Our Story so far.....

The chapter of St. Raphael is a part of the Order of Dionysis & Paul, a religious order within the Holy Celtic Church, consisting of men and women, dedicated to living the contemplative life whilst dwelling in the secular world.

Mission

The work of the chapter of St. Raphael is to encourage and assist its members to enter the ‘Presence of God’ by instructing them in the spiritual disciplines of Prayer and Meditation, Contemplation, Study and charitable works.

The Community

The community of the chapter of St. Raphael, consists of men and women dedicated to the work of spiritual development through the path of meditation and contemplation. The structure of the chapter adheres to that of the Order of Dionysis & Paul, which like many traditional religious orders, is based upon degrees of commitment and ability, and consists of Lay-members, Novices and Professed-members.

The Fellowship is essentially a study society focused upon studying the spiritual life. Membership requires no vows or obligation other than tolerance and good manners. In general terms both Lay-members and Novices also belong to the Fellowship, which allows members to engage in discussion about the subject matter of the curriculum, and a forum wherein Lay-members and Novices are educated in spiritual traditions, and the life of the Holy Celtic Church.

Formulary, Vow & Rule

The Formulary, the Vow, and the Rule are what joins the members of the Order in equitable bonds of spiritual and communal fraternity; every member, regardless of status being subject to the same set of standards, and all members being equally bound to act in accordance with them.

Formulary

The Formulary sets out the basic principles of communal activity within the Order, defining the scope and parameters of engagement for every member – none are exempt. The first requirement is that members of the Order follow the laws of God in Nature, that members are not to be guided by extremes, but to emulate our exemplar – the Lord Jesus Christ; working with all that is wholesome in human nature so that the essential character of humanity may be transformed.

All members of the Order are expected regularly to practice meditation in the traditional manner, which is a discipline of controlled thinking about a specific subject. Concerning which, members are encouraged to develop two basic skills – relaxation and concentration.

The first is, Relaxation, by which it is possible to be physically and psychically still. There are many methods of relaxation available in the public domain that may easily be utilised by the student, and they do not usually take very long to develop.

The second is Concentration, by which it is possible to fix the attention upon a given subject. Developing these skills is an important undertaking for all members of the Order. Yet, neither relaxation nor concentration constitutes meditation, they are simply tools to enhance and facilitate the process of mind control that is called meditation.

Offices

Organised prayer has been a central feature of the spiritual life from the earliest times, and was frequently emphasised by the early Church Fathers. So it is with the chapter of St Raphael, in which regularly engaging in prayer is a fundamental part of daily life. Consequently, throughout the day specific times are set aside for prayer so that the soul may recollect itself and persevere in its main purpose – spiritual evolution.

The mind is not a vacuum, and if left to its own devices it will inevitably occupy itself with thoughts, feelings and images generated by the senses; a never-ending procession of thought-forms defining and dictating mood and behaviour. It has long been known that prayer is the most effective way of harnessing these same faculties towards more positive and spiritual ends; namely the work of spiritual evolution.

To this end the Order prescribes three offices to be performed daily by individual members. The morning office, ideally performed upon rising, after ablutions, establishes a unique theme and tone for the day; the midday office, a very short office that reinforces the primary theme established in the morning office, and the evening office, performed just before retiring, which provides an opportunity for reflection, particularly upon the theme of the day and how that theme influenced the course of the day. The evening office also provides time for members to reflect upon personal behaviour and attitudes and to consider possible modifications and responses. 

Other than the Daily Offices, the Chapter of St Raphael meets monthly to celebrate the Eucharist, to which both members and fellows are welcome.

Psychism and Spirituality – the Rosicrucian Dilemma

The theme of this paper is Spirituality or Psychism – A Rosicrucian Dilemma. In many ways it is a testimony of a personal journey out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of understanding. As such it expresses some of my personal reflections on the work of a Rosicrucian, particularly in the context of the FAMA & CONFESSIO.

Context

My formative years, particularly my pre-teen years were full of strange and supernatural events. My family could not, or would not engage with me when I tried to discuss them, and my friends, being more or less of a similar age, just made a game of it. Consequently I spent my earliest years trying to make sense of two worlds – both of which were incomprehensible.

