onfessio

C .

ifraternitatis

CONFESSIO
R.\ C.\
FRATERNITATIS
P r e p a r e d by

BRO. PROFUNDIS
1918

ISSUED BY SP EC IA L PERM ISSION

O F THE

IMPERATOR
AN CIEN T M YSTICAL ORDER RO SAE CRUCIS

S.-.

S.-.

S.-.

SA N JO SE, C A LIFO RN IA , U .S .A .

MANIFESTO

T i t l e p a g e o f ra r e o ld R o s i c r u c i a n b o o k , c o n t a i n i n g t h e a x i o m a t u m ,
th e la w s a n d t r u th s , w h i c h a p p e a r e d in th e o r i g in a l F a m a F r a t e r n i t a t i s
R osee C r u c i s .

N o t i c e re f e re n c e to F r a t e r n i t e t C h r i s t R o s e n C r e u z , a n d

th e d a t e 1 6 1 8 a p p e a r i n g o n t h e la s t lin e. T h e s y m b o li s m of th is title p a g e
a l l u d es to t h e p u r p o s e s a n d s t u d y o f R o s i c r u c i a n i s m .

^J~)rioiEaonis.no\i
ETWHF.N the years 1 6 1 0 and 1 6 1 4

a .d .

there w as issued in

Europe a tract in several lan gu ages w hich caused quite

a sensation am ong the literati and the scholars of that
period. T h is pam phlet bore the L atin title of F a m a
Hraternitatis Rosse C rucis, or the equivalent in the lan gu age
in w hich it w as issued. M ost R osicrucian and other historians
are of the opinion that the original pam phlet issued in C assel,
G erm an y, w as entirely in L atin , and that the others w hich fo l
lowed w ere translations of it into the so-called profane lan guages
of the countries in w hich it w as dissem inated.
From the public s point of view there w ere two factors of the
utmost interest in the text of the tract and w hich m ade it sen sa
tional. T h e first w a s the revelation that a strange organization
known as the Fraternitatis C rucis Rosse, or the R osicrucian F r a
ternity or O rder, h ad come into existence through the efforts of
an enlightened individual by the odd nam e of C hristian Rosenkreuz or C - R '- C - - in the fourteenth century, and that this
individual, upon his transition, h ad been interred in a tomb which
had been recently discovered with his body found intact, an d thal
with the body w ere found m any startling m anifestoes and docu
ments of valu e to the entire w orld ; further, that the findi ng of this
tomb w as declared to be the beginning of the re-establishm ent or
new advent of this R osicrucian O rder. T h e second factor of in
terest w as the declared purposes of this Fraternitatis C rucis Rosse.
G e n e ra lly these purposes w ere said to be:
(a ) T o exalt m ankind; to transcend m an above the ordinary
w ays of livin g; to bring to light know ledge wrhich by necessity had
to be concealed because of previous intolerance.
(b)
T o cause m an to ap praise rightly his own worth and to
understand his relationship to the universe in w hich he lives.
THRF.K

(c)

T o distinguish betw een the two realm s of p h e n o m e n a ^

the m aterial and the divine.

T h is F a m a also declared that this w a s the time
tion and that the most G o d ly and illum inated
Brother C - R - C - , the chief and original of our
w as one w ho had ardently labored for this general

for reform a
Fath er, our
Fratern ity,
reformation.

T h is w as the first time since the origin of the O rd er Rosae C rucis

in the fourteenth century (if w e accept literally the date of origin
given in the F a m a) that it h ad ever m ade itself so publicly known.
A storm of controversy broke im m ediately after the issuance
of the F a m a Fraternitatis in the m any lan gu ages in w hich it w as
published. T h ere w as considerable speculation as to w ho w as
the author of the work. In other words, w ho w ere the Rosicrucians, and w ho h ad issued such a sensational m anifesto? T h e
authorship w as attributed by m any contem porary writers and
later historians to different personalities of the period. A t first
it w as gen erally accepted, and it is still held b y some, though
erroneously, that one Jo h an n V alen tin e A n d re a wrote the F a m a.
A n d re a w as born at H errenberg in W iirtem b erg on A u g u st 17 ,
15 8 6 . Fie cam e of a w ealth y and religious fam ily. H is uncle w as
known throughout G erm an y as a second Luther. A n d re a re
ceived the elements of his education m ainly under private tutor
ship as w as the custom of the time. H e later attended a un iver
sity for a brief period but left in 1 6 1 0 because of a fallin g into
b ad com pany. Tt is related that he repented and began a series
of journeys to different countries to broaden his mind and to
furth er his incomplete education. H e wrote m any works in L atin .
O ne, entitled C h ristian R e p u b lic , caused considerable com
ment because of its outspoken criticism of papalism of the period.
It w as said that because of it A n d re a w a s accused of being a
R osicrucian. In that work w e find the first actual connection in
an y w a y of A n d re a w ith the term Rosicrucianism . L a te r he wrote
m any tracts on the subject of the Rosicrucians and their teachings
but his literary style is recognized now as being so different from
that used in the F a m a that even most historians of the d ay do not
an y longer credit him w ith the authorship of the F a m a . T h e conFO U R

jecture of his authorship of the F a m a is b ased prin cipally upon

the fact that he m entioned C - R - C - in later tracts issued by
him, an d because some of his literary endeavors w ere of an occult
nature. H ow ever, by the sam e reasoning w e could declare anyone
a m ember of A . M . O . R . C . m erely because he mentioned in a
book b y his pen the nam e of the organization or because he wrote
books devoted to m ystical lines of thought.
O f greater concern than the authorship of the F a m a w as
the question as to w ho the R osicrucians w ere. Inasm uch as the
effects of the Protestant R eform ation of the previous century under
the leadership of M artin L u th er w ere still being felt in E u ro p e and
particularly in G erm an y, m any persons concluded from the text
of the F a m a and its proclaim ed general reform ation of the w orld
that it w a s a religious or L u th eran movement that w as being re
vived. A lm ost everyone accepted the tale of C - R - C - as either
a fan tasy or an actual fact. N o one except the R . C . brethren at
the time grasped its real significance. E v e n today there are sm all,
unauthentic and self-styled R osicrucian societies an d fellow ships
that accept the origin of the R osicrucian O rd er as given in the
F a m a F ratern itatis; in other words, that it w a s the sole conception
an d creation of an individu al nam ed C h ristian Rosenkreuz, and
that it h ad its first great developm ent in E urope im m ediately fo l
low ing the issuance of the F a m a in 1 6 1 4 . T h e F a m a relates that
O - R - O -, or C hristian Rosenkreuz, w a s born of noble parents
in 1 3 7 8. T h e fam ily, how ever, w a s said to h ave suffered severe
financial reverses and at the age of five years he w a s placed in a
cloister because of poverty. In his early youth he accom panied a
monk on a journey to the H o ly L a n d . T h e monk died on the
Islan d of C yp ru s. H e h ad no funds, but decided, so the tale con
tinues, to go on his pilgrim age alone. H e reached the ancient city
of D am ascu s, but owing to the feebleness of his body he h ad to
rem ain there for a considerable time. It is said he im pressed the
T urks in D am a scu s w ith his exceptional know ledge of physics.
W h ile residing there, there cam e to his attention the tales of
great accom plishm ents of the W is e M en of D a m c a r in A ra b ia
(a city w hich never existed, or a m isspelling of another). T hese
F IV E

W is e M en w ere said to be conversant w ith the inner w orkings of

the law s of nature. H e becam e so enthusiastic to witness their
feats and study w ith them that he abandoned his previous plans
of proceeding to Jerusalem . H e is said to have "m ad e a bargain
w ith the A ra b ia n s that they should carry him for a certain sum of
m oney to D am car. T h o u gh he w a s p h ysically depleted his h ard y
D u tch constitution stood him in good stead, and he reached his
destination at the youthful age of sixteen years. T h e W^ise M en ,
w e are told in the F a m a , knew of his coming. T h e y w ere not the
least surprised at his arrival or at his youth. T h is city w a s hidden,
so the F a m a relates, and its enterprises m ainly concerned adeptship. T h ere he learned to m aster the A ra b ic lan gu age, of w hich
he h ad some know ledge previously, and higher m athem atics, and
acquired a more profound know ledge of physics. A secret m anu
script w as given to him to translate into L atin . It is referred to
in the F a m a as Book M .
O f course it is a gen erally known
historical fact that the A ra b ia n s w ere the preservers of m uch of the
ancient wisdom of the m ystery schools of G reece and of E g yp t
w hich h ad been suppressed by R o m an decree centuries before.
A fte r a sojourn of three years in D am car, he m ade a hurried
journey to E g yp t and there he m ade a cursory exam ination of the
plant and anim al life of that land. T h e W is e M en of D am c ar had
decided that he must sail the M editerranean and fin ally go to Fez.
T h is he did. T h ere he learned more of the secrets of the K a b a la
and the mysteries of the M a g ia . H e now believed that the learned
of E urope, the literati, w ould welcom e his w ealth of new -found
know ledge. So eventually he arrived in S p ain . T h ere he tried to
introduce his reformation of the arts and sciences, but the scholars
w ere either skeptical or little inclined to accept him into their
ranks; for he failed in interesting them. H e then rum inated at
great length on his wisdom an d responsibilities and finally con
cluded, so w e are told in the F a m a , that he should return to his
native G erm an y.
H e arrived home and, after periods of great cogitation, decided
to reduce his tru s ts -th a t is, the heritage of le a r n i n g s to writing
as a perm anent m emorial. H e selected three monks to assist him.
six

1 Key w ere chosen from the cloister in w hich he h ad dw elled as

a child. E a c h bound him self to C - R- C- by oaths of fidelity,
diligence and secrecy. T h e y spent m uch time and considerable
effort in translating the Booh M and they used m agical lan
guage and writing.
T h is evidently meant that they em ployed a
cipher or code. F in a lly C - R- C - b egan the erection of a
D om us Spiritus San cti (H ouse of H o ly Spirit). A fte r the textual
w ork w as completed, so the F a m a relates, it w as necessary to
spread the w ork of the O rder. F o r this five others w ere d raw n in
w ho w ere 'bachelors and of avow ed virginity.
W ith the excep
tion of two w ho rem ained w ith C - R- C- , the others w ent to
various parts of E urope to spread the teachings of the O rder.
T h e F a m a says they gathered in convention an n u ally and m ade a
full resolution of that w hich they h ad done.
O n e of the brethren
passed through transition in E n g la n d and consequently the M aster
C hristian R osenkreuz ordered them all to return to him. H e later
passed through transition at the age of 10 6 years, but none of his
second successors knew exactly w hen or where.
T h e F a m a continues by saying that a young student w ho had
in the course of his studies taken the solemn oath of fidelity and
secrecy w as told b y his spiritual father that the O rder of the
R o sy C ross w ould not continue to rem ain hidden, but before long
w ould again be disclosed to the w orld. T h is young monk w as
also a student of architecture and he prepared before setting out
on his adventure into the w orld to improve his building, this per
haps m eaning the sam e as the D om us Spiritus Sancti. In his
w an d erin gs and labors he cam e upon a tablet w hich w as in
scribed w ith the nam e and insignia of the R osicrucian O rder.
H e felt that such a valu ab le find should be more appropriately
placed, and it is related that w hile affixing it to a w a ll with a
staple, a great stone pulled aw ay , and behind it w as revealed a
secret door upon w h ich w as a L atin inscription indicating that one
hundred and tw enty years must elapse before it w as to be opened,
an d Io, it w as the very year^-the time for the opening of the vault
or sanctuary. A n d so the F a m a tells that the monk and others
entered, and it goes to great len gth in describing the arrangem ent
SEV EN

of the tomb and sanctuary, its fixtures, w alls and furnishings. T h e y

w ere all of a geom etrical and sym bolical design; the sym bolism
w e, as R osicrucians, w ould im m ediately recognize. It concerns
the interlaced triangles, the square, the circle, and their relation to
each other. In the center of this tomb or sanctuary w a s a m agn ifi
cent altar, and w hen this w a s m oved and a brass plate beneath it
lifted up, there they cam e upon the body of our careful and w ise
father, C R- C . . H e w a s clothed in the cerem onial vest
ments of the O rd er and w as holding a parchm ent scroll. T h is
vau lt or tomb, it is said, contained other great treasures of w is
dom in scroll and book. T h e F a m a goes to quite some length in
describing these contents.
A s said, m any thought all this a h igh ly fantastic legend, w hile
others accepted the story without question. A s a m atter of h is
torical fact, however, the F a m a Fraternitatis itself w a s actually
known to exist as a m anuscript before the year 1 6 1 4 in w hich it
w as said to be first published. O n e Ju liu s Sperber, in writing in
1 6 1 5 , said it had existed for nineteen years before its public a p
pearance. A d a m H aselm yer, a notary public w ho later becam e
im perial judge under A rch d u ke M axim ilian , and w ho wrote a
response to the F a m a , said that he had seen the F a m a five years
before it w a s published, or perhaps in the year 16 0 8 or 1609.
S ir F ran cis B aco n , L ord C h an cello r of E n g lan d at the time, w as
actually secret Im perator of the R osicrucian O rd er in E n glan d ,
and it w a s he, as is known to the R osicrucian O rder from the facts
of its own records in the archives of the various jurisdictions, w ho
w as the real author of the F a m a Fraternitatis in its L atin form.
H e h ad caused it to be issued for the purpose of reviving the
O rd er in G erm an y. In other words, in accordance w ith the tra
ditional custom of cyclical periods of one hundred and eight years
of activity and then one hundred and ei ght years of inactivity of
the O rder, it h ad become the time for another period of Rosicrucian
activity in G erm an y. E v e n the most skeptical and peripheral
writers of R osicrucian history agree that B a c o n s book, A d v a n c e
ment of L e a rn in g , has a sim ilar style to the F a m a in particular
that it proposes the advancem ent of the arts and sciences and of
E IG H T

learning b y the inductive method, by a scrutiny of nature s own

w ay s as distinguished from the scholastic methods em ployed by
the monks of the period. Further, the D om us Spiritus Sancti, or
H ouse of the H o ly Spirit, to w hich the F a m a refers and w h ich is
m eant as an allegory of a state or condition w hich enters m an for
the higher purposes of learning, seems to p arallel the S alo m on s
H ouse m entioned in B a c o n s tale, T h e N e w A tla n tis. B aco n
says in his work, T h e N e w A tlan tis, in referring to S alo m on s
H o u se: It w as the erection, and institution of an O rder, or society,
w hich w ee call Salo m on s H ouse, the noblest foundation (as w ee
thinke) that ever w as upon the earth; ^ it is dedicated to the study
of the works and creatures of G o d .
R osicrucian historians (that is, the official historians of the
O rder) w ho have access to its archives, know that C - R- C
w as an allegorical nam e or pseudonym given to an eminent R o si
crucian character of the fourteenth century. T h e literal translation
m eans A C hristian of the R o sy C ro ss. T h is individual, this
outstanding character, like m any before him, did journey to the
E a st to bring w isdom from the ancient lands to a E u ro p e steeped
in darkness. A rn au d , a philosopher of the ninth century, w a s the
first to bring such wisdom to E urope. T h is C R- C , conse
quently, b y no m eans established the O rder, for the R osicrucian
O rd er is mentioned in w orks prior to the legen d ary date of his
birth. A s for the opening of the tomb referred to in the F a m a ,
that relates to the opening of the O rd ers archives w hich had been
sealed for the one hundred and eight year period of inactivity,
and the bringing of the O rd er to public attention again. Its sym
bols, its rituals, its sacred law s and principles, constitute the
body to w hich the F a m a refers, and h ad no relationship to the
physical body of a hum an. A c tu ally, then, the F a m a Fraternitatis
w as a m anifesto carefu lly w orded, in veiled lan gu age, to publicly
proclaim the revival of Rosicrucianism in G erm an y and on other
parts of the E u ro p ean continent.
It w a s anticipated b y the author of the F a m a Fraternitatis
that m uch of its context w ould not be understood an d that more
explan atory works w ould need to follow . T h u s the F a m a FraterN IN E

nitatis contains references to a confession of the R osicrucian O rder

w hich w as to follow . T h is confession w a s to disclose and admit
things w hich the original m anifesto did not treat fully. It w as to
provide further inform ation regarding the book M .
It further
w as to set forth thirty-seven reasons for m aking know n the facts
of the R osicrucian Fratern ity to a profane w orld and for offering
such high mysteries at that time. T h e F a m a also prom ised that
this confession to come w ould elucidate on the subject of a book
called the

R o ta M u n d i

w hich w as one of the books m ysteriously

referred to in the F a m a . A b o u t the yea r 1 6 1 3 in C a ssel, G erm an y,

this heralded m anifesto, the

C onfessio Fraternitatis R- C- , put

in its appearance. T h e original m anuscript, like that of the F a m a ,

is said to have been published in L atin w ith the full title
Fraternitatis Rosse C rucis cum eorum C onfessione.
preface addressed

Fam a

It h ad a

to the reader w ho is desirous of wisdom .

It, too, like the F a m a , had an extensive circulation and eventually

w as translated into several languages.
A n d rea s L ib aviu s, contem porary w riter of the period, for over
tw enty years entered into a controversy over the origin and con
tents of these R osicrucian m anifestoes. H e w as a w riter of volum i
nous works on alchem y and hermetic medicine. H is m agnum opus
N eo p aracelsia

w hich he issued in 1 594, and w hich w a s an

attack on the writings of the G reek philosopher C lau d iu s G a le n

and Aristotle, drew particular attention to him. In this w ork he,
like m any others of the era, advocated a break w ith the schools of
thought of A ristotle and G a le n . It w as not necessarily a criticism
of A ristotle and the w ritings of G a le n , but that m an should not
look upon them as having all the fruits of know ledge, because
there w ere still on the tree of know ledge m any other fruits to be
plucked, if m an w ould just reach for them. O u r particular interest
in L ib a v iu s is his m onograph entitled,
Fraternitatis de Rosae C ru c i.

