The ancient Initiate Masters taught that the accomplishment of the Great Work is the main reason for man's sojourn on Earth. They, like the Nazarene himself, taught that this was the only way to the fulfillment of all the desires, ambitions and loves of earthly life, and the only road to an immortal productive and creative existence once earthly life is completed.

Both the Nazarene and these Initiate Masters also taught that all men and women will either complete this Great Work eventually or utterly destroy themselves-not alone the physical self but the immortal self as well. The rationale behind this all-or-nothing concept becomes clear and acceptable once the nature of, and the need for, the Great Work is fully understood.

In order to gain a solid grasp of the Initiate concept of the Great Work, we need to move back in history several hundred thousand years to a time when man as we know him did not exist. In the world of that time, all Creation was functioning in full harmony with the Divine Law instituted by our Creator. However, it was not long before this harmony was jeopardized by a new desire awakening in the hearts of some of God's more advanced creations.

On the Earth, the creature we now call homo sapiens had evolved to a point where he (she) had attained a degree of accomplishment and beauty that drew the attention of some of God's obedient celestial beings. Scripture describes this attraction in this manner:

"the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."

-Genesis 6:2.

What occurred, in less poetic language, was that certain celestial beings (sons of God) were, because of their desire and the benevolence of their Creator, allowed to enter the bodies of men and thus able to take to wife the "daughters of men." Since God could not (still cannot) show partiality, we like to think that this activity was reciprocal in that female celestial beings were also allowed to come to Earth to enter the bodies of the daughters of men and thus to take to husband the sons of men. (Admittedly, Moses does not mention this reciprocity as such, but at his time the phrase "sons of God" might well have meant both male and female, just as we use the term "he" and "his" to mean both in much of our modern literature.) This rather fascinating and intriguing situation produced what the Bible terms the "Garden of Eden," a period in human history aptly described in Scripture:

"There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

-Genesis 6:4.

While we are told little more of these "men of renown" in Scripture, the ancient arcane histories in possession of the "Keepers of the Mysteries" have many reports of their great deeds, accomplishments and influences on human history.

Unfortunately, this halcyon time of the "men of renown" did not last for long. If we go to the next Biblical verse that follows the above, we discover that all was not well in Paradise:

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

-Genesis 6:5.

Oh, oh, we have trouble in Paradise! Of real interest here is the fact that we now find man characterized as wicked. What happened to those "sons of God" and the "men of renown"? What we now know did happen, as taught us by the "Keepers of the Mysteries," was that the combination of man and angel (for such were the sons and daughters of God) had done very well for a while, but eventually the angelic part of this dual being allowed the mortal part to corrupt the more Godly.

Prior to its "fall," the angelic part of this combined being could travel back and forth from its heavenly home at will because its celestial integrity was intact, but once the animal part had sufficiently corrupted the angelic, this was no longer possible. The angelic became entrapped in the body of this two-legged animal and a new being was formed. A hybrid of animal and angel that we now call man. A paradoxical being that is part mortal and part immortal. A being that is less than an angel, but because of the opportunity to learn from his transgressions has the ability to become greater than an angel-a god. The key word here is "become." Only through personal effort to overcome the animalistic passions of his nature, thereby resuscitating the angelic portion of this strange mixture, can the entity we know as man become a god. Not an angel, because this is innocence lost, and once innocence is lost it cannot be reestablished, but wisdom can and must take its place. Thus, man, that is, the onetime angelic part of man, must learn to find wisdom by overcoming the same weaknesses that cost him his original innocence. This effort will allow man to gain godhood by "knowing" both good and evil and choosing, of his own free will, the good over the evil. This is the great Drama of the Ages. It is the supreme experiment of God to date. It is what has always been known as The Great Work, and such it truly is.

There are many philosophical arguments as to why the Creator would have allowed His angelic beings to descend to the physical plane and thereby be in a position to be tempted by their animal bodies to create evil, sin and "wickedness" to sully God's perfect world. In my own humble opinion, God knew exactly what He was doing (if He didn't, who did?) when He allowed the angels to descend into the bodies of men and women. He knew that the odds were strong that this new "man" would "fall" and thus create a situation (of his will, not God's) where he would have a chance to either totally destroy himself or make of himself a god. We can hardly begin to imagine the dull and boring nature of the formerly perfect world. Surely Sir William Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan fame gave us an inkling when he penned these thoughtful, but somewhat tongue-in-cheek, lines:

Oh, don't the days seem lank and long
When all goes right and nothing goes wrong,
And isn't the world extremely flat
When you've nothing whatever to grumble at?"

