CAC nico oonenonnonnannenanaan SFR ’ MASTER MONOGRAPH \ NEOPHYTE SECTION ‘This monograph always rensins the property of the ‘Supreme Grand Lodge of A MLO. Gre sn not ‘purshaued by, But loaned ly the Secciving member ROSICRUCIAN ORDER AMOR Atrium Atrium i) 3 Monograph Monograph B BTHE CONCURRENCE ‘This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion vvy 4 This monograph mentions the book, Lumen de Lu- mine, or A New Magical Light Discovered and Com- FF municated to the World, by the mystic, ‘Thomas Vaughan, originally published in the middle of the © seventeenth century. Tt is written in the quaint allegorical manner of the mystics, yet it contains a wealth of knowledge for the student who hesitates and ponders over its lines. After you have carefully read and digested this monograph, read the excerpt below from this old book. Within this fantasti circle stands 1 lamp, and it typifies the light of Nature, ‘This is the secret candle of God, which Fle hath tinned tn the elements; it burns and is not seen, fer it shines in a dark place. Every natural body is a kind of black lantern; it carries this candle within it, ut the light appears not: itis eclipse with the grossness of the matter. The effects of this light are apparent in all things, but the light itself is denied, or else not followed. ‘The great world hath the sun for his life and candle; according to the absence and presence of this fire all things in the world flourish or wither. We know by experience, and this in our own bodies, that as long as life lasts there is a continual coction, a certain seething or boiling within us This makes us sweat and expire in perpetual defluxions at the pores and if we lay our hands to our skin, we can feel our own heat, which must needs proceed from an ‘enclosed fire or light. All vegetables grow and augment themselves; they put forth their fruits and flowers, which could not be if some heat did not stir up and alter the matter. We see, moreover, that in vegetables this light ts sometimes discovered to the eye, as it appears in rotten wood, where the star-fire shines after night. As for minerals, their first ‘matter is coagulated by this fiery spirt and altered from one complexion to another, to which may be added this truth for manifestation, if the ‘mineral principles be artificially dissalved, that their fire and spirit may be at liberty, even metals themselves may be made vegetable. This fire or light is nowhere to be found in such abundance and purity as in that subject which the Arabians call Halicali—from Hali—summum and CCalop-bonumthe highest good; but the Latin authors corruptly write it Sal Alkali. This substance is the catholic receptacle of spirits; it is Blessed and impregnated with ligh: from above, and was. therefore styled by the magicians a Sealed House, full of light and divinity. THOMAS VAUGHAN, 1622-1665Neophyte Section: -A MOR C——The Rosicrucian Order THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER EIGHT PAGE ONE To our Fratres and Sorores, Greetings! Here we entertain one of the most thought-provoking and popular subjects in the fiela of mental phenomena. Please give special attention to these next few lessons, for you will find many people with whom this subject can be discussed intelligently. THOUGHT We know there are persons Living today, rubbing elbows CREATIVE with us in our business and social affairs, who smile at the statement that the mind has any oontrol over physical laws and principles, or material conditions. They are the ones who think that if you believe in sueh a law you must be a "New Thoughter,* as they call it, or perhaps a little erratic. We are surprised at times that men of seienco, including some physicians, will say that it is all well and good to talk about mental power and mind over matter, but that it does not work in diseases nor in this or that circumstance. Bocause of this attitude on the part of so many, most of us are inclined to keep our thoughts to ourselves and say very little about what we know and believe. On the other hand, there is a little proverb that says, "Where there is smoke there mst be fire." This ‘s true in reference to the almost universal belief that the mind io eapablo of controlling and direvt= ing as well as influencing material conditions. Where there is such a widespread belief or even hope in the powor of the mind to affect matter, there mist be somo fundamental reason for it and some facts to substantiate it. In the laws of the courts it is said that the mere fact that a great majority of persons believe a thing does not prove it to be true and that very often the minority is right and the majority wrong. Yet, it has always been the tendency on the part of the law and of every thinking person to give some weight to the opinions held by the majority of persons. The fair-minded person will always try to find out why so many people believe one thing against the beliefs of the minority. The belief may be wrong—on the part of the majority—and this majority may have a false understanding; but, on the other hand, there is always some interesting incident or manifestation that is responsible for the common belief held by so many. Therefore, it behooves us, as investigators of truth and as students of natural laws, to look into this one great conmon belief of the majority of thinking men and women throughout the worl: ‘that the mind of man has the power to create or direct or control conditions, elements, and situations in the material world,Neophyte Section A M 0 RC The Rosicrucian Order THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER EIGHT PAGE TWO ‘This brings us to some interesting facts that are not commonly known regarding this creative power in man and which constitute part of the teachings of the Rosicruoiens. Yet these facts will explain why there are such universal beliefs about the power of mind in the average man and woman. Many years ago, when science vas making