Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2013-06 - AMORC

have been equally frank in expressing his distaste for thematter. As he did neither, we need to evaluate it further.The experience was in some way fundamental and singular.Whatever it was and however bound up withthat inner side of his nature which showed itself onlyin his outward response to circumstances, it was crucialand marked a turning point in his view of life. From itthere emerged for the first time “a regular design as tolife”, which never before had been ‘fixed’. What Franklincalls “a confused variety of different scenes” was given upfor one through which, to borrow Tennyson’s words, “…one increasing purpose runs, and the thoughts of men arewidened with process of the suns.”It is usually assumed that this righting of hisship and setting it on a fair and direct course was allan individual matter and that within himself and byhimself, Franklin came to right conclusions and broughthimself to that deserved title of sage. The Autobiographyencourages that assumption. There however, the sage isreviewing incidents long past, incidents which reappearedin the light of memory to be evaluated by the fullness ofexperience. It is well-nigh impossible to give reasons foractions long past, except on the basis of wisdom acquiredafterward.Franklin’s later philosophy is all too evident in thereasons he assigns to youthful thoughts and actions. This isof course natural and to be expected; yet, it often obscuresthe source of his ideas, making them appear to have beenpart of his thought before he had contacted the sourcesresponsible for them. This is not in any way to depreciateFranklin’s own efforts in finding his true course. It israther to remind ourselves that he wrote of his early lifeout of years of experience with certain guiding principleswhose source, or sources, he chose to conceal.His meetingwith Denham on that first trip to London, and his laterassociation with him, just beyond his 21 st birthday, infact when Denham’s death occurred, give the clues so farwanting as to the source of those principles upon whichFranklin based his life practice. Denham, Franklin tellsus, was a second father to him. Four years in a long andproductive life is indeed a brief time, but certainly longenough to imbibe the fundamentals of a life philosophy.The Initial StepThe initial step, according to time-honoured procedure,is the forming of a plan, and Franklin accomplished thison the journey home in 1726. It is unlikely that he wouldhave kept within himself questions as to life’s purposewhen Denham was at hand and had from the beginning oftheir acquaintance proved himself such a wise counsellor.Franklin’s plan for giving his life a fixed designwas undertaken (so both his journal and Autobiographystate) on his way home from England when he wasapproaching his majority; but not before he had puthimself seriously and formally in Denham’s hands as anapprentice.Both Franklin and Denham fell ill shortly aftertheir return to Philadelphia. That brought death veryforcibly into Franklin’s consciousness, so forcibly in factthat it left him “regretting in some degree that [he] mustnow sometime or other have all that disagreeable work to goover again.” Denham passed away and Franklin himself sonearly that he saw death as a reality, and gave it practicalconsideration and application in an epitaph for himself.Many times quoted, it justifies repetition here for itsevidence that the concept of reincarnation entered intohis consideration of death and the afterlife.The Body of Benjamin FranklinLike the cover of an old book,its contents torn out and striptof its lettering and gilding,lies here, food for worms.Yet the Work itself shall not be lost,For it will, as he believed,appear once more in a newand more beautiful edition,Corrected and amended by the Author.22The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2013© Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC