The Rosicrucian
Cosmo-Conception
by Max Heindel
(Introduction)
Message and Mission:
A Sane Mind
A Soft Heart
A Sound Body
Creed or Christ
No man loves God who hates his kind,
Who tramples on his brother's heart and soul;
Who seeks to shackle, cloud, or fog the mind
By fears of hell has not perceived our goal.
God-sent are all religions blest;
And Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life,
To give the heavy laden rest
And peace from sorrow, sin, and strife.
Behold the Universal Spirit came
To all the churches, not to one alone;
On Pentecostal morn a tongue of flame
Round each apostle as a halo shone.
Since then, as vultures ravenous with greed,
We oft have battled for an empty name,
And sought by dogma, edict, cult, or creed,
To send each other to the quenchless flame.
Is Christ then twain? Was Cephas, Paul,
To save the world, nailed to the tree?
Then why divisions here at all?
Christ's love enfolds both you and me.
His pure sweet love is not confined
By creed which segregate and raise a wall.
His love enfolds, embraces human kind,
No matter what ourselves or Him we call.
Then why not take Him at His word?
Why hold to creeds which tear apart?
But one thing matters, be it heard
That brother love fill every heart.
There's but one thing the world has need to know.
There's but one balm for all our human woe:
There's but one way that leads to heaven above —
That way is human sympathy and love.
— Max Heindel.
The founder of the Christian Religion
stated an esoteric maxim when He said: "Whosoever shall not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein" (Mark
X:15). All esotericists recognize the far-reaching importance of this
teaching of Christ, and endeavor to "live" it day by day.
When a new philosophy is presented to the world it is met in different
ways by different people.
One person will grasp with avidity any new philosophical effort in an
endeavor to ascertain how far it supports his own ideas. To such
a one the philosophy itself is of minor importance. Its prime value will
be its vindication of his ideas. If the work comes up to
expectation in that respect, he will enthusiastically adopt it and cling to
it with a most unreasoning partisanship; if not, he will probably lay the
book down in disgust and disappointment, feeling as if the author had
done him an injury.
Another adopts an attitude of skepticism as soon as he discovers that it
contains something which he has not previously read, heard, or originated in
his own thought. He would probably resent as extremely unjustified the
accusation that his mental attitude is the acme of self-satisfaction and
intolerance; such is nevertheless the case; and thus he shuts his mind to any
truth which may possibly be hidden in that which he off-hand rejects.
Both these classes stand in their own light. "Set" ideas render them
impervious to rays of truth. "A little child" is the very opposite of its
elders in that respect. It is not imbued with an overwhelming sense of
superior knowledge, nor does it feel compelled to look wise or to hide its
nescience of any subject by a smile or a sneer. It is frankly ignorant,
unfettered by preconceived opinions and therefore eminently
teachable. It takes everything with that beautiful attitude of trust
which we have designated "child-like faith," wherein there is not the
shadow of a doubt. There the child holds the teaching it receives until
proven or disproven.
In all esoteric schools the pupil is first taught to forget all else when
a new teaching is being given, to allow neither preference nor prejudice to
govern, but to keep the mind in a state of calm, dignified waiting. As
skepticism will blind us to truth in the most effective manner, so this
calm, trustful attitude of the mind will allow the intuition, or "teaching
from within," to become aware of the truth contained in the proposition.
That is the only way to cultivate an absolutely certain perception of truth.
The pupil is not required to believe off-hand that a given object which
he has observed to be white, is really black, when such a statement is made
to him; but he must cultivate an attitude of mind which "believeth all
things" as possible. That will allow him to put by for the time
being even what are generally considered "established facts," and
investigate if perchance there be another viewpoint hitherto unobserved
by him whence the object referred to would appear black. Indeed, he
would not allow himself to look upon anything as "an established
fact," for he realizes thoroughly the importance of keeping his mind
in the fluidic state of adaptability which characterizes the
little child. He realizes in every fiber of his being that "now we see
through a glass, darkly," and Ajax-like he is ever on the alert, yearning
for "Light, more Light."
The enormous advantage of such an attitude of mind when investigating
any given subject, object or idea must be apparent. Statements which
appear positively and unequivocally contradictory, which have caused an
immense amount of feeling among the advocates of opposite sides, may
nevertheless be capable of perfect reconciliation, as shown in one such
instance mentioned in the present work. The bond of concord is only
discovered by the open mind, however, and though the present work may
be found to differ from others, the writer would bespeak an impartial
hearing as the basis of subsequent judgment. If the book is
"weighed and found wanting," the writer will have no complaint. He only
fears a hasty judgment based upon lack of knowledge of the system he
advocates — a hearing wherein the judgment is "wanting" in consequence of
having been denied an impartial "weighing." He would further submit,
that the only opinion worthy of the one who expresses it must be based
upon knowledge.
