This study guide is intended for use with The Rosicrucian Mysteries by Max Heindel. The guide contains two groups of questions for each chapter in The Rosicrucian Mysteries. The first group of questions for a chapter are questions whose answer may be found somewhere in the chapter. The second group of questions are labeled as "thought questions." The answers to these questions are not given in the chapter, but rather can be answered by relating what was said in the chapter to one's own experience and by using one's creative imagination.

  In using the study guide it is recommended that one first read an entire chapter from The Rosicrucian Mysteries to get an overall picture of the topic being discussed. Then answer the questions below, referring back to the text as needed.

  It is hoped that this study guide will help the reader clarify and make more precise the understanding of occult Truths, so that he or she may tred the path with a more certain step.

1-1] Mark each statement as true or false.

a) Within man are enfolded all the powers of God.
b) The powers enfolded in man are unfolded during life in one earthly body.
c) The Recording Angels are able to see human mental trends and thereby determine what steps people need to go through for their development.
d) The Recording Angels give to each group of people a religion suited to their needs.
e) Anyone who wants to may join the Order of the Rosy Cross.

1-2] In each blank insert one of the words: Lesser, Greater

The members of the Rosicrucian Order are teachers of the ______ Mysteries. In the first of the Initiations in the _____ Mysteries, one is taught how to visit the temple of the Order in ones spiritual body. People who have completed the nine degrees of the ______ Mysteries are called Adepts.

1-3] What is the major type of mistake that occultists are liable to make? What is the major type of mistake that mystics are liable to make?

1-A] Why is it important that one who attains the abilities to see through things, to see any distance, and to travel with lightning speed will also develop love for others?

2-1] When the trained Seer views the realms traversed by the Spirit in its post mortem states, in order to make reliable observations should more attention be paid to the forms seen or to the life within these forms? Why?

2-2] What scientific evidence is there that death does not terminate existence?

2-3] When we breath, pictures of our surroundings enter our lungs and thence our blood. Where is the atom located upon which these pictures become etched?

2-4] Insert into each blank one of the words: evil, good, expelled,saved.

In the post-mortem existence, the breath-record of ______ acts produce feelings of pleasure, and the intensity of attraction causes these to be ______ by the Spirit. The breath-record of ______ acts causes the Spirit pain in the post-mortem existence, and thence the Spirit causes these to be ______ from its being.

2-5] In each blank insert one of the words or phrases: decays, remains imperishable, partly decays and partly is imperishable. When so called death occurs, the physical body ______, the soul generated from the breath record ______, and the Spirit ______.

2-6] Next to each item on the left put the letter of the item on the right which is most closely related:

2-7] Why are some people born with healthy bodies, and some with sick bodies?

2-8] On which of the levels (physical, moral, mental) do the laws of heredity hold true and on which do they not hold true?

2-9] When the choice is being made (by the Recording Angels) as to what family an Ego will be reborn into, which of the following is not considered?

a) The need to have an appropriate distribution on earth of people who are sick and people who are healthy.
b) The lessons which the Ego needs to learn.
c) The Ego's duties and obligations, contracted in previous lives.
d) The Ego's desire to live with people whose tastes are similar to his own.

2-10) a) What is the average interval of time between earth lives. b) Why do people who die as children tend to come back sooner than those who have lived to a ripe old age?

2-A] Christ said to Nicodemus, "Expect a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Explain why rebirth is necessary for one to "see the kingdom of God".

2-B] Why is it best for people who have not yet developed certain inner strengths to not remember specific circumstances of past lives?

3-1] To spiritual sight the earth appears to be composed of three concentric, interpenetrating balls of material, namely, the Physical World, the Desire World, and the World of Thought.

a) Which of these balls is the largest?
b) Which is the smallest?
c) Which of these worlds furnishes the material from which we form our feelings and emotions.
d) Which of these worlds furnishes the material from which we build our dense body or a machine or a house to live in?
e) Which of these worlds furnishes the material from which we form thoughts and ideas?

3-2] a) Give an example of a situation in which an invisible substance is able to produce motion in a machine.
b) What invisible thing can impell an animal or man to move?

3-3] What part of the body needs to be sensitized if etheric sight is to be developed? What parts of the body need to be set into vibration if spiritual sight is to be developed?

3-4] Choose the word or words from each parentheses which correctly completes the sentence. In the (Chemical, Life, Light, Reflecting) Ether a record is made of all that happens on earth. The (Chemical, Life, Light, Reflecting) Ether is the avenue of expression for forces promoting assimilation. The forces of nature are produced by (certain invisible mechanisms, elemental beings) which act (in accordance with certain rules, randomly). These actions are directed by (superhuman, subhuman) Intelligences.

3-5] In each blank insert one of the words: gnomes, salamanders, sylphs, undines. The ______ work to build green chlorophyll into the leaves of plants. The ______ influence the motion of the air. The ______ aid in the lighting of fires.

3-6] In past ages when we were in an animal-like stage of evolution, in what stage of evolution were the Angels?

3-7] a) At the present time, from what type of material is the densest body of the Angels made?
b) What aspect of the lives of plants, animals and humans do the Angels help direct?

