A Cosmic Initiation: The Zelator

This beginning step starts out with an understanding of *teleology.* So let me begin by quoting the dictionary: "Teleology is the philosophical study of manifestations of design or purpose in natural processes, under the belief that natural processes are not determined by mechanism but rather by their utility in ultimate purpose or design."

My teleology: Via my own studies, I possess at least a teleological "sense." At this point I believe in a Cosmic Self--a Cosmos that is All One. It is, IMO, a living, intelligent cosmic entity evolving into greater and greater consciousness.

This Cosmic Entity is the One Reality which has many labels, including "God." From my studies I envision this Cosmic Entity in terms of a sphere. I look at the core of this sphere as the Ground of Being. It is Spirit. Whether we move hierarchically or holographically from Spirit to soul to mind to matter, I still have this understanding.

I subscribe to Spirit as the Ground of Being, the Foundation of the All which it is. I seriously wonder whether this Cosmic Spirit is All Knowing? I do consider that this Cosmic Entity was *birthed.* In terms of natural processes, it seems that it was born with the seeds of information leading to its physical unfoldment. Those seeds we can call the "Natural Laws."

This Cosmic Entity is evolving in multifarious ways. It is both complex and simple. All One, as a single piece, it possesses both a Within and a Without.

I have not yet come to terms as to why this Cosmic Entity was not designed and birthed Whole or Complete. My only guess is that it is NOT omnipotent, as stressed by some of our god concepts, but rather in itself is an ultimate child of nature-- designed, birthed, and under the tutelage of inherited Natural Laws. But Who did the designing???

I subscribe to the idea of a macrocosmos and microcosmos. Overall this cosmic entity seems like a vast feedback system of endless cycles, implicate and explicate, growing and groping into ever greater Being and Consciousness. This Entity is a cosmic system, a conglomerate of systems within systems, but One!

In terms of consciousness, of cognitive development, I can only guess. I believe that every expression in this Universe is its Mind. All emotions, all actions, belong to it. It operates at different levels of Being simultaneously. It exudes what we call "good" and "evil" simultaneously. It is a Being under development, not perfected.

But it is a Being that is aware, and it makes choices. And the fact of the long debate regarding good and evil on this planet, we know it tries to come to terms with such issues. A sign of developing maturity?

This Cosmic Entity advances and tries to look ahead. I suspect this universal entity is a wacky, wonderful, and creative artist. It experiments. It is also ruthless, discarding that which is no longer useful. But--perhaps this act is not actually ruthless, rather it may be intelligent.

Where is this Cosmic Being headed? In terms of my personal teleology, I truthfully don't know. It's all educated (?) guesswork on my part. It seems to be growing in terms of intelligence and complexity--yet remains a Single One. I tend to believe it is *only* just emerging from a child-level state--reflected by it aspects who have only just come to awareness on this planet. It is groping with values and morality, just as an adolescent would begin to do. Yet it expresses itself unpredictably, not yet very well formulated. So still a Cosmic Child?

It's the process, the development of this Cosmic Entity that is important. Whatever its higher elements may be, it is these elements that must learn and grow in knowledge--moving from the fires of the caves to the mysteries to religions to philosophical and scientific understanding of the Natural Process and the Laws under which it stands.

Zelator Teleology: Using Case's THE TRUE AND INVISIBLE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER, the initiate begins at the physical plane. The Zelator must learn that the realm within which he lives (in terms of sensation) is a realm of order. The *reign of law* is primary. Basically, Natural Law is over All.

This reign of law is rational, an expression of mathematical series. Man must learn to realize his utter dependence upon the "operations of fixed and unchanging laws." Also there is the great doctrine of cycles. Perhaps Case means here the idea of form-transformation. Forms become, they dissolve, they become new forms. Close-to-home, this doctrine touches upon the issue of life and death, and the need for death as a natural part of things.

Hegel's Teleology: As derived from his PHENEOMENOLOGY OF SPIRIT, Hegel notes that Spirit is Always and All that is. Out of love it "imagines" an Other (manifested Creation). But there is no dichotomy. Spirit is at the core, infused in its Creation which IS itself as Other!

