRIN ITY .

B u t it is Incomprehensible,obviously

,wi thou t th e

me a n s to comprehe n d i t—which is CHRIST . Christthe ‘

PE NALTY —Christ the S ACRIFICE ’

. Christ theGlass ’ of the ‘

Universe in which God ’

s a w

C C

3 86 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Himself B u t Christ is not God any more thanthe Glass is the Seer From the TRIN ITY and thevivifying s u b s tr a tumin the mathematical four cornersof the world

,comes the ineffable name Tetr a gr am

ma ton The archetypical ‘

Idea ’ is also calledRe fle ctive Intelligible Informed SuperessentialEndless in resource .

Obj ect—Subj ect—Result : or the Three Personsof the Trinity . The reflection of God is in the Archetype which is the Second Principle

,or ‘Macrocosmos ’

(created worlds) , exhibiting‘ Either Side ’

,or Will ’

in ‘

Action ’

. This is displayed in Three D ivisions,

or Sph e re s h —called (I s t) the Empyr aeum (God) .

(2n d ) The E th e r a eum’

(the (3 rd )The Elements (the Virgin Mary) . L ight emanatesin the Sephiroth CABALA or Seven - fold ’ rotation—hence the ‘ production of phenomena ’

. In unitingwith the Ethereal Spirit

,it becomes the Soul

,or

Responsive Sentience of the World The furtherelucidation of the Rosicrucian theological system

,

in its general features— s o fa r a s i n hi n t or p a r a bles u bmi tted to u n e n lighte n ed comprehe n s ion —will be foundprestated in previous pages

,and elsewhere .

The Rosicrucians contend that music,or melody

wh i ch i s e n ch a n tme n t—pervades all nature in itsprosperous or intended progress

,although it is only

the wail,or plaint

,of the instinctive soul on its

wounded ’

,or sacrificed ’

,or ‘

Ru i n ed Si d e’

. It

mourns for its Original L ost Paradise ’ The musicof the spheres is no unreal thing

,but real as is the

atmosphere of the spirits for music is the atmosphereof the spirits ’

,and discords (though the necessity,

support,and balance of Creation) are a medium for

the coarse and low spirits,who inundate

,as it were

,

the lees and the settlings of nature . I n discords,or

in the inharmonious strife amidst the sounds,the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 88 THE ROSICRUCIANS

of living things—the spell which breaks up and extols—into super- added

,super - natural life—the Real into

the Ideal Harmony—or the mysterious solaceand satisfaction and happiness at heroism which wefeel—is found in the beauty of the human figure

,the

glories and graces of all growing obj ects and movingor unmoving natures . Success in nature

,and in life

,

with their changes—as man knows nature and lifearise from the i n te r s ta rry ,

mechanical modifications,

and the incidents (and the apparent interference andintertangle) through the restless movement of theplanets . All the glorious seeming mechanism of thestarry Sky shows so as mechanism only to theme a s u ri n g s e n s e s of man but in reality i t may

lb e the play of

Infinite Spirit . (See accompanying Charts , A ,B

,C .)

The planets of our own system may be directed intheir continual - speaking changes by their severalcrowds of governing spirits . Spirits being everywherethe directors of matter

,its solids are only to be separ

ated b y soul or energy— as the wedge (directed by the

will) cleaves inert or resistant solids . Music is alwaysin the air . Ma n has no ears for it

,unless it is e n live n ed

to,or finds access to

,h i s senses . But hi s h e a rt

i s i ts home— if he has a heart,and not an

animal ’s mechanic throbbing -machine only . Air

is the breathing of nature . Music is always in the airmore particularly at night

,for Nature (being born of

it) is necessarily more nervously sensitive at night ,whether for the ‘ beautiful ’ or

'

the dreadful ’

b e

cause both are equally exciting and fascinating—basili s ks both— as they are mysterious . We Obtain bypulsation

,or scientific commotion of the air

,by musical

instruments,the music out of it and our fine nerves

are the fine sensitives (born of God) , as the harp playedupon to receive it . Otherwi s e there i s n o s e n s e i n mu s i c .

Otherwise our passions could not be stirred by it .

ROSICRUCIAN ASTROLOGICAL SYSTEM 3 89

These are storms and convulsions (rendered beautiful)certainly not born of God ’s original RE ST ’

Ratherthey come of the stirring ambitions of Lucifer—u p

rising Son of the Morning Son of the Awakening ’ ‘ Son ’ of the ‘ Sun ’

Music and its successdepend upon the prosperous progress of the Planetswhich make it

,as (in Astrology) they prearrange , order

and fix the fates of men . It is no inconsistent thingto say that

,in the Rosicrucian sense

,every s ton e

,

'

flowe r,

and tree has its horoscope (we know that there are notwo leaves alike) , and that they are produced andflourish in the mechanical resources of the mysteriousnecessities of a s trology

— every obj ect bearing itshistory in i ts lines and marks (sigillated magnetism) ,as inspired by the Great Soul of the World which isall continual changing pu rpos e

,urging restlessly to

wards RE STN u llamesse h e rb am

,aut plantam inferius

,cuj us

non Si t stella in fi rmame n to,qu ae eam p e rcu ti a t , e t

d ica t e i,cresce .

’

E xe rci ta ti o i n F lu dd a n amPh i los o

phi am,p . 228 . Parisiis

,1 63 0 .

Or back again to that from which it came . Movingin the a rc of the pendulum between the two pointsL ife and Death (as we know L i fe and Death)—beyondwhich the ‘ swing of this world’s Creation points

,

cannot pass—OR B E .

CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH

IND IAN MYSTE RIOUS ADORATION OF FORM S . THE UN ITYOF THE MYTHOLOGIE S FOUND IN THE B HUDD ISTIC

AND MOHAMME D AN TE MPLE S

GE NE RAL note on the Sa cti P uja . POWE R means thegood goddess

,[Ma y a M a i a (i . e . D elusion) . She is also

called B h a ga la ,Vagula

,B agala -mukhi . She has n either

images nor pictures . The Girl in the Indian sacred,

secret Temple rites,who figures as the representative

of Sa cti,is the supposed embodiment of the goddess

offered for worship . The word Sa cti corresponds togenius

,or ‘ sylph ’

,of the Rosicrucian creed . The

doctrine of guardian angels and of patron saints isconveyed in these Hindoo meanings in the machin eryof the ‘ sylphsDuring P u i a ,

the Yogini is supposed to be in anexalted visionary state (guyd n a n i d r a ) , wherein , likethe Sibyls among the ancients

,and the modern cla i r

voy a n te s , she answers questions in a delirious manner ,and is supposed to be for the time inspired . Th e

F or e i gn Qu a rterly Revi ew,No X . for February

1 83 0 art . viii . °‘

H i s toi r e Cr i ti qu e d e Gn os ti ci sme ,et d e s on i n flu e n ce s u r le s Sects r eligi e u s e s et phi los o

phiqu e s d e s s ix pr emi er s s i ecle s d e l’

ére chréti e n n e .

Ou vr a ge cou ron n e pa r l’

Aca d émi e Roy a le d e s I n s cr ipti on s et B elle s L ettr e s . Pa r M . J . Matter Professeur .

2 tomes,avec planches

,8vo

,Paris

,1 828 . The third

volume is of small size,and contains eleven plates of

gems and symbols . This book proves Gnosticism tobe identical with the Sa cti creed of the Hindus .

3 90

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 92 THE ROSICRUCIANS

—apparently —i n Death) , created religion . Fearcreates respect— respect is attention to an obj ect

,and

therefore dread of it . Because we are not acquaintedwith its possible operat ion upon ourselves in regardof our being interfered with or inj ured Hence allreligion is selfishness apart from ‘ inspiration ’

, whichthe world (in its folly) calls superstitionThe most popular representation of the D ivine

B eing in India is unquest ionably the L i n ga a smoothstone rising out of another stone of finer texture

,

s imu la crummembr i vi r i li s e t pu d e n d ummu li e br e .

This emblem is id entical with Siva in his capacityof L ord of all It is necessary

,however

,to observe

that Professor Wilson,while admitting that the

L i n ga is perhaps the most ancient obj ect of homageadopted in India ’

,adds

,

‘ subsequently to the ritualof the Vedh a s

,which was chiefly

,if not wholly

,

addressed to the Elements,a n d p a rti cu la rly to F i re .

How far the worship of the L i n ga is authori zed by theVe dhu s is doubtful

,but that it is the main purport of

several of the P u r a n a s 1 there can be no doubt .

’ 2

The universality of L i n ga pufa (or worship) at theperiod of the Mohammedan invasion of India i s wellattested . The idol destroyed by Mahmoud of Gh i z n iwas nothing more than one of those mystical blocksof stone called L ingas . The worship of Siva underthe type of the L i n ga is almost the only form in whichthat Deity is reverenced . The L inga of black orwhit e marble

,and sometimes of alabaster slightly

tinted and gilt,is placed in the middle of the Hindu

temples . This is a Chinese hint . The Chinese Pagodasare Phalli

,storied ‘ Tors ’

,or Obelisks abounding

1 Pu r a n a s (N ew Te s tame n t) , th e Mode r n Scr iptu r e s of th e Hin du sa s di s tin gu is he d fromth e Vedh a s (a s B ible ), ormor e An cie n t Scr iptu re s . Wi ls o n on Hin du Se cts—A s . Re s . vol. xvi i .

2 A s . Re s . vol. xvi i . pp . 208—1 0 .

PROF UNDITI E S OF B RAHM IN B E L I E F 3 93

in bells to be agitated in the winds to drive off thecrowds of roving malignant spirits . The whole ofChina may be mystically said to be populated byB ells and the Dragon Speaking of Siva andPawa ti

,M . de L anglet says : ‘

L e s deux divinitésdont - il s ’agit

,sont tres souvent e t tres pieusement

adorées sous le figure d u L inga (le Phallus des anciens),e t de l

’

Yo n i dans leur mystérieuse conj onction .

L’

Yo n i so nomme aussi Bhaga (pudendum muliebre) .

M a dh e r i,douce e t A rgh a ,

vase en forme de bateau .

’

B enares is the peculiar seat of the L inga or Phallicworship . No less than forty - seven L ingas are visited

,

all of pre - eminent sanctity ; but there are hundredsof inferior note still worshipped

,and thousands whose

fame and fashion have passed away . It is a singularfact

,that upon this adoration of the procreative and

sexual Sa cti (or power) seen throughout nature , hingesthe whole strength of the Hindu faith . Notwi th

standing all that has been said by half - informed andprej udiced persons to the contrary

,this puja does

not appear to be prej udicial to the morals of thepeople . Nearly all the P uja s a re

_

con d u cte d with thefrequent ringing of bells

,and the Obj ect of this is two

fold—fi r s t,to wake up the attention at particular

parts of the service ; and secondly, to scare awaymalignant D ewta s and evil spirits precisely

,in fact

,

for the same reasons as they are used at the celebrationof Mass in Roman Cathol ic countries .

Prakriti,the mother of gods and men

,one with

matter,the source of error

,is identified with M a y a

or delusion,and coexistent with the Omnipotent

,as

his Sa cti,his personified energy

,his bride . P a rkr i ti

is inherent M a y a , because she beguiles all things—A s . Re s . xvii . It is stated in one of the P u r a n sthat B r a hma

,having determined to create the uni

verse,became androgynous

,male and female (0 1

3 94 THE ROSICRUCIAN s

‘

r efle ctor and reflected the right half havingthe sex and form of a man

,the left that of a woman .

I n his images he is sometimes thus represented,and

is then termed Ard n a r i .

‘ This is P r a kr i ti of onenature with B ru hm— i llusion

,eternal

,as the soul so

is its active energy,as the faculty of burning is in

fire .

’ The Sa cti system bears a striking affinity withEpicureanism . It teaches Materialism

,and the Atomic

System of the Confluence of Chance ’

. Comparethe A n a n d a Ta n tr am

,c , xvii . with L ucretius, lib . iii .

On the base of Minerva’s statue at Sais,whom the

Egyptians regarded to be the same as Isis,a goddess

who bears so striking an analogy to the Hindu P r akr i ti or nature

,there was this inscription :

‘

I ameverything that was

,that is

,that is to b e . Nor has

mortal ever been able to discover wh a t I am.

’—Plutarch,

D e I s i d e et Os i r i d e,S . ix . According to the immediate

obj ect of worship is the particular ceremony,but all

the forms (lighter or heavier) require the use of someor all of the five M a ka r a s M a n s a

,M a tsy a ,

M a dya ,

M a i thu n a,and M u d r a

,that is

,fish

,flesh

,wine

,women

,

and certain charms or mystical gesticulations withthe fingers . Suitable mu n tru s

,or incantations

,are

also indispensable according to the end proposed,

consisting o f vari ous seemingly unmeaning monoSyllabic combinations of letters

,of great imaginary

efficacy .

‘ The combination of H and S is principal,

and is called P ra s a d a -M a n tr a,and described in the

Ku la rn a va .

’ —Wilson,A s . Re s . In many of the

religious Observances solitude is enj oined,but all the

principal ceremonies culminate in the worship ofSa cti

,or POWE R

,and require

,for that purpose

,the

presence Of a young and beautiful girl,as the living

representative of the goddess . This worship is mostlycelebrated

,in all due serious religious formality

,in a

mixed society ; the men of which represent B h a i

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 96 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Ved a,B ook ii . c . viii . s s . 1 3 , 1 4, 2n d a tth am

,8th

pannam,Rigs B . 1 4, which contain the Su cla Homa

M a n tr am,etc .)

The caste -mark of the Sa iva s and Sa cta s consistof three horizontal li nes on the forehead

,with ashes

obtained if possible fromth e h e a rth,on which a con

s e cr a ted fir e is perpetually maintained .

