BOOK REVIEW: THE UNIVERSAL GNOSIS
the primordial pranic light During the stage of development of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, six books were successively published between 1948 and 1952, together constituting the Cornerstone series, because they formed the cornerstone, in which the ideas of the Rosycross were elaborated. The Universal Gnosis, part four of this series, is a book that turns our idea of God and our view of humanity and the world upside down. This was indeed the purpose of the authors.
O
n the basis of the twenty letters, of which this book consists, we will gradually begin to understand what Gnosis actually is, what the Rosycross is, what a path of initiation actually is, and what our task here on earth is. And this is only the first part. In the second part, the authors, J. van Rijckenborgh and Catharose de Petri, make us above all experience how profound the symbolism of the Christian gospel is, and what it wants to tell us. We are confronted with quite a lot, and it is placed before us in fiery language. The authors are so enthusiastic about transmitting what our task as human beings is that they approach it in all kinds of ways, wholly convincing us of it and taking us along in it. Each chapter begins by repeating something of the previous one, which is logical, as these letters were not written simultaneously. However, this also works well for us when reading them. 34 pentagram 6/2010
The first seven chapters present an extensive explanation of what gnosis really means, what true and what false gnosis is and what the relationship is between gnosis and Holy Spirit, between gnosis and the church, and between gnosis and the great poets and thinkers. Starting with the primordial longing that should be a person’s basis for becoming acquainted with the gnosis and preserving it in his heart, the holy language of all times deals with the seven spirals of consciousness. This does not concern grasping it intellectually or emotionally. Words and writing are only a means of contact; true gnosis cannot be described. It is power, radiation, and Light that seeks what is lost. The arts, science and religion make people cross the borders of dialectics. Gnosis leads human beings back to true life, back to the divine nature, to which human beings actually belong.