Some time before I started school, probably at the end of my fourth year, I had become fascinated with the interior of our local Catholic Church, my parents had taken me into it at some point, and because it wasn’t very far from home I often wandered off to spend time inside it – it was always open – the atmosphere inside the church moved me in ways that I did not then understand, but I felt comfortable there, sitting in the silence enjoying the smell of candle wax and incense and soaking up an atmosphere I felt I had known forever. The sense of wonder it inspired then, and now, has never left me.

In my late teens I began to meet people on the fringes of the esoteric community. Most of them were interested in Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism predominantly; there seemed to be lots of Gurus, Swamis, Buddhist monks and the like, which was very exciting, but there were also people interested in what was claimed to be Western Mysticism. It was to this area that I was drawn like a moth to the flame, and it was in this area that I consciously began my spiritual journey. Most of the people I encountered then impressed me with their familiarity of arcane knowledge concerning astral worlds and incredible spiritual beings and awesome powers; but it was a world to all intents and purposes closed to me,

and inevitably (like others before me) I was compelled to find a way into it and see for myself.

At first, the very idea of astral worlds and spiritually superior or highly evolved beings made my head giddy with the possibility of being able to partake in their mysteries. However, the more I engaged with such esotericism the more obvious it became that I was engaging in little more than astral tourism. There appeared to be no significant difference between a trip to another country and an astral journey to another world. Furthermore, it seemed to me that communing with the deceased or with ‘superior beings’, was in principle no different to communing with strangers in this world, over the telephone for example.

Initially this puzzled me and I spent a long time thinking about it until I realised that I had been taking for granted the notion that the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘psychic’, and the ideas they represented were interchangeable, and with this realisation arose the question, how close were they really? Are they synonymous or is there a difference, and if there is a difference, what distinguishes them? This led me to another question, simple but full of implications, what do these terms really mean?

As I eventually came to understand it Psychism meant engaging with the supernatural world. It was an understanding supported by my earliest experience and observations, and reinforced by local wisdom (hearsay). In my youth mediums (the terms ‘psychic’ and ‘channels’ came later) were always a big draw; people would travel great distances to consult a medium whose credentials were sufficiently marvellous. As time passed I noticed that there was a quiet but determined competition among mediums to be the most interesting and therefore the most popular on the circuit. It wasn’t enough to be gifted with psychic abilities such as clairvoyance; successful mediums also had to have the right connections in the supernatural world. At the time it seemed to me that mediums were as nothing unless they were in communication with a really special discarnate person. A well-known historic figure was preferred, someone like Mary Magdalene, a Tibetan ‘hidden master’ or an Egyptian Pharaoh; they attracted big audiences. Alternatively a highly evolved being from another world or dimension would be a very advantageous connection.

In the 1960’s there were a few celebrity ‘mediums’ doing the rounds but not very many, however, in the 1970’s more andmore people emerged as ‘psychics’ or ‘channels’ claiming to be in communication with beings from a higher state of

consciousness – transcended masters and saints were popular for a while, especially those who had an urgent message for humanity, which was usually a negative message informing humankind that unless we modified our behaviour we were all doomed; or that our civilisation was doomed but the ‘New Age’ would then unfold into a glorious future. I recallattending a lecture in the 1980’s given by the ‘great’ Elizabeth Clair Prophet, she was, according to her own report, in close and frequent communication with Joseph of Arimathea, the Angel Gabriel and the alchemist the Comte St. Germaine, to name but a few. In the 1990’s the format changed, people began ‘channelling’ or communicating with minor deities, often pagan, or frequently personifying the latest star to emerge – the ‘Goddess’ in one of her many forms. And so it goes on, many messages but nothing new. I do wonder what will come next!

Astral travelling was, and I suspect always will be, a major attraction. I remember a lecture about the Astral World; it was delivered in Bristol, in the mid-1970’s, by the well known occultist, Douglas Baker. More than a hundred and fifty people were present, and the room, a university lecture theatre, was packed. At one stage in the proceedings the attention of the audience was flagging, and Douglas Baker noticed this. I watched him gather his thoughts and with increased emphasis and conviction state categorically that no individual was free from sexual seduction on the astral planes, and then proceeded to explain how this was so – full concentration was resumed immediately.

