ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

OY9,^:C
oVo

Supplement ary Monograph

The subiect matter of this monograph must be understood by the reader or student of same, not to be the offrcial Rosicrucian teachings. These monographs constitute a series of supplementary studies provided by the Rosicrucian Order,.AMORC, both to- members private teachings of the _ Order. and h'orrmembeis. because they aie not the secret, '-,sa'l-:, tl:: r.-,irC of i"L.+ s'.uJen: 'Ihe oi;ec'. uf t!:t-i :::pp,ic:-;:',;ia+ l; :.i ti, =..^cg:l;'::: presenting him with th-e writings, opinions, and dissertatiorrs of .authorities in various fields irf num.ri'enterprise and endeivor. Therefore, it is quite probable that the reader will which are lnconsrsrenl made wnrcn inconsistent lDns slalements stat-emenis maqe note at times in these supplementary monographs with the reahzatron realization that they are mereviewpoint. tsut But dut wlth u'ith the Rosicrucian teachin teailiinss or vrewpornt. teachlngs vrith vr"ith ls nor not enqorsrn8 endorsing or or -condoning con(lonlng Rosicrutian \JrSanrzauon Organization i.s that tne the nosrcrucran ano tnal ly supplementary and value. value. Throughout rnrougnoul the their prima facie lacle for tnelr iake them merely lor them, bne One must take Pnma ,Ine supplementary series the authors or trinslators of the subject will be given due credit whenever we havl knowledge of their identity.

ffi
RoSICRUCIAN PAR.K, SAN 'OSE,
CALIFORNTA

"Consecrated to truth and dedicated

to every Rosicrucian"

SPECIAL SUBJECT
GREAT WHITE BROTHERHOOD

LECTURE NUMBER
RAD-

3 /7t

Rosicrueian Order -

AIvIORC

AI\iAI.YTICAT DISCUSS IONS

(Supplementary Lecture)
BROTHERTIOOD

Page One

-B-

THE GREAT WHITE

All the sources of the wisdom which mankind cherishes and preserves are not known. Some still remain a challenging and intriguing mystery. The threads of much of our knowledge are lost in the obscurity of antiquity. We can rightly presume that it is time alone which conceals their beginnings from us. It is, however, more than strange that paralleling general events of the past, the causes of most of which are clearly indicated, are also certain "sudden appearances" of a nelr wisdom, that is, an elaborately developed system of thi.nkitg, antlEve-ilEiences. Why, for example, are kings of thousands of years d9o.r their dynasties, their rise and fall in power, often precisely chronicled, and a rans$endenial wisdon of 'Lhe sai{ia era Geems to have a spontaneous, unheralded, unexplained origin?
Men, as history relates, have been often so endowed cosmically with lnner vision and encyclopedic minds that they as individuals have become virtual fountains of wisdom from which virgin ideas f1ow. Pharaoh Amenhotep rV, Plato, and Aristotle are-ffiEE ffir these geniuses of antiquity. The world is content to accept them as the authors of that which they expounded, since in comparatively modern times there have been others who. as individuals have also greatly advanced learning by their singular efforts and intell-igence. Such revelations may be explained physiologically by saying that the individuals had a peculiar configuration of the cortical areas of their brains, a special grouping of their brain neurons. Mysticallyr oD the other hand, they may be heralded as recipients of an intuitive knowledge; that is, they hrere channels through which the consciousness of God flowed to mingle with their mortal minds. Nevertheless, revelation or intuition does not explain the mysterious initial appearance of a great wisdom tE-aa irF peoFE Wisdom may be said to be an applied knowledge, a knowledge which Wisdom, therefore, is has been refined by usage amounting to a skill. period conceptq which, of time-from not r_evee!.ed,_b-ut is.developed aver-.a flashed into consciousthe in their simple form, may have originally like appearing wisdom ness of man. There are numerous examples of such history bright stars on the horizon of those civilizations which records. However, such learning did not drop from heaven. Men somewhere at some time by the sweat of their brows unearthed it in human experience no matter how sudden its apparent appearance. It may have taken centuries or even ages to develop it to the degree of perfection it had when it first came to the attention of the masses of men. During such an interim, it was either secreted from most men, or else it was Lost through some cataclysmic upheaval, to be rediscovered and disc1osedinitsferfectedwho1E.obviousJ.y,profane]oigEr_ history knows not the source of such wisdom, or it would be factually

reLated.

