Zelator

C.: Brethren, assist me to form the Mystic Circle.

The Brethren rise and form a Circle, placing their
hands on the shoulders of those near to them.
C.: Very Worthy Deputy, what are the objects of our
assembly?
D.: The diffusion of Light, and the advancement of
Science.
C.: How do we hope to accomplish the aims we have i
n view?
D.: By prayer and perseverance in the path of knowl
edge and virtue.
C.: Before we bend our knees to Heaven, V.W. Deput
y, let us assure ourselves that the Brethren are i
n possession of the Word.
D.: Brethren, pass the word by letter to the East.
The Brethren en the left of the Deputy comply, and
the C. finding the word correct, proceeds thus:
C.: The word being correct, I return it to the West
.
This is done in due form.
C.: Brethren, let us pray.
The Brethren kneel on left knees and join hands.
C.: Fountain of Light and Glory of the Universe we
humbly adore Thee. Here all bow. Bless the union
of our hearts, symbolised by the joining of our ha
nds, and illuminate our spirits with the brightnes
s of Thy Perfection. Sanctify our desires and puri
fy our thoughts, so that we may become worthy to c
ommune with the Holy Ones whom Thou hast created,
and finally grant us an everlasting inheritance in
the dominions illuminated by rays of Wisdom from
thine unapproachable Throne. All bow twice and rep
ly Amen. And then rise, resuming their original po
sition.
C.: In the name of I.N.R.I. I declare the Mystic C
ircle duly formed, and the chain of union complete
.

All clap hands. * * *

* * *.
C. takes the chair, D. and Brethren their seats.
The Minutes are now to be read.
Ceremonial of Reception
First Point
The Aspirant, wearing a M.M.s apron and blindfold
ed, is led to the Porch by the C. of N. who says:
I will go unto the Altar of God.
HERALD, on receiving the Candidate: To God who giv
eth joy to my youth. The organ plays a solemn symp
hony, or an appropriate ode is sung by the Fratres.
C.: Brother, what is your desire?
C of N. for Aspir.: I desire to go out of darkness
into the pure light of knowledge, to learn the do
ctrines of Nature, and to discover the wondrous pr
inciple by which the Universe is governed.
C.: My Brother, your desire is laudable, but we are
mortals like yourself why come to us?
C.: of N. for Aspir.: Because I believe that among
you are practised many great virtues, and the gro
wth of ages has added to your store of learning. I
desire to be received.
C.: We acknowledge and appreciate your faith, but
must remind you that the road to learning is long,
and the life of man but short. Remember, therefor
e, that what the heart conceives is but seldom acc
omplished, and build no hopes upon our Order. Our
aim is to be good, our desire to be humble, our st
udy to be wise. Wealths, honour, and power we heav
e to the worldling, pleasure and indolence to the
vicious, and we cast in our lot with the virtuous
and the poor, pressing forward in the pursuit of w
isdom. Our objects are mutual aid and encouragemen
t in working out the great problems of life, in th
e advancement of science, the propagation of knowl
edge, and the diffusion of that glorious revelatio
n whose cardinal precepts are Glory to God in the
highest, and on earths peace, goodwill toward men.
This may be chanted or sung by the Choir.

My Brother, of your faith we are assured, but of yo

ur zeal I demand a proof.
Aspir.: I am ignorant of God, of Nature, and mysel
f. I am surrounded by spiritual doubt and darkness
. I claim I command to be received.
C.: You have spoken truly a bold heart may command
anything, and faith can remove the mountains of i
gnorance and vice. Prepare yourself, therefore, to
undergo the elemental proofs required by the laws
of our Order.
A pause.
C.: Let the Aspirant be conducted to the Gates of
Life, and unfold to hum, by the elemental proofs,
the primary secrets of Nature and Truth.
The Aspirant passes toward the North, then Southwa
rd to the front of the 1st Ancient, who places san
d upon his lips saying: And the 1st Ancient said,
Hearken ye Aspirants, Death is the gate of Life. F
ear not to enter therein, for in the dust are sown
the seeds of immortality. My password is Immortal.
The Aspirant is instructed to place his r. hand up
on his heart, and is then conducted to the South,
then back by the North in front of the 2nd Ancient
who applies the Air test saying: Behold the very
air we breathe is full of mysteries, but the love
of God surpasses all things visible and invisible,
and Hope is the inheritance of man on earth. My p
assword is Hope.
The Aspirant is instructed to place his hand as be
fore, and is then conducted toward the North, and
round toward the South in front of the 3rd. Ancien
t, who makes the sign of the Cross with finger dip
ped in water on his forehead.
3rd Anc.: And the 3rd. Ancient said, Let us approa
ch with joy the House of Sanctification with clean
hands and purified hearts for our strengths is in
the Mighty One of Israel. My password is Strength
ens.
The Aspirant is instructed to place his hand as be
fore and is then conducted toward the South, and a
round toward the North in front of the 4th. Ancien
t, who applies Flame of Fire to a lock of his hair

, saying: And the 4th. Ancient said, Let us, there

fore, enter the Temple of Perfection, and shrink n
ot from the ordeal of Fire, for the wrath of God c
onsumeths only the impious and impenitent man. My
password is Virtue and the four passwords of the A
ncients form the Aphorism Immortal Hope Strenghten
s Virtue, the initials of which are I.H.S.V.
The Aspirant places his hand upon his heart at the
pronunciation of the word Virtue, and when the Ap
horism is pronounced he bows; and further he is ca
used to repeat the I.H.S.V. The Aspirant continues
towards the North and around toward the South unt
il he is in front of the Celebrant, but West of th
e Altar.
An anthem or voluntary on the organ is here perform
ed.
C.: My Brother, the trials through which you have
successfully passed were ordained to test your pat
ience and perseverance. In Ancient times the knowl
edge of the Most High was not revealed without due
preparation on the limit of the Aspirant for the
sacred Mysteries. His initiation was preceded by f
our purifications viz : by Earth, Air, Water and
Fire as well as by signal proofs of his morality,
prudence, and zeal. You have submitted with cheer
fulness to the required tests, are you likewise wi
lling to assure us of your good faiths by a pledge
of fidelity, vows not being exacted from the memb
ers of this grade?
Aspir.: I am.
C.: Do you, therefore, pledge your honour as a Mas
ter Mason never to reveal the secret ceremonial of
the Mystic Circle unless any permission of the Su
preme Magus, and even then only in strict conformi
ty with our rules and ordinances?
Aspir.: I do.
C.: Do you also promise to prosecute with zeal the
study of our Mysteries, to yield a ready obedienc
e to your superiors in the Order, and to assist an
d defend your Brethren of the R C when occasion
requires it?
Aspir.: I do.

C.: Brethren, are you satisfied with the answers gi

ven by the Aspirant?
The Brethren rise, and all clap their hands * * *
* * * as a sign of assent.
C.: Conduct the Aspirant to the foot of the Altar.
This is done.
C.: Brethren, as true Rosicrucians, we respect the
decrees of the Most High, and bend the knee to Hi
m from whom we derive our existence. Let us, there
fore, kneel and pray.
Prayer.
We supplicate Thy eternal and most just goodness,
Place right hand on the heart. Holy Lord, Father A
lmighty, Author of Light and Truth, on behalf of t
his Thy servant, that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to i
llumine him with the Light of Thy Wisdom, cleanse
him and sanctify him; give unto him true knowledge
, that, being made worthy of the grace of Thy bapt
ism, he may retain firm hope, right counsel, and h
oly doctrine.
Brethren respond: Amen.
The Brethren then noiselessly form the Circle and
the Deputy repeats the first five verses of St. Jo
hn, 1st. chapter.
D.: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word wa
s with God, and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. All things were made by Hi
m; and without Him was not anything made that was
made. In him was Life, and the Life was the Light
of men. And the Light shineth in darkness, and the
darkness comprehendeth it not.
C.: Rise, my Brother, and receive the Light of our
mystic Temple.
The Altar candles being lighted, and the perfume a
rising from the Urn, the Conductor raises the Aspi
rant with his face to the Altar, and removes the v
eil of obscurity, at which moment all the Brethren
clap their hands * * *
* * *.
C.: The Lords Light be with you.
D.: And with thy Spirit.
C.: Worthy Brother, on being restored to vision, y
ou stand before the Altar, which we raise to comme

morate the spotless life of Him who was the manife

sted glory of J.H.V.H. Above the Altar are inscrib
ed the initials of that sacred name and title, whi
ch were traced in burning letters upon the Cross o
f the Redeemer. Treasure in your heart, my beloved
Brother, the remembrance of the word I.N.R.I. For
get not that for thirty-three years He laboured on
earth in meekness and humility a period which is
represented by the thirty-three lights on the Alta
r. The roses allude to the beauty and grandeur of
His Resurrection from the dead, and are typical of
the eternal glory of the Rose of Sharon. The five
-pointed Star reminds us of the five points of fel
icity, which are to walk with, to intercede for, t
o love, to assist, and to pray for our Brethren, s
o as to be united with them in heart and mind. The
Incense, which rises in straight lines toward the
luminous Star, is a symbol of prayer, which proce
eds direct to the throne of God. Learn to fulfill
the Law, for it is pleasant, and all its paths are peace.
The Conductor of Novices invests the Aspirant with
the white Robe.
D.: He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed i
n white raiment. (Rev. III. 5).
C.: Receive this white garment, and see thou carry
it without stain before the tribunal of the world
, of your Brethren, and of our Master, that thou m
ayest have eternal life. You will now be placed in
the Mystic Circle and join with us in repeating t
he initials of the mystic word.
This is done.
C.: Brethren, I declare the Mystic Circle perfect,
and the chain of union complete.
All break off and clap hands * * *
* * *. The Ce
lebrant, Senior and Junior Ancients then lay their
hands upon the Aspirants head, Celebrant in fron
t saying: We receive thee, Brother.
Music.
C., to Aspirant: You will now be conducted to the
outer chamber, to enable you to reflect upon those
solemn ceremonies through which you have just pas
sed. Let us, therefore, strictly enjoin you to a d

eportment consistent with the honour and dignity o

f the Order into whose bosom you have been receive
d this day, a day which should ever be considered
as one of the most memorable periods of your life,
in as much as you have voluntarily dedicated your
soul to the service of Truth and Virtue. The init
ials of the word with which you have been entruste
d will ensure your re-admission to the Mystic Circle.
Aspirant is led out.
Second Point
Thee Columns of the Ancients are removed to the fo
ur cardinal points, 1st. Ancient in the North, 2nd
. Ancient in the East, 3rd Ancient in the West, 4t
h. Ancient in the South. All the lights on the Alt
ar but three are extinguished. the Aspirant knocks
with the report of a Rosicrucian * * *
* * *.
GUARD: R.W. Celebrant, one of the chosen desires ad
mission to the Mystic Circle.
C.: Require him to advance to you in due form, and
present the mystic token.
GUARD, to Aspirant: Advance to me and present the t
okens for admission.
Conductor instructs the Aspirant to advance by fou
r steps, representing the Tetragrammaton; laying h
is right hand upon his breast at each, and bowing
at the last step, he then hands to the Guardian a
piece of paper on which his name is written, and t
he I.N.R.I. letters placed thereon thus:
Robert Wentworth Little I.N.R.I.
The door is then closed and the Guardian reports:
R.W. Celebrant, Frater , having meditated upon th
e celestial precepts of our Order, humbly craves r
e-admission.
C.: What does he desire?
GUARD: Light.
C.: That he has already received. What, now, is his
request?
GUARD: More light.
C.: Let him enter and advance to the centre of the

Temple by the four of wisdom.

Aspirant is admitted, and takes the four steps as t
aught outside, and then halts.
C.: Worthy Brother, whence come you?
Aspir.: From a land of shadow, where the rays of kn
owledge but rarely penetrate.
C.: Where do you now stand?
Aspir.: In the centre of the earth my hands are ex
tended the Aspirant extends his arms from North to
South, and my desire is to approach the radiant E
ast, and rejoice in the Light of Perfection.
C.: You are worthy inspired, my Brother, and I app
rove and commend your zeal , but your progress to
the goal of Truth must be slow and gradual, as the
Mysteries of Nature are not to be unfolded to all
who seek her shrine, but only to the strong in Fa
ith and the humble in Spirit.
Behold me, therefore, as your Master, approaching
you from the East, to communicate those secrets, w
hich have long been cherished by the members of ou
r Order.
The ancient sign of a Rosicrucian is given thus, r
ight hand on heart, left hand and wrist across the
right, thus forming a cross on the chest. The fig
ure of a Cross is equivalent to the latin word LVX
, lux, as it exhibits the three letters of which i
t is composed.
On the continent the cross is given by crossing th
e two fore-fingers, and the word Lux is not spoken
, but the three letters are made with the fingers,
L V X.
As the word Lux signifies Light, it is considered
the Pass-word to the Grand word of four mystic let
ters, I.N.R.I., which represent the Everlasting Su
n, who is the True Light of the World, and the Glo
ry of the Father. You will now pass before the Bre
thren, and take your seat while the V.W. Deputy re
ads a portion of the Revelation of St John the Div
ine.
The 7th. Chapter is read, verses 9 to 12 inclusive.
D.: After this I beheld, and, ho, a great multitud

e, which no man could number, of all nations, and

kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before th
e throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands.
And cried with a loud voice saying, Salvation to o
ur God which sitteth upon the Throne, and onto the
Lamb.
And all the Angels stood round about the throne, a
nd about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped
God.
Saying, amen: Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be
to our God for ever and ever. Amen.
The following address is then delivered by the Dep
uty, or an Officer deputed by the Celebrant.
D.: Brother, having passed through the various tri
als required by our Ordinances, and having knelt b
efore the Altar of Light, you are now permitted to
join in the mystic labours of the Order. This pri
vilege is conferred only upon discreet and worthy
men to whom the revelations of Theosophy and Herme
tic Science may be safely confided. In the ceremon
y through which you have been voluntarily conducte
d this evening, you will doubtless have observed a
similarity to certain rites practised in the Anci
ent Mysteries. It is thus that we hope to lead the
sincere Aspirant to the radiant realms of intelle
ctual Truth, and to the Court of the Everlasting J
.H.V.H. The significance of our symbols is a most
important breach of the studies, which you have pr
omised to prosecute with zeal. This engagement whi
ch your tongue pronounced, and, we trust, your hea
rt approved, can be fulfilled only by diligence an
d perseverance. We trace the growth of our Philoso
phy in the perpetual advent of Sages, through the
remotest avenues of Time. A grand and spiritual pr
ocession of Teachers ilumminating the Earth with t
heir Wisdom. Moses, Elijah, and Ezekiel were the H
eralds of our principles, and all the great and wi
se men of old have kindled their lamps at the Sacr
ed Fire in which we now rejoice. Among the secrets

of Nature, which it is now your duty to investiga

te, are the Mysteries of the Cabalists, which incl
ude the demonstration of the Eternal Essence of Go
d, the key to the government of the Universe, and
the powers and properties of numbers. With referen
ce to the interpretation of numerals, I may briefl
y explain the primary meaning attributed to each.
Numbers
No. 1 represents the generative principle of Natur
e, and the Unity of the Divine Being, typified by
the point within a circle.
No. 2 denotes the active and passive qualities of N
ature.
No. 3 is called the Majestic number, as it refers
to the triple essence of the Deity, its emblem is
the Triangle, which was anciently called thin Sacr
ed Delta and the Hierophant in the Mysteries of Os
iris required all Candidates to take the oath of s
ecrecy with both hands extended over this Divine s
ymbol.
No. 4 is the Mystic number, and indicates the oper
ative influence of the four elements. Under this n
umber, or the geometrical square, Pythagoras commu
nicated the ineffable name of God to his chosen di
sciples.
No. 5 is the emblem of Health; it is also denominat
ed the occult number.
No. 6 is considered an epitome of Nature, as it pr
esents to our view the dimensions of all things, a
dding to the four cardinal or superficial points t
he two lines of height and depth.
No. 7 is the Perfect number, also termed the most
venerable, since it refers to the creation of the
World.
No. 8 designates the primitive law of Nature, bein
g the first cube, and points out that all men are
born equal; it is also esteemed the number most to
be desired.
No. 9 is called thin Triple Ternary, and refers to
the perfection of the spheres.