At that time it seemed to me that Psychism and Spirituality were invariably linked, and that psychic ability was considered by many to be a true sign of spirituality. Many of the books available were either reports of the amazing powers of certain people, or primers for developing psychic powers such as clairvoyance, reading auras, healing people and of course becoming astrally mobile. A delusion, or perhaps a sickness of the soul that I believe is more widespread today than during the 1960’s.

The ability to commune with beings from other worlds, to travel freely in those worlds, and to analyse souls and predict their future has ever been, and probably still is, close to many people’s hearts and I can think of no reason to argue with them about it, but I’m not so sure about the magical arts, particularly casting spells, whish is essentially manipulating the environment and those living in it by magical and other means, which appears to be increasingly popular today, particularly among neo-pagans. There are ethical issues involved that few seem to consider important or relevant. For example, is there any difference between a successful love- potion or spell and date-rape? The lack of information leads me to suppose that it is ok so long as you don’t get found out. However, this wasn’t the case in the ancient world,particularly in the Greco-Roman era, where manipulating others through magical means was punishable by death. (not a lot of people know that)[Sentences of Paulus, See Pagan Rome & the Early Christians by Stephen Benko, Pub. Batsford, London 1985]

Another feature of my formative years was the role of esoteric orders and the many and various magicians populating them. In the early 1970’s the region I lived in was thick with them and astral wars were enthusiastically engaged in, much like gang wars are waged today, and although lethal weapons such as firearms were probably not employed, the use of magic was endemic as was the use of psychological intimidation. Doors and windows were often daubed with magical signs and symbols and excrement was occasionally found on the doorstep or in the letterbox. I recall an old friend from that time describing how a certain magician had on one occasion threatened him with a nasty end by magical means. My friend’s response was I think sweetly pragmatic; he informed the said magician that if his comfort was disturbed in any way via magical means the antagonist could look forward to a good beating, and not on the ‘Astral’. I believe his comfort remains undisturbed to this day.

The classic scenario in the world of esoteric orders, although I don’t think it was exclusive to it, was the conflict between‘beastly’ black magicians, typically thought to be followers of Alistair Crowley and members of the OTO, seeking to destroy ‘decent’ white magicians, typically exponents of the Golden Dawn and derivative orders, who inevitably represented the forces of light and goodness. Today there are many more esoteric orders busily establishing themselves as entities in the field; building magnificent egregores to re- establish Universal Order and rule the world as it should be ruled. The players change but like an old ‘soap’ the play goes on and on – a phantasmagoric procession weaving itself through time upon the tapestry of life, leading souls in a never-ending fairy carnival.

Whatever the truth may be it became quite obvious to me that whether in this world or in the astral world such endeavours, however fantastic, are still a part of duality and consequently subject to the laws governing Space, Time and ‘Fate’, and therefore could offer no greater opportunity for spiritual development than any other activity, doing household chores for example. However, in my early years I had no way of knowing if any of it was true, consequently in the beginning I ran with the crowd following the carnival. But now in the middle of my 7th decade I see clearly that although psychic or supernatural powers are real they are not of primary importance; on the contrary, using them to build an empire, to manipulate others, regardless of their own inclinations, is at best naïve and selfish, and often immoral if not evil.

Eventually I joined a small Christian Contemplative Order, and with the assistance of my teacher I began to understand that the experience of different worlds, astral or otherwise counts for little, I learnt from him that self-knowledge is far more important. Rather than seeking to explore the ‘astral’ or learning to read auras he encouraged me to explore my own being, to distinguish between the discursive nature of a self born of the material world, and the permanent reality that is the substrate of existence. The first, I soon learned, is a creature of DUALITY driven by desire, and forever chasing the phantoms that dance before the mind’s eye, be they physical or astral. The second is UNITY, the spiritual presence of God and the ground of being for all creatures. It was to this polarisation of being, a polarisation of ESSENCE and FORM, of Self and Not-Self, that my attention was directed, and as I later discovered, the Fama also demonstrates how important this same truth was to the first Rosicrucians, whoever these committed Christians were!