Through various levels of development, seemingly hierarchical, It becomes more aware of itself as Spirit through the evolution of consciousness in its projected Other. Eventually Spirit, coming more fully to consciousness, realizes the reality of the Other, knowing it is All One, all Spirit, Absolute Spirit!

Commentary from the Zelator's Perspective: From Case, it is said that the Rosicrucian presentation of the reign of law declares that form follows form in rhythmic sequence. It's back to the doctrine of cycles. For Case, this doctrine of cycles is fixed within Universal Law...that it is a tendency towards the revelation of hidden things, the unraveling of mysteries, the extension of light.

Now I can vaguely grasp the cyclic doctrine from Hegel. He says that "Reason is purposive activity," and that "Nature as purposive activity...is also self-moving." I can also grasp the following statement by Hegel: "The True is whole. But the whole is nothing other than the essence consummating itself through its development. Of the Absolute it must be said that it is essentially a *result* that only in the *end* is it what it truly is; and that precisely in this consists its nature, viz, to be actual, subject, the spontaneous becoming of itself."

The above makes me harken back to my earlier questions. Put in another way, WHY the necessity for the cycles, the feedback movement, if this is not a Cosmos that is growing, evolving? Seeded with a blueprint for completion, the Whole (seemingly both Spirit and Substance) has to maturate! And it grows-up by the wonderful dance into greater consciousness between the Subject and the Substance!

The Law of Equilibrium: According to Case, the Zelator needs to understand better the universal law of equilibrium. Transposing this to Hegel, I can definitely see some insight into the issue of equilibrium.

Discussing Spirit, consciousness, Hegel says that "Spirit develops itself and explicates its moments, these moments contain that anitithesis, and they all appear as shapes of consciousness." Hegel says that *experience* is the pathway which consciousness goes through, that "the substance and its movement are viewed as the object of consciousness."

BUT, "Spirit becomes object because it is just this movement of becoming an *other to itself,* i.e., becoming an object to itself." Eventually Hegel believes Spirit comes to "know its object as its own self. They no longer fall apart into the antithesis of being and knowing, but remain in the simple oneness of knowing."

The Process as a Universal: Talking about the absolute Notion, Hegel refers to this "soul of the world...whose omnipresence is neither disturbed nor interrupted by any difference, but rather is itself every difference, as also their supersession; it pulsates within itself but does not move, inwardly vibrates, yet is at rest."

Hegel goes on, "This self-identical essence is therefore related only to itself, 'to itself' implies relationship to an 'other,' and the *relation-to-self* is rather a *self-sundering.* And, these sundered moments are thus in and for themselves each an *opposite*...so each is therefore in its own self the opposite of itself."

More clearly, Hegel declares that "in other words, it is not an opposite at all, but is purely for itself, a pure self-identical essence that has no difference in it."

From what Hegel seems to be saying--this dialectical process involving opposites underlies the All (One). What is the point of all this, why necessary?

Life as a Process: The above question is related to this submission by Hegel, that this universal movement is that this "passive separating-out of the shapes becomes, just by so doing, a movement of those shapes or becomes Life as a *process*...this fluid medium, itself becomes the *other* through this difference; for now it is *for the difference* which exists in and for itself, and consequently is the ceaseless movement by which this passive medium is consumed. Life is a *living thing.*"

Zelator Summary: The points I have seen emerging are: (1) Spirit simply IS. It is both Alpha and Omega. It is both the Uncreated but in Creation. (2) Spirit is Self and Other. It is Subjective and Objective. It is Spirit and Substance. (3) Spirit experiences by means of the dialectic process. It is! But it has extended itself in Other (material Creation). In its opposites, it is engaged in a feedback state that contributes to its becoming MORE! (4) Spirit makes the Other in order to experience. It creates, suffers, shares, dances, LEARNS. Equal, the Other becomes KNOWLEDGE for Spirit. (5) The Other is: individual consciousnesses, multitudes of life-forms and matter-forms, Nature-Creation, the COSMOS! (6) Spirit uses its Other as an artist employs a pallete to paint, to create. Spirit uses its Other as the means for maturation and exultation.

Case considers the Zelator as the "Kingdom." Basically, by examining Hegel's teleology, we were mapping out the Kingdom of Spirit. Case thinks the Theoricus should be concerned with the Foundation. So in this next step, I will focus on Hegel's philsophy as a foundation for not only my life--but all those living!