rapid and important dis- coveries in the world of chemistry and physies, it was greatly interested in the possibility of the purely chemical oreation of life. Men were discovering, through the microscope, laws and principles long known to the Rosicrucians and to the mystics of many lands. As these modern scientists unveiled the secrets of nature through the microscope and published their announcements, a few publishers came forward with new editions of the ancient mystical writings, showing how these great fundamental laws of nature were known centuries ago. It was an interest- ing period for the mystics and scientists alike. It brought out fromthe archives of secret libraries in Europe the old, misty, and dusty books of the ancient alchemists and mystics. Their republication proved what had been known of these rediscovered laws and principles long be fore the public had an opportunity to read such interesting matter. An illustration of this was the book called Lumen de Lumine, or A Now liagioal Light Disoo. and ed $0 tho World, by Thomas Vaughan. This book was originally published in the middle of the seventeenth century and had been out of print for so long that many had forgotten it had ever been published. The few copies to be found sold at such a high price that not many could afford to buy them, In 1910, however, a new edition was brought out by a pub- Lisher in London, England. The world at once learned the ancient viewpoint of such subjects as "The Mineral Region," "The Treasure Contained in the Mountain," "The First Matter," *The Philosophical Fire," "The River of Pearl,* "The Aether," and'similar subjects. To go back to what the scientists believed about life and its composition, or nature, we find that scientists generally were divided into two classes: those vho were called materialists ana those who were called religionists. Tho religionists believed that life is a divine essence and that, no matter how mich of the chemicals and chomical agents of nature enter into the composition of all living matter, the real secret of life is an invisible essence ‘that comes from a Universal Mind. The materialists, on the other hand, believed that, with the discovery under the microscope and by other means of some new chem-cal elements and of laws and principles pertaining to their action, they had found a basis for tho promulgation of the theory that all lite is due to chemical act:on and reaction. at the time, they theorized that if nen could gather tho correct natural‘Neophyte Section A MOR C-—______—The Roicrucian Order THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER EIGHT PAGE THREE elements and put certain elements into the proper mixture, or re- lationship, life would spontaneously result. This was called the theory of spontaneous generation. They must have had in mind a sudden manifestation like that which we call spontaneous combustion wherein certain natural elements con- fined, or placed in such proximity as to radiate naturally and conserve a certain degree of heat, would suddenly burst into flame, or combustion, as a result of the conditions imposed upon them. Another theory that was very much like this one was termed artificial generation, or artificial creation, and its basis was that man could artificially create living animals out of what he called nonliving matter. Experimentation along this line is still under way. Books by the score were written and published on these theories, Lectures were given; professors and students rushed to their laboratories to duplicate the experiments being conducted. Clergymen were forced to speak on the subject and advise their congregations not to believe that Goa had been put out of the world by the new discoveries of science. Those of you who can remember this period will recall that this theory was popularly discussed and joked about as was the theory of evolution when introduced, Out of the popular aiocussiona, joking, and ronding on tho aubjoct, there came a great understanding of many crue principles which revealed to man more of the laws of nature than might have been revealed other- wise. The same thing happened as aresult of the popular discussions of the Darwinian theory of evolution and the fundamentals of religion. SCIENTISTS Among the many who studied "spontaneous generation" EXPERIMENT and "artificial creation" were Doctors Loeb and Littlefield, These em:nent scientists united in many laboratory experiments and tests. Dr, Littlefield was particularly unbiased. In addition to having an open mind, he was receptive to inspiration and subjective revelation. Their’ experiments, covering many years, form an interesting record in the annals of seience. They found’ that, by taking certain common salts and minerals and placing them in water, life appeared in the form of small living animals of the water species. For a time it looked as though they had really discovered the secret of life and creation. They soon learned thet their little creatures, floating, swimming, and moving in the small dishes of liquid in their laboratories, reached a stage of develop- ment after having passed chrough several stages of the species, where they died fom starvation or want ofNeophyte Section A MO R C________—The Roicrucian Order THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER EIGHT PAGE FOUR nourishment. This fact puzzled the men greatly as it did thousands all over the country who copied their experiments, and they soon found that there was still the sane great wall of mystery. What was the one thing necessary to keep these animals alive? Their con- clusion was that it was life itself. They asked what brought these things into existence from the so-called nonliving salts and chemicals. ‘The answer again was "Life"; therefore, they had not created life but had simply brought life into manifestation. Their experiments might have been manifestations of "spon-aneous generation," but. they certainly were not