Concerning ‘Psychism’ & ‘Spirituality’

On the basis that a delusion, no matter how common-place or popular, is still a delusion. I think this is the right place to qualify what I mean by ‘Spirituality’ and ‘Psychism’; they are after all the main theme of this address. I think most of us would agree that they are reasonably common terms, but, do they have a common meaning?

The word PSYCHISM is derived from the Greek ‘Psyche’ which is a term that was, and still is commonly used for the soul. The best description I have found concerning the Psyche is an allegorical tale concerning the evolution of the soul, told by Apulieus in his book Metamorphosis, or Golden Ass. This story tells of a beautiful princess called Psyche, whose beauty was so marvellous that Venus the goddess of love was threatened by it, thus she sent her son Cupid to use one his fateful arrows to direct Psyche’s affection towards all that is base and worthless. However, Cupid, instead of fulfilling his mother’s wishes fell in love with Psyche, and through his divine powers transported her to his celestial palace where she became his wife. However, in fear of his mother’s anger Cupid only visited Psyche in the darkness of night and left before the dawn, thus Psyche neither knew the name nor the identity of her lover. Cupid had warned Psyche never to seek his identity, but Psyche, persuaded by the dark mischief of her jealous sisters, who had convinced her that he was an hideous monster hiding his true form in the darkness, (no comments please) lit a lamp as her husband slept, to see if this was true, unfortunately some of the hot oil fell from the lamp onto the shoulder of Cupid, who awoke and admonished and divorced Psyche, leaving her desolate. Thus begins Psyche’s long and desperate search for her beloved, all the while hunted and tormented by the goddess Venus. After many trials and tribulations, including overcoming Hades, she finally achieves immortality and was reunited with Cupid. Personally I like this story as it portrays the soul’s evolution out of the material world of the sense and the instinctive nature of human biology, into the spiritual world.

However, in more prosaic terms the Shorter Oxford Dictionary describes Psychism as the “Doctrine or theory of the existence of forces unexplainable by physical science in connexion with spiritistic phenomena.”1 Not really very helpful in my opinion.

Alternatively, Madame Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, defined Psychism as “A term now used to denote very loosely every kind of mental phenomena e.g. mediumship, and the higher sensitiveness, hypnotic receptivity, and inspired prophecy, simple clairvoyance in the astral light, and real divine seership.” 2 Not much better, I fear.

Perhaps the most revealing thing about both of these definitions is that they describe Psychism in terms of phenomena and the phenomenal world, whether it be the coarse material world we perceive with our senses, or whether it be some astral/ethereal counterpart that we experience with the mind. In either case they are definitions rooted in the discursive mind born of Duality.

The word SPIRITUALITY is derived from the word ‘Spirit’, which has many meanings in the English language.

1 The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Third edition revised and edited. 1956.
2 [Theosophical Glossary 1892,]

Reference books and dictionaries describe the word ‘Spirit’ as signifying the essential nature or principle of a place, a thing or a person, but it is also used to signify an entity such as an angel, an elemental, a ghost or a demon, it is even used to signify a variety of alcoholic drinks and other chemicals such as Methylated Spirits. But whether it refers to an object, quality or an entity the term is generally used to describe something that is essentially incorporeal or immaterial. Thus, the spiritual essence of a person, place or thing is beyond image and form. How then is it to be understood?

In my experience this notion of the essence being formless is best expressed in Kabbalistic terms –Kabbalistic thought proposes that Creation emerges in four successive and increasingly material modes from a formless and invisible essence, known as Ain Soph

Aur. The first mode or world is called Atziluth – the archetypal world. It is the world in which the Spiritual essence coalesces into the divine archetypes which are the basis of Creation. The second world is Briah, the Creative World, it is the world in which the differentiated essence that is the divine archetypes become dynamic but have yet to take form.

The third world is Yetzirah, the Formative world, it is in this world that the archetypes begin to take form, as in the mind of an architect or designer – a subtle ethereal form that is not usually perceptible to the senses, but is perceivable to the mind. The Fourth is Assiah, the Material world, it is the world of Matter, wherein the archetypes have their most concrete and form, a form perceptible to the senses. It is in this world that Adam & Eve were given tunics of skin (Gen. 3: 21).