A n a ly sis C onfessionis

T h is is an extraction after his

own m anner of the contents of the C onfessio. In it he sets forth

his

A rgu m en ta.

B riefly, he gives the thirty-seven reasons w hich

ap peared in the C on fessio for m aking known the R- C - F raTEN

ternity, and w hich he an alyzed.

of them :

T h e follow ing is a sum m ary

1. T h e prom ised restoration of the w orld to that state of

paradise w hich existed on earth before the fa ll of m an because
of temptation an d degradation.
2. T o point out to a more enlightened w orld the existing
defects in art, science and religion, such defects being respon
sible for m uch of m an s adversities.
3. T o point out how divinity freely offers to m an through
illum ination and the practice of certain of the mysteries w h at he
previously only attained through m uch toil and suffering.
4. T o m ake know n the healing balm (the healin g methods)
of the R osicrucian O rd er for the alleviating of ph ysical and m en
tal pain.
5. T h e O rd er offers a m edial w a y b y w hich the ills of the
country
social an d political difficulties
m ay be overcome.
6. It knows the wonders of the S ixth A g e
nam ely, it knows
w h at could be done to take ad van tage of the current age of the
world.
7. It proffers great secrets and opens archives of heretofore
unknown treasures.
8. It exp lain s w h y the O rder must function insofar as its
teachings are concerned w ith circumspection and even in secrecy
at times.
9. T h e O rd er a lw ays reveals new truth and strives to build
in mind and matter an ark of such truth for posterity.
10 . Su ch truths as it ad van ces can be gained only through
the portals of the R osicrucian O rder.
1 1 . T h e O rd er is a refuge for those w ho w ould escape d is
ease an d infirmity.
12 . T h e O rd er is a place for those w ho feel that they desire
to live in harm ony w ith the law s of nature as they are since the
beginning of time, an d as they w ill be in the end.
ELEV EN

13 . T h e brethren, w herever they live, shall be ab le to know

of things w hich are transpiring at a great distance from them selves,
and yet be conscious of their own im m ediate surroundings as w ell.
14 . T h e O rd er promises the destruction of religious intolerance.
13 . It does not seek to gain a m an s w ealth.
16 . It w ould m ake others partakers of its own goods.
17 . T h e O rd er does not resort to hypocrisies and chimeras.
18. It seeks to exp lain all mysteries in a simple and forceful
m anner.
19 . It is the im pulsion of the H o ly Spirit or G o d .
20. It reveals the u sage of the good things of the entire earth.
2 1 . It brings m ankind out into the light of learning and
understanding.
22. It recognizes C hrist as a great M aster and A d ep t.
23. T h a t C - R- C- lived one hundred and six years and
saw m any changes in the world.
24. D arkn ess and perfidy pervade the w hole world.
25. T h ose w ho w ish light and freedom shall seek the O rder.
26. T h e O rd er is in possession of certain rites, rules and
regulations.
27. T h e happiness of the present age is inherent in the O rder.
28. M a n y prominent men h ave accom plished a great d eal b y
their writings in reform ing the w o rld ; the O rd er must do likewise.
29. T h e counsel of G o d is to raise up the hum ble and ab ase
the proud.
30. G o d sends H is m essages to those w ho are secret and
silent.
3 1 . H e abandons dabblers to their own devices.
32. M a n should be a carrier of that w h ich is good and noble.
3 3 . T h a t m an must not spurn the common things of the
earth for they, too, are the gifts of G o d .
34. B u t these common things do not a lw ays give indication
of their v alu e in nature s scheme.
TW ELV E

35- N atu re proffers m any other v alu a b le things besides m edi

cine for the healing of the ill.
36. M a n s first need is know ledge, and philosophy is the
m eans to provide it.

37 - T h e R osicrucians offer to m ankind treasures ,come and

share them.
Throughout the F a m a it is m entioned that "th e unw orthy m ay
clam or a thousand tim es yet they w ill not receive w h at the
R- CV- O rd er kas to offer. T k a t rectitude and proper comport
are the necessary qualifications to attain w h at the O rder has to
offer is m ade know n in both the F a m a and the C onfessio. O f
consequence to us of today, w ho are members of the Esoteric
H ierarchy of the A n cien t M ystical O rd er Rosae C rucis, is the fact
that at the time of the revival of R osicrucianism in G erm an y in
the seventeenth century all of the facts concerning the O rd er s
establishm ent and purposes w ere not disclosed at one time. T h e
C onfessio, as w e have seen, told more at a later date about these
things, and after it came even more revealing m anifestoes, both
public and private.
W ith the re-establishm ent of the R osicrucian O rder, A M O R C ,
in N orth A m erica for its second cycle in the early part of this
twentieth century by D r. H . Spen cer L e w is, certain m anifestoes
had again to be issued w hich in their purpose w ere not unlike the
F a m a Fraternitatis. T h e tomb w as once again opened; that is,
from the archives of the O rder the body w as brought into light,
for again a people w as read y for Rosicrucianism , and in accord
ance w ith the traditional la w of a recurring cycle of activity,
literature w as issued and histories w ere prepared for public read
ing, both in book and periodical form. H ow ever, all of the facts
concerning the O rd ers re-establishm ent in this jurisdiction could
not be too quickly and frankly divulged. Prudence h ad to be
exercised, so though the present histories are b asically true in
fact, still they conceal much. T im e has proven the early caution
necessary, and because of it the O rder in the W e ste rn W rorId has
grown in proportion to its accom plishm ents and its valu e to the
T H IR T E E N

peoples of this new era. B u t a time cam e w hen the curtain had
to he raised higher, for in the recesses of the stage of truth w ere
scenes the audience w as now prepared to witness w ith a full
understanding. T h e time w a s propitious for another Confessio.
T h is one, however, must differ by virtue of circum stances from
the original one issued in the yea r 1 6 1 3 . It w ould need not tell so
m uch of the purpose of the O rd er Rosse C ru cis; the w orld had
come to know that. B u t it should acquaint certain of the brethren
w ith the inner C osm ic experiences of their Imperator, that they
m ay be inspired to accom plish, in m anifold w ays, acts of equal
consequence to m ankind. In other words, this n ew Confessio w as
needed so that certain of the brethren could add to their D om us
Spiritus Sancti.
A n d so in 1 9 1 8 the late Im perator of A M O R C , D r. H . S p encer
L ew is, issued in m anuscript form a n ew C on fessio R . C . F r a
ternitatis, and I here bring to you a reproduction of it w ith the
hope that from its reading you m ay be so C o sm ically illum inated
as to attain that state of C osm ic C onsciousness w hich it has
brought to m any w ho have been privileged to read it previously.

'|nruuj
O'

RALPH

M. L E W I S ,

1904-1987

IM P E R A T O R
T h e R o s ic r u c ia n O rd er, A M O R C
S u p r e m e T e m p le , R o s ic r u c ia n P a r k
S a n Jo s e , C a lifo r n ia

Third Edition
September 1978

(CONTINUED IN MANIFESTO II)

FO U R T E E N

AVERMENT
S t a n d i n g in t h e p re s e n c e of t h e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d ever m i n d f u l
o f t h e T e r r o r of t h e T h r e s h o l d , I d o s o l e m n l y affirm t h a t I h a v e c a re f u lly
r e a d a n d m e d i t a t e d u p o n t h e c o n t e n t s of th is m a n i fe s t o . I f u r th e r affirm
t h a t a t t h e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n s c io u s o f th e s p i r it u a l su r g e
w i t h i n m y b e i n g t h a t e n t h r a l l e d a n d c a u s e d m e to a s c e n d in c o n s c i o u s n e s s
a b o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r ta l a n d p h y s i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n I w a s
a ls o a w a r e o f th e in v is ib le p r e s e n c e of t h e C o s m i c H o s ts , I d i d affix m y
s i g n a t u r e b e l o w a n d re c o rd th e h o u r , d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f th is C o s m i c
e x p e rie n c e .

I d o a ls o s o le m n ly a v o u c h b y th e s e s a m e s a c r e d to k e n s t h a t

I h a v e p e r m it te d n o o th e r eyes b u t m i n e to p e r u s e th e c o n te n t s of this
m a n ife s to .

N am e

T im e

D ay

M o n th

Y ea r

onfessio
'

ifraternitatis

CONFESSIO
R.\ C.\
FRATERNI TATI S
P rep a red by

BRO. PROFUNDIS
1 9 1 8

pAJVUj|

I S S U E D B Y S P E C I A L P E R M IS S IO N
O F THE

IMPERATOR
A N C IE N T M Y S T IC A L O R D E R R O S A E C R U C IS

S . . S.-.

S.-.

S A N J O S E . C A L I F O R N I A . U . S. A .

M A N IF E S T O

II

IN T R O D U C T IO N
S u n d a y morning I find m yself in the sunny Soutfi
of our country w here, w ithin the week, I w ill meet with

N th is

those w ho have found the L ig h t like unto m yself; and

as I look out upon the C arolin ian land scape for the first
time in m y life, I realize that this cross-continent trip w ith the
rare privilege of spending a few d ays in sunny C alifo rn ia and in
visiting m any other attractive and interesting points of my country
is, indeed, an event in my life w hich I shall alw ays remember
and d eeply appreciate.
T w o such trips have thus come into m y life: the one to E urope
in the yea r 1909, and this one just begun. Both h ave been per
mitted or m ade possible through the financial assistance of others
and at no personal cost to me except that of service. It is this fact
w hich leads me to deep contem plation upon the la w w hich operates
in my life in m any w ays. M y trip to E urope w as for the purpose
of rendering to one an un usual service, not w h olly selfish and not
without its hum anitarian aspects; m y mission w as at that time,
how ever, the work of a servant in the em ploy of another, and as
an em ployee I w as com pensated according to the w orld ly law s
of service and com pensation.
M y present trip finds me no longer holding any position as an
em ployee in the service of one or a few , but a chief executive
officer w ith others in his employment, yet I am still the servant
of a great m any and h ave found it necessary to interrupt m y home
enjoym ents and associations, inconvenience the w ork norm ally
necessary, and devote from four to five w eeks in travelling in order
to render service to thousands rather than to one. E v e r and ever
have I found in the past nine years that I w a s born to s e r v e t o be
servant unto others, just as m y old friend and astrologer, H enry
W aterh o u se, told me ten or more years ago after a careful study
of my natal horoscope.
TH REE

A n d , the very fact that nine years have almost passed since my
life s work began, is significant in itself, for in Ju ly of this year,
1 9 1 8 but three months hence- the first nine years of my p a r
ticular endeavor in b eh alf of m ankind w ill have ended; and w h a t
ever m eagre work has been done b y me in the attaining of the
first point of m y course toward that ultim ate goal w hich w ill be
reached by others in the next few years, has been a pleasure
fraught w ith suffering, sacrifice a n d m any heartaches.
T o me, of course, this
importance. It is m y final,
of the work of the O rd er
w hich comes into the lives

ninth year is a year of considerable

my last year of executive preparation
R o sae C ru cis; it is the m ystical year
of all men who enter into the cycle of

this work. H istory proves this: the records of those w ho have

given their lives in the past in the sam e work, indicate that none
escapes the m ystical year, the ninth, the third point on the third
journey around the T rian gle. A fte r this ninth year comes the
cycle of suffering and crucifixion for the hardiness in daring to
assum e the burden of the C R O S S . F o r nine years the C R U
C I F I X I O N , then (beginning w ith Ju ly of 19 2 7 ) a cycle of
N I N E years of R E S U R R E C T I O N , R E G E N E R A T I O N and
A S C E N S IO N .
I find, too, that just as 1 w as inform ed w ould be the case, in
this ninth year of m y work the first and most ad van ced members
of the original L od ge of the O rd er have reached the N in th D e
gree .the D egree w hich corresponds w ith the very principle
m aking for my advancem ent to spiritual executiveship of the O rder
as soon as the N in th year is completed. It is the year a n d the
D e g re e of exoteric attainm ent a n d esoteric birth, of esoteric fu Ifillm ent a n d exoteric fu lfillm en t.*
So, I have taken this opportunity w hile having m any hours to
think and write w h ile journeying from city to city, to put into
record and upon paper those facts w hich must form the fu n d a
m ental law s and principles upon w hich the future executive chiefs
of the O rd er Rosee C ru cis m ay base their work and their plans,
that the O rd e r itself m ay n ever lose the traditions w h ich constitute
*T h e tenth, eleventh, and twelfth degrees had not as yet been instituted by the Imperator.
FO UR

its hereditary po w er a n d personality a n d its truly D iv in e a n d S p ir

itual conception. In this regard, then, this C O N F E S S I O N is
like unto others w hich h ave been issued in the past; three of
these are known to me those of A m enhotep IV , A rn a u d II of
Fran ce, and C h ristian Rosenkreutz (Fran cis B acon ) in G erm an y.
Since that of Rosenkreutz, there has been none other than this;
and w hile m y w ords m ay be less veiled than those of m y more
illustrious and more scholarly predecessor, still the importance of
w h at I h ave to say and its bearing upon the O rder is none the
less evident and certainly no less necessary than w as a C O N
F E S S I O N in the 16 th century in G erm any.
A n d , w h at have I then to confess? W o u ld I d w ell upon the
fact or points of m y hum ble service as a m edium for the strange
law s that have w orked through me b y no conscious choice on my
part? N o ! In that regard I w o u ld rem ain quiet a n d silent that my
boastfulness m ight not be the unbecom ing conduct of a Roscecrucian. B ut, I must confess the truth regarding our B e lo v e d O rd er s
mystic reincarnation in A m erica a n d the divinity of its teachings
a n d principles.
W e have been told that the truth sh all m ake us free. Y et have I
w ithheld the truth herein revealed because truth, like other m ighty
powers and forces of nature, requires a time and a place for ex
pression that it m ay truly be beneficent and not destructive. T h e
experiences w hich h ave come to me in the past, and w hich are so
carefu lly related here, might have come to me earlier in life (though
the responsibilities resulting therefrom have been u n u su ally heavy
for a m an of my youth); but there w a s a time and a place and
circum stance, and these I w ill now reveal, explain and record in
the fullest detail, that a few chosen ones m ay read now, others at
a later date, and still more in that future w hen the O rd er shall
have blossom ed into the m atured R o se of immortality.
A m an s real work in life is seldom recognized as such until
after he has m ade a considerable ad van ce in it and finds that the
motive or motives are of D ivin e inspiration, the results truly un i
versal and altruistic in effect, and the obligations are th ose of
personal sacrifice. Ju st h ow and w h e n a man, even a young man,
F IV E

m ay be called upon to begin or perform his one great mission,

are questions wkicH cannot be an sw ered except, perhaps, through
a prophetic C osm ic inspiration, w hich influx of aw aken in g, like
an inner call, has been aptly called a C osm ic D irection.
In m y own case -' if I m ay be pardoned for assum ing at this
time that the w ork of the past nine years has been the basis for
my life w ork
I w as conscious only of one thought at the time
I pledged to attempt that w hich seem ed a colossal task; I knew
that the inspiration, the im pulse, the desire cam e from without
a n d that it w as free from selfishness a n d w o u ld m ean greater p e r
sonal sacrifices if I su cceeded than if I fa iled . W ith this in mind
I resigned m yself to the task and found in my resignation and
w illingness a great enthusiasm w hich has never failed me even
in the midst of the most disheartening circum stances and w hen
confronted w ith seem ingly insurm ountable obstacles.
W ith o u t further introduction, then, I shall enter into the
minute details of m y connection w ith the O rd er Rosse C rucis and
of the part I have h ad to p la y or assum e in order that the w ill of
the M asters should be obeyed. P erh a p s the enem ies I h ave m ade
in the past through this w ork a n d those w h o still seek to u ndo the
good w ork o f the O rd er, w ill fin d in the fo llo w in g pages m uch to
censure a n d condem n, but they must unite w ith my friends .- my
m any loyal Brothers a n d Sisters ,' in saying that w h a tever I have
done that m ight h ave b een left undone fo u n d its prom ptings in an
unselfish heart, an altruistic soul a n d an obed ien t servant, striving
on ly to f u lfill the decrees o f the M asters for the good o f others
a n d h am pered w ith a very lim ited education in some essentials,
a n d fo rced into regrettable acts by the very ones w ho w ill now
criticize w h at h ad to be done by an honest m ind, an em otional
nature, a n d a clear conscience in order that L ight m ight be g iven
to those h eld in darkness.

