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The Union Bell Ceremony

             Edgar A gave his talk outdoors under the old bell tower.  He explained that he had visited the bell earlier in the morning, and while he stood there in the early dawn he listened very carefully to what the bell had to say.   This is the same bell that rings every morning and afternoon for Chapel services and the same bell, under which is buried a hatchet.  Back in the 1950’s the two Rosicrucian Fellowships re-united after being split over a dispute, and to commemorate the occasion they chose the symbolic act of burying a hatchet under the bell.  Thus, the bell is named, The Union Bell.

            So, Edgar, on this very special occasion, the100^th anniversary of the founding of The Rosicrucian Fellowship, reminded us that as virgin spirits we are all One and that we are all on a pilgrimage together.  Together we suffered the fall into matter, descending deeply into darkness and ignorance, but now as prodigal sons we seek illumination on our upward journey through earth’s school of experience while we long for the return to our Father.

We are all in it together.  In a new century we stand here under a bell, the Rosicrucian Fellowship Union Bell.  We know that when a bell rings we hear a clear tone, a certain vibration.  When Christ came to earth, it was like a bell of a certain tone calling to us, guiding us and raising us up to a higher level in our ascent, a level of sacrifice and universal love.

            Finally, later, and it was many centuries later, Max Heindel became a messenger for the Brothers of the Rose Cross, and as such he struck yet another tone, and we were all called to be pioneers and to reach even higher in our pilgrimage.You may have noticed, if you have ever pulled a rope or cable to make a bell ring, there is a delayed reaction.  You pull on the rope and listen, and for a period of time it seems like nothing is happening, but if you are patient and you wait, finally you hear the ring of the bell.  It takes awhile for the response.  It requires patience.

When Heindel came and sounded the tone of the Elder Brothers, his call was not intended for a certain privileged group of people.  It was for everyone.  It did not matter where you lived, or what country you were from or what race you belonged to.  The call of the bell was for everyone of the same keynote.

So, the only thing that matters is the summons, and the summoner calls whoever hears the tone.  The bell tolls for all who resonate to its vibration.

At the end of Edgar’s brief message, the first person in line took the opportunity to step into the tower, reach upward, and give a long pull on the rod that was attached to the rope which hung from the bell.  There was the hesitation, but finally the bell pealed forth.  The next person stepped up.  Again the hesitation, or was it an odd syncopation?  The silence broadened.

The bell’s keynote was determined long ago when a foundry cast it from molten metal.  Now, everyone held his breath and finally heard the ringing that seemed to say, “Begin Again.”

           By one definition, a bell-ringer is one who exactly succeeds in achieving his goal.  Eventually, with a solemn determination, everyone present took a turn at ringing the bell – at sounding the tone of a new century.

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