As a further reason for care in judgment we suggest that to many it is
exceedingly difficult to retract a hastily expressed opinion. Therefore it
is urged that the reader withhold all expressions of either praise or blame
until study of the work has reasonably satisfied him of its merit or
demerit.
The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception is not dogmatic, neither does it
appeal to any other authority than the reason of the student. It is not
controversial, but is sent forth in the hope that is may help to clear some
of the difficulties which have beset the minds of students of the deeper
philosophies in the past. In order to avoid serious misunderstanding, it
should be firmly impressed upon the mind of the student, however, that
there is no infallible revelation of this complicated subject, which
includes everything under the sun and above it also.
An infallible exposition would predicate omniscience upon the part of
the writer, and even the Elder Brothers tell us that they are sometimes at
fault in their judgment, so a book which shall say the last word on the
World-Mystery is out of the question, and the writer of the present work
does not pretend to give aught but the most elementary teachings of the
Rosicrucians.
The Rosicrucian Brotherhood has the most far-reaching, the most logical
conception of the World-Mystery of which the writer has gained any
knowledge during the many years he has devoted exclusively to the study of
this subject. So far as he has been able to investigate, their teachings
have been found in accordance with facts as he knows them. Yet he is
convinced that The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception is far from being the last
word on the subject; that as we advance greater vistas of truth will open
to us and make clear many things which we now "see through a glass,
darkly." At the same time he firmly believes that all other philosophies
of the future will follow the same main lines, for they appear to be
absolutely true.
In view of the foregoing it will be plain that this book is not
considered by the writer as the Alpha and Omega, the ultimate of esoteric
knowledge, and even though is entitled "The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception,"
the writer desires to strongly emphasize that is not to be understood as a
"faith once for all delivered" to the Rosicrucians by a founder of the
Order or by any other individual. It is emphatically stated that this
work embodies only the writer's understanding of the Rosicrucian
teachings concerning the World-Mystery, strengthened by his personal
investigations of the inner Worlds, the ante-natal and post-mortem states
of man, etc. The responsibility upon one who wittingly or unwittingly
leads others astray is clearly realized by the writer, and he wishes to
guard as far as possible against that contingency, and also to guard others
against going wrong inadvertently.
What is said in this work is to be accepted or rejected by the reader
according to his own discretion. All care has been used in trying to make
plain the teaching; great pains have been taken to put it into words that
shall be easily understood. For that reason only one term has been used
throughout to convey each idea. The same word will have the same meaning
wherever used. When any word descriptive of an idea is first used, the
clearest definition possible to the writer is given. None but English
terms and the simplest language have been used. The writer has tried to
give as exact and definite descriptions of the subject under consideration
as possible; to eliminate all ambiguity and to make everything clear. How
far he has succeeded must be left to the student to judge; but having used
every possible means to convey the teaching, he feels obliged to guard also
against the possibility of this work being taken as a verbatim statement of
the Rosicrucian teachings. Neglect of this precaution might give undue
weight to this work in the minds of some students. That would not be fair
to the Brotherhood nor to the reader. It would tend to throw the
responsibility upon the Brotherhood for the mistakes which must occur in
this as in all other human works. Hence the above warning.
A Word to the Wise,
Epilogue
During the four years which have elapsed since the foregoing paragraphs
were written, the writer has continued his investigations of the invisible
worlds, and experienced the expansion of consciousness relative to these
realms of nature which comes by practice of the precepts taught in the
Western Mystery School. Others also who have followed the method of
soul-unfoldment herein described as particularly suited to the Western
peoples, have likewise been enabled to verify for themselves many things
here taught. Thus the writer's understanding of what was given by the
Elder Brothers has received some corroboration and seems to have been
substantially correct, therefore he feels it a duty to state this for the
encouragement of those who are still unable to see for themselves.
If we said that the vital body is built of prisms instead of
points, it would have been better, for it is by refraction through these
minute prisms that the colorless solar fluid changes to a rosy hue as
observed by other writers beside the author.
Other new and important discoveries have also been made; for instance,
we know now that the Silver Cord is grown anew in each life, that one part
sprouts from the seed atom of the desire body in the great vortex of the
liver, that the other part grows out of the seed atom of the dense body in
the heart, that both parts meet in the seed atom of the vital body in the
solar plexus, and that this union of the higher and lower vehicles causes
the quickening. Further development of the cord between the heart and solar
plexus during the first seven years has an important bearing on the mystery
of childlife, likewise its fuller growth from the liver to the solar plexus,
which takes place during the second septenary period, is a contributory
cause of adolescence. Completion of the Silver Cord marks the end of
childlife, and from that time the solar energy which enters through the
spleen and is tinted by refraction through the prismatic seed atom of the
vital body located in the solar plexus, commences to give a distinctive and
individual coloring to the aura which we observe in adults.