This concept of a transcendent and formless spiritual essence is also found in Neo-Platonic thought, which propose three principal modes of being, The One is the Infinite, the Absolute, the source and ground of existence. It is Unity pure and simple. The Divine Nous is the Divine Spirit/Mind in which exists the archetypal ideas and prototypes of creation. The world Soul is the model of creation itself. It consists of a celestial part that contemplates the Divine Nous, and a terrestrial part which is the vehicle through which the material cosmos is generated.

Human souls proceed from the World Soul, and as a microcosm of the World Soul consists of two or more parts, the Terrestrial part, the two lowest illustrated in this chart, is the realm most commonly experienced by humanity and consists of the material world of the senses and the ethereal world – most commonly known as the Astral. The highest part, the Celestial, the upper two illustrated in this chart, is capable of rising above the material and ethereal world to contemplate the Divine Nous, which constitutes the goal of many esoteric systems.

There are other models that demonstrate this point but the Kabbalistic and Neo-Platonic models shown here were reasonably well known to the esoteric community in the 16th century, and are sufficient to demonstrate the SPIRITUAL and the PSYCHIC being a distinction between FORM and ESSENCE. It is clear, then, that throughout history the custodians of the Tradition, whose ranks, according to the FAMA must include the first three generations of ROSICRUCIANS, recognised that there is a distinction to be made between Form and Essence. And that the SPIRITUAL is concerned with Essence, and the PSYCHIC with Form – which has many gradations of manifestation or materiality.

It seems to me that if there is a one thing above all else that distinguishes Essence and Form it is the concepts of UNITY and DUALITY. That which is spiritual pertaining to Essence and UNITY and that which is psychic pertaining to Form and DUALITY and all that such implies, including the infinity of worlds and creatures who inhabit them (This is reflected in the human soul). The following illustrations of p.62 and p. 63, of the Confessio clearly demonstrates that the authors were conscious of this distinction, and that the realm of Form, was transient and of the nature of Duality. And that is the point of this preamble – to illustrate a truism that was as commonplace in ancient times as it is today – that the psychic world is little more than a hall of mirrors full of delusory hallucinations – no more spiritual than watching TV. Whereas the Great Work, to which all true Rosicrucians are by definition committed, is primarily concerned with the Essence and not the Form. This may be discerned in the FAMA, which is clearly concerned with the spiritual life, rather than the phenomenal world.

It seems patently obvious to me that the main objective of the FAMA was to demonstrate, albeit in a veiled manner, an understanding of the spiritual nature of the Great Work, inspiring aspirants in the opening years of the 17th century to focus on the mysteries of the spiritual life rather than squabbling over the theological and political issues that dominated the poisonous atmosphere of religious hatred that polluted Europe during the 16th & 17th centuries. This the FAMA does, using the metaphoric and allegorical language of Kabbalah and Alchemy, following the precedents established in the ancient world of using stories as allegories of the spiritual life, transmitted in such a way as to convey and protect the integrity of important spiritual ideas by embodying them in a memorable tale.

Examples of such methods can be seen in the Mosaic books such as the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, andMoses’ ascent of Mt. Sinai, or in non-Christian texts such as the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece. Indeed, as I understand it Apulieus devised the story of the Metamorphoses or Golden Ass as an allegory to circumvent the taboo against speaking publicly about the Sacred Mysteries of Eleusis. He even embedded in the Metamorphoses the story of Cupid and Psyche, which is itself an echo or reflection of the soul’s quest for redemption as portrayed in the Mysteries by Persephone. I think he sailed very close to the wind with that.

There are many other examples of the allegorical method available, Chretien De Troyes Arthurian Romances, Dante’sParadisio, and Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress come to mind, as do many of the Alchemical texts that were circulating in the late medieval era, of which there are too many examples to enumerate here. Yet, in their own way by their very existence they all support the validity of the FAMA to stand, not merely as an ancient political ‘manifesto’, a historical curiosity, but as an allegorical text full of symbols of the spiritual life.

