Rosicrucianism

The Temple of the Rose Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618.

The term Rosicrucian (meaning "Rose Cross") refers to a family of secret societies formed in late mediaeval Germany, which taught esoteric practices that were concealed from the average person. The meetings of these societies were held in private and thus Rosicrucians became known as the "College of Invisibles."

"Rosicrucian" societies were based on the occult tradition. Between 1607 and 1616, two anonymous Rosicrucian were published, first in Germany and later throughout Europe. These were known as the "Fama Fraternitatis R.C." (The Fame of the Brotherhood of R.C) and "Confessio Fraternitatis" (The Confession of the Brotherhood of R.C.). The influence of these documents, presenting a "most laudable Order" of mystic-philosopher-doctors and promoting a "Universal Reformation of Mankind," gave rise to an enthusiasm called by its historian Dame Frances Yates the "Rosicrucian Enlightenment".

Several modern societies, which date the origins of the Order to earlier centuries, have been formed for the study of Rosicrucianism and allied subjects. However, many researchers on the history of Rosicrucianism argue that modern Rosicrucianists are in no sense directly linked to any real society of the early 17th century.

History

According to the Fama Fraternitatis, Rosicrucuanism crystalized in the teachings of the German doctor and mystic philosopher Christian Rosenkreuz ("Roses-cross"). Having studied in the Middle East under various masters, he had failed to interest the powerful people of his time in the knowledge he had acquired, so instead had gathered a small circle of friends/disciples founded the Order of RC (this can be similarly deduced to have occurred in 1407).

During Rosenkreuz's lifetime, the Order was said to consist of no more than eight members, each a doctor and a sworn bachelor who undertook to heal the sick without payment, to maintain a secret fellowship and to find a replacement for himself before he died. Three such generations had supposedly passed between c.1500 and c.1600 and scientific, philosophical and religious freedom had now grown so that the public might benefit from their knowledge.

Reception

It is evident that the first Rosicrucian manifesto was influenced by the work of the respected hermetic philosopher Heinrich Khunrath, of Hamburg, author of the Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae (1609), who was in turn influenced by John Dee, author of the Monas Hieroglyphica (1564). The invitation to the royal wedding in the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz opens with Dee's philosophical key, the Monas Heiroglyphica symbol. The writer also claimed the brotherhood possessed a book that resembled the works of Paracelsus.

Martin Luther's seal.

Some say the writers were moral and religious reformers and utilized the techniques of chemistry (alchemy) and the sciences generally as media through which to publicize their opinions and beliefs. The authors of the Rosicrucian works generally favoured the Reformation and distanced themselves from the Roman church and Islam. The symbol of Martin Luther is a cross inside an open rose.

The manifestos were not taken literally by many but were often considered either as a hoax or as allegorical statements. The manifestos directly state: "We speak unto you by parables, but would willingly bring you to the right, simple, easy, and ingenuous exposition, understanding, declaration, and knowledge of all secrets." Others believe Rosenkreuz to be a pseudonym for a more famous historical figure, usually Francis Bacon.

The publication of the Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (1614)

The manifestos caused immense excitement throughout Europe: they declared the existence of a secret brotherhood of alchemists and sages who were preparing to transform the arts, sciences, religion, and political and intellectual landscape of Europe while wars of politics and religion ravaged the continent. The works were re-issued several times and followed by numerous pamphlets, favourable and otherwise. Between 1614 and 1620, about 400 manuscripts and books were published which discussed the Rosicrucian documents.

The peak of the so-called "Rosicrucianism furor" was reached when two mysterious posters appeared in the walls of Paris in 1622 within a few days of each other. The first one started with the saying "We, the Deputies of the Higher College of the Rose-Croix, do make our stay, visibly and invisibly, in this city (...)" and the second one ended with the words "The thoughts attached to the real desire of the seeker will lead us to him and him to us".

The legend inspired a variety of works, among them the works of Michael Maier (1568–1622) of Germany, Robert Fludd (1574–1637) and Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) of England, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, Gotthardus Arthusius, Julius Sperber, Henricus Madathanus, Gabriel Naudé, Thomas Vaughan, and others. In Elias Ashmole's Theatrum Chimicum britannicum (1650), he defends the Rosicrucians. Some later works with an impact on Rosicrucianism were the Opus magocabalisticum et theosophicum by George von Welling (1719), of alchemical and paracelsian inspiration, and the Aureum Vellus oder Goldenes Vliess by Hermann Fictuld in 1749.

Michael Maier was ennobled with the title Pfalzgraf (Count Palatine) by Rudolph II, Emperor and King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. He also was one of the most prominent defenders of the Rosicrucians, clearly transmitting details about the "Brothers of the Rose Cross" in his writings. Maier made the firm statement that the Brothers of R.C. exist to advance inspired arts and sciences, including Alchemy. Researchers of Maier's writings point out that he never claimed to have produced gold, nor did Heinrich Khunrath nor any of the other Rosicrucianists. Their writings point toward a symbolic and spiritual Alchemy, rather than an operative one. In both direct and veiled styles, these writings conveyed the nine stages of the involutive-evolutive transmutation of the threefold body of the human being, the threefold soul and the threefold spirit, among other esoteric knowledge related to the "Path of Initiation."

In his 1618 pamphlet, Pia et Utilissima Admonitio de Fratribus Rosae Crucis, Henrichus Neuhusius writes that the Rosicrucians left for the East due to the instability in Europe at the time (the forthcoming Thirty Years' War), an idea afterwards disseminated in 1710 by Samuel Ritcher, founder of secret society the Golden and Rosy Cross. More recently René Guénon, a methodic researcher of the occult, veiculated also this same idea in some of his works. However, another eminent author on the Rosicrucians, Arthur Edward Waite, presents arguments that contradict this idea. It was in this fertile field of discourse that many "Rosicrucian" societies arose. They were based on the occult tradition and inspired by the mystery of this "College of Invisibles."

Frater C.R.C. - Christian Rose Cross (symbolical representation)

Even the literary works of the 16th and 17th centuries are full of enigmatic passages containing references to the Rose Cross, as in the lines (somewhat modernised):
"For what we do presage is riot in grosse,
for we are brethren of the Rosie Crosse;
We have the Mason Word and second sight,
Things for to come we can foretell aright.";

The idea of such an order, exemplified by the network of astronomers, professors, mathematicians, and natural philosophers in 16th century