Imagine what your own world would be like if there was no one to appreciate your efforts for what they really are. If no matter what you did all you heard was, "It's perfect. Couldn't be better." Well, if that's true, why do anything more? You might as well just close up shop and call it a day (or a Creation).

However, once the angel–man attempted to circumvent the Divine Law, it was a whole new ball game. Drama, wonderful drama, was introduced into this dull, perfect world. The famous Initiate Lord Bulwer-Lytton once wrote a novel entitled, What Will He Do With It? This statement perfectly describes the underlying nature of what Initiate Masters call The Drama of the Ages. Prior to the "fall of man" (a misnomer-it really was the fall of the angelic being in man. The animal part of man actually succeeded in gaining control over the angelic being) the world had no real drama. That is, there was no suspense, no indecision, no guessing-no fun. Now, with the "fall of man," all these and many more fascinating opportunities were introduced into Creation. For the first time since God's "Big Bang" (the formation of organized matter out of Chaos), even God could not predict what might go on in His worlds.

This did not mean that the perfect Law (Divine Law) the Creator set into motion could be subverted or set aside by any man or woman, but only that they now had the free will to attempt to circumvent the Divine Law, and not even God could be certain just what they might do from one moment to the next. What a delightful situation for all concerned!

After the "fall," each individual human in God's Creation became a law onto himself and each lived his own exciting drama moment by moment, thus creating a never-ending source of interest for God and the Celestial beings. Interestingly, this concept of interest from above is best portrayed in the "Pagan" religions of Greece and Rome. Can we not view "man's fall" as the most important incident in all of Creation, next only to God's "Big Bang" itself?

Once we accept the importance of the creation of the angel-man being, do we really think that its creation was not anticipated by God and, just perhaps, micromanaged a little bit by Him? After all, is not the final result of this "fall of man" to the advantage of all concerned? God gets beings that have the intelligence and ability to honestly appreciate His handiwork-not just a bunch of "yes men" as He had before. Those angelic beings who remained in the Celestial Spheres get to watch billions of daily dramas (heavenly soap operas?) take place as they observe us either attempting to return to "Heaven" as a god (one knowing good and evil) or utterly destroying what is left of the angel within us. And we, this strange dual being, get the best deal of all. We have an opportunity to become a god and create our own worlds. No matter how we look at it, this is certainly a big advancement over our previous condition, whether we refer to either the animal or the angel part of us.

Our angelic part was the quintessence of innocence prior to its earthly escapades. As such it was but a servant of the gods (those who were able to distinguish good from evil). However, with its disobedience and "fall" it gained a new opportunity, as indicated in this verse from
Genesis:

"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: [he discovered evil by his attempt to circumvent the Divine Law] and now, lest [if] he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life [accomplish the Great Work], and eat [follow the Divine Law], and [then he will] live for ever: [having made of himself an immortal god]."

-Genesis 3:22.

One of the most intriguing phrases in the Bible is:

"Behold, the man is become as one of us."

It should not take more than a moment's contemplation for an astute seeker to see the fascinating and heretical concepts inherent in this verse. It is obvious that God is talking and that He is talking to others who, like Himself, are godlike in that they too understand the nature of good and evil (that which is in harmony with the Divine Law and that which is not). To these other gods, he clearly states, in this chapter and verse, that man's fall was not all that bad for man, because it gave man the ability to become like the gods and live forever, provided man follows the Divine Law and completes the Great Work.

But you may ask, "What happens to the animal part of man after the fall?" How will it benefit from this whole process? One of the most important requirements of the Great Work is the domestication" of the animal part of man by the angelic. This process of transmutation is absolutely essential if the Great Work is to be successful. This, in reality, is the Great Work. In this effort the animal man has just as much to gain as the angelic. All the suffering of the animal man is due to his attempt to circumvent the Divine Law. As he attempts to come into greater and greater harmony with the Divine Law, he will find that the physical (animal) man (woman) benefits on an equal level with the angelic. This under the ancient Law of Hermes, "As above, so below; as in the greater, so in the lesser; as in the inner, so in the outer."

