“Throughout the ages and in all regions of the world, each family kept a private sanctum, and nowhere has this custom completely vanished. From the cult of Penates in Roman antiquity, to the altars used by modern-day Gypsies, we see people driven by their faith and aspirations to maintain a sacred place in their home. In Africa, in the Far East, and in numerous other regions of the world, to have a sanctuary in the home, small or large, dedicated to prayer and meditation is a habit and even an obligation.”

The term sacred comes from the Latin sacer, a word which describes any place which has been restricted or cut off. Sacer was also closely related to the word numen which denoted a divine or mysterious presence. The same basic concept can be found across a number of other languages. In Hebrew – quadosh, in Greek –hagios, in Arabic muqaddas, and so on. Thus, from a historical perspective, a sacred space is a secretive place where a supernatural or spiritual force has manifested. It could be argued that so-called sacred spaces have been responsible for some of the most powerful religious awakenings in history. From the revelation of Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to Siddhartha’s transformation into Buddha, each of these stories are linked to isolated experiences in sacred spaces.

With this in mind, it’s interesting to note that it’s interesting to note than in many places, newer religious buildings are build on top of pre-existing religious sites from older faiths. This shows just how powerful this concept of sacred spaces is in our collective consciousness. In other words, these areas are absolutely essential to the establishment and growth of the religious experience. While AMORC invites its followers to visit its chapters and lodges, the bulk of their conversions are accomplished through far more subtle means. They build this sense of wonder and awe inside their followers’ very homes. Thus what was once a private sanctum for the individual becomes a sacred space for AMORC.

“Many mundane problems have been posed  and efficiently resolved in the Sanctum, even though this is not necessarily the purpose of the cosmic communion. The weekly period of studies and daily meditation performed in the surroundings of a Sanctum contain a considerable dynamic power. A concentrated strength is acquired, and the objective self unconsciously draws strength during its worldly activities”

Essentially what AMORC is describing here, is the power of ritual and repetition. Repletion is also heavily used by cults. The human mind is a complex, biological organ that has evolved to perform tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible. This means, that instead of processing each situation logically, it will often default to learned behaviors and patterns. Simply put, if it’s worked before then why shouldn’t it work again? Why waste energy that could be spent on hunting or gathering on solving a problem that’s already solved? Of course, cults are intimately familiar with this biological shortcut and they exploit it any chance they get. As long as they can implant a certain pattern or learned behavior in your brain you will learn to rely on it over your own mental faculties. It’s not just cults either, advertising uses the same trick to build brand awareness of certain products and services over others. So that the next time we’re in the store we fall back on learned patterns, rather than a comparison prices or product quality.

With repetition cults can ensure that their messages are always in the top of their followers minds, and that their messages become intertwined with every aspect of their followers’ lives. Until eventually your daily practice and observance becomes a part of your identity. This is how cults overthrow your rational mind and take up residence in even your most private thoughts. AMORC has even set up its own conversion center in your home to achieve this objective.