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The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception

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The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Mystic Christianity (also known as Western Wisdom Teachings ) is a Rosicrucian text by Max Heindel , first published in 1909.

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54-576: The author talks about the true man and his journey through involution , spiritual evolution and epigenesis, presenting practical methods to help the development of latent potentials in each one of us and how to transmute our latency into dynamic powers in order to achieve, according to the author, direct knowledge and conscientious work in the inner planes . It deals with many esoteric topics and also metaphysics , physiology and cosmology (the visible and invisible worlds, human evolution, death and rebirth , nutrition, esoteric training, ...). It contains

108-401: A building. The amount of water vapor that can be stored in the air can be increased simply by increasing the temperature. However, this can be a double edged sword as most condensation in the home occurs when warm, moisture heavy air comes into contact with a cool surface. As the air is cooled, it can no longer hold as much water vapor. This leads to deposition of water on the cool surface. This

162-571: A complex sequence of cosmic cycles , called Round. When the universe attains a stage of sufficient density, the individual spirit is able to descend and participate in the evolution. Involution thus refers to the incarnation of spirit in an already established matter , the necessary prerequisite of evolution: As an example, the so-called descent of the Monad into matter means an involution or involving or infolding of spiritual potencies into material vehicles which coincidentally and contemporaneously, through

216-465: A comprehensive outline of the evolutionary process of man and the universe , correlating science with religion. It is, till current days, the basic book for the philosophy courses of the school, the Rosicrucian Fellowship , founded by the author on August 8, 1909. The first edition of this work, containing more than 700 pages of in depth teachings into the major themes of the occult science ,

270-403: A history of the evolution of the human spirit and related bodies (from before awareness, through various incarnations of our planet on various planes, and into the future development) and of animal, vegetable and mineral life waves (the myriad life forms and types of consciousness on this physical plane, experiencing their own points in evolution). It also presents an esoteric interpretation about

324-477: A parallel construction, each of these new planes can be understood as being a descendant of its corresponding higher order plane from the Infinite. Thus, when mentality emerged in the universe, the universal plane of Mind was implanted to a degree in those beings harboring that mentality. The evolution is the development of all entities in the cosmos , including humans , in order to attain their fulfillment, including

378-457: A part. In chapters 11 and 12 of The Life Divine , Sri Aurobindo writes at length on the nature of Delight as a principle of the Divine, and its role in creation. Meher Baba uses the term "involution" to mean the inner path of a spiritual aspirant toward Self-realization . He divides involution into seven stages he calls "planes," and describes different experiences and powers had on each, until

432-482: A popular presentation of Gurdjieff's teaching by P. D. Ouspensky and others, different terminologies are often preferred: "ascending and descending octaves" (evolutionary and involutionary processes), "the Ray of Creation" (the full scale of involutionary processes), "emanation" (the initiation of involutionary processes at the prime source), etc. Like Aurobindo and others, Gurdjieff uses the word involution in reference to

486-421: A top-down flow in the universe contributing to the creation and maintenance of cosmoses. Gurdjieff's main emphasis, however, was the mystery of how the descending flow of involution could change into the ascending flow of evolution. Exactly in this mystery, Gurdjieff looked for the significance of all living creatures, particularly man. Condense Condensation is the change of the state of matter from

540-404: A universe of separate forms from out of Its own Force/Energy. Sat , Chit - Tapas , and Delight / Ananda are the three aspects of Satchitananda , and they are part of involution. Spirit or consciousness manifests as these three, and then as the intermediate link of Supermind, which is transitional between the higher and lower (matter, life, and mind) nature. The reason for involution

594-766: Is Delight—the Delight of Being (the Spirit or Absolute) moving to Delight of Becoming (temporal existence, the cosmos). Being throws itself forward into a multiplicity of forms, becoming lost in the inconscience of matter, and then through evolution it partakes in the Delight of rediscovering the Spirit which had been hidden in the interim. Evolution is thus the movement forward by which the created universe evolves from its initial state of inconscience (i.e. as matter), evolves animated life forms and mental beings (i.e. humans), and continues to evolve spiritual properties, and in that process rediscovers its Source. Such an Evolution of animated forms