eonceded

To

cite a specific example, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, generally to have been erected during the reign of Pharaoh Cheops about

White Brotherhood
2gOO

Rosicrucian Order - AIIORC AI{ALYTICAL DISCUSSIONS (Supplementary tecture)

Page Two

-B-

8.C., is not alone a stupendous edifice but a monument as well to a tremendous learning possessed by its builders. It is, we may sdY, a symposium of numerous arts and sciences. It reveals in its engineerlng aia- its precise measurements a masterfuL knowledge of mathematics and of physiis. Futher, the locationr or rather its orientation in relation to the land surface of the earth, shows a knowledge of the geography of the earth far beyond the borders of Egypt. Since it is ifso cbnlended with merit that the apex of the pyramid was used for astronomical observation, this then is one more application of the wisdom its great mass rePresents. Any school boy knows that the Egyptians were renowned in antiquity a for thei-r }earnitr9, but what is not often realized is that less thanof Gizeh of P-yrqmid qentury and a ha-Li befori,*lhg,$Lea-t ry19-L19f3--S3Ly End arts a-iid science's='usEd*iii'iE3 ConstifrEI6fr,-ailE"whi-eii-Tt*-Sfffil:ffi7 were unknown. There are no evidences that 150 years before that time the uffiFans had any knowledge of masonry which permitted them to quarr{-Lhe hard stone, such as that of which the Great Pyramid-was 6onstiucted, nor are there any evidences of the variety of tools and instruments needed for such construction. F\trther, the precise exactibe tude exhibited in the measurements of the Great Pyramid is not tohigher if Certainly, previously erected. found in any other structures mathematics was known previously to the extent that it was commonly used in the construction of the ereal Pyramid, it would have been employed in

other enterprises. could lrurg been It is not explanatory to state that such knowledge preceding the Great half and a century conceived within tire perioE of ? pyramid, because lve hive been able to aLcomplish seeming miracles in a is tife time during our period. All that we have and are doing today have that knq,trledge points of or founded upon th6se baiic principles come down to us. Certainiy we will admit that it is easier to evolve the use of fractions in ar-ithmetic from the simple addition and multiplication than it is or must have been to conceive and develop for_further, irithmetic from the very beginning. It is far easier, from a simple literature ;;dia, to be able to expaid int6 -a beautiful to .seq:nds..for the h.:iiia::,.-*Ceas ';ccaL vocaijulary tiran,to begi.. io =eLa.te h-ave t9 Egyptians the for first timl. It vras, [herefore, impossible conceived and developed the knowledge and wisdom employed in the building of the Great Pyramid in 150 years. Such wisdom must, have spread to Egypt at that time from some remote land, or vras released in Egypt in that period by whoever was of preseiving it from a distant past;-- lf- it came from some other areahave must it of result were the ifre wortOl any achievements there which been destroye8, or remnants of such a great culture would be known to us ioaay, .ira it would far antedate Egyptian civilization. That such wisdom inay have su:rrived the complete-destruction by nature of a civiLizat].on and a land in which it prevailed, has been a persislgtt legend for ceniuries, with increasiqg-possibilities of its becoming to a dialogues refer ta6t in the near future. Not only aia-ptato in his the sea, and beneath land beyond the "Pillars of HercuLes" that sank

Rosicrucian Order White Brotherhood

AIvIORC
)

AI.IAIYTICAI DISCUSSIONS

(Supplementary Lecture

Page Three

-B-

of which Solon

was said to have been informed by Egyptian priests, but the ancient Egyptians themselves in their writings make reference to such a strange 1and. In a hieroglyphic inscription that has come to light is a tile thousands of years oId relating how an ancient mariner, upon becoming Lost at sea, finally came upon a remote land far to the elst and in i great sea. Upon it were a strange people possessing great wealth and marvelous achievements.