Th e Sa cti (or Sacred Presence is personified bya naked girl

,to whom offerings are made of meat

and wine,which are then distributed amongst the

assistants . Here follows the chanting of the M u n tru s,

and sacred texts,a n d the performance of the mu d r a

,

or gesticulations with the fingers . The whole serviceterminates with orgies amongst the votaries of a verylicentious description . This ceremony is entitled theSr i Ch a kr a

,or P u rn a b i s heka

,THE R ING or Full

Initiation ’

. This method of adoring the Sa cti isunquestionably acknowledged by the texts regardedby the Va n i s as authorities for the excesses practised .

Wilson,on Hind . Sects

,vol . xvii . A s . Re s . \Vard

,on

the Va i s n a va s,p . 3 09 .

In Gregory’s Works (N otes a n d Ob s e rva ti on s u pons ever a l d iffi cu lt p a s s a ge s i n Scr iptu re , vol . i . 4to . L ondon

1 684) is to be found a significant comment . N oa h

pr a yed d a i ly i n the A rk b efore the body of Ad am’

,i .e .

before the PHALLUS,or Regenerator (Adam being the

primitive Phallus or great Procreator of the HumanRace) —(under its present circumstances , and in theexisting dispensation) . It may possibly seem strangeGregory says

,

‘ that this orison should be daily saidbefore the body of Ad am but it is a most confessedTradition among the Eastern men that Adam wascommanded by God that his dead body should bekept above ground till a fullness of time should cometo commit it 1 7123 523 001 1 9 to the mi d d le of th e e a rth bya priest of the Most High God .

’ See previous pages .

THE GOLDE N CAL F 3 97

This ‘ middle of the earth ’ is Mount Moriah— theMeru of India .

The B razen Serpent ’ continued to be worshippedby the Jews

,and to have incense offered to that Idol

,

till the reign of Hezekiah For,i t being written in

the L a w of Moses Whosoever looks upon it shalllive they fancied they might obtain blessings byits mediation

,and therefore thought it worthy to

be worshipped . Ou r learned Dr . Jackson observesthat the pious Hez ekiah was moved with the greaterindignation against the worship of this image

,because

in truth it never was—nor was intended to b e— a

type of our Saviour,but a figure of Hi s Grand

Enemy etc .

The Jews relapsed into idolatry by the adorationof the Golden Calf set up

,too

,not by a few schis

maties,but by the entire people

,with Aaron at their

head . The calf—superstition was doubtless a relic ofwhat they had seen in Egypt in the worship of Apisand Mnevis . Next we have the Golden Calves ’ setup by Jeroboam at Dan and Bethel . Then follows

(ju dge s vii i . 22,etc .) the worship of Gideon

’s Ephod .

‘ The Ephod made by Gideon with the spoil of theMidianites became after his death an obj ect of idolatry

(ibid .

,p . We have also Micah’s images and the

‘ Teraphim We learn from St . J erome (who re

ce ive d it by tradition from the ancient Jews,and

indeed it is so stated in N umber s xxv . 1,2,etc . xxiii .

28,and numerous other passages of the Old Testa

ment) that the Jews a dored Baal Phegor (B aalPh e or) , the Priapus of the Greeks and Romans .

It was he says,principally worshipped by women

cole n ti bu sma xime femi n i s (Baal Maimonidesobserves that the adoration offered to this Idol

,called

Pe hor,consisted in discovering Chemosh

,pro

bably the same as Baal - Ph e or,also received the

3 98 THE ROSICRUCIANS

homage of the Jews,as also did Milcom

,Molech

,

Baal—berith (or Cybele) , and numerous others—allof the same sexual cast .

From all this in regard to their irregular worship—or rather (mysteriously) to their r egu la r or assignedworship

,it will be seen that the Jews fell into Idolatry

(and Phallic Idolatry,too ) to an extent i n te rp e n e

frating,again most mysteriously

,the whole scope

of their religion . There will consequently not appearanything so very startling in the supposition thatthe Ark of the Covenant contained symbolic obj ect sreferring to Phallic ideas . We have seen that theStone ’

,or Pillar ’

,of Jacob was held in particular

veneration— that it was worshipped and anointed .

We know from the Jewish records that!

the Ark wassupposed to contain the tables of stone . An d if itcan be demonstrated that these stones implied aPhallic reference

,and that these tables were identical

with the symbolism accompanying the sacred nameJehovah

,I e hov a h

,or Ye hova h

,which

,written in

unpointed Hebrew,with four letters is—IE VE or

IHVH (the HE being merely an aspirate and thesame as E )— this process leaves us the two lettersI and V (or , in another of its forms , U) . Then if weadd the I i n the U we have the

‘

Holy of Holieswe also have the L inga and Yoni and Argha (Ark orArc) of the Hindus , the

‘

I swa rr a’ or ‘ Supreme

L ord ’

. I n all this may be found—myst i cally—the‘

Arc—Celestial replicating - i n upon itself—symbolically and anagrammatically— and presenting itselfas identical with the L i n ga yon i

’

Of the ‘

Ark of theCovenant ’ Gregory observes that the ‘mi ddle ofthe Ark was the place of prayer—made holy (con s ecrated) by the presence of Adam

’

s B ody .

’

(Referto the glyptic symbolism

,the mystical e n gr a v

ing of the Ark’

,placed among the full—page plates .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

400 THE ROSICRUCIANS

improbable that the erection of the Pillar of Jacobactually gave rise to the worship of Phallus amongsome of the Pagan peoples . For says L ewis

,the

learned B och a rt asserts that the Phoenicians (at leastas the Jews think) first worshipped this ve ry s ton e

which Jacob set up,and afterwards consecrated others

in imitation and in reminder of it .

’

It is to little purpose that we are reminded thatthe Jews were forbidden by their law to make untothemselves any graven image for

,as L ewis shows

in the following passage,there may be exceptions to

this,as to every other general rule . No twith

standing ’

,he says

,the severity of the L a w against

the making of Images,yet

,as Justin Martyr observes

in his B ook against Trypho ,it must be somewhat

mysterious,that God in the case of the B razen Ser

pent ” should command a n image to be made,for

which one of the Jews confessed he never could heara reason from any of their Doctors .

’

According to

Th e od or e t , Ar n ob iu s,and Clemens of Alexandria

,

the Yon i (then become I on i ; thence I on i a and

I on i c) of the Hindus was the sole obj ect of ve n e r a tion i n the Mysteries of Eleusis (D emosthenes, On the

Crown ) .

CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH

DOCTRINE AND RATIONALE . THE E M B OD IE D‘

CH ILDRE N O F THE E LE ME NTS )

,B OTH OF HE ATHE N

AND OF CHRISTI AN PE R IOD S

IL est avéré pour les Théologiens e t les Philosophes ,que de la copulation de l ’homme

,ma le ou femelle ,

avec le Démon,naissent quelquefois des hommes .

E t c ’est de la sorte que doit n a itre l’An tich r i s t,suivant

bon nombre de Docteurs : B e lla rmin,Suarez

,Malu

enda,etc . Ils observent en outre que

,par une cause

toute naturelle,les e n fa n s ainsi procréés par les

Incubes (Exterior Spirits , with more or less power ,enabled to embody themselves with male humancharacteristics

,and drawn to earth with the desire to

form alliances with women as hinted in the B ible) ,sont grands

,tres - ro b ustes

,tr és - audacieux

,trés - superbes

,

e t tres -méchants . Voyez la - dessus Maluenda : quanta la cause en question

,il nous le donne d

’apresVa lle s iu s

,Archiatre . de Reggio .

Ce qu e le s In cu b es in trodu i s e n t i n u te ros n’

e s t p a s qu a le cumqu e ,n equ e qu a n tumcumqu e—ma is a bon da n t , tres - cha rgé d

’

e s pr its e t

s a n s a u cu n e s éro s ité . Ce ci e s t d’

a ille u rs pou r e u x chos e fa cileils n

’

on t qu’

a cho is ir d e s homme s ch a u ds , robu s te s , e t qu i bu s s u c

cumb a n t pu is d e s femme s d e méme temper ame n t , qu i bu s i n cumb a n t. Te ls s on t le s te rme s d e Va lles iu s . Ma lu e n da con fi rme cc

qu i a été d it plu s h a u t , prou va n t , p a r le témoign a ge d e dive rsAu te u rs , cla s s iqu e s la plu pa rt , qu e c

’

e s t e pa r e ille s u n ion s qu e

do ive n t le u r n a is s a n ce : Romu lu s e t Remu s,d ’

a pres Tite -L ive e t

Plu ta rqu e ; Se rviu s -Tu lliu s , s ixieme ro i d e s Roma in s , d ’

a pr és

D e n ys d’

Ha lica r n a s s e e t Plin e l’

An ci e n ; Pla to le Philos ophe ,d ’

a pr es Diogen e L a e' rce e t Sa in t JerOme Ale xa n dre le Gr a n d ,

d ’

a pr es Plu ta rqu e e t Qu in te -Cu rce Sele u cu s , 1 01 d e Syr i e , d’

a pr es401

D D

402 THE ROSI CRUCIAN S

Ju s ti n e t App i e n ; Scipion l’

Afr ica in ,pr emie r d u n om, d’

a pr esTi te - L ive l

’

empe re u r Ces a r -Au gu s te , d ’

a pr es Su éton e Ar is tomén ed e Me s s én i e , illu s tr e gén ér a l gr e e , d ’

a pr es Str a b on e t Pa u s a n i a s .

Aj ou ton s e n cor e l’

An gla is Me r li n or Me lchin , n é d’

u n In cu be e t

d ’

u n e Re ligie u s e , fi lle d e Cha rlema gn e . E t , e n fi n , comme l’écr itCocle u s , cité p a r Ma lu e n da , ce Hérés i a rqu e qu i a ri omMa r tin

L u the r .

’

On lit aussi d a n S la Sainte E cr i tu r e,Ge n és e

,ch a p .

6,ver s et 4, que des géants sont n és d u commerce des

Fils de Dieu (the‘

Angels of God ’

) avec les Fillesdes Hommes (the Daughters of Ceci est lalettre méme d u texte sacré . Or

,ces géants étaient

des hommes de gr a n d e s ta tu re,comme qu’il est dit

dans B a ru ch,ch a p . 3 , ver s et 26

,e t de beaucoup

supérieurs aux autres hommes . Outre!cette taille

mon s tre u s e,ils se signalaient encore par leur force

,

leurs rapines,leur tyrannie ; aussi est - ce aux crimes

des Géants qu’il convient d’

a ttr ib u e r la cause premieree t principale d u Déluge

,suivant Cornelius e L apide

,

dans son Comme n ta i re s u r la Ge n es e .

Ces animaux Incubi (spirits capable of incorporatingthemselves and of borrowing forms to effect . theirpurpose without alarming ’— asserted to be an ‘

e s s e n t

ial Rosicrucian tenet ces animaux n a itra i e n t - ilsdans le péché originel

,e t auraient - ils rachetés par le

Seigneur Christ ? L a gra ce leur serait - elle conferee,

e t par quels sacrements,sous quelle IOi vi vrai ent—ils

,

e t seraient - ils capables de B éatitude e t de Damnation

D a n s u n mon a s tere d e s a i n te s Re ligie u s e s viva it comme pe n s ionn a ire u n e j e u n e vie rge d e n oble fami lle , la qu e lle éta i t te n tée p a ru n In cu be qu i lu i a ppa r a is s a it jou r e t n u it , e t, a ve c le s plu s i n s ta n te spr i er e s , a ve c le s a llu r e s d e l’ama n t le plu s p a s s ion n é , la s ollicita its a n s ce s s e a u péché . E lle cepe n da n t , s ou te n u e p a r la gra ce d e

D i e u e t la fr équ e n ta tion d e s s a cr eme n ts , deme u ra it fe rme da n s s a

r és is ta n ce . Ma isma lgr é tou tes s e s d evo tion s , s es j eun e s , s es voeu xma lgr é le s exorci sme s , les bén édiction s , le s i n jon ction s fa ite s p a rle s e xorci s tes a I’In cu b e d e r e n on ce r a s e s pe rs écu tion s e n dépitd e la mu ltitu de d e r e liqu e s e t a u tre s obj e ts s a cr és a ccumu lés da n s

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

404 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

Je sais que beaucoup de mes lecteurs , la plupartpeut - etre

,diront de mo i ce que le s E p icu r i e n s e t bon

nombre de Philosophes StO i ci e n s disaient de S . Paul

(Acte s d e s Apétre s , c . 1 7 , v .

‘

Il semble qu’ilannonce des divinités nouvelles e t tourneront madoctrine en ridicule . Mais ils n ’en seront pas moinstenus de détruire les arguments qui prec éd e n t

,de nous

dire ce que c ’est que ces Démons Incubes,vulgairement

appelés F ollets,qui n ’

o n t peur n i des exorcismes,n i

des ob j ets sacrés,mi de la Croix d u Christ ; e t e n fi n

de nous expliquer les divers effets e t ph én omén e srelatés par nous dans l’e xpo s i tion de cette doctrine .

The above passage is very curious,since it gives the

key (a matter which has puzzled every speculator)as to the meaning of the masquerade and Folly andantic system which prevails in the Catholic applicationof the Christi a n Doctrine at the Pr e - L ent period

,

and the recurring Festivals,or the Jovial

,Mercurial

,

Venus - patronized periods . F olle F ollets (m) , F ollette s (f) , F olle ti n s F olle ti n n e s (f) . These arethe names of the male and female masquerading

,

gambolling Follies or Fays or Elves or SprightlySpirits—under their various fanciful names

,and in

their picturesque,sportive

,masquerading disguises

the pied- populace of that world- turned - upsidedown in the general male and female interchange andfrolicsome Glorying —the Carnival

,or Grotesque

(in reality , religious) Celebration of all countries .

Dancing is also sacred in certain senses . The Pre

ce n tor’ of the Cathedrals was originally the L eader

of the Choi r eph i s ts , or Chor eph i s ts , or Cor e ph e s ts .

Thence Cor iph e s , or Coryphées , for female dancers .