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648-643: Is beyond comprehension and, as manifestation implies limitation, He may be best described as "Boundless Being": the "Root of Existence". From The Absolute proceeds the Supreme Being , at the dawn of manifestation: this is The One , the " Great Architect of the Universe ". The first aspect of the Supreme Being may be characterized as Power , from this proceeds the second aspect, the Word , and from both of these proceeds

702-561: Is both the One (the Creator) and the Many (that which was created). The integral philosopher Ken Wilber refers to involution in his online chapter of Kosmic Karma , employing concepts from Plotinus , Advaita Vedanta , Tibetan Buddhism , and Sri Aurobindo. According to Wilber, the cosmic evolution described in his previous works is preceded by an involution of Spirit into Matter. This involution follows

756-510: Is called deposition . Condensation is initiated by the formation of atomic/molecular clusters of that species within its gaseous volume—like rain drop or snow flake formation within clouds —or at the contact between such gaseous phase and a liquid or solid surface. In clouds , this can be catalyzed by water-nucleating proteins , produced by atmospheric microbes, which are capable of binding gaseous or liquid water molecules. A few distinct reversibility scenarios emerge here with respect to

810-422: Is divine inner knowing. Each flows out of the other and then back again. It could be said that Sat only exists through Ananda or Consciousness however, these levels of differentiation cannot grasp the true nature of either of these three qualities since they are interdependent. "Sat—being, existence; substance; "pure existence, eternal, infinite, indefinable, not affected by the succession of Time, not involved in

864-672: Is occurring—so much so that some organizations educate people living in affected areas about water condensers to help them deal effectively with the situation. It is also a crucial process in forming particle tracks in a cloud chamber . In this case, ions produced by an incident particle act as nucleation centers for the condensation of the vapor producing the visible "cloud" trails. Commercial applications of condensation, by consumers as well as industry, include power generation, water desalination, thermal management, refrigeration, and air conditioning. Numerous living beings use water made accessible by condensation. A few examples of these are

918-461: Is only possible because at each stage of development, the developing entity contains within itself the conception of what it may become. Thus, the evolution of animated life out of matter supposes a previous involution of that animated capacity. This is akin to a seed that already has the essence of the tree that will emerge from it. Each plane emerges from an earlier plane through the evolutionary process, which takes place in chronological time. But in

972-453: Is the Earth from the other planets. They are states of matter , of varying density and vibration (as are the solids, liquids and gases of the physical Earth ). These Worlds are not instantaneously created at the beginning of a day of Manifestation, nor do they last until the end. The evolutionary scheme is carried through five of these Worlds in seven great Periods of manifestation, during which

1026-529: Is the process by which the Divine manifests the cosmos . The process by which the creation rises to higher states and states of consciousness is the evolution . Involution prepares the universe for the Big Bang ; evolution continues from that point forward. The term involution comes from the idea that the divine involves itself in creation. After the creation, the Divine (i.e. the Absolute , Brahman , God )

1080-566: Is the product of its vapor condensation—condensation is the process of such phase conversion. Condensation is a crucial component of distillation , an important laboratory and industrial chemistry application. Because condensation is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it can often be used to generate water in large quantities for human use. Many structures are made solely for the purpose of collecting water from condensation, such as air wells and fog fences . Such systems can often be used to retain soil moisture in areas where active desertification

1134-625: The Australian thorny devil , the darkling beetles of the Namibian coast, and the coast redwoods of the West Coast of the United States . Condensation in building construction is an unwanted phenomenon as it may cause dampness , mold health issues , wood rot , corrosion , weakening of mortar and masonry walls, and energy penalties due to increased heat transfer . To alleviate these issues,