PROFUNDIS XII"

PART ONE

A s soon as I becam e conscious of the se lf within me as a

boy in m y tw elfth to thirteenth year, I slow ly becam e cognizant
of extreme degrees of those things w hich seem ed to m ake little
or no impression upon others. T h e clea n things, the noble things
a n d sacred things o f life affected me so deeply at times that I
dropped into a period of meditation resulting in hours of tears and
a d ay or so of such sweet sadness that I could not fathom its
significance; secondly, I found m yself prophetic to the extent that,
without intending to do so and even without know ing at the time
that such w as the case, I w ould m ake statements w hich becam e
or rather later proved to be correct predictions. T h is rather am used
me as a boy, although I do not recall ever having m ade light of
it or in an y w a y derided the m ystical element in such occurrences.
T o me it seemed at first as though m y prophetic statements came
as a result of my rather quick and logical reasoning
a com bina
tion of gifts very rare in young men, but not greatly appreciated
by me then. I could not understand w h y others could not m ake
the sam e prophecies or at least see things in their process of
developm ent w ith inevitable, future results ~ as I did. E v e n to
this d ay I find m yself im patient at times with the poor and illogical
reasoning of those w ho could, or should do better; and I am unable
lo understand w h y m any do not foresee results which are logical
from the prem ise established. B u t, as years h ave passed since my
boyhood days, I have come to realize and understand w h at w as a
great and serious problem in my fourteenth year. In that yea r I
w as suddenly illum inated w ith the fact that at such times as I
thought m y own objective or conscious mind w as stating or pre
senting such facts as w ere prophetic or m ystical in some element,
it w as in fact not m y o w n m ind, but that o f another self or another
personality either w ith in me or constantly in touch, m entally,
w ith me.
SF.VF.N

N o w such a conclusion on the part of a young m an is calcu

lated to plunge his more serious thoughts into an abyss of specu
lation and contem plation; and if constant test and experim ent
m ade stronger his conviction and its w eirdness becam e a sacred
thing w h olly w ithin the bounds of his emotional nature, then
there could be no other result than that the young m an w o u ld
slo w ly a n d reverently turn his entire thought a n d studies to the
fie ld o f religious mysticism.
I trust I w ill be understood. M a n y minds find m uch interest
in m ysticism ; m any even devote time and thought to the subject,
but few indeed (and I speak now after nine or more y ea rs contact
w ith the most ad van ced mystics in A m erica and other countries)
are concerned w ith or realize that there is a religious mysticism
w hich transcends the other forms, w hatever they m ay be.
So, appreciate if you w ill, a young m an in his fourteenth, fif
teenth a n d sixteenth years, still in pu b lic school, w h ose interests
sh ou ld be in the prescribed, lim ited, m atter-of-fact subjects of
gram m ar classes, being not only d e ep ly but em otionally, religiouslv
a n d enthusiastically interested in the most profo u n d mysteries of
life s m anifestation. But, such w as the case. T h e more I specu
lated upon the possibility of there being another personality (or
perhaps I said person in those days) within me, the more I
conceived of such. B e a r in m ind that in those d ays little w as
known by the Iay-m ind regarding secondary personalities, for
H udson and others had not placed upon the open m arket the
books dealing with those subjects w hich might have either su g
gested the problem unconsciously to me or at least have helped me
to solve it. So throughout the years 18 9 7 , 189 8 and 18 9 9 I worked
on m y problem s alone and it w as only in the latter year, the year I
graduated from public school and started out in the w orld to work
and study, that I cam e upon some of H u d so n s books and found
in them a point to begin my researches ,the point w here he ended
his theories and useless hypotheses w hich utterly rejected or ig
nored the divine or religious elements in mysticism. It is not my
intention to go into the details of those months and years of solemn,
lonesome investigation and study of the phenom ena w hich d aily
F IG H T

grew more m arked and more unconscious. N a tu ra lly I fell, or

rather w as led, into the habit or practice o f d a ily a n d sometimes
hourly m editation in the silence w h erever I m ight be. M y teachers
at school noticed it; our choir leader and S u n d a y School teacher
saw it; my parents becam e alarm ed over my health and on m any
occasions spoke to me about the deep sighs w hich cam e from me
long after I had retired and should have been sound asleep. I gave
every outw ard sign of having a deep and serious w eight upon my
mind w hen I should have been h ap p y and enjoying the games
and pleasures of boyhood but w hich never interested me. T o this
d ay I know nothing of baseb all, football, law n tennis and other
gam es in w hich my brother and our school chums w ere very expert.
B u t I did find in such silent an d solitary meditation that w hich
m ade me extrem ely h ap p y and peaceful. I can find no other word
for it. E v en w hen the tears w ould flow and m y heart w ould seem
to sob ,as it n early a lw ays did ,in contem plation of G o d s ex
istence and the m arvelous w orkings of nature, I found peace in
the sadness and joy in the spiritual or m ental w orld in w hich I
lived at such times.
A s years went by, I found that I had become more attuned,
or, as I w ould have expressed it then, more in sym pathy or under
standing w ith that other entity or personality w hich at least spoke
to me from within, even if its existence w as without. I had never
experienced an y sight of w h at others w ould have called spirits',
but I did see, at times, beautiful lights, gen erally a light blue, and
I often heard the sweetest of music, in full harm ony but too soft
to determine its nature although I w as fam iliar w ith music through
the education in that line given me b y my mother and later by a
R u ssian pianist, a young m an, my own age, w hose phenom enal
success or ability I a lw ays attributed to a m ystical cause.
So it cam e about that I becam e a m em ber of the M ethodist
C hu rch on Seventh A ven u e, known as the M etropolitan T em p le,
presided over by R ev . S . P arks C ad m an , and since that church
w as open every d ay and every hour to those w ho desired to come
there for meditation, I learned the valu e of a place m ade holy
and harm onious by sacred vibrations, and as I had been, with my
N IN E

brother, tbe first member ol its S u n d a y School and the first m em

ber of its choir before the church came to Seventh A v en u e, 1 looked
upon the place as my spiritual home a n d w ent there at times to
m editate, m uch to the astonishm ent of the janitor a n d the m is
understanding of others.
It w as at one of these periods of m editation after school hours
on a W e d n e sd a y , that I w as questioned b y the assistant P astor and
to him I explain ed the joy and peace I found in such sacred m edi
tation and contemplation. H e w as a young m an, then about
twenty-five, w ith a truly lovable, loyal an d sincere nature and the
youth of the C h u rch loved him as they respected and actually
w orshipped D r. C ad m an . I w as ad vised to come often and to
pray. T h ere w a s naught but life itself that I desired, for I did
not even consider that I needed illum ination; I sim ply d id not know
w h at w as necessary a n d therefore d id not pray for anything except
love a n d peace. I w as told to thank G o d each d ay for the bread
and the necessities w hich w ere being provided; but to m y youthful
understanding this seem ed unnecessary, for I felt that I w as being
supported or p rep a red by H im for some definite purpose, a n d that
being the case, it w o u ld be strange for m e to thank G o d for w h at
H e g ave me, as though it w as being g ive n to me for my ow n
selfish sake. So, w hile I felt h ap p y and appreciative for the very
life I experienced, I did not express such appreciation in the form
of prayerful thanks.
I w as probably a m ystery to the good young m an and he did
not understand me, perhaps. B u t w e cam e to love each other and
he often came to sit w ith me in silence and contem plate. So m e
times an hour w ould pass and not one w ord w ould be spoken by
either of us; yet w e grew to feel and enjoy a certain attunement
w hich seem ed to surround us as w e sat in the centre of the C hurch
and gazed w ith concentration upon the altar. W lia t he thought
at such times I never k n ew ; some d ay I w ill know.
A fte r I finished school in Ju n e of 18 9 9 I started my business
career in the sam e fashion as other boys, beginning in various
lines until one w as found that seem ed to be the ri ght one. A n d , I
drifted from the C h u rch and even from its locality and for several
TEN

years the C h u rch w as sim ply a fond m emory w hile my home, or

some part of it, becam e m y sanctum. T h e kind young clergym an
passed a w a y and to his memory the young people of the C hurch
gave the beautiful stained glass w ind ow to be seen now in the
large centre circle of the front of the C h u rch on Seventh A v en u e
near Fourteenth Street, N e w Y ork C ity. T h u s closed m y boyhood
days and the d ays of m y early developm ent in mysticism.

ELEV EN

PART TW O

It seem ed not only natural that I should delve d eeply into the
various sciences w hich seem ed to have an y hearing upon the
great work of my youth rthe solving of the psychic problem w hich
ap peared to enslave me but the studies likew ise proved inter
esting and though h eavy and ponderous for one of m y age, I rea l
ized more a n d more as I entered ea ch fie ld of research that the
principles w ere o ld acquaintances in n ew dress. It w a s this latter
point that is probably responsible for the fact that I never com
pleted an y one scientific study, nor thoroughly studied any one
section or division of such subjects as did come w ithin m y special
course of reading. I did not like the n ew dress in w hich they w ere
presented; the only exception to this statement being the book
entitled, N e w K n ow led ge, a semi-scientific book w hich came
into m y hands in 1 9 1 7 , long' after all the fundam entals of the
teachings of the O rd er Rosse C rucis in A m erica had been estab
lished in the regular T em ple lectures.
C on stan tly I found that the modern authors or compilers of
scientific textbooks lost sight of the natural fundam entals. A fte r
presenting their findings or the findings of others in the laboratories
of the chemist, or physicist, the theories or hypotheses offered as
explanations of the m anifestations or demonstrations seem ed too
ridiculous to com m and my attention ^ the attention of a boy of
tw enty uneducated in an y school of science.*
It w as near the close of m y school w ork in 189 9 that as part
of the school teachings, w e m ade a few experim ents in physics
simple little demonstrations w hich m eant little to the other boys
except a relaxation from more tedious studies. T o me, however,
such demonstrations aw aken ed a sleeping phase of m y mind, and
as soon as I w as earning sufficient m oney as a youth in em ploy,
*It was not long after his twentieth year that the late Imperator plunged into the various fields of
science in which he accomplished many things of recognized importance.

I devoted m y spare time to getting together sufficient m aterial to

review the old school demonstrations and m any others w hich con
stantly suggested them selves. Books I did not have at m y com
m and and I did not know of the great public library reference
rooms (having entered such treasure houses for the first time in
the year i q i o ) , and the only books I could consult for reference
w ere such m odern textbooks as w ere published b y or for sale by
the firm of B a k e r and T aylor, publishers, on E a st Sixteenth Street,
N e w Y ork C ity, w here I had ap plied for a position as offi ce boy
at a salary of seven dollars w eek ly in order to have such few
books at han d for reading without cost.
A t eighteen years of age m y experim ents in physics h ad led
me into sim ple chem ical experim ents and to this I owe my greater
interest in the art of photography, w hich as some few m ay realize
combines very m any of the fundam ental law s of both physics and
chemistry, and in quite an occult or m ystical m anner. M y first
cam era w as built entirely from wooden cigar boxes and m y d ark
room and laboratory w a s a sm all room in the cellar of m y home at
num ber 72 Seventh A v en u e, N e w York. In and through this work
cam e a realization of a principle w hich h ad been trying to find
expression in my thinking and doing for several years ^ that a ll
w e saw , felt, tasted or kn ew o f ob jectively w as the result o f v ib ra
tions im pressing them selves u pon us, just as the vibrations passing
through the lens of the cam era, although invisible to us, caused
a m aterial, a P H Y S I C A L and C H E M I C A L result dem onstrable
in either laboratory. I now know this to be true
but it w as
indeed a w onderful and strange principle for a young m an to
conceive and m ature without the aid of professional and expert
assistance.
D esirin g to elim inate, as greatly as possible, the elem ent of
biography in this paper, I w ill skip over the m any incidents of
my youth w hich relate to m y attempt to fathom and solve the
problem s involved in the realizations I constantly experienced and
w hich today I w ould class under the general head of 'psych ic
to avoid using more profound or transcendental terms, but which
I then understood so little as to leave them unnam ed.

M y investigations led me to test seriously the tenets of the

spiritualistic movement, so popular in and about N e w York
between 19 0 3 an d 19 0 5 , and from my investigations I found that
so-called spiritual m anifestations w ould help me but little. I
found the average so-called m anifestation innane and absurd.
T h e m essages purporting to come from spirits through professional
(supposedly w ell trained an d expert) m edium s w ere childish
prattle, com pared w ith the m essages w hich I heard or otherwise
received from w ith in and without, independent of an y considerable
preparation on m y part. T h e demonstrations of autom atic writing
(or unconscious w riting) w ere on a p ar w ith the spirit m essages
u su ally given as proof that the spirits, or souls, of the departed
retain certain know ledge and can com m unicate w ith those here.
T h e few books and papers I read upon the subject of spiritualism
convinced me that the authors b ased their claim s entirely upon
such tw ad d le as I h ad received in over one hundred seance rooms
from possibly seventy-five different m edium s. T h e theories e x
ploited by the books and papers, like the theories offered by the
m edium s, w ere m uch like the theories offered b y the authors of
modern books on chem istry and physics, w hich I h ad com pletely
cast aside and no longer thought of consulting.
T h a t it m ay be known that I did not lightly cast aside the
possible proofs to be found through spiritualism , let it be known
that soon after m y start into that field I becam e a m em ber of the
P sych ic Investigation L e a g u e of N e w Y ork com posed of men and
w om en of all w alk s of life w ho w ere trying to find proof and not
consolation or mysterious doings. T h is L e a g u e h ad no theories
and w as not biased. It asked for demonstrations under conditions
to be agreed upon b y the members and each m edium to be tested.
M eetings w ere held w eek ly in large and sm all halls, in churches,
in homes and even in so-called h aunted houses. In the second year
I w as elected its President ,- a young m an of only twenty, w hile
most of the members w ere from forty to seventy years of age ,b e
cause I h ad been ab le in the year preceding to point out to the
physicians and scientists present, m any principles w hich they over
looked, and I h ad likew ise used m y prophetic abilities in predicting
FO U RTEEN

w h at w o u ld occur at times at the sean ces an d thereby proved that

the m ind, independen t of a m edium or a definite

spirit could

receive im pressions from w ith in an d w ithout the hum an conscious

ness. F o r two years I w a s president of this body, an d the fo llo w
ing ye a r a num ber of scientists an d ph ysician s as w e ll as prom i
nent lay-persons organized the N e w Y o rk Institute for P sy c h ic a l
R esearch . I w a s elected P resid en t of this, an d its w ork continued
alon g sim ilar lines to that of the L e a g u e , only more profound an d
w ith greater an aly sis an d research, an d h ad m uch to do w ith
the expose an d elim ination from N e w Y o rk of over fifty fraud ulen t
an d crim inal m edium s, the exposes being conducted in connection
w ith the N e w Y o rk P o lice D ep artm en t an d the N e w Y o rk W o rld .
F o r these reasons I feel that I h av e some right to say that if
all the m edium s consulted an d tested, in clu din g the fam ous M a r
garet G a u l an d those constantly referred to in books on spiritualism
an d psychic phenom ena, could not cast a n y Iigkt on the problem s
I had , th en spiritualism a n d its theories a n d p h en o m en a w ere u se
less to me, e v e n as a religion.

S o it, too, like the sciences, w a s

cast aside.
T h e n cam e the period of study of the m ind.

I b eg a n a g ain

w ith some of T h o m as J a y H u d so n s theories, b ut ag ain cast them

asid e an d found m uch food in a book entitled, T h in k in g, F e e lin g
an d D o in g , w ritten b y a professor of Y a le U n iversity. T h is book
led me into the field of a p p lie d psych ology, an d then into gen
eral psychology. P a g e after p a g e of some large an d ponderous
books I looked at on the shelves of a few bookstores, but never
did I see a single p a ra g ra p h that touched upon the points I w ish ed
illum inated.

I adm it, that h ad an yon e asked me at such times

w h at those points w ere, I w o u ld not h ave been ab le to define or

even classify them. (O n e can un d erstand h o w m uch in the d ark
I w a s w orking, w h en I exp lain that one of the points I then sought
in chem istry, then physics, an d then in psychology, I later w orked
out an d dem onstrated in m y ow n private w ireless telegrap h la b
oratory w ith instrum ents p u rp osely d esign ed an d m ad e b y me to
prove an d m ake v isib le the transm ission of vibrations to attuned

or selected receivers.) In the year 1904 w hen my first son R a lp h

w as born, I b ad a w ireless outfit operating in my borne.
F in a lly in 19 0 6 I w as tbrougb w ith books and tbeories. M y
disgust for sucb books and tbeories included tbe authors w bo
wrote tbem and tbe schools or colleges w b icb tbey represented.
rh o se w ho h ave b een associated w ith me in the O rd er Rosee
C rucis for the past three years know how that disgust for the
m odern m ethods o f teaching the sciences a n d the propounding of
nature s fu n d a m en ta l law s has proven itself w e ll fo u n d ed , a n d
I am g la d to say that the w ork of our O rd er is doing m uch to
bring this great fa lla c y of education before thousands o f brilliant
m inds a n d has a lrea d y laid the foundation for a n ew a n d perfect
system o f education in A m erica.
F o r a y e a r; 1906 to 19 0 7 T did little but ponder over cer
tain principles w b icb grad u ally formed in m y consciousness. A ll
tbis time I b ad continued my almost d aily sessions of meditations
and attunem ent w itb some C osm ic influx w b icb brought w itb it
greater understanding. I continually fo u n d that such inform ation
as I received .- gen erally o f a sem i-scientific a n d religious nature ,'
h ad the ear marks, so to speak, of a definite personality, a n d the
m annerism s of this personality w ere consistent. I never asked a
question, nor even tbe tbou gbt of a question. I did not seem to
realize tbat tbis m igbt b ave been of Kelp. I only realized one
tbing: tbat w ben I w as in tbe relaxation of sucb periods I felt
peaceful, calm and contented and tbat w ben I returned to tense
consciousness again, I b ad an impression of having been told
or in some w a y informed , of certain facts, law s and principles
pertaining to G o d and nature. T h ese facts, law s and principles
w ere not connected; they w ere vagu e and did not form the basis
of an y philosophy or system ; but they w ere, clearly, contrary to
w h at w as being taught by the various schools of scientific subjects.
I w ould at once recall that I kn ew differently, because I had been
told sometime the truth in that regard. It w as in this w a y that most
of the facts, acquired in m y periods of meditation, w ere brought
to light or rather to my objective consciousness ,b y finding them
challenged by modern science.