Luxure e t humidité sont deux termes corr e s p o n

dants ce n ’est pas sans raison que les Po etes ont faitmaitre Vénus de la mer

,voulant indiquer

,comme

l’

e xpliqu e n t les Mythologues , que la luxure a s a source

TEM PTATIONS 46 5

dans l’humi d ité . L orsque les Incubes s’

u n i s s e n t auxfemmes dans leur corps propre e t naturel

,sans méta

morphose ou artifice,les femmes n e les voient pas

,

o n,Si elles les voient

,c’est comme une ombre presque

incertaine e t a peine sensible . Qu a n do ve r o volu n t

s e vi s i bi le s ama s i i s r edd er e,

a tqu e ips i s d ele cta ti on emi n con gr e s s u ca rn a le a f err e , s i bi i n dume n tumvi s i b i le

a s s umu n t,et corpu s cr a s s umr ed du n t. Pa r quel art

(magic) , ceci est leur secret . Notre philosophie a

courte vue est impuissante a le découvrir .

Hector Boethius,H i s t. Scot.

,raconte aussi le cas

d ’un j eune E cossais qui,pendant plusieurs mois

,recut

dans s a chambre,quoique les portes e t fe n étre s en

fussent hermétiquement (note: this word comes

from the Hermetic B rothers or the Rosicrucians)fermées

,les visites d ’une D iablesse Succube (as it was

supposed or assumed,perhaps wrongfully) de la plus

ravissante beauté ; caresses , baisers , embrassements ,sollicitations

,cette Diablesse (or Temptress) mit tout

en oeuvre,u t s e cum—cc qu’elle n e put toutefois obtenir

de ce virtu e u x j eune homme . A worthy example toyouth : especially in this generation will be anexclamation vividly rising to the mind of the reader .

D’

a u tr e s fois aussi le Démon,soit incube

,soit suc

cub e,s’

a ccou p le avec des hommes ou des femmesdont - il n e r e co it rien des hommages , sacrifices on off

randes qu’il a coutume d ’

imp os e r aux Sorciers e t auxSorci e r és

,comme on l’a vu plus haut . C’est alors

simplement umamoureux passionné,n

’

a y a n t qu’nn

but,u n désir : possedere—la personne qu

’il aime . Il

y a de ceci une foule d ’

e xemp le s , qu’on peut trouverdans les Auteurs

,entre autres celui de Me n ipp u s

L yciu s , lequel , apres avoir maintes e t maintes fois—avec une femme

,en fut prié de l’ép ou s e r ; mais

umcertain Phi losophe , qui assistait a u repas de noces ,ayant d évi n é ce qu

’

éta it cette femme,dit a Me n ippu s

406 THE ROSICRUCIANS

qu’il avait affaire a une Compu s e,c ’est - a - dire a une

Diablesse Succube ; a u s s itOt notre mariée s’

éva n ou i t

en gémissant .

—L isez la - dessus Coeliu s Rod igi n u s , A n ti q.

,

livre 29, chap . 5 . These extraordinary narrationsform the basis

,and supply the material

,for Keats ’s

poem L ami a and Coleridge ’s poetic sketch ‘

Chr i s ta b el

Nous avons de plus,a l

’

a pp u i de notre these , l’

E va n

gi le d e S . je a n ,ch . 1 0

,v . 1 6

,on il est dit J ’ai encore

d’

a u tre s brebis qui n e sont pas de cette bergerie : i lfaut aussi que je les amene , e t elles entendront maVoix

,e t 1 1 n

’

y aura qu’

u n e seule bergerie e t qu’

u n seul berger .

’ Si nous demandons quelles peuvent etre ces brebisqui n e sont pas de cette bergerie

,e t quelle est cette

bergerie dont parle le Seigneur Christ,tous les Commem

t a te u r s nous respondent que la seule bergerie d u Christc’est l’E gli s e , a laquelle la prédication de l

’

E va n

gile devait amener les Gentils,qui étaient d’une autre

bergerie que celle des He b r e u x . Pour eux,en effet

,la

bergerie d u Christ,c’

éta i t la Synagogue d ’

a b ord parceque David avait dit (P s a ume 95 , v . 7) Nous sommesson peuple e t ses brebis qu

’il nourrit dans ses pa turages ’

; puis , parce que la promesse avait été faitea Abraham e t a David qu e la Messie sortirait de leurrace

,parce qu ’il e t a i t attendu par le peuple Hébreu

,

annoncé par les Proph éte s , qu e étaient Hébreux , e t

que son a vén eme n t,ses actes

,s a passion

,s a mort

e t s a résurrection étaient comme figu rés d’avance

dans les sacrifices,le culte e t les cérémonies de la loi

des Hébreux .

L e s Angesme sont pas tours de purs esprits décision conforme d u d e u xiéme Concile de N icée . Existence de créatures ou animaux raisonnables autres quel ’homme

,e t ayant comme lui u n corps e t une ame .

E t quoi ces animaux di fferent - ils de l ’homme Quelleest leur origine Descendent—ils

,comme tous les

hommes d ’

Ad am,d ’un seul individu Y a - t - i l entre

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH

ROBE RT FLOOD (ROB E RTUS DE F L UCTI B US) , THEE NGLISH ROS ICRUC I AN

IT is a reflection on the knowledge of the compilersof all books treating of the history and topographyof Kent

,that perhaps the most remarkable man born

in it—because his pursuits lay out of the beaten trackof recognition or of praise— should not be mentionedin any of the descriptive or biographical works thatwe have met with concerning that county—undoubte d ly one of the most interesting i n England . I n

some general biographies and dictionaries the name ofRobert Fludd

,Doctor of Medicine

,e tc .

,does occur .

But the notices concerning his life are very scanty,

possibly because there was little material for themexistent in his own age . We have

,in our studies of

the Rosicrucian doctrines,purposely made the life of

Dr . Robert Flood an obj ect of close examination . Wehave searched for every possible personal memorialof him . We have been rewarded with

,however

,but

fragmentary matter . Ou r information concerning h islife is quite the reverse of extensive

,notwithstanding

our intimacy with his writings .

Ou r ideas and conviction in regard of this trulygreat man being what they are

,the extreme curiosity

,

and the vivid interest,may be divined with which

we set out on our first expedition to discover,and to

make ourselves fully acquainted With his place of birth,

and his own place and the seat of his family . It

was in the afternoon of a summer day that we sought408

THE GRAVE OF A ROSICRUCIAN 409

out the village of Bersted,situate a few miles distant

from Maidstone in Kent,on the Ashford Road . Flood

is buried in the ancient church (a small one) of Bersted—a village

,or rather hamlet

,boasting an assemblage

of larger or smaller houses around a green,none of

any considerable pretension ; cottages—neat specimens of English rural cottages they may be called

,

with small gardens,varying gables

,and crossed lat

tices . There are woody grounds and picturesquehop - plantations enclosing this quiet

,homely - looking

place with its solemn church up an elevation in thecorner of this extensive triangular green—with excellent smooth cricket—space in the centre . The churchin which he lies l—what words for such a man . Tou s —or to any Rosicrucian student who knew whohe was and what he had done—h e was the wholecountry . Hi s influence extended from and vivifi e d

everything—this,the whole way from The Star

the old inn,or rather hotel

,from which we had started

in the morning in order to pilot our way thither ;through the quiet country

,passing few people and

only small groups of cattle straggling along the sunshiny road .

It was with feelings j ust as reverential,j ust as

melancholy,and greatly as enthusiastic

,as those with

which we contemplated the tomb of Shakespearein Stratford - on -Avon

,that we stood (knowing the man ,

as it were,so well) silent and absorbed— revolving

many—many thoughts—before the oblong slab ofdark slate - coloured marble —(greatly like Shakespeare ’s again)—which covered the place of last deposition o i Rob e rtu s de F lu ctib u s—as into which parallelhe had latiniz ed

,according to the usage mostly of the

Elizabethan period,his name—Robert Fludd or Flood .

Flood’s monument occupies a large space of the wallof the chancel on the left hand

,as you stand before

4 1 9 THE ROSICRUGIAN s

the altar looking up the body of the small churchtowards the door . The monument is singularly likeShakespeare ’s

,even allowing for the prevailing

architectural fashion of the time . There is a seatedhalf length figure of Flood with his hand on a boo

,k as

if j ust raising his head,from reading

,to look at you .

Th e figure i s nearly of life - size . There i s,moreover

,a

very striking similarity in Dr . Flood’s grand thinkingcountenance to that of Shakespeare himself

,and his

brow has all the same breadth,and is as equally suggest

ive of knowledge and of power .

The church of B ersted is very small and old . Thesquare tower of the church is covered with masses ofdark ivy . The grassy ground slopes

,with its burial

mounds,from about the foundation of th

’

e old buildingtowards ‘the somewhat distant village of B ersted . Thechurchyard descends in picturesque inclination

,and

is divided by a low brick - wall over which,here and

there,

flowers and overgrowth have broadly scaledfrom the garden of the old- fashioned

,though neat

looking rustic,picturesque parsonage . There is a

winding green lane,with high hedges

,which leads down

to the village . All is open,and quietly rural . It is

true English scenery,homely and still . The large

trees,and the abundance of turfy cover over the whole

ground - view,pleases . The rustic impression and the

deep country silence b e fi t that spot where one of themost extraordinary thinkers in the English roll oforiginal men lies at rest . When we were in this neighb ou rhood

,and on the first occasion that we sought

out Bersted,it was a calm grey summer’s afternoon .

The still clouds,which seemed to prolong the grey gen

eral haze dwelling on the more distant landscape,were

impressive of a happy—quietly happy - repose . An d

as we stood on our retur n towards Maidstone - havingspent

,we believe

,upwards of three hours in me d ita t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 1 2 THE ROSICRUCIANS

He travelled for Six years in France,Spain

,Italy

,and

Germany . He was a member of the College of Physici a n s

,L ondon . He was M .E .

,M .D .

,B A

,and MA .

The latter degree he took in 1 605 . He began to publishin 1 6 1 6 . He died at his house in Coleman Street

,

L ondon,in the year 1 63 7 . Flood is also stated by Fuller

to have lived in F a n ch u rch Street .

The list of Flood’s works comprise the following

1 . Utri u squ e Cosmi , M a jori s cl M i n or i s , Techn i ca Hi s tor i a .

Oppe n he im,1 61 7 . In Two Volume s , F o lio .

2 . Tr a cta tu s Apologeti cu s I n tegr i ta temSoci eta ti s d e Ros e a - Cru ce

d efe n d e n s . L eyde n ,1 61 7 .

3 . M on ochordon M u n d i Symphon i a rum,s eu Repli ca tio a d

Apologi amjoh a n n i s Kepler i . F r a n cfort , 1 620 .

q

4 . A n a tomi a Th e a trumTr ipli ci E fi‘lgi e D e s ign a tum. At th e

s ame pla ce , 1 623 .

5 . Ph i los oph i a S a cr a et vere Chri s ti a n a , s eu M eteorologi a Cosmi ca .

At th e s ame pla ce , 1 626 .

6 . M ed i ci n a C a tholi ca , s eu M ys te r i umArti s M edi ca n d i S a crar i am. Th e s ame , 1 626 .

7 . I n tegrumM orborumM ys te ri um. Th e s ame , 1 63 1 .

8 . Cla vi s Ph i los ophiw e tAlchymiw. Th e s ame , 1 63 3 .

9 . Ph i los oph i a M os a i ca . Gon da s , 1 63 8 .

1 0 . P a thologi a Dwmon i a ca . Th e s ame , 1 640 .

Th e above account of Flood’s Rosicrucian works isfrom Fuller ’s Worth i e s .

There are notices of Dr . Flood in the Ath e n w et F a s ti

Oxon i e n s i s ; in Chalmers ’ B i ogr a phi ca l D i cti on a ryunder the names of Flood

,Mersenne

,and Gassendi ;

in Granger’s Cele br a ted Ch a r a cte r s and in Re n a u d ot,

Con fe re n ce s Pu bliqu e s , tom . iv : page 87 . Also inBrucker .

Upon Flood’s monument there are two marblebooks bearing the following titles —M i s te r i umC a b a li sti cum

,and Ph i los ophi a Sa cr a . There were originally

eight books represented in all studding the frontof the tablet (as the look of it may be described) .

The inscription to his memory is as follows

THE SOCI E TY SE CRE T AND UNKNOWN 4 1 3

vi i i . Di e Me n s i s vi i . (8th Septembe rOd or ib u s vr n a va pora t crypta tegit cin e r e s n e c s pe cio s a tvos ovod

morta le min vs tib i . Te commi timu s vn umi n ge n i i vive n t h ic

mon ume n ta tu i n amtibi qu i s imilis s cr ib itmor itu r -

qu e s ep u lch rump ro tota e te rn umpo s te r ita te fa cit . Hoc mo n ume n tumThoma sF lood Gor e Covr te in - or ama pu d Ca n ti a n os a rmige r i n foe lis s imami n ch a ri s s imi p a tru i s u i memor i ame rexit , d ie Me n s is Augu s ti ,

MDCXXXVIII .

In the life of the astronomer Gassendi will be foundsome mention of the career

,and of the distinctions

,

of Robert Flood . A work of Gassendi ’s bearing thetitle E pi s toli ca E xerci ta ti o, i n qu a pre cipu a pr i n cip i a

ph i los ophi a e Rob e rti F lu d d i d etegu n tu r , et a d r ece n te s

i lli u s li br i s a dve r s u s pa tr emM a r i n umM e r s e n n ums cr iptos r e spon d etu r was printed at Paris in 1 628 .