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1188-405: The gas phase into the liquid phase , and is the reverse of vaporization . The word most often refers to the water cycle . It can also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor to liquid water when in contact with a liquid or solid surface or cloud condensation nuclei within the atmosphere . When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change

1242-491: The nadir of materiality, is reached. From that point the life begins to ascend into higher Worlds, as evolution proceeds. That leaves the denser Worlds depopulated, one by one. When the purpose has been served for which a particular World was created, God ends its existence, which has become superfluous, by ceasing within Himself the particular activity which brought into being and sustained that World. The Rosicrucians teach that

1296-579: The physical world to the inner worlds , God - the "Architect of the Solar System", the Source and goal of human existence – is found in the highest division of the seventh Cosmic Plane: this is His World. In order to trace the origin of the Architect of the Solar System, one must pass to the highest of the seven Cosmic Planes: the "Realm of the Supreme Being ", Who emanated from "The Absolute". The Absolute

1350-480: The unconscious and then through Delight rediscovering Itself through individuals realising their Divine nature and proceeding to spiritual realisation. In other words, the universe was created so that the Delight of the Infinite Spirit can manifest in all the forms of creation. When we discover our higher nature, the soul and spirit, we experience the delight for which we were came into being and of which we are

1404-490: The Goal of full enlightenment is achieved at the seventh plane. For Baba Hari Dass (a Maunisadhu monk who practices continual silence), evolution and involution are key concepts on universal level that have also individualized expressions in mental processes. In Samkhya and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , in yoga practice, those two states are conditions of mind ( chitta ), with the mind's outward-evolution expressions ( pravritti ) and

1458-680: The Invisible Worlds, Man and the Method of Evolution, Rebirth and the Law of Cause and Effect; Part II: the scheme of Evolution in general and the Evolution of the Solar System and the Earth in particular; Part III: Christ and His Mission, Future Development of Man and Initiation, Esoteric Training and a Safe Method of Acquiring Firsthand Knowledge. According to the Western Wisdom Teachings , in

1512-665: The Supreme Being. Their three aspects are Will , Wisdom and Activity . By Max Heindel in A Word to the Wise : --- By Charles Weber in The Mystic and Occult in Max Heindel's Writings : The first edition was printed in 1909 and has changed little since then. The first edition was printed in November 1909. The order of publication was placed by Max Heindel on the New Moon of November 1909 and

1566-543: The above referred seven Worlds belong to the lowest of the seven "Cosmic Planes". The Worlds and Cosmic Planes are not one above another in space, but the seven Cosmic Planes inter-penetrate each other and all the seven Worlds. They are states of spirit- matter , permeating one another, so that God and the other great Beings pervade every part of their own realms and realms of greater density than their own, including our world: " in Him we live and move and have our being ". Proceeding from

1620-424: The beginning of a Day of Manifestation a certain collective Great Being, God, limits Himself to a certain portion of space, in which He elects to create a Solar System for the evolution of added self - consciousness . In God there are contained hosts of glorious Hierarchies and lesser beings of every grade of intelligence and stage of consciousness , from omniscience to an unconsciousness deeper than that of

1674-582: The book was published a couple of weeks later by the Full Moon , some 5 short weeks before the end of the first decade of the 1900s. It has little changed since then and it is considered to be Max Heindel's magnum opus . It is a reference work in the Christian mysticism practice and in the Occult study literature, containing the fundamentals of Esoteric Christianity from a Rosicrucian perspective. The Cosmo contains

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1728-403: The building of forms, till the nadir of materiality is reached. From that point, life begins to ascend into higher Worlds . This succeeding period of existence, during which the individual human being develops self-consciousness into divine omniscience , is called " spiritual evolution ". In the cosmology of Surat Shabda Yoga , involution and evolution apply to both the macrocosm ,