No. 10 is the most sublime, as it contains the Mon

ad or Unity, which created all things, and also, 0
, the nothing Zero, the symbol of chaos, out of
which the World was formed. It is the foundation o
f the Hebrew Sephimroth, and our hands and feet of
fer examples of this number.
No. 11 is an omen of Defeat and Death.
No. 12 alludes to the 12 Apostles of the Messiah,
and to the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, expressing the
Cosmogony of Nature, spiritually and materially. T
welve times 12000 is the number of the sealed. The
square of 12 viz. 144 is also the limit of our Ro
sicrucian circle, and reminds us of the 72 Names a
nd attributes of God, which form the alphabet of t
he 72 Angels who occupy the 72 degrees of the ladd
er of Jacob.
C.: Falter not therefore, Brother, because the way
seems long and the Soul is weary, but toil on tow
ard the utmost pinnacles of Wisdom. Life itself is
imaged in this opening ceremony; difficulties hav
e been placed in your path, and perils have beset
you, even as obstacles present themselves in your
worldly career. Let us remember however that knowl
edge is power, and that the source of all Wisdom w
ill sustain our feeble steps on the journey that l
eads to eternal life.
All rise.
C.: Be ready to exclaim like the Martyrs of old.
Ab, Ben, Ve-Ruach, Ha-Kodesh.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit to Thee be all the Glor
y.
An Anthem is then sung, after which the Torch Bear
er proceeds to the newly admitted Brother, and pla
cing a lighted taper in his hand, says, as he blow
s it out: Like the Light of this taper, so will yo
ur Light be blown out from amongst us if you fail.
Tokens burnt by Torch Bearer.
Closing
C.: Very Worthy Deputy, having satisfactorily labo

ured to diffuse the Light, what is our reward?

D.: The consciousness of having performed our duty
to God and man, and more particularly to our Bret
hren of the R... C...
C.: Brethren, with this guerdon let us be content.
Aid me to dissolve the Mystic Circle and hermetic
ally seal up our secrets in the chambers of our so
uls.
All stand up and form a Circle as in the Opening.
C.: Let us pray
The Brethren kneel as in the Opening.
C.: In the light of Thy countenance, O Father of An
gels and Men, we rejoice and are glad.
All bow.
May we heave Thy footstool with purer hearts and c
learer consciences, and may we be spared again to
assemble in this Temple of Truth. Hasten, we besee
ch Thee, the coming of that day, when Thy knowledg
e shall cover the earth, and the fullness of Thy G
lory be revealed to all Mankind.
All bow twice and reply: Amen.
Then rise resuming their former position.
C.: By the word I.N.R.I. I dissolve this Mystic Ci
rcle, and declare the chain of Union imperfect unt
il again reunited by the power of the Mystic Word.
All break off and clap hands

Second Grade - Theoricus

This Grade is conferred by the Celebrant of a Coll

ege holding a warrant for the four grades of the F
irst Order of the Society.
The convocation is held in a Temple provided with
an ante-chamber. The White Altar stands in the Ea
st, and upon it are placed five lights; one in fro
nt of four others. The Black Cross, upon which is
twined a wreath of red roses, stands in the East u
pon or behind the Altar.

The Celebrant is seated at the South side of the A

ltar, the Exponent in the West. The Four Ancients
are seated at the centre of the Temple behind thei
r pillars, each facing towards their own cardinal
point; the Ancient of Earth clothed in a black rob
e to the North; the Ancient of Water in a blue rob
e to the West; the Ancient of Air in a yellow robe
to the East; and the Ancient of Fire in a red rob
e to the South. The Secretary is seated in the Nor
th-East, the Conductor in the South-West, and the
Herald beside the Portal. The Acolyte is in the an
te-chamber guarding the Temple.
All Fratres must wear the Jewel of the Society att
ached to the proper ribbon, and bearing the proper
number of their rank.
The Zelator Aspirant must wear the Jewel attached
to the green ribbon without a number. The Acolyte
receives and prepares the Aspirant, who must be bl
indfolded before admission; he must carry in his r
ight hand, as an admission Badge, a simple Cross c
omposed of four equal arms around a white central
square; the arms are painted in rotation red, blue
, black, and yellow.
The knocks this grade are four and one.
Opening
Celebrant rises and gives one knock: Fratres, assi
st me to open the Temple in the Grade of Theoricus
.
All rise, and the Herald stands beside the Portal.
Cel.: Frater Herald, you will assure yourself that
the Acolyte is without, and that the Portal is du
ly closed and guarded.
This is done by the Herald.
Herald: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, the Temp
le is closed and the Portal is safely guarded by t
he Acolyte.
Cel.: I declare that the Temple is duly open in the
Grade of Theoricus.
Celebrant gives four and one knocks.

Cel.: Be seated, Fratres.

Cel.: Frater Secretary, you will read the Minutes o
f the last Convocation.
Secretary reads the Minutes and carries the Book t
o the Celebrant, who puts the Minutes for Confirma
tion, and signs the Book if they are approved, and
the Secretary returns to his place.
Cel.: Frater Secretary, have you any communications
to lay before this Convocation?
Ordinary business is transacted.
Cel.: Very Worthy Exponent, what are the objects o
f our assembly in this Second Grade of Theoricus?
Exp: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, we are asse
mbled to study the constitution of the Universe, a
nd the structure of our World. We seek to understa
nd the relations which exist between the soul of m
an and his body; and we investigate as far as we a
re able the sources and effects of the elemental f
orces known to us as heat, light, sound, and elect
ricity as they act upon the gaseous, liquid, and s
olid matter of our earth.
Cel.: I acknowledge the correctness of your statem
ent of the work and duties of the Theorici; let us
be earnest in the fulfilment of them. We must als
o be careful to receive among us only those Zelato
rs who have well performed their duty in the First
Grade.
Cel.: The officers of the College have reported to
me in a favourable manner upon the work of Frater
, who is a Zelator, and I have resolved to Recei
ve him into the Second Grade, and to confer upon h
im the rights and privileges, as well as the secre
t knowledge, of a Theoricus.
Exp.: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, we rejoice
to hear that another Zelator has made such progre
ss, we will assist you in the Reception, and will
give him all the help he may need to ensure his fu
rther progress.
Cel.: Frater Herald, you will ascertain if our Fra
ter is in attendance, and if so let him be prope
rly prepared by the Acolyte.

Ceremonial of Reception.
Herald: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, I have t
o announce that Frater who has been invited to a
ttend for Reception into the Second Grade is in wa
iting in the ante-chamber. The Acolyte has duly pr
epared the Aspirant.
Cel.: Frater Herald, you will leave the Temple and
instruct the Aspirant to knock as a Zelator, assu
re yourself that he is able to give the secret gri
p and word in a proper and correct manner, and let
him carry the Cross of the Four Elements in his R
ight hand.
Herald does this; knocks are heard.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will admit the Herald,
and the Zelator whom he brings with him.
The Conductor admits them, and they stand within th
e Portal.
Herald: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, I pre-se
nt to you our Frater a Zelator of the Society of
the Rose and Cross; he has done the work required
of him in the First Grade and has received your a
pproval; he now seeks to participate in the studie
s of the Second Grade, and to gain our secret know
ledge.
The Herald returns to his seat, and the Conductor t
akes charge of the Zelator.
Cel.: Frater Zelator I call upon you to give us th
e pass word and the grand word which were communic
ated to you upon your admission to our Society.
The Zelator must give the words accordingly.
Cel.: We acknowledge you to be a well instructed Ze
lator of the First Grade.
Cel.: Before undertaking any duty of importance it
has always been the custom of the Fratres of the
Society of the Rose and Cross to invoke the blessi
ng of God upon their proceedings. You must therefo
re kneel upon both your knees, and join in our sup
plications.

Prayer
Cel.: Oh God, our Father, Source of Light and Trut
h, pour down upon us the continual dew of Thy bles
sing, and prepare our hearts for the reception of
a knowledge of the mysteries which surround us, so
that we may be able to benefit mankind and fit ou
rselves for a dwelling in Thy heavenly kingdom.
All say: Amen and amen.
Cel.: In the name of God who is our Creator and Pr
eserver, you may arise and the Conductor shall lea
d you around our Temple in search of more Light up
on the mysteries of our being.
The Conductor leads the Zelator once around the Te
mple, and places him beside the Exponent in the We
st.
Conductor: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, out Fr
ater asks to be further instructed.
Cel.: Frater Zelator, I commend your desire for kn
owledge, and beg of you to remember that the Lord
of Life and Light will always assist and protect t
hose who truly seek His Glory and the welfare of t
heir fellow men. Are those your objects in seeking
reception into this Grade?
Zelator, prompted by the Conductor: They are my de
sires, Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant.
Cel.: Prompted by such noble sentiments you may ad
vance in safety; guided by Gods word, assisted by
the Light of Reason and a love of knowledge, you
may reasonably hope to attain the object of your d
esires.
Yet before you can partake of the secrets of the G
rade of Theoricus you must assent to the questions
which will be put to you by our Exponent.
Conductor turns the Zelator to the Exponent.
Exponent: Will you promise to study with zeal the m
ysteries of our art and science?
Zel.: I Will.
Exp.: Will you promise to attend in our Temple onc
e in every year, when duly summoned, or write to o
ur Secretary a valid excuse for your absence?
Zel.: I will.

Exp.: Do you give us a solemn promise to conceal t

he secret knowledge of this grade from all persons
who have not been duly and regularly received int
o it?
Zel.: I do.
Exp.: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, this Zelat
or has given the pledges which it is our custom to
require, and I now present him to you in all love
and humility as being worthy to partake with us o
f our treasured knowledge.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will lead our Frater Z
elator once again around our Temple, and place him
before the Altar.
This is done.
Cel.: Let Light be restored to our Frater.
This is done by the Conductor, and all clap their h
ands, four times and once.
Cel.: The Cross of the Four Elements which you car
ry must now be shown to each of the Four Ancients,
who in return will give you much instruction.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will now lead the Zela
tor four times around the Temple, each time stoppi
ng before one of the Ancients, first to the Pillar
of Air in the East, and in succession to the Pill
ars of Fire, Water, and Earth; take care that the
Zelator shows to each Ancient the appropriate arm
of the Cross of the Elements which he carries in h
is right hand.
The Conductor and Zelator pass once around the Tem
ple and stop at the Pillar of Air in the East; the
Zelator presents the Yellow arm of the Cross, and
the Ancient holds it with his left hand while he
addresses the Zelator.
The Ancient of Air stated at the Yellow Pillar in
the East waving a fan with his right hand, speaks:
As a symbol of Air I set in motion with this Fan
waves, which, although unseen by your eyes, are ye
t essential to all life on earth. The Mystic Fan w
as an emblem used in all Ancient Initiations to re
present the Spirit of God, the Spiritual essence i
n man, the air as necessary to sustain both fire a
nd life. You must labour for the treasured knowled

ge you hope for, so having prepared yourself by pr

ayer, arm yourself with courage and a clear consci
ence, and fear nothing. You must now proceed to th
e three remaining Pillars in charge of your Conduc
tor, who will show you the safe path to further kn
owledge. Be circumspect and persevering, I give yo
u the Pass Word Fortitudo. The Zelator repeats the
word and is then led by the Conductor Once around
the Temple, and stops at the Pillar of Fire in th
e South; a lamp is burning upon it. The Ancient of
Fire waving a Flame in his right hand, while he h
olds with the left hand the Red arm of the Cross p
resented to him by the Zelator, says: This flame t
ypifies the Light of God in Nature, it ever burns
unseen by mortal eye, every natural body carries a
spark within it, but the light is eclipsed by the
grossness of matter. According to the presence of
the Lux of Life all things flourish, or as it fai
ls they decay. We know that within us, so long as
life doth last, there is a continual burning, and
as we lay our hands on our frames we feel the natu
ral heat, which can only proceed from the Fire enc
losed within us, a spark of the blessed firelight
with which we are impregnated from above.
Seek then for the True Lux, the Divine Light, whic
h will warm your soul with the Love of God, withou
t which you will not obtain the rich treasures of
a true Rosicrucian. You may proceed and seek furth
er knowledge, I give you the Pass Word Ignegena.
The Conductor leads the Zelator once more around t
he Temple and stops at the Blue Pillar in the West
, upon which is a cup of Water. The Ancient sprink
les water around him with the right hand, while he
holds with
the left hand the Blue Arm of the Cross, and says:
It is my duty to instruct you that Water is the m
enstruum or solvent of the world. Without it, Man
and all animal life would cease to exist, and all
vegetation would fail; no blood would flow in our
veins, no sap in the vessels of plants. Water form
s by far the largest constituent of our bodies, of
our blood, of our drink, and also of all our food

. Without Water there could be neither growth nor

decay, and none of the beneficial changes arising
from fermentation. The common water of the earth i
s tinctured with fire, in its natural warmth, it i
s impregnated with air, and earth is both suspende
d and dissolved in it. My Frater, I now ask you to
seek for the Living Water, which is the Water of
Eternal Life; if you find it, drink of it freely s
o that your sins may be purged, and your iniquity
washed away from you. Cleanse your soul in the lay
er of Regeneration, and turn to our God, Who will
abundantly pardon.
Having now unveiled to your mind some portion of o
ur treasures of knowledge, I give you the Pass Wor
d Aquaticus; proceed now and offer yourself to the
Ancient of Earth.
The Conductor leads the Zelator around the Temple
and stops at the Northern Pillar of Earth, upon wh
ich is a saucer of sand. The Zelator shows the Bla
ck arm of the Cross, and the Ancient of Earth hold
s it with his left hand while with his right hand
he sprinkles sand around and upon the Zelator, say
ing: The Element Earth is typical of the cold and
Dry nature, and is considered passive and fixed. M
aterial earth is the basis of all bodies, in which
other principles reside. Man was formed from the
dust of the earth, says the Book of Genesis, and t
o the earth must his body return after death. Man
has been called a Little World, having within him
the types of all the elements and forces which sur
round him. Remember that Fire preserves the Earth
from being destroyed by Water, and Water saves the
Earth from destruction by Fire; the Air preserves
the Fire from extinction, and Earth provides a me
eting place for the several elemental forces and f
orms of matter.
These forces must remain in due equilibrium, for t
he universe might be destroyed if either Element b
ecome dominant, and Mans progress and destiny wou
ld be changed.
The Pass Word of the North is Terrigena. The Expone
nt will now address you.