We now have an idea of what the Great Work is and so can address the manner in which it must proceed. The mechanism and logistics, as proclaimed by God in
harmony with His Divine Law, are that this unique dual being (half angel–half animal) must return to the "scene of the crime" (come back to Earth) over and over until one of two things occurs: (1) The angelic part is able to so control the animal that it is able to restore its prefall contact with the Creator (Soul Illumination) and thereby have the option of taking its place in the Celestial world above or returning to Earth to help others, or (2) the animal part succeeds in completely destroying the angelic in which case the body may survive, but without the angelic, all hope of immortality is lost-only oblivion follows the death of the body.

The Great Work consists of several parts. One of the most important is the willingness and successful effort to pay all past debts. Whenever there is an attempted transgression of the Divine Law, a debt is incurred. Most of us have a large cache of these past debts, not alone from this life, but also from our many other incarnations since we first became dual beings eons ago. All such debts must be paid on the plane of their creation: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."-Matthew 22:21. Each area of activity has its own province; debts created in Heaven must be paid in Heaven and those created on this physical plane must be paid on this physical plane.

The Initiate Masters (individuals who have completed the Great Work) assure us that there are two ways to pay these debts: We may pay them by suffering the reaction of the Divine Law or we may pay them by neutralizing them by our good deeds in the same or future lives. An individual may kill many of his fellow-humans in one life, only to neutralize the Divine Law's adverse reaction by saving the lives of many more in a subsequent incarnation.

While no one can complete the Great Work or forego this "Circle of Lives" until he has compensated for all past debts created here on Earth, this is only the physical or first part of the Great Work. There still exists the spiritual part to be accomplished. This is the effort to attain Soul Illumination.

While all that we have described above is necessary for spiritual development, it will not bring us all that we desire if we neglect our efforts to transmute the nonconstructive in us into those things that are in harmony with the Divine Law. Transmutation is the process by which the destructive elements of our animal being are changed into those more in keeping with our desired angelic nature. The process of transmutation rests on the principle that all things in the world were originally good and only man's perversion of them has made them otherwise. Therefore, in transmuting we do not seek to destroy, but rather to change (sublimate, transmute) the destructive component of any entity (be it a thought, desire or action) into its original God-ordained nature. Thus, hate can be transmuted into love, greed into practical generosity, fear into prudence and resentment into compassion by the power of thought image conversion.

The exact process by which this transmutation is accomplished is taught to all students of the Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis. While we cannot give the entire process here, we can give you a hint as to how this is to be accomplished. The human brain is so constructed that as we think and take actions these activities are recorded and programmed into the nerve cells. The more we think or do something, the stronger and stronger this nerve impression becomes. On the other hand, if we do not think or do certain things, the nerve impressions of these items gradually fade. If we consciously replace adverse thoughts and actions by those in harmony with the Divine Law, these more constructive elements will gradually replace the impressed nerve pathways of the less desirable elements. Thus, by first changing our thought patterns we are eventually able to change our emotions, and with the change in our emotions we are able to modify our actions. This is the basic physical functioning of transmutation. It takes a strong desire and constant effort on the part of the student to accomplish such a work, but it is an absolutely essential part of the Great Work.

Therefore, the daily practice of this activity is one of the main cornerstones of the development of every true seeker after things Spiritual. By his efforts at transmutation, the student of the Arcane is able to set the stage so that his Divine Spark is cleared of much of the debris heaped upon it over the centuries and is thus able to "see" more clearly to build its Inner Center.

In the literature of the Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis you will find the words Soul Illumination used again and again. A comprehension of this phrase is paramount to a complete understanding of the Great Work.

When our animal nature managed to corrupt the angelic part of us eons ago, our angelic part (our Soul) was displaced from the Center it had established when it first entered the animal body. Since it is only from this Center (home, throne, inner sanctum, sanctum sanctorum, call it what you will) that the angelic part (Soul) is able to establish conscious contact with the Creator, the second part of the Great Work is the effort to entice and assist the remnant of our Soul (called the Divine Spark by the Initiate Masters) to come forth and rebuild its Soul Center and thus gain Soul Illumination and immortality.