1782-503: The building of the vehicles through which the spirit in man manifests, is called " Involution ". The succeeding period of existence, during which the individual human being develops self-consciousness into divine omniscience , is called " Evolution ". Every evolving being has within him a "force" which makes evolution not to be a mere enfoldment of latent germinal possibilities but a process where each individual differ from that of every other. This force, called "Epigenesis", provides

1836-411: The compelling urge of the infolding energies, unfold their own latent capacities, unwrap them, roll them forth; and this is the evolution of matter. That period of time devoted to the attainment of self - consciousness and the building of the vehicles through which the spirit in man manifests, is called involution . Its purpose is to slowly carry life lower and deeper into denser and denser matter for

1890-431: The deepest trance condition . During the current period of manifestation these various grades of beings are working to acquire more experience than they possessed at the beginning of this period of existence. Those who, in previous manifestations, have attained the highest degree of development work on those who have not yet evolved any consciousness. The period of time devoted to the attainment of self-consciousness and to

1944-618: The discovery of spiritual Delight, which was, and always is, the experience of the Source Creator. The evolution is the progressive development from the original inconscience of matter into life (movement, sensation, desire, etc. and living physical beings), and from thence to mind (in conscious animals and most especially humans—the self-conscious thinking animal), and from thence to spiritualized mind, culminating in The Supermind or Truth Consciousness (as supramental individuals, and finally

1998-465: The dynamic and creative principle or Force, called Shakti . Chit-Tapas or Chit-Shakti is therefore the universal Consciousness-Force, the divine Energy; the Mother . Delight is Sri Aurobindo 's term for ananda , and plays a large part in his cosmology and spiritual teaching. Delight is the reason for creation, by which The Absolute extends its Delight of Being into multiplicity, losing itself in

2052-485: The element of originality and gives scope to the creative ability which the evolving being is to cultivate that he may become a God. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception describes that in the Solar System , God's Habitation, there are seven Worlds differentiated by God, within Himself, one after another. These Worlds have each a different "measure" and rate of vibration and are not separated by space or distance , as

2106-511: The evolving virgin spirit becomes first human and then a God. The highest Worlds are created first, and as involution is to slowly carry the life into denser and denser matter for the building of forms, the finer Worlds gradually condense and new Worlds are differentiated within God to furnish the necessary links between Himself and the Worlds which have consolidated. In due time the point of greatest density,

2160-511: The extension of Space, beyond form, quantity, quality", the first term of saccidananda and the principle that is the basis of satyaloka; "the spiritual substance of being" which is cast "into all manner of forms and movements"; existence as "the stuff of its own becoming", which on every plane is "shaped into the substance with which Force has to deal" and "has formed itself here, fundamentally, as Matter; it has been objectivised, made sensible and concrete to its own self-experiencing conscious-force in

2214-504: The form of self-dividing material substance" short for sat brahman." Chit-Tapas or Consciousness-Force, in Sri Aurobindo 's philosophy refers to the pure energy of Consciousness by which creation ultimately comes about; the infinite divine self-awareness which is also the infinite all-effective Will. It is also one of the seven planes of existence, according to the Vedic cosmology and

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2268-403: The indoor air humidity needs to be lowered, or air ventilation in the building needs to be improved. This can be done in a number of ways, for example opening windows, turning on extractor fans, using dehumidifiers, drying clothes outside and covering pots and pans whilst cooking. Air conditioning or ventilation systems can be installed that help remove moisture from the air, and move air throughout

2322-465: The initial dedication and changed the mentioned elements. The first dedication became a controversial issue among some students of both teachers down to the present. However, as both Heindel and Steiner appear to have been influenced by the same Elder Brother of the Rose Cross , to some extent and at some stage of their lives, it becomes an accessory issue that may only be unveiled through the discernment of