The Conductor leads the Zelator around the Temple t

o the Exponent.
Exp.: Observe then, my Frater, that Man is a com-p
lex being, and that even his body is formed of man
y elements, and is exposed to many forces; we judg
e then that mans sojourn here on earth is but a p
assing visit intended to be a period of probation.
The Body of man is but the coat of skin, envelopi
ng the sentient, thinking, acting being, who may r
ise or fall according to his birthright, his surro
undings and the use he makes of his will and consc
ience. Let us consider further the constitution of
a Man, as a type of all humanity.
Man is composed of a Body, Soul, and Spirit. The Bo
dy is formed from the Material World.
The Spirit of man is a Ray from the Divine World of
God and his angels.
The Soul of Man from the Celestial World dwells in
the Body, and is illuminated by the Divine Spirit
from above. The Soul of Man may be considered as
of two aspects; the higher Rational Soul, which gi
ves the understanding mind, the intellect and the
human will, and the lower or animal soul which giv
es the vital powers and the passions.
At the death of Man, the Spirit returns unto God W
ho gave it, the Soul passes to the Judgment Hall f
or reward or punishment, and the Body returns to t
he dust from which it was formed.
The ancient Philosophers spoke of a Macrocosm and
of a Microcosm ; these names referred to the Celes
tial World and to the Soul. The Macrocosm was the
Created Universe, the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Star
s; the Microcosm was the Soul of Man; it was deeme
d to be influenced by the heavenly bodies, and so
intimate relations between the stars and mans org
ans and capa-bilities were traced and explained.
Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, dreamed, we are
told, that the Sun, Moon, and Stars corresponding
to the Zodiacal signs appeared to him, bowing down
before him and bestowing their hidden influences
upon the soul. The Signs we call Aries, Taurus, Ge
mini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittar

ius, Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces have been a

llotted severally to the brothers of Joseph, viz.,
Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Ga
d, Asher, Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
Joseph considered these Celestial bodies as Vice-g
erents of the Great Supreme, Jehovah, and as he wa
tched them pathing the Heavens in ceaseless round,
he identified a harmony between them and man, and
from this con-sideration the belief in the Planet
s as related to mens character and destiny has fo
llowed.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will lead the Zelator t
o the East and place him before me.
The Conductor does so.
Cel.: Hand to me the Cross which has secured to yo
u the knowledge granted by the Four Ancients.
Zelator hands the Cross.
Cel.: This Cross is named the Cross of the Element
s; it consists of a central white square and four
squares of similar size around it. They are colour
ed Red, Blue, Yellow, and Black; the Red of Fire i
s above, the Black of Earth is below, the Blue of
Water is on the right, and the Yellow of Air is on
the left; this is the position of the four Ancien
ts in the Temple in this grade. The four colours a
re emblems of the four letters of the Holy name I.
H.V. H., which we now call Jehovah; the I or Yod
of the Hebrews is Fire; the first H or Heh is Wate
r; the V or Vau is Air; while the final H or Heh i
s Black; they refer also to the four Worlds of Exi
stence, the Divine, Angelic, Formative, and Material.
You, my Frater, are a Temple of God, and may the S
pirit of God always send you Light. Fear and love
God, honour your Society, and respect yourself; on
ly so you can be prepared to exchange this earthly
life for a realm beyond the reach of sorrow and s
in.
The Pass Words which you have received were Fortit
udo, Ignegena, Aquaticus, and Terrigena, and their
initials from the first Word of the great dictum
of the Creator F. I. A. T.
The Grand Word is Zaphnath Paaneah meaning A Reveal

er of Secrets.
The Sign is to place the left hand so as to cover
the face as in reverence of the Spirit within Man.
The Grip is given by the right hand with thumb and
two fingers only.
By the Sign thus given: place left fore-finger on
the lips, and cross the right fore-finger over it,
and the Grip: right hand grasps right hand, and c
ross the left arms over them, I declare to the Fra
tres that you ale a perfected Theoricus of the Soc
ietas Rosicruciana in Scotia.
Be seated, Frater, and the Lecture on Colours shall
be given.
The Lecture on Colours
During the primval Chaos which existed before the
creation of our world, in the absence of light th
ere was darkness and gloom, and this darkness was
Blackness. And God said, Let there be Light! and
there was Light and this was Whiteness. Now this
White glory of the Beginning was soon diversified,
the light being reflected in a myriad rays from t
he air, fire, water, and earth of the material wor
ld, and Man having at the last appeared to dwell h
ere in this world of beauty became conscious of Co
lours.
The glorious rainbow in the heavens showed him the
complete series of colours at one glance, and he
was soon able to distinguish seven most evident ti
nts, which have received names in all the language
s of the earth. We know them as Red, Orange, Yello
w, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. These colours
of the rainbow are also seen by us on the earth as
well as in the heavens we see them in our flowers
, our fruits, on our hills and in our valleys, in
our metals, and on the animals around us. Of the s
even colours of the rainbow, there are three which
are by common consent most clearly perceivedthey
are Red, Yellow, and Blue, and there are some wil
d tribes which can distinguish no others. White is

the result of a combination of all colours in due

proportion; in nature we see it most clearly on t
he face of the moon in a clear sky. Black is the a
bsence of Light and Colour; black objects are such
as absorb all light and colours and reflect none.
All nations and all religions have attributed Whi
te Light to God, by whatever name He may be called
; it is an emblem of Good, and refers to Unity and
Purity. The priests and ministers of almost all f
aiths have been clothed in white garments in token
of their high office.
In the Old Testament we read of the white robes of
Aaron and the sons of Levi, and the New Testament
refers to white garments as symbols of Christian
aims and practice. White robes were worn by the pr
iests of Isis, Osiris, and Amon Ra of Ancient Egyp
t, and by those who ministered to Buddhism or in B
rahmin Temples; by the Magi of Chaldea and Persia,
and by the Celtic Druids. The Mohammedans also us
e only white in their religious devotions.
White is a symbol of the beatific combination of l
ove, innocence, and faith, which lead to purity, p
eace, and perfection, of which the Diamond is the
emblem.
Black symbolises evil and the antithesis of all th
at is beautiful and true; it refers to loss, despa
ir, and death.
The three primary coloursRed, Yellow, and Blueha
ve also been attributed to the three Great Divine
qualities, viz.Red to His Omnipotence, Yellow to
His Omniscience, and Blue to His Omnipresence, or,
in other words, to His Power, Wisdom, and Univers
ality.
In relation to Man the colour Red denotes courage,
will, and force, hence to dominion and royalty; t
o war and to each mans fight with his passions.
Yellow refers to intellect and knowledge, and thus
to wisdom; it is emblematical also of calm, peace
, and gladness.

Blue refers to honour, love, truth, friendship, an

d fidelity, hence to benevolence, and is so proper
ly exhibited by the Freemasons.
In the World around us we associate the colour Red
with fire, and with blood and wine, and with the
Ruby. Yellow with the suns rays, giving life to a
ll animal and vegetable life, and to gold, corn, a
nd oil, and with the Topaz. Blue with the vault of
the cloudless heaven, the deep sea beneath it, an
d with the Sapphire.
These three colours again predominate in the flowe
rs of the plants and trees of the vegetable world,
and are supplemented by orange, purple, and viole
t.
Green is the almost universal colour of the leaves
and growing shoots of all vegetation, and in symb
olism green refers to hope, progress, evolution, a
nd regeneration; it is typified by the Emerald.
Purple, which is formed of a union of Red and Blue
, has become associated with Imperial Rule and dig
nity from its combination of power and love; its e
mblem is the Amethyst.
Orange has been referred to zeal and enthusiasm, a
nd to mental and moral development and self-contro
l.
Violet is the colour referred to penitence, and Gre
y to humility.
Brown is associated with durability, firmness, con
-stancy and self abnegation, it is the colour of a
large part of the solid earth on which we dwell.
Even so do the varied colours by which we are surr
ounded mainly suffice to typify our conception of
God, and of ourselves, as well as to describe the
details of the world we see around us.
Closing
Celebrant rises and gives one knock.
Fratres, you will rise and assist me to Close the T
emple in the Grade of Theoricus.
Cel.: Join with me in giving the Sign and speaking

the Word.
This is done by all.
Cel.: Let us give thanks and pray.
All turn to the East and kneel.
Cel.: Oh God, our Creator, we thank Thee for our p
reservation and for the knowledge we have already
attained; be pleased to grant unto us mercy and pe
ace, and continue to favour us with health and str
ength so that we may be enabled to make further pr
ogress in the path which leads to wisdom and to pe
rsonal perfection. We seek these blessings through
the Name of I.N.R.I. the Great Redeemer. Amen.
Cel.: Fratres, our duties in this Grade being concluded, I now Close this Temple by giving four and
one knocks, and by the words Benedictus benedicat
nos ad finem.
All say: Amen and Amen.
Exponent: It is closed until duly reformed by the
Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant or his successor.

Third Grade - Practicus

The Grade of Practicus is conferred by the Celebra
nt of a College holding a Warrant to admit Fratres
to the several Grades of the First Order.
The Convocation is held in a Rosicrucian Temple; a
White Altar stands in the East, the Cross of the
First Grade stands behind it, upon the Altar are f
ive candles, two in front of three. The Celebrant
is seated in the East at the South of the Altar, t
he Exponent in the West, the Secretary in the Nort
h-East, the Conductor in the South-West, and the H
erald near the Portal. The Four Ancients are seate
d as in the Grade of Theoricus. The Acolyte is wit
hout the Portal in the ante-chamber. Each Frater m
ust wear the Jewel of his own Grade. Practici must
wear the Jewel and Ribbon of the Rosicrucian Soci
ety suspended by a Green Ribbon having the figure
III or 3 marked upon it. A Theoricus who is a Cand

idate for admission must wear the Jewel of the Soc

iety suspended by the Green Ribbon having the figu
res II or 2 marked upon it.
The candidate shall be supplied with an Admission
Badge, a Swastika Cross, the arms to be coloured r
ed, blue, black and yellow, the central square alo
ne being white.
The candidate is not blindfolded, he must carry th
e Swastika in his right hand. The knocks of a Prac
ticus are two and three. The candidate will knock
as a Theoricus, four and one, when he seeks admiss
ion at the Portal of the Temple.
Opening
Celebrant: Fratres Practici. Assist me to open the
Temple in the Third Grade of Practicus.
Cel. gives one knock. All rise, and the Herald stan
ds beside the Portal.
Cel.: Frater Herald, you will take care that the A
colyte is without, and that the Portal of the Temp
le is duly closed.
Herald does this and reports.
Herald: The Portal is closed, and the Temple is saf
ely guarded.
Cel.: I declare that the Temple is now duly opened
in the Third Grade of Practicus.
Celebrant gives two and three knocks.
Cel.: May peace and harmony dwell among us, and ma
y our exertions to achieve success in the practice
of our Rosicrucian duties lead us to the solution
of the great problems of our Science, the transmu
tation of the Elements, the fixing of the Volatile
, and the Volatilisation of the Fixed.
All: Amen Amen Amen.
Cel.: Be seated, Fratres.
Cel.: Frater Secretary, I now ask you to read the m
inutes of the last Convocation.
The Secretary reads the minutes, and takes the boo
k to the Celebrant, who puts the minutes for confi
rmation, and if they are approved he signs them in

token of their accuracy.

Cel.: Frater Secretary, you will now lay before us
any communication that you may have received.
This is done, and ordinary work is transacted.
Reception
Cel.: Fratres, we are assembled to carry on the wo
rk of the Rosicrucians in the Grade of Practicus,
to receive a Theoricus among us, and to confer upo
n him the rights and privileges as well as the sec
ret knowledge of the Third Grade.
Exponent: Right [or Very] Worthy Celebrant, we rej
oice to hear that another Frater has deserved to b
e received as a Practicus; and we will assist in h
is Reception, and will give him, to the best of ou
r ability, all the help he may need to ensure his
further progress.
Herald: Right [or Very] Worthy Celebrant, our Frat
er having worthily performed his duty as a Theoric
us in the Second Grade, and having been chosen by
you for Reception into the Third Grade, is in atte
ndance without the Portal. He seeks admission in o
rder to proceed to the practical and experimental
work of the Rosicrucians.
Cel. to the Herald: Then you will leave the Temple
and receive from our Frater the Secret Words of a
Theoricus, hand to him the Swastika Cross of Admi
ssion, and instruct him to knock on the Portal as
a Theoricus. This is done by the Herald, who knock
s four and one.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will admit the Herald,
and the Theoricus whom he brings with him.
This is done, and both stand with in the Portal.
Her.: Right [or Very] Worthy Celebrant, I present
to you Frater , a Theoricus of our Society who, ha
ving been duly attentive to the studies of that Gr
ade, now seeks to obtain a practical knowledge of
our secret work.
The Herald returns to his seat.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will lead the Theoricu

s once around the Temple, and then place him befor

e the Exponent in the West, who desires to put cer
tain questions.
This is done.
Exp.: Will you give me the Sign and Word of a Theor
icus?
Theoricus: I will. Does so.
Exp.: You have been selected for advancement, beca
use you base shown zeal and ability in the Theoret
ic studies of Rosicrucianism. Will you make a sole
mn promise to continue with unabated fervour to pu
rsue your researches into the mysteries of nature?
Theoricus: I will.
Exp.: Will you endeavour to discover the secrets of
the Material World by practical Work?
Theoricus: I will.
The Conductor turns Theoricus to face the Celebrant
.
Cel.: Do you solemnly promise on the honour of a R
osicrucian to preserve and keep secret from every
Zelator and from every Theoricus until his recepti
on into a College of Practici, and from every othe
r person who is not a Rosicrucian the hidden knowl
edge of the grade, and also the Concealed Word of
a Practicus, and any other sign or secret that may
be made known to you?
Theoricus: I do promise.
Cel.: Fratres, shall we trust this Theoricus with o
ur Secret Knowledge?
All: We put our trust in his faith and in his abili
ties.
Cel.: Frater Conductor, you will place our Frater b
efore me in the East.
Cel.: Hand to me the Cross you bear.
This is done by the Theoricus.
Cel.: The form of the Cross of especial symbolism
in the Grade of Practicus is the Swastika, also ca
lled the Fylfot Cross. It is an emblem of very anc
ient date, and has been found in countries widely
separated; it is the Cross of the Jains of India,
and was the Hammer of Thor of Scandinavian myths.
This Grade is chiefly concerned with the study of

the Material Universe, and the arms of this figure

are referred to the Four Elements of the Ancient
Philosophers. The colours Red, Blue, Yellow, and B
lack refer to Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, on the
lower plane and on the higher plane, to the Hebrew
letters Yod, Heh, Vau Heh of the Great Name Jehov
ah; and again to I.N.R.I., who is Jesus Nazarenus
Rex Judorum, and these initials I.N.R.I again ref
er to Jammim, Nour, Ruach, and Yabeshah, which wer
e the Chaldean names for the Four Elements. The ce
ntral square is White, to represent the blending o
f all colours into a Unity.
The Secretary receives the Cross from the Celebrant
.
Cel.: I will now reveal to you the Secret Word of
the Grade, which is ***. The sign is given thus; p
oint d*** with the *** to your material work, whil
e you look *** as for help from above.
The Conductor places the Practicus in the North bes
ide the First Ancient.
Cel.: Know then, Frater Practicus, that your new s
tudy is Alchymy, the Science of the composition of
the Material World; in this study Practice and Ex
periment alone can lead to success, and these requ
ire to be preceded by the Theoretical knowledge of
the former Grade.
Exp.: Learn then, O Practicus, to separate the Sub
tle from the Gross, gently and with judgment, for
such is the true process of Transmutation on the S
piritual Plane as well as in the Material World.
Cel.: We can but point out the Way; you yourself m
ust follow out the Path. We can check you when you
wander from the narrow way of progress to the goa
l; but you yourself in must perform the steps of t
he process.
Exp.: Solve et Coagula; Time and heat and Moisture
act upon the First Matter of the Philosophers, an
d you will be led to the Queen and to the King. Th
rough the Black Dragon of Putrefaction and the Whi
te Eagle of Sublima-tion, you may at length attain
to the Red Stone, the Quintessence, the Son of th
e Sun, and so become possessed of the Key to the C