To those who think themselves Rosicrucians but have not studied the FAMA, having only read and listened to ‘scholarly’ opinion concerning it, I must say with all due respect, that you should study it! It is well worth the effort, for it is dripping with enigmatic and wonderful references to the mysteries of Alchemy and Kabbalah.

These references stand unchanged, as fresh as the day they were composed. The few Rosicrucians who have discovered them have in the main kept silent about them. Consequently they were not re-invented in the late 18th or 19th centuries as so many other symbols were, but stand as an unsullied testimony to the people who composed them and the era in which they were composed. They speak of something that lies beyond the world of the senses.
For example, consider the curious nature of the following passage from page 3 of the FAMA:

“To such an intent of a general Reformation, the most godly and highly illuminated Father, our Brother, Christian Rosencreutz a German, the chief and original of our Fraternity, hath much and long time laboured, who by reason of his poverty (although descended of Noble Parents) in the fifth year of his age(of his Novitiate) was placed in a cloister, where he had learned indifferently the Greek and Latin Tongues, who ( upon his earnest desire and request) being yet in his growing years, was associated to a Brother, P.A.L. who had determined to go to the Holy Land.”

Now we have a choice; we either accept the literal reading of the text; that a poor five year old boy was given over to a monastery, and began learning Latin & Greek, and who sought the guidance of a more senior member, who incidentally, was prepared to take him to the Holy Land. This would make Christian Rosencreutz a monastic and a catholic, which is possible but unlikely. Alternatively, if the words are considered in metaphorical terms they suggest that Christian Rosencreutz was an initiated member of an esoteric brotherhood. It is even possible that both may be true, that he was both a monastic and an initiated member of an esoteric brotherhood; which is not as far-fetched as it might at first appear, concerning which I refer you to the extensive work of Lynne Thorndyke [History Of Magic, And Experimental Science] who makes abundantly clear just how involved some members of the monastic orders were in the exploration of the esoteric.

Whatever the whole truth may be it seems to me that one thing is certain – this passage is not saying is that Christian Rosencreutz was a five year old infant when he entered the cloisters, but that he was young in the Work. Furthermore, when Brother P.A.L., is considered in metaphorical terms, he may be seen as being a senior member of the Order, who assisted Christian Rosencreutz on his spiritual journey to The Holy Land – which is a metaphor of the kingdom of heaven– the spiritual goal of the mystic and contemplative.

That Brother P.A.L., died in Cyprus and Christian Rosencreutz continued on his journey is also suggestive. Either the author is alluding to ‘Death’ in Alchemical terms, suggesting that Christian Rosencreutz had begun the process of Spiritual Alchemy in which the death (quiescence) of the discursive mind, no matter how inspired, is absolutely necessary. In which case brother P.A.L., is being used as a device to symbolise a form of an inspired intellect [John the Baptist for example], or, he may be alluding to the fact that the teacher can only ever be a signpost and that the student must ultimately make the journey alone. Consider the following passage: [Show illustration of p.6]

“At Fez he did get acquaintance with those which are commonly called the Elementary Inhabitants, who revealed unto him many of their secrets:”

I don’t know about you but this passage leaves me with several questions: The first being’ what does the author mean by Elementary Inhabitants? I think we can discount the Elementary Inhabitants being masters of the Art showing one so young their secrets, but is he alluding to the ‘elementals’, the Sylphs, Undines, Salamanders and gnomes, or is he suggesting something else?

He continues:

Of these of Fez he often did confess, that their Magia was not altogether pure, and also that their Cabala was defiled with their religion; but notwithstanding he knew how to make good use of the same ....” (p.6)

With what ‘Magia’ and ‘Cabala’ did he compare that of Fez, and how was it that one so young, if indeed he was, and I quote: “knew how to make good use of the same”? Whatever the answer may be, these words are not the words describing a youngster or novice alone a strange land.

More interesting, or perhaps I should say more revealing is the following. On page 11, of the FAMA Christian Rosencreutz is said to have build a neat habitation, which I am sure is the Sancti Spiritus but more of that later. In this‘habitation’ he “ruminated

his voyage, and philosophy, and reduced them together in a true memorial ....” – in my understanding this is a reference to the discipline of meditation, a fundamental undertaking in the Great Work. But more interesting is what follows; after fives years he drew out of his first cloister (in itself a puzzle) three of his brethren and bound them to himself.