2376-420: The inward-involution expressions ( nirvritti ). Nirvritti is the involution stage where "Yoga is the control of thought waves in the mind" (Sutra 2, Samadhi Pada). Outward expressions of mental activity, vritti , draw the mind to the afflicting experiences, and in effect produce afflicting impressions of klishta-vritti , or vyutthana samskaras (outgoing mind). Involution, or deep introspection in yoga, leads to

2430-499: The mission of Christ and an occult analysis of Biblical texts which include the fall of man, the Law of Cause and Consequence and Bible and rebirth, and many other themes which were further developed in the subsequent books, lectures and lessons given by the author at the time (1910s) in the United States. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception is divided in three parts: Part I: the Visible and

2484-451: The nature of the surface. Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is cooled and/or compressed to its saturation limit when the molecular density in the gas phase reaches its maximal threshold. Vapor cooling and compressing equipment that collects condensed liquids is called a "condenser" . Psychrometry measures the rates of condensation through evaporation into the air moisture at various atmospheric pressures and temperatures. Water

2538-451: The opposite results and attenuates afflicting impressions to the finest degree possible with the end result of aklishta-vritti (non-painful thought waves). Thus, when the mind is liberated from painful impressions, one-pointed mind ( ekagra samskara ) is achieved, which can be said to be the goal of yoga. One-pointed mind is the foundation of samprajnata and asamprajnata samdhi , or "super-consciousness". In integral thought , involution

2592-530: The reverse stages to the sequence of evolution—e.g. Spirit to soul to mind to life to matter. Once the stage of insentient, lifeless matter is attained, then "something like the Big Bang occurs", whereupon matter and manifest world come into concrete existence, from which stage evolution follows. Involution and evolution are important themes in the cosmology of G. I. Gurdjieff (1866? – 1949), addressed in detail in his book Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson . In

2646-518: The seven lokas of Hindu thought. In chapter 10 of The Life Divine , Sri Aurobindo writes at length on the nature of Consciousness-Force as a principle of the Divine. As he understands it (following the Tantric dichotomy of Shiva and Shakti), Chit or Consciousness is not an inert and passive principle; but contains the potential spiritual Energy, Tapas_(Indian_religions) , which in Creation becomes

2700-461: The student along her/his path of spiritual unfoldment. Involution (esoterism) The term involution has various meanings. In some instances it refers to a process prior to evolution which gives rise to the cosmos , in others it is an aspect of evolution , and in still others it is a process that follows the completion of evolution in the human form. In theosophy , anthroposophy and Rosicrucianism , involution and evolution are part of

2754-427: The supramental, i.e. a divine life on earth). We cannot speak of Sat without Chit and Ananda—-or Being, Consciousness and Bliss, respectively. They represent a totality. Sat is the vital state of that which is, was and always will be. In a sense it is a beginnining but because it is pregnant with possibility it is inexorably tied to Ananda or the recognition of Being and then the subsequent realization of bliss which

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2808-564: The third, aspect, Motion . From the threefold Supreme Being proceed the "seven Great Logoi ". They contain within Themselves all the great Hierarchies which differentiate more and more as they diffuse through the various Cosmic Planes. In the Highest World of the seventh Cosmic Plane dwells the God of the solar systems in the Universe . These great Beings are also threefold in manifestation, like

2862-545: The whole of creation, and the microcosm , the constitution of an individual soul. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception , a Rosicrucian text written by Max Heindel , advances the concept of epigenesis as the key related to the evolution (after an involutionary period) of human beings. For Sri Aurobindo , involution is the process by which the Omnipresent Reality, i.e. the Absolute , Brahman extends Itself to create

2916-404: Was dedicated to a knowledgeable lecturer of the occult field called Rudolf Steiner , to whom Max Heindel felt greatly indebted. It had the subtitle "Occult Science" instead of "Mystic Christianity" and just above the message and mission ("A Sane Mind, a Soft Heart and a Sound Body", "Service") there was a quotation from Paul of Tarsus : "PROVE ALL THINGS". In the subsequent edition, Heindel removed

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