Saturday, July 29, 2006
TEMPLUM DE OCTO ROSAE MYSTICUS
is "a Christic-based interfaith esoteric consortium [which offers] integrated teachings, practices, and initiatic training based on Eight Mystic Roses of the Western Traditions" according to their website. Essentially it appears to be an order of esoteric Freemasonry, since one of its objectives is to "Deepen Communion with The One-Unity..." Interested readers are directed to The Arimathea Institute, of which Bishop Timothy A. Storlie is the Spiritual Director.
The Order's Suggested Materials gives a picture of what this Order is about. There are 71 books on the list (some appear more than once). Of those books 25 use the word "Kabbalah" in their title, 7 use the word "Qabalah" in their title, 2 use the word "Cabala" in their title, and 6 use the word "Magic" in their title. The author's list includes Johann Reuchlin, a 16th century cabalist and professor of Hebrew who engaged in a protracted quarrel with Johann Pfeffercorn over the Talmud. (This quarrel was covered extensively by E. Michael Jones in the November 2005 issue of "Culture Wars".) Gareth Knight is on the Suggested Materials list, as is former Catholic now Episcopalian priest Matthew Fox.
A Catholic is forbidden by the First Commandment to engage in magic and spirit contact.
CCC 2117: All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. ...Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.
