Painting by Williman Gilbert
discretion. At a certain stage of evolution there aresubjects and attitudes which are inadmissible, and that is why we can never stress enough that a membership number, or advancement to a highdegree in whatever organization it may be, means something only if the corresponding inner development has been reached. It is the members of high Degrees who, by their mistakes and lack of work or practice, their destructive doubt and superficial study, are, in terms of real evolution, only at a sketchy, uncertain and rudimentary degree; just as it is the neophytes who, potentially, have arrived at a high mystical stage where they will progressively advance in consciousness by rediscovering knowledge that they already have, by carefully putting into practice the Rosicrucian teachings. To search for Greater Light close to someone supposedly more advanced is an error which may be fatal on a Path where it is necessary to ascend with caution and impersonality. To give his admiration and, worse, confidence to someone who is reputed to have belonged to a traditional order for a long time, or to have a deep intellectual knowledge of mystical subjects - therein lies a danger against which the disciple must carefully guard himself. The truly 'enlightened one' does not adopt a formal attitude or a particular manner in public life. On the contrary, he tries to make himself pass unnoticed among men and even among those who believe they know him well, in order that, with others, he may be like them, not making himself in the least different, even if, for a time, he should adopt their weaknesses. He will only reveal himself to one who has recognized him and who knows how to overcome the final obstacle of appearances, because it is true that the Master only appears if the disciple is ready. Every other consideration is illusion. A Rosicrucian, more than anyone else, should constantly use caution and take care not to yield to the mirage of appearances, physical, moral, intellectual, or spiritual, even if these are clothed in exterior qualities which faulty conceptions, books, or anything else, and regrettable misunderstandings, attribute to the evolved. . . .
So here I am again, in these spiritual surroundings
which regenerate the entire being and recharge its strength, vigor
and courage. My sanctuary is lit only by the flickering glimmer
of the eternal candles which burn on my altar, and I abandon myself
to rest and Peace Profound. My thoughts of the morning reappeared
to my consciousness like a flash, leading me to reflect more intensely
on the question of psychic powers... However, I need more precise
direction to place them in their true context. Certainly I know
these powers well since, by acquired experience, by initiative
transmission, and by privilege of my office, I employ them fully
for secret use in the service of others. But how can I explain,
how can I show, in a significant way, their secondary nature with
regard to the essential to which they are subordinate, of which
they are only a consequence, and without which they are only a
dangerous diversion! The 'word' of the Master would determine an
appropriate definition here, and I call to him with all my soul..
.and my call is heard. Quickly I open the register of my memory
and under the dictation of the Master, who is invisible today,
but whose voice rings in me with its infinite power, I note the
message which I shall transcribe later, when I return to the objective
plane, in terms understandable by others and by myself:
"There are no psychic powers in the sense in which we generally understand
them. Man is a total being and, as such, he has exceptional faculties of which,
because of his education and his way of life, he generally develops only an infinitesimal
part, which science places between five and ten percent. This simple definition,
then, clears up the alleged problem of psychic powers. They are not a gift. Every
man, without exception, has them at his disposal, but the only ones who use them
are those who learn to develop them, just as one develops memory and concentration,
for example; but with this essential difference, that they are developed harmoniously
only by the acquisition of knowledge in its theory and practice. Consequently,
it is only by advancing on the path of knowledge that one may hope to use increasingly
the faculties or powers that every man potentially embodies in himself. This
is so true that the disciple perceives, in his seemingly very slow climb,
that he is no longer the same, that he is transformed, and that new possibilities
are surging in him, even though he does not immediately understand their implication
or their meaning. To say of someone that 'he has powers' is thus fundamentally
wrong, and it is preferable to state that he has attained a certain degree of
evolution, which implies a greater use of the faculties latent in every human
being, although the truly evolved mystic will not make a special issue of the
faculties that he has awakened. He considers them incidental to his progress
on the Path, and if he uses them, as is his right and his duty, he does it discreetly,
without ever agreeing to a demonstration to satisfy the curious. His search is
based on the truth contained in the advice of Jesus -'Seek ye first the
kingdom of God' (in other words, progress towards knowledge) 'and all these things
shall be added unto you'.