Part I
Man's Present
Constitution and
Method of Development
Part II
Cosmogenesis
and
Anthropogenesis
Part III
Man's Future
Development
and Initiation
Part I
Man's Present
Constitution and
Method of Development
The Western world is undoubtedly the
vanguard of the human race, and, for reasons given below,
it is held by the Rosicrucian that neither Judaism nor "popular
Christianity," but true Esoteric Christianity is to be its world-religion.
Buddha, great, grand and sublime, may be the "light of Asia," but Christ
will yet be acknowledged the "Light of the World." As the Sun outshines the
brightest star in the heavens, dispels every vestige of darkness and gives
life and light to all beings, so, in a not too distant future, will the true
religion of Christ supersede and obliterate all other religions, to the
eternal benefit of mankind.
In our civilization the chasm that stretches between mind and heart yawns
deep and wide and, as the mind flies on from discovery to discovery in the
realms of science, the gulf becomes ever deeper and wider and the heart is
left further and further behind. The mind loudly demands and will be satisfied
with nothing less than a materially demonstrable explanation of man and his
fellow-creatures that make up the phenomenal world. The heart feels
instinctively that there is something greater, and it yearns for that which it
feels is a higher truth than can be grasped by the mind alone. The human
soul would fain soar upon ethereal pinions of intuition; would fain lave in
the eternal fount of spiritual light and love; but modern scientific views
have shorn its wings and it sits fettered and mute, unsatisfied longings
gnawing at its tendrils as the vulture of Prometheus' liver.
Is this necessary? Is there no common ground upon which head and heart
may meet, each assisting the other, each by the help of the other becoming
more effective in the search for universal truth, and each receiving equal
satisfaction?
As surely as the pre-existing light created the eye whereby the light is
seen; as surely as the primordial desire for growth created the digestive
and assimilative system for the attainment of that end; as surely as thought
existed before the brain and built and still is building the brain for its
expression; as surely as the mind is now forging ahead and wringing her
secrets from nature by the very force of its audacity, just so surely will the
heart find a way to burst its bonds and gratify its longings. At present it is
shackled by the dominant brain. Some day it will gather strength to burst its
prison bars and become a power greater than the mind.
It is equally certain that there can be no contradiction in nature,
therefore the heart and the mind must be capable of uniting. To indicate
this common ground is precisely the purpose of this book. To show where and
how the mind, helped by the intuition of the heart, can probe more deeply
into the mysteries of being than either could do alone; where the heart, by
union with the mind, can be kept from going astray; where each can have full
scope for action, neither doing violence to the other and where both mind
and heart can be satisfied.
Only when that co-operation is attained and perfected will man attain the
higher, truer understanding of himself and of the world of which he is a
part; only that can give him a broad mind and a great heart.
At every birth what appears to be a new life comes among us. We see the
little form as it lives and grows, becoming a factor in our lives for days,
months or years. At last there comes a day when the form dies and goes to
decay. The life that came, whence we know not, has passed to the invisible
beyond, and in sorrow we ask ourselves, Whence came it? What was it here?
and Whither has it gone?
Across every threshold the skeleton form of Death throws his fearsome
shadow. Old or young, well or ill, rich or poor, all, all alike must pass
out into that shadow and throughout the ages has sounded the piteous cry for
a solution of the riddle of life — the riddle of death.
So far as the vast majority of people are concerned the three great
questions, Whence have we come? Why are we here? Whither are we going?
remain unanswered to this day. It has unfortunately come to be the
popularly accepted opinion that nothing can be definitely known about these
matters of deepest interest to humanity. Nothing could be more erroneous
than such an idea. Each and every one, without exception, may become
capable of obtaining first-hand, definite information upon this subject; may
personally investigate the state of the human spirit, both before birth and
after death. There is no favoritism, nor are special gifts required. Each of
us has inherently the faculty for knowing all of these matters; but! — Yes,
there is a "but," and a "but" that must be written large. These faculties are
present in all, though latent in most people. It requires persistent
effort to awaken them and that seems to be a powerful deterrent. If these
faculties, "awake and aware," could be had for a monetary consideration,
even if the price were high, many people would pay it to gain such immense
advantage over their fellow-men, but few indeed are those willing
to live the life that is required to awaken them. That awakening comes only
by patient, persistent effort. It cannot be bought; there is no royal road to
it.
It is conceded that practice is necessary to learn to play the piano,
and that it is useless to think of being a watchmaker without being willing
to serve an apprenticeship. Yet when the matter of the soul, of death and
the beyond, of the great causes of being, are the questions at issue, many
think they know as much as anyone and have an equal right to express an
opinion, though they may never have given the subject an hour's study.