This piece was reprinted in the third volume of Gasse n d i

’

s works published at Paris in 1 658, under thetitle of E xame n Ph i los ophiw F lu dd a n ce

,etc . Flood

wrote two books against Me r s e n n u s,who had assailed

his philosophy . The title of the first book wasSophi a cumM or i a Ce rtame n

,i n qu o L a p i s L yd i u s a

fa ls o s tru ctore P a tr e M a r i n o M e r s e n n o,mon a cho r e

prob a tu s , volumi n i s s u i B a bylon i ci i n Ge n e s i figu r a taa ccu r a te - exami n a t. This work was

‘

pub lished in Folioat F r a n cfort in 1 629 . The name of the second bookwas Summumbon orum

, qu od e s t ve rumma gi d e, C a b a lw,

Alchymi a e , F r a trumR a sm- Cru ci s Vi rorum. s u bjectumi n d i cta rums ci e n ti a rumla u d em

,i n i n s ign i s ca lumn i a tor i s

F r . M a r . M er s e n n i d ed ecu s pu bli ca tum, per joa chimF r i z i um

,1 629 .

I n this Book,which we now bring to a close in its

Fourth Edition,we have traced and expounded the

philosophy of the authentic Rosicrucians,as developed

in the folios of the celebrated Dr . Flood,Rob e r tu s

de F lu ctib u s We are the first Author who hasbrought forward Flood’s name to the reading world

,

j ustified his claims,and made him known through

41 4 THE ROSICHUCIANS

the most laboured and long - studied translation withcontinual reference to hundreds of books in all languages

,dead and living

,which bore reference to Flood’s

sublimest philosophical speculations . All the worldhas heard of the Rosicrucians—few or none haveever taken the trouble to ascertain whether thestupendous and apparently audacious claims of thesephilosophers were rightly or wrongly estimatedthat is

,whether to be adj udged as founded on the rock

of truth,or seeking steadiness and root only in the

sands of delusion . The Author began his inquiries,

in the year 1 850 ,in a spirit of the utmost disbelief ;

thus taught by the world’s assumptions and opinions .

Much of this indoctrinated preoccupation the wiseman has to unlearn in his progress through life . Fogs

,

and p reju d ice s ,'

a n d prepossessions cleared from theAuthor ’s mind as he advanced .

After the very considerable space of thirty—sixyears of study of the Rosicrucians

,the Author of this

work ends (a s he ends) . L e t the candid reader,him

self,j udge i n what frame of mind the Author of the

Rosicrucians concludes . How should any one com

p le te an inquiry in regard to the Maj estic B rothers ofthe Rosy Cross

,otherwise the Rosicrucians ? The

story of the Rosicrucians is of the widest interest .

The proof of this fact lies in the accumulation ofletters from persons in every condition of life addressedto the Authors of the present work since the pu b lica tion of the First Edition from all parts of the worldanonymously

,or with particulars of names

,etc .

The celebrated author of the Con fe s s i on s of a n

E n gli s h Op i umE a te r (Thomas de Quincey) , in hisRos i cru ci a n s a n d the F r e e -M a s on s

,originally pub

li s h e d in The L on don M a ga z i n e of January 1 824, alsocontinued in the succeeding number

,has this remark

able passage : ‘

Rosicrucianism 18 not Freemasonry .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH

NOTICE S O F ANC IE NT AUTHORITIE S

THE following extraordinary work—which is so rareand so valuable (see below) i n i ts or igi n a l ed i ti on ,

thatwe have reason to believe the Authors of the Ro s icru

ci a n s’

can congratulate themselves in being thepossessors

,in all probability

,of the on ly Copy in

existence—was suppressed,wherever found

,on its

appearance . The author,in reality

,was n ever known .

It is considered probable that this b ook had a paramount effect in bringing about

,and in compassing the

success of,the Reformation .

Di spu ta ti o N ova con tr a M u li ere s qu a P rob a tu r

e a s Homi n e s n on e s s e . A n n o MDXCV . The s e s d e

M u li e r i bu s qu od Homi n e s n on s i n t. Cum in Samaria,

u t in campo omn i s lice n ti a e,liberum sit credere e t do

cere, f e s umChr i s tum

,F iliumD e i Sa lva tor em e t

Re d e p tor ema n ima rumn os tr a rum,una cum Spiritu

Sa n cto non esse Deum,lice b i t op i n or etiam mihi

credere,quod multo minus est

,mu lie re s scilicet non

esse Homines—e t quod inde sequitur—Ch r i s tumergopro i i s non esse p a s s um,

nec eas salvari . Si enim nonsolum in hoc regno tole r a n tu r

,sed etiam ama gn a ti b u s

p r aemi i s a ffi ciu n tu r, qu i b la s ph ema n t Cr e a tor em,

curego e xiliumaut s u ppliciumtimere d e b e o , qui simp licite r co n vicio r cre a tu r am praesertim cum e o modoex Sa cr i s li te r i s probare po s s im,

mu lie r emnon essehominem

,quo illi probant Ch r i s tumnon esse Deum .

Admon i ti o Th eologi cw F a cu lta ti s i n Aca d emi a Wi teb e rge n s i , ad s ch ola s ticamju ve n tu tem,

de li b ello famoso4 1 6

NoTI CE S OF ANCI E NT AUTHORITI E S 4 1 7

e t b la s ph emo r e ce n s sparso,cuj us titulus est : D i s

pu ta ti o N ova con tr a M u li e r e s, qu a os te n d i tu r

,e a s

homi n e s n on e s s e . Wi te n b e rgae . E xcu d e b a t ViduaMatthee i We la ci

,Anno MDXCV

D efe n s i o Sexu s M u li e br i s,Opposita fu tili s s imae D i s

p u t a tion i r e ce n s e d itae,qua s upp r e s s o Au thor e s e t

Typogr a ph i nomine blaspheme co n te n d itu r . Mu li e r e s

Homines non Esse . Simon Ge d iccu s S.S. Theol . Doet .

,

etc . L ip s i ae , Apud He n r icumSamu e lemScip io n em,

Anno MDCCVI I IAuctor h uju s D i s s ert. r a r i s s ima credit : va le a t

Acid a liu s . Vide,inter alios

,F r e y ta gi i Analecta—de

li br i s r a r i or i bu s,p . 5 . (Very ancient handwriting

in the copy itself) Aci d a liu s died,aged 28 years only

,

1 4 . This is only surmise .

The authorship of the book is unknown . It wasrigorously suppressed .

CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH

MYSTE RIE S OF THE ANC IE NTSTHE ARK OF NOAH

NOTE to Pla te‘

M ys ter i um The explanation of thisengraving will be found at a previous page . Theancient volume from which it is taken is very rare

,

and bears the following title :

A n tiqu i ta tumI u d a i ca rumLI B RI IX '

I n qu i s , prwte r I vdwe,H i e ros olymorum,

cl TempliSa lomon i s a ccu r a tamd eli n e a ti on em

, prwcipu i Sa cr i

a c profa n i ge n ti s r i tu s d e s cr i bu n tu r (a u ctore Bened ictoAria Montano Hi s p a le n s i) . Ad i e cti s formis ee n e i s .

n dani B a ta vorum. Ex Offi ci n a Pla n te n i a n a apudF r a n ci s cumR a ph e le n gium— I 595 .

The Ark of Noah—the medium of escape from theDeluge

,and the mythic means of the perpetuation of

the Human Family (afterwards R a ce) . The PostDiluvian Signs of the Zodiac are here correctlydesignated as in number Twelve L e t the j udiciousReader remark that twelve times thirty are ThreeHundred - and - Sixty

,which is n ot the number of the

degrees of this symbolical plan . There are twelvedivisions in this ark . The centre space is that throughwhich the Dove or Raven escaped out into theopen in search of its new home

,or into the restored

world when the waters went down or disappearedEach of the twelve spaces in the accompanying plancontains twenty- fi ve degrees

,which make an aggregate

of three hundred degrees The mythical figure con

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH

CABALISTIC ILLUSTRATIONS . THE SAN - GRE AL E,CREAL ,

OR HOLY GREAL E

THE engraving No . 4 at the end gives the mystical idea ,or suggestion

,of the Round Table of the Knights of

King Arthur,which is again typical of the San Gr é a l .

The romance of Guyot,or at least the traditional fable

of the Sa n Crea l,spread over France

,Germany

,and

England . I n the twelfth century the dogma of transubstantiation not being yet defined by the Church

,

the ch a li ce,the mark of the Knights Templars

,had

not the deep mystic meaning which it received in thefollowing century . The gr a a l signifies a va s e . TheSan Gr é a l i s identified with the vessel in which J esuscelebrated the Holy Supper

,and which also was used

to receive Hi s blood flowing from the wound inflictedupon Himby the centurion L onginus .

Walter Mapes,the historian of the San Gr e a l

,ascribes

to it a supernatural origin . He gave out that Godwas its real author

,and had revealed it

,in a celestial

vision,to a holy hermit of Britain towards the year

A .D . 720 . This writer makes Joseph one of thecoryphce i of his history of the San Gr é a l . After fortytwo years of captivity Joseph of Arimathaea

,the

guardian of the Grail or Gre a l,is at last set at liberty

by the Emperor Vespasian . I n possession of the sacredvessel

,and a few more relics

,and accompanied by his

relations and disciples Hebron and Alain the Fishermen

,he travels over a part of Asia

,where he converts

E n e la ch,King of Sarras . He then goes to Rome

,and

th ence to Britain,where he preaches the gospel and

420

THE SAN—GREAL E 42 1

performs thirty - four miracles . He settles in the I sland Yn i swi tr i n

,Isle of Glass (the Gr

'

e'

a l is of emerald,

and consequently green) , or Gla s tonbury, where hefounds an Abbey (Glastonbury Abbey) , and institutesthe Round Table (Arthur did this) , in imitation of theHoly Supper

,which was partaken of at a Round

Table ’ with the Twelve D isciples,in their mythical

dou ble - pla ce s,twenty - four in all

,and with the double

chief- seat or ‘ cathedra ’ for the President or theSaviour L astly

,the apostle of the B ritons builds

a

'

palace,in which he preserves his precious relics

,

the Sacred Cup (refused to the L aity as a communion) ,which takes the name of San Gre a l

,the bloody spear

(the upright of the St . George ’s Cross,to whom the

Garter is dedicated) , with which the centurionL onginus pierced the Side of the L ord

,from whence

issued blood and water —the Rosicrucian heraldiccolours (royal) , M a rs—Re d ; L u n a—Argent (orFire and There are Eight Angels

,one

to each half - heaven,or dark or light sides

,guarding

the Four Corners of the World .

The Sacred Cup is identified with the vessel of theHoly Supper . The Templars a re the successors ofthe Knights of the Round Table . Their successorsagain were the Knights of Malta

,with their Eight

L angues or Nations— each represented in a bladeof

,or ray

,of the Eight—pointed RE D Templar Cross .

The Temple Church,L ondon

,was dedicated to St .

Mary . The Gr é a l is a sort of oracle . It is,so to

speak,at the orders of the Mother of God to execute

all He r’ commands . Pa rs iva l—the German cham

pion - hero—thinks of transporting the Gr é a l to theEast

,from whence it originally came . He takes the

San Gre a l,embarks at Marseilles with the Templars

,

and arrives at the court of his brother F e ir ifix inIndia . The Sacred Cup manifests a desire that Pa r

422 THE ROSICRUCIANS

sival should remain possessor of the Gr e a l and onlychange his name into that of Prester J ohn (Pr e s tre ,or Prétr e

,Jehan

,or John) . P a r s iva l and the Temp

lars settle in India . After the disappearance of theGre a l in the West

,King Arthur and the Knights of

the Round Table,losing the central obj ect or the

Rose (Rosicrucianism) of the Table , go on a scattered (Knight - Errant or romantic) championship insearch of it . They travel over the world—b u t invain . They cannot find the ‘

Gré a l For it is forever h i dd e n in the far East ’

,or in the land of the

Sun Wolfram von Eschenbach tells us that MeisterGuyot - le - Provencal found at Toledo an Arabianbook

,written by an astrologer named F lege ta n i s , con

taining the story of the marvellous vase called Gré a l

The sacred vase,or the San Gre a l

,was placed

,

according to the myth of Guyot,in a Temple (or

Chapel) , guarded by Knights Temple i s or Tem-pla i s

(Knights Templars) . The Temple of the Gr e a l wasplaced upon a mountain in the midst of a thick wood .

The name of this mysterious mountain (like the MountMeru of the Hindoos and Olympus of the Greeks)hints sublimity and secrecy . Guyot calls it M on t

Sa lva gge , wild or inaccessible mountain (or HolyWay The Gr é a l was made of a wonderful Stonecalled E xi lli s

,which had once been the most brilliant

j ewel in the Crown of the Archangel L uciferthe gem was emerald (green ; Friday ; the unluckyin one sense

,the sacred ’ woman’s day in another

sense) . This famous legendary stone was struck outof the crown or helmeted double—rayed or doublespringing winged crown—mythically—of the Princeof the Archangels in his conflict withthe opposing ‘ general of the skies —Saint Michael

,

the Champion of Heaven ’ and the combative

guardian of innocence and of‘ virginity ’

(mark) .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Rou n d Ta ble(Myth ica l )

1 . ROSE Cr u cifi e d’

2 . RO SE ‘r e s tor e d to L i fe ’

3 .

‘ CON S UMMATI ON

CHAPTER THE N INETEENTH

THE ROUND TA B LE IS THE RATIONALE OR APOTHE OS ISOF THE MOST NOB LE THE ORDE R OF THE GARTE R

HON I - S OIT QUI MAL -Y - PEN SE

THE Round Table of King Arthur is a Grand Mythologica l Synthesis . It is a Whole Mythology in itself .

It is perennial . It is Christian . B y tradition ,the

Roun d Table of King Arthur devolves from the veryearliest period . The illustration opposite a previouspage was copied from the original with great care andattention . King Arthur

,in the principal seat , is

idealized in the person of King Henry the Eighth,in

whose time the Round Table is supposed to have beenrepaired and refaced . I n the Revolution

,Cromwell ’s

soldiery,after the capture of Winchester

,and in the

fury at the imputed idea of i dola try (the Round Tableis the English made a target of it .