onstitution of Malkuth.
Cel.: Know then, O Practicus, that here is a Physi
cal Alchymy, and a possible Transmutation of Eleme
ntary Matter; and there is a Spiritual Alchymy res
erved for your enlightenment in the 4th Grade of P
hilosophus.
Exp.: Learn then to preserve our Secret Wisdom. Th
e Alchymists have ever used the language of Metaph
or, and when we describe the Physical processes we
veil our ideas in Spiritual language; and when we
write down the secrets of the Spiritual World, we
miss the language of Physical Alchymy.
Cel.: Ever so, my Frater, have the boasters and ig
norant of the outside World been deceived, and hav
e been hoodwinked and led astray by their own Conc
eits, holding out his right hand Swear then with m
e, O Practicus, swear by your good Right hand: May
it perish and wither away if it write our secrets
without Emblem, Metaphor, and Symbol?
The Theoricus repeats the Pledge.
Cel.: We accept your pledge, and will no longer det
ain you from your duties.
Cel.: You may take your seat among the Practici.
The Celebrant, or the Exponent, or a Frater specia
lly chosen by the Celebrant, shall then deliver th
e Lecture upon Alchymy.
Lecture
The subject of Alchymy is one of great interest, a
nd it is well to approach the consideration of the
science from the standpoint of Western Occult Phi
losophy, handed down to us from the Sages of Medi
val Europe, and which they obtained from three pri
ncipal sources. First, from the Arabs, who almost
alone preserved the ancient sciences through the d
ark ages. Secondly, from Rabbis of Hebrew culture,
who possessed the traditional lore now identified
by he name Kabalah, that tradition to which ancie
nt Chald and Babylon so largely contributed. Last
ly, from the ancient Egypt of the Pharaohs, ruled

by mighty priest-kings, who were Initiates in the

Mysteries of Isis, Osiris and Serapis.
Alchymy has two aspects: the material and the spir
itual. The opinion that Alchymy was only a form of
Chemistry is untenable by anyone who has read the
works of its chief professors. The doctrine that
Alchymic writings were only religious teachings, a
nd that its chemical references were all foolish a
llegories, is equally untenable in the face of his
tory, which shows that many of its most noted prof
essors were men who had made important discoveries
in the domain of chemistry, and were in no way no
table as teachers either of ethics or religion
Chemistry, the modern science which investigates t
ime constitution of material substances, is the li
neal descendant of Medival and Ancient Al-Chymy.
The syllable Al is the Arabic definite article, me
aning The, and so Alchymy was The Higher Chemistry
. It treated of the essential nature of Matter, of
the Elements, of metals, of minerals, and of Tran
smutation. Modern Chemistry is a science devoted c
hiefly to utilitarian and commercial
The earliest use of the word Alchymy is believed t
o be found in the works of Julius Firmicus Maternu
s, an Astronomer, who lived in the time of the Emp
eror Con-stantine. The oldest Alchymic Volume know
n is by Zosimus of Panopolis, in Greek, and is ent
itled, The Divine Art of making Gold and Silver; i
t was written about A.D. 400. The Medival authors
often call Alchymy the Hermetic Art, implying an
origin from Hermes Trismegistus of Egypt, the prehistoric teacher, to whom was attributed the Emera
ld Tablet, which has been not inaptly described as
being a resum of all Alchymic science on a singl
e page.
Amongst the most famous names of European Alchymy
we note that several were men who rose to high dig
nity in the Church; such were Pelagius; Synesius,
a Bishop; Heliodorus, a Bishop; Cremer; Ripley, a
Canon; Albertus Magnus, a Dominican; Thomas Aquina
s; Basil Valentine, a Benedictine; Raymond Lully,
a Franciscan; Trithemius, an Abbot of Spanheim; an

d Pope John XXII.

The science of Alchymy taught that all material su
bstances were primordially derived from one basic
hyle or foundation. From this basis differentiatio
n arose, and by myriad steps the immense variety o
f material sub-stances, such as we now see around
us, originated by progression. From the common Min
erals were developed the Metals, also in gradation
of purity and excellence, until an acm was reach
ed in the two so-called Perfect Metals, Silver and
Gold, which do not rust nor oxidize by exposure t
o the air. From this theory arose the Art of Trans
mutation, by which it was sought to produce Silver
and Gold from other metals below them in the seri
es, notably from Mercury, Antimony, and Lead. Many
, indeed, were the processes devised, but there wa
s a general concensus of opinion that the last thr
ee stages of the chemical process were marked by a
series of colour changes, from Black through Whit
e to Red; this red matter was the Philosophers St
one, or Red Elixir, which could transmute Silver i
nto Gold. The Alchymists also endeavoured to produ
ce from certain herbs an Elixir Vit, which should
have power to prolong life and restore health to the sick
The discovery of Elements has been the grand achie
ve-ment of Modern Chemistry, and certain renown ha
s for a century been granted to any chemist who ha
s added a new Element to the existing catalogue. T
he future may change this system, and a niche in t
he Temple of Fame may be allotted to one who succe
eds in dividing one of our present Elements into i
ts constituents. The Chemistry of the Future may s
eek to gain the power of reducing all Compounds an
d all the Elements to one primordial matter, named
PROTYLE. In other words, the ancient chemical doc
trine of the p??t? ??, or First Matter, may becau
se paramount in the years to come, as it was in th
e distant past.
If the modern doctrine of Elements be laid aside,
the discoveries of the Primordial Matter, the Tran
smutation of Metals, and the Elixir of Life re-app
ear and once more enter the range of possible achi

evements
Ancient Alchymy recognised no Elements, in our mod
ern sense. An element being now defined as a body
which cannot be decomposed, or a something to w
hich we can add, butt from which we can take away
nothing, or a body which increases in weight wit
h every chemical change, or a body different fro
m all others, yet having constant characters itsel
f, and indivisable except into parts of itself. T
he Elements of the Alchymists were Fire, Air, Eart
h and Water. A close study of the oldest authors s
hows that these were types of four modes of force
or matter, and further that they are four correlat
ive terms, implying states mutually related and de
pendent, and in no way independent and opposed ent
ities. They were names of time four states
Heat and Dryness - Fire.
Heat and Moistness - Air.
Cold and Dryness - Earth.
Cold and Moistness - Water.
This was demonstrated even by Aristotle, who showe
d that matter, simple, or combined with its develo
pments, may exist in each of these states.
The Alchymists affirmed the existence of the Primu
m Ens or First Matter; two Opposites or Contraries
; three Principles; and four Elementary states.
Beyond these came Minerals, and lastly the Seven M
etals, as forms of matter, essentially stable, exc
ept in the hands of the skilled operator, who migh
t attain the power of Transmutation, or of changin
g one of them into the other. Gold, as the most pe
rfect metal, was the effect of the greatest transm
utation, which process, once known, rendered all o
thers of little importance. Hence all the efforts
of the Alchymists on the Material Plane were direc
ted to this, the crowning achievement of the work.
For this process of Transmutation one substance wa
s requisite, the Philosophers Stone, the Quintess
ence, or Son of the Sun. This was to be derived fr
om the Philosophical Mercury, Salt and Sulphur, an
d had to pass in the process through the colours B
lack and White to the Red. This Stone was by some

expected to be also one means for the production o

f the Elixir of Life.
Historical proof may be wanting that the Stone of
the Philosophers was ever found and used, but no
candid student can doubt that the life-long labou
rs of the Alchymists, their modes of chemical mani
pulation, and their utensils, have laid the founda
tion of our Modern Chemistry.
Modern chemists have catalogued up to the present
time seventy-eight substances as Elements; why sho
uld there be seventy-eight Elements to-day, any mo
re than the thirty-two recognised in 1720, the era
of Lavoisier, or than sixty-four as in 1876, or e
ighty next year perhaps? The statement of a fixed
number of Elements is only a temporary dogma, whic
h the Alchymists wisely abstained from propoundin
g. Profs. Crooks and Farmaday have said: To decom
pose the metals, to re-form theta, to change one i
nto another, and to realise the once absurd notion
of Transmutation, are the problems given to the c
hemist of the future for solution.
The strongest evidence of the want of Elementary c
haracters in our modern Elements is provided by th
e Spectroscope, and the intense heat and light obt
ainable from Electricity. Several so-called Elemen
ts when exposed to the latter, show in the Spectro
scope that they are not simple bodies Spectroscopi
c examinations of rays of light from the Sun and S
tars point out that while some of our Elements are
shown by their spectra to exist in them, other El
ements are certainly broken up in those regions of
intense heat, amid their constituents are dis-sem
inated and otherwise associated, thereby proving t
hat in the Solar regions at any rate, such Element
s are Compound bodies.
Some examples of Alchymic descriptions of processes
on the Material Plane are here given.
From the Open Entrance to the Shut Palace of the
King, by Eirenus Philalethes, is this clearly ch
emical passage Take four paints of the perfected
Stone, either red or white; melt them in a clear c
rucible. Take one part of this to ten parts of pur

ified Mercury; heat the Mercury until it begin to

crackle, then throw in your mixture, which will pi
erce it in the twinkling of an eye; increase your
fire until all be melted, and you will have a medi
cine of an inferior order.
The following is from Jean dEspagnet, and shows t
he use of Alchymic imagery: Take a red dragon, co
urageous and warlike, to whom no natural strength
is warning: take also seven or nine noble virgin e
agles, whose eyes will not wax dull in the rays of
the Sun: Cast the Birds in with the Beast into a
clear prison, shut them up strongly; under which l
et a bath be placed, that they may be incensed to
fight by the warm vapour; in a short time they wil
l enter upon a hard contention; until about the fi
ftieth clay the eagles begin to tear the beast in
pieces; this one dying will infect the whole priso
n with black poison, whereby the eagles also being
injured, they will also be soon constrained to gi
ve up the ghost.
It may easily be perceived that this Allegory is c
onvert-ible into a description of chemical process
es, thus: Take one part of a red powder a, and add
seven or nine parts of the liquid b, which is vol
atile, i.e., able to fly; mix them, put the mixtur
e into a glass retortthe clear prisonhermeticall
y seal the opening, that is, shut them up strongly
; set the vessel on a water bath, and then the hea
t will make the liquid attack the solid powder and
dissolve it, and the result will be the productio
n of a black substance, and both the red powder an
d the liquid will have lost their previous chemica
l characters.
In the Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary of A J. Pernety,
1758, an explanation of Alchymic terms upon the Ma
terial Plane is supplied. The Ritual of the Grade
of Practicus alludes to several terms of Alchymic
Art; as to which the following remarks may be usef
ul to students:
Solve et Coagula: These words meant either Dissolv
e and precipitate from solution; or Melt and solid
ify; time and heat would melt substances; time, he

at, and moisture would dissolve them. The King and

Queen usually referred to Sol or Gold, and Luna o
r Silver, respectively; but some Alchymists refer
the title King to the Sulphur, and Queen to the Me
rcury of the Philosophers. Gold is, of course, oft
en called the King of Metals.
The whole difficulty of carrying out to-day the pr
ocesses of the Alchymists consists in the uncertai
nty as to what actual solids and liquids, metals,
acids, and alkalies are to be taken when Mercury,
Sulphur and Salt, or Sun and Moon, or King, Queen,
and Son are alluded to.
The sublimation or Volatilisation of a substance w
as called The White Eagle; the Black Eagle referre
d to Putre-faction, by which they meant conversion
by heat of dissolved substances or liquids into a
sediment of precipitate, or if melted substances,
into a slag or form of ashes.
The Quintessence, or Son of the Sun, was the Philo
sophers Stone, which was made from the Salt, Sulp
hur, and Mercury of the Philosophers, which by put
refaction or calcination became Black, and then by
further processes White, and finally the Redness
of Perfection was attained.
This Stone of the Wise was the key to Transmutatio
n; the Alchymists declared that by its power one f
orm of Matter could be changed in another; Lead be
came raised into Silver, while Silver could be cha
nged into Gold, called by them Sol, the Sun or the
King.
Malkuth is the Kabalistic name for the Material Wo
rld, and for Matter in its multiform states, hence
the Stone of the Philosophers was called the Key
to the Constitution of Malkuth.
The old Alchymic books, then, have been shown to b
e definitely of a chemical nature. Let us now turn
to quot-ations front the works of eminent Alchymi
sts, which illustrate their religious attitude.
Geber, the Arabian, wrote: Our Stone has been des
cribed by me in a way agreeable to the Most High,
the Blessed Sublime and Gluttons God, as it has be
ets infused by the grace of His goodness, who give

s and with-holds as it pleases thin. Study with gr

eat industry and labour and by continued deep medi
tation; be sons of Truth and you shall have most e
xcellent gifts of God.
Nicholas Flansel wrote: God reserves to Himself t
o reveal to a select few of such as fear and love
Him certain things of knowledge, which therefore o
ught not to be written.
In the book Aureus, attributed to Hermes is the fo
llowing passage: My Son, before all things I admo
nish thee to fear God, in whom is thy strength; wh
atsoever thou bearest consider it rationally. It b
ehaves thee to give thanks to God, Who has bestowe
d liberally of His bounty to the wise, and Who del
ivers us from misery. I am proven by the fulness o
f His substance and His wonders, and humbly pray t
hat while we live we may come unto Him.
The Water Stone of the Wise, an anonymous tracta
te: In the first place the practice of Alchymy en
ables us to understand, not merely the marvels of
nature but the nature of the Great Divine One Hims
elf in His unspeakable glory. It shadows forth in
a wonderful manner how Man is an Image of a Divine
Trinity; be represents the Union of Substances, a
s well as the differ-ence of Persons. It illustrat
es air purification from sin, and in brief all the
Christian faith, and the reasons why Man must pas
s through much tribulation and anguish and fall a
prey to death before be can rise again to a new an
d higher life. All this we see in our Art as in a
mirror.
And then in the next sentence reverts to the pract
ical chemical part, adding Secondly, its earthly
use consists in changing all imperfect metals, by
means of a Tincture, into pure Gold, as I shall tr
y to show.
From about the year 1650 the work of the Alchymist
s has ceased to be given to the would by printed w
orks. Private traditions have, however, always aff
irmed the per-manence of both the theory and art o
f transmutation.
This silence has been at last broken by the appear

ance of a new school of philosophers, who have esp

oused almost entirely the principle of demonstrati
ng the reality of Alchymy upon the higher or Spiri
tual Planes.
Dr. Kopp, in his History of Chemistry, takes thi
s view; and there is a masterly volume by E. A Hit
chcock, entitled, Remarks upon Alchemy, where he
shows that Man was the Matter of some of the Al
chymists. A clergyman of the Church of England pub
lished anony-mously a work entitled, A Suggestive
Enquiry into the Hermetic Mystery; this takes th
e same view. So great, however, was the pressure p
ut upon him by his clerical brethren, that be was
soon induced to destroy all that
remained unsold of the edition.
The moral and spiritual aspects of the so called
Higher Alchymy were also illustrated by the late
Anna Kingsford and her co-worker Edward Maitland.
They succeeded in many cases in drawing explanatio
ns of Alchymic language by means of Hermetic alleg
ory, and also in demonstrating an Alchymic mode of
thought and allusions to transmutation on the eth
ical and higher planes from some of the narratives
found in the early books of the Old Testament.
The keynote of Alchymy upon this basis is, of cour
se, the implied possibility of the Material once a
gain taking on the Spiritual aspect by successive
purifications, which process may be suitably descr
ibed by terms allied to the art of chemistry.
Similar terms of Alchymic art may be used to descr
ibe those schemes of moral, ethical, and spiritual
purification which we call Religion. For Religion
should mean the processes which may re-unite us f
allible and erring creatures to our God, the Divin
e Spirit illuminating us.
The Higher Alchymy then is almost identical with R
eligion, as distinct from Theology. The function o
f Religion, like the Great Work of the Alchymist,
is Spiritualisation, the separation of the subtle
from the gross; the redemption of spirit, while st
ill dwelling in matter, from the taint inevitable
to the lowest planes of manifestation. Or again, t

he transmutation of the animal forces which are in

manin excess of the bodily needs of subsistence
into the more human and refined emotions, the more
delicate shades of feeling, the purer and higher
manifestations which even the human personality is
plainly susceptible of.
From another point of view, and by the use again o
f other but allied terms, is perceived that aspect
of mental purification, and that form of transmut
ation into higher powers which is expressed by the
ideal of Atonement, At-one-ment, the re-union of
the spark to the flame, of the offspring to the pa
rent, of the ray to the sun, of the personal think
er to the divine type of the Christos, or the over
shadowing Divine Spirit, from which each one of us
has emerged and must remain separate until we sha
ll lie again re-united by personal effort, enthusi
asm, and self-sacrifice to the Divine Source of al
l good.
The Alchymic expression of Solve et Coagula, mea
ning volatilise and fix, as two contrasted proce
sses seen alike in chemistry, physics, and human d
evelopment, are trace-able in the biblical allegor
ies of the descent of the Soul into Man, by the pu
tting on of coats of skin. The human Ego or Mona
d becomes fixed in matter, and suffers the consequ
ent loss of the power of direct spiritual communio
n with the source Divine. On the other hand, we ha
ve the allegory of the Resurrection of the Son of
the Divine One, who obtains re-union with the Godhead by casting off the cloak of matter and return
ing to His Father, and to our Father; and this res
urrection is promised to all who truly seek it. By
birth upon earth man is fixed, coagulated and fet
tered by his environment. By death, and by the thr
owing off of his material body and its animal pass
ions, man is released from his bondage, and passes
at once to a higher Plane, even if his final abso
rption into Paradise be delayed.
Besides the important analogies already alluded to
, the terms Sol and Luna, which in Chemistry refer
to Gold and Silver, may be well understood as inf

erring on the Spiritual Plane to the Soul and the

Body of Man. The three terms Mercury, Salt, and Su
lphur have also been used as synonyms of the three
persons of the Trinity; the Divine FatherMercury
the Divine Mother, passive principle, or the holy
Ghost as Salt; and the Son of God, the Christ, th
e Divine Power in human manifestation, by Sulphur.
As a last example, the Black Dragon of putrefactio
n, which by time and force can become fashioned in
to the White Swan of purity, in a beautiful symbol
of the change in man from a life of sin to a refo
rmed personality; to the man purified by suffering
, chastened by humility, and fit to commune with t
he Holy Ones whom God has created.
To conclude, it seems manifest that the writings o
f many medival European Alchymists enshrine a doc
trine at once exalted, fascinating in formulation,
eloquent in language, and worthy of serious study.
Closing
Cel.: Fratres, before we close this Convocation le
t us return our thanks to the Creator and Preserve
r for His past care of our Order and of ourselves.
Cel.: Let us pray and give thanks
Prayer
Cel.: Thanks be to Thee, O Creator, Honour be to T
hee, O Preserver. Almighty and Merciful God, we of
fer our grateful hearts to Thee. May the Supernal
Triad be with us, and may each and every attribute
of the Divine Sephiroth assist us in out exertion
s, and may we continue to preserve our lives pure
and unpolluted.
Cel.: Our duties being concluded, I call upon you
all to give the Sign and speak the Word.
All rise, give the Sign, and speak the Word.
C.: Our Thanksgiving is performed. I close this Co
llege of Practici by two and three knocks.

Exponent repeats knocks: And it remains closed unt

il re-formed by the R.W. (or V.W.) Celebrant or hi
s successor.
Cel.: Pax Domini vobiscum.
All: Amen! Amen! Amen!

Fourth Grade - Philisophus

This Grade is conferred by the Celebrant of a Coll

ege holding a warrant for the grade of the First O
rder of the Society.
The Convocation is held in a Rosicrucian Temple; a
White Calvary Cross bearing a Red Rose is placed
over a White Altar in the East. Incense burns upon
the Altar continuously; or else a Frater standing
before the Altar swings a censer containing burni
ng incense.. The Celebrant is seated by the South
side of the Altar, the Exponent in the West, the S
ecretary in the North-East, the Conductor in the S
outh-West and the Herald near the Portal, which is
guarded by the Acolyte without. The Ancients are
seated as in the First Part of the Zelator Ceremony.
All the Fratres present must wear the Jewel of the
Rosicrucian Society with the proper ribbon and fi
gure.
The Frater Practicus who has been chosen for recep
tion must wear the Jewel with the figure III of 3
upon the Green Ribbon. He is not blindfolded; he m
ust carry in his right hand the Admission Badge, a
Calvary Cross of twelve squares, all white except
the lowest one, which is black. To obtain admissi
on he must knock as a Practicus, two and three.
The knocks of a Philosophus are one and four.
Fratres of this grade are expected to study the gr
eat World Religions, and also the doctrines of the
most famous systems of Philosophy.

Opening
Celebrant: Fratres Philosophi!
Gives one knock.
C.: Assist me to open the Temple in the Fourth Grad
e of Philosophus.
All rise, and the Herald stands beside the Portal.
C.: Frater Herald, you will assure yourself that t
he Acolyte is without, and that the Portal of the
Temple is duly closed.
This is done by the Herald.
H.: Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant the Temple is
secure.
C.: Fratres! I declare the Temple is duly opened in
the Grade of Philosophus.
C.: Very Worthy Exponent, what is the purpose of ou
r Convocation?
E.: Being ourselves already familiar with the Chri
stian Faith we should in this Grade consider the d
octrines of the most famous philosophers and compa
re the tenets of the several great religions of th
e world, so that we may not appear ignorant of the
faiths which have influenced the history of the w
orld in past ages, or of the beliefs of foreign na
tions with which our Christian civilisation must o
ften come into conflict.
C.: It is well, Frater Exponent, to make a study o
f the great thoughts which have tended to make men
better. In all the great faiths of the world ther
e is some truth enshrined let us consider all the
doctrines which have guided mankind in the past, a
nd then hold fast that which is good.
E.: It is indeed well to gain knowledge, but it is
best to grow wise we must also teach others. Ther
e are, Right (or Very) Worthy Celebrant, some who
appear to have done good work as Practici, and the
y seek reception into this higher Grade.
C.: It is a satisfaction to me to declare that I h
ave approved of the attainments of Frater He has
performed the necessary Alchymic work, and I have
chosen him for reception among us. Frater Herald,
you will ascertain if Frater is in attendance;

then if he is prepared, and is wearing the proper

Jewel, you will supply him with the Admission Badg
e, a Calvary Cross.
Ceremony of Reception
The Herald leaves the Temple, prepares the Practic
us, hands him the Cross, and instructs him to give
two and three knocks after a short interval.
The Herald re-enters, and closes the Portal. Knocks
are heard.
H.: Right Worthy Celebrant, Frater the Practicus
approved by yourself, is applying for admission.
C.: Admit our Frater.
Herald admits the Practicus, who bows.
C.: Show the Sign and give the Word of your Grade.
He gives the Sign and Word. The Herald resumes his
seat.
C.: Frater Conductor, you will lead our Frater onc
e around the Temple and then place him before the
Exponent.
Conductor does this.
E.: Frater , your attainments in the practice of
Alchymy have been approved; do you now earnestly d
esire to be received into the Grade of Philosophus?
Practicus: I do.
E.: In this Grade you must study with zeal the ten
ets of the Religions of the World, and the doctrin
es of the philosophers; will you undertake to do s
o?
Prac.: I will.
E.: Do you give a solemn promise to keep secret th
e special knowledge, the Sign and the Word of the
Grade of a Philosophus, from all persons who have
not attained unto this Grade?
Prac.: I will.
E.: Our Frater the Conductor will then lead you to
our Celebrant in the East, who will address you,
and will con-fer upon you the Secrets in ancient f
orm.
The Conductor leads the Practicus to the Celebrant

in the East.
C.: Hand to me the Cross you carry in your Right ha
nd.
This is done and the C. places it upon the Altar.
C.: Worthy Frater Practicus, I feel assured of the
good intentions which animate you, but I warn you
that the sub-jects of our studies are more abstru
se and elevated than those in which you have alrea
dy become proficient. As a Frater of this Society
of the Rose and Cross you are familiar with the Ch
ristian Faith, and have learned to know of a Divin
e Creator and of Jesus Who is the Christ. You have
now to study and compare the various con-ceptions
of Divinity which have been held by the great nat
ions of the Ancient World, and the tenets of the m
ost famous philosophers, for in all their systems
great moral lessons are to be found. By a serious
contemplation of these systems we believe you will
come to a more just appreciation of the beauties
of the Christian Faith, and be well able to show t
o the world without that our Rosi-crucian Fraterni
ty not only confers knowledge upon its members, bu
t also Wisdom.
Can you undertake so great a task, to comprehend t
he Nature of God, so far as human intellect may ap
proach Him Who is past finding out?
Practicus: In humility I will attempt the task.
C.: Is your heart steadfast?
Prac.: It is.
C.: Is your mind clear?
Prac.: It is.
C.: Approach the Altar with me.
Celebrant, leaving his seat, leads Practicus to the
Altar.
C.: Say after meraising your Right hand to the Whi
te Cross, which is above the Altar.
Celebrant and Practicus: I pledge myself to person
al improvement, and that I will aim at the highest
knowledge even as the fumes of the incense are no
w rising towards the heavens.
Fratres: We are all witnesses of the Pledge.
C.: Great is the reward of the virtuous.

E.: Having promised to commence the ascent of the M

ountain of Wisdom
C.: Look not back
E.: For great is the fall of those who fail.
Celebrant returns to his place, and the Practicus s
tands before him.
C.: I admit you, Frater to the exalted Grade of
Philosophus; it is the highest grade of the First
Order of this Society of the Rose and Cross. The S
ign is given by pointing upwards with the right ha
nd, fingers extended, and with left hand shield th
e eyes from the brightness you look up at.
The Word is Theosophia and its meaning is Divine W
isdom. The study and knowledge of the Divine.
C., taking up the Cross and showing it: In this gr
ade the Admission Badge is the Calvary or Crucifix
ion Cross; it should be formed of twelve squares;
one is above; two form each arm; one is central, a
nd six form the lower pillar. The Number Twelve re
presents the cosmogony of the Universe, of the sta
rry heavens; of the months in the year; in the Old
Testament it is referred to the Twelve sons of Ja
cob and the Tribes of Israel, while in the New Tes
tament this number is prominent in the Twelve Apos
tles of the Messiah.
The eleven squares are White; the lowest square is
Black, it refers to the traitor Judas, and it sho
uld give you warning that the careless as well as
the vicious may fall from grace. C. lays the Cross
aside.
C.: Frater , we congratulate you upon your recept
ion, and hope for your progress and success.
The study of the Divinity above us should be your
future aim, the subject of your aspirations. Life
is all too short for success; purity of life is es
sential, the cultivation of your higher self will
lead you to sublime conceptions yet unknown to you
. Be steadfast and true to your obligations. Be ne
ver less ready to learn than your Fratres are to t
each, and may you attain your spiritual desires.
C.: Fratres, I present to you Frater , now fully
received as a Philosophus, and I ask you to rise a

nd salute him with one and four knocks.

This is done.
C.: Be seated, Fratres.
The Lecture should now be given.
Closing
C.: Fratres, you will rise and assist me to close t
his Convocation. Gives one knock.
C.: Fratres, join me in giving the Sign and speakin
g the Word.
This is done.
C.: In earnest hope that we all may make progress
in good works, and be saved in the day of temptati
on, I close this Convocation with the Words Ostend
e nobis Domine, misercordiam tuam, et salute tuam
da nobis.
All: Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.

Fifth Grade - Adeptus Minor

In this Grade the Vault of the Adepts is prepared
by placing a pastos upon the floor with its head a
t time centre of the Vault, and its foot near the
West. The Vault is but dimly lit. The Sacred Volu
me is placed open upon the foot of the pastos.
The Candidate, who must be a Philosophus, Grade IV
, and must wear the Jewel of the Rosicrucian Socie
ty, is taken to the ante-chamber, where he is blin
dfolded by the Acolyte, who at the proper time ins
tructs him to knock as a Philosophus, one and four.
The Fratres upstanding.
Ind.: Very Worthy Fratres, I open this College of A
depts by giving five knocks and one knock.
The knocks given by the Candidate are heard.
Cond.: Right Worthy inductor, a Frater Philosophus
seeks admission to our Vault.
Ind.: If he be one of the chosen you may admit him.

The Conductor, admits the Candidate, and they stand

within the Portal.
Ind.: Who are you and what do you seek?
Candidate, prompted by the Conductor: I am a Philo
sophus and I seek Adeptship; if I am received I wi
ll never break my covenant with you.
The Conductor then places his right forefinger upo
n the lips of the Candidate, saying: Speak not, bu
t follow me.
They move once round the Vault in profond silence,
and as they pass the Inductor, the Conductor utte
rs the word of the 4th Grade, Theosophia.
The Inductor answers: Pass, Theosophia.
Then they move around and stop in the West, where
the Expositor rises and places his right forefinge
r on the lips of the Candidate, saying: I remove t
he seal of Silence. Frater, who art thou?
Cond., for Cand.: I am one who mourns in darkness
because of the King of Terrors; my days are compas
sed with griefs, and my nights with sorrows. Show
me the dawn of that celestial Light, which crowns
with joy the perfect man.
Exp.: Are you a Christian?
Cand.: I am.
Exp.: Enough; watch and pray till the True Light sh
ineth.
The Inductor, leaving the East, places himself at
the East of the pastos, and then addresses the can
didate.
Ind.: Very Worthy Frater, it was the practice of a
distinguished Sage to enjoin strict silence upon
all who sought instruction in the mysteries. The d
isciples of this great Teacher were not permitted
to speak for a certain number of years, when the s
eal of silence was removed by the potent voice whi
ch had imposed it. This was a sure test of the Can
didates prudence and discretion, and of his abili
ty to keep the secrets with which he might be entr
usted.
In accordance with the custom observed by Pythagor
as, we require a proof of obedience in this respec

t from each one who seeks the rank of an Adept of

the Second Order of our Society.
You have religiously obeyed the injunctions of you
r Conductor, and are doubtless impressed with the
importance of Secrecy and Silence in the manifold
affairs of our Society.
In days of peril and persecution, when priests and
princes sought the lives of all who truly worship
ped the Creator, our vows of Fidelity, Secrecy, an
d Silence secured the Order from the attacks of pr
etended friends and of open foes; therefore, even
as the Holy Prophet Jeremiah exclaims in the 5th v
erse of the 50th Chapter of his Prophecies, Come,
let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual c
ovenant that shall not be forgotten.
An Anthem is then sung or said: Remember now thy C
reator in the days of thy youth. (Eccles xii vv. 1
-7).
The Conductor restores the Candidate to light.
Ind.: Let us kneel.
The Expositor, Candidate, and Conductor kneel at th
e foot of the pastos.
Ind.: Place your left hand horizontally beneath th
e Holy Volume, and extend your right hand vertical
ly upwards. Are you ready and willing to enter int
o a sacred and solemn Covenant with the Adepts of
Hermetic Science?
Cand.: I am.
Ind.: Then repeat your Christian and surnames, and
the motto by which you are known in the Rosicruci
an Society, and say after me:
Covenant
Both: I, , in presence of the living God, Who has
triumphed over death and the terrors of the grave
, solemnly swear that I will ever obey the wise an
d just commands of the Supreme Magus or Chief Adep
t, that I will not communicate to any living Soul,
unless to a duly sworn Adept, the time, place, an
d occasion of my induction; that I will wear the b

adge of the Society at all meetings of the Fratres

; that I will study the mysteries of the Three Wor
lds, Elementary, Intellectual, and Celestial; and
finally that I will consider myself bound to the F
ratres of this Grade by a peculiar tie, respecting
and loving them while living, and mourning for th
em when dead. So help me, the Lord and Arbiter of
life and death, and keep me faithful to this solem
n Covenant.
Ind.: You will now once kiss the Sacred Volume whi
ch you hold. This is done and the Sacred Volume is
replaced on the pastos.
Having entered into the Covenant of the Adepts, you
may rise.
The Inductor returns to the East.
Ind.: Let me now inform you that the time of your
reception as an Adeptus Minor is midnight. The pla
ce is a grave, or the entrance to a cemetery. The
Word is Thanatos. Pronounce the Word Thanatos. I r
ecognise you, Frater, by that Word. It is but a tr
ansposition of the letters of the Word Thanatos th
at awful and mysterious power whose call, in whate
ver language spoken, we must all obey.
By the influence of that Word we have come togethe
r at this solemn hour, and in this solemn place; b
y the influence of that power we shall all be brou
ght at no distant day to lie down where the rich a
nd poor sleep together, where the wicked cease fro
m troubling and the weary as at rest.
I meet you here, my Fratres, at this time and plac
e, not to terrify you with frightful ceremonies, n
ot to awaken your sympathies by allusions to the g
rief and anguish caused by death throughout the wo
rld, but that henceforth you and I may have someth
ing in commonthe precious heritage of the faithfu
l and discreet, a reference to which will enable u
s to distinguish each other from the great body of
mankind, whether at home, or upon a journey, in p
overty or in affluence, in buoyant health or in si
ckness, or even in the very agonies of death itself.
The Conductor leads the Candidate to the Inductor
in the East. The Inductor then gives the Secrets.