A s m ay be seen from the foregoing, I did not h ave an y theory

of my own, nor did I attempt to outline an y theory as to how and
w h y I cam e to receive such un usual know ledge or be permitted
to become attuned w ith some occult source of information and
understanding. Ju st about the close of 19 0 7, I believe, someone
told me of the theory of reincarnation. I exp lain ed m y problem,
and at once a solution w as offered. M y information cam e from my
mind an d m y mind had been in the body of one or possibly two
other men w ho in the past h ad been scientists of the old school,
possibly of a m ystical order or fraternity, etc. etc. T h is solution
I soon rejected, for it did not take into consideration the peace, the
contentment and the peculiar sacred and religious attunem ent I felt
keenly w hile in the periods of meditation. B u t there w a s one point
revealed in the discussion I had regarding the theory and its rela
tion to my problem , w hich m akes me feel very grateful to the
dear old la d y w ho tried her very best to h ave me accept her e x
planation. In questioning her as to w h at m ystical or scientific sect
or fraternity she thought the previous incarnation m ight have b e
longed, she m entioned the nam e of the Rosicrucians o f E g ypt.
I rem em ber distinctly that in the m any d ays w hich follow ed its
first mention she never spoke of the R osicrucians as h avin g been
an yw here else than in E gyp t, despite the fact that all references
I could find regarding such a sect spoke of its existence in G e r
m any only.
From thence on, my various researches centered around the
teachings of the old m ystics, w ith little avail. C onstant references
to the R osicrucians sim ply veiled w h at they knew or taught. I
never read, or even looked into a few public books purporting to
be the secrets of the R osicrucians, realizing that such books must
be unreliable. A n d so the year i g o 8 cam e to a close w ith my m ind
cen tered u pon one determ ination: to fin d w h a t the o ld mystics
taught a n d if they kn ew the true law s o f G o d a n d nature as I
seem ed to know in fragm ents.
It w as this one great desire, a single am bition, w h o lly unselfish,
clean, noble a n d a lw a ys associated w ith a sense o f sacredness, of

D iv in e P riv ileg e a n d H o ly Inspiration, w h ich dom inated my life

a n d m y actions at that time, a n d w h o can say that it has not
affected, if not dom inated, my w h ole life thus fa r spent on this
earth, a n d perh aps in time to com e?

F .lflH T F F N

AVERMENT
Standing in the presence of the God of my Heart and ever mindful
of the Terror of the Threshold, I do solemnly affirm that I have carefully
read and meditated upon the contents of this manifesto. I further affirm
that at the supreme moment when I was conscious of the spiritual surge
within my being that enthralled and caused me to ascend in consciousness
above and beyond my mortal and physical environment, and when I was
also aware of the invisible presence of the Cosmic Hosts, I did affix my
signature below and record the hour, day, month, and year of this Cosmic
experience. I do also solemnly avouch by these same sacred tokens that
I have permitted no other eyes but mine to peruse the contents of this
manifesto.
N am e

T im e

D ay

M o n th

Y ea r

onjessio
*

jfraternitatis

CONFESSIO
R.\ C.\
FR A T E R N I T A T I S
P r e p a r e d by

BRO. PROFUNDIS
t o t 8

'O '
|W W |

IS S U E D B Y S P E C IA L P E R M IS S IO N
O F TH E

IMPERATOR
A N C IE N T M Y S T IC A L O R D E R R O S A E C R IIC IS

S .. S.'.

S.".

S A N JO S E . C A L IF O R N IA . U . S. A

M A N IF E S T O

I FI

PA RT TH REE

N o w I come to the point w h ich w ill be of greatest interest to

the few ad van ced members of the O rder Rosse C rucis w ho w ill he
permitted to read this confession; I trust, however, that even these
few w ill not fail to find in the preceding pages m uch illum ination
and considerable regard for all that I h ad to meet an d contend
with in reaching the point w here I could have my great desire
m aterialized.*
It w as in the spring of 1 9 0 8 ^ - I w ish I could rem em ber the
exact date, for it is very important ~ it occurred to me that I should
go again to the old C hurch, the M etropolitan T em ple, on Seventh
A ven u e, w here I had gone so m any times before, and once more
sit there in silent meditation, as h ad been m y custom. I could find
no definite reason for this im pulse and even tried to reason against
it. B u t I did go on an E aster S u n d a y to h ear the E a ster music
an d carols, a feature of the E a ster service in w hich I alw ays toolc
part in the d ays of old w hen I w as one of the robed choir boys.
T h e environment, the music, the fam iliar faces I saw aw aken ed
in me the old interest in the C hurch, although I had not been in
it for six or seven years. It w as Iilce finding the old hom estead of
one s youth, calling to the heart an d offering a royal welcom e.
U n derstand, it w as not the religious feature of the service that
ap p ealed to me then, or even in the past. It w as the more subtle
influence of the sacred vibrations I felt within the w alls of the
place. T o me that C h u rch w as a spiritual home w here I could
find C osm ic
dent of an y
nature w ere
I loved to sit

or D ivin e communication and attunement, ind epen

service or an y ceremony. A ll the emotions of my
affected in the quiet of that old C h u rch and there
in silence.

A n d so it cam e about that on a T h u rsd a y afternoon, follow ing

the E a ste r service, I w ent to the old C h u rch again, leavin g my
*E ven today when the membership is many times Inrger tiinn it was when this confession was
written, only a few w ill He permitted to read it.
N IN F T F F N

business in time to be tbere about 4 :3 - T h u rsd a y w a s not in

tentionally selected as tbe day, for I b ad tried since tbe T u esd a y
of tbat w eek to get a w a y from business, and it w a s not until T h u rs
d ay tbat I succeeded in being able to b ave tbat m ucb time to
m yself in tbe afternoon.
I rem em ber w ell w b at occurred, and it is so important tbat I
w ill carefu lly state eacb fact in its proper order, and without com
ment, tbat otbers m ay judge of the cause and effects of each inci
dent uninfluenced by w h at 1 believe.
I entered the C h a p e l as u su al and then through a sm all side
door into the rear of the body of the C hurch. R everently, yet
without ceremony, I w alked to the centre aisle and up that aisle
to about the centre of the C h u rch and then entered a pew at my
right hand side. T h ere w as no one else in the C h u rch nor had
I met an y one in tbe C h ap el. T h is w as not unusual at that time
of the d ay. T h e flowers and decorations used for the E aster
service h ad been removed, except the w ire fram ew ork for a large
C ross w hich had stood and w as still standing in the centre of the
A lta r platform , about ten feet behind the A ltar.
T h e fram ew ork of this C ross h ad been covered w ith green
moss, the L illies had been put into the moss on E a ste r Su n d ay.
N o w the C ross w as sim ply green, the flowers h avin g been taken
aw ay . T h e C ross w as about ten feet high, and from w here I sat
in m y pew this T h u rsd a y afternoon the A lta r concealed only the
low er part of the green C ross.
N a tu rally , m y gaze centered upon the C ross as 1 began my
period of meditation, and very probably I speculated upon the
forlorn ap pearan ce of the C ross now , w h ereas it h ad been a w o n
derful picture at the E aster service. B u t I do know, and remem ber
w ell, that as I looked at the C ross and its significance, there came
to me the fact that the C ross w a s one of the sym bols of the R osicrucians; and again I found m yself centering my thoughts on that
strange sect and its existence, teachings, etc.
A s intim ated, I did not come to the C h u rch to m editate on the
subject of the R osicrucians, but sim ply to find again tbat old and

deeply appreciated peace, contentment and divine attunement.

1 m e, the subject of tbe R osicrucians or sim ilar m ystical sects had
been on my mind practically every d ay for over a year, but I
seem ed to be objectively free from tbat tbougbt w b en I entered
tbe C b u rcb . T b e C ross, how ever, brought the subject to my con
sciousness again , and I must have lost all objective consciousness
of everything else, entering into a quiet, peaceful, subjective con
dition, w ith no other thought in mind except that regarding the
Rosicrucians. T h ere w as little light in the C h u rch
only that
w hich came through the stained glass of the m emorial w indow ,
dedicated to m y former friend, the assistant Pastor. T h ere w as
absolute quietness and profound vibrations of sacredness, and I
slow ly closed my eyes and then . . .
I heard a voice, clearly and distinctly, not from within me, but
from without. E v e n as I write this m y entire nervous system is
affected, em otionally, for I can easily hear that sound w hen the
first w ord w as spoken; it w as P e a c e I O ften have I heard that
word spoken since then, and m any times have I tried to imitate
the m anner in w hich it w as spoken then, but it seems im possible
to imitate. It w as a com m and; there w as no m istaking that. It w as
said kindly, softly, and yet so significantly, that I knew it meant
I should not move, I should not be disturbed or perturbed, that
I should not even arouse m yself from the position I w as in. Yet,
I opened my eyes, not in a startled m anner, for I w as not startled,
but exceedingly calm . A t first I saw no one, or no thing. I looked
at the C ross, and w hile it ap peared no differently than before, I did
detect that betw een me and the C ross there w as a faint mist that
I w as looking at the C ross through some sort of mist. T h en I tried
to gaze upon the mist and not at the C ross, and as I concentrated
on the whiteness of the mist it seem ed to become more dense, and
I realized that the misty substance w as but two or three feet in
front of my own body. C ontinuing to gaze at it and not through it,
I saw that it had a form <that there w as an edge to the mist, a
definite edge, and tracing this edge around and to each side I saw
it m ade loose garments. A feeling of dizziness cam e over me, and I
closed my eyes. In darkness again, I thought of w h at I had seen,

and in a few seconds opened my eyes again to find the figure more
dense in whiteness, though in a slightly different position and
nearer to me.
A n arm reached out and a hand pointed tow ard the A lta r and
I looked again past the misty figure (not through it this time) and
saw that the C ross looked a little more yello w than green, as
though the moss w as drying and losing its color. I concentrated
on the C ross, not because I h ad an y purpose in mind, but sim ply
because it attracted me, and slow ly the green color fad ed and in
its place cam e a bright golden-rod color, until the C ross looked
like G o ld . T hen, w ith m y eyes still w ondering, but in no w a y
doubting, the centre becam e more red until it w as as bright as a
large rose and seem ed to h ave the m odeling of a rose; I took it for
a R o se and then realized for the first time that I w a s gazing at
the R o sey C ross
the Cross I had never seen bef ore, but had
read about. S lo w ly I brought my gaze back to the figure before me,
and this time it w as more intense or rather more opaque.
I gazed into the face of the figure. It w a s indistinct, but I saw
that there w as long w hite or light hair and a long light colored
beard. I ju dged the hair to be w hite or light, because it w as w hiter
than the face or the neck and alm ost as w hite m ist; yet all of the
figure w a s of a w hite or light mist like a thick, w hite smoke.
A g a in w ords cam e from the lips of the figure, and I could see
the lips move and the eyes twinkle. I w ill not attempt to quote
w h at w as said, for I cannot rem em ber the exact words. I w ish
that I could; they w ere kin dly said, and in lan g u age as D ivin e
and beautiful as the most w onderful phrases in the H o ly B ib le.
T h e y im pressed me as coming from a H oly, Infinite M ind , and
I listened w ith a feeling of respect and appreciation, but not aw ed
or perplexed.
W h a t w as said to me, in substance, w a s this: If I w ish ed to
know more of the R osicrucians and their teachings, I must prepare
for an initiation into the fraternity w hich had an exoteric body
im m ortal; that for several years I had been a dw eller on the
threshold of the fraternity or its immaterial temple, but h ad failed

to use sufficient determination to cross the threshold, and, there

fore, w as no further ad van ced than m y own determ ination had
taken m e; that I w ould find naught ahout the fraternity in any
book or paper, for its secrets h ad never been published and w ould
not be publish ed; that I must find illum ination from within and
not from without; that he who spoke to me was an A M O R C U S

of the ancient fraternity and had been selected to be my guide;

until I was prepared to cross the threshold and continue alone;
that the exoteric body of the fraternity no longer existed in America,
and had not existed for the past 1 0 1 years; that each exoteric body
existed for only 10 8 years and that not until 1 9 1 5 w ould the new
body come into existence and that it w ould then be the only
exoteric body on the western face of the earth; and that w hile I
w as being prepared for my initiation therein, the exoteric body
w as being conceived and m atured for its advent into the m aterial
w orld; that I should devote every T h u rsd a y evening to attunement
for guidance; that the next exoteric body of the fraternity w ould
be in F ran ce, or w as still there, or something of this kind.
T here w as probably considerably more said, and perhaps
some of w h at I have written in the above p aragrap h w a s not said
at that time or even said by this personality; but these facts did
come to me either at that time through the speech m ade or the
follow ing T h u rsd a y ni ghts period of meditation w hen I heard a
voice speaking in m y home but saw no figure.

( C O N T I N U E D I N M A N I F E S T O III)

i& ii
TR. ACTATUS SECUNDUS,

D E N A T V R i t S I M 1A
feuTcchnica macrocofmihiftoria,
in partes underim divifa.
au th o

F L V D D ALIAS DE
FlK&iiiu,artmger<> (S' < Median*

RO BERTO

DcHsrt Oxtmrnfi.

'

Sditio itcunda.

pujhcotvrti ,

Sum ptibus hatredum J o h a n n j s T h e o dDOKf

o ri

deBxYi Tvpw O a

s m r i

o t h ii

T h e a b o v e is th e title p a g e o f a v e ry o ld a n d re m a rk a b le b o o k c o n
c e rn in g th e sc ie n c e s of th e m ic ro c o sm ic a n d m a c ro c o sm ic w o rld s w r itte n
b y th e e m in e n t D r. R o b e r t F l u d d (15741637). English p h y s ic ia n R o s ic ru c ia n M a s te r, a n d m y s tic a l p h ilo s o p h e r. T h e s im ila rity o f h is d o c trin e s
c o n c e rn in g m a tte r, m in d , a n d so u l to th e s u b je c ts ta u g h t in p re s e n t R o sic ru c ia n m o n o g ra p h s is re m a rk a b le , th e o n ly d iffe re n c e b e in g m th e a d v a n c e
m e n t m a d e sin c e h is tim e, a n d w h ic h c h a n g e s a p p e a r in o u r p re s e n t-d a y
te a c h in g s . A s m o s t R o s ic r u c ia n s F r a t e r R o b e r t F l u d d w a s a n a r d e n t
s t u d e n t o f th e w o rk a n d w ritin g s o f P a r a c e ls u s . O r ig in a l b o o k s b y h r a t e r
F l u d d a re tr e a s u re d p o ss e ssio n s in th e a rc h iv e s o f th e R o s ic r u c ia n U rd e r,
AM ORC.

O W , my Brothers and Sisters, I fu lly realize that w hat

I have written in the last few paragraph s is decidedly
difficult to understand, and to those who do not Icnow
me or our work, it m ay w ell sound like either the ravings
of a m ad mind or the fiction of a clever brain. T h e reason that it
is neither of these, and likely to be rejected, has forced me to
w ithhold the T R U T H and in its place present a different version
of my first introduction to the O rder Rosse C ru ris. R e a d on
and realize, if you can, w h at it has m eant to me to know and
a lw ays have im pressed upon my mind that the real facts and
T R U T H must be veiled and the F I C T I O N exploited because
fiction seem ed more plausible than truth. I who had become

disgusted with the fiction theories of scientists, w hen most d e

siring the truth, now understand w hy T R U T H M A K E S U S
F R E E O N L Y W H E N U N T R U T H H A S E X H A U S T E D IT S
PO W ER TO EN SLA V E U S *

PA RT FO U R

T hroughout the year 19 0 8 and into the Sprin g of 19 0 9 I con

tinued m y experim ents each T h u rsd a y night in the quiet of a
sanctum in my home. M y home I had m oved to various parts of
the city since 19 0 3 in w hich year I m arried m y first w ife w hile en
joying a prosperous business career as an artist, and alw ays had
I set aside one room or a part of a room for my place of m edi
tation, and the beautiful experience to be realized through this
practice has led me to speak often to our Brothers and Sisters
regarding the valu e, if not necessity, of some little sanctum in one s
home.
* A s lias been previously explained, tbe early liistory of tiie O rder for this Jurisdiction, prepared
for public reading, had to veil many facts which now can be told in tiiese private manifestoes.
TH REE