This may mean exactly what it says, that three brothers left their monastery to form a new Order with Christian Rosencreutz, but it also suggests an alchemical allegory concerning the three essential alchemical principles of Sulpher, Mercury and Salt.

Alchemy assumes the existence of three principles in all things, corresponding with the threefold division of man into body, soul and spirit. These principles are Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt. Sulphur represents the Spiritus Primus. Its nature is fire, and is understood to be the analogue of the soul. To Sulphur is attributed the Sun, the conscious self – the embodiment of will. Mercury represents the Materia Prima. Its nature is water, which in alchemy is understood to be the Spirit. This is not the spirit of Christian theology, which denotes the divine immortal element of Man, but the vital force that is carried in the air, otherwise called the ‘waters of life’. It is passive malleable and volatile; to it is attributed the Moon. Salt represents the Body, the material form resulting from the combination of Mercury and Sulphur. These three principles, acting together, constitute the nature of all things, including man.

Alchemy also understands the universe to be a UNITY, and that all material bodies emerged from that Unity, their component elements being different forms of one matter and, therefore convertible into one another. This theory may be seen as an analogy concerning the soul’s evolution and regeneration – an evolution from an unregenerate state symbolised by the metal Lead to a spiritually regenerate state symbolised by Gold.

In another form of alchemical symbolism, focussing particularly on the metals, Gold is the symbol of regeneration, and is designated a noble metal, as is Silver; although it is thought to be less mature than gold. In the Eighteenth century, Emanuel Swedenborg, the illustrious Swedish scientist, philosopher and spiritual visionary, designated the man of gold as “celestial”, and the man of Silver as “spiritual”. Lead, on the other hand, was regarded as a very immature and impure metal: heavy and dull, and as such was considered to be a symbol of man in an unregenerate state.

From a personal perspective, I was taught to think of Sulphur, as Primus Spiritus, corresponding with the Divine Nous, and to think of Quicksilver, as Materia Prima, corresponding with the World Soul. It is through the conjunction of them both, symbolised by the alchemical marriage of the King and Queen, that the World Soul gives form to the archetypes contained in potentia within the Divine Nous. The materialised forms of the archetypes, and all forms derived from them are represented by the element of salt.

These three principles also have parallels in Kabbalah. The three Mother Letters, Aleph, Mem, and Shin, correspond with the elements of Air, Water and Fire, and in principle act in much the same way as Sulpher, Mercury and Salt correspond to Fire, Water and Earth.

The more I look at the Fama & the Confessio the more I see an interesting structure woven ‘between the lines’ of thenarrative. These core Rosicrucian texts do not simply form a mandate for Magic and Experimental Science, although many have taken it as such. As an expression of the aspirations of a tumultuous era the narrative of the FAMA is interesting on its own terms, but it also has hidden depths that veil a subtext concerning the spiritual transformation of human nature, and as such it is invaluable. As far as my understanding of such things allows, I perceive the language to be a symbolic language of allegory and metaphor steeped in esoteric thought, part mythological, part alchemical and part Kabbalistic.

But when all is said and done it is clear that a recognisable process of spiritual transformation is implicit in the text of the FAMA. And it seems to me that the purpose of the text is to act as a vehicle for this process, a process that is concealed through the use of allegory and metaphor, of sign and symbol, only to be discovered by a persistent and reflective mind. This process appears to be embodied in the FAMA in four stages or phases:

1. 1)  Apprenticeship (Elemental)

2. 2)  Building the Sanctis Spiritus

3. 3)  Interior life (Meditation & Contemplation)

4. 4)  Charity (six commendations)

The first, the Apprenticeship, is described at the beginning of the FAMA. It portrays our Christian Rosencreutz on a journey of discovery in the world, but what world he is exploring is left for the reader to discover. At first glance it seems to be a quaint record of an adventure, but closer examination reveals it to be an allegory of a student learning the basic curriculum of the Work and maturing sufficiently to pass through a labyrinth of esoterica until he arrives at a place of self-knowledge and is thus able to begin the construction of the Sancti Spiritus.