However, wherever such great wisdom may have originated, it is certain that those who knew it and were accustomed t,o it wouLd make every sacrifice to preserve it. Men may be d.iverse in character and in many things-of whictr tfrey and their lives are composed, but there is usullly something, some influence or interest, that wilL bind them into groups, Love of such wisdom, and the desire to preserve it, would be a bond. I,ioreover, they wouici revel i.n expou:rclirrg it. They woul,3 th'us be inclined to exclude themselves from the profane, disinterested world, and build themselves an environment conducive to their great love, and there work in an atmosphere of culture.

for such a society or brotherhood of men has often been an ideal- as well as a fact in history. I Sir Francis Bacon in his book ttreffi-atlantis refers to the Solomon s House in BensaLem on a congregated in secrecy to dedicate themremote isiFndEffihinkers selves to the search for truth and the furtherance of knowledge. In the Fama Fraternitatis, great historical manifesto of the Rosicrucians, the ilEg6ffimegena' relates that Christian Rosenkreuz and his 'associates erected a Domus Sancti Spiritus (House of the HoIy Spirit) in which they could elaborate on and prepare for dissemination the knowledge which they had acquired in their journey eastward. Consequently, it is not just-presumption to say that this wisdom reached Egypt-in some enigmltic way and was cloistered by a brotherhood to be used when it could give the greatest impetus to mankind. The Hebrews have such a tradition, and in fact, actual literary works which they profess is of that secret wiSdom. These are known as the kabala. fabaia is a Hebre'w word meaning tradition. There still are a great man!' amcng the Hebre'rrs r+ho maintain that- besi'Ce thc wfitten, the BibLer-or the spoken Iaw, the Talmud and l,lidrash, the Hebrews also possessed an equally divine and secret teaching of great antiquity. Such Leaching must never be written down or spoken except to those initiated. it is declared by them that the Lord told Moses, "These things shalt thou disclose, and these shal-t thou hide." The Kabala, ther6fore, is to them the voice of the secret wisdom. It may strain the creduiity of some to believe that God imparted such wisdom direct from Moses, Lut that the ancient Hebrews were a repositorT for such a secret wisdom is not to be disputed, and the true Kaba1a is excellent
Such a place

evidence.

The Kabala during the middle ages was perverted into a gibberish of of symboLs and words plrporting to give man some magical contro]. of much Even today fact. in perlorm miracles, power to natu-re, the main the However, nature. is that of Kabala what is issuld as the

Rosicrucian Order White Brotherhood

AIvIORC

AI{ALYTICAL DISCUSSIONS

(Supplementary Lecture)

Page Four

-B-

doctrines of the true Kabala attempt to explain the relation of God to his world. It may be said emphatically that the authentic Kabala is a work of philosophi trying to ixpLain. the origin- of _tlings. The_oldest book ot ine xaUlfi is-th6 Sephel Yezirah or Book of Creation. It is tEffifa'ham. There ffifIf said rhat its iuitror, tfrat-iilfts-c@Ler legends that Hebrew is no reaaon to doqbt this, since so many of the archeological have persisted have eventually been corroborated by
discoveries.
sEaEe with Ene the statement Mystery opens wLEn Concealed !lyE!_gEy. The kabalistic kabalistic Book of Concealect thatitis.'th;_;;;rffin6-e@anLe..'Phi1osophJ.ca1Iy to harmonize this means that the work seekJ to reconcile the contraries, man, within the differences between the various conditions in nature or

*l.ilr*ir;;a-.b-,

u"p."i"-of it to tfr6ie whom they initiated in their brotherhood. One of the most mystical groups which was thoroughly conversant Each member of the with the concealed mystlries wai the Essenes.whose consciousness was a Essenes was aLso one of the great brotherhood of tne ancient wisdom. The Essenes had their own system ;;;;;ii"ry-tJr and dress a was a;;;;" ritn mviticaf initiationq for each, and there attainment of the the indicated which each-'egree pectfm syfrbolism
member.