The marks of many balls are still conspicuous .

The fi ve - leaved Roses (Re d a n d White RosesRhod i on

,Rhode s—Knights of Rhodes or of Malta, th e

424

THE ROSE - E N—SOL E I L 425

successors of the Templars) typify the Ten OriginalSigns of the Zodiac . Re d - Rose

,Five Signs (Aspiration

or Ascension) ; White Rose , Five Signs (or L eaves) ,Descension (or

‘ Con - descension,or S.S.

,or Holy

Ghost (the key of the whole a potheos i s according tothe mystical J acob B oehme n ) .

The whole is radiant (notwithstanding that the raysare gr e e n otherwise expressive of the L i n e a Vi r i d i s

s e u B e n ed i cta Vi r i d i ta s —Rosicrucian) . (See formerpages) out from the

‘ seed - spot ’

,or ‘ Golden Sun

’

(Grand Astronomical Central Flame) , in the centre .

This double - rose,barbed ’ or thorned Sol

,is (in

this form) the Tudor Rose (the Ros e - e n - Sole i l,be it

remembered,was another of the Tudor badges) ;

denoting the union of the Houses of York and L ancasterin the person of Harry the Eighth .

It will be observed that each Knight of the RoundTable is seated as at the base of an ob eli s k. Thearchitectural obeliscar form (rayed , or spread , orbladed) is universal , all the world over , both i n

‘

old

times and modern times . The Egyptian Obelisks aresacred to the Sun . The Paladins of Charlemagnewere Twelve in number . The

‘

Marshals of Franceshould be twelve in number . The Judges of England

,

according to old constitutional r a ti on a le,Should be

twelve ; as the number of a Jury are twelve . All

these are mythical of the Twelve Signs,or Divisions

,

of the Zodiac,the Twelve Jewish Tribes

,the twelve

oracular stones in the breastplate of the High Priestof the Jews

,and

,in the Christian aspect of the mys

tici sm,the Twelve Apostles ; with the Reprobate

Condemned Central Sign as Judas,the Traitor . The

whole is Cabalistic in the highest degree ; a n d the re

for e ord i n a r i ly u n i n te lligi ble . It signifies the SecondDispensation

,or the astrological reproduction and

re arrangement of the Zodiac , when the original Ten

426 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Signs of the Ecliptic (mythically the gla d i u s of theArchangel Michael) became Twelve ; and when themystic system underwent the GRE ATE ST CHANGEpresenting a new traditionary and reproductive face .

(Refer to Chapter on the origin of the Order of theGarter

,previous

,and thenceforward .)

5 1 0 . P erceva l L e Ga lloys Tre spla i s a n te et Recre a tive Hys toi re

d u Tre s preu lx e t va i lla n t Cheva lli er Perceva l le ga lloys ja di s cheva lli erd e la Ta ble ron d e . L equ el a cheva le s a dve n tu re s du s a i n ct Gr a a l.

Avec a u lchu n s fa ictz b e lliqu eu lx du n oble cheva lli er Ga uva i n . E t

a u ltre s Cheva lli ers e s ta n s a u temps d u n oble Roy Arthu s , n on a u

pa ra va n t Impr ime . On le s ve n d a u Pa lla is a Pa r is . E n la bou tiqu ed e J eh a n logis . J e h a n s a in ct de n is , e t G a lliot d u p re . [A la fi n ]E t fu t a cheve d e Impr ime r le premie r j ou r d e Septembr e . L a n

mil ci n q ce n ts tre n te F olio . ihla cit l tttrr , fi n e woodcu tborde r to title

, woodcu ts , old fre n ch olive morocco e xtr a , gi lte dge s , 1 3 5l. Au g. 1 879 . 29 N ew B on d Str e e t .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

428 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

mentioned of its publication,by Pierre Mortier . Upon

the title - page of the fi r s t—named of these books a ppears the rescript Quod tanto imp e n d io a b s con d itu r ,etiam solum - modo d emon s tr a r e

,d e s tru e r e est .

’

Tertullian .

These works were considered— although writtenfrom the questioning and cautiously satirical pointas unwelcome and even obnoxious ; even among

those who freely commented on religion . N e ve rth e

less they provoked (and still provoke) extraordinarycuriosity .

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - FIRST

RE MARKS RE LATING TO THE GRE AT MYSTIC,

ROBE RT ‘

DE F LUCTI B US’

THE noted mystic,Jacob Boehm

,was born in the

year 1 575 , and is said to have died in the year1 6 1 9 . He was undoubtedly acquainted with thevolumes of Rob e r tu s de F lu ctib u s

,known as the

English RosicrucianThere is considerable doubt whether there were

not two Robert F lu d d s,and whether

,in reality

,the

theories and the mystic ideas of the one were notaccepted as arising from the other . The followingattestation will sufficiently establish these importantfacts

Quelques bibliographes ont confondu Robert Flood

(the Rosicrucian Philosopher) , avec u n autre Robert,

dominicain Anglais,n é a York

,e t qu i flor i s s a it dans

le 1 4°

Si écle .

Ce religieux avait fait aussi des recherches e t

laissé des e cr itS sur les Mysteres de la Nature e t cc

qui l ’avait fait surnommer Perscrutator (le Chercheur Jean Pits e t Jacques Echard

,d ’apres Jean

L eland,lui attribuent D e impr e s s i on i bu s a er i s d e

M i r a bi li bu s E leme n torumd e M a gi a Cce r emon i a li ; d eM ys ter i i s Secretorum e t Corr e ctor i um Alchymiw.

’

B i ogr a phi e Un ive r s elle —Tome Quinzieme , p . 1 09,e t s upr a .

The character of the above books by Robert Flood,

the Dominican,and the close similarity of his studies

429

43 0 THE ROSICRUCIANS

with those of the famous Robert Flood,or Rob e rtu s

de F lu ctib u s of Milga te House , in Kent , would seemto come very near to proof that there was some familydescent from the one to the other . The circumstanceswill at all events go a long way towards establishinga possible connexion or relationship between thefirst Robert and the second Robert though dividedthrough such a long space of time as intervenesbetween the fourteenth century and the period ofJ ames the First and Charles the First .

I n all the matters treated of in this b ook,

. i n themeaning and purpose of art— such as music partienla rly

l—the grand philosophical contention is,whether

the world may be said to have sprung —to applythe word thus— from FE E LING

,or was constructed

so to describe the mythic making of nature— fromSC IE NCE . In this distinction lies everything of philosophic abstraction in regard to the subj ects POWE Rand ‘

L OVE ’

,as originators of the scheme of things .

We may put the question in other words as a

theosophic speculation,whether ‘

Ma n —and therefore ‘ art —is from the HE AD

,or the HE ART . We

think entirely the latter,in as far as LOVE is greater

than WISDOM ’

,and is its ruler . I n this great fact

lies all the hope of the world . By wisdom and j usticethe world is naught . Mercy and love (the IMMORTALPITY alone saves the world . Therefore contrition .

Therefore sacrifice . Therefore submission—submissionand innocence ‘ like as little childr enIt follows from the above that to this possible

relaxing of the sternness of punishment (‘ JUSTICE

the saints penetrated . This means the theosophic,

all - s u ffici e n t (because accepted)‘

Propitiation,

’

orthe sacrifice of the SAVIOUR or of the sensitiveside of human nature ’

. I n this emotion from theheart lies all religion

,and all that we can know of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - SECOND

ALCHE MY . THE POWE R OF PRODUC ING GOLD AND

S ILVE R,THROUGH ARTIFICIAL ME ANS . DOCTRINE

OF THE ROS ICRUC IANS

THE persuasion as to the possibility of the convertib ili ty of the metals , and as to the existence of a mastermeans of improving and intensifying generally throughall nature

,until the confine was approached ; and

then by supernatural method (that i s ,I

supernaturalto the world of man) , that this border - line or limit

(apparently so invincible) was passed over (indeedeva d ed ) with power of return into the world with thefruits of the daring exploration openly in the hands—this idea

,which nothing could drive out of the

mind,was fi xe d— spite of all the sense of those who

supposed such contradictions . The proper cool - headedrealization of the impossibilities

,so far as Nature

made them impossibilities,was not entertained .

There was much that urged— as a prime motivesuch destruction as that effected by the Caliph Omar

,

on his conquest of Alexandria,in his committal to

the flames of the famous Alexandrian L ibrary .

”

Thisdestruction is usually taken as a reason for this e limi nation or extinguishment of previous accumulationsof such imagined priceless value . It was not j ealousy

,

but fe a r,that actuated the Caliph Omar .

The obj ect of the Sultan,in regard to this immense

collection of writings,is well known

,and is usually

attributed to the dogmatism and narrowness of hisViews in regard to his Mohammedan beliefs —namely,

43 2

THE PHI LOSOPHE RS ’ STONE 43 3

that if the books contained any philosophy whichj ustified or explained

,or enforced

,the religion of

Mahomet,or any wisdom which could b e interpreted

as explanatory of it,i t was needless

,because all such

was already contained in the Kor a n and that if ittaught other things

,or advanced any contrary r e ligi

ous beliefs,i t was correspondingly mischievous

,and

as such should be relentlessly destroyed . Thus theCaliph took up such a position that he was right bothways . All the secrets of alchemy were supposed tobe contained in the Alexandrian L ibrary .

The sun is alchemic gold . The moon is alchemicsilver . I n the operation of these two potent spirits

,

or mystic rulers of this world,it is supposed

,astrologic

ally,that all phenomena are produced . It is a com

mon opinion,and it is a generally assumed idea

,even

among the most learned,that that which is called

Th e,

Ph i los oph er s ’ Ston e is a mere fable . It prevailsas an assurance in all books of instruction

,or of learn

ing,that it is purely roma n ti c—a delusion—a wild

idea—poetical,and therefore necessarily untrue . B u t

all poetry—even poetry— is true enough in a certainway

,and whilst it is conceived in the mind

,j ust the

same as the colou r of the flower,which has nothing

to do with the flower . It is very difficult to get overthe assertions of competent : persons as to the possib ility of making gold . The chemical records aboundwith accounts of its artificial production

,and of its

having been exhib ited under extraordinary—and cert a i n ly (necessarily) under secret circumstances . A

multitude of ancient and modern philosophers havecontended that in the secret spirits of nature

,urging

towards the light and towards the sun,which is gold

(Chry s os , or the there was a movementin all matter towards extrication

,and therefore out

of the cu rs e of nothingness,or of matter Thence

F F

43 4 THE ROSICRUCIANS

the precious gold,prepared and purged by the scorch

ing fire . AS to the possibility of metals being transmuted from one into the other

,doctored ’

,as we

may say,in the skill of the alchemists

,and purged

by the fierce con fl a gr a tion ,clear of their defacements

,

d e fi leme n ts,and d i s e a s e s

,into the divine a n ge li c gold

- responsive to the sun’s brightness —as to thisstupendous art—b elieved in by the ancients

,wholly

discredited by the modems—L i b a viu s brings forward many instances i n his treatise D e N a tu r a M e ta l

lorum. He produces accounts to this effect out ofGe b e ru s

,Hermes

,Ar n old u s

,Gu a cciu s

,Thomas Aquinas

(Ad F r a tr em,c . I) , Bernardus Comes , Joannes Ru n giu s ,

Baptista Porta,Ru b e u s

,Dor n e s iu s

,Voge liu s , Pe n otu s ,

Qu e rce ta n u s , and others . Franciscus Picus (in hisbook D e Au ro

,sec . 3 , c . 2) gives e ighte e n instances

in which he saw gold produced by alchemical transmutation .

The principles and grounds for concluding thatthere may be su ch an art pos s i ble as alchemy

,we

Shall sum up as follows . Firstly,i t is assumed that

every metal consists of mercury as a common versatileand flexible base

,from which all metals Spring

,

and into which they may be ultimately reduced byart . Secondly

,the s pe ci e s of metals and their specific

and essential forms are not subj ect to transmutation,

but only the individuals ; in other words , what isgeneral is abstract and invisible

,what is particular

is con cr ete and visible,and the refore can be acted

upon . Thirdly,all metals differ

,not in their com

mon nature and matter,but in their degree of perfect

ion or purity towards that i n vi s i ble light to whichall matter tends for its relief or r e s cu e— that celestial

,

imperishable glory,which necessarily in the world

of sentience or possibility of recognition to itself (oroneness) , must have

‘ matter ’

(in this world made

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

43 6 THE ROSICE UCIANS

passages) some of the ideas of that very remarkablechemist and speculative philosopher

,B . V . Van He l

mont,advanced in his P a r a doxa l D i s cou r s e s con cern

i n g the M a crocosma n d M i crocosm,or th e Gr e a ter a n d

L e s s er World,a n d Th e i r Un i on .

1

Metals consist universally of a hot and a cold sulphur . They are as of male and female ; in respectto both of which

,the more intimately they be united

or naturally interwoven,the nearer those metals

approach to the nature of gold . An d from the difference and disparity of this union (according to theproportion and quantity of every one) , arises the distinction of all metals and minerals— that is

,in the

due proportions,as the said sulphurs are more or less

united in them .

If metals be produced,and consist by the union

of these two,where then is there room for a third

principle in metals—which is vulgarly called saltand which is spoken of by the chemists who makesalt

,sulphur

,and mercury the principles of all metals

B u t this is indeed only an enigmatical speech ofthe chemists . For when we see that the superfluouscombustible sulphur

,which is found in great quantity

in the ore of the perfectly united metals,is bymor tifi

cation,transmutation

,or calcination

,changed into

an acid salt,it ceaseth to be sulphur . Now

,foras

much as all of the said sulphur can be changed intoa salt

,so as that it cannot be rechanged into brim

stone back again (because the salt serveth only as ameans to dissolve the two perfect sulphurs in orderto unite them) and whereas the white incombustibles ulphur can never be changed into salt , how can wethen make out three parts or principles which concur

1 L on don : Pr i n te d by J . C . a n d F re ema n Colli n s , for Robe r tKe ttlewe l

,a t Th e Ha n d a n d Scepte r , n e a r S. Du n s ta n

’

s Chu rchin F le e t Str e e t . 1 685 .

