Rosicrucian Society,
Order of the Hermetic Gold+Rose (RSOHGR)
USA, Europe and Africa
Q&A WITH THE IMPERATOR
Below are excerpts from an informal interview with the Most Beloved MCE Imperator, conducted right after his arrival from a US and European mission. The Imperator was talking to a group of some students of the Order and some non-members.
Question 1: What does the Order have to offer to the ordinary man on the street? Why should he become a member?
Imperator: I think your question is wrong. There is no ordinary person. In reality, all persons are extraordinary. Everyone is beautiful in the sight of the Eternal.
What I can say is that all persons suffer. Yes, there is joy in our lives, but there too is pain. There is laughter, but there are tears. Now, to lessen suffering, one must know the rules of the game…the rules of life. Our education, our job, our family and loved ones – these help to lessen our suffering. But is there an ultimate way out of this suffering?
All sages have said that one must know oneself. Within the repository of the Order are proposals and techniques that will quicken the powers of the mind and the soul. Man is governed daily by impulses coming from within and stimuli from without. So in a sense, he is not in true control. But when the powers of the mind are awakened and the soul is in control, ignorance is destroyed, and the person lives in truth. He becomes the master of his life, the creator of his destiny. The real Self is not the physical body nor the astral entity, but the soul within, which is always in communion with God. If the soul reigns, then man will live an inspired, intuitive and illumined life, and he will have peace of mind. In a nutshell, this is really what the Order offers – soul contact and peace of mind.
I will give you some facts to illustrate. (But mind you, these are only facts, not truth yet. Maybe someday they will become true to you.) This is the fact: Many midwives, obstetricians and medical practitioners involved in childbirth will attest that all children are born dead. They are small and lifeless at first. But the moment they inhale their first breath, their body swells and becomes animated. When the baby does not take its first breath, it dies. What does this mean? It means that something enters the body and causes the baby to be alive. This is what is meant by the old adage, “God breathes unto man the breath of life and he becomes a living soul.” When life is imbued in the baby, it becomes alive and conscious. As he grows up, his consciousness develops, and then develops further and further, until at old age, his consciousness and powers decline, his body becomes worn out, and he dies. Now at death, like at birth, a curious thing happens. Something leaves man’s body with his last breath. This something, which entered at first birth, now departs and goes somewhere, just as the physical body becomes dust and returns to the elements.
This something that I have been mentioning is the Soul. It is what makes a person conscious, alive, creative, intelligent, inspired and able to experience all the vicissitudes of life. So all our conscious activities, our creativity, our endeavors and accomplishments are really due to the soul. Now, the mission of our Order is to make contact with the soul, so that we will become more creative, more intelligent, more powerful, more prosperous, and more in command of our lives.
In particular, the Order holds the secrets as to where man’s soul force is concentrated. From the point of view of the Kabbalah, this is called the Sephira – force fields or energy centers. It these Sephira are quickened enough, we attain a high level of soul consciousness called Cosmic Consciousness. We become adepts or living God-men. In truth, we bring the kingdom of heaven on earth, while we are still alive. Again, this is what the Order has to offer to everyone who becomes a member.
But let me say that all this doesn’t happen in a single moment. It takes time. You must stay in the Order for some time, test its principles, and practice its techniques. Then someday, you will just find that there are no more secrets in life. And you will be able to affirm, truly affirm, that life is beautiful.
Question 2: But life is already beautiful for some people. There are those who do not see the need of going through the process of studying and practicing techniques toward soul evolution.
Imperator: For a child aged about 5, life is indeed beautiful. For the ignorant, life may even be paradise. But have you heard of the saying, “Ignorance is bliss?” Yes, as a child, you may be very happy, especially as you play with your toys and enjoy your parent’s warm loving. But cross the street, and a car may bump against you. Sooner or later, somebody might take away your toys, and you will surely cry. Even worse, you may become separated from your parents, and this will cause you pain. What I’m saying is, for most people – who are indeed like children in more ways than one – happiness is not lasting.