harmony. Equilibrium.or ba11n9e,1!l 3I!tI-"11-:-1 thereby producing js - found;t - i*Jo: in* sig*s sds or st:rai+s .^ a+r1,i.rr*-t:a].ancebelieve that to p"ri..t llving .ira orri"rstanding. There is blso reason as that source same from the Itris secret wisdom of the Hebrews emanatedHebrews certain emphasized possessed by the egyptians. However, the
g u-..E --rrf vr -.. ? r : _ _-_ !L _

One of the degrees composing what was really a sect within the Essenes was known ai the Theiapeuti. The members were especially

all other,,-peoples and nationq-r... tf:ei;-@s are ZliffiEfrom oI g+-,, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, in his book rhe Yvslic.al !if. relates which gives a iascinating and lengthy account of, the Essenes, wisdom first assumed their name that tiese p.rp"io.ior" 5t trre secrel is Essenes at aleiandria, EgyPt. He points out that the word Essene aIsQ He derived from gh; Egypiian-irord Kasirai, which means secret. is similar in sound, states that there is a Hebrew word Chsahi which He recounts how the Essenes, ifr" *."ning of which is secret and giIent. sing through. certain rites of after receiving l[.ir-irrfif.Eon anEpF. their attainment and enlightenmentl'*.i" attired in whiter- signiiying iLlumination. So common did thffi?actice become that they were often referred to as "The Brethren in White." the Thebes, the ancient cap5.tal of Egypt, had at one time been no was Sacred Ark, namely, the repo-"itory for-Lhe mysteries. Since it

and in_tle trained in the art of healing, in the care of the sick, the disease. In ofher words, these sages specialized-in. prevention -appficaiionof the concerned of tnit portion of the secret wisdom which it is Rosicrucians To health. of maintenance an-d the of disease homes in their "'.,ii"g sp6ciaf inierest that the Essenes had an inner shrine oi said Essenes, the to Pliny, referring meditation. --a Sanctum--for

Rosicrucian Order White Brotherhood

(

AIvIORC

A!{ATYTICAT DISCUSSIONS

Supplementary Lecture)

Page Five

-B-

wisdom

sought to find. a longer such a repository, this brotherhood in white was a trust This it. further new ark to preieive the wisdom and to their had imparted whoever ina i" obli-gation they must fulfill toward

to

them.

Left an indelible mark upon across the face of light like a torch of human society wake in turn betheir in left continents. fhe disliples they made and history and several of them societies. Th;t are well established-in body of mystics entered the are in exist.""l ioa.V. finaify t,his main become the new ark mountain fastness of ribetr--*rritn-irt.v decided should custgdians the ' for the "on""ii"- mysteriei of .'r,rhich Lfrey h':ue membership centuries passed, the Great White Brotherhood me-ans must no By ' Brotherhood became dispersed throughout- itt" Tibetan monasteries White Great of the this be i.nterpiet.a-itit ihe memuers of the Brotherhood, they met As members exclusiv.it. became Buddhists to perform. thej'r own ancient them at various places in great issemblages and teachers orate to mystical rites and to have their own maste-rs Buddhist orders, with upon the mystEri"". They h;a-totfrittg to do away the idea which appeals dr r nor did they possess . 9r"it-t;6ia lecLuded to the imagination. the Great white BrotherIt is necessary to reiterate today thatto white is not in conhood does not a1lude to race. The reference y[Ffras been nection with racial color. From remote times, -symbolic and perfection spiiitualitv. cleinlinessthe of purity, p"it"-[i"", "na wiite Yr without becauie such is, to are easily associated with purity-was and cleanliness blernish. esy-trologically this physical and characler. Eventually morals to aia varuesspirituar transferred to clothing' buildings' ald- and white birds (as Lhe dove), *hit. f]-ags, religious accoutrements *"t"- emp1oyefi io symbo3'lze purity of mind spiritual Perfection. the- prigsts of I lel.ateq.=!_h3t "-ofa,'aCcording Ilerodatus, aneiest- Greek-histo:rian Essenes to of ancient Egypt-*.r. robed in white. Thewere attired in white' In India also historical and mystical accounts, and in Sikkim' Nepal' Tibet' and white wear sages most of the Brahman sacred the Himalayas generally, th;-tt"y.. flags adjoining lamaseries or
body of the White Brotherhood The main -."-tir"v-*"".a

