Love and Desire: From The Sanctuary of Self - Rosicrucian Order Library, Part 2 of 2

Today, we will continue with Frater Ralph M. Lewis’s “The Sanctuary of Self,” and the chapter “Love and Desire,” in Part One of his book entitled, “The Mysteries.” “There are also the intellectual loves, the desires of the mind. The mind, the active intelligence, as we know, can establish ends, can aspire to purposes. These aspirations are mental ideals.” “Each such intellectual ideal, though it satisfies the intellectual love in part, impels the love to create still greater ones which bring increasing intellectual satisfaction. Whereas physical love, if indulged too frequently, may become satiated, intellectual loves ever increase the enjoyment they provide the mind of man. The ideals of the intellectual nature of man are knowledge and accomplishment. The intellect must become married to these ideals if it is to experience normalcy, regardless of what loves and gratifications man may have physically.” “What do the Rosicrucians say of love? From a Rosicrucian viewpoint, a rational approach to love is necessary. They realize, of course, that love is not merely an intellectual experience; but, on the other hand, they also realize that it is essential to understand the causes of love, so as to be able to produce the most lasting effect. First, they say that basically, all love is desire. It is a yearning or an appetite, if you will, for that which brings us pleasure. No one has ever loved that which brings pain, suffering, misfortune, or torment. Consequently, Rosicrucians contend that love is the desire for harmony. However, love of that which would be harmonious only to the physical senses, would leave certain other loves unrequited. The love of the intellect for the realization of its ideals would be neglected. The love of the emotional self would be forgotten, leaving it torn with fears, perhaps. The love of the spiritual self to express its sentiments psychically would also be submerged, if we were to concentrate on a love which brings harmony to the physical senses alone. Only as we experience the harmony of our whole being, all aspects of ourselves, do we experience absolute love, complete satisfaction. This absolute love is found in the health of the body and in its desire to maintain itself. It consists also of the love to exercise the creative powers of the mind and the love to express the spiritual values, such as compassion and self-sacrifice. The unity of these three loves, then, results in that great Rosicrucian ideal, Peace Profound.”