M E DI UM OF ALCHEM I CAL PRODUCTION 43 7

to the composition of metals ? For two fathers toone mother would be monstrous and superfluous ;forasmuch as both of them are but one and the same .

L ikewise,also

,th e re ~ca n n ot be two mothers to one

father,in order to the bringing - forth of one birth

,

for so there would be two births,out of each mother

one . For it cannot be denied that to generate achild

,whether boy or girl (of which the one hath more

of the father’s nature and property,the other more

of the mother’s) , there needs only a union of manand wife

,and it is impossible that a third thing Should

be superadded essentially .

This visible,glorious

,spiritual body may lead us

to endless glorious thoughts and meditations namely,

i f we consider that in all the sands created by God,

there is a little gold and silver from whence all otherbeings do exist and have their being

,as proceeding

from their father,the Sun

,and their mother

,the

Moon . From the sun , as from a living and spiritualgold

,which is a mere fire

,and beyond all thoroughly

refined gold,and

,consequently

,is the common and

universal first created mover (even as is the heartof man) , from whence all move a ble things derive alltheir distinct and particular motions and also fromthe moon

,as from the wife of the sun

,and the common

mother of all sublunary things .

An d forasmuch as man is,and must be

,the compre

h e n s ive end of all creatures,and the L ittle World (in

whom all seeds exist and are perfected,which thence

forth can never be annihilated) , we Shall not fi n d i tstrange that he is counselled (Rev. iii . 1 8) to b uygold tried in the fire (the Greek words imply goldall or thoroughly fired

,or all a mere fire ) , that he

may become rich and like unto the sun,as on the

contrary he becomes poor when he doth abuse thearsenical poison

,so that his silver by the fire must

43 8 THE ROSICRUCIANS

be burnt to dross,which comes to p a Ss when he will

keep and hold the menstrual b lood (out of whichhe in part exists) , for his own property in his ownthoughts and ou two rki n gs , and doth not daily offerup the same in the fire of the sun

,to the end the

Woman may be clothed with the Sun andbecome a ‘ Sun and thereby rule over the Moon thatis to say

,that he may get the Moon under his feet

as we may see,Rev. xii . i .

Forasmuch as we are here treating concerning gold,

it will not be inconvenient to query yet further,

Whether is anything more to be considered and takennotice of about gold—namely

,How many sorts of

gold there be 71 An d how gold is properly formed ?

There are three sorts of gold .

l

Firstly . There is a white gold,which hath the

weight and all the qualities of gold except the colourfor it is white as silver

,and hath either lost its colour

or hath not yet attained it .

Secondly . The second sort of gold is of a paleyellow colour .

Thirdly . The third sort is a high,yellow - coloured

gold . B u t how little the tincture or colour doth,that

is in gold,we may perceive from what follows

1 . I n that the first sort,namely

,the white gold

,in

its substance is as ponderous as any other gold,from

which hint or instance we may see how little thecolour co n d u ce th to the being of gold ; seeing it isnot at all

,or very hardly to be perceived in its weight

and substance .

2 . The whole body of common gold is nothing else,

and cannot consist of anything else,but Silver

,which

is a perfect body,and wants nothing of being gold

but the fiery male tincture . If now it should happenthat a certain quantity of Silver Should be tinged intogold with one grain of tincture

,and that the said

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

440 THE ROSICRUCIANS

given them their form,and as it was before it entered

into the composition of gold and silver,at the beginn

ing of their being made such . An d forasmuch as thesaid tincture is to tinge the other metals through andthrough not mechanically but vitally and naturally

,it

must of necessity abound with the said perfect metallicyellow and white tincture . Now silver and gold (according to what has been said) cannot mechanicallytake in more than they stand in need of themselves .

The question therefore is,From whence such a tincture

as this must be taken . An d this question,in itself

,

may be said to include the whole challenge to thepowers of alchemy .

We are likewise to weigh and consider how it canbe

,that such a little body of one grain Should natur

a llv be able so to subtiliate itself, as to be able topierce a body of a pound weight in all its parts whichcommonly is held to be impossible

,because they

suppose the metals to b e mere gross bodies,and that

one body cannot penetrate another .

As k Nature of what Sh e makes gold and silver inthe gold and Silver mines

,and she will answer thee

,

out of red and white arsenic ; but she will tell theewithal

,that indeed gold and Silver are made of the

same . For the gold which is there in its vitalplace where it is wrought and made

,is killed by the

abundance of arsenic,and afterwards made alive

again and volatilized,to bring forth other creatures

,

as vegetables and animals,and , to give unto them

their being and life . From whence we may conclude,

that gold is not only in the earth, to be dug thenceand made into coin and plate for should we supposethis

,it would follow

,that an incomprehensible great

quantity of gold must have been created in vain,and

be of no use at all,there being vast quantities of gold

which never are,nor ever can be

,dug - up . An d n ow

L I F E OF THE M E TAL S 44 1

to draw a parallel between the divine part or soulof man

,and the purged and perfected gold .

Seeing that man,as a perfect and express Image

of God,had all create d beings

,and consequently all

living creatures in himself,and that therefore it would

have been unnecessary to bring the outward livingcreatures outwardly to him ; must it not then besupposed

,that this was d one inwardly in the centre

,

wherein Adam then stood . An d that in this centrehe gave to all creatures their proper and essentialnames

,forasmuch as this could not have been done

by him,in case the essential living ideas of the said

creatures had not been in him,from which he gave

forth those essential names,as water gu s h e th out

from a living fountain . An d may we not thereforewith evidence conclude from hence that the Gardenof Eden was not only an outward place withoutman . Doth it not also clearly appear from this thatthe Garden of Eden was not only a place withoutman For that when Adam by his FALL had lostthe inward life out of the centre (which proceedsfrom the centre to the circumference) , a n d wa s comei n to the ci rcumfe re n ce

,his eyes we re opened so that

now he was fain to take in his light from withoutfrom the outward world

,because his own ‘ inward

world was hid and shut up from him and now hesaw his earthliness and bodily nakedness (which is thepresent state of all men in the world) , for before hewas fu ll of light from the continual irradiation fromthe centrePure gold is the sediment or settlement of ‘ light

It is the child of the Sun and is implanted andperfected by him .

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - THIRD

THE OUTLINE OF THE CABALA,OR KABB ALAH . ITS

MYSTIC IND ICATIONS . THE PURPOSE OF THE

GRE AT ARCHITE CT O F THE UN IVE RSE IN THE

SE NS IBLE AND SPIRITUAL WORLD S (NATURALAND SUPE RNATURAL) , AN D THE CHARACTE R OF

THE IR RE C I PROC ITY,AN D DOUB LE - WORKING

WHAT is more dream—like than the transactions in theApocalypse ? To ordinary comprehension

,the mys

te r ie s of the Cabala,and the outline (spiritual) of the

beginning of things,suggested in the Revelation of

Saint John,are equally unintelligible .

It seems natural to believe,that the All- Powerful

,

All-Wise Deity hath,before all t ime (as far back

as we can imagine) , formed and governed a world ofSpiritual beings

,active

,conscious

,having understand

ing and reason to conduct them,and p a s s i on s to

stimulate them . We may also conceive,that in so

enormous a rebellion as that of L ucifer,where so many

orders of operative spirits were drawn in,that several

(or many, or a multitude) of these did more eminentlytr a n s gre s s than others . Some

,from the heights of

arrogance and pride,against the Almighty D ispenser

of Rewards ; and others through malice and envy ,and some b y other specious pretences , according tothe powers and capacities they enj oyed in their severalstates of subordination

,in which they were placed ;

and therefore,at that p eriod, when they Shall be

solemnly tried,different degrees of punishment will

be awarded against them and for a larger or shorter

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

444 THE ROSICRUCIANS

of gravitation,or mutual attraction (gravity being ,

magically,the magnetic

,sensitive

,

‘

a n geli ca l efituvi um’ spoken of by Rob e rtu s de F lu cti b u s and theRosicrucians) . Such may have had an opportunity ofgaining degrees and impetus back again into angeliclife

,in recovery out of the soulless densities of matter

(that meant by the darkness allegorized by Moses)and reappearing

,in the new order of things

,in the

beautiful form of new efforts at life—star- raisedastrologically raised—vegetables

,growing plants

,and

flowers (sexed , even , in their own mysterious differe n ce s and forms and fashions) , or

1 animals,in their

higher or lower,or pure or impure kinds . These animal

or ‘ plantal souls ’ come from the metamorphosedspirits ’- world (all this is perfectly possi ble , howeverstrange and mysterious) , being , in their seeds , dispersednot only over the surfaces of the several suns andplanets (

‘ if particles of light are spiritualbut also throughout all the matter in the several stars

,

through infinite space . Those who are doomed to along inactivity until a future j udgment are within thesurfaces of the several globes

,and are not to ‘ take

life ’ during this present period,or reign of things .

That to such as the Deity thinks proper,only a fossil

,

vegetable,or animal

,brutal life was to be given

,until

the co n fl a gr a tion of this globe . It has been a doctrineadvanced in the mysticism of the Gnostics

,that only

for such as our Saviour Jesus Christ had interposedfor mercy

,a state of probation w a s allowed . These

are the condemned -(the conquered‘

Hosts of the FirstFall ” — that fall of the ‘

Angels This class ofSpirits by their entering human bodies (having beenallowed sufficient machine

,and adequate physical

means) , combined the s yn the s i s of reason , memory,1 Thi s a gr e e s with th e Pytha gore a n ide a s , a n d with tho s e of

L u cr e tiu s .

CHARACTE RISTICS OF F IRE 445

and j udgment,which combination makes them a c

countable for their behaviour and actions here . At thesame time others

,who have not these powers

,at the

last Judgment are to be doomed according to theirformer crimes ; crimes of th e n a tu re a n d ch a r a cte r ofwh i ch poor human nature— incapab le and childish asit is— can form no idea —humanity having beennever intended for a comprehension of the s upe rn a tu r a l

,mighty s e crets— resting alone in the hidden

MYSTE RIE S O F GOD ! These crimes of the lapsedSpirits (committed in their former state) , before theywere imprisoned in these globes

,are as totally n u

imaginable by men,as crimes

,and the wherefore ’

,

and the nature ’ of crimes,in the human mature

state, are not known by children .

L e t us consider a little the nature of that my s te r ious thing— i n reality the Master of the World— calledFire The body and the spirit are alike traceab le into it . The human scale or register of fire isnothing ; because our instruments— thermometers

,

pyrometers,and so forth— fail at a given point . They

cannot inform us of the intensities of heat or of cold

(instant destruction) which shoot upward , or downward

,from either end

,baffling mortal computation

or idea,

flying through hundreds of degrees by leaps,

impossible of recognition by man . Thus man knowsnothing of Fire

,except the ordinary comfortable little

mi n imumof fi r e—which,answering his purposes in

certain indispensable respects,when risen into magni

tude,destroys him as his master i n a moment

,and

all his belongings—nay,the whole world

,and i ts

belongings,and everything conceivable . FIRE

,in

fact,devours every cosmic possib ility .

Many particles of light lose their motion when theye nter into the pores of the several bodies around us

,

and many remain and adhere to the bodies they

446 THE ROSICRUCIANS

enter ; so that , we apprehend , vegetables consist , ingreat part

,of these particles

,which makes them so

inflammable and that the p a bu lumof our material fi rei s nothing more than the imprisoned rays or particlesof light

,when united to salts

,and other particles of

body ; and that the strong heat and motion of fire,

when kindled,is nothing more than the struggle of

the imprisoned or fettered rays to break from the saltsand aqueous particles they are united with and

,when

that motion becomes exceeding quick,Fire then

glows,and is thrown off in lucid rays . Where the

struggle is strongest,as in metals

,sulphurs

,and con

Solidated impenetrability,the fire and flame is intense

,

as requiring a stronger motion to break up the atomsinto brightness

,and to liberate that flower ’

,glory

,

or crown of heat,which we call flame—flame and light ,

nature’

s last achievement and brand ishing victory .

Ou t of the solidest matters for burning,comes the

fiercest and the most abundant Fire until the massesof fiery molecules burst (being turned inside - out)into the blaze of the brightest of L ight The wholelate mass is then passed into the unknown leavingthe ruin only as ashes

,with the whole power ou t.

An opinion was put forward in the middle agesthat our souls were all originally in the first Adam ;

and that both our spirits and bodies are all comefrom him and

,by throwing off one tegument or skin

after another,at each conception

,we at last appear in

the world in the condition we are now in . B u t thisseems to be too much of a piece with the materialists

,

who may believe our souls,like matter in their con

cep tion ,divisible infinitely ; for this would confirm

their hypothesis,that our souls are material

,and

infinitely divisible ; and that there are souls wi thi ns ou ls

,looking backwards as far as thought can

reach ; for myriads of millions are included in the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

448 THE ROSICRUCIANS

technical and mechanical . These are all astrologicalmeanings and interpretations . All souls

,even A z i

lu thi c were clothed with corporeal vehicles,they bein g

the means of sensation and commerce,the highest grati

fi ca tion s of animal,or perhaps of all created natures .

The deeper immersed these entities are in the vortex,

that is in matter (or the more grossthe vehicle ; and yet supplying the most abundantmeans— contributing the most of power— to the Fire

,

or the L ight,because all compr eh e n s i ble FIRE and

L IGHT is material . There is a revolution of humansouls through all the four worlds (the Four Elements ,or the four corners of the universe of the Rosicrucians

,

A z i lu th,

either by divine fate,or their own fault .