precincts are white. describes the Thomas stanley in his history of Greek philosophy of white being as at crotona clothing of the stuients of Pythag-oras for simwhite use as well matefial. Dtany other modein iefi-iious sects attire or ornanentation. The ilar significii,."-in their-iiiuaristic White Brotherhood' therefore' to Islamic Sufis wear white. ft. Great this bodv and not ideals and activities of altudes to tne"I;irii;;i their clothingr-Lnd most certainly not to theii race. ascetic existence' It was The Brotherhood was not pledged to annot wish to escape the did nor a serfisf,-["t'-i-".iii.""-$at.'-tt

Rosicrucian Order White Brotherhood

AI{AIYf ICAL DI SCUSSIONS (SuppLementary Lecture

A!4ORC

Page Six

-B-

purPose.

realities of the world permanently but rather to prepare its members under ideaL conditions to eope with the world when they would return to it after study and meditation in a corununity established for this
They were truly a brotherhood. They were bound in PrinciPle- by the common end of the study of cosmic and natural laws and the futherance of human enlightenment. They pLedged themselves in initiation and by solemn oath to give themselves to study and worship of the Divine and its phenomena.

illumination and from such research as would-today be called empirical or scientific_inquiry was to as a forbidden It was not to be hoarded be passed on to humanily. -iras ,advantage 'a :t, a frt-*-resotte'that' rti f'ewwis'aom ior the .gxciustvE gleaned from nature, emissaries, high initiatesr'masters of knowledge were to return-to the worLd with that wisdom in the future. TheY were to become founders of,mystical societies or to associate with orders having a true and noble purpose so as to guide and instruct them. This was done. Tradition rec6rds that some of the exalted Rosicrucian fry-stiG-and teachers were students of these masters of the Great White
The knowledge acquired through mystical Brotherhood.

With the passing of time and the firm establishment of initiatic mystical orders of renown throughout the world, as the Rosicrucidn finally Oider (AMORC), the Great White Brotherhood as a select school for those dissolved. fi no longer functioned as a secret retreatestablishedwho were students of life;s mysteries. Its members either experience- and mysticil orders in the woitdr or they contributed their w-isdom to existing mystical bodies. Today the Great White Brotherhood is an association-of mystical orders and brotherhoods which have an authenticated historical and initiatic background. No individual can affiliate direetty with the Great White Brotherhood and receive personal j.nstruction from it. He must become an years there initiated member 6f one of its member-orders. fn recent groups or-charLataie advertising t.lrenseJ'-e-s as the h;;;-t;;n iii"a"ien-u Great white gioiherho5a iirviting anyone'to receive instruction directly from it. There is no such body-Uy Lhat name today having any authentic Numerous historical descent from the ancient Great WhiLe Brotherhood. where Tibet in novels contain glamorous tales about secluded monasteries These tales the Great White Brotherhood functions as a strange body. of- the are misleading and the authors know it. Their descriptions the writers customs of th6 country and even of the terrain indicate that
have never even

visited the area. Like the masters of the Great White Brotherhood who finally went glsg. back into the world to serve it, it is also our duty to ry ancl world the from retreat for not and for advancement This is a time a just to hie away !o its problems. It is not sufficient for oneto study. The study must be over time entire nis mounlain top and-give