Perhaps we can clarify this concept if we think of the original combination of angel and animal as a nation ruled by an Initiate king-as were many of the finest civilizations of ancient days. This Initiate king was our angelic being and the nation he ruled was our animal or lower self. This king was like a Solomon in that he was just, compassionate and merciful. In all that he did he always attempted to follow the Divine Law because he knew it was the Law of his being and that of all his subjects.

Under this fair and gentle governor, the nation prospered and grew in wisdom and strength. However, as was so common then and now, there were those who did not like his rule because they wanted to do those things not allowed by the Divine Law, and this just king would not allow it, and as long as the king stayed on his throne and followed the Divine Law there was little they could do because here he was invincible.

One day a double agent who pretended to befriend the king, but who in reality was allied with those who would overthrow him (our passions), suggested to him that he get to know his people better by moving among them and learning their ways. To the king this sounded like a good and worthy idea.

So, dressed in common clothes, he set out to live as the common people did. Once the good king was away from his throne (Soul Center) and among the common people (susceptible to human passions), the renegade forces were able to stage a coup and even attempted to assassinate the good king. This they were not able to do, but they were able to wrest his throne from him and force him to flee into a hidden exile where they could not find him to destroy him. This is where he still resides in most individuals. The carnal forces of the body were not able to destroy him (except in a few cases) but the only way he has to help guide his people is by a few weak communications (from our conscience) that he is able to get past the dictators who now control this nation (our physical body).

Now that the renegade forces have control of the nation, there is little or no justice, and the common citizens of the nation live lives of quiet desperation and great suffering. At first the citizens of the nation listened to the siren call of the rebels, but they soon realized what they had lost and now long for the wisdom of their exiled king, but do not know how to help him back to power. The rebels (our animal passions) promise much, but deliver little except short-term pleasures followed by long-term pain and suffering. They, like the emperors of ancient Rome, offer circuses rather than the Bread of Life.

The deposed king has not forgotten the people, however. Even though in his exile he is weak and treated very shabbily, he is always trying to help his nation. He sends various emissaries to help enlist the nation's aid in restoring him to his rightful place, but in almost every instance the rebels are able to convince the people that these men are only false prophets, and that the king is really dead, and that only they, the carnal passions, have any reality.

This is the situation that most individuals find themselves in today. Our just king (our Soul) has been exiled also and is now in hiding; more than that, he is in a piteous state, since we give him little support. He must now live in filth and is clothed in rags. In order for us to reinstate our just and fair king on his throne, we must do several things. First, we must do all we can to convince him that we want him back on his throne. After all, it was we who listened to the rebels in the first place and allowed them to displace him. One of the best ways we have of convincing him of our sincerity is by rejecting the siren voice of the rebels and attempting to once again follow the ways of the Divine Law that our faithful king taught us long ago. As time goes on and we are able to make amends for the grave mistreatment we gave our king, we will be able to help him invest himself with the raiment of a true monarch. Most certainly we cannot enthrone a king in dirty rags (our past Karmic indebtedness) and expect him to be accepted as the great and noble ruler he is. Once we have assured him by our desires and efforts that we want him to reign again, we must first remove his disreputable raiment (transmute our ignoble passions), clothe him anew in suitable attire (replace our previous thoughts and actions with those of a more exalted nature) and then help him rebuild his throne (the seat of the Soul) by those methods taught in the Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis. Only when all this is accomplished will he able to return and be recrowned by the Creator Himself (Soul Illumination).

This procedure (developing the Divine Spark into the Soul in its Center) is the crux of what the Nazarene called the "Mysteries." It is a process he taught to his disciples, but not to most of the public, because he knew if he did, it would be like "casting pearls before swine." This same procedure has been taught in all authentic Arcane Schools from the very beginning of the dual man. In pursuing this process, the student must always be guided by one who has already accomplished the Great Work for himself.