manifestations of "artificial creation," if that meant arbitrary creation out of nonliving matter. When this stage of the experinental work was reached, science began to review and revise some o? its theories about matter generally. Up to this time seience had believed there were two Kinds of matter in the world: Living and nonliving, It was believed that minerals, especially salts, came under the classification of dead matter. It is interesting to note that today science speaks of many rocks as live matter and knows that all minerals are not with- out life, It is verifying the Rosicrucian viewpoint that there is no real dead matter in existence anywhere in the universe. Dr, Littlefield soon sensed, zhrough the experiments and through'the inspiration that came 2o him psychically, that all he was doing was applying the creative forces of the universe to certain definite manifestations and that he was in no way creating life out of nonliving matter. He, therefore, separated himself from materialistic science and plunged deeply into the metaphysical, continuing his chemical experimen:s from a different viewpoint, following the ancient Rosicrucian mystical principles back to their fundamental and original basis. Now, to consider the use of this great principle in connection with the use of mind power in controlling matter, first let us repeat in brief form what we have indicated throughout some of our monographs: a thought visualized and objectified in the mind and fixed there through con- centration establishes a vital, living thing which radiates itself in the form of a creative power, carrying with it the nature and form of the thing thus vitalized and objectified. In other words—putting it into a simple philosophical form—holding the thought of joy and happi- ness causes a erystallization of that thought in the mind which radiates into space as a power, or energy, carrying with it the vibrations of Joy and happiness. These vibrations will reach and affect persons and things around us, On the other hand, the thought of pain and suffering, if hela in the mind and orystallized there through concentration, will radiate into the body vibrations carrying the sensation of pain ana suffering.Neophyte Section- -AMORC ‘The Rosicrucian Order THIRD ATRIUM ‘NUMBER EIGHT PAGE FIVE Rosicrucian mystics go further than the purely philosophical explanation. They maintain that, if a person holds in the mind a picture of some material thing desired (and really in harmony with the cosmic laws and principles), the thought will erystallize itself into a creative image in the mina, Then this image will radiate its nature with such forms of vibrations as will eventually materialize the thing in the objective world. This is meant in the sense that the individual is drawn to such sources that make it possible to create what is desired. This has been the claim of the mystic Rosicrucians through many ages. It is one of their great laws. They made wonder- ful demonstrations of their ability io bring about things through the crystallization of thought. Littlef-eld, however, attempted to Genonstrate this law and principle through one channel, or means: chemical action and reaction. In speaking of this demonstration, he said: "If these phenomena are what I believe them to be, namely, the control of matter by mind, it would seem most natural that the form of matter used by nature in the building of living organisms should be the kind of matter most easily affected." What we want you to do with mind power is to crystallize in your mind the pictures and ideas of the things you need or desire and should have—the things that will contribute to your health, success, and prosperity. This will make you a bettor member of cocicty and civilization, a better Rosicrucian, a better image of the universal principle, your perfect inner image. Now we shall speak about mental suggestion. Mental suggestion means that through the power of will a certain desire is directed or concentrated upon a given point. In other words, we take advantage of the fact that, when the objective consciousnéss, or critical part of the mind, is at rest or its attention distracted, the sub- Conscious or deeper parts of the mind are very susceptible to suggestion. If these suggestions are calculated to improve the health or well-being of the patient, the subconscious aspect of mind will readily accept them and will bring to bear its enormous influence over all the functions and sensatiors of the body. AlL of you mist be familiar with the influence exerted by the mind on diseass. This influence lics solely in the direction of energy, just as a piece of glass or polished tin will concentrate the sun's rays and transfuse them to a given point at will. This direction may be conscious or unconscious and caused by different sensations. The unconscious direction given by the mind is, in the majority of cases, caused by fear and leads to many serious complaints, It is quite common for those who read cleverly written advertisements to persuade them- selves that they are suffering from the symptoms described.