Book of Order – Chapter 11: Privilege of the Brotherhood
Some of the Privileges of the Brothers are:
- that he is a member of this Order
- that he has a voice in the affairs of the Order through the vote he carries as a member
- that he has the right to go on missionary work as a representative of the Order when properly trained
- that he may live apart from the first-vowed and novitiate vowed students in quarters shared by his brethren only, whenever possible
- he may have study privileges in the Brotherhouse extending to 12:00 midnight on weekdays
- he may have weekend privileges, subject to duty, extending on Saturday from 1:00 PM to 12:00 AM and on Sundays from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- that he may take a two week vacation from duty every year, subject to approval by his superiors
- that after completing his training, he may, with permission of the Council, enter any field of work or study in the world that he feels truly called to do as a life work or mission. (Any additional training or study in schools other than the seminaries of this Order will be provided for through the labor of the Brother, assisted, when necessary by the Order through the Brothers’ Fund)
- that after three years service as a finally vowed Brother,
- he has the right to marry with the approval of the Esoteric Council
- that he may, upon completion of training, receive a Bachelor of Christian Education Degree
- that he may, through his association and participation with the Order and its work, gain entrance into the reality of the ancient wisdoms
- he may carry the Light in service to man as representative of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. This is perhaps the highest honor that can bestowed on any man anywhere on this earth.The
Brother should remember that, though he seeks perfection, he must not expect either himself or his actions to be perfect, but should rather expect that he be simple, direct, strong, faithful, honest and compassionate, seeking always that his actions be of a positive nature, and keeping his communication in accord with the basic teachings of Jesus without personal embellishment. By doing this, he will appear as an example of Christian manhood or womanhood to all, regardless of personal lacks or imperfections. And this is his duty. This is his charge.
The Brother shall study at least once a year for the first four years the tenets, by-laws and Book of Order of the Holy Order of Mans, and shall satisfactorily prove his understanding and knowledge of these things to his superiors.
As a representative of the Order the Brother must know the form of the Order and follow it. By doing so, the Brother opens the way for the collective consciousness of the Order inherent in the form of the Order to flow to and through him. It is this consciousness which is collective and which is inherent in the form that, when assumed, brings a Brother into a full realization of his station in the Order.
These things in many cases cannot be taught in a class or in a lesson. This is part of the understanding of Brotherhood, part of the reality of unity in service, and can only truly be experienced and grasped by the Brother, as he becomes a Brother.
It is the duty of each man and woman under final vows in the Holy Order of Mans to carry himself in the image of Jesus Christ, seeking always to be of service wherever he may be, and not thinking that he is yet a student, though he may be one, for he is a member of the Order and carries the responsibilities of membership, carries the rights of membership, and should be treated and treat himself as truly a Brother at all times.
The Brother has not, in many cases, learned the meaning of this in a cosmic sense. But it should be understood that the spiritual care of the masses is in their charge also, physically and spiritually, regardless of the work done by the Brother in the Order. The people of earth are his charges for he has taken on the work of Jesus Christ, and the care of these little ones is his responsibility.
A Guide
In that the Brother shares the work of the Master, he also lightens the load by taking on some of the responsibility of the Master. This frees the Master to take a greater responsibility yet uncarried. This is part of the cosmic plan of ever-increasing service and should be meditated on by the Brother.