No one knows the future. Your life may be beautiful now, but for how long will it last? You may be rich now, but will this be forever? You may have power today, but what about tomorrow? Let’s not kid around, mortal life is not a bed of roses. Mortal happiness is not permanent.
Now, knowledge of the soul – this is something that is eternal. Once mastered, once achieved, the person will become a sage. And he will possess the keys to truly – and eternally – living a life filled with joy and beauty.
Question 3: Some sages don’t look happy. They look like they are carrying the weight of the world.
Imperator: They look like that only. Maybe they are not sages yet. Maybe they are still seeking. Have you seen the smile of a Buddha? Have you ever thought of the prayer of Jesus, “Not mine will, but Thine, O Lord.” Study the lives of the true masters and saints, and you will know that they deliberately enter this world to help humanity, because they know that at the end of the road – which they have seen – is this peace and permanency. You know, the only permanent thing in this physical world is change or impermanence. But, in soul, there is permanency, the permanency of bliss, profound peace , and true wisdom. Indeed, the members in our Order have proven this. They have experienced, even for just a millisecond, the permanency of the soul, where there is felicity and unalloyed peace. It is this experience that makes many members stay on and become loyal to the Order until the end.
Question 4: I realize that the soul is an important topic, and maybe it is the ultimate subject that intelligent people should be discussing. But to be honest, I am more of a practical person. I am more interested in becoming rich. Can the Order help me in this aspect? I’m sorry about my question, and for being very blunt, but this is really what I’m interested in.
Imperator: Dear child, indeed you are blunt. Well, let me speak frankly too. Millionaires are born. Kings and tycoons are born – typically, that is. In their past lives, they had developed the skills to become rulers and magnates, and they simply claimed their proper place, so to speak, in this present lifetime. Also, they have very, very good karma garnered in past lives, which they are now reaping in this lifetime. In other words, it is really their destiny to be rich. This applies especially to those whom we call “the super rich” and the rulers on this earth plane.
But do not misinterpret me. I’m not saying that there is no hope for little men. I am assuring you that the laws, “What the mind can conceive, man can achieve,” and “Create your destiny,” are very true, especially if you know and apply the teachings of our Order.
Within our Order, you will be taught how to strengthen your mind and will. You will be taught to concentrate to the point where you can, for a few minutes, concretize and visualize your thoughts. This is tantamount to making or “programming” your karma. After all, karma is nothing but a program, much like any program in a computer. Although you may not have very good karma to become rich, you can still use the full power of your mind, so that you can manifest desired things in this earthly realm.
Also within the Order, you will be taught how to compensate for your mistakes; maybe mistakes that you are not aware of since you committed them in your past lives. You will be taught the art of giving on the soul and psychic level. You will be taught to become an invisible helper, ministering to the sick, to the poor, to the suffering ones wherever they are, by the use of soul force and psychic powers. Then, you will be further taught to give on the emotional and physical level. This is to conform to the law,”As you give, so shall you receive.” When your person has become the embodiment of giving on the inner and outer levels, then you become a being of true compassion. Opportunities will come to you to become rich and prosperous, not only materially but also spiritually.
This reminds me of something that is popular TV fare these days – that slogan of “inspired and intuitive management.” Dissecting this, we see that inspiration is from the soul, never from the physical brain. And when you say intuition, it is psychic in nature. Intuition is in fact the function of the pineal gland and the limbic system, which are part of Kether, the Sephirah at the top of the head. Thus, what these business and management gurus are really saying is that success in any field is achieved by the use of the powers of the mind and the soul. This coincides perfectly with our teachings. So someday when people begin using the power of their soul and not just their limited minds and bodies, then they would achieve success far more quickly and easily, and this world would truly be a better place to live in.
Question 5: Can you speak more on karma? It has now become a common word that people use quite often.
Imperator: Karma comes from the word karam , meaning” wheels” or “motion.” It is Sanskrit in origin. In the Western magical tradition, we refer to the law of karma as the “Just Law of compensation” or “Knowledge of the scales of Tahuti.”
We were created by God a long, long time ago. Since then, we have lived hundreds and thousands of lives. This means that we have committed countless actions, at the spiritual, psychic, physical or emotional levels. Imagine throwing a single stone on a silent pond. From this one stone, many ripples are created. In our lives, we have thrown a countless number of stones, and the resulting ripples are moving in all directions. Can you imagine it? We are living and moving according to those ripples, and the results is we are entangled in a giant, disorderly, circuitous web, to which we are possibly adding more confusion with every new thought and karma that we make each moment. Our thoughts and karma are powerful, so we must live them out. We must repay those negative karmas we have incurred, and enjoy the recompense for the positive or good karma that we have made. This is why we reincarnate again and again. With the huge store of karma we have accumulated, it is impossible to repay all debts, and enjoy the benefits of all good deeds, in just one lifetime.
If it happens that in this lifetime, you become a mystic, a Kabbalist or a Hermeticist, and you learn about the Cosmic laws, and practice the techniques of our Order, then you are given a great opportunity to purify many, or even all, of the karmas of your previous lives. I said that karma is a program, and it is embedded in our soul body. Our soul body is of course connected to our physical body. Within the latter, there are force centers – the Sephirah – which contains our karma in its latent form. If you know how to manipulate and control these force centers, you will be able to change your karma according to your wishes.
Now as we speak, scientists- from Einstein to present-day quantum physicists – are saying that there is no time and space. They say that all is illusion. This agrees with our Order’s teachings. All our past and future lives are intertwined in the Now, the present. What is the past but thoughts committed or acted upon? What is the future but unmade thoughts and actions? All – past, present and future – is thought.
With the knowledge of your body’s force fields, you can stop all thoughts. Then you will know how to stay in the Void, in a state of consciousness where there is nothing but only Force. This we teach in the Order, and from this vantage point, karma can be manipulated. I will tell you, there is a state called the Thoughtless Stage. Here the saying, “As you think so shall you be.” So be careful to watch your thoughts. They lead to agitated emotions, and then to action, and then to a result or outcome. Good thoughts lead to good karma. Negative thoughts lead to negative karma. The secret is in the transmutation of thoughts. I’d like to say more about this but we’ll never end this discussion. Anyway all these are explained in detail in the lessons of the Order.
Question 6: What does it really means to be a mystic or an esotericist? Does it mean being like a nerd, or a thinker who is detached from the everyday realities of “normal” life?
Imperator: Simply put, a real mystic is one who seeks real meaning in life. He is a person who wants to improve his lot in life, and acts positively to make this happen.
I must stress that a real mystic is a practical one. To be an authentic member of our Order, you must embody the saying. “Feet firmly on the ground, and head up high in the heavens.“ You must not neglect your duties, especially if you are a family person. If you are a student, you must not neglect your studies. You only devote a certain portion of the day, maybe 30 minutes to an hour, to your mystical studies. Maybe you can devote more time to these when you're not so busy, such as during the holidays.
Benjamin Franklin was a great mystic and Kabbalist. He was able to establish a philosophical lodge, while at the same time doing his scientific researches an experiment. Even at the height of the American Revolution, he was able to write patriotic and philosophical works. He never neglected his other “non-mystical” endeavors while continuing to practice mysticism. Another example of a true mystic is the great tycoon Henry ford. His passion was cars and business, which he did not give up for mysticism. While devoting his nights to studying the esoteric arts, he built his material empire during the day. In his old age, he was an active lecturer on reincarnation, a highly mystical topic.
We also must not forget the great Napoleon Bonaparte. He built his empire, waged war against his enemies, and all throughout what life he must have led, he never neglected his mystical studies. In fact, at one time, he became a Grand Master of our Order. He did everything secretly such that no one detected that he was a Kabbalist. Only after his death was it made known that he was an avid practitioner of the Kabbalah.
The thing is if you study the lives of great mystics, you will know that they are well-rounded persons who have their feet firmly on the ground and their heads up there in the clouds, so to speak. Their example is one truly worthy emulating.