As in all such matters on Earth, there are many charlatans who would lead the gullible astray by pretending to be able to guide seekers along the Path of the Great Work, but these are only the "blind leading the blind." The simplest way to tell the true teacher from the false is the manner of his (or her) own life. Ask yourself: Does he live according to the Divine Law and does he insist that his students do so as well? Only those with such knowledge, dedication and purity of heart and Soul can guide the serious seeker after truth through the process of true Soul Illumination.

While the concept expressed in the last few pages may seem strange to those raised in the paradigm of our most popular religions, it is not difficult to comprehend once an individual has an understanding of the nature of the Divine Law and is willing to undertake the effort to accomplish the Great Work. From this it is but a short step to understanding what the Initiate Masters call Soul Illumination.

Soul Illumination is the state produced when the Divine Spark (the remnant of the angelic part of us) has completed its Center and has been animated by the "fire" (Illumination) of the Creator. Once this takes place, human mortality has put on immortality and our angelic being within is in control once again. One of the most fascinating and revealing passages in the New Testament describes the mass Soul Illumination of all the apostles during Pentecost:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

In all literature available to the public there is no more accurate and beautiful description of Soul Illumination than this. The Holy Ghost is the Illumined Soul, that is, the Soul in its Center that has been activated by the "fire" of the Creator from above. The Biblical "cloven tongues of fire" are what the Illuminating force looked like to the Biblical writers. They had no better words to describe it, and in fact we cannot do very much better today.

On a more mundane plane, we may think of the event of Soul Illumination as the throwing of the power switch to turn on the lights of a newly constructed sports stadium. Before the lights can be lit and the park illuminated, a great deal of planning, effort and money must be expended. Only after all this hard work and expense can the switch be thrown. So it is with our own Soul Illumination. The real work must go before; the actual Soul Illumination is just the culmination of this process. The Nazarene had carefully prepared his apostles for the day of Pentecost. They had been taught and had learned to obey the Divine Law, had completed the early steps of the Great Work and needed only a final effort by their embryonic Soul to ready themselves for the Illuminating fire of the Creator.

While Soul Illumination is a major milestone in the potential spiritual development of man, it is not an end in itself, but rather the developing of a new insight. If the student of the Great Work is faithful in his efforts, the Divine Spark may be able to build and Illuminate the Center for the Soul before all the individual's earthly debts are paid. Once the student has reached Soul Illumination, it should be much easier for him to pay what indebtedness remains since now, with his new Soul sight, he will be better able to understand the Divine Law and is more likely to live in harmony with it.

In arcane literature, Soul Illumination may be presented under many other names, such as Philosophical Initiation, Soul Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness or God Consciousness. While these terms may each have a slightly different meaning to the Initiate, the non-Initiate may consider them to mean approximately the same thing, the only real difference among them being in degree, not in their nature.

Soul Illumination is the goal of most students of the Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis, but it is only the recognition for work already done. The true student of the Great Work soon realizes that the real satisfaction is in the efforts made in the Great Work itself. Once Soul Illumination is reached, renewed efforts must be made to use these new forces to bring about greater and greater benefit to the student and mankind. To the dedicated student, the Great Work is "more fun than fun." Only in this way and only with this attitude may he fulfill his manifest destiny.

We have come to an end of our definitions. Each describes a separate entity and yet each entity is dependent on the others for its fullest benefits to mankind. Everything we do falls under some component of the Divine Law. It is simply the Law that governs in all things in both Heaven and Earth. Like the proverbial Ol' Man River, it just keeps rolling along and cares little what we think of it. If we learn to live in harmony with it, we will prosper; if we do not, we will be "spanked" by the reaction of our own attempted disobedience.

If we are wise, we will seek out those who can teach us about the Divine Law and who are thereby able to help us to pursue the Path of the Great Work. This Great Work is our reason for being," and each of us must come to it eventually or lose our immortal Soul and thereby vanish into the black holes of existence "from whose bourn no traveler returns."

The Great Work, if followed with dedication and persistence, along with daily successful efforts at transmutation, will eventually lead to Soul Illumination, a state of consciousness in which the truth of immortality is made self-evident, a state in which the Soul is in direct contact with its Creator and all else that is good in His Creation. This is not a promise of future Health and Happiness, it is an assurance of both-here and now.