T K e result of my T h u rsd a y night sessions brought forth much

illum ination and encouragem ent. I learned gradually, that whereas

one personality d id dominate the conversations and experiences in

which I indulged so freely, there were other personalities in the
background, so to speak, to whom my more intimate personality
w ould speak at times or cause them to speak to me. A n d so it
came that I realized that at most, if not all, of these sessions there
w ere present S even M aster M inds, each of w hich spoke to me at
times, each h avin g a very distinct personality and trend of know l
edge on m aterial and spiritual subjects, yet never succeeding in
stepping beyond tbe limitations of conversation or revelation im
posed b y the one dom inating personality. T h is dom inating personalitv I recognized as being of a superior intellect, reserved and
careful in speech, dignified, divinely attuned and quite used to
receiving hom age and obedience. Y e t this as w ell as the other
personalities seemed to be a part of my own self of years gone by.
I could not explain this com bination of personalities within
and without my own existence or mind, and it w a s not until re
cently, during some of our now w ell-valu ed T h ird
egree experi
ments in the Suprem e G ra n d L o d g e of our O rder, that I found or
received an explanation w hich is at least more logical, more p lau si
ble and more demonstrative of proof than an y explanation w hich
other schools offer for the existence of such m ultiple personalities
as these.
.
It appears then and this must some d ay be p r o v e n - t h a t
each of these quite distinct personalities are previous incarnations
of mv present soul and mind, and that in the recesses of the m in d w hich is perpetual and constant w ith the soul in all its in carn a
t io n s - t h e r e are niches or cham bers w herein is stored and ever
preserved tbe personal entity of each incarnation s conscious exist
ence. In that regard I rather conceive of the S o u l as being like
unto the planisphere, used b y astrologers for m aking their natal
m aps, having tw elve divisions or houses. T h u s, the soul m ay have
tw elve such cham bers, each cham ber representing a possible incar
nation of tbe soul w herein is recorded, and im m ortally presew ed,
the memory storehouse of each incarnated personality.
I hereFO U R

fore the mind of m an in each incarnation is a cum ulative mind,

a resultant of the addition or combination of all past personality
minds. In my own case, there w ere but seven previous phases
of the soul, or, in other words, seven cham bers in the cycle of
the soul alread y complete, and my present personality or con
scious existence m aking for the completion of the eighth. T here
are good reasons for believing that there are only tw elve such
cham bers in the soul s cycle, and this, of course, w ould indicate
that each soul must pass through tw elve incarnations before it can
attain that perfection for w hich it is placed into the cycle of evo
lution b y the Suprem e M ind. W h a t follows then, or w h at that
perfection m ay be, or its purpose, are questions w hich I trust w ill
be answ ered some day, as have so m any other and more per
plexing questions.
It w ould also ap p ear that the mind or personality of the last
incarnation preceding the present one is that w hich dominates
the others w hen the present ego submits itself to a plane or con
dition on, or in, w hich the personalities of the various incarn a
tions are m utually attuned and intercomm unicative. Experim ents
have shown that at times the various personalities of the memory
cham bers m ay strive for individual dom inance ^ m uch as per
sonalities in various beings at the present time m ay strive for
dom ination; and if w e com pare these periods of m utual attunement and intercommunication, w hile one personality is conducting
the psychic convocation, to a modern convention of men and minds
assem bled in a place to discuss the pros and cons of various related
subjects, under the leadership of a chairm an, w e w ill not be sur
prised at the fact that w hen some important point is being d is
cussed or considered by these personalities, one or two of them
m ay take issue, and seek to present more forcibly or more u n d er
standingly the facts w hich they know from experience.
A n d so I have fo u n d and our various experim ents have
dem onstrated
that the dom inating subjective personality m ay
submit at times to the tem porary occupation of the " speakers ch air
b y one of his colleagues in this psychic college; and at other times
one of the personalities, in the intensity of argum ent and w ith the
F IV E

desire of insuring the utmost correctness or clarity on some point

m ay overrule tKe standards of decorum, and w ,th sudden psyc .
force dominate not only the psychic chairm an of the convention^
but even control the complete mind and body of the ego. w.th,
w hose aura all this is taking place.
It w as not my intention to enter into a long explanation of hou,
and w hy I w as able to secure from within such inform ation as
did secure during tbe m any T h u rsd a y night sessions beginning in
the S p rin g of tpo 8 and continuing up and into the month of Ju ly ,
, p P B u t it w as through the operation of those la w s w W i m ake
possible such psychic conventions of previous p e r s o ^ .U e s tha

1 w as enabled to learn that, eventually, I must go to Fran ce, i

w i l d enter the T em ples of the O rd er R o s * C ru cis or even go
one step further than the very Threshold.
T w o points rem ained upperm ost in my mind (they w ere given
,0 me b y the great soul w h ich appeared to me in the C h u rch m
the S p rin g o[ 19 0 8 ): first, that there was no exotenc body of the
O rd er then in existence in Am erica, had not te e n for ,0 , years

and w ould not he until .<.< 5 .' * o n d , that the last O rder extsUng
in an exoteric body was in France.
In the S p rin g of .9 0 9 . A e n . 1 becam e obsessed w ith the idea,
the desire, of journeying to F ran ce and trying to lo ca
.
s o m e w h e r e -p e rh a p s
under the guidance of the dominating
psychic personality within me, and some of the m any subtle reveW
tions- that tbe O rd er could not h ave existed in F ran ce
years without having left its m aterial as w el as spiritual or psychic
results and influences; and that some must live w ho remem ber
stories or experiences of their grandparents at le a s t I did no
understand the m any principles of the rebirth of the O rd er ,n d, ferent lands in different periods, as I now understand them.
M y interest in books that were old an d rare led me to pre
serve the catalogues of old booksellers, and am ong these w as one
issued by an antiquarian in P aris. F ran ce. T o hun 1 wro e one
d ay. ashing if he knew of the O rd er R o sa; C ru cis. H is reply and
w h at cam e of my inquiry has already been told and pubhshed ,n

the A m erican Rosae C rucis for the month of M a y , 19 16 . A b u si

ness opportunity en abled me to go to F ran ce, in Ju ly of 1909, and
having considerable time in w hich to look after a few matters in
various cities, I w as further enabled to visit other cities, towns,
and sections of Fran ce, without limitation as to time or expense.
Su ch an u n usual opportunity, w ith its rare com bination of priv
ileges, seldom comes to a young m an, and it w a s the great oppor
tunity for the O rd er likewise.
B u t although the story in our m agazine just referred to is
essentially true in every detail, even unto the end, the purpose of
this C onfession is to explain w h at w as not exp lain ed in that story
and to ad d those details w hich are necessary to m ake it complete,
or, in other words, to m ake it consist of the w hole truth rather
than p artially so.
K n o w , then, each w ho is privileged to read this C onfessio,
that from the very moment I began m y search for the O rd er in
Fran ce, I w as suspected, b y those of whom I m ade inquiries, of
being interested in fathom ing one of the mysteries of the M asonic
Fratern ity of Fran ce. It is not quite clear to me even now, and
perhaps never w ill be; and of course at the time I did not know
that such w as the case. B u t it seems that in Fran ce, the remnants
of the old O rd er Rosee C rucis w ere absorbed b y some division of
the M asonic Fratern ity in F ran c e; the absorption being an arb i
trary matter, without legal right or authority. Furtherm ore, it a p
pears from all that I can learn, that there are several
surely more
than two kinds or forms of M aso n ry in that country, each of
w hich has little or nothing to do with the others and probably
only one form h avin g the recognition of the E n g lish and A m erican
M asonic C raft. I do not pretend to know how all this m ay be;
it concerns me very little; but it w as this condition of affairs in
that country, and the fact that A m erican s before me had tried to
learn w h at w as w h at of Fren ch M asonry, that m ade m y intense
interest in the R o se C ro ix seem suspicious; for, Io! it seems
that m any of the higher degrees of the M asonic rites in A m erica
w ere taken from or b ased upon various secret rites, first used in
Fran ce (am ong them being the rites of the various L o d g es o f P e r

fection of F ran ce, and the R o se C ro ix of Fran ce, w h ich consti

tutes tKe i8tK degree of A m erican and E n glisK M asonry), and that
tKe. b ran ch of F ren ch M aso n ry w hich h ad overstepped its powers
in layin g claim to all that w a s left of the O rd er Rosa? C rucis w as
fearful that an A m erican , representing some form of M aso n ry in
A m erica, w a s trying to take from it some of its holdings to add
to the rites in A m erica.
M y old book dealer, to whom I directed my first inquiry in
P a ris w as an officer of that branch of F ren ch M ason ry, whicK w as
jealously, and w rongly, Kolding to all of tKe m aterial possessions
of tKe O rd er Rosee C rucis, sucK as old m anuscripts (in the form
of records, not teachings), antique L o d g e accessories from some old
R . C . T em ples now in ruins, jew els, seals, etc. W h e th e r they
possessed any of the rituals, I have not been able to learn.
Tn approaching this book dealer, I approached the worst pos
sible informant h ad I desired to keep my mission secret or if my
purpose Kad been as he suspected. B u t his suspicions and h.s
desire to test me, and to h ave me tested b y others, caused h,m to
direct me to the very men w ho could tell me just w h at I w anted
to know. T herefore, I h ave a lw ays felt that I w a s truly guided
b y my M asters in going to the one m an whom others w ould have
avoided.
A n d so it cam e about that, after being w atched to see w hether
I w as in communication b y m ail or telegraph w ith an y group or
individual in A m erica, I w a s permitted to call upon the old m an in
the tower in T oulouse. T o him h ad been sent m y nam e, descrip
tion birth date, etc., for he w as really the A rchivist not only ol
w h at w as left of the O rd er Rosae C rucis, but of this sm all group
of F ren ch Freem asons w ho suspected me of having ulterior mo
tives. M y interview w ith him and its results w ere essentially as 1
h ave given them in the m agazine account, alread y referred to.
A n d it w as through my inquiry of him as to w ho m ight be found
that could remember, h avin g parents belonging to the original
O rder, that I w as directed to go to the old C h a te a u outside
of T oulouse and there receive my induction into the old O rd er
Rosee C rucis.
E IG H T

PART

F IV E

T hose w ho have carefully read the account of m y entrance

into the O rder, as published in the m agazine, w ill remem ber that
no details are given of the Initiation. M u ch is inferred, but nothing
definite is stated. I refrained from m aking an y definite statements
in that account on this point, and have consistently refrained from
doing so in an y conversations on that subject. But now it is

necessary that the facts should be made very plain.

T h e C h ateau to w hich I w as directed is still located on a hill
near old T olosa. T h e sketch used in the m agazine story is much
like the place, and I have shown a photograph to some, w hich
w as taken on the spot and w ill enable anyone to find the old
C h ateau . It is w ell known to all the taxi-carriage drivers who
m ake tours out of T oulouse. T h e C h a te a u w as originally owned
by the fam ily of C ou nt R aym o n d V I, of T oulouse, and w as one
of the dozen or more w hich w ere taken from him by the P a p a l
L egates to hold as security against his further activities in b eh alf
of the heretics, w hen he w a s officially excom m unicated by the
L egates of P o p e Innocent IV .
It is a picturesque old stone building, w ith a large court, and
all its floors and stairs are of stone. U p on reaching the place, I
found that the m an to whom I h ad been directed lived there. H is
correct nam e is R a y n a u d E . de B ellcastle-Lign e.
I found that he w as not sim ply caretaker of the place, but
had some personal interest in the place, and w ith him lived his
w ife and a daughter. T h eir living rooms occupied but a sm all
part of the old building and on the upper floor I w as shown the
remains of an old Rosaecrucian L od ge room, now dusty and musty,
unused for over sixty years, though up to 18 9 0 often visited by
Fren ch M aso n s and others w ho knew of it.

T h e old man, in his seventy-eighth year, was the son of the

last M aster that conducted a Rosaecrucian Lodge in that locality,
N IN E

and Ke w as not sure wKetKer Kis fatKer Kad ever conducted a

L o d g e in an y otKer L o d g e room or not.

B u t Ke Kad been engaged

by tbe present owners of tKe C K ateau to look after tKe property

for tKe past twenty years and tKe FrencK M asons, wKo claim ed an
interest in tKe R osa;crucian powers now, directed Kim (one of tKeir
old BrotKers) to preserve tKe L o d g e rooms intact (for w Kat purpose
and reason w e knew not, since no effort w as being m ade to pre
vent rain and otber elements from d am agin g tKe w alls and con
tents rapidly).
W itK me on tKis trip to tKe C K ateau I Kad taken an inter
preter, a young FrencK m an, supplied to me b y a scKool of la n
guages in T oulouse, wKicK, I think, w as a branch of our own
A m erican Berlitz ScKool of L an g u ag es. H e spoke enougK En glisK
to enable me to find tKe C K ateau and m ake m yself know n to tKe
old people living tKere. B u t tKe old BrotKer could speak better
En glisK tKan tKe interpreter and tKis deligKted me. H e Kad been
a Secretary for some foreign M inister or L e g ate at P a ris during
tKe years i8 6 0 to 1 8 7 1 . TKerefore, during tKe entire period of my
conversation witK tKe old m an, my interpreter sat in tKe centre
courtyard, drinking tKe w ine m ade on tKe estate, and caring for
little else tKan tKe ease and deligKt wKicK tKis visit gave Kim.
B ellcastle-L ig n e and Kis fam ily Kad some royal titles in ad d i
tion to tKat of Count, and despite Kis age and reduced financial
circum stances, Ke retained Kis excellent m ilitary bearing and noble
dignity; but witKal, Ke and Kis w ife and daugKter extended to me
tKat Kospitality and extrem ely courteous treatment wKicK makes
one feel tKat tKe days of sunny L an g u ed o c Kave not lost tKeir
pow er or tKeir cKarm.
I Kave gone into tKis detail regarding tKe place and tKe m an,
because I Kave learned tKat Ke Kas since passed aw ay , and Kis
w ife also, I believe; and Kis daugKter, a w idow , Kas becom e in
terested in some pKase of w a r work and Kas left tKe vicinity of
T oulouse. TKe old C K ateau rem ains, Kowever, an d w Ken our
A m erican party of Roseecrucians visit F ran ce, w e w ill go to tKe
old building and spend mucK time witK sucK ceremonies tKere
as are befitting.
T EN

A s soon as the C ou nt heard my story, and had questioned me

closely regarding the m any psychic sessions I had in A m erica,
and had learned w h at information had been given me thereby, he
agreed that should I be the one w ho w as to again take up the
work and bring it to A m erica, it w ould be necessary for me to
Cross the T h resh o ld.

T h is constant reference to

C rossin g the

T h resh o ld aroused a considerable interest in me, yet I had no

idea as to w h at it meant.

H e plain ly and significantly asked me

several times, before w e ventured to the upper floors of the b u ild

ing, if I w as sure I w ould have no fear of the Terror o f the
T h reshold.

I convinced him that nothing that I could conceive of

could have any terror for me.

H e sm ilingly asked w hether I might

not fear that w hich I could not (at that time) conceive of; whether
there might not be something beyond m y com prehension w hich
could strike terror to my heart, mind and soul.

N atu rally, I tried to

im agine w h at such a terror or its cause could be; bodily harm I

did not fear, and I could recall no event in my past life, that
might give me concern regarding my soul.

I w as read y to be

plunged into an abyss spiritually or physically.

A fte r m y m any

days of searching and meeting with trying obstacles and veiled

w arnings, I w as prepared, in every cell of m y body, for an y sacri
fice that m ight be dem anded.
T h e building w as old enough and strange enough to suggest
almost an y w eird possibility.

In passing to the upper floor, he

pointed out to me the several stone secret cham bers, used during
the feud al days as hiding places or dungeons.

T h ere w ere dark

and gloom y corners and niches, narrow secret p assagew ays, lea d
ing to underground tunnels for escape to the nearby hills, and
there w as an old w ell in the floor of the one dark cham ber, into
w hich bodies h ad been plunged to suffocate and starve during the
reign of terror conducted by the P a p a l L egates. B u t not one of
these things aroused in me more than a great desire to go on and
meet that Terror at the Threshold w hich I felt w as more terrifying
than an y of these physical torments, w hich grew more significant
every minute.
i i . i : \t

F in ally, w e reached the upper floor, and he paused before

an old iron door and said : T h is leads to the first C h am b er and
through it you enter a second, w here the Terror for years pre
sented itself. If the Terror failed to paralyze your heart and body,
and your soul could meet the test and trial, you w ere permitted
to C ross the T hresh old into the T e m p l e - t h e third C h am b er b e
yond. There are no ceremonies here now, and no one to conduct
you through the rooms as of old, so perhaps you w ould like to go

through these Cham bers alone alone with G o d and ~ your

Master, and then into the T em ple w here a ceremony w ill be
conducted.
A fte r a few minutes h ad passed, I arose to my feet and saw m
one corner a bright light shaping itself into some form w ith a
faint bluish haze about it. It seem ed to be about two feet in
diameter, but size is deceptive in such cases, and I am sure now
that the light w as not more than tw elve inches. It w as about three
feet from the floor and slow ly grew more intense. M a n y of our
Brothers and Sisters h ave seen a sim ilar L ig h t in our L o d g e room
in N e w Y ork during some special experim ents.
A fte r a few minutes, the L ig h t elongated until it touched the
floor and w as almost to the ceiling. Its centre becam e more tran s
parent until it fin ally h ad the appearan ce of a large aura w ith a
void in the centre. Into this space ap peared a figure and at once
I recognized the sam e w onderful mystic figure w hich had appeared
to me in the C h u rch in the Sprin g of 1908.
H e the mystic M aster motioned for me to face toward his
right, and, as I did so, I saw , faintly, the outline of another door.
T h en he spoke one w ord: E n te r! It w as said kindly, but com
m andingly. T h e door opened and creaked with its rusty hinges
and I entered into another, as cold and m usty sm elling as the first,
and seem ingly darker. T h e figure w as behind me and though I
could not see it, I felt it w as follow ing me. T h en I heard the door
closing back of me, and I faced in various directions searching for
any sight that m ight be revealed.
I found then that the mystic figure w as once again in the form
of a slow ly dissolving b all of blue L igh t.