Ind.: The sign of Adeptship is that of a teacher;

stand erect and place your left hand behind your b
ack and stretch forward and upward your right arm
and hand, with index finger extended, and the othe
r fingers closed.
I give you the grip of Adeptship by taking your ri
ght hand with my left and your left hand with my r
ight hand; in this position we repeat the Secret W
ord already given: Thanatos.
The grip implies that perfect bond of fidelity whi
ch should henceforth exist between us; it is withi
n our hearts that this bond originates, and while
truth has her residence there, it can never be wea
kened, shattered, or destroyed.
The knocks are five and one; five implying Adeptshi
p and one the first of the Adept Grades.
Be seated, my Frater
The Expositor should read a lecture upon the aims a
nd duties of the Adepts.
Lecture
Exp.: Right Worthy Magister Inductor, Very Worthy
Fratres AdeptiIn a College of Adepts the receptio
n of a Philosophus into Adeptship is performed by
the Inductor in the East, who must be a Magister o
f our Society. The Expositor in the West should gi
ve the newly received Adept some instruction suite
d to his new position.
V.W. Frater Adeptus Minor,you were chosen for adm
ission to the Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia beca
use you had attained the rank of a Master Mason in
a duly chartered lodge, and had in that position
shown yourself a man of worth and discretion, and
to be one who was still seeking more knowledge of
the mysteries that encompass us in life and lie be
fore us across the gulf of death.
You have been received into the Second Order of ou
r Rosicrucian Society this day because you had mad
e steady progress in the studies and duties allott
ed to Fratres while they are members of the four G

rades of the First Order.

In the Grade of Zelator you were recommended to st
udy the powers and properties of Numbers, and the
philosophy of the Hebrew Kabalah, in which the rel
ations between numbers, letters, words, and things
are defined.
In the Grade of Theoricus, the mysteries of nature
, of mineral, vegetable and animal life are proper
studies, and its ritual of admission teaches you
that beyond the colours, as well as the forms of o
bjects, there are occult relations which need inve
stigation.
The Grade of Practicus has special relation to the
ancient art of Alchymy and the modern science and
art of Chemistry.
And lastly, the Grade of Philosophus teaches the n
eed of the highest mental culture in order to comp
rehend the works of the philosophers, and the sacr
ed volumes of the World-Religions.
The Theology of the Christian Church suggests a st
udy of the older Jewish faith, and this leads to r
esearches into the pagan believes and the realms o
f Greco-Roman mythology, also to the religion of A
ncient Egypt and to the great Asiatic FaithsBuddh
ism, Brahmanism, and Mohammedanism.
Your studies in the First Order then have been so
extensive in order to give you broad views of huma
n knowledge, life, and duty, and our reception int
o Adeptship introduces you into a new statusthat
of a teacher, and be assured, my Very Worthy Frate
r, that your long probation and extensive tuition
have not been for your own benefit only. Your stud
ies have been directed and your mind well stored w
ith science, and your hands well trained in art, i
n order that you might teach others. What you have
received, that freely give. Know then, Frater, th
at in the First Order you are learners, in the Sec
ond Order you are teachers, while in the Third Ord
er you may become rulersMagi or Magistri.
The Right Worthy Inductor has conferred upon you t
he Sign, Grip, and Word of the Grade of Adeptus Mi
nor. To these Secrets I may now add that the Jewel

of the Rosicrucian Society should still be worn,

but suspended by a yellow ribbon. In addition, the
Adept Grades have their own Jewel, which is a tri
angular plate of gold, an equilateral and equiangu
lar triangle, suspended by a golden chain, or a ri
bbon of yellow colour. Upon its face is engraved t
he Tetractysso called of Pythagoras, the famous G
reek Philosopher of Crotona, who lived about 520 B
.C. This consisted of ten stars, which were in lat
er times replaced by ten Yods or Jods, the Chaldee
or Hebrew letter corresponding to the English I o
r Y. These were arranged in four rows of 1, 2, 3,
and 4, so as to be seen also as four rows in the a
lternative position. The ?, Yod was considered as
the Sacred Symbol of God. In Hebrew numeration Yod
was the Number Ten, called the Decad by ancient p
hilosophers, and in this figure the Decad is consi
dered as composed of:
One Yod = God = Unity = the Monad
Two Yods = Yod, Heh = Jah = As above, so below; the
Dyad, Matter.
Three Yods = Yod, Heh, Vau = Adam, Seth, and Enoch
and later the Trinity of the Christian Faith.
And Four Yods = IHVH = the Tetragrammaton becoming
INRI in the Christian symbolism.
Around this figure of the Tetractys are spaces in
which the names and numbers of the three Grades ca
n be engraved. On the reverse tide are the owners
initials, his motto, and the name of the Society.
On the third side are engraved the divine initial
s IHVH and INRI.
The Decad was called the emblem of the Universe. I
f we further consider the Decad and the Tetractys
of Pythagoras in the light of the Hebrew Kabalah,
and according to the numerical; values of the Hebr
ew letters we shall find that the important symbol
ic number Seventy-two is produced. I, Yod, alone i
s ten. Yod, Heh, IH is ten and five, that is fifte
en. Yod, Keh, Vau, IHV is ten, five, and six, that
is twenty-one. Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh, IHVH is ten, f
ive, six, five, that is twenty-six. The total is s
eventy-two, the number of steps of the Ladder of J

acob which reached from earth to heaven upon each

step, says the Talmud, was an Angel bearing one of
the names of God. These names are derived from th
e words and letters of the nineteenth, twentieth,
and twenty-first verses of the fourteenth chapter
of the book of Exodus, and to each name is added t
he angelic title of AL or AH as a termination. In
medival magic these seventy-two angelic names wer
e engraved on thirty-six Talismans, and were used
for divination and protection.
The seventy-two-lettered divine name was called the
Shemhamphorasch.
The number seventy-two is also the numeration of t
he name Chesed, CHSD, eight, sixty, four, which si
gnifies Mercy, it is one of the divine attributes
of the Ten Holy Sephiroth.
As has been already stated, the work of the Adepts
is that of tuition as well as self-improvement; a
s an Adeptus Minor it is your special duty to teac
h the Zelators and the Fratres of the Grade of The
oricus; while in the College ceremonials you shoul
d be at all times able and willing to perform the
duties of an Ancient.
You may feel well assured, my Frater, that the mos
t sure way to fix any knowledge in the memory is t
o practice the art of teaching that knowledge to o
thers who are seeking to reach your own stage of p
rogress.
Right Worthy Inductor, my task is done.
Ind.: Fratres, the admission of our Frater to the
Grade of Adeptus Minor is now completed. May he be
long spared to pursue his studies, and to assist
others in their efforts to attain the Summum Bonum
True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.
Be upstanding, Fratres.
With the knocks * * * * *
*, I close this College
of Adepts.
Expositor and Conductor repeat the knocks * * * * *
*.
Inductor gives the Benediction: Benedicat Dominus D
eus noster per secula seculorum. Amen.

Sixth Grade - Adeptus Major

One year should elapse between the Major and Minor
Receptions, but the Most Worthy Supreme Magus or
the Chief Adept of a Province may abbreviate the p
eriod. The Candidate, wearing the Jewel of the Ros
icrucian Society and ribbon of the 5th Grade, knoc
ks as an Adeptus Minor with five and one; he is no
t blindfolded.
Ind.: Very Worthy Fratres, I open this College of
Adepts by giving five and two knocks, * * * * *
* *.
The Conductor admits the candidate at the Portal, a
nd stands beside him in the West.
Ind.: Are you an Adept?
Con. for Cand.: I have seen the lesser light that
shines in darkness, and have passed the barrier th
at shuts out the uncovenanted race of man.
Ind.: By what word do you seek admission?
Con. for Cand.: By the mysterious Word Thanatos, w
hose signification is known only to a true Adeptus
Minor
Ind.: Frater Conductor, you will give the Candidat
e your hand, and let virtue unite two hearts and t
wo souls, and may friendship make you one.
Worthy Frater, as you have borne in mind the solem
n Covenant that exists between you and the Adepts
of this Second Order of the Rosicrucian Society, a
nd have now voluntarily presented yourself to rene
w that sacred Covenant, let me inform you that eac
h step you take, and each word you utter will bind
you still closer to our Fraternity. Reflect, ther
efore, before you enter into irrevocable engagemen
ts. Pronounce not words which are to every true Ad
ept fraught with deep and mystic import unless you
are resolved to adhere to the principles they teach.
I will now recite to you the Covenant you entered
into at the time of your reception as an Adeptus M
inor, and you must again signify your assent, if y
ou can con. scientiously agree to abide by the sam
e in Spirit and in Truth.

The Inductor recites the Covenant, and the candida

te repeating it, so signifies his renewed assent,
holding the Sacred Volume as before, and kneeling
between the Expositor and Conductor.
I, in the presence of the Living God, Who hath tri
umphed over death, and the terrors of the grave, s
olemnly swear that I will ever obey the wise and j
ust commands of the Supreme Magus or Chief Adept;
that I will not communicate to any living Soul, un
less to a duly sworn Adept, the time, place, and o
ccasion of my induction; that I will study the mys
teries of the three worlds, Elementary, Intellectu
al, and Celestial; and finally, that I will consid
er myself bound to the members of this Grade by a
peculiar tie, respecting and loving them while liv
ing, and mourning for them when dead.
So help me the Lord and Arbiter of life and death,
and keep me faithful lo this solemn Covenant.
Exp.: You will now twice kiss the Sacred Volume. Th
is is done.
Ind.: Having repeated the Covenant of the Adepts yo
u may now rise.
The Expositor places his right forefinger on the C
andidates lips with the words: You are a man of H
onour, and a Rosicrucian Adept, so be silent, prud
ent, and wise.
The Sacred Volume is then replaced on the pastos.
Ind.: Worthy Frater, the Occult Sciences reveal to
man the mysteries of his nature, the secrets of h
is organisation, and the means of attaining perfec
tion and happiness. From chaos, order arose, and o
ut of darkness, light; in like manner from the dus
t and ashes of our corporeal forms springs the pur
e and lustrous essence of immortality. No storm ca
n shake, no cloud can darken the spirit of the sel
f-contained and virtuous man.
However black may be the night his calm untroubled
heart beats on in faith and love, his eye beholds
the coming radiance, and when others sink beneath
gloomy terror, the prescience of his glorious fut
ure sustains the child of hope.
For you this dawn appears, for you this spiritual

freedom is promised, but you must purify your soul

by a moral lustration; you must spurge your mind
of the earthly dross of mere humanity, and strive
in earnest to become a partaker of those immortal
joys, which are to be found equally in the past, t
he present, and the future.
To guide your progress let me impress upon you the
value and importance of our symbols. Study their
mystic meaning, and shape your actions by the prec
epts therein revealed. Our ceremonies may seem to
many curious and obscure, but when thoroughly comp
rehended they are instinct with life and beauty. W
e employ these symbols, because knowledge thus com
municated dwells longer in our memories than mere
utterances that pass away.
The Conductor leads the Adept to the East and place
s him before the Inductor.
Ind.: The words of an Adeptus Major are memento Mo
ri. Not in the raven spirit of one who goes to a d
oom he fears, but like a Pilgrim whose heritage of
Light shines afar off beyond these dim and darkso
me plains. For the wise man Death is not. Men have
raised a phantom, which ignorance alone renders t
errible. Death is change and mutability is a law o
f nature. We therefore contemplate this inevitable
change with serene and hopeful faith, and regard
this mortal life as but the vestibule to the Templ
e of Immortality. Persevere, therefore, my Frater,
in the study of true philosophy, and in due time
you shall receive an exceeding great reward.
The time of your reception is now technically six
in the morning or the dawn of day, and in regular
progression we hope you will reach the light and g
lory of noon, when the Sun shines in its strength,
and the earth rejoices in its rays.
The Sign and Grip are those of an Adeptus Minor. T
he knocks by which you may on another occasion obt
ain admission are Five and Two. Five is the sign o
f Adeptship in our Order, and Two the sign of your
having obtained the Second Grade of Adeptus Major.
The Expositor should deliver a Lecture upon the aim
s and duties of an Adeptus Major.