As a matter of fact, no one unless qualified by study of the subject
should expect serious consideration for an opinion. In legal cases, where
experts are called to testify, they are first examined as to their
competency. The weight of their testimony will be nil, unless they are found
to be thoroughly proficient in the branch of knowledge regarding which their
testimony is sought.
If, however, they are found to be qualified — by study and practice —
to express an expert opinion, it is received with the utmost respect and
deference; and if the testimony of one expert is corroborated by others
equally proficient, the testimony of each additional man adds immensely to
the weight of the previous evidence.
The irrefutable testimony of one such man easily counterbalances that of
one or a dozen or a million men who know nothing of that whereof they speak,
for nothing, even though multiplied by a million, will still remain nothing.
This is as true of any other subject as of mathematics.
As previously said, we recognize these facts readily enough in material
affairs, but when things beyond the world of sense, when the super-physical
world is under discussion; when the relations of God to man, the inner-most
mysteries of the immortal spark of divinity, loosely termed the soul, are to
be probed, then each clamors for as serious consideration of his opinions
and ideas regarding spiritual matters as is given to the sage, who by a life
of patient and toilsome research has acquired wisdom in these higher things.
Nay, more; many will not even content themselves with claiming
equal consideration for their opinions, but will even jeer and scoff
at the words of the sage, seek to impugn his testimony as fraud, and, with
the supreme confidence of deepest ignorance, asseverate that as they know
nothing of such matters, it is absolutely impossible that anyone else can.
The man who realizes his ignorance has taken the first step toward
knowledge.
The path to first-hand knowledge is not easy. Nothing worth having ever
comes without persistent effort. It cannot be too often repeated that there
are no such things as special gifts of "luck." All that anyone is or has, is
the result of effort. What one lacks in comparison with another is latent in
himself and capable of development by proper methods.
If the reader, having grasped this idea thoroughly, should ask, what he
must do to obtain this first-hand knowledge, the following story may serve
to impress the idea, which is the central one in esotericism:
A young man came to a sage one day and asked, "Sire, what must I do to
become wise?" The sage vouchsafed no answer. The youth after repeating his
question a number of times, with a like result, at last left him, to return
the next day with the same question. Again no answer was given and the
youth returned on the third day, still repeating his question, "Sire what
must I do to become wise?"
Finally the sage turned and went down to a near-by river. He entered the
water, bidding the youth follow him. Upon arriving at a sufficient depth
the sage took the young man by the shoulders and held him under the water,
despite his struggles to free himself. At last, however, he released him
and when the youth had regained his breath the sage questioned him:
"Son, when you were under the water what did you most desire?"
The youth answered without hesitation, "Air, air! I wanted air!"
"Would you not rather have had riches, pleasure, power or love, my son?
Did you not think of any of these?" queried the sage.
"No, sire! I wanted air and thought only of air," came the instant
response.
"Then," said the sage, "To become wise you must desire wisdom with as
great intensity as you just now desired air. You must struggle for it, to
the exclusion of every other aim in life. It must be your one and only
aspiration, by day and by night. If you seek wisdom with that fervor, my son,
you will surely become wise."
That is the first and central requisite the aspirant to esoteric knowledge
must possess — an unswerving desire, a burning thirst for knowledge; a zeal
that allows no obstacle to conquer it; but the supreme motive for seeking
this esoteric knowledge must be an ardent desire to benefit humanity, entirely
disregarding self in order to work for others. Unless prompted by the
motive, esoteric knowledge is dangerous.
Without possessing these qualifications — especially the latter — in
some measure, any attempt to tread the arduous path of esotericism would be a
hazardous undertaking. Another prerequisite to this first-hand knowledge,
however, is the study of esotericism at second-hand. Certain esoteric powers
are necessary for the first-hand investigation of matters connected with the
pre-natal and post-mortem states of man, but no one need despair of acquiring
information about this conditions because of undeveloped esoteric powers. As a
man may know about Africa either by going there personally or by reading
descriptions written by travelers who have been there, so may he visit the
superphysical realms if he will but qualify himself therefor, or he may learn
what others who have so qualified themselves report as a result of their
investigations.
Christ said, "The Truth shall make you free," but Truth is not found
once and forever. Truth is eternal, and the quest for Truth must also be
eternal. Esotericism knows of no "faith once for all delivered." There are
certain basic truths which remain, but which may be looked at from many
sides, each giving a different view, which complements the previous ones;
therefore, so far as we can see at present, there is no such achievement
possible as arriving at the ultimate truth.
Wherein this work differs from some philosophical works the variations
are caused by difference of viewpoint, and all respect is paid to the
conclusions reached and the ideas set forth by other investigators. It is the
earnest hope of the writer that the study of this work may help to
make the student's ideas fuller and more rounded than they were before.
Reference: The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, by Max Heindel (1865-1919)
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