3-8] Although the Desire World is crowded with a vast multitude of beings, this crowded condition does not cause inconvenience to anyone. Why?

3-9] How many 'stages' in evolution are the Archangels ahead of present humanity?

3-10] What type of material are the Archangels most expert in working with? What groups of people do (some of) the Archangels guide? What do some of the other Archangels do?

3-11] a) What evidence do we have that all peoples within some nations have a common guide?
b) What evidence do we have that all animals within a species have a common guide?
c) Why is the evidence more marked in the case of the animals within a species than in the case of the people within a nation?

3-12] In the higher regions of the Desire World can people who spoke different languages on earth understand one another? If so, how?

3-13] Which of the following is not an advantage which one gains when one leaves the dense body?

a) Concentration upon the study of a subject becomes easier.
b) Sickness is no longer felt.
c) One becomes able to travel large distances in very short times.

3-14] Which of the following is not a reason why the passage of time is not generally noticed in the Desire World?

a) In the Desire World no objects are opaque, so the light of the sun is visible whichever side of the earth one is on.
b In the Desire World, the body does not need sleep or food.
c) The stars in the sky are not visible in the Desire World.

3-15] What must the archetype of our bodies contain if they are to sustain the physical forms?

3-16] When the sound of a thing is contacted by a clairvoyant in the Region of Concrete Thought, when information is obtained?

3-17] What help have the Lords of Mind given humanity?

3-18] Construct a sentence which contains the following words and phrases and which tells how a solar system is created.

a) God, b) Thought, c) Primordial matter, d) Patterned vibrations (the Word).

3-19] What will happen when the last syllable of the Divine Creative Word has been spoken?

3-20] When the Spirit projects an idea into the mind, what happens to the idea?

3-A] How do people such as Max Heindel obtain information about the Etheric Region, the Desire World, the World of Thought, life after death, Angels, Archangels, etc.?

3-B] Give an example from your own experience which illustrates that thoughts are more permanent than things.

3-C] What words or sentences might have the most influence for good on you and those around you? Share these.

3-D] Give an example of how feelings can hinder people from seeing the truth.

4-1] As a general rule, what do we need in order to function in a given world?

4-2] What has stimulated some domesticated animals to begin some mental activity?

4-3] Some solar rays travel to the Moon, are reflected and then travel to the Earth. What type of influences do these rays have on plant, animal and man?

4-4] At what location do the vital forces from the Moon enter our body? Along what paths do they travel within the body? At what location do they leave the body?

4-5] When the vital fluid leaves the body, what does it carry with it?

4-6] Why is one who over-eats more likely to catch a cold or other disease?

4-7] In each blank insert one of the following words: positive, negative.

Woman's physical body is ______, and her vital body is ______.
Man's physical body is ______, and his vital body is ______.

4-8] a) In the evolutionary process, when our desire body was first formed of what material was it made?
b) In which stage (first, second, third, ...) of development is the desire body now?

4-9] From each parentheses choose the correct word or phrase. In the desire body, (no, some, all) particles are sensitive to vibrations which come from the outside, and (no, some, all) particles are incessant motion. As the sensitized particles move they transmit to (none, some, all) of the other particles what they have experienced.

4-10] Which of the following is true concerning the mind body?

a) It has the same shape as the dense body.
b) It contains vortices through which mind matter swirls.
c) It is generally an unstructured cloud.

4-A] In the physical world is our spirit able to control any matter other than that in our own dense body? If the axiom, "As above, so below" holds true, what may we conclude concerning our ability to control the matter in the higher worlds?

4-B] When a person has lost their dense body (at death), they may still try to do their accustomed physical work. Are they able to? Why or why not?

5-1] a) When the blood circulation in a limb is temporarily cut off, what happens to the corresponding etheric limb?
b) When the etheric limb re-enters the body, what must it do to the molecules in the limb?

5-2] In each blank insert one of the following words or phrases: dense body, vital body, desire body, mind.

When we are awake the impulses of the ______ tend to break down the structure of the ______, and poisons of decay accumulate in the ______. This causes the currents in the ______ to become weaker. In order to bring about restoration, sleep is needed. In sleep, the ______ and the ______ are left on the bed, while the ______ and the ______ withdrew.

5-3] Why do dreams tend to give distorted views of the Desire World?

5-4] In life, if we choose a path which is not of much value to our individual development, what effect does this have on the length of our life?

5-5] Which of the following is not a good reason why we should desire to live as long on earth as possible?

a) There are lessons we can learn here which we cannot learn in the spiritual worlds.
b) The after-death state is full of pain and suffering.
c) Much effort and time is required to come into physical existence and to reach the state of maturity in which true spiritual progress can begin to be made.
d) If one dies young when one still has many interests and responsibilities on Earth, the Spirit tends to be bound to the earth after death and this hinders it from reaping the experiences is should reap in the post-mortem state.

5-6] Give three causes of death which may terminate life prior to the divinely planned termination date.