The periods are unequal,especially th e

’

A z i lu th i c andB r i a th i c . The legitimate revolution of angelic soulsis no lower than A s i a

,superior . Their vehicles are

richer in the exquisite sensual gr a tifi ca tio n s than thehuman but their souls are less gifted with the possib ility of the divine aspiration than the human . Thismystery lies at the very base of the cabalistic profu n d i ti e s

,which form the first step upon which

,in

mounting upwards out of man’s ordinary nature,

the true Rosicrucians (humblest , and yet haughtiest ,of the children of men) p lace their feet . Hence theabove - referred- to darkened ’ angels— a certain number

,at least

,of them

,fell first by breaking - forth into

jetz i r a h without Divine L eave,out of that region

cabalistically denominated B r i a h in which,and in

‘

A z i lu th’ innocence reigned universally . An d there

the augmented delights and vigour of their vehicles,

through the greater heat and increased magnificentfulgency of the sun

,allured them

,and strengthened

them,to those inordinate deeds (impossible to be com

prehended by man) , by the d ivi n e ma gi c of thoseregions

,and to the traitorous embassy of that proud

449

princely genius,the Rebel L eader amongst the prin

cip a l Archangels , known afterwards by many names ,but herein by that of Oph i on e u s , or L u cife r , B ringerof L ight ’

,or Morn ing Star

’

(L u x- fe ro)—whichbrought to them the name of Rephaim

,or giants ;

and to human souls the lapse out of B r i a h by j oining the rebel angels . This is the cabalistic

,theos

oph ica l or mystical story of the‘ First Fall —Or that of

the Angels ’

. Souls which degenerate into the Vivifi e d region

,cabalistically called A s i a

’

,not through

their own fault,but by divine fate

,return safe into

A z i lu th neither broken by adversity,nor softened

by pleasures,aided in all states

,by Grace D ivine . This

is the meaning of the Elect or the chosen of God .

I n‘

A z i lu th’ the souls of men and angels

,wholly

intent on the adoration of the Supreme Master,and

occupied in sublime wonderings,neglect and scarcely

perceive the life of the natural vehicle that of wantsFrom the celestially igneous and vivacious

,and illum

i n a te d character of this life,and of the magic a u r a

,or

matter of this supernatural region,it is named coelum

empyrwum. This was Adam ’s state before Eve wascreated

,and before the sexes ’ became possible

,or the

distinctions of ‘ sex ’ sprang into existence . For,whereas

Adam owed his birth to God,who made him out of

matter,Eve owed h e r birth to Adam

,who produced

her out of ruined ’ matter . Thus we see the n e ce s s

ity of the Saviour,born of Woman ’

,through the

pardon,under penalties

,which in the continual gener

a tion s absolve the sin —the seed of the WOMANbruising (crushing) the SE RPE NT

’S Head . Eve wasthe ‘ Feminized Adam and was the ‘ First in theFall misinterpreting the Devil as a God but out ofthis temptation

,and as a result of its success

,arises the

possibility of Ma n —the great stumbling—block toall the disbelievers

,who are unable to rise into any

G G

45 9 THE ROSI CRUGIANS

supernatural idea . I n B r i a h —or the region i n

which descent was furthered,the Az i lu th i c ardour

being abated,the view became turned to the outward

world,or the world of physical construction

,and to the

life,and sensations

,and sustainment of the vehicle .

This became the state a fter the formation of Eve . Thenarose the transaction between God and the Soul ofthe Messiah concerning his Passion and the ‘

Re

demption of the World The soul of the Messiahprofited so much in the cabalistic Az i lu th andadhered to the eternal L ogos with so strict a love ,that

,at length

,they were united into one Person

(P a rtz uph) —(this is the mystic doctrine of the Gnostics)—with the highest a z i lu th i c

,or rather hyper a z i lu th i c

union,as Soul and Body

,into one Individuality

,thence

rightly called the Son of God,name or nature ineffable .

This Divine Messiah is constituted by God the Father,

Ruler of all Souls,human and angelical

,King of Kings

,

and : L ord of L ords . Upon his undertaking to becomethe Saviour of the L ost World—thence arose his unionwith the divine L ogos , which was completed anddeclared . (joh n xvii . 5 ; He b . i . 6 ; Phi lipp i a n s ii .6—8 ; P s . lxxii . 5 , according to the Septuagint .) Its

mystical primaeval duration until the sun of this vortex

(the solar system) cooled into a planet (rather comet),through the rebel Rephaim overturning all order andbeauty and therefore deprive d of the solar light andheat

,the principle of their magic power and operations

,

and before the moon became frigid,and was struck

off from the bulk of the earth,and set rolling

,circum

volving,in its new magic

,femi n i n e light—maker of

the sensitives— as a satellite to our world . The chaoticcomet being formed into a habitable earth throughthe force of gravitation

,and

,physically

,in the exert

ion of the powers centripetal and centrifugal,solidify

ing it into a globe,the lapsed human souls—having

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

452 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

this remarkable work . It was,in fact

,an explanatory

treatise on the C a b a la .

We have,as far as allowable

,given the Rosicrucian

interpretation thereof . The whole range of thesesubj ects is pre - eminently mysterious and Phallic .

For Phallicism seems to rest as the basis of everything,

as it proffers undoubtedly as the foundation and themeaning of all the mythologies . It follows from this ,that this human state must be a supernatural (natural)place

,of inquietude

,and of penitential suffering and

that this place of trial— the world —is only a"

state ofpurgation and of trouble

,introductory to some other

- and it is to be hoped—better state The wholeCreation groaneth and travaileth in pain together

,

until now .

’ —St . Paul .The following suggestions are from ScriptureAn d those memb e r s of th e body which we think

to be le s s hon ou r a ble upon them we bestow moreJ’ )

a bu n d a n t hon ou r - 1 Cor . xii . 23 .

B u t God hath chosen the foolish things of the worldto confound the wise

,and God hath chosen the weak

things of the world to confound the things which aremighty ; and base things of the world , and thingswhich are despised hath God chosen

,yea

,and things

which are n ot,to bring to nought things that a re .

’

1 Cor . i . 27 and 28 .

For it is written,I will destroy the wisdom of the

wise,and will bring to nothing the understanding of

the prudent .

’- 1 Cor . i . 1 9 .

He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the seconddeath .

’—Rev. ii . 1 1 .

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of thehidden manna

,and will give him a white stone ’

(the Ph i los oph er s ’ Ston e ? and in the stone a n ew

n ame written,which no man knoweth saving he that

receiveth i t .

’ —Rev. ii . 1 7 .

E VOL VE M ENT INTO SPIRI TUAL ITY 45 3

An d he that overcometh,and keepeth my works

unto the end,to him will I give power over the nations .

’

Rev. ii . 26 .

An d I will give him the Morning Star .

’ —Rev. ii .

An d I will write upon him my New Name .

’—Rev.

iii . 1 2 .

He that overcometh shall inherit all things andI will be his God

,and he shall be my son .

’- Rev. xxi .

7 .

‘ We discover that,not only is the Garden of

Eden ” an allegory in itself,but the whole structure

of the Bible is an allegory,beginning with Creation

,

(as described by Moses) , and ending with Christ’s

spiritual,or clairvoyant

,appearance to St . John in

the Revela ti on .

’

The whole is,however

,indicative of pure spiritual

life .

CHAPTER THE TWENTY - FOURTH,AND LAST

CAB ALISTIC PROFUND ITIE S

IT is an assertion of the occult philosophers thatthe meaning and purpose of life is altogether mistaken z—necessarily—that is

,in the ‘ Necessity of

Things —mistaken . That,inasmuch as h e live s

,man

is incapacitated for pronouncing upon the n a tu r e ofh i s life being i t— i ts e lf . He being as a L iverIt (i .e . L ife Itself Philosophy and common sense take it for granted that life needs consciousness

,or some form in which t h e consciousness may

be,in order that the liver may ‘ live Abstract

philosophy asserts that the liver (living) , UNLIVE S

(in th e true sense) , for the very pu rpos e of livi n g. In

other words,i t is concluded that

,as man is the thing

seen the individual cannot ever go out of himself,

to see himself ’ that the ‘ j udged at the bar ’ cannot cease his character to become another character

,

and thus change places with his j udge,and thus

become the j udge on the bench,going out of him

self ’

,to become ‘ something other ’ than himself

,

and to j udge of what he is,himself . Now this

,ob vi

ou s ly ,cannot be in common - sens e

,or in any sense .

Thus,this philosophy is applied in the hermetic

sense . The alchemists contended that it is possible

(by art) to obtain out of the boundless , holy , u n a p

p rop r i a te d eternal Youth of Nature , a wherewithal ,by means of which to ‘ wreak —to use a strangeword . Thus there could be miraculous renewal

,even

out of the powers of nature . No one knows the purg45 4

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

456 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

(Nomi n a ) (Chor i A n ge lorum)Ch a s chma lin .

Ma la ch im.

B e n e E lohim.

Is ch im.

wi thI I . Ma lchu th 1

"! a Mich a él Ar e lim,

“RD528 !F INIS

Soli deo gloria per Ch r i s tum.

’

Ka b b a la D e n u d a ta s eu d octr i n a He brwroumTr a n s ce n d e n ta li s et M eta phys i ca a tqu e The ologi a s cr iptumOmn i bu s Phi lologi s , Ph i los ophi s , Th e ologi s omn i umr e ligi on um,

a tqu : Phi lo- Chymi ci s . Su lz b a ci,Typ i s

Ab r a h ami L ich te n th a lb r i— 1 677

E xtr a cts fromthe C a b a la

THE‘ SE COND RUIN ’

In which Second Ruin the origin of the strangelygreat

,strangely mysterious religion of the first

B uddhism,or first B uddhistic (or more properly

B h u d d h i s tic) system is to be found .

When the old p r immva l world was ruined .

’

mmch a vva h . R . Mos ch e h i n qu i t , Sic a pp e lla r i

Ma lchu th, quia est vere est Mater omn i s vive n ti s

,

e t uxor Adami primi sub my s te r io rmquod r e fe rt

n ume rumU'm. P a rd e s . Tr .

,23 , c . 8 .

ma i n Th a lamu s,vel cwlumn upti a le

,sub quo s pon s u s

e t sponsa con s e cr a n tu r . Ka b b a li s tae totum systemaA z ilu th icumin Chuppah p r ee figu ra n t . Ke th e r enimest Tectum . Chocma h Parietes Binah ostium ;

Chesed,Ge b b u r a h

,N e z a ch e t Hod quasi brachia in

(An ge li )

Cha sma l : a li iMe ta tronUs i e l

Ch a sme l

{Ze ph a n i a ha l i i Jeh u e l

THE jE WI SH CAB ALA 457

i n tro itu Thalami co n s titu ta ; Tiph e re th e t Ma lchu th

s po n s u s e t sponsa intra Th a lamumper Je s od ,qui

est(

Pa r a n ymp hu s . P a rd e s . Tr .

,2 3 , c . 8 . Ka bb a la

D e n u d a ta,p .

Morumtr iumest terra,de qu a ibidem sieut tr ium

n omi n umreceptaculumest Adonai,a quo omnium

ju d iciorumfit exe cu tio . Hi n c i n te lligitu r my s ticumi llu d Ge n e s

, 42 , vers . 3 3 . Vir fi lmarmDominusterree . Con f . jehos ch .

, 3 , ve rS . 1 1

‘

A rca,est Ma lchu th : unde in eam i n gre s s u s

d ici tu r Noach , i .e . je s od . Ge n,6, 9, P a rd .

Du od e cim ergo Sign a cu la Te tr a gr amma ti e t 4

vexilla e orumsunt haec Vexillum primum vexillumsecundum ; vexillum tertium ; vexillum quartum .

Du od e cimautem Tribus in hae c vexilla d i s tr i

b u u n tu r . Vexillum,

I . Ju h u d a h , Ji s s a s ch a r , Se b u lo n .

Vexillum 2 . Reuben,Sch ime on

,Gad . Vexillum3 .

Ephraim,Me n a n ch e

,B i n jami n . Vexillum 4 . Dan

,

Asser,N a p th a li .

Du od e cimvero menses cum 1 2 . Sign i s e t limitibus Zodiaci in 4 Qu a d r a n tib u s anni ita loca n tu r .

"T1 Incola i n h a b i ta n s . Omnium i n te rp r e tum

consensu voca tu r Ma lch u th . E t in Schaare Zedekadditur ratio

,quod sitmi? li o s p itiumTe tr a gr amma ti

Tiph e r e th ,vel quod h a b ite t in tonos s icu t scriptum

est L ev.

,1 6

,1 6

,qui commor a tu r cum eis in medio

immu n d iti a rum e orum. R . Mo s ch e h autem dicit,

5 1 esse nomen L a p id i s p re tio s i ; item s p i n a rume t

tr ib u lorum. Atqu i sit e t haec mensura se habet,

quippe a qua p rove n it b onum e t malum Dice tqu e

quod a 5 1 venit vox Dr‘

n me r i d ie s . Ipse autem R .

Mos ch e h hanc voce n t a pp lic a t ad Binah , in Ma lch u th

ergo illins re s p e ctu e r it . P a rd . Tr .

,2 3 , c . Ka b b a la

D e n u d a ta . Ed . 1 677 . Sa lz b u ch .

‘ Cerva amorum. P rov, 5 , 1 9 . It a voca tu r Ma l

chuth poti s s imumo b mysterium n ovi lu n i i quando

458 THE ROSICRUCIANS

s c . ista in altu porr igit Cornua , qu ae sint Cornua . Ho d

gloriosa in ipsa a pp a re n ti a quando nova Sit h . m .

w : a liqu a n d o tame n cornu unum altius est alteroh . m . Q Sit tr a d it R . Sch ime o n ben Joch a i in Raj aMe h imn a

,hac a dje cta ratione : Hwe variare s e cu n

dum d ive r s i t a tem r e n ova tion i s . Vel enim aequalissit ab u troqu e loco e t tunc cornua e qu a lemh a b e n t

a lti tu d i n em. Si vero a parte plus accipit,ita u t haec

Sinistrae p r aeva le a t , tunc cornu unum e leva tiu s estaltero : atque tunc voc a tu r cerva amorum

,ob mys

te r iumamor i s e t Chesed seu b e n ign i ta ti s in ipsa preevalentis . Si autem sinistrum p r a eva le t latus , voca tu r

mun n‘mcerva n igr i ca n s seu d i lu cu li caliginosi .

