MASTER
MONOGRAPH
ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
AMORC
¸
ILLUMINATI SECTION
Degree 11 No. 16
Know thyself, and thou shalt
know the universe and the gods.
©2011, Supreme Grand Lodge of the Ancient & Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis.
Published by the Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction, AMORC, Inc.
162
1011
Eleventh Degree No. 16
CONCURRENCE
Since this monograph is dedicated to Akhnaton, the pharaoh for
whom Rosicrucians feel particular affection, we offer below a passage
taken from a book found in the archives of our Order entitled The Life and
Times of Akhnaton: Pharoah of Egypt. When reading this excerpt, you will
undoubtedly sense the faith that animated this pharaoh and the profundity of
his understanding of the Divine.
Amidst the fair palaces and verdant gardens of the new city,
Akhnaton, now a man of some twenty-two years, turned his
thoughts fully to the development of his religion. It is necessary,
therefore, for us to glance at the essential features of this, the most
enlightened doctrine of the ancient world, and in some degree to
make ourselves acquainted with the creed which the king himself was
evolving out of that worship of Ra-Horakhti Aton in which he had
been educated.
Originally the Aton was the actual sun disk; but, as has been said,
the deity was now called “Heat-which-is-in-Aton,” and Akhnaton,
concentrating his attention on this aspect of the deity, drew the eyes
of his followers toward a force far more intangible and distant than the
dazzling orb to which they bowed down. Akhnaton’s conception of the
Divine, as we now begin to observe it, was as the power which created
the Sun, the energy which penetrated to this Earth in the Sun’s heat and
caused all things to grow.
—ARTHUR WEIGALL (1880–1934)
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Dear Fratres and Sorores,
The time has now come to continue our study of the Eighteenth Dynasty
by considering Amenhotep IV, one of its greatest pharaohs. As you know, his
life and work have been misunderstood by many historians, and some have
felt little hesitation in describing him as being a “heretic.” Actually, he was the
promoter of a great cultural and spiritual revolution.
AKHNATON: Amenhotep IV came to the throne upon the death of his
father, Amenhotep III. The son of Queen Tiy, he was a great comfort to his
parents. According to our sources, he was born around 1378 BCE in the palace
of Malkata, located along the banks of the Nile across from Thebes. It was
there, in peaceful verdant surroundings, that he spent the first years of his life
close to his mother, who was a member of the Order, as was also her deceased
husband. Tiy looked after her son with great care and governed in his stead
until he could be officially installed as pharaoh, as had also been the case with
his predecessors.
During his childhood, Amenhotep IV benefited from his mother’s affection
and attention, as well as the instruction that was imparted by the most eminent
members of the Order, including Amenhotep, son of Hapu, who was mentioned
in the previous monograph. Thus, he was brought up in a particularly mystical
setting and was duly prepared for his future mission. Moreover, this explains
the great wisdom and profound understanding of the mysteries he manifested
at a very early age. Around the age of nine, even before he officially ascended
the throne of Egypt, he married a lovely young girl by the name of Nefertiti,
which means “the beautiful one has come.” It should also be noted that she
was a member of the Order, as were her parents.
According to known facts, Amenhotep IV was named pharaoh during a
ceremony that took place in the temple of Karnak, in the presence of the royal
family and their friends. And, as was true of Thutmose III, he was installed
in this position in the temple of Memphis. The officer presiding during the
ceremony was Aanen, Queen Tiy’s brother and the highest official of Amon’s
clergy. He too was a very advanced member of the Order. During the days
following this installation, Amenhotep had a temple built to
the east of Karnak that he called Gem Aton, which means “I
have found Aton.” By this symbolic act he publicly manifested
a desire to break with the Amon cult and to establish a new
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religion, founded on the veneration of Aton, the solar symbol of the sole deity
that he had worshiped since earliest childhood.
To make his new religion official, Amenhotep IV changed his name in the
days following his installation, taking that of Akhnaton, which means “Pious
toward Aton.” He also decreed that Aton would be represented in some way in
every temple in Egypt, including those consecrated to the cult of Amon. This
representation most often consisted of a solar disk encircled by the royal cobra
(uraeus), or as a solar disk whose rays terminate in hands, thus symbolizing
the fact that the Divine permeates and brings to life everything found on Earth.
Finally, Akhnaton left Thebes where he had lived with Nefertiti to settle in
a new city that he had built at the present-day site of Tell el-Amarna, in the
desert region of Middle Egypt. He called this city Akhetaton, meaning literally
“Horizon of Aton,” but also, in its more esoteric sense, “Sanctuary of Aton.”