W h e n it h ad condensed

to a glow of about tfie size of an orange, it rose tow ard tfie ceiling
in one corner and shot forth a beam of w hite light, like a search
light ray. I turned to see w h at effect that beam of L ig h t h ad upon
the opposite w all, and there I beheld the great and beautiful
sym bol 11 the R o sey C ross, in beautiful G o ld , standing on the
flooring and rising to a height of about six feet. In its centre w as
a red rose. T h e beam of L ig h t just illum inated the C ross, without
show ing the w all or an y of the floor or ceiling.
G ra d u a lly I becam e conscious of a haze forming on the right
side of the C R O S S and it seem ed to form itself into a sm all figure
d raped in w hite; it pointed one very transparent han d and arm
toward me and then fad ed before I could understand. T h en to
the left of the C ross another haze w as forming, but its color w as
d a r k like a very dark red. It formed into a figure, also, though
no face or arms could be seen. W ith my realization cam e a cold
w av e in the atm osphere of the room and a m ental impression came
to me of w a rn in g ,dire and terrible! I felt a great relief w hen this
figure passed a w a y and then, as the C ross becam e invisible bv a
fading of the beam of light w hich illum inated it, another door
opened and I saw w ithin a large room, faintly lighted bv little rays
of sunlight w hich shot through the cracks of the tightly closed
old-fashioned shutters of the w indow s. I slow ly started to leave
the sm all C h am b er and enter the larger room, w hen I w as re
pulsed by some strange force and m ade to hesitate. T h is m ay have
been a m ental rather than a physical impression, but I halted
expecting some word, for not one w ord h ad been spoken in that
C ham b er. T h en I noticed that the doorw ay through w hich I
w ished to pass becam e illum inated at its two sides and top and
bottom w ith a w hite haze, an d through this oblong aura I w as
im pressed to w alk. M y steps were easy, my journey happy, and

accom panied with an inner joy and sense of sacredness w hich told
me plainly that I had Crossed the Thresholds.
A fte r entering the larger room, w hich I learned w as the old
T em ple or L o d g e Room , I found that the old C ou nt w as standing
near a door at the rear. H e came toward me and explain ed that
so m any of the appurtenances of the original L od ge h ad been re

moved that il w o u lj be im possible [or me lo go through t i e regular

form of ceremony there. S o be t a lk e d w ith me from slat,on
station and explained some points but never alluded o w h a
I had just passed through.

H e seem ed to take (or granted that

I had crossed tbe threshold and accepted me as a N eo p h y

pared for further instruction or Initiation.

1T saw the
tbe rem ains 01
of an altar ...
in an alcove
in w hat w as the

" E a s t , and there w a s another triangular altar in the centre o

the T em p le upon a m arble platform , approached b y three steps^
T here w ere a few old cathedral chairs in certain places of the r m
and in tbe W e s t betw een the two doors (through one of which
1 had entered and through the other he had entered) w as a large
chair with draperies behind it: and directly in rent of the cha.r
w as a m arble pedestal. 1 need not detai the descript,ons or ex
planations given me b y tbe C ou nt, for all our members are now
fam iliar w ith the equipm ent of our T em ples. A s soon as,1 h a d s e e
each place and point, he escorted me to the exit door in the W e st
and ushered me into another room w hich

saken lounging room and in w hich w ere an old bed of the 7th
century, old chairs, cabinets and w hat-nots. E a c h w a s a m aster
piece
an ticu e furniture and each w a s c o v e r e d w ith dust and

If

mold.

L a te r 1 rem arked about this furniture and the C ou nt ex

plained it w as stored there to keep out of the w ay . H e

could be purchased for practically nothing if it could be taken
a w a y from there. 1 know that such pieces of furniture w ould have
been greatly valu ed in A m erica, and some day I hope that some of
our Brothers and Sisters w ill find a w a y o getting from the old
C h a te a u d 'Issus some of those pieces w ith interesting is on
and bring them to our A m erican Tem ples.

( C O N T I N U E D IN M A N I F E S T O

IV )

A V E R MENT
S ta n d i n g in th e p re s e n c e o f th e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d ev er m in d fu l
o f th e 1 e rro r of th e I h re s h o ld , I d o so le m n ly affirm t h a t I n a v e c a re fu lly
re a d a n d m e d ita te d u p o n th e c o n te n ts o l th is m a n ife s to . I f u r th e r affirm
t h a t a t th e s u p re m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n sc io u s o f th e s p iritu a l su rg e
w ith in m y b e in g t h a t e n th r a lle d a n d c a u s e d m e to a s c e n d in c o n sc io u sn e ss
a b o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o rta l a n d p h y s ic a l e n v ir o n m e n t, a n d w h e n I w a s
a lso a w a re o f th e in v isib le p re s e n c e o f th e C o s m ic H o sts , I d id a llix m y
s ig n a tu re b e lo w a n d re c o rd th e h o u r, d a y , m o n th , a n d y e a r o f th is C o sm ic
e x p e rie n c e . I d o a ls o so le m n ly a v o u c h b y th e s e sa m e sa c re d to k en s th a t
I h a v e p e rm itte d no o th e r ey es b u t m in e to p e ru s e th e c o n te n ts ol tliis
m a n i festo.

iVnnic

T im e

D ay

M onth

Y ear

on tessio
*

jfra tern ita tis

C O N F E SS IO
R.\ C.\
F R A T E R N IT A T IS
Prepared by'

BRO. P R O F U N D I S
1918

'"I
\
>
s
1

IS S U E D

p#W tfj

B Y S P E C IA L P E R M IS S IO N
OF TH E

IMPERATOR
A N C IE N T

M Y S T IC A L

S.-.
SA N

O R D E R R O S A E C R U C IS

S.-.

S.-.

JO S E . C A L IF O R N IA . U . S. A .

MANIFESTO

IV

The above is the title page of a work by the eminent Rosicrucian, Count
Michael Maier. The work, as indicated, was published in 1618 . Michael
Maier was a Doctor of Philosophy, Medicine, and Alchemy. He was
born in Rendsburg, about the year 1568. His ability attracted the atten
tion of Emperor Rudolph II, and he was appointed body physician to the
Emperor. He was a prolific writer, and there are a great number of Rosi
crucian manuscripts and books credited to him, many of which are in
existence. Some of the complete originals are in the vaults of the Rosi
crucian Order, AMORC.

THIS

old room, now used as a storeroom, w as a large

couch, or lounge, w hich the C ount hurriedly dusted and

assigned to me as a resting place, w arn in g me that I
might have to remain there for several hours w aiting
for others to come to meet me and aid in w h at w as to tal<e
place. I asked him to dismiss the taxi-driver, who w as w aiting,
take care of the interpreter, and I w ould he free to rem ain as
he suggested. H e advised that I sleep aw hile, and left me there
alone with the heavy wooden door ajar. I did go to sleep,
with thoughts of my experiences being carefully analyzed. I
slept
ahout three hours and aw oke at approxim ately eight
0 clock, wi th the sun low and red and m aking the room in which
1 w as lying ap p ear to he tinted with lights as through a cathedral
w indow .
A s I rose to my feet, a sudden conscious realization passed
over m y being and at once I knew . W h ile I "sle p t, the M aster
the one w ho had ap peared to me in the first C ham b er, had taken
me through the First D egree Initiation again, assisted by other
mystic figures and personalities, in the very L od ge Room I had
just visited. But, for this mystic, psychic Initiation, the old L od ge
Room had resumed its former appearan ce and completeness and
w as, in fact, as it w as in the days of its greatest glory. I shall
never forget that Initiation, and those w ho have been with me
during the past three years, have often heard me recall the m any
points of equipm ent or fitti ngs I saw then an d th ere ,thou gh th ev
never knew how I saw and, after all, that matters little to them
or to me.
I left the room and went downstairs, m eeting the C ou nt who
heard me descending the old stone stairs. I sim ply stated that
I believed I had passed through the ceremony in a dream y w ay,
but could recall m uch of it. I asked if he knew that this w as to
be my experience and if an y more w ere to follow. H e w as in
definite and evasive in his replies, but did ask that I go into the
T H R F.F

large living room w here I first met Kim. T h ere I found three otker
men, old and dignified, quiet and m ystical looking, but typical in
all other w ay s of the old men of that country.
I he C ount explained that they w ere neighbors for whom
he had sent my taxi-m an w hile I slept. E a ch , he explained, had
parents in the O rd er R o sae C n icis, or foreparents, who were m em
bers or officers, and he had asked them there to question me.

1 hrough the Count I explain ed to them w h y I sought entrance

into the old O rder and w hy I desired, if possible, to establish the
O rder in A m erica. 1 hey questioned me closely as to an y selfish
motive I might have, my determination, my realization of the
obstacles, the dangers, the cost in time and wTorry, etc. A ffirm ing
at every question that I cared not w h at it w o u ld cost me o f time
or labor, nor w hat d an ger I encountered, they finallv agreed to go
with me into the old L od ge Room and one of the other men handed
the C ou nt an old wooden casket w hich he carried. From out of the
C asket the C ount took a G o ld C ross with its R o se and suspended
it about his neck. T h en one of the men handed him a la m p __ an
old copper or bronze oil burner, in w hich there w as some oil, and
the C ou nt lighted this and placed it before him on the broken altar.
I w as directed to stand back about m id w ay between the centre
altar (the Shek inah) and the E a st (reallv in the centre of the
Sanctum ) and face the E ast. W h ile standing thus, the Count
slow ly m ade the Sign of the C ross, just as I had seen it m ade by
the mystic m aster in my dream-initiation, a fewr minutes before,
and then he spoke as foil ows or as nearly so as I can now re
m ember:
Unto you is granted, so far as w e the only rem aining
descendants of the M asters o f this 7 em ple can grant, the privilege
of taking our glorious w ork to A m erica, the la n d w hich every
Fren ch m an loves a n d the L a n d W h e r e T h e E a g le S p rea d s Its
W in g s, as d ecreed by the M asters of o ld .

FOUR

PART SIX
So m uck for the form of my initiation in its first part. A ll of
this, or n early all, has been understood by some of our A m erican
members for some time. T h e all-im portant part, however, is that
w hich pertains to the further instructions I received and the papers
w hich w ere placed in m y hands by this group of men.
A fte r the ceremony, described on the preceding pages, I w as
permitted to look into an old notebook w hich one of the men
owned, and w hich he cherished so greatly that I could not induce
him to part with it; I valu ed it at the time as a memento as he
did but I now know that the book w ould h ave been of unusual
value to me as a m ark of evidence. It w as bound in old leather,
the binding having been taken from some old historical book, and
the pages w ere closely written in French, with m any attempts at
decoration and lettering. O n m any pages there w ere designs and
symbols, and, as w as explain ed to me, the book contained the
principles and law s of the O rd er as given by a M aster in the
T em ple Lectures. In other words, the book w as a m em bers
note book, m uch like those w hich are used by our own m em
bers today.
Prom this book I copied into a memo book I had with me, all
the sym bols and alphabets, the terms or marks used by officers, and
m any diagram s of tem ple ceremonies and principles. I asked some
questions, and some points w ere explained to me, but I w as con
stantly rem inded that in due time, you w ill understand every
thing. H o w often I have used this sam e phrase to our m em bers!
Som e have been as patient as I tried to be, and some have not
been. T hose w ho have been patient are about to be rew arded;
the impatient ones w ill not receive their rew ard as seekers of Light,
in this incarnation.
A t about 9 :30 , I w as directed to enter the large living room
downstairs, and sit in consultation w ith the group, w hile they
F IV K

exam ined an old trunk w hich had been brought into the centre of
the room and w as now being opened b y C ou nt B ellcastle-Lign e.
I found that it contained several old robes and surplices, some
sym bolical aprons, a covering for an A ltar, a R ose C loth, and
m any papers and records. A s each w as taken out and exam ined
with reverence and great sincerity, the various pieces of attire w ere
hung on me and I w as shown their use, w hile w ith each draping
certain signs w ere m ade and these in turn were pointed out to me
in the notes I h ad m ade from the old notebook. I w as passing
through the form of being invested with certain robes and symbols
for the various degrees of the O rder. P erh ap s h alf an hour w as
utilized in this w ay. T h en those things w ere replaced in the trunk,
and I w as asked to be seated at the table and glance over certain
papers and sign a few obligations at the bottom of sheets which
w ere crowded with old, yellow and partly faded signatures.
T h e instructions I then received I w ill attempt to give here,
in as near the words as I can remem ber them; most surely I make
no mistake in the import or purpose of w h at w as said, even if I do
fail to use the exact words and signs.
T h e m an who acted as C h airm an of the meeting and really
assum ed the M astership of the ceremonies, w as L a sa lle . I met
him twice after this occasion, and found him to be a very kindly
and truly lovable mystic who seem ed to be w aiting for the G reat
A d v e n tu re .the C rossing of the M u n d an e Threshold. It w as he
who spoke in fair E n g lish even better than did B ellcastle-Lign e.
Y ou have received all the instructions w e can give you at this
time. Y ou w ill not consider yourself a fu lly initiated Brother of
the O rder until you have gone through certain other ceremonies
in your own temple or sanctum in the future, for you must not
cannot open the first L od ge of this O rder in your country until
the year 19 1 5 . D o not ap p ear disappointed or anxious. Y o u w ill
have so much to do in the meantime, that the time w ill come only
too soon. B u t let me explain w h y the year 1 9 1 5 is the great year
for the resurrection of the O rder.
E v e r since the O rder survived the catastrophe w hich fell upon
E gyp t, the O rder has been devoted to the evolution of hum an souls
S IX

and Human politics. In every great crisis of people or nation, tke

O rd er Has challenged the evil forces and has arrayed itself on
the side of G o d and freedom
freedom from superstition, freedom
from political slavery, and freedom from m ental bondage. In the
days w hen Jesu s, the M aster of the E a st, suffered under the
political rule, because H e dared to point the w a y to Light, L ife,
and L ove, and w as crucified on the very C ross H e loved, the
O rd er has quietly saved the people and the nations from the
powers that darken the face of the Earth . Jesu s w as saved from
an untim ely death of H is body b y our O rder, especially by the
members of the C ouncil, w hose lives w ere pledged to H is work.
Y ou m ay not know, but the m an Jesu s w as rescued from the Tom b
by these Brothers of the O rd er and Jesu s lived for m any years
thereafter in secrecy and silence, meeting only the tried and tested
ones, and directing the secret w ork of the O rd er and its several
divisions until H e w a s raised to the H igher P lan e, later in life.
T h e facts surrounding this event, you w ill receive later. It w as
our O rd er w hich again freed m an from political bondage in this
country, by its silent and secret preaching and teaching of the
doctrine of L I G H T , w h ereb y men and w om en in this country
could become illum inated in science and religion, and free them
selves from the hold of the R o m an C atholic C hurch. E v en the
Je w s from P alestin e w ere invited to come here an d unite w ith the
liberty-loving, truth-seeking heretics, w ho form ed the mystic groups,
for w hich Toulouse an d the South of Fran ce have been fam ous.
T h ou san d s of these loyal mystics lost their lives and sacrificed their
homes an d w orld ly possessions then to m ake G o d s principles
free to all.
"T h e n cam e the later crisis. O u r O rder has been accused of
h aving started the Fren ch R evolution. T h is is true, if you say w e
caused it b y instilling the principles of revolution in the process
of evolution; for w e h ad so affected several generations of men and
w om en in this country, that w hen the time cam e and the enem y of
freedom attacked liberty, millions w ere read y to sacrifice every
thing, that T R U T H might be F R E E . W e assisted in the same
m anner in your country at one time, and the d ay is soon at hand
SEV EN

w hen w e shall assist R u ssia and other countries, w here our prin
ciples have evolved so greatly in the past. B u t w h at I intended
to say w as that, in the near future, your country w ill not only be
en gaged in assisting in a great strife for freedom , but w ill itself
need assistance in combatting the great forces of evil and soulslavery in A m erica.
'N o doubt you understand b y this that our O rd er is pledged
to com bat the efforts of one great institution, w hich has for ages
held the minds and souls of the m asses in the grip of ignorance,
fear, and superstition. T h is is the H ierarchy of t h e ........................
From the days w hen the M aster Jesu s w as chained by the hands
of the R om an bigots, our O rder has been secretly and sacredly
pledged to prepare m an and wom an for the hour, w hen the hand ol
evil reaches out in the nam e of G o d to stifle the soul and blunt
the mind. T h is, too, w ill be your solemn duty, your obligation,
and to which you must pledge your life and possessions and your
every earthly act and power, before you m ay receive from our
hands the final key, the last and lost w ord, the jew el and the
blessings, without w hich you can do nau ght.
A n d so, in the year 1 9 1 5 , w hile your country and your people,
along w ith other peoples and other countries are at strife in w arring
combat, to stop the m arch of greed and evil power, your country
w ill quietly enter the cycle of preparation for the coming greater
battle in your own land. B y the year 19 2 0 your work, if per
formed according to the L a w L .L .L .,* w ill have reached a point
where it w ill have P e ace and P o w er of its own established in every
division of your country, for so it is decreed in all the ancient
papers, bearing upon the destinies of nations and peoples. T hen
soon th ereafter,w ill come the d ay of conflict within your coun
trys boundaries, w hen the S ign of the C ross w ill be held aloft
by t h e .................. under the rule of the K in g of D arkn ess, and it
w ill be met and neutralized by the true S ig n of the C ross, held in
the hearts and minds of your Brothers and Sisters in every city
and state. T o your assistance w ill come our oth er Brothers of the
*L ife, Light, Love.
L IG H T

