k_a_nitz

 

“From the day of the washing of feet to the death on the cross, everything is written only for us. If we believe in a child-like way, exercise blindly, then we too will rise again. Everything which the great master encountered in those three days is a model for us. We must feel the blows to the back and experience the torture, must bear the burden of the cross and, in order to give the new human space, spread weariness through all our limbs. Though reason may bristle against it, the senses rebel, even our entire nature become incensed, we must not waver, must endure steadfastly in order to transform the crown of pain into a crown of life. Someone who does not make many words, but puts those few words in actions everywhere, and thereby raises his entire nature to the ability of thinking, they walk the path to victory and will be glorified on the cross of life.”

 

Krebs, Johann Baptist. The Freemason. Whanganui: K A Nitz, September 2024.

A translation of Der Freimaurer (first published 1841 under the pseudonym J. B. Kerning).

 

Krebs, Johann Baptist. Wisdom of the Orient. Whanganui: K A Nitz, September 2024.

A translation of Weisheit der Orients (first published 1841 under the pseudonym J. B. Kerning).

Control yourself! This is the first rule of the human who wants to become a disciple of wisdom. The external world has given and chained to us such a powerful pseudo-ego that we no longer experience the inner, true ego at all. This inner ego, however, is our actual life. If we want to find this lost ego again, then we must subjugate and control the external pseudo-ego. Through that the inner-being receives the freedom to move, to show itself to us, and to reveal its sublime characteristics.

The common human lives for the outward appearance, for the shell, and does not worry about the content. The exterior is often splendidly dressed up, but the interior empty. Will the human never learn to recognise his own worth?

Self-control is only difficult in appearance. How often the human forces himself for the sake of small aims to obtain honour or gold, to deceive others or to satisfy a passion. How much the human is capable of overcoming himself when it gets serious for him! Only we lack the seriousness when we are not what we should be. We not virtuous and are not enlightened only because it has not gotten serious for us to be so. We are still wandering in the darkness only because we could not yet bring ourselves to desire and to seek the light in earnest. Should we wait yet longer in childish indecisiveness, or seek the good in earnest?

The determined criminal has more worth than such a half-creature who does not have the courage to be something whole, be it good or bad; for he is like a leaf which is driven by the wind here and there. Grasp the gravity, then you have won. Anyone who just shows himself the seriousness is certain of the goal.

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Animals are not merely machines or matter, but rather they have souls; for everything in all of nature is either lifeless or animated. All matter as matter (materia, qua talis) is lifeless. From where do we know that? The concept which we have of matter is this: materia est extensum impenetrabile iners [matter is inert, impenetrable expanse]. When we, for example, perceive a mote of dust on the paper; then we are seeing whether it moves. If it does not move by itself; then we consider it to be lifeless matter which is iners, and which might remain lying for all eternity if it were not moved by something else. But as soon as the matter moves; then we see whether it moves arbitrarily by itself. When we become aware of that in the mote of dust; we say thus it is animated; it is an animal. An animal is thus an animated matter; for life is the means of defining itself from the inner principle arbitrarily. Matter, however, as matter, has no inner principle of self-activation, no spontaneity to move itself; rather all matter which is animated has an inner principle which is separate from the object of the external senses, and is an object of the inner mind. An inner principle of self-activation is only thinking and wanting; only through that can something be moved through the inner mind; this is alone a principle of acting as you like and arbitrarily. If matter thus moves; then it follows that in it there is such a special principle of self-activation. This principle, however, of thinking and wanting is something only a being which has knowledge is capable of. Matter can merely move by means of such a principle. Such a principle of matter, however, is the soul of the material. Thus: all matter which then lives does not live as matter, but rather has a principle of life and is animated. But to the extent matter is animated; to that extent it is also possessing a soul. A principle of life lies thus at the basis of animals and that is the soul.