"Nature and the Scriptures should be compared. The priests misread the Scriptures, the philosophers misconstrue Nature. Hence they are always at war, and never compare their differences"

I recently had an interesting conversation with a bright young man regarding the role of the Western Mystery Traditions in a world dominated by Theology and Empirical Science.

As an initiate he was still trying to reconcile where the symbols and teachings of the Western Mysteries might fit between the powerful influences of Religion and Science. That is a good question for all of us on the Spiritual Path to ask ourselves every once in a while.

In my opinion the Mysteries (or any other Spiritual Tradition) can act as a reconciller or equilibriating element between Theology and Science. As an example I recently had a conversation with a friend who had just graduated from a Seminary and had written his Master's Thesis on the concept of "Certainty of Conscience". If you are not aware of the term it relates to the idea that if an individual believes his actions are serving the "Will of God", even if those actions are harmful or considered evil by others, he is in fact innocent or pure in the eyes of God. I agreed with him on that point for the following reason. I believe that God ("Divinity") is perfect. Thus if Divinity is Perfect than it is not subject to the negative forces which corrupt Humanity with greed, intolerance or hated. Thus Divinity is Love. So with that God loves us no matter what, for all our faults and imperfections regardless of what we do. In my opinion it is up to us to simply open our heart and allow ourselves to receive "God's Love and Grace".

However where we disagreed was in the fact that his paper did not address the responsibility of the individual to try to "check themselves" to determine if their actions and the resulting consequences were in line with Divinity. Yes...God loves us and forgives us. Yes...It is also my opinion if one truly feels they are serving God's will, then they are innocent regarding their "intent" in the eyes of Divinity. However it is truly the "Enlightened" individual that realizes that the Absolute Truth of Divinity can be "tainted" by the limitations of human perception. Like the morning light that shines through a "rose colored" window the Light itself then becomes tainted by the color of the window glass. It is the Enlightened individual who works to purify him or herself so that the Absolute Truth of Divinity comes to them untainted.

Thus we have the wisdom of ancient "Enlightened" Brethren that has been preserved in the "initiatic rites" of Order's such as the Western Mysteries that are meant to provide us with the "working tools" to help us test our actions. For the Enlightened individual knows that "God's Grace" or the "Light of Divinity" is manifest in the physical mundane world only through the ideas, will and actions of Humanity. Thus if we chose to manifest God's Grace or the Divine Light into this world we must recognize we have a responsibility to insure that our actions are driven by these Absolute Truths (i.e. Light) and not from the false shadows (i.e. animal passions) reflected by the "ego".
 

The Western Mysteries point to several "tools" that we can use to reconcile our actions such as Reason, Morality and Justice. Many of the Spiritual Traditions force us to look introspectively and ponder how these Ideals compare to our own conscience. Rather than opine on what is Morality, Reason and Wisdom let me quote some interesting lines from Manly P. Hall’s book “Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians” which I just finished reading relating to Plato's initiation into the Egyptian mysteries.

1st Priest: What dost thou seek Plato?
Plato: Wisdom.
1st Priest: It is impossible without much science, for man to interpret the grand hieroglyphics of the universe. What is Science?
Plato: The comprehension of causes and their effects, when the spirit of God descends into the bosom of man.
1st Priest: What is Wisdom?
Plato: The knowledge of good and evil, justice and injustice, it is the love of the one and the hatred of the other.
1st Priest: In order to reach it, know thyself.

Later in the Initiation

3rd Patriarch: What is Morality?
Plato: It is the rule of right, and the duties which the conscience imposes, and which cannot violate without shame and disgrace.
3rd Patriarch: And Justice?
Plato: It is the practical application of the law of rendering to all that which is due.
3rd Patriarch: Where doth justice and morality take their source?
Plato: In the very conscious of humanity.
3rd Patriarch: How doth thou distinguish good and evil?
Plato: All that wounds the dignity or restrains the rights of man is evil; all which is favorable to them is good.

Unlike all other creatures Humanity was blessed with the capacity for Reason and a Conscience. We are also blessed with the ability to manifest "God's Grace" (i.e. Divine Light/Truth) into this world. Those gifts come with a profound responsibility. As seekers of the Light we are charged to ever check our actions to insure that we are in fact in line with Divine Will.

Offered in Humility

Unus Multorum...a humble unknown philosopher

"Great progress in truth is difficult in the midst of the world and under the favor of fortune; duplicity and double seeming are needed in dealing with the one and anxiety for preserving the other. Our rest is not therefore in God."

Initiation...it is a deeply misunderstood word in today's western, ego centric society. For many the word brings visions of College fraternity hazing and youthful hedonistic partying. Yet this word in ancient times symbolized a deeply personal and spiritual process though which one separated themselves from the mundane world and worked towards a deeper understanding of the Self. Remember the words of the Greek Oracle at Delphi.."Know Thyself, and thou shall know all the mysteries of the Gods and the Universe." But where does initiation enter into the equation? Life itself is a process of constant struggles and initiations. We are initiated into adulthood through rites of passage and celebrations. Is not the Bah Mitzvah or sweet sixteen coming out party a form of initiation. Are we not initiated into a new level of Self when we graduate from grammer school into high school or even college. Each of life's little struggles or initiations brings with it some personal insights. Thus if I am constantly gaining personal insights from life's little initiations why do I need to join an Order that requires a "formal" initiation.

