Rosicrucian
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What are the Rosicrucians?
The Rosicrucians are members of a worldwide brotherhood that professes to possess esoteric wisdom that has been handed down since ancient times. The name comes from the orderâs symbol, a rose on a cross. Rosicrucian teachings combine occultism and other religious beliefs and practices, including Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian Gnosticism. The central belief of Rosicrucianism is that its members possess secret wisdom passed down from ancient times. The first mention of the Rosicrucian order was in Fama Fraternitatis, published in 1614.
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When and where did the Rosicrucian movement begin?
The Rosicrucian movement's origins are detailed in three anonymously published books attributed to Johann Valentin Andreae. These books recount the travels of Christian Rosenkreuz, considered the group's founder, who is now generally regarded as a fictional character.
According to the books, Rosenkreuz organized the Rosicrucian order in Germany in 1403 after seeking secret wisdom in the Middle East and North Africa. The order gained public notice in 1537.
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What are some main beliefs or teachings of the Rosicrucians?
The Rosicrucians are members of a worldwide brotherhood that asserts to possess esoteric wisdom passed down from ancient times. Rosicrucian teachings combine occultism and other religious beliefs and practices, such as Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian gnosticism. The central belief of Rosicrucianism is that its members have secret wisdom handed down to them from ancient times. The name comes from the orderâs symbol, a rose on a cross.
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How do Rosicrucians practice their beliefs?
Rosicrucianism combines occultism with religious beliefs and practices, such as Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian gnosticism. The central belief revolves around secret wisdom passed down from ancient times.
Modern groups practice Rosicrucianism in different ways. The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) teaches lessons via mail. The Rosicrucian Fellowship, founded by Max Heindel, incorporates theosophy into its teachings.
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What symbols or writings are important to the Rosicrucians?
The Rosicrucians use the symbol of a rose on a cross, which is the namesake of the order. Their teachings combine Egyptian Hermetism, Christian gnosticism, Jewish Kabbala, alchemy, and other occult beliefs and practices. The Fama Fraternitatis recounts how Christian Rosenkreuz journeyed to Damascus, Damcar, Egypt, and FĂšs, where he received secret wisdom. Documents and symbols discovered with Rosenkreuz's body are highly esteemed by Rosicrucians.
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How have the Rosicrucians influenced other religions or movements?
The Rosicrucians, a brotherhood professing esoteric wisdom from ancient times, have influenced various religions and movements through their combination of occultism with Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian gnosticism.
Rosicrucianism attracted thinkers throughout Europe and is believed to have impacted speculative Freemasonry. In the 19th century, a resurgence of Rosicrucian societies occurred as part of a broader occult revival in Europe and the United States. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn drew on Rosicrucianism, integrating its iconography and the image of the rose upon a cross into their practices. Additionally, Max Heindel, founder of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, was influenced by theosophy.
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Rosicrucian, member of a worldwide brotherhood claiming to possess esoteric wisdom handed down from ancient times. The name derives from the orderâs symbol, a rose on a cross, which is similar to the family coat of arms of Martin Luther. Rosicrucian teachings are a combination of occultism and other religious beliefs and practices, including Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian gnosticism. The central feature of Rosicrucianism is the belief that its members possess secret wisdom that was handed down to them from ancient times.
The origins and teachings of the Rosicrucians are described in three anonymously published books that have been attributed to Johann Valentin Andreae (1586â1654), a Lutheran theologian and teacher who wrote the utopian treatise Christianopolis (1619). The Fama Fraternitatis of the Meritorious Order of the Rosy Cross (1614), The Confession of the Rosicrucian Fraternity (1615), and The Chymical Marriage of Christian Rosenkreuz (1616) recount the travels of Christian Rosenkreuz, the putative founder of the group, who is now generally regarded as a fictional character rather than a real person. According to the books, Rosenkreuz was born in 1378 and lived for 106 years. After visiting the Middle East and North Africa in search of secret wisdom, he returned to Germany and organized the Rosicrucian order (1403). He erected a sanctuary (1409), where he was entombed after his death in 1484. The alleged discovery of the tomb 120 years later became the occasion for the public announcement of the orderâs existence.
The secretive nature of the early brotherhoodâif it actually existedâwould have made contact with it difficult. The combination of alchemy and mysticism associated with it, however, became quite influential. Rosicrucianism was attractive to many thinkers throughout Europe, possibly including the English philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon. It declined dramatically in the 18th century, however, a victim of the skepticism and rationalism of the Enlightenment, though some Rosicrucian ideas survived in speculative Freemasonry.
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In the 19th century, new Rosicrucian societies appeared as part of a general occult revival that took place in Europe and the United States. The first, the Rosicrucian Fraternity, was established in San Francisco in 1858 by the American spiritualist and abolitionist Pascal Beverly Randolph (1825â75). Several groups, such as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, founded in England in 1866 and 1880, respectively, emerged out of Freemasonry.
The two most successful modern Rosicrucian organizations were established in the 20th century. The Ancient Mystical Order Roase Crucis (AMORC) was founded in New York City in 1915 by H. Spencer Lewis (1883â1939). Claiming that he had learned the teachings of the order from European Rosicrucians, Lewis attracted new members from around the world by distributing his teachings in mail-order lessons. Regarding Egypt as the cradle of Rosicrucian wisdom, he subsidized the creation of a highly acclaimed Egyptian Museum at the groupâs headquarters in San Jose, California.
The other important modern organization is the Rosicrucian Fellowship, whose founder, Max Heindel, attended lectures in Germany by the theosophist Rudolf Steiner. After publishing purportedly secret doctrines against Steinerâs wishes, Heindel taught a form of Rosicrucianism heavily influenced by theosophy. The Rosicrucian Fellowship was founded in Seattle in 1909, and it inspired the creation of other groups, including the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, which was founded in the Netherlands in 1924 by two of Heindelâs Dutch students, Jan Van Rijckenborgh and Catherine dePetri. Closed by the Nazis, it was reorganized after World War II and subsequently became a worldwide institution.