C. R. C. -- The Thirteenth

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What constitutes the mystery of Christian Rosycross? Whenever Christian Rosycross is spoken of, the starting-point is always a good faith in the mysteries of spiritual life, a faith not only with regards to the person, but also with regards to the great secrets of the spiritual life. Christian Rosycross is an individuality who works both while incarnated and while he does not possess a physical body. He works not only as a physical being by means of physical powers, but above all, spiritually by means of spiritual powers.

We know that humanity not only lives for itself but lives in a relationship to the great human development. When an ordinary human being dies, his etheric body dissolves in the universe. However, a part of this dissolving etheric body continues its existence, and hence we are always surrounded by the remains of the etheric bodies of the deceased, either for our benefit or in a detrimental way. They affect us, either in a positive sense or in a negative sense to the extent that we are good or bad. This means that we  experience comprehensive effects of the etheric bodies of great individualities. Therefore, a great power emanates from the etheric body of Christian Rosycross, which can affect our soul. It is our task to become aware of these powers. As Rosicrucians, we appeal to this power.

ORIGINS - THE TWELVE

The origin of the Rosicrucian movement can be found in the 13th century. At the time, in the 13th century, personalities particularly suited for initiation had to be selected. The initiation itself could only take place after this short period of darkening.

At a certain place in Europe, a highly spiritual Lodge, a college of twelve, was formed, which had absorbed the sum total of the spiritual wisdom of antiquity as well as of their own time.

The karma of humanity had ordained that seven of these twelve persons embodied what had been preserved of the remnants of the wisdom of the ancient Atlantean period for humanity.

Four others who, unlike the seven personalities mentioned before, could not look back on ancient times long past, joined these seven persons. But these four personalities could look back on the occult wisdom humanity had acquired in the four post-Atlantean cultural periods. The first one was able to look back on the Proto-Indian time, the second on the Proto-Persian culture period, the third on the Egyptian-Chaldean-Babylonian cultural period, the fourth on the Greek-Latin culture.

Together with the seven, these four united in the college of wise men in the 13th century. The twelfth person possessed in a certain sense the least memory, but he was the most intellectually gifted of them and had the task of devoting himself to the outward sciences in particular.

These twelve different streams of wisdom co-operated as a unity. Thus, we must speak of twelve extraordinary individualities. This college of twelve possessed clairvoyance, in the form of memory, as well as intellectual wisdom. The seven successors of the seven Rishis could remember their ancient wisdom; the five others represented the wisdom of the five post-Atlantean cultures. In this way, the twelve represented the entire Atlantean and post-Atlantean wisdom.

However, the starting-point for a new culture was only possible because a thirteenth one joined the group of twelve. This thirteenth one was not a scholar in the usual meaning of that time. He was an individuality that had been incarnated at the time of the mystery of Golgotha.

ORIGINS - THE THIRTEENTH

The thirteenth was an individuality that had been incarnated at the time of the mystery of Golgotha. In subsequent incarnations he had prepared for his mission by a humble mind, by a devoted, pious life. He was a great soul, a devout, inwardly deeply mystical human being, who had been born with these characteristics and did not only acquire them. This thirteenth fully developed, supervised and looked after by the twelve, and from each of them he received all the wisdom they could give him.

These twelve now, who were all filled with and fully aware  of their spiritual task, and who were deeply aware of Christianity, realized that the outward Christianity of the Church presented only a distorted image of true Christianity. They were convinced that all spiritual life was contained in their twelve streams. In this way each of them influenced the pupil according to his own powers. Their aim was to achieve a synthesis of all religions, but they were aware that this aim could not be achieved by means of some theory, but by the activity of spiritual life.   

While the spiritual powers of the thirteenth increased infinitely, his physical powers strongly diminished. This reached the stage where the link with the outward life almost ceased to exist. Then, an event occurred that could take place in history only once. It was one of those events that can occur when the macrocosmic forces cooperate for the benefit of the fruits that have to ripen by such an event. In a few days the body of this thirteenth turned completely transparent. In short formulas, which were like short prayers, the twelve let their wisdom flow into the thirteenth, while the thirteenth was lying down, seemingly dead. This state ended when the soul of the thirteenth woke up as a new Soul.  In him, something like the birth of the twelve teachings of wisdom was present, so that also the twelve sages could learn something from the young one.

Within a few weeks the thirteenth returned to the twelve all the wisdom he had received from them, although in a new form that was given as if by the Christ Himself. What he revealed to them, the twelve called true Christianity, the synthesis of all religions. And they distinguished the Christianity of their time from this true Christianity. The result of the initiation of the thirteenth was that the remains of his etheric body were preserved in the spirit-sphere of the earth. From the spiritual world, this same tenuous spiritual-etheric body again illuminated and irradiated the new embodiment, the individuality of Christian Rosycross. He was the thirteenth in the circle of the twelve and he has been called that ever since that incarnation.

Esoterically, he was already Christian Rosycross in the 13th century, but exoterically he is called so since the 14th century only. And the pupils of this thirteenth are the successors of those other twelve of the thirteenth. These are the Rosicrucians.

THE LEGACY

As a result of the activity of the Rosicrucians, the etheric body of Christian Rosycross became ever stronger and more powerful through the centuries. It was not only active through Christian Rosycros, but also through all who became his pupils. Since the 14th century, Christian Rosycross has incarnated again and again. Thus the radiations of the etheric body of Christian Rosycross have also been active in the 19th century. By devotion to the powerful etheric body of Christian Rosycross , humanity will be able to partake in the new clairvoyance and sublime spiritual powers will appear. But this will be possible only for those people who truly follow the teachings of Christian Rosycross.

It is the task of the 20th century to make this etheric body so powerful that it will be able to work esoterically as well. All that are grasped by it may expect the same experience that Paul had near Damascus. Until now, this etheric body has only affected the School of the Rosicrucians. In the 20th century more and more people will be able to experience this activity and on its basis will also experience Christ in their etheric body, as a presence.

The work of the Rosicrucians makes it possible to experience the presence of the Christ in the etheric body. The number of those who are able to behold this will continue to increase. This world-presence must be attributed to the great event of the work of the twelve and of the thirteenth in the 13th and 14th centuries.

From an address given by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in Neuchatel Switerland on 27 September 1911 - "The World Brotherhood of the Rosycross" - Jan van Rijckenborgh

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