Lecture
Right Worthy Magister, Fraters Adepti, and V.W. Fra
ter.
As you have now been duly received into the Sixth
Grade of the Rosicrucian Society, which is the Sec
ond Grade of Adeptship of the Second Order, let me
congratulate you upon the progress you have made,
and also upon your Reception by the Adepti Majore
s in College assembled.
The special duties of our ancient fratres in this
grade were the teaching and guidance of the Practi
ci of the Society, the performance of experiments
in physical science and researches into the relati
ons existing between minerals, metals, and their c
ompounds.
In addition to these duties, an Adeptus Major was
instructed to devote great attention to Contemplat
ion upon serious subjects, and was taught that gre
at powers are to be gained by Mental Concentration
, the Yoga of Hindoo philosophy. Each Adept shou
ld make a solemn study of himself, observing the m
ental and moral failings which beset him, and shou
ld endeavour to cultivate and strengthen those fac
ulties which he finds to be lacking in development
, so that he may become daily more fit to combat t
he world, the flesh and the devil, and be better p
repared to lie down in death when the summons of t
he Great King shall call him to cease from his wor
k in this world. The life of an Adept, well spent
in thought, word, and deed, should provide a fitti
ng preparation for a calm repose.
The Secret Words of this Grade Memento Mori are in
tended to provide a bridle to your tongue, a guard
ian to your mind, and a tutor to your passions.
These Secret Words should form the test of your se
lf-communings, and also a ladder by which your tho
ughts may pass from your duties as a man to your p
rivileges as a spiritual Ego. It may well be that
with the casting aside of your material body you m

ay in another sphere of being attain more extensiv

e perception, and the power of communication with
other beings without the need of speech and the or
gans of heating and sight. The Ego robed only in a
tenuous garment of ether may well possess the lon
ged-for clairaudience and clairvoyance which the M
ystics have so earnestly sought for by means of he
mortification of the flesh and aspirations after
the Divinity.
It being our duty to remember that death must come
to us sooner or later, and may come to any one of
us to-day, it is fitting that my address should r
efer to the Great Change.
Death is the end of life, and a well-spent life en
ds in that peaceful and happy death which the Gree
ks called Euthanasia. By I, Thou, or He, we mean t
he Thinker dwelling in a material body; death is t
he separation of the Thinker, which philosophers c
all the Ego, from its body, from its garments whic
h have been soiled by age, by use, or by abuse.
Self-preservation is said to be the first law of n
ature, and it seems true to say that a natural dea
th only occurs when it is no longer physically avo
idable; it does not take place so long as the body
is perfect enough to form the dwelling of the Vit
al Force, and to confine the Life Essence.
The Christian Faith teaches that our lives are per
iods of probation, and that, when a life has been
ended, the body returns to the earth, and the soul
to God, Who gave it. According to the Roman Catho
lic Faith, the soul at death goes to a place of Pu
rgatory, for all souls have sinned and need some p
unishment, and then to a final judgment when etern
al happiness or misery will be allotted.
The Reformed or Protestant Faith teaches also the
coming of a Great Day of Judgment, but does not de
finitely specify the condition or place of abode o
f souls after death and before judgment.
Almost all the ancient nations held the doctrine o
f successive lives, and did not grant the creation
of a new soul for each new personality born. Many
old religions taught that Reincarnation was unive

rsal, and that each life was a result of the actio

ns and experiences of a previous life,while ackno
wledging that great wickedness might cause he comp
lete loss of a soul, and that sublime purity when
attained led to absorption into the Divinity from
which all souls emanate.
The ancient Hebrews had no ideal of immortal life
in joy of punishment; the medival Rabbis taught t
hat souls passed through many existences; so also
did the Mysteries of Egypt, the Olympic religion o
f the Greeks, the Roman cultus, and the great reli
gions of India,Brahmanism and Buddhism.
There is very little race in Latin literature that
the Romans feared death, any more than the Turks,
Chinese, and Japanese of our own times. The Roman
softened the notion of death he avoided saying, m
ortuus est, but said vixit, he did live, or fuit,
he was. The sudden death of a man they ascribed to
Apollo, the Sun God who withdrew the vitality he
had given of a woman they referred to Diana as a M
oon Goddess, more nearly related to the feminine t
ype.
There is an idea, still commonly believed in, that
has come down to us from the earliest times, that
at the point of death a man has a mental vision,
or review of the course of his past life. It is an
awful thought. Let us all, then, so live our live
s that this spectre of life may but little distres
s us.
The consciousness of a life well spent is of itsel
f a crown of reward. The last end of a man who has
passed his days in sehish enjoyment or in mortal
sin must indeed be haunted by the ghost of his sor
did joys and poisoned feasts.
Let us strain every nerve to obey the Divine Law,
and to love our neighbours as ourselves such prece
pts are of universal application; against such the
re is no law. The body we live in should be respec
ted and preserved in health so far as is possible;
we are sent here to live out our lives, not to de
stroy them; in life only can we learn by experienc
e, and so progress along the uphill path to perfec

tion.
There is no progress to be made in the grave, so w
ork while it is yet day. As we sow, so we shall al
so reap,for the night cometh when no man can work.
How excellent it is to spend a long life well, to
travel a long and arduous life journey, and then t
o fall asleep in death, as if falling asleep from
fatigue. For the aged, he final scene is often bri
ef, and he act of dying almost imperceptible. At s
uch a time the vivid remembrance of a well-spent l
ife full of benevolent self-sacrifice and zealous
endeavour to do the right must tend to Euthanasia.
Let us endeavour, then, to live so as to have no f
ear of death holding such doctrines as these, to c
onfess to a fear of death is to confess to an ill
spent life.
Right Worthy Magister, my task is done, and nothin
g remains except to express the hope that in due t
ime our Very Worthy Frater may attain to the exalt
ed Grade of Adeptus Exemptus.
Ind.: Fratres, our duties being performed, I close
the Vault of the Adepts with five and two knocks.
Expositor and Conductor repeat knocks, * * * * *
* *.
Ind. recites the Benediction: Benedictus Dominus De
us noster per secula seculorum. Amen.

Seventh Grade - Adeptus Exemptus

This Grade is conferred technically at Noon in the
Vault of Adepts. A Blazing Sun is shown in the So
uth; a pastos lies on the floor, its head to the E
ast; its foot at the centre of the Vault.
At the commencement of the ceremony the Vault is b
ut dimly lit, and the Blazing Sun in the South is
not visible.
The Candidate, who wears the Jewel of the Rosicruc
ian Society and Ribbon of an Adeptus Major is blin
dfolded by the Acolite, and instructed to give the

knocks of on Adeptus Major.

The Fratres upstanding.
Ind.: Very Worthy Fratres, I open this College of
the Adepti by giving five and three knocks, and by
reciting the Mystic Words, Mors Janua Vitae.
Very Worthy Fratres, we are to-day assembled to ce
lebrate high noon by the admission of an Adeptus M
ajor of our Order to the full honours of Adeptship
. Our Frater has been selected by the Supreme Magu
s to receive this privilege on account of his assi
duity, and the progress he has made in the studies
allotted to him.
Very Worthy Conductor, the Candidate must give us
the Secret Words of all grades from Zelator upward
s; so you may admit him blindfolded and place him
before us.
Cond.: Right Worthy Inductor, I will admit our Fra
ter, as you desire, and he shall be examined by me
to learn if he be worthy.
When the knocks given by the Candidate are heard,
the Conductor passing to the door of the Vault adm
its the Candidate and leads him to the North side
of the pastos. The Conductor stands on the South s
ide of the pastos, facing him.
Cond.: Frater Adept, in order to secure your advan
cement to the Grade of Adeptus Exemptus it is nece
ssary that you recite to the Fratres the Secret Wo
rds of all the Grades through which you have alrea
dy passed. Give me then the Secret Word of the Gra
de of Zelator; of Theoricus; of Practicus; of Phil
osophus; of Adeptus Minor; and lastly, of Adeptus
Major.
When this has been done, the Conductor places the
Candidate at the foot of the pastos, but facing th
e Expositor in the West.
Exp.: Very Worthy Adeptus Major, your progress to
the highest grade of Adeptship has been slow and g
radual, but all the stages of your career have bee
n alike necessary and beneficial. Your Zelatorship
was a period of compulsory silence and probation.
As a Theoricus you made an intellectual study of
our sciences. As a Practicus you gained by experim

ent a knowledge of the properties of matter, and a

s a Philosophus your intuition was enlarged and de
epened, and you contemplated the Divine Power beyo
nd you. In the two preliminary grades of Adeptship
you have been led to consider your own future; yo
u have been made to realise that you must one day
stand face to face with Death; for Death alone is
the portal through which you must pass to attain t
o the Highest knowledge and the fullest initiation.
The Conductor turns the Candidate to the East, faci
ng the pastos.
Ind.: You have come here symbolically to die; your
face is even now shrouded and veiled from the lig
ht of day; you stand on the very edge of the grave
, Conductor removes hoodwink and when your allotte
d time has come may you sink into it in peace and
honour. No dweller on earth is in his person immor
tal; nothing in this world is eternal. The Sun its
elf must die, and be dissolved into its elements;
indeed to us men it appears to die daily every pas
sing day is its light eclipsed. As in regular dail
y sequence it sinks from our gaze, and none can hi
nder it, so; my Frater, must you sink your persona
lity in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; your pr
esent form is but a passing image which must be re
stored to the earth from which its material elemen
ts were derived.
Your Real Self must be once more veiled from human
eyes by that dread mysterious change, which men c
all Death, but which to the Initiate is but the Ga
te of Life; Mors Janua Vitae.
Ind.: These words, my Very Worthy Frater, are the
Secret Words of this exalted grade, and even as I
reveal them to you, mark the Sun appearing in its
noontide splendour in the South.
At these words the Light in the South is unveiled,
and the Candidate is turned to face it.
Ind.: It is a type of the full knowledge which fut
urity will bring you, the type also of the grade o
f Adeptus Exemptus, the fullest and brightest posi
tion in our Second Order.
Very Worthy Frater, your years in this life may be

many, or they may be few, be you careful that the

y are well spent; relax not your vigilance; cease
not your exertions. Ever upward and onward should
be your watchword, for such is the pathway to Divi
ne existence. Fail not to remember that Mors Janua
Vitae: Death is the Gate of Life.
Ind.: The Sign and Grip are those of Adeptship. The
knocks are five and three.
Exp.: Live, my Very Worthy Frater, in the World, b
ut be not of it. Protect the Soul rather than the
Body. Be pure in mind and zealous in good works. C
ast away all fear, and bear in your memory the adv
ice I now give to you, Gnothi se authon,Know thys
elf. The voice of conscience, which is spiritual i
ntuition, will never fail to guide him aright who
respects its shrine; but remember that every time
you reject the promptings of conscience you destro
y some portion of its authority, and you fall one
step away from the attainment of moral perfection.
Ind.: The knowledge of yourself will lead you to t
he perception of Universal Knowledge, the completi
on of which is Absolute Truth.
Exp.: For Man, the Microcosm, is analogous to the
Macrocosm; that which is below is similar to that
which is above, but material and not spiritual.
Ind.: Yet even in this material form there dwells
a Spark of the Divine which is your Higher Self. T
hus each human being contains the germ of infinite
improvement.
Exp.: But that improvement depends upon the freedo
m of your will; man came from God, to God he may r
eturn if he doeth well.
Ind.: We have taught you how to know. Exp. You alon
e can will.
Cond.: You alone can dare.
Ind.: By these means only can your efforts be crown
ed with success.
Ind.: Be seated, my Very Worthy Frater, in this Va
ult of the Adepti Exempti. May this occasion never
be forgotten by you, may you never fail to keep t
o the path of duty, and never neglect any opportun
ity to achieve self-knowledge; so may you be able

to assist others to climb the rugged path, which a

lone leads to the longed-for goal of perfection.
Ind.: I now call upon the Expositor to deliver a Le
cture.
Exp.: Right Worthy Magister Inductor, and Very Wort
hy Fratres Adepti.
The Grade of Adeptus Exemptus completes the Second
Order of the Rosicrucian Society, and in name of
all the Adepti I congratulate you, Frater , on ha
ving attained to the Crown of Adeptship, but I als
o entreat you to continue to pursue your studies a
nd your duties with fervency and zeal Never be wea
ry of well-doing, always strive to excel yourself
in all your works, and so it may be that in due co
urse of time you may receive from our Most Worthy
Supreme Magus the call to advance into the ruling
order of our Society; for the path to the Grade of
Magister lies always open to the Frater who posse
sses courage and endurance, if he will add to thes
e virtues enthusiasm in the performance of his wor
k, and an orderly submission to the behests of the
Magi who govern our ancient and honourable Societ
y Yes, my Frater, the Path is always open, but it
leads upward all the way, and it is still beset wi
th temptations to turn aside the pilgrim who is se
eking the Infinite.
As an Adeptus Exemptus your special care is to gui
de the studies of the Philosophi who are expected
to consider not only the Christian writings, and t
o follow the behests of Jesus Who was the Christ,
but also to search out and endeavour to comprehend
the doctrines of the great World-Religions which
preceded Christianity, and still continue to suppl
y a rule of conduct to many millions of our fellow
men. An attentive study of the Faiths of the Worl
d will lead to the discovery that in all of them m
ay be found high moral teachings, although overlai
d by many strange superstitions, much superfluous
oriental imagery, and errors due to the ignorance
of the times in which they were founded. The study
of Comparative Religion will explain to a large e
xtent the differing characters of the worlds inhab

itants as for example, the tenets of Buddhism are

exemplified in the manners of the mild Hindoo, whi
le the fanatic valour of the Arab and the Turk hav
e been stimulated by the Faith of Mohammed. Brahmi
n theology compels the use of endless ceremonials
and ablutions, while in China the teaching of Conf
ucius leads to lives of passive endurance.
The Christian Religion of Western Europe for fifte
en hundred years required implicit obedience to th
e faith as crystallised in the Church of Rome.
This system prevailed at the time of the passing a
way of our Founder Christian Rosenkreuz in 1484. O
ne hundred and thirty years later, when the Fama
and Confessio which narrated the history of the
foundation of the Society of Rosicrucians, were f
irst printed and published in 1614, the Reformatio
n had been accomplished. Preachers of the Reformed
Faith taught the right and duty of all men to rea
d the Bible for themselves, and to guide their con
duct by the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the
New Testament.
The Fratres of the Rosicrucian Society have at all
times professed the Christian Faith, and in our S
ocietas Rosicruciana in Scotia of to-day we receiv
e only Christian Masonic Brethren.
It should be borne in mind that Freemasonry, as a
Speculative Society, when it arose from the more p
urely Operative Guilds, was in Scotland at first a
Christian Fraternity. The basis of Scottish Freem
asonry was subsequently made Theistic. Its basis w
as thus widened to extend its usefulness, not only
in Scotland, but also to our Colonies, which were
then beginning to be numerous and important. Sinc
e that event some National Masonic bodies have exc
luded all references to a Supreme Being the Gran
d Orient of France for exampleand so the Rosicr
ucian Society cannot admit Freemasons who hold Cer
tificates from such Masonic Jurisdictions.
The duty of an Adeptus Exemptus is not only to ass
ist in the teaching of the Philosophi, but also to
supervise the Adepts of the two lower grades, ins
tructing them by converse and example how to rule

and govern their lives so as to live respected, an

d die full of honour and good works.
You, my newly received Adeptus Exemptus, have so l
ately passed through the Ceremony in which you sto
od beside the symbolic grave, that your thoughts m
ust turn quite naturally to the Hereafter, and you
are seeking to know the nature of the state or co
ndition in which the disembodied soul may awake, a
nd to peer into the great darkness which overshado
ws our latter end. As a Christian the teachings of
other faiths seem less true than the glimpses of
futurity which our own Sacred Writings provide: as
a Christian you know that it is not given to man
to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God
. As St. Paul saidNow we see through a glass dar
kly but then Face to face. To the faithful Christi
an our Divine Master saidIn my Fathers house are
many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you.
The condition of the human soul immediately after
death is hidden from our view, and so it is of no
value to contrast the various arguments in favour
of Purgatory or of Reincarnation. So also it is eq
ually futile to discuss whether there will bean im
mediate judgment upon each one, or a single final
judgment for all.
Let us love God and act justly by all men, let us
study nature, let us teach as well as learn, let u
s be merciful as we hope for mercy, and by so doin
g prepare to close our eyes in death when our life
s work is done, calm in the dignity of our manhoo
d, assured of the beneficence of God our Father, a
nd trusting in the promise of our Great Master, Je
sus the Christ.
We are Fratres Ros et Crucis, so let us remember
the Rose as a symbol of the Divine Spirit within u
s, and the Cross as an emblem of self-sacrifice an
d high endeavour.
Ind.: Very Worthy Fratres, we are about to close t
his Vault of the Adepti with words of Thanksgiving
. Let us not only use words of prayer and thanksgi
ving, but let us also work.
Exp.: Laborare est orare; To labour is to pray; as

our ancient Fratres have so well said.