For me it is a matter of intent and pace. Rather than let life randomly and haphazardly initiate you, by taking on some spiritual work or order you are taking responsibility for your level of growth and development. What matters to me is not the Order or organization you choose to join but that you approach the initiatic path with an open mind. The often dramatic rituals and ceremonies are meant to take you outside of your everyday mundane ego centic self. Once you get past that part of yourself that reacts to the outside world and is a reflection of the material world around you, that is when you find the first steps towards the center of your being...your true self.

That to me is the true meaning of the Initiatic Path. Is it a waste of time..that is up to the individual and the amount of effort they put into the process.

Just the humble opinion of this unknown philosopher...Unus Multorum

Friends,

Forgive me the title which may come off as sounding condescending and disparaging. It is not intended that way at all. In fact I say there is "Hope for Freemasonry" specifically because I disagree respectfully with many individual Freemasons (especially those in administrative positions within different  Grand Lodges) that say the Craft is fading.

Masonic Lodges like Lodge of the Nine Muses are moving away from meatloaf dinners and pure philanthropy and more towards providing good people with an "Initiatic Experience and an "Education on the Self". The tide turns and as it does membership in Freemasonry will grow as more emphasis is placed on these aspects of the "Craft". See below:

http://www.lodgeoftheninemuses.org/special/special.html

Congratulations Lodge of the Nine Muses; your actions speak volumes about your Lodge and its Brothers.

Unus Multorum...a humble unknown philosopher.

The Prayer of the Spaniard, "My God, defend me from myself", connects with a salutary feeling when we can awaken it within us, namely, that we ourselves are the only beings of whom we need be afraid on earth, whilst God is the one Nature who has reason to fear only that which is not Himself. We might extend it as follows, "My God, aid me in thy Goodness, that I may be spared from destroying thee".

Charity is a word that is thrown around too often and easily. In my case as I was growing up, Charity was more of a programmed "Social" response to help offset the guilt that built up in me as a result of living an Ego-centric life. Were you to have asked me ten years ago...what is the reason you are performing Charity...I would not have been able to answer honestly. My automatic and Politically Correct programmed response might have been... because it is the Right thing to Do.

However as I study some of the great philosophers, religious figures and mystics throughout history I see another reason for Charity. Charitable actions are more of a natural consequence of Good and Moral Living. Figures like the founder of Buddhism Siddhartha Guatama, Jesus of Nazareth, Mother Teresa and Plato to name only a few, simply lived in a manner that brought them closer to a Divine state. In other words they strove to Live in a constant process of Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual Growth. Simply by living their lives in such a way they impacted the World around them in a positive way, helping, teaching and contributing to others more through actions than words.

By impacting the World in a positive way simply by their chosen Virtuous Lifestyle they were performing the purest form of Charity. Their purpose and reason for performing Charity is more honest and true than even the politically correct response I used to give "because it is the Right thing to Do". I imagine that these Enlightened individuals might have responded to the question of "Why do you perform Charity?" by saying "We are not performing Charity. We are simply Living our Lives in a Good and Virtuous manner according to our own personal internal and external moral compasses. The positive consequences to Living a Moral Life is in and of itself the answer to that question".

"My God, aid me in thy Goodness, that I may be spared from destroying thee".

Unus Multorum... a humble unknown philosopher.

"All the impressions which are made on us by Nature are designed to excercise our Soul during its term of penitence, to prompt us towards the eternal truths shown beneath a veil, and to lead us to recover what we have Lost."

Dear Friends,

Thank you for deciding to visit our humble website. The Rose Circle Research Foundation, Inc. and this site are first and foremost in existence for the benefit of all who are genuinely interested in the Spiritual Quest. Although enlightenment may come from introspective personal contemplation we feel that having a formal community that collects and shares Esoteric knowledge from the multiple threads in existence can be additive to your journey. We of the Rose Circle claim no hold or mastery of these topics but instead ask you to join with us in creating a positive and additive source for different Esoteric and Philisophical points of view.

In this respect we have made friends across the globe who are sharing their wisdom with us allowing us to create a depository of different papers, lectures, and poems that many may find useful as they study the Mysteries of Nature, Spirit and the Self. Please note that as we are a new organization of self motivated volunteers we will strive to continue building our archives and this website with your collective help. Your membership fees, conference and book sale proceeds allow us to maintain the site and organize events and conferences that benefit all.

"It is not the purpose of Education to deposit Kowledge into the Soul, but instead to point the Soul towards Right Living" Plato

I look forward to learning and sharing with all of you.

Unus Multorum