In the modern era little remains of Akhetaton, because this city was
completely destroyed during the reign of Ramses I. However, we do know that
it was most beautiful both architecturally and artistically, showing a harmonious
combination of stone edifices and formal gardens. In the center of the city was
a temple of enormous dimensions. Rosicrucian Tradition reports that it was in
the form of a cross, foreshadowing the floorplans of future cathedrals. Rituals
dedicated to the veneration of Aton took place in this temple, along with
ceremonies, such as initiations, that were specific to the Order itself. Under
Akhnaton’s guidance, Akhetaton eventually became the center of the Great
White Lodge of Egypt, bringing together the greatest initiates of the period,
including sages who traveled from other countries. For that reason, the city
was a nucleus of intense cultural and spiritual activities.
AKHNATON’S WORK: These last few remarks now lead us to examine
the role played by Akhnaton in the Order founded by Thumose III. As we
explained in previous monographs, this Order brought together all of the
Egyptian Mystery Schools so that they functioned according to certain basic
rules, much as the Lodges, Chapters, and Pronaoi of AMORC do. But the
teachings provided by these schools continued to differ, depending upon the
individual Master directing each school. Akhnaton’s specific
goal was to make them uniform, so that all seekers would have
access to the same knowledge and would receive the same
initiatic instruction. At the same time he devised certain rituals
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such as those which opened and closed the mystical work taking place during
the meetings. We are indebted to him for the traditional invocation: God of our
Hearts, God of our Realization.
Apart from the work he accomplished while Grand Master of the Order,
Akhnaton was the originator of a great artistic revolution. As you probably
know, many of the statues created during his reign had an androgynous
appearance. The pharaoh himself was represented in this way. His goal was
to indicate that appearances matter little and that every human being possesses
within both a feminine and masculine aspect. Also, many theologians consider
Akhnaton’s beautiful “Hymn to Aton” to be a masterpiece of Egyptian
literature, both in terms of its content and style. Indeed, Akhnaton was an
exceptionally intelligent individual and he gave proof of an enlightened spirit,
in the most mystical meaning of this term. Moreover, it should be noted that
an increasing number of historians dispute the accuracy of the term “heretical”
often attributed to him, and regard him as being a great precursor, which he
was indeed despite his youthfulness.
When Akhnaton abandoned Thebes to settle in Akhetaton, the priests and
priestesses of Amon began to oppose him publicly and to make him appear as
a usurper in the eyes of the people. Why? Because the new religion he wanted
to establish reduced their power considerably, as it relegated all other divinities
to a secondary rank while giving each individual the ability to worship the sole
Divinity. In other words, the priests and priestesses would be deprived of the
role they had exercised as mediators between the people and the deities. They
represented a considerable power since they were quite numerous and wielded
great influence. In Akhnaton’s time, the clergy numbered approximately eighty
thousand throughout the land of Egypt. Of course, some among them were
profoundly mystical individuals who belonged to the Order, including the
highest person of the clergy. But the vast majority were more interested in the
material profits brought in by their office rather than in any form of spirituality.
Akhnaton knew perfectly well that most of the priests and priestesses would
oppose him by every means, but he was determined to lay the foundations of
monotheism in Egypt, because this was the basic mission for
which he had been incarnated. In the final analysis, what was
most important to him was not converting the Egyptian people
to a belief in a sole deity, as such a task would be impossible
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to realize in a few years. Rather, it was to implant the collective idea of such
a belief into the subconscious. When Akhnaton felt that he had succeeded in
sowing these seeds, he was convinced that his duty had been accomplished in
serving humanity. Thereupon this great pharaoh became totally detached from
earthly matters and only wished to experience Aton in its fullness, to the point
where he devoted his entire existence to worshiping Aton. Rosicrucian Tradition
reports that on the evening of July 24 of the year 1350 BCE. Akhnaton prayed
that the Divine would put an end to his earthly life and elevate him into the
presence of the Divine. His fervor was such that his wish was granted and his
soul merged with the Greater Light. If you have been initiated into the First
Degree, you will remember that an account of this important event was read
to you at a certain point in the ritual. If you have not had this experience, we
suggest that you attend a Lodge to receive this very beautiful initiation.
The previous explanations may surprise you, especially since historians
generally agree that Akhnaton was poisoned by priests and priestesses who
were unwilling to see themselves deprived of temporal power. However, as
some mystical accounts state, certain other Great Initiates of the past have
also experienced transition after having prayed to the Divine to put an end
to their life so that they may be admitted into the Divine Presence, so great
was their desire to merge themselves with it. Such an exceptional transition
is explained by the fact that their cosmic mission had been achieved and the
time had come for them to leave the Earthly plane. They may then choose to
remain on the spiritual plane and pursue their work in serving Divinity, or they
may be reincarnated in some other country and continue to serve humanity in
accordance with cosmic decrees.