P s .

,22

,1,nim . ob n igre d i n eme t a n xi e ta temcui sub

je cta est in e xilio .

’

‘

L urking principles in the physiology of thehuman construction .

’ Extracted fromCa b a la :”

1 1 53 3 ”

Rosa . Est Sch e ch i n a h,j uxta C a n t

,2,

1 . Ratiod a tu r in Soh a r Se ct. E mor

,quod s icu t Rosa cr e s ci t

ad aquas,e t emitti t odorem bonum

,Sic Ma lch u th hoc

ga u d e a t nomine , cum i n fluxuma ffu git a Binah , qu aebonume le va t odorem . Item quod tunc Sic voce tu r

,

cum cop u la r i desiderat cum Rege : cum vero Eidemj am a d h ae re t per oscula

,n omi n a n tu r mama Cr i n or

rhodon ; j uxta C a n t. 5 , 1 3 . P a r d e s Tr a cta t,2, 3 ,

c . 8 . Ka b b a la D e n u d a ta . Ed . 1 677 . Salzburg .

P . 3 3 3 .

Sed a muris versus e xte r ior a sunt tu rmae ma lign a ead latus sinistrum

,non quidem s upra

,sed infra tan

tum . E t caput omnium ca te rva rumma la rum estSamael : e t illa c omnes sunt autores ju rgiorume t

Odii,e t non pertinent ad h a b i t a tor e s atrii Regi i sed

extra d egu n t extra tertium a gge reme t extra muros,

qui circum castra . E t huc p e r ti n e t illu d N um.

, 5 , 2 ,de e xclu s io n e L e p ro s orum,

flu e n tium; e t a liorumimmu n d o rum quae sunt tres ca te rvae . Isti d icu n tu r

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

469 THE ROSICRUCIANS

Hermaphrodite : (Hermes -Aphrodite . Venus -Mercury) .

The mechanical definition of the exercise of Sexis power of b lissful protru s i on human organicadvance ; willed

,conscious magnetism (for an

end) -with climax of dissolution and destruction

(in the end) . - Perishing as in the ‘ flower ’ of this‘

stalk Thus Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsusthus the mystic anatomists

,like Fludd and Van

Helmont . Thus,the Mythologists say that the orders

are to be taken as identical,although

,in fact

,they

are directly contradictory . It is these things,which

are set against each other,which constitute the stu

pendons and irresistible natural temptation (obtainedout of shame or out of denial

,and disgrace) , of all this

enchanted Side of life .

“n a n Umbilicus . Est s ch e ch i n a h

,quatenus a d hu c

occulta ; Corpus enim est Tiph e re th ,e t venter M a l

chuth de parte Binah submys te r io bin . Sed Tib b u rest n otio Jod

,quatenus est in ventre e t in Tiph e r e th .

E t hoc est punctum illu d,quo fundamentum habet

mundus,quod voca n t Tib b u r seu medium terrae ;

nempe punctum Zijon . E t forte Ti b b u r est je s od .

P a rd . Tr .

,23 , c . 9 . Dn tpmn L iga tu rmilla rum.

’

(Ka b

b a la .)There is nothing in the lower and sensible world

,

that is not produced,and hath its image

,in the superior

world . Since the form of the body,as well as the

soul,is made after the image of the Heavenly Ma n

,

a figure of the forthcoming body which is to clothethe newly descending soul is sent down from thecelestial regions to hover over the couch of the husband and wife when they copulate

,in order that the

conception may be formed according to this model .We have before declared in our chapter on the mysticanatomy

,enlarged upon by Cornelius Agrippa

,that

the human act by which the power of perpetuation

TRADI TIONAL M YSTE RI E S 46 1

has been placed in the exercise by man,and has been

elevated into the irresistible natural temptation,i s

rightly a solemnity or magic endowment,or ce le b r a t

ion to which all nature not assents simply,but con

curs,as the master - key

,however blindly or ignorantly

,

or brutally often practised . Th e Soh a r,iii . 1 04 ,

a,

b,declares that At connubial intercourse on earth

,

the Holy On e (blessed be he) sends a human formwhich bears the impress of the divine stamp . Thisform is present at intercourse

,and

,if we were per

mitte d to see it,we should perceive over our heads

an image resembling a human face . An d it is in thisimage that we are formed . A s long as this image isnot sent by God , and does not descend and hover overour heads

,there can be no conception ; for it is

written ‘

An d God created man in his own image

(Ge n . i . This image receives us when we enterthe world it develops itself with us when we growand accompanies us when we depart this life as it iswritten : Surely man walked in an imageThe followers of this secret doctrine of the Ka b b a la h

claim for it a pre - Adamite existence . It is also calledthe secret Wisdom

,because it Wa s only handed down

by tradition through the initiated,and its whole

story indicated in the Hebrew Scriptures by signswhich are hidden and unintelligib le to those whohave not been instructed in its mysteries All humancountenances are divisible into the four primordialtypes of faces which appeared at the mysteriouschariot - throne in the vision of the prophet Ez ekiel ;vi z . the face of man

,of the lion

,the ox

,and the eagle .

Ou r faces resemble these more or less accordingto the rank which our souls occupy in the intellectualor moral dominion . Physiognomy does not consistin the external lineaments

,but in the features which

are mysteriously drawn in us .

’

462 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

The following are fragments from the C a b a la :

‘

Ad Ke th e r,Mundus I n te llige n ti ae , Sph ae r a prima ,

que dat fa cu lta temomnibus s te lli s e t circu li s .

Ad Ch ochma h,s ph ze r a motus diurni .

‘

Ad B inah,Sph a er a octava s te lla rumfi xa rum

,e t

d u od e cim s ign orum cae le s tium,cum quibus com

b i n a n tu r d u od e cimmenses .

Ad Ge d u la h— Saturnus .

Ad Ge b h u r a h— Jupiter .

Ad Tiph e r e th—Mars .

Ad N e z a ch— Sol .Ad Ho d—Venus .

‘

Ad Je s od—Mercurius ,

Ad Ma lch u th—e t in medio loca tu r Terra .

Figura T . r e p re s e n ta t Hortum - E d e n,

'eju s qu e sep

tem mansiones ubi in ci rcu itu est murus Pa r a d i s i a cu se t sequuntur septem palatia ; in medio autem arborVi tm.

‘

Ut legi tu r D e u te r . 3 0 ,1 5 . Vide

,e xh ib u i cor

am te vitam e t bonum,mortem e t malum ”

,etc .

,

added locum P roverb, 3 1 , 1 1 , 1 2 . Beatus

,qui i n te lligi t

insigne hoc mysterium, quia ex e o potest i n te llige r e

mysterium a lb e d i n i s e t L u n ee a principio ad fi n em(pre - eminently indicative of the mysteries of theRosicrucians) . Hi n c etiam L epra co n ti n e tu r submy s te r io L abani Ar amae i . Qu i hoc i n te lligit, etiamca p i e t mysterium L eprae, qumSignum est , quod clausussit mundus d ile ction emunde Ta rgumice L epr a d icitu r .

’

4 >x<,4

These are sexual notions—i n fact as such must beeverywhere E t M a lch u th

, quando locata e t alligata est inter Je s od e t Binah etiam voca tu r F oed u s .

E t hoc est mysterium run-

re n De n u d i a tion i s : quiacircumci s io re fe rtu r ad Je s od e t d e n u d a tio ad M a l

chuth . E t p rop te r i a d icitu r : Qu i circumci s u s est ,e t non d e n u d a tu s

,idem est

,ac Si circumci s u s non esset

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

464 THE ROSI CRUCIANS

ce n s e a tu r ad Chesed , cum rubrum Si t vis Ge b h u r a e .

Dicitu r autem bon um,quando mi s ce tu r a qu i s ; sub

i n te llige n d o aquas Chesed , unde bonum p rove n it , u t

dictum s u b : nzo. E ccl .

, 7 , 1 2 ; je ch e s .

,I O

,20 ; P a rd .

Tr .

,2 3 , c . 1 0 . Vid . Soh .

,

“

Sect . Noach, 54 , c . 2 1 6 ;

L e chle ch a,6 1

,c . 244 e t Toled oth

,8 1

,c . 3 2 1 Va i i kr a ,

5 , c . 1 9 ; Sch emi n i , 1 7 , c . 67 ; zEmor, 46, c . 1 82 F ol

,

48, 1 92 ; P i n ch a s,1 1 4, c . 454 ; D e bh a r im

,1 23 , c .

C a b a la D e n u d a ta . SALZBACH e d n .

,1 677 .

vi n o, qu a s i cla u s u r a ,(e t L ep ro s u s“Domquasi clausus

,

Si ve quis L e p ro s u s sit simpliciter (primo a s p e ctu ,u t

nulla inclusione opus est) Sive mundari qu e a t quodest mysterium magnum . L epra enim venit ob li n gu ammalum ; quae omnia clara sunt ; omni enim proven iu n t e scaturigine serpentis antiqui

,qui causa est

,

u t cla u d a n tu r port ae R a ch amim. Ille autem quii n te lligit my s te r i a h aec magna , de come s tion e Adamiab arbore cogn itio n i s tempore p r aep u ti i , etiam i n te lli

get,quare voce tu r Ar bor cogn i ti on i s e t quare voce tu r

B on i et M a li . Ka b b a la D e n u d a ta,p . 495 . (E dm.

1 677 )

THE E ND

B u tle r Ta n n e r, Th e Se lwood Pr i n ti n g Works , F tome , a n d Lon don

EVE R- B URNING

ROSIC RUC IAN

o r 1 0m.

L A M P E S

(e , g ) (Impe rfe c t) Sign s .

(f ) Lo tu s , or Li ly(Hya ci n th i n e ).

(g ) Th e Sa cre d

F owls (a ugu r ia lor o ra cu la r).

(a ) (x: Sign s .)

Moon .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

THE ROUND TAB LE O F KING ARTHUR.

F romth e Or igi n a l , p re s e rved i n th e Cou rt -Hou s e of th e C a s tle a t W i n ch e s te r.

SANGRE A L E”

or HOL Y G RA I L .

I 3 L u n a t ion s .L UNAT ION S ‘

2 Sum—Moon .

26 Kn igh ts .

x Kn’gh t , 2 Pla c t

To ta l, 26

GRA E L .

l3 . l2 .

NM u ra l—Supe rn a tu ra l .Mys te r iou s i f; Ta u .

Tn amr ro n ,th a t u d a s Is ca ri o t le ft th e Ta b le a t the word s of the Sa viour~

"Wh a t thou d o e s t.d o qu ickly a n d h a n o por ti on i n th e . L a s t Ri te . (Re fe r b e low. )

A .

G

1 . Sa in t M a tthew.

VII. Sa in t Ph ilip .

£1: Sa i n t James .VII

I}

. Sa in t L i bos u s .

I

II

)I. Sa i n t Simon .

IX Sa i n t A n d r ew.

lg

. Sa i n t Pe te r .

K.

Sa in t Thoma s .

g. Sa in t J ame s (of Alph e u s ). i

i . Va ca n t.

VI. Sa i n t B a r tholome w .XII . Sa i n t Joh n .

Af‘" the 509 . Sa ta n e n te re d i n to h im. Th e n s a id 1 6 805 “030 him, Th a t thou d0‘3 d o qu i ckly 1,

N ow n oma n a t th e ta b le kn ew for wh a t i n te n t He Spa ke th i s u n to h im.

He”

0 1 1 11 3 8 ) the n ha vi n g re ce ive d the s op , we n r IMM E DIAT E LY our . Are n'

t? wa s N i c a r

S.

JOHN , Cha p . xxi i . ,ve rs . 27, 28, 3

°

NO . 6.TEMPLE O F KEYLAS, o r EARADls a

(E llora . i n th e E a s t I n d ie s . )

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

A R E A

THE HN §UM E D TE M P L E (D? W e APR PM 7

M fl lf off /om/M'ztflmA. Li n ga

-Yon i (comb i n e d ).Th i s Pla te (with th e p revious ) illu s tr a te th e p a ra lle l b e twe e n

He a the n a n d Chri s ti a n a rchi tectu ra l forms .(M R—Th e pe riod of the con s truction of the a b ove Temple tra n s ce n d s h i s tory. )

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

MYTHO LOG lCALINTE RCHANGE O F

“MAC ROCOSM”

AND

M IC ROC OSM .

”

P i s j n a d C

1 SJ C’W S fi 3 . i z . a d c v. § 6

P1 3us u

-u ! C VHL S i t].

(

Ba d o 8m 1 5 9

3 0 1 85 . J‘

Gb fl

P334 9 . a d

.fi’.3 6

?{e jl ui

rSC N M .§- 5 3 .

C a b a lis tic A s trologica l a n d A s tro n omica l. Cha ld a ic Mys te r ie s .

M 8 .—The refe re n ce s to N os . a n d Ch a pters a re to those corre s pon d in g in ve rya n cie n t Ros icrucia n Tra cts or Ch a r ts—(a d duced he re to prove a u th e n ticity. )

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

C HART—C .

a t! C mm;F a u o

C a b a lis tic (Ro s icruci a n ) Prod uction of th e “World s—V i s ib le .

”

Ge n e ra tion ”of th e M icro cosmo s .”

M E .—The re fere n ce s to Nos . a n d Cha pte rs a re to th os e corre s pon d in g i n

a n cie n t Ros icruci a n Tra cts or Ch a rts—(a d d uced he re to prove a u then ticity. )