The Gnosis In The Present-Day

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In former times groups were very isolated. They had no access to modern means of communication, or to present-day methods of gaining publicity. Thus, their material radius of action was very narrow. So one cannot help but express amazement that the Bogomils, for instance, were able to influence the whole of the Balkans in their time, and even large areas of Russia, and that for a long time the Cathars were the leading group in almost the whole South of France, where their influence surpassed that of the official church. It is also quite astonishing to know how, later on, the idea and the mission of the Rosicrucians spread like lightening over the whole of Europe , even though at the time the journey from Calw to Haarlem, for instance, seemed like a world tour. How was it possible for the message of the Rosycross to travel to the north so quickly in those days, and to be answered equally rapidly?

We would like to try to answer this question, and to show how it was possible, without any of the means of publicity or communication available to us nowadays, for the Gnosis to begin its work practically simultaneously all around the Mediterranean, and for it to spread like rays in all directions. Such a development would not be possible nowadays.

Well, the ancient brotherhoods followed a certain strategy. Certain individual participants in the Great Work possessed higher faculties, and a number of these travelled to areas where the Work had to be established, in accordance with specific plans. All the brothers and sisters responsible for leading the Work possessed higher faculties. Wherever they found themselves, they were able to remain in telepathic, intuitive contact with each other. In addition, they were able to take up Soul-contact with each other during the hours of sleep. In this way, a splendid coordination of the entire Work was ensured in advance.

Further, it is interesting to note that the racial body of the man of the masses was, in those days, not nearly as dense or crystallized as it is now. Also, people lived then in the peace and quietness of medieval times. Nowadays, we can hardly imagine such conditions. The people of that period were still open, because the cognitive faculty, the intellectual brain-consciousness, had not yet become defiled. Also, the astral sphere had not yet become as dark as it is now. And when the persecutions came, by the State in alliance with the church, and by the church in alliance with the State, many were able to slip through the nets and continue to work in various other ways. So there has never been one day or one hour in the course of history when the Holy Work has been interrupted.

We are saying all this to show you that the hermetic Way of Life can be conducted without many disturbances. To the extent that the group of pupils of the young Gnosis makes progress in the manifestation of salvation, it will be possible to discuss all  this in greater detail. The group will always be able to carry out the Work, under all circumstances and without attracting undue attention. So the question now is: how can we, in these modern times, adapt our way of life so that it complies with the minimum requirements, whilst taking all circumstances in consideration? This question raises the problem of a New Way of Life to which the group will have to become accustomed to in the coming years. We need to reflect on the underlying principle of this future Way of Life, through which our group will need to proceed until the Glorious End is reached, taking into consideration all the current conditions, all the aspects of our modern times, without becoming absorbed by the nature-of-death.

From "Our Way of Life and Present Circumstance" - The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis Volume III - Jan van Rijckenborgh

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