110 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
110 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
THE EVOLUTION OF ROSICRUCIANISM
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 1992 Dan McClure, All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
The Rosicrucians were quite recognizable as Christian in the 17th
|
|
century. According to legend Christian Rosencreutz traveled and
|
|
studied widely in the Orient then formed the Fraternity of the Rosy
|
|
Cross with Bros. G.V., J.A. & J.O. so it would be natural to be
|
|
heavily influenced by Eastern ideas and beliefs.
|
|
|
|
The Bros. then met in their house of the holy spirit, or Invisible
|
|
College under the wings of Jehovah studying the "Ancient Wisdom"
|
|
reading from the book of Nature in the imitation of Christ etc. The
|
|
Rosicrucian movement was an attempt to combine Christianity with
|
|
some of the Wisdom of the East. It was also an early attempt to
|
|
harmonize men of different Christian denominations to a common goal
|
|
of esoteric & scientific investigation & discovery. So that such
|
|
diverse men as Robert Fludd an Anglican, Johann Andreae a Lutheran,
|
|
Frederick of Palatine a Calvinist could share their discoveries in
|
|
their Invisible College.
|
|
|
|
The _Fama_ mentions "the perfect knowledge of his Son Jesus Christ"
|
|
& "But so every Christian may know what faith we are, we confess to
|
|
have knowledge of Jesus Christ ... most clear and pure is professed."
|
|
While the _Confessio_ mentions "our Lord Jesus Christ" & "our
|
|
Christian Father(Rosencreutz)." The _Chemical Wedding of Christian
|
|
Rosencreutz_ was in fact written by Johann Andreae(Brother J.A.?) a
|
|
Lutheran Pastor in 1615(he was heavily influenced by John Dee). He
|
|
was the probable author of _Fama_ & _Confessio_ as well.
|
|
|
|
The Church called it heresy and drove the Rosicrucians under ground.
|
|
It touched off a witch hunt through out Europe looking for invisible
|
|
Rosicrucians who were supposedly in league with dark powers and the
|
|
Devil. Don't be mislead by A.M.O.R.C.'s modern blend of Egyptian
|
|
ideas, motifs and Oriental mysticism into its teachings, its
|
|
original foundations lay in and with Christianity. For further study
|
|
on this issue I would suggest reading "The Rosicrucian
|
|
Enlightenment" by Frances Yates ISBN 0-7100-7380-1 it is very well
|
|
written and covers these facts in detail.
|
|
|
|
In all probability when the Rosicrucian concept migrated to England
|
|
it evolved into English Freemasonry with Robert Moray and Elias
|
|
Ashmole in May 1641.
|
|
|
|
The only thing certain is Rosicrucians such as Robert Fludd & Thomas
|
|
Vaughn [Eugenus Philalethes] became Masons and Masons like Robert
|
|
Moray and Elias Ashmole became Rosicrucians.
|
|
|
|
In the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries there was a great deal of
|
|
borrowing, amalgamation and incorporation from the Qabalah, Western
|
|
Magickal Tradition and Oriental Wisdom into the Masonic Rites and
|
|
Rituals as can easily be seen in the Rosicrucian degrees, Templar
|
|
degrees, Memphis and Mizraim degrees etc. This combined with their
|
|
Christian based paradigm makes for some beautiful Rituals.
|
|
|
|
The Ancient Mystical Order of the Rose Cross was established in the
|
|
U.S in 1694 under Grand Master Kelpius to study the traditional arts
|
|
of; Hermetics, Natural Alchemy & Spiritual Alchemy, Qabalah,
|
|
Skrying, Divination, Geomancy, Horay Astrology, Astral Projection,
|
|
Theurgy, Music, Philosophy, Mathematics etc.
|
|
|
|
In 1714 Samuel Richter formed his Golden Rosicrucian fraternity in
|
|
Berlin which lasted until the end of the century. By the middle of
|
|
the 18th century there was a great deal of activity in all kinds of
|
|
esoteric endeavors in the U.S. Most of the Founding Fathers were
|
|
both Rosicrucians & Masons.
|
|
|
|
Paschel Beverly Randolph, continued the evolution by founding his
|
|
Rosicrucian fraternity in California in 1861 teaching the
|
|
traditional arts along with tantric mysticism.
|
|
|
|
By the early 1900's Rudolf Steiner & Max Heindel were adding their
|
|
interpretations to the body of Rosicrucian lore. Steiner's Berlin
|
|
Anthroposophical Society was based on a blend of Theosophy,
|
|
Rosicrucianism, Masonry, O.T.O. & G.D. He claimed that Christian
|
|
Rosencreutz was an actual person who was constantly reincarnating.
|
|
|
|
While Heindel's Rosicrucian Fellowship & the Societas Rosicruciana
|
|
at Mt. Ecclesia in Oceanside, Ca was more in keeping with the
|
|
traditional arts combined with Christianity as laid out in the
|
|
_Fama_ & _Confessio_. Max Heindel died in 1919.
|
|
|
|
H. Spencer Lewis was born in the late 1800's about the time of the
|
|
Golden Dawn was getting started. He was initiated in a French
|
|
Rosicrucian lodge in 1909. Lewis was influenced by Theosophy,
|
|
Masonry, Rudolf Steiner & his Anthroposophical Society. In 1915
|
|
AMORC came out of a self imposed "outer silence."
|
|
|
|
In the 20's Lewis shifted the focus of AMORC from the traditional
|
|
arts of Natural Alchemy, Qabalah, Skrying etc. to the more mystical
|
|
aspects of reincarnation, past lives, Spiritual Alchemy, combined
|
|
with Theosophy and it Great White Brotherhood of hidden Masters
|
|
which he incorporated along with Egyptian Magick, reincarnation
|
|
beliefs and history, especially the rein of Akhenaton.
|
|
|
|
Spencer joined the O.T.O. and obtained the VIIth. On March 20, 1921
|
|
AMORC received "Gage of Amity" document from O.T.O. to their
|
|
founder, H.S.Lewis. In the 1920-30's AMORC sponsored several
|
|
Egyptian "digs" and brought back enough mummies and booty to fill
|
|
their museum!
|
|
|
|
They were the first to have a mail order course in Mysticism and
|
|
Egyptian religion starting in 1930. Lewis was a prolific author with
|
|
more than 150 books to his credit on Mysticism, reincarnation,
|
|
ancient Egypt, Rosicrucianism etc.
|
|
|
|
On August 2, 1939 a Wednesday at 3:15pm that Dr. H. Spencer Lewis of
|
|
AMORC fame gave up his earthly vehicle permanently. His son Ralph
|
|
Lewis is now at the helm of AMORC.
|