‘Neophyte Section A MO R C___—Thee Rosicrucian Order ‘THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER EIGHT PAGE SIX ‘The deception may be so thorough that the unfortunate victim is really affiicted by a malady which otherwise would probably never have touched him, DIRECTION Realizing this, we want you to understand clearly that by OF FORCE the same power, or force, which produces and develops Qisease, you can attain or produce the opposite result— cure or heal—simply by changing the direction of the force. The man who has faith in an electric belt or pad may easily convince himself {hat a disappearance of the trouble that affected him was due to the particular article he had wora, whereas nothing but his own mind produced any real beneficial effect. Now that the real agency is understood—tI mean direction by suggestion—there is no necessity to call it forth through the nediun of material things that are in no way essential. By means of mental suggestion, changes can be produced equal, in many cases and in some cases superior, to these brought about by drugs. When a person has a cold he is put to bed and perspiration can be indueed by mental suggestion. In constipation the bowels can be made to act by physic. However, through mental suggestion constipa- fion can often be urea naturally by reestablishing normal funotional, activity in the glands which are secreting the intestinal juices. {a insomia or restlessness, sleep can be induced by narcotics with a headache probably following. By mental suggestion, natural sleep may be assured. Mental suggestien has been used to relieve and oven cure such illnesses as insomnia, constipation, obesity, dip Somania, neurasthenia, obsessions, early melancholia, certain forms of asthma, bad habits, St. Vitus’s dance, anemia, paralysis, rheu- matie and gouty pains, seasickness, stamering, overwork of the brain, stage fright, and so forth. Suggestion can steady a palpitating heart equally as well as belladonna or often take the place of digitalis in heart disease. Suggestion can diminish the number of beats and rest the heart muscles, or it can stimilate the heart and increase the number of beats. The same energy can be used for lowering the temperature of the body or for regulating the blood supply to any part, and the skin can be reddened or blanched. For fear and worry, there is not a single remedy in the pharmacopoeia, but mental suggestion provides us with the power to eliminate them, and through its use the subject is better able to control his organism in his own interest.Neophyte Section- -AMOR C—___—The Roierucian Order THIRD ATRIUM NUMBER FIGHT PAGE SEVEN The force which is exerted comes not so much from the operator as from the subject; it is from the subject, the inner self, that the change arises, and the operator simply awakens dormant,’ pro- tective instincts in the subject. Just recently a scientific article was published under the technical name "Bio-Feedback." It confirms what this monograph teaches with regard to the Inner Self—the psychic mind within you— and what it can accomplish. We quote the article below. You will note from it that science is just now beginning to investigate principles long expounded by the Rosicrucians. From reading the article you will also realize that the Rosicrucian teachings are not merely speculative—that we are not just introducing fantastic ‘theories without sound foundation. "It's all based on the discovery that the involuntary nervous system can actually be voluntarily controlled. The key is a teach- ing method known as bie-feedback training, in which the internal conditions and rhythms of the body are translated by powerful amplifiers into light or sound or the fluctuations of a needle on a dial. Once he can watch his heart rate or listen to his brain waves, an ordinary man can learn to influence them at will without any noticcable effort, scientists have found. It's also possible to learn conscious control of other normally unconscious body phenomena like blood pressure, skin temperature, muscle tension and even glandular secretion. "This implies that many heart, circulatory and psychosomatic diseases may one day be treated without pill or sealpel. Some psychologists believe feedback training may also open new doors in the mind, improving memory, insight, learning ability and creativity." The salutation for the evening, when you close this convocation or study period, is: “May the Cosmic so enlighten me that I may spread its glory everywhere !* Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTERThe Weekly Application Whatioever thou rerolvest to do, do it quickly, Defer not till the ‘evening what the morning may accomplish —Uxro Tus I Grant To test the creative power of mind, visualize some desired material thing. or situa tion, such as a new suit or dress, or an agreeable meeting, with some person you are to deal with. Build a mental picture as you have been instructed to do in your lessons; then release the picture after a few moments’ concentration. Do this at regular in- tervals until you feel you have achieved a clear mental image. ‘This image will radiate its nature and will find responsive vibrations in the real ob- ject of your desire. ‘This meeting of vibrations will return an impression to you a8 to ‘what possible steps you ean take to bring a closer union about. If there is another person involved, an impression of your mental picture will be conveyed to him. ‘The ‘meeting of vibrations, which are sympathetically attuned because of similarity, will Gravy both the object and the mental image closer together. ‘Try this on several situations or objects, and test the results.Summary of This Monograph vvyv Below isa summary ofthe important principles 3 this monograph. Tt contains the essential statements sehich You should not forget After you have carefully read the complete mono- raph, try to recall as many az-you ean of Uie important points ‘you read. ‘Then read thie Sunimary and see if you have forgotten any. Als Fefer to his suamary during the ensuing ‘week to refresh your inemory. © Mental suggestion means that through the power of will a certain deste is directed ‘or concentrated on a given point; in othe: words, when the objective mind i at rest, the subconscious or deeper parts of the mind are very susceptible to muggestion. 4 By the same power, or force, which may produce and develop disease, you can attain or produce the opposite remult—cure or heal—simply by changing direction of the force. Pharmacopoeia offers no remedy for fear end worry, but mental suggestion prov 1 with the power to eliminate them, and through it use the subject is better able to contcol his organism in his own interest. @ The operator simply awakens the dormant protective instincts of the inner self of the subject,