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Franz Hartmann - In the Pronaos of the Temple of Wisdom (3.1 MB)

Cover of Franz Hartmann's Book In the Pronaos of the Temple of WisdomBook downloads: 274
QUITE a number of books dealing with the "History of the Rosicrucians" have appeared of late for the purpose of amusing and gratifying the curiosity of the mystery-loving reader but it does not appear that they have proved to be very instructive, or that they have succeeded in throwing much light upon this perplexing subject neither is it to be desired that the Rosicrucian mysteries should be publicly bawled out and exposed to the view of the vulgar because they belong to that which is most holy and sacred in the... More >>>Note that, unfortunately, not all my books can be downloaded due to the restrictions of copyright. However, most of the books on this site do not have copyright restrictions. If you find any copyright violation, please contact me at . I am very attentive to the issue of copyright and try to avoid any violations, but on the other hand to help all fans of magic to get access to information.
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Category 1:  Mystic and Occultism
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Author:      Franz Hartmann
Format:      eBook
QUITE a number of books dealing with the "History of the Rosicrucians" have appeared of late for the purpose of amusing and gratifying the curiosity of the mystery-loving reader but it does not appear that they have proved to be very instructive, or that they have succeeded in throwing much light upon this perplexing subject neither is it to be desired that the Rosicrucian mysteries should be publicly bawled out and exposed to the view of the vulgar because they belong to that which is most holy and sacred in the constitution of man.

Books on true occultism are on the whole very useless things because those who are in possession of occult knowledge will not require them while those who have no such knowledge will not understand them neither will they receive much benefit from such literature because real spiritual knowledge must be found within one's own soul it cannot be learned from books. The scientist, rationalist, and speculative philosopher deals only with, so to say, the candlesticks bearing the candles from which is emanating the light which they cannot see, neither can they see the candle for the latter is representing the soul, whose light is the spirit.

Truly occult and Theosophical books ought to be prayers and poems calculated to lift the heart and the mind of the reader up to the highest regions of thought, and aiding him to descend into the innermost sanctuary of his own being so that he may become able to open the senses of his interior perception and grasp himself those divine ideals which are beyond the understanding of the semi-animal intellect for spiritual truth cannot be brought down to that level it requires, for its recognition, the rising up in the spirit to its own plane neither can any man reveal to another the light, if the light does not reveal its presence to the investigator all that a book can do is to aid the reader in opening his own eyes.

Little would it benefit us if we knew of the existence of sunlight only from reading about it in books, and were incapable to see the light and to enjoy the rays of the sun. What would it serve us if we theoretically knew all about the constitution of the terrestrial sun if we were encompassed by darkness? What good would it do to us to be informed about all the qualities of the divine powers of God, if we could recognise nothing divine within our own selves?

No man can show to another the light if the latter is incapable to see it himself but the light is everywhere there is nothing to hinder a person to see it, except his love for the darkness. His love for the illusions of his terrestrial phase of existence causes him to regard these illusions as real, and to relegate the Real to the realm of fancy and dream. Nevertheless, that which seems now the true light to him will be as darkness when his consciousness awakens to the perception of the light of the spirit.

As light is incomprehensible except by its contrast to darkness, I have not only selected some of the best portions of the writings of the ancient hermetic philosophers and medi?val "Rosicrucians" but I have also taken the trouble to collect a few facts from the great storehouse of human follies to be found in the fools' paradise of the visionary and dreamer but for those who earnestly wish to enter the path and to follow the Light, I have added some of the most precious gems taken from the books of the sages whose meaning will be incomprehensible to the would-be wise while those who are unsophisticated will find therein a great deal of wisdom.

Franz Hartmann

Franz Hartmann, who also wrote the esoteric novella With the Adepts, published this short non-fiction summary of the Rosicrucian question in 1890. He reviews the well-known history and literature of the Rosicrucians. In the last two chapters Hartmann presents what he believes to be the core doctrines of the 'true' Rosicrucians.

About Author:

Franz Hartmann (1838-1912) - was a German physician, theosophist, occultist, geomancer, astrologer, author of esoteric and occultism works. Franz Hartmann wrote esoteric studies and a biography of Jakob Bohme and of Paracelsus. He translated the Bhagavad Gita into German and was the editor of the journal Lotusbluten. He was at one time a co-worker of Helena Blavatsky at Adyar. In 1896 he founded a German Theosophical Society. He also supported the Guido-von-List-Society (Guido-von-List-Gesellschaft). He cofounded the Ordo Templi Orientis with Carl Kellner and Theodor Reuss.

Hartmann was born November 22, 1838, in Bavaria, Germany, though he claimed descent on his mother's side from the old Irish kings of Ulster. He became a physician and immigrated to the United States in 1865, traveling as a doctor to various cities and also visiting Indian tribes and studying their religious beliefs. He became interested in Spiritualism and later corresponded with leading Theosophists after the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875.

Hartmann was invited to the society's headquarters at Adyar, India, where he lived during the furor over Helena Petrovna Blavatsky 's alleged miracle working. He published his own Report of Observations During a Nine Months' Stay at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar (Madras), India (1884).

When Richard Hodgson of the Society for Psychical Research, London, published his devastating exposure of claimed trickery and fraudulent phenomena by Blavatsky in 1885, Hartmann accompanied her to Europe and then returned to his hometown in Bavaria. There he claimed to have encountered a sect of secret Rosicrucians from whom he acquired many mystical insights. He was president of the Theosophical Society in Germany for a brief period, but eventually resigned to found independent societies. During his later years he spent much time in the Untersberg Mountains near Salzburg, Austria, where he believed he encountered gnomes, water nymphs, and other nature spirits and also wrote his more memorable books. He died at Kempten, Bavaria, August 7, 1912.

Partial bibliography

* Magick: White and Black
* The Life of Jehoshua, the prophet of Nazareth
* The Principles of Astrological Geomancy
* Correlation of Spiritual Forces
* With the Adepts: An Adventure Among the Rosicrucians
* Life and the Doctrines of Philippus Theophrastus Bombast of Hohenheim Known as Paracelsus
* In The Pronaos Of The Temple Of Wisdom Containing The History Of The True And The False Rosicrucians
* Alchemy And Astrology
* Metafisica Medicina y Sanacion
* Philosophy and Theosophy
* The Four Pillars of Occult Medicine
* An Adventure Among the Rosicrucians: A Student of Occultism
* Among the Adepts: The Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross and Their Occult and Mysterious Powers
* To Will, to Dare and to Be Silent in Magic