The second, the building of the Sanctis Spiritus, describes Christian Rosencreutz building a spiritual body, but only after he has understood through experience that the world has little interest in his discoveries is he motivated to do so. Christian Rosencreutz learns the hard way that the world is only interested in securing control over the resources of the world of the senses, and maintaining the status quo – personal power being everything. [see illus. of p. 11 – 12]

The third, the Interior Life, describes Christian Rosencreutz engaging in meditation, exploring his spiritual journey thus far, and reflecting upon the philosophy of the spiritual life. Mathematics was drawn to the reader’s attention as a major subject of his exploration, and I can’t help wondering just what the author of the FAMA means by ‘Mathematics’. Did the author mean the ‘philosophy of Number’, or did the author mean the study of Gematria to unravel the mysteries of scripture? I say this because the CONFESSIO states on page 49:

This suggests to me a Kabbalistic exegesis of Biblical texts using mathematical systems such as Gematria, Temura andNotarikon, and rightly so for such systems are profound meditative tools, capable of revealing subtle layers of meaning in the scriptures that are not obvious to the rational mind.

Furthermore, the description of the ‘Vault’ of Christian Rosencreutz gives a marvellous insight to the nature of the Sancti Spiritus, a description that is itself an allegorical puzzle. It has fascinated esoterically minded people for the last four hundred years or more, and has been the central feature of many esoteric orders for more than a century. However, I am inclined to accept the description of the VAULT as an elucidation of the interior world of the soul from a Biblical perspective, [See Exodus 26] an internal cosmology expressed in both Kabbalistic and Alchemical terms.

The fourth, I call Charity. I call Charity because it is concerned with the work of a Rosicrucian living in the world. At its heart is the dynamic of Love – that is to say, Charity; and it is supported by the practice of Humility – by living quietly and invisibly in the world without seek fame, recompense, fortune or power over others. This Rule, combined with the three previous phases, establishes a quintessentially Christian model for living a spiritual life; rooted as it is in the formula established by Jesus Christ: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. [Mark 12. 30- 31] For those who have the eyes to see this quotation is a cipher that directs the aspirant to learn how to love; to seek entrance into the sacred precincts of the heart; to learn how to govern the soul; to learn how to direct the mind and to harness the strength and power of the psyche. All of which are to be directed to the service of GOD and HUMANITY, but not to the service of SELF.

Conclusion

I opened this address by saying that the theme of this paper is in many ways a testimony of a personal journey out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of understanding. It is entitled Spirituality or Psychism – A Rosicrucian Dilemmabecause it is ever so easy to lose oneself in the chemistry of the Psychic World, which is the world of Form and thereby lose sight of the Essence, which is the Spiritual realm.

In my understanding the dilemma for the aspiring Rosicrucian is simply this, if the Great Work is the spiritual regeneration of both the race and the individual, how much of a Rosicrucian’s time should be given to chasing theephemera that is ‘Psychism’ and how much should be given to the seeking of the ‘Spiritual’. Put another way, what is the core endeavour of a Rosicrucian? Is it to discover the Essence underlying Form or is it to explore the science of Form? This is the dilemma I believe has always been central to Rosicrucianism, and I believe it is a dilemma that will continue to present itself to each new generation of aspirants as they seek to understand the spiritual dimensions of the soul.

FINALLY
Although the Rosicrucians hid their personal identity, they did not hide the fact that they were professed Christians, or that they had esoteric interests in Alchemy, Magic and Kabbalah and Healing. Furthermore, their calling along with their esoteric interests have influenced the pattern and shape of spiritual and esoteric endeavours in Europe and beyond for centuries. Their involvement with Magic, Alchemy and Kabbalah has frequently been the main focal point of public interest and endeavour, not all of which might be called Wise. Yet, whilst people ignore the spiritual message of the Fama & Confessio and continue to take literally what has been outlined in these texts – to seek the magical power and control over nature implied therein – then I see little changing in the future.

Thank you
Allan Armstrong ODP