Ind.: May we leave this Vault with a firm determin
ation to work out our Salvation with Will and Cour
age. So guided and supported, the Adept who is fai
thful to the covenant he has so solemnly made in t
he presence of his Fratres, will never fail to obt
ain a great reward.
Exp.: While we all thank God for our lives, for ou
r health, and for our progress in the Rosicrucian
Society, let our newly exalted Frater be also than
kful for the attainment of this Crown of Adeptship.
Ind.: Be upstanding, Fratres. When, our work being
done, Death closes our lives, we are sustained by
hope; so let us close this Vault of the Adepti by
reciting the Mystic Words of the Grade, for they
give us promise of a glorious future; Mors Janua V
itae.
Ind.: Mors, * * * * *
* * *.
Exp.: Janua, * * * * *
* * *.
Cond.: Vitae, * * * * *
* * *.
Ind.: Benedictus Dominus Deus Noster.
Gloria Patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et
semper, et in secula seculorum.
Amen.

Eighth Degree - Magister

Opening of a Council of Magistri
C.: Fratres! We are assembled in our sacred Temple
to fulfil the duties of Magistri of the Society o
f the Rose and Cross, and I give you hearty greeti
ng.
In accordance with the ancient custom I call upon
the Fratres to rise and stand with reverence aroun
d our Temple Triangle all rise and let each one br
eathe in silence a prayer and a thanksgiving while

I salute in solemn form the Sacred Emblems inscri

bed upon the Altar.
S.: Let each Frater bend the knee, bow the head, a
nd place the right hand upon the heart in token of
submission to the Most High, and of devotion to t
he aims and welfare of our ancient Society.
C.: Behold, my Fratres! I salute the Sacred Emblem
s. I trace the Circle of Infinity, touch the three
points of the Sacred Delta and the four angles of
the Square of the Elements, and with due reverenc
e point to the Symbol of Divine Unity presiding at
the Centre of Existence.
Say after me: O t q d all repeat, and rise.
By the power and authority vested in me I declare t
his Council of Magistri to be duly opened.
Be seated, Fraters.
Ceremony of Admission
When the knocks of an Adeptus Exemptus are heard o
n the Portal, the C. calls for silence and attenti
on.
C.: Right Worthy Secretary, you will enquire who di
sturbs this Council of Magistri.
S. goes to the Portal, receives the name and motto
of the Candidate, and returns to his place and sa
ys: Most Worthy Supreme Magus (or Right Worthy Cel
ebrant), our Very Worthy Frater , an Adeptus
Exemptus, who has been chosen for advancement, now
seeks admission to the Eighth Grade in this Templ
e of Magistri of the Rose and Cross.
C.: You will admit the Very Worthy Frater, who has
been chosen for the Mastery.
S. goes once more to the Portal, admits the Adept,
and leads him to the West, facing the Altar. The
Adept bows to the Altar.
C.: Very Worthy Frater Adept, the attention and st
udy which you gave to the pursuits of the Society
led to your admission to the Second Order. The pro
minence you have attained among your Fratres has l
ed to your selection as a Member of the Third Orde

r, and it has been decided to advance you to the E

ighth Grade of the Society, and our Right Worthy F
rater, the Secretary-General, is instructed to pla
ce your name on the Roll of those Fratres who are
Magistri Societatis Rosicruciana in Scotia.
The knowledge and experience you have gained in yo
ur progress through the Seven Grades of the First
and Second Orders which you have successively pass
ed, have given you an insight into the Mysteries o
f Science and Religion. You have obtained a cleare
r understanding of the Symbols and outward forms,
which have ever been employed to veil the greater
truths from the multitude, who would have been una
ble to appreciate them.
The principles of Numbers were displayed to you in
your Zelatorship; the Secrets of Colour were exhi
bited to you in the Grade of Theoricus; the proces
ses of Alchemy in the Grade of Practicus; and the
dogmas of Theosophy were taught in the Grade of Ph
ilosophus.
The three successive stages of your Adeptship have
implanted in your mind, and impressed upon your h
eart, the solemn lessons of Death. You were assure
d that Death is but change and not destruction, an
d that the tendency of the life-wave is ever to pr
ogress upward and onward to the Divine Source or a
ll Life and of all Good.
E.: As Fratres of the Third Order, we are empowere
d to rule the members of the lower grades, to supe
rvise their studies, and to review the progress wh
ich has been made in science, art, and literature.
As a Magister of the Society you must, however, l
earn to be a true Master, and especially over your
own lower Nature, for so only will you be able to
rule the Fratres, and attain to success in any sp
here of usefulness to which you may be appointed b
y the Supreme Magus of the Society.
C. to Cand.: Approach the East and kneel. Place yo
ur hands on the Sacred Triangle upon the Altar bef
ore you, and repeat after me:

Obligation
C. and cand.: I swear by the Torrent of Fire, by t
he Whirlwind of Air, by the Floods of Water, and b
y the Earth whereon I kneel, that I will be, and f
or ever remain, true and faithful Magister of the
Society of the Rose and Cross, and I do undertake
faithfully to carry out the behests of the Supreme
Magus of the Society in Scotia, whose earnest coadjutor I now engage myself to become. So help me
all the sacred and mysterious powers above, repres
ented by the Sublime Emblem of the Triangle upon h
is holy Altar, here in the East of this House of t
he Holy Spirit.
You will salute with your lips the Sacred Triangle.
Be seated, Fratres!
Rise, newly pledged Magister, and may you become a
worthy successor to our great Founder, Christian
Rosenkreutz, who, having laid the foundation of th
is Society upon a holy basis, instructed its membe
rs in the mystical knowledge acquired by his great
talents. After a life spent in acts of benevolenc
e, he died in the love and esteem of all the Fratr
es, and being buried in the symbolic Vault, was ye
t again brought to be a witness to the mystical kn
owledge of the Fratres or the House of the Sanctus
Spiritus; and so hallowed this Society of the Ros
e of Silence and Secrecy, and the Cross of Self-Sa
crifice and High Endeavour.
The emblematic design upon the Altar is of a sacre
d nature, The Circle represents Infinity; the Tria
ngle refers to the Holy Trinity the Square to the
four Elements; and the central point is a symbol o
f the Divine Unity.
The words and signs of the Grade are then communica
ted.
C.: The Words are O T q d signifying H b ar
e t T, O L at H The Signs of the Grade of Magi
ster are thus given: I place my right hand upon th
e C of your Head, thus covering with my outstretc
hed fingers your Brain, the seat of mans intellec

t, a the temple was the dwelling of the Shekinah.

Youas the other Magister, will then give me the A
nswering Signby placing your right hand on my Hea
rt, the emblematic seat of the affections and of l
ove.
Thus these two Signs demonstrate, first a Salutati
on to the Temple of God, and secondly a Recognitio
n that God is Love.
The Secretary-General leads the Candidate to the Ex
ponent.
E.: A Magister must give eight knocks upon the Por
tal to gain admission four and four, which refer
s to IHVH and INRI.
A Magus desiring admission to a Council gives four
and five knocks, which typify IHVH, Jehovah, and
IHSHVH Jehoshuah or Jesus.
As a Magister, you belong to the Eighth Grade, and
have entered the Third Order of this Society of t
he Rose and Cross. You may be called upon by the M
ost Worthy Supreme Magus to act as a High Councill
or, or as the Celebrant of a College, or may be em
powered by Dispensation to confer the Grades of Ad
eptship, or to take part in the admission of Fratr
es to the Mastery, or even to confer the Grade of
Magister.
The formula of Recognition is as follows when you
meet another Magister Ros Crucis, say to him
1st Master: Ave Frater.
2nd Master: Ros (touch head).
1st Master: et Crucis (touch heart).
2nd Master. Benedictus Dominus Deus Noster.
1st Master: Qui nobis degit Signum.
C.: the Grade you have now received entitles you t
o be called Right Worthy Frater, and may you eve
r live so as to be deserving of so honourable a de
signation. Be moderate in all things, be ever desi
rous of further progress, be ready to teach, and a
s ready to learn, and so shall the Great INRI, the
Christos, the Lux Mundi, lead you into all Peac
e in the time to come.
Fratres! I call on you to salute your new Frater wi
th the Sign of the Grade of Magister.

Each Frater steps up in turn and places his right

hand on the head of the new Magister, who places h
is right hand on the heart of the older Magister.
The Historical Lecture of the Eighth Grade
Right Worthy Fratres,
The history of the Rosicrucians goes hack into the
Middle Ages, and in Germany was the origin of the
Fraternity.
The earliest public notice of the Fratres of the R
ose and Cross appeared in 1614 in a pamphlet print
ed at Cassel in Germany, and entitled Fama Frater
nitatis. It was a narrative of the founding of th
e Society, and this was reprinted in 1615, togethe
r with a second pamphlet, entitled, Confessio Fra
ternitatis, being a confession of the faith of t
he Rosicrucians, with their purpose and duties.
These tracts were made known in an English transla
tion in this country in 1652, by Thomas Vaughan, a
mystic philosopher who wrote under the pseudonym
of Eugenius Philalethes.
The Fama, which is a history, narrates that the
highly learned Frater Christian Rosenkreutz travel
led with a Father P.A.L. to the East in search of
knowledge, and reached Cyprus where his friend die
d in 1393.
Christian Rosenkreutz then went on to Damascus and
studied there, subsequently going into Egypt, whe
re he remained a long time.
He journeyed along the Mediterranean Sea and visit
ed Fez, where he studied the learning and magic of
the Arabs, finally crossing over into Spain and l
earning the Jewish Kabalah, also the philosophy of
the Moors.
He returned at length to Germany in 1402, and sett
led down to codify the vast amount of knowledge he
had collected.
There, in a place now unknown, he collected around
him a group of earnest students and self-sacrific
ing brothers, to whom he taught the Oriental syste

ms of Religion and Philosophy, Alchymic and Astrol

ogical ideas, the doctrines of the Hermetic studen
ts of Egypt, and the Kabalah of the jewish Rabbis.
Christian Rosenkreutz chose at fist three faithful
Fratres, and later five others were selected by h
im, and these eight earliest Fratres constituted t
he Domus Sancti Spiritus, or house of the Holy
Spirit the first Rosicrucian Templeand this was
in Germany, but its place has never been revealed.
Six ordinances were laid down to govern the origina
l members in the conduct of their lives,
FIRSTThat none of them should profess any great p
owers, knowledge or authority to the outer world,
but should do good, and heal the poor freely.
SECONDThat no peculiar habit should be worn when
out in the world, to make them conspicuous or liab
le to persecution.
THIRDThat on one day at least in every year all s
hould assemble to record their work, and communica
te to each other their gains of knowledge.
FOURTHEvery Frater should seek one or more suitabl
e persons to succeed him.
FIFTH That R.C. or C.R. should be their seal,
mark and character.
SIXTHThat the Society should remain a secret or p
rivate one, at least for a hundred years, if no lo
nger.
In society, study and work they passed many years,
and the eldest Fratres or Magistri designed and e
xecuted a funeral Chamber, about 1450, in which Ch
ristian Rosencreuz should lie embalmed when his en
d came.
Christians Rosenkreutz charged them to bury him th
ere, and to close up the chamber, after arranging
within it copies of the books, magical weapons, an
d other secret paraphernalia designed by him and u
sed in magic art by members of the Society.
At length the Great Founder died, as we reckon, in
1484, and was entombed.
On the door of the vault an inscriptionsPost cent
um viginti annos patebowas engraved on a brazen p
late, meaning that the vault should be opened afte

r 520 years.
This long period passed by, and Roman Catholicism
had become in a great measure superseded by the Lu
theran Reformed Religion, but the work of the Rosi
crucians had continued in peace and secrecy.
At last in 1604 the Fratres then forming the centr
al group of the Society disclosed the door of the
secret chamber and entered the vault, and there la
y the embalmed body of the Founder in perfect cond
ition, clothed in the Symbolic Robes and the Insig
nia of his office of Magus or Head of the Society,
and there were found stored the original books an
d properties of the earliest members.
The hundred years of absolute secrecy having expir
ed, the living Fratres decided to make the Society
more manifest, and to disclose its history and or
igin.
It has been alleged that a Theologian named Valent
ine Andrea was the anonymous author who published
the History or Fama, which narrates the Foundati
on, and the Confessio, or declaration of the ten
ets, of the Fratres Ros et Crucis at the time of
manifestation, and so the learned of Europe were f
irst made acquainted, about 1614, with the purpose
s and doctrines of the Rosicrucians.
Intense excitement was caused by these two little
books, and there are still extant in German and ot
her libraries more than 300 pamphlets, written wit
hin a period of twenty years, upon the Rosicrucian
controversy.
Frater F. Leigh Gardner has published a Catalogue
Raisonn of Rosicrucian literature, which is des
erving of the attention of all Magistri. It shows
that a very voluminous literature concerned with t
he Rosicrucian Legend and the Mystical studies of
the Rosicrucians still exists.
Among notable Magi and Magistri there have been se
veral, well-known by name and reputation:Michael
Maier, who died in 1622; Robert Fludd, or de Fluc
tibus, 1637; Sir Kenelm Digby, 1665; Thomas Vaugh
an, 1680; John Heydon, 1685; Elias Ashmole, 1692;
and Sigismund Richter, 1750.

In 1785 was published, at Altona, Geheime Figuren

der Rosenkreuzer, or The Secret Symbols of the
Rosicrucias, a learned work on Theosophy, with ma
ny symbolic plates.
A copy of The Admission of the famous chemist an
d alchemist, Sigismund Bacstrom, by the Count de C
hazal in 1794, was in the possession of the late F
rater Frederick Hockley: this is now in the librar
y of the High Council in Anglia; it contains in fu
ll the pledges given by this Frater to the Society
of the Rose and Cross.
From that time onwards there have always been grou
ps of students and individual philosophers having
relation by descent with the original Rosicrucians
of medival Germany.
In 1830, Godfrey Higgins wrote in his Anacalypsis,
that a College was at work in England.
Many men of learning and students of Masonic Histo
ry, as Nicolai, Buhle, and De Quincey, have assert
ed that the symbolic and philosophic teachings fou
nd in the Rituals of Craft Masonry were derived fr
om Rosicrucian doctrines and incorporated into the
body of Masonry, when Speculative Freemasonry aro
se out of the Operative Masonry of the great Trade
Guilds of Masons who were the Cathedral and Churc
h builders of the Middle Ages of Europe.
The History of the Societas Rosicruciana in Angli
a, printed and distributed in 1899, gives an acco
unt of the present system of the Rosicrucian Frate
rnity in that country, and their proceedings since
the year 1866.
The History of the Society in Scotland was printed
and published in Edinburgh in 1924 by authority o
f the Supreme Magus in Scotia.
Closing.
C.: Fratres! You will assist me to close this Counc
il of Magistri in solemn form. All rise.
E.: Fratres! before we leave this sacred Temple le
t us pledge each other ever to be faithful to the

vows we have taken, and let us continue to build a

Spiritual Temple, not made with hands, but eterna
l in the Heavens.
Let each Frater say aloud: I will be ever faithful
to my vows of duty and fidelity.
C. gives the Salute as in the opening.
E. steps up and repeats.
S. also repeats.
All the Fratres then give 3, 4 and 1 ss on the rig
ht hand upon the 1 p in unison.
C.: I now declare this Council of Magistri to be d
uly closed with these words of prayerPax Domini e
st semper vobiscum. Amen