H o ly C ra ft of K in g Solom on, w hose workm en have been laying the

m aterial stones upon w hich your esoteric structure can be builded.
"N a tu ra lly , you w ill suffer much, in d ividu ally and collectively,
before the d ay and hour of triumph comes. B u t these sorrows,
these tests and trials w ill m ake your souls purer and stronger, and
you as the B u ild er of this G re a t tem ple of H u m an Souls, w ill
meet great opposition, and must sacrifice the greater part of your
life that truth m ay com e.* Som e time, w hen you least expect it,
you w ill find in your country the place w here the secret R . C .
Stone w as placed by our delegates, the M onks of the M o u n t,
and w here, in the ruins of an old T emple, you w ill meet again face
to face the M aster, w ho has guided you here, and w ho has ever
been your M aster, preparing you for the task and the work you
have so blindly come here to begin. T hen, your own great illum i
nation w ill come, as it has come to others in their thirty-fifth years,
and you w ill know w hat L O V E is, w h at esoteric P O W E R is, and
w h at Peace and T ria l are, w hen w alkin g hand in hand to guide
and direct.
I now ask vou to pledge to us that vou w ill take up the work
F O R m an s freedom , A G A I N S T m an s slavery; for M A N S
know ledge against M A N S I G N O R A N C E , for L ig h t against
D arkn ess, for O U R O R D E R against t h e .................T
W^ith all solem nity I took the oath of allegian ce in this re
gard, and then I w as told to come again another d ay three or
four days hence and receive m y final instructions. In the m ean
time, I w as to visit several libraries and m useums, and see some
old paintings and relics and m ake such notes as I found necessary.
A fte r two days had passed I met the several men, by their
appointm ent, in another place the old T ow er, the one place so
greatly disputed by those w ho cannot believe that the tower still
exists, but w hich does exist, and w ill be visited some d ay by our
Broth ers and Sisters. H ere I w as given my final instructions,
w hich I now outline here briefly, so that they m ay be passed on
to those w ho w ill be greatly concerned in the work of the future.
*H ow prophetic this statement w as is indicated by the facts of the late Iniporator's life and his
comparatively early transition.
.
N IN E

THE IMPERATORS INSTRUCTIONS

F irst: T h e O rder in Fran ce having ceased to have an exoteric
body since the year 1880, and since there w as only the fraction
of a thousand souls in the O rd er in E urope having no secret chief
or Imperator, the O rder in E urope could not grant an y C harter
or paper of patent; furthermore, the O rd er h ad never granted such
charters or patents, but evolved its leaders or Imperators through
C osm ic processes.*
S e c o n d : T h e last secret head of the O rd er in E urope had been
C h ristian Rosenkreutz, so-called ^ w ho w as in truth Fran cis
Bacon , and who used other nam es, such as A n d rea , in the O rder,
and Sh ak esp eare in other work.
T h ird : T h at, in other countries, there w ere thousands of men
and wom en w ho w ere born R osaecrucian s from R osaecrucian
grandparents, but although living according to the principles and
in some cities m eeting in sm all groups for study under various
nam es, they w ere not organized into regular Lod ges, since the
ending of C hristian Rosenkreutz cycle of 10 8 years.
F o u rth : T h a t all these men and w om en and sm all groups
w ere patiently aw aitin g the coming of the next leader, w hich they
knew w ould be in 1 9 1 5 ; and this prophecy h ad been m ade for
several hundred years ^ even during Rosenkreutz time, and in
India, w here the last E astern chief of the O rder lived and w as
raised to the H igh er R ealm .
*T he O rder in France during this period was not conducting any outer activities. 1 here was no
semblance of fratemalism as we knowr it in Am erica today. There were not even any established
temples designated as places where Rosicrucian conclaves are held regularly, as now exist in
North Am erica and elsewhere. F'ratres and Sorores of the O rder in France met at irregular
times and there was not that methodical pursuit of the studies that we who are members of this
jurisdiction enjoy. Though the late Imperator was given sole authority in 1909 to bring Rosicrucianisin into active existence again in Am erica, and was allowed to copy notes pertaining to its
teachings and precepts as he has explained herein, he w as not given any paper or document that
proclaimed him Imperator, for that w as not the custom of the Order as he has explained. T o be
made Imperator, he had first to prove himself qualified, to labor in the vineyard of the O rder
for years. However, at a later period, documentary confirmation of his noble work was given him
as is explained in the published Rosicrucian History of A M O R C , and in 1 9 15 he w as duly
recognized as Imperator of this jurisdiction by the O rder in France. Since that year, many
written charters and documents of further authority have been given him by the Supreme officers
of foreign jurisdictions of the O rder and these historical manifestoes repose in the archives of the
O rder at the Supreme Lodge in San Jose, California, and are inspected by committees of members
at each annual convention of the A . M . O . R . C . of North and South Am erica. [This jurisdic
tion now includes Central Am erica, A ustralasia, and A fric a 3-16-50]
TEN

F ifth : T h at those journeying to India and E g yp t or other

E astern lands in search of the O rder, w ere a lw ays told that in the
W e s t, w here the E a g le Sp read s Its W in g s , w ill come the next
incarnated soul of A m enhotep IV , in the year of 1 9 1 5 , to take up
the work for the next cycle of 10 8 years.
S ix th : T h at such a leader wyouId m ake him self known, not
b y papers or documents, but by his w ork: that without funds he
w ould accom plish w h at others w ould not accom plish without or
even w ith funds; that he w ould demonstrate in a simple m anner
w hat others pretending to be great w ould not demonstrate in the
most com plex m anner; that without previous education or train
in g ,* he w ould know such things as only the most learned m an or
w om an could know, and even more than this, w h at only the sages
or mystics of the past had ever known all w'isdom combined, a
m aster in the arts and sciences in every handiwyork and every la w ;
that without political pow er or m aterial assistance, he would
change the law s of m an and nation and cast light over darkness
w here others had failed in spite of political power, earthly forces
and m aterial strength; that as a young m an he w ould do that
w hich older men w ould hesitate to do; that w ith m any m aterial
opportunities for using his C osm ic-given abilities, talents and u n
usual know ledge, he w ill forsake the m aterial w orld and its
glimm er and sacrifice his future happiness, his w orldly ease and
pleasures and even the happiness of those nearest and dearest to
him, to fulfill his mission in life; that, instead of ap plyin g all his
work and efforts selfishly for him self or for those nearest to him,
he w ould unselfishly give to others; that he w ould d ay by d ay
demonstrate a kindness and love and a tolerance for others seldom
found in hum an beings; that he w ould take and receive naught
but suffering and sorrow as his rewyard, and w ould alw ays be
read y to take more of it and work under and against the worst
obstacles possible, w ith joy in his heart, instead of revenge or
hatred; and that he w ould prove him self the true leader of the
O rder and T ru e M aster by his acts and his omissions, his kin d
ness and his reverence, his steadfastness and his personality
*T his refers to training in tlie mystic arts and sciences.
ELKVEN

though all he against him and evil seem to conquer, still w ould he
grow stronger and more beloved by those w ho knew him and
were w ith him .*
S e v e n th : T h at he w ould m ake him self the Imperator, not by
decree of an y C ouncil or pow er from an y individual, but by his
fulfillm ent of the purposes of the O rder, living the life of a R osaecrucian and by truly establishing again the O rd er in a ll its glory
a n d w ith a ll its power, a n d by bringing the true light to the w orld
again, a n d thereby proving that he d id resurrect the O rd er in
(9 /5 , as d ecreed by the o ld masters.
E ig h th : T h at by establishing the O rder in this w a y and re
viving all its old law s and principles, and by spreading the work

1 O O T H E R L A N D S , prove him self the true descendant o f the

old Masters.
N in th : T h at by adding to the work and m aking it more
simple and com prehensible; that by receiving from the Cosm ic
M asters their new er instructions and latest teachings; that by
reaching the heights of attunement, and proving that he could
develop others to attunement and soul-freedom w ith him ; that
b y developing others to go to lands and places by projections; that
b y developing others to do the great healing w ork; and that by
causing others to love him for his o w n sake a n d the w ork he has
done a n d the suffering he has gone through by a ll these things
he w o u ld m ake him self the T ru e M aster of the O rd er, for the
cycle b eginning in 1 9 1 5 , throughout the w orld.
T e n th : T h at w hen the great time cam e and he had established
Lod ges in his own land and in O T H E R L A N D S , he w ould then
appoint from am ong his T R I E D and T E S T E D Brothers and
Sisters a C ou ncil to rule the work of the O rder throughout the
world, so that he w ould again have, as h ave the M asters of old
a S U P R E M E C O U N C I L O F T H E W O R L D to help him
that his work might grow greater and richer everyw h ere.f
* I h e great love, respect and admiration had by tlie membership for tile late Imperator was evi
denced in tiie several thousand condolence letters, telegrams, and cables received at the Supreme
I^odge upon the occasion of his transition.
fF h is Supreme Council lie later organized and it has keen in continuous existence for over
thirty years.
TW ELV E

E le v e n th : 1 hat he w ould continue to receive from the Cosm ic

M asters the further instructions, unguided by an y earthly advice,
and that he w ould keep secret the real purpose of the O rd er to
those who should not know, and w ould in every w ay keep holy
and undefiled the good nam e of the O rder, even at the sacrifice
of his earthly life and peace.
T w e lfth : T h at w hen he did appoint his Suprem e C ouncil of
the W orld or other advisors he w ould bind them to the O rder
and its principles and him self, in the sam e w a y as he had been
bound and as the great M asters w ould C osm ically direct him,
even to having each pledge his life and his earthly efforts in the
most binding and sacred m anner possible.
T h ese w ere tlie instructions and law s I received and under
w hich I h ave toiled for over three years, and for w hich I have
planned and m ade sacrifices for n early nine years since Ju ly
of 1 Q O Q .
A ll the rituals and instructions which I have used I have had
to secure in m any strange w ays but generally through the same
process as I used before finding the O rder that of entering into
a state of attunement about nine o clock in the evening and staying
in that condition for hours until I had received w hat I desired.*
So, for the past four years I have devoted one, two, and some
times four ni ghts a w eek in such attunement until as late as two
and three o clock in the morning. I w ould sit in the dark or a
soft light until I lost objective consciousness, and there, with
pencil and paper at a table, I w ould permit my hand to write out
the leachings and the ceremonies, the law s and the principles.
Sometim es the writing w ould be brief and needed am plification;
sometimes there w ould be m any symbols and hieroglyphics which
I would have to translate. O ften the lan g u age w ould be so w on
derful and so perfect that I have used it in our work without
alteration or addition.
*M u rh of the written material, or manuscripts, transmitted to the late Imperator upon his several
later journeys to Europe were of such an abstract nature that thev required his personal inter
pretation and elucidation. to make them comprehensible to A M O R C members.
T H 1R T F F N

O n e suck exam ple of w onderful writing from the Cosm ic

M asters is tlie old N o d in M an uscript used in our Fourth D egree.
T h at came to me in one n ig h t.from nine in the evening to four
in the m orn ing,and the original m anuscript, just as I wrote it
then, I still have in my files w here a few w ill see it upon request.
In the copies w e use in our lectures only a few words have been
added or changed. It came direct from the M aster w ho originally
wrote it N odin and who is now one of the M asters who
helps me.
Som e of our members have seen or heard P ad re speak through
me in the third degree lectures or experim ents or at other times
from the Temple Platform . It w as he and another great M aster
w hose nam e I w ill give later who have given me all the work
of our O rder and w ho continue to guide me.

(C O N T IN U E D IN M A N I F E S T O V)

F O lR T F FN

AVERMEN T
S t a n d i n g in t h e p r e s e n c e of th e G o d of m y H e a r t a n d e ver m i n d f u l
of th e T e r r o r of t h e I h re s b o ld , I d o s o l e m n l y affirm t h a t 1 h a v e ca re fu lly
re a d a n d m e d i t a t e d u p o n t h e c o n t e n t s of th is m a n i fe s t o . I f u r t h e r affirm
t h a l a t th e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n s c i o u s o f t h e s p i r it u a l su rg e
w t th i n m y b e i n g t h a t e n t h r a l l e d a n d c a u s e d m e lo a s c e n d in c o n s c i o u s n e s s
a b o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r ta l a n d p h y s i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n ( w a s
als o a w a r e o f th e in v is ib le p r e s e n c e o f the C o s m i c H o sts , I d i d affix m y
s i g n a t u r e b e l o w a n d r e c o r d th e h o u r, d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f th is C o s m i c
e x p e rie n c e . I d o a ls o s o l e m n l y a v o u c h b y t h e s e s a m e s a c r e d to k e n s th a l
f h a v e p e r m it te d n o o th e r eyes b u t m i n e to p e ru s e t h e c o n te n t s ol this
m a n ife sto .

/Vnmp

T im e

D ay

M onth

Year

oniessio
C .

ifraternitatis

r n

C O N FES SIO
R.\ C.\
F R A T E R N IT A T IS
Prepared by

BRO. PRO FU N D IS
1918

pn-ruxrj
fig

IS S U E D

B Y S P E C I A L P F .K M I S S I O N
OF TH E

IM P E R A T O R
A N C IE N T M Y S T IC A L O R D E R R O S A E C R U C IS

S /.
SA N

S . .

S . .

JO S E , C A L IF O R N IA . U . S . A .

MANIFESTO V

N > I R VC VI ON

Far G N

vjd e' Pariiicn

r h.. ?it;t?/: Cjl in rebus tnsn e. Per I. Satvr.:,

A PARTS,
r :.cz I: R a n *, o i s 1 i l l :ivaurro;<!.:fi
p :!lu :r d c la grand Sailc ;.iu Pn! v .

M
* : i <

4: ;

DC
r

' ( r

X X ii!
f-

i* :

T h e a b o v e is a r e p r o d u c t i o n o f a title p a g e from w h a t is te r m e d tlie true

h is to ry o f th e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r . It w a s w r i t t e n b y a D r . G . N a u d e a n d
lirst p u b l i s h e d in P a r i s in 1625. O r . N a u d e w a s l i b r a r i a n to C a r d i n a l
M a z a r i n a n d t h u s w a s o b l i g e d to b e v e ry c ritic a l in h is re v ie w ol th e
h is to ry o f the R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r , a n d fries to d e r i d e th e te a c h i n g s ol th e
O r d e r R o s a e C r u c i s . H o w e v e r , his n e g a t i v e w o rk verifies t h e fa c t th a t
d i s t i n g u i s h e d i n d i v i d u a l s w h o w e r e s a i d in R o s ic r u c ia n tra c ts to be
m e m b e r s o f t h e O r d e r w e r e a c t u a l l y so. C o n s e q u e n t l y , h e u n w i t t i n g l y
p ro v e s in his w o r k th e e a r l y e x is te n c e o f th e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r a n d even
th e m e m b e r s h i p in it o f th e e m i n e n t S i r F r a n c i s B a c o n . T h e p h o t o s t a t ol
th is o r i g i n a l w o r k is in th e a r c h i v e s o f th e A M O R C .

so I have devoted m any years ol m y life w hich mi ght

have been spent in pleasure or w orld ly things, to build

n d

up this O rder. N igh ts w hen 1 w a s not in attunem ent in

my little sanctum at home 1 w a s at the T em p le lecturing
or giving treatments. I have m ade my w ife and children suffer
with me in order that others might h ave the result of my work
an d the profits o f the pledges I m ade in old I oulouse.
A n d 1 h ave kept m y promises in other w ay s w hich our mem
bers here h ave never learned. In w hat hours I could spare from
the T 'em pie work an d from my attunem ents with the M asters,
I have been b usy establishing L o d g es in other L a n d s as I promised
I won Id. Yet I did not permit an y Brother or Sister to help me in
this foreign work. 1 had to keep it secret and do it alone, that
it might be done and under w a y before I appointed m y Suprem e
C ouncil of the W o rld . A n d so, with all the other work I h ave had
to do, I have for over two years kept up a steady correspondence
in foreign lands w ith every secret group and every mystic body
until I h ave succeeded in establishin g a L o d g e in M ad ras, India,
under my own direction there, one in the G o ld C o ast ol W est
A frica under m y own direction, one in Persia, and one in Egyp t,
w here for over a hundred years only a few descendants ol the
O rd er rem ained. I have started L o d g es in other countries and
have recognition now in m any lands, and yet all this had to be
done quietly an d secretly an d alon e.*
I he work has been stupendous, but it has m ade me h ap p y
more happy than anything else in this world and after all these
years ol labor and w hile I am now about to begin the last hall
ol my thirty-fifth year and w hen the great change or T R A N S I I I O N and I L L U M I N A T I O N is to come, I fee) that 1 must m ake
arrangem ents an d appoint m y Suprem e C ou ncil ol the W o rld .
F o r over six months now, I have w arned those around me that
a great and im portant crisis in my life w a s coming. I expected
* I his correspondence is on file at the Suprem e G ran d I-odge.
T IIR P I

that Ilie transition w ould take me to the H igh er R ealm s and I am

sure that some such change w ill come before the yea r is ended.
T h a t is w h y I spoke to the Brothers and Sisters ol our L od ge last
R o saecru cian N e w Y e a r s night and sa id :
I his m ay he the last
time I w ill a p p ear before you as the Im perator or your M aster.
H ow ever, G o d s w ill he done! I have undertaken on this trip
across the country to prepare this C O N F E S S I O N and it is now
done, and as 1 face the W e ste rn L ig h ts and see the first signs
of C alifo rn ia I realize that my W e ste rn trip is ended. this eigh
teenth clay of A p ril, i g i 8 and that m y C onfession is ended.
yet more is to he ad d ed sometime, I am sure, by those events
w hich come as a crisis within a few months. M a y G o d be merciful to all, just as ever, and kind to one w ho has striven all his
lile to help others, w ho has to deceive some that pow er for evil
might not be given into their hands, and w ho has had to pay
d early lor every hour of joy and for every m inute of unselfish
efforts for others.
Y et P eace Profound w ill reign in A m erica and other lands
some d ay, and then others will see that 1. sim ple A m erican , guided
by love, have added to P eace Profound, through those efforts and
law s w hich I must now transfer into other hands. M a y G o d bless
each w ho reads this an d becomes one of the M asters in the
1 em ple of G o d .
H. S P E N C E R L E W I S
Profun dis X II

