Rosicrucian Writings Online

 
 
A MAN is immortalized by the extension of his self beyond his mortal existence.  This immortality is not alone a survival of the personality in some other world or hereafter.  The products of the mind, the character and personality of the individual living on beyond the termination of his physical being, are likewise immortal.  Most certainly self is not merely the awareness of our own reality.  Included also are those creations of self which embody its powers.  Is not a beautiful vase an attribute of the potter and is not a Master's musical composition the material counterpart of the aesthetic qualities of the musician?
 
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, the late Imperator of AMORC, has been immortalized in the fruits of his talents.  His personality lives in his writings, in the numerous monographs and books which he wrote, and in the devices he invented and in the structure of the Order to which he gave his life.  How is anyone to be known except by the outer expression of his thoughts and feelings?
 
In this sense the late Imperator is immortalized in the ever-present activities of the Rosicrucian Order.  Thousands of Rosicrucian members who have never known him physically, nevertheless have an intimate acquaintance with his personality.  They know his thought, his view of life, and his aspirations.  They also know what he achieved and what his powers were.  They know these things, not through the intermediary of a biographer, but through the handiworks of his own mind and talents.
 
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, founder of the second cycle of the Rosicrucian Order, experienced the higher initiation, crossing the threshold of this mortal life on Wednesday, August 2, 1939.  In accordance with a now well-established tradition, a brief memorial ceremony is held each year in the Egyptian Shrine in Rosicrucian Park on the exact date and time of his transition.  All the administrative and other buildings of AMORC are closed upon that day.  Officers, and those local members who can, pay respect to his memory by attending.
 
It is asked that all Rosicrucians throughout the world unite in a minute of silent tribute to Dr. Lewis' memory, if it is possible for them to do so, at the exact time when the transition occurred.  Therefore, remember this date, mark it on your calendar: Thursday, August 2, 4:15 p.m., Daylight Saving Time (3:15 p.m., Pacific Standard Time).