Mountain Rose Pronaos Master's Message

“Philosophizing on the Mountain”

Years ago, there was a television series on BBC by the name of “Connections,” which demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. I’ve always loved that approach, and have used it many times, not just for technology, but for the development of the thought process itself. That’s what the title of this message is all about!

Many of you may be familiar with the large illustrated book that H. Spencer Lewis compiled entitled Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians. My favorite illustration in that book is the “Mountain of the Alchemists,” also known as the “Mountain of the Philosophers.” It depicts the journey up a rocky mountain by a seeker of truth, and has many symbols embedded in every aspect of the mountain. I could write several pages regarding the many and complex symbols in this drawing, but that is not the focus of this message, rather, the focus is on the seeker of truth at the bottom of the page. He is someone who is searching for the path but is being distracted and confused by others who may be misdirecting him, or by other symbols, which may frighten him.

This leads me to the first connection, which is the beginning of Dante’s Divine Comedy, where the seeker, Dante, is lost in a dark wood. There he meets Virgil, who asks him, “Why do you not climb the delightful mountain?” Virgil then accompanies him through the valley of fear and then on his journey down through Hell and up the mountain of Purgatory, and finally into Paradise. Once again, there are many deep and illuminating points to be made about this epic poem, but that is not the focus of this message. The focus is the valley of fear and the challenge of “climbing the delightful mountain.”

The next connection goes back to my childhood, a truly idyllic time in a little English village called Chorleywood. To me, as a child from ages 5 through 8, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect experience. Our garden (called a yard in the USA) was filled with delights, like a giant “teacup” which was made out of a large circular mound of earth and covered with grass and wildflowers, a willow tree with leaves hanging down to the ground so we could hide inside, plum, apple, pear, and cherry trees, all kinds of berries, and so many other shrubs, bushes, trees, and flowers. But the culminating delight in all this was a wood behind our garden, connected by a wooden gate, and the floor of the wood was covered in bluebells! Probably not all year, but that’s the memory of a child! Those were the days when young children could go wandering without adults without fear of harm coming to them. My older brother and I (sometimes my little brother would tag along) would roam through the forest and then some fields with big hedges (and cows) and finally come out to a big field with a huge ancient oak tree. That tree had a big limb which bowed fairly close to the ground, low enough for us to take turns getting on it and the others hanging on it to make the branch move up and down like a giant swing.

The point to the English tale is that there was a wood that could have been scary, but we were fearless (except for the cows!), which allowed us to experience wondrous sights and actions that would never have happened if we had stayed put in our garden, no matter how lovely it was.

This leads us to the final connection, which takes place on an actual mountain! This September, the Pikes Peak Atrium and the Mountain Rose Pronaos will jointly host a RCUI workshop at the YMCA in beautiful Estes Park (details elsewhere in this newsletter). Sometimes, it’s easier not to make to effort to leave the comfort of our homes and experience new and unfamiliar surroundings. This is a perfect time to move out of our comfort zone and experience the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains, as we learn and experience new ideas. While there, the Mountain Rose Pronaos will join with the Pikes Peak Atrium in celebrating the Memorial Service and building a pyramid of stones to honor the memory of all those who have worked throughout the centuries to perpetuate Knowledge. To all those who choose to go to the mountain(s), there will be a joyful time for philosophizing, contemplation, and meditation. Leave the valley behind and join us on the Mountain!

So Mote It Be!

Master Judith Stewart, SRC

Mountain Rose Pronaos, AMORC