5-7] Which of the following is not involved in the formation of the subconscious memory?

a) the brain
b) the lungs
c) the blood
d) the seed atom in the heart

5-8] When the heart stops beating, to which of the following locations are the pictures in the subconscious memory transferred?

a) the brain
b) the vital body
c) the desire body
d) the mind

5-9] What conditions are needed if the transferrence of the subconscious memory (after the heart stops) is to be as complete as possible?

5-10] a) Can a Spirit who has recently died still perceive the material world?
b) Can a Spirit who has recently died travel quickly over all the earth?
c) Does a Spirit who has recently (after the first three and one-half days) still feel the pains of the dense body?

5-11] From each parentheses choose the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

The evil passions which we cultivate during life cause the desire stuff in our desire bodies to become more (fluidic, crystallized). After death, the evil passions are (expelled from, retained in) the desire body. These evil passions may in time disintegrate, in which case they cause (no, further) trouble. They may, however, retain their form if they were (extremely vile, only mildly bad), and be encountered by the Spirit when it returns to birth. Thence they may incite the Spirit to do (good, evil) deeds.

5-12] If capital punishment is inflicted on a murderer, the murderer is still a danger to society. How?

5-13] What use can a disembodied spirit make of the fumes from burning incense or tobacco, or from liquor?

5-14] a) What does the drunkard try to do after death? b) Why does he eventually stop trying to do this?

5-15] If we thoroughly repent of some sin, and reform, what effect does this have on the record of our life which is stored in the seed atom in the heart?

5-16] If we do not repent and reform during life, what happens after death when we review the record of our life in 'purgatory'?

5-17] When is the best time during life to review our past actions and repent when such is needed?

5-18] When the panorama of the past life is reviewed in the First Heaven, which of the following is not felt?

a) The mental and physical suffering which was inflicted on others during life.
b) The gratitude felt by those who were helped during life.
c) The gratitude felt when help was received from others.

5-19] Which of the following is destroyed when a person commits suicide?

a) The archetype of the dense body b) The seed atom in the heart c) The dense body

5-20] a) For how long does the suicide feel a dreadful growing pain as if he were hollowed out?
b) What collapses at the end of this time?
c) What then does the suicide begin to experience?

5-21] What circumstances are able to prevent a Spirit in Purgatory from fully suffering for its sins and prevent a Spirit in the First Heaven from fully experiencing the gratitude of those whom it has helped?

5-22] If a Spirit has missed the benefits of a full Purgatorial and First Heaven experience, what must happen to it so that it can re-enter the First Heaven and receive extra training?

5-23] What is it which at spiritualistic seances may give the appearance of being a departed Spirit even to the extent of recalling incidents from the past life, but which in fact is not the Spirit?

5-24] If a Spirit is of an indolent nature here on earth, what is it likely to do when it gets to the Second Heaven?

5-25] Which of the following is not something which the Spirit will work on when it reaches the Second Heaven?

a) Climate
b) Mineral composition of the earth
c) Structure of the houses and other dwellings on earth
d) Structure of plants and animals bodies
e) Structure of the earth's surface

5-26] When birth into several situations would be approximately equally beneficial, what do the Recording Angels do in order to assist us in choosing which situation we wish to enter?

5-27] At which level (Region of Abstract Thought, Region of Concrete Thought, Desire World, Etheric World) does the Spirit build the archetype of the dense body which is to inhabit?

5-28] Why is the Spirit able to build a dense body which is able to function on its own more quickly than it can build a vital body which can function on its own?

5-29] From each parentheses choose the word or words which correctly completes the sentence. The primary source of all the divine Light and Life in the solar system is (Mars, the Moon, the Sun). This divine Light and Life radiates out to the various planets where (all, certain, no) rays are absorbed and (all, certain, no) rays are reflected. The beings on earth receive the rays coming from the various other parts of the solar system and each being absorbs (all, certain, no) rays. Because each being absorbs (the same, different) rays, each is (similarly, differently) affected by the rays.

5-30] How is it possible to know what good or evil tendencies a child may have before these have crystallized into habits?

5-31] Each item below is a factor which is important in the training of children. Tell during what time span each factor is most important (0-7 years, 7-14 years, 14-21 years).

a) Imitating parents and teachers
b) Learning self-assertion
c) Memorizing what is taught by authorities
d) Receiving advice from parents and teachers
e) Saying, singing and dancing to nursery rhymes and songs

5-32] Mark each of the following true or false.

a) Corporal punishment can cause physical injury
b) Corporal punishment can strengthen the will.
c) Corporal punishment can waken the passional nature.
d) Corporal punishment is the only way to get a child to behave.
e) Might makes right.

5-A] When you are dying would you want people to give you stimulants to keep you alive a little longer? Why or why not?

5-B] What effect may it have on a person if one or more of their organs are removed within a few hours after death (for transplanting to someone else).

5-C] What do you think it feels like to be released from your dense body (as in death)?

5-D] What should society do with murderers?

5-E] Is there anything which you do on earth which you will probably continue to want to do after death? Will you be able to do it after death?

5-F] What can we do if we wish to substantially decrease the number of infant deaths?

5-G] In what ways is God similar to Light?

5-H] Is what ways can astrology be used beneficially?

5-I] When a child misbehaves, what is the best way to punish it?