2015 - Spring Newsletter
Spring 2015 Newsletter for the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC—Colorado Region
Spring 2015
Outgoing Grand Councilor’s Message
Greetings Seekers, Fratres and Sorores!
This is the last time I will be giving that salutation as the Grand Councilor of the Colorado Region. The standard term of service is five years, although some go longer, and others have situations that mandate an early “retirement”. I find it amazing that it has already been five years!
The time I have spent serving the Colorado Rosicrucians has been wonderful. I have had the pleasure of talking with many of you via email, phone, Facebook and even in person. The passion and love you provide to AMORC is beautiful. I have had wonderful conversations with Grand Master Julie Scott and others at Grand Lodge. They work tirelessly to bring you the best teachings and opportunities possible - please keep them in your thoughts and support Grand Lodge and the officers with Light, Life and Love.
Rather than laud on what I have done, I would like to share my concerns about what I did not see transpire during my tenure that I had hoped for. The first being a general growth in membership. AMORC has seen membership almost double in the past six years, yet this is not necessarily the case in Colorado. The second concern is the lack of growth in attendance for the two affiliated bodies in the region. I do not fault the members that do show up time after time and devote their energy to the group. The work that has been done is fantastic! In all honesty, the Denver/Boulder metroplex has more than enough of a population to support a lodge, but yet it continues on as a Pronaos (the best in the country, I am convinced) with so much potential to be more. I invite all in the Colorado Region to make an effort to at least once join your Fratres and Sorores in a convocation.
I ask everybody that is reading this email, how do those problems get solved? What can be done to improve membership and affiliated body attendance? I did not find the answer, but I hope all that read this contemplate this situation and either find it within themselves to be a part of the blossoming light of Rosicrucianism, and they share that light with others that may have a desire to find personal growth and attunement with the Master Within. But most importantly, act!
Frater John Fowler will be the new Grand Councilor, and I hope you extend to him the same warmth and kindness you showed me. From our phone conversations I am excited for the region as he has ideas and goals that are different from mine, and he brings a completely different energy into the position. Perhaps his ideas can provide some aides to resolving the concerns I express.
To borrow from the tarot, this Fool has completed this journey. To those that provided guidance as the Magician, Priestess, Emperor, Empress, Hierophant or even Devil - Thank You! I have learned temperance, strength and many other virtues along the way. I take these with me and look forward to what I will embark upon next.
Lastly, to those that communicate with me through the Grand Councilor Gmail account. I will no longer have access to that account as it will be switched over with the change from myself to Frater John. If you wish to have my personal Gmail account, I will be glad to give it on an as requested basis, or, you can find me in Facebook.
Peace Be With You,
Brian Mitchell, F.R.C.
Spring 2015
Incoming Grand Councilor's Message
Dear Fraters and Sorors,
It is with great appreciation and humility that I embrace the privilege of becoming the Grand Councilor for the Colorado Region. Having lived all over the United States, it is easy to say that the spirit and the collective personality of our region is as unique as are the mountains which define Colorado so magnificently and whose presence is remembered in the names of our affiliated bodies. They afford us reminders of the mystical ascent which guides us in our daily affairs.
So what do we know about mountains? Two features stand out: their durability and their challenge. At an age of some 65 million years, the Rockies, like the weathered pyramids and the timeless traditions of our Order, are testaments to enduring beauty. Their summits are not easy to attain; our efforts to do so are long and laborious. The flora and fauna change quickly with the effort it takes to climb. Most gloriously, the view from the summit is breathtaking where, in a single visionary swoop, all that we have traversed becomes instantly seen in a more sweeping view. Once the summit is reached the travails of ascent are far more greatly appreciated than they were from the base and, having made that ascent, we, like our view, have changed. Our experience of the human spirit and the beauty that nature affords leaps out at us with a promise of an even greater, more beautiful , and somehow more true experience of life.
The difference between the ascent and the mystical path is hard to distinguish. One unifying feature stands out: Our experience in climbing the mystical mountain can be helpful to others. This service of the intrepid adventurer is a gift offered by the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. Its characteristics are unmistakable, a certain confidence born of the challenge of integration and transcendence that reminds me of the words of Dionysius the Areopigate shared many centuries ago in his famous Mystical Theology and the Celestial Hierarchies. Each level of that hierarchy, he wrote, transcends and includes the previous stage. We never transcend and abandon, any more than our subconscious mind could forget the cells that populate our physical bodies, or they forget us in their constant adherence to the cosmic order of their activities. They, along with the many levels of organization which transcend and include them, the tissues, organs, organisms, ecosystems, planetary systems, and yes even solar and universal systems and their order, are a harmonious whole, interdependent and ordered by the Cosmic Consciousness which we all strive to know so much better and better.
Like all of us, I marvel at the layers of order and harmony that we enjoy and the experiences that come with each new level of appreciation and understanding.
An old mystical aphorism well summarizes how we fit in: “Of myself and by myself I am nothing, but as part of the greater whole and a member of the human race, I am mighty and powerful.”
May we all bask in the Peace Profound that comes with understanding, gratitude, and service.
Sincerely and fraternally,
John Fowler, FRC
Grand CouncilorColorado Region
Rocky Mountain Lodge Historian’s Corner—Spring 2015
By David Schloegel
- 75 Years ago – April, May, June 1940
- Imperator – Ralph Maxwell Lewis
- Grand Master – Thor Kihmaleto
- Master – Dr. Aurel Goodwin
- Meeting location – Y.M.C.A. building - 16th and Tremont
- Status - Chapter
- Membership roster – 25 members
- Each meeting included the lesson and an experiment
- Very healthy group with 3 Colombes
- Affiliated body in existence only 2 years - limited information available
- 50 Years ago – April, May, June 1965
- Imperator – Ralph M. Lewis
- Grand Master – Rodman R. Clayson
- Master – Eleanor Woodhull
- Meeting location – Wilda Building – 1441 Welton
- Status - Chapter
- Membership roster – 33 members
- 2 Colombes serving
- Degree forums continue to be held
- 25 Years ago – April, May, June 1990
- Imperator – Gary Stewart
- Grand Master – Donna O’Neill
- Master – Linda Tyler
- Meeting location – Edgewater Masonic building – 5700 West 25th Ave.
- Status - Lodge
- 1 Colombe serving
- Membership roster – 55 members
- 4th Degree initiation held – 4/28/90
- 5th Degree initiation held – 5/26/90
- 1st Degree initiation held – 6/8-9/90
- Held ongoing Artisan classes with Artisan Master Farrell North
- TMO Master Sharon Rogoff conducting ongoing TMO classes