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PRAYERS AND PRECEPTS

OF THE ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP MMX

 

          When one grows into adulthood, especially one who is robust with physical attributes, a friend may remark, “He doesn’t know his own strength.”  As exercise is necessary for the development of physical muscle, so development of the moral nature is accomplished through temptation.

         In any search for truth, even the most authoritative works such as the books of the Holy Bible contain perplexing contradictions.  So, although one begins to understand the mysteries, incomplete knowledge may prompt the Ego to draw mixed conclusions.

            The Ego dwells in the World of Thought; this is its home. *  Students who practice mental exercises, including concentrated prayer, acquire new strengths; powers which although they are subtle, may surprise the neophyte with their potency.  But, until the Ego develops keen observation and discrimination, and grows through experience from innocence to virtue, uncertainties may engulf him, causing confusion and error. 

            The two attributes which best assist us in overcoming the temptations of Lucifer and which bring us out of the wilderness are Love and Duty.  The Student’s Prayer, although very brief, when recited with sincerity lifts the spiritual seeker into the protective realm of divine love and places the Ego on a firm foundation of noble intent.  During conclaves, students customarily repeat this prayer in unison at the conclusion of every presentation.

            All spiritual seekers may find the Student’s Prayer helpful.  The concluding sentence is Verse 14 of the Nineteenth Psalm, KJV.

 

 

 

The Student’s Prayer

 

Oh, God, increase my love for Thee

so that I may serve thee better from day to  day. 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in thy sight,

O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

 

          Prayer is like the turning on of an electric switch. It does not create the current; it simply provides a channel through which the electric current may flow. In like manner prayer creates a channel through which the divine life and light may pour itself into us for our spiritual illumination.

          If the switch were made of wood or glass it would be of no use; in fact, it would be a barrier through which the electric current could not possibly pass, because that is contrary to its nature. To be effective the switch must be made of a conducting metal; then it is in harmony with the laws of electrical manifestation.

          If our prayers are selfish, worldly, and inconsiderate of our neighbor, they are like the wooden switch; they defeat the very purpose they were intended to serve, because they are contrary to God’s purpose. To be of use, prayer must be in harmony with the nature of God, which is Love. The following lines appeared in London Light a number of years ago and have been treasured by the writer as—

 

AN IDEAL PRAYER

 

“The Rosicrucian Fellowship Prayer”

By Florence May Holbrook

             Not more of light we ask, O God,

                But eyes to see what is;

             Not sweeter songs, but ears to hear

                The present melodies;

             Not greater strength, but how to use

                The power that we possess;

             Not more of love, but skill to turn

                A frown to a caress;

             Nor more of joy, but how to feel

                Its kindling presence near,

             To give to others all we have

                Of courage and of cheer.

             No other gift, dear God, we ask,

                But only sense to see

             How best those precious gifts to use

                We have received from Thee.

             Give us all fears to dominate,

                All holy joys to know,

             To be the friends we wish to be,

                To speak the truth we know,

             To love the pure, to seek the good,

                To lift with all our might,

             All souls to dwell in harmony,

                In freedom's perfect light.

         

 

          That is the kind of a prayer that lifts, that ennobles a man, and the more a man or woman cultivates that attitude of mind and entertains those lofty aspirations, the more he is lifting the two higher ethers out of the vital body, and so the churches say, “Pray, pray, pray;” and they are well within the occult teaching, for in that way the vital body is being worked upon by the constant repetition of lofty aspirations.

          Before we can proceed along the occult path we must of necessity have laxity between the upper and the lower ethers so that we can function outside, leaving the dense body to be taken care of by the two lower ethers, and herein lies the trouble with the medium, and others who develop a certain phase of involuntary clairvoyance by breathing exercises. When such a person goes out of the body he does it involuntarily; he takes three ethers along with him, and the body therefore is not taken care of. On this road lies mental and moral decline, and oftentimes insanity.

            There is only one safe way to develop our latent faculties. No matter what any one may say to the contrary, experience will prove that attainment to spiritual powers depends upon purification and unselfish aspiration; and that is what the mysteries taught in the olden times.  Rosicrucian Christianity Lectures by Max Heindel, 277 – 279.

  

Precepts for the Rosicrucian Student

 

Christ Jesus will be his ideal.

 

            Remembering the admonition of the Christ; “He who would be the greatest among you, Let him be the servant of all,” he will endeavor each day to serve his fellow men with love, modesty, and humility, in whatever capacity may be offered.

            With a firm faith in the wisdom and goodness of God, he will work with the trend of evolution by endeavoring to speak, act and see only the good in his daily associations with others.

            As truth, honesty, and justice are fundamental qualities of the divinity within, he will strive to express them in all of his thoughts, words, and deeds.

            He will waste no time in envying others, but devote himself to exercising his divine prerogative of free will, sowing good seeds for the morrow; knowing that his present conditions are a result of past actions, and that he may determine future conditions by present actions.

             He will ever seek environments of peace, poise, and quietness, realizing that silence is one of the greatest helps in soul growth.

            As a spiritual aspirant, he will strive to practice the cardinal virtue of self reliance in thought as well as in deed.

            Knowing The Within to be the only worthy tribunal of truth, he will endeavor to establish this tribunal and refer all matter to it for final jurisdiction.

             Each day he will devote a certain period of time to meditation and prayer, endeavoring to lift himself on the wings of love and aspiration to the very throne of the Father.[

            Knowing that failure lies only in ceasing to try, he will, in the face of all obstacles, continue patiently and persistently to strive for the high ideals taught by the Christ.

* [The Rosicrucian Fellowship MMX provides the reader with an opportunity to study Western Wisdom through correspondence courses offered at no charge.  The Rosicrucian Philosophy is a logical and sequential Christian teaching concerning the origin, evolution, and future development of the world and man, presenting both spiritual and scientific aspects.

Courses include Preliminary Philosophy, Supplementary Philosophy, Western Wisdom Bible, and Astrology.  The basic text for the philosophy courses is The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception by Max Heindel which covers the teachings of the Elder Brothers of the Rose Cross, as imparted to Heindel during the early years of the Twentieth Century.   For more details or to enroll in a course the reader may contact:

The Rosicrucian Fellowship MMX

P. O. Box 258046

Madison, Wisconsin 53725]*

 

Tags: moral, prayer, Precept, temptation, virtue