FO U R

|Alden|

Enroute from S a n hrancisco

to O gd en , U ta h , T h u rsd ay,
M a y Qth. 1 9 1 8 . R. C . 3 2 7 1 .
TO BRO TH ERS BR A SSA R D

A N D B I N I M E L I S :*

I feel, now that I am leaving the State ol C alifo rn ia an d out

ol its im m ediate environm ent and influence, that I must write this
m essage an d h ave it read by Brothers B rassa rd , Lindstedt, Binimelis, and the one or two others whom they m ay give this to in
the sam e spirit as it is given to them.
Y ou are aw are that lor some years I have looked forw ard to
the time w hen the great transition w ould occur w hich is plainly
indicated in my horoscope and likew ise predicted and predicated
in all my com m unications and d ealin gs with the unseen M asters.
Y ou have recently learned from me, during the past six months
and from he w h o knows that the time of this personal transition
w as near at h an d ; an d w hile its com ing and its very im m inence
did not disturb or perturb me, its nature and its effects w ere of
considerable interest, for there w a s great w ork to be done before
I could fully resign m yself to its unforeseen and unknown results,
be they w hatever the M asters or Suprem e M aster decree.^'
V ery recently you have witnessed the increasing an xiety on my
part and the outer m anifestations ol inner and other preparations
* I his communication is addressed to two Fratres. A M O R C officers, who w ere very active at the
time in tlie work ol tlic O rder and who resided in N ew York C ity, tlie first location of the
Supreme G ran d Lodge ol A M O R C for this cycle. T h e first, F raler Brassard, w as Supreme
Secretary. A copy of the original letter w as attached to the R . C - Confession and its
content hears directly upon the late Imperator s experiences at the time of his writing it. C on
sequently. it is of importance that it be included with his manifesto,
f I he transition to which the late Imperator refers is not the G reat In itia tio n or the returning of
the soul to the Cosm ic and the realm ol the A bsolute from whence it came. It refers instead to
a coming tra n s itio n o f h is p s y c h i c s e l f , a sudden attainment of great illumination, that would
transcend him above the ordinary realm of objective perception. From such a time on, he
realized he would be able at will to attain that state with its magnificent perspective and con
sequently he would be obliged to keep his consciousness on that plane frequently to derive the
great w ealth of knowledge that would come to him through such contacts. A n d thus he w as
warning these I'ratres that it would be necessary for him to relinquish m any of his previous
duties that occupied his objective consciousness so many hours of the day.
F IV E

for such an event, and w hile I m ay not have veiled these things
from most of you, I h ave fried to keep the know ledge of a com ing
crisis from the minds or conscious realization of ihe majority of
our members.

11

w as with considerable reluctance that I ventured upon ihis

transcontinental trip, and you m ay w ell rem em ber the attitude

of mind w ith which f addressed the m em bers ol our L od ge on
the night of our R osaecrucian N e w Y ear an d left an unm istakable
im pression upon them that it m ight be the very last time that their
Im perator an d Brother w ould thus address them upon the occasion
of a sacred N e w Y e a r F ea st. A ll in all, I h ave tried lo prepare
each an d all ol you lor the crisis w hich w a s inevitable an d i( w as
with the hope that this trip to the W e st with its m any hours
lor contem plation and m editationand facilities to typewrite-
w ould prepare m y mind and soul for the inevitable, and permit
me to write the G reat C o n fessio required of me as it w a s required
of all past Suf>reme Executives ol our O rder, up to and including
C h ristian Rosenkreutz w hose F a in a C O N F E S S I O is a sacred
docum ent to the secret M asters of our O rder.
A n d fortunate indeed is it that m y C onfession is now com
pleted in m any pages of closely typewritten matter, for the end
has come and the purpose of this m essage to each of you is to let
you know that the Im perator ol the past whom you knew so w ell
and w hose love and kindest regards each of you possessed in u n
stinted degree, is no more. H is soul and mind have passed through
the great transition, instead of his body, although that loo has been
greatly transm uted in w ay s w hich all true mystics w ill discern with
understanding very shortly. A n d , so it has come about that 1
spoke to each of you not too soon regarding this matter, and it is
now necessary that I prepare you for w h at is and w ill be.

w ish that I could give you all the details of this great event,
but I must reserve them as part of the closing w ords of the G reat
C on fessio, w hich I com pleted before reaching C alifo rn ia, w here
this last event in m y life an d in the history of our O rd er is mosl
properly and logically affiliated. B u t a few points must be m ade
S IX

clear lo you now, that each ol you m ay prepare lor the changes
w hich w ill come with my homecoming and the lile [ w ill live
Irom this lime onw ard lor a definite num ber ol years.
A n d so the hour cam e lor the great transition; a most pro
pitious time finding me not unprepared in mind and soul and not
unm indful ol my obligation to com pletely resign m yself to the
sacrifices, the conditions, and the results.
Il

w as on S u n d a y afternoon, A p ril 2 is( (precisely one month

alter the R osaecrucian N e w Y e a r F east) at 5 :5 5 p. m. P a cific I ime

(6 :5 5 E astern 1ime), or one hour earlier by the true sun time, that
transition began with the first sound I uttered from the platlorm
ol the hall in which I w as speaking lor the first time in the S late
ol C alifo rn ia. A ccom pan yin g the vibrations ol my voice, which
trembled around and about me until my being w a s tingling like
the action ol the piano w ire alter being struck, were vibrations
ol the C osm ic and the M u n d an e w orld until the earth trembled,
the buildings creaked and m oved on their loundations, and with
the audience in fright and leaving rapidly. I could only stand still,
unm oved, for I could not m ove. I w a s transfixed, speechless,
senseless, and conscious only of one thing: T H E R E , I N F R O N T
O F M E , IN T H E C E N T R E O F T H E A U D IT O R IU M A N D
O N L Y S L IG H T L Y B E L O W T H E L E V E L O F T H E P L A T
F O R M O N W H IC H I S T O O D W A S T H E M O S T B E A U
T IF U L F I G U R E A N D F A C E I H A V E E V E R S E E N . The
suprem ely grand figure an d personality gazed stead ily at me, and
about it cam e the most perfect violet aura that m y eyes h ave ever
w itnessed. 11 did not move, but the smile ol encouragem ent that
greeted me told the story ol the com ing of the time an d I knew
that the hour struck and all of nature s lorces w ere in accord,
working to bring about the transition I w as aw aiting.
I need not now go into w h at follow ed this ante-crisis. I spoke
on to those w ho finally returned to their seats, w hile sobs and
tears and prayers w ere m um bled or vented in all parts of the hall.
M y w ords w ere soft; I w as inspired and listened to the m essage
ol P E A C E which flowed through m y lips Irom the divine being
still before me.
SHVIN

I he n ew spapers next morning stated that a strange and un

usual earthqu ake had passed over Southern C alifo rn ia, and w hile
buildings toppled and some fell, and railroads and telegraph lines
w ere ruined, no lives w ere lost, no souls destroyed. A h , they knew
not the truth. N o life lost and no soul destroyed, w a s hut part
of the truth; for there W A S A S O U L T R A N S F O R M E D A N D
A N E W P E R S O N A L IT Y B O R N .
In the d ays of old tlie G reat M a s te r s soul w as freed w hile
the m ultitude looked up at his body sacrificed upon the C ross
of L ove and Service, w hile the earth trembled and the Cosm ic
Forces vibrated and m anifested their culm ination. A n d . H e then
retired for a w hile in the w ilderness to come again a resurrected
being. A n d so it has been with your Im perator, w ho in all humi lity m akes the com parison ol his transition w ith that of the
G re a t M aster, m indful of the great difference in souls, being, and
personality.
I hat S u n d a y night I w a s in deeper trance w hile speaking to
the m embers of the Los A n g eles L o d g e in private session, and
my dem onstrations w ere of an unusual n atu re<m ystifying all
understanding. M ore and more my body and soul w ere passing
through transm utation an d transition. 7 u esd ay cam e and I went
to S a n D iego and there spoke ag ain in more unusual mind arid
power, and on W e d n e sd a y m orning w a s so m uch within the
borderline ol a n ew er consciousness that, in w alkin g about the
streets alone, I lost m y w a y and for hours w an dered about S a n
D iego without the ability to rem em ber m y nam e, m y hosts name,
or even an address. W rith me then, and continuously since the
S u n d a y hour of stress, w a s the divine, ever-illum inated an d holy
figure. the Soul w hich is m y guide and m y inspiration henceforth.
I hroughout the w eek I attended other m eetings of our mem
bers, speaking here and ihere. and then going to S a n Francisco
to speak on another S u n d a y afternoon (the 28th ol A p ril) and
again that night to members privately. I w as not the m an they
had e x p e cte d # but more for with me and speaking through
me w as the sh ad o w y form of m y beloved soul-m aster, w hose very
E IG H T

essence and being w as slow ly preparing and attuning mine for

w hat w as soon to come.
I ben cam e the m eeting in O a k la n d , C a lifo rn ia, on M o n d ay
evening, A pril 29th, w hen again the mysteries ol transition m ani
fested them selves in a w a y w hich called forth more of the unusual
comments I heard at all m y m eetings and w hich I m ay ad d or
record at the close of m y C onfessio. D u rin g that d a y I had pur
chased m y railroad tickets and sleeper accom m odations for my
journey from S a n Fran cisco to O gd en , U ta h . M y plans w ere all
m ade consciously for leavin g S a n Fran cisco, I uesday, A p ril 30th,
though I must confess, I w as exerting great effort to have a perfect
realization of my objective acts.
A fte r the m eeting ol M o n d a y night I returned to S a n Francisco
by w a y of the boat between 1 1 an d 12 o clock and lelt the party
I w a s w ith, to stand alone at the edge ol the boat and w atch the
playin g of the lights on the dark w aters of the great B a y . I w as
fascinated, spellbound, and undoubtedly affected in some strange
w ay by the figure which now w alked upon the surface ol the
w ater and bid me follow' or come to it. T h a t I did not try this
w as due to the fact that 1 saw in it a sym bolism rather than a
literal interpretation and I returned after a time to the group
aw aitin g me, and with them I returned to my hotel in S a n F ra n
cisco, packed my grip an d satchel ready for an early departure in
the morning for O gd en , U tah .
It is probably useless for me to attempt lo exp lain or even
outline the events follow ing that night s profound sleep. W ith
prayers that the M asters might guide me aright and conscious
of the presence ol the great and beautiful spirit a lw a y s calling
me to lollow , 1 fell asleep. It w a s after m idnight w hen I lost
consciousness of sell midnight ol A p ril 2Qth, with the d aw n ol
1uesday, A pril 50. but a few hours aw a y , in the country ol roses
and poppies w here lile is at its best and the air inspiring to one
who seeks the fullness of earthly existence.
W h e n 1 awoke--w hen I cam e to consciousness ol m yself and
my surroundings- I w as not in the sam e room, the sam e city, or,
N IN E

seem ingly, llie sam e land. I w a s in an old and ancient building,

w here quietness an d peace w ere so evident that they seemed
like m usic in the air; w here the odor ol roses and w ild flowers
clun g to me like an invisible m antle and the sun w as shining
more brightly than in an y clim e I b ad ever seen. I did not know-
I could not know
w here I w as, nor did this lack ol understanding
arouse an y concern in me. I knew only that I w a s in the pres
ence. the com plete an d perfect re a lm -of the mystic soul which
w a s slo w ly m erging into m y ow n and as slow ly absorbing that
which had heretofore been m y soul, f he great transition w as at
hand. I w as just across the borderline and could have but little
realization ol the objective world.
I found in the room all my personal effects properly unpacked
and arran ged for a long stay. I found m any other articles of w or
ship of a R o saecru cian nature, and before me, in Iront ol a large
mirror, w as a beautiful gold R osey C ross. 1 arose and lifted my
hands to heaven and cried alou d : T h an k G o d , the D a w n has
com e: G o d be p raised ! 1 fell to my knees, I chanted and I heard
sw eet voices chanting alter m e: So mote it be, so mote it be!
A s 1 stood upon m y feet a clear and solem n-toned voice at my
side thrilled me with these w ords, slow ly and sw eetly spoken:
R IS E F R O M
BEEN

AND

T H E T O M B IN W H I C H

W ALK

FO RTH

IN T O

TH O U H AST

THE

W O RLD .

W H E R E . IN T H Y R E S U R R E C T I O N F R O M T H E C R O S S .
T H O U S H A L T B E K N O W N A S A L D E N !
I w alked as in a dream , but I knew it w a s all in actuality and
not dream realizations. I found that d ay that I w a s upon a hill
overlooking a great b ay in a place unknown to me, but now
known and w hich I shall keep nam eless lor reasons w hich must
be evident. I found also that the d a y w a s W e d n e sd a y , M a y
First, and that the w hole of T u e sd a y , A p ril 50th. had come and
gone without my conscious realization: that on that missing
T u e sd a y I had in fact left S a n Francisco but not for O gden,
but for this strange place, arriving at this mystic goal late in the
TEN

night of 1 u esd ay and never knowing its realities until W e d n e s

d ay morning.
I hen, lor some d ays I lived in I his mystic home, eating and
sleeping, w alkin g on tlie strange shores ol the restless ocean,
dozing on the san d dunes or baskin g in the warm sun on weird
rocks olf the shore, f saw no one whom I knew or now know
except the m aster soul which w a s my constant com panion. I
spent hours in p rayer and m editation; I found m yself ab le to
project m yself to fill places with ease and peace. I held com
munion with m any great unseen masters and w a s instructed in
my future work and my future obligations. I w as ab le to see the
souls of those who w ere associated with me in the work ol the
O rder, and I know each o f them n ow as I could n ever have
known them otherw ise; I know the true a n d fa lse, a n d I am
sending this letter to you that you m ay he w a rn ed of this fact.
O n F rid a y , M a y 3rd, I w a s led by m y M aster to a place
betw een two of the green hills w here w as m arked w ith a huge
white C ross, tlie place w here the R o saecru cian Stone w as brought
and buried in A m erican soil before white men lived here. A t the
sam e place I w orshipped in the ruins- of an old I em ple erected
to our work long before there w a s an y other Temple in A m erica,
as the M asters told me in T oulouse. I w a s able to photograph
these things and to keep notes, and these I w ill show some day.
1 he d ays cam e and passed so gloriously that w hen the last d ay
cam e and my transition w a s com pleted, I could only w eep and
ask that 1 might come ag a in ; and so a date w a s set for my return,
a date an d event which all my Brothers and Sisters of our L od ge
in N e w York must help me prepare for.
A n d . so, after several d ays absence from S a n Fran cisco and
with 110 one knowing w here I w a s except those w ho had planned
this mystic period, I lound m yself conscious of the world again
at a railroad station on my w a y to S a n I'rancisco.
I realize that this account w ill be taken as a m ystic story;
but the facts are true an d m y life hereafter w ifi prove it.
ELEVEN

I w ill remain in this existence m any years an d my great work

is just begun. 1 ask tbat Sisters M itcbell and San derson and
S ister Lin k e be perm itted to read tbis, lor a group of five and
some others, inclu din g Brothers R ich ter and Lindstedt, w ill reach
the great heights w ith me and I w ish them prepared. N on e w hose
nam es I have not mentioned shall read this, and w hen all have
read, these pages must be saved for me, for I must preserve them
according to instructions, and ad d this to m y C onfessio.
M a y all w ho read become illum inated, w a rn ed , and blessed
that they m ay prepare lor the great aw ak en in g w hich is surely
com ing to them ; an d m ay they view with love, tenderness and
deep consideration the present and future eflorts ol their Brother
Im perator to help them.
-A L D E N

TW ELVE

AV E R M EN T
S t a n d i n g in th e p r e s e n c e o f th e G o d o f m y H e a r t a n d e v e r m i n d f u l
of the Terror o f t h e I h r e s h o ld , I d o s o l e m n l y affirm th a t 1 h a v e c a re fu lly
r e a d a n d m e d i t a t e d u p o n th e c o n t e n t s ol t h i s m a n i fe s t o . I f u r t h e r affirm
t h a t a t th e s u p r e m e m o m e n t w h e n I w a s c o n s c i o u s o f th e s p i r i t u a l su r g e
w i t h i n m y b e i n g t h a t e n t h r a l l e d a n d c a u s e d m e to a s c e n d in c o n s c i o u s n e s s
a h o v e a n d b e y o n d m y m o r ta l a n d p h y s i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d w h e n I w a s
a ls o a w a r e ol th e i n v i s i b le p r e s e n c e o f th e C o s m i c H o s ts , I d i d affix m y
s i g n a t u r e b e lo w a n d r e c o r d I fie h o u r , d a y , m o n t h , a n d y e a r o f this C o s m i c
e x p e rie n c e . I d o a ls o s o l e m n l y a v o u c h b y th e s e s a m e s a c r e d to k e n s th a t
I h a v e p e r m i t t e d n o o t h e r eye s b u t m i n e to p e r u s e t h e c o n t e n t s ol this
m a n ife s to .

N am e

Tim e

/)av

Month

Year