Akhnaton and Nefertiti had only daughters. Sometime prior to his death,
Akhnaton declared a young prince named Semenkhare to be his successor. The
latter was one of his closest friends and a member of the Order. Unfortunately,
Semenkhare died a few months after ascending the throne, probably being
poisoned. His successor, a seven-year-old boy, was chosen. Originally known
as Tutankhaton, he was then persuaded to change his name to Tutankhamon
under the clergy’s influence. Taking advantage of his youth and inexperience,
the clergy reinstated the worship of Amon throughout Egypt and
swept away all traces of the religion dedicated to Aton. However,
the work undertaken by Akhnaton did not disappear completely,
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because the concept of a sole Divinity remained a vital part of history. As for
the Order itself, it continued its activities under the guidance of its Masters, but
much more guardedly, with each member taking the vow of absolute silence.
Thus ends this series of monographs dedicated to the Eighteenth Dynasty
of Egypt. We are convinced that they have opened new mystical horizons
to you, as has been true for all other members, and that you now feel even
more strongly the spiritual bonds which unite you with the Order founded by
Thutmose III and immortalized by Akhnaton, our venerated Masters.
With best wishes for Peace Profound,
Sincerely and fraternally,
YOUR CLASS MASTER
7
Practical Application
“Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the
evening what the morning may accomplish.”—Unto Thee I Grant
It is true that Egypt reverted to polytheism after Akhnaton’s death;
however, the monotheism he vigorously promulgated during his brief
lifetime survived him, but in another country. Rosicrucian Tradition reports
that Moses was a contemporary of this pharaoh and was one of the most
advanced members of the Order. In keeping with what had been decreed
by the Great White Lodge, his mission was to lead the Hebrew people to
Israel, inculcating within them the belief in a single deity called Yahweh.
Judaism thus owes as much to Akhnaton as to Moses himself. We suggest
that you reread the first series of the Tenth Degree monographs to refresh
your memory regarding this subject.
In regards to this monograph, we also wish to remind you that according
to Rosicrucian Tradition Akhnaton convened the Masters of all the mystery
schools in 1353 BCE and performed for the first time the ritual that they had to
follow from then on in opening and closing all mystical meetings. Therefore,
that date represents the beginning of the standardization of the Order founded
by Thutmose III. This is why, according to tradition, this date is said to
correspond to the year “0” of the Rosicrucian calendar. Therefore, the year
2000 corresponds to the Rosicrucian year 3353 (1353+2000).
8
Summary of This Monograph
After carefully reading this monograph, read the following summary. It contains
the major principles on which you are to reflect and meditate in the coming days.
If any of the points are difficult to understand, refer to the explanations given in this
monograph. Moreover, we advise you to read this summary again immediately before
your next sanctum period.
Upon the death of Amenhotep III, his son by Queen Tiy ascended the
throne of Egypt as Amenhotep IV. The new pharaoh was born around
1378 BCE in the palace of Malkata, located along the banks of the Nile
across from Thebes.
During his childhood, Amenhotep IV benefited from his mother’s
affection and attention, as well as the instruction that was imparted by
the most eminent members of the Order, including Amenhotep, son of
Hapu.
Around the age of nine, even before he officially ascended the throne
of Egypt, Amenhotep IV married a lovely young girl by the name of
Nefertiti. She was a member of the Order, as were her parents.
During the days following his installation as pharaoh, Amenhotep IV
had a temple built to the east of Karnak that he called Gem Aton, which
means “I have found Aton.” By this symbolic act he publicly manifested
a desire to break with the Amon cult and to establish a new religion,
founded on the veneration of Aton, the solar symbol of the sole deity
that he had worshiped since earliest childhood.
To make his new religion official, Amenhotep IV changed his name
in the days following his installation, taking that of Akhnaton, which
means “Pious toward Aton.” He also left Thebes and settled in a new
city that he had built at Tell el-Amarna and which he called Akhetaton.
Akhnaton completed the work of Thutmose III, in the sense that he laid
the foundations for those teachings unique to all members of the Order.
He likewise devised certain rituals such as those which opened and
closed the mystical work taking place during the meetings.
Apart from the work he accomplished while Grand Master of the Order,
Akhnaton was the originator of a great artistic revolution.
9
When Akhnaton abandoned Thebes to settle in Akhetaton, the priests
and priestesses of Amon began to oppose him publicly and make him
appear as a usurper in the eyes of the people. In Akhnaton’s time, the
clergy numbered approximately eighty thousand and represented a
considerable power throughout Egypt.
Following Akhnaton’s death the clergy restored the cult of Amon
throughout Egypt. However, the work undertaken by Akhnaton did not
disappear completely, because the concept of a sole Divinity remained a
vital part of history. As for the Order itself, it continued its activities under
the guidance of its Masters, but much more guardedly, with each member
taking the vow of absolute silence.
10
NOTES
11
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