Rosicrucian Order White Brotherhood

AITIORC

A!{AI,YTICAT DISCUSS IONS

(Supplementary Lecture

Page Seven

-B-

applied as we1I. Our sacrifice is not to endure freezing mountain bllsts nor to wrap ourseLves in coarse clothing but rather to practice self-discipline so that we may faithfully apply ourselves to the f.ight which has been entrusted to us. The Divine Hierarchy is a group of Cosmic Masters or directors who aid in evolving the personalities of the souls on the earth plane. lhis Hierarchy or Holy Assembly reside on the Cosmic Plane. They once were mortals iuch as we, and their personalities were evolved as we are
now evolving ours.

bracedwLthcom}1eteunderFEffi[irl,'ffiServancetheuniversa1wisdom of the great Coimic or Divine Soul. No longer was it necessary for the soul and its personality to incarnate in physical form again._ From that time on it relided in the Cosmic realm, and it was assigned the more noble tasks of inspiring other men on earthr of giving other.souls.who were incarnated thl inc6ntive to heed the wisdom of the Cosmic SouI, with which theirs was imbued, and to follow their example--the example of the
Cosmic Masters.

Through incarnation after incarnation on earth, they Iived, learned, anl strived as we do. In each incarnation they had a mjssion to fuLfill also. After transition, when their souls were drawn into the great -Un1versa-t SouL, the1r pgfsonaiiii-es w-r-e inrpr=ss-ed b.v t'he Great Divine InteJ-ligence with the significance of their earthly exof them in the next incarnation. perienees and what would be expected ifreir personalities gradually -volved and were perfected until eventuaLIy they had that same degree of perfection as the Universal Soul itself, of which their souls were a Part. Eventually came the Great f llunr.ination when the personality.em-

There are approximately L44 such great souls constituting the HoIy of the stil1 evolving Assembly. fhey aie the guides and teachers personaiities, and they do not become j-ncarnated again in physical form except as the Cosmic may decree. There are a nurnber oi !,flastgrs accurciirrg tcr the Rosicr.iciari Maiiual.

''UndertheircareacertaingrouPofhighlnitiatesaffiffiffifor still higher work in a next incarnation, and _some the duty, the service and the real labor, of assS-gned of these are in the p5sitions of imperators, ltagtailFttii,-ropffi the maintaining which of organizations, Brotherhood Wtrite Great the several brinches of andMagir Imperators, These highest. is the the Rosicrucian Order Hierophants in various lands, together with the Masters, comPose the Iloly Assembly of the Great White Lodge. "The Great White Brotherhood, on the other hand, is the schooL or FraternrF,-ETrrrGaE-ffige,andintothisinvisib1ebrothernzffiib1ememberseverytrue-studentonthePathPreParesIo' admission. The Great White Brotherhood has no visible meeting place.
each incarnation

White Brotherhood

Rosicrucian order - AII{ORC AI.IALYTICAL DISCUSSIONS (Supplementary lecture)

Page Eight

-B-

therefore,

Its

members never physically assemble. Any physical organization, cJ.ainr:ing to be the Great White Brotherhood is false.

"The Great GoaL of the Great White Brotherhood is ever before the vision of all sincere Rosicrucians. The subLime joy of Cosmic Consciousness, Divine Illuminationr c?,D be known only through experience; and those who have made the contact have written in hundreds of books in the past ages such alluring descriptions as were calculated to tempt the leeker on the Path to be patient and persistent in journey toward that Goal. ,you will realize, of course, that the Great White Brotherhood and the Great White Lodge have no visible organization. They never come togethef in one united session; their members are nevr assembLgd in any one meetirg; they have no Temp1e knoltrn by their nanesi anq they have no earthly rituaLsr-physical organization lawsr ot material form as a Brothelhood. or fodgE. That is why it is often said, in mystical writings,thatthe'rei1RosicrucianBrotherhoodisanin@org!rni:. za[ion.' The Rosicrucian ORDER is truly visible, buTEEE-ffieiffiEher86ffi'ack of it is not visible as a body. "

oOoRAD-3
L76

::+ .*

;C,

l-+J

E ;jjk j !i r,:Ii5 S-l

ft -: ,f,rQl
E-:

it=

k:;

:.qffi
rirxl
l|t-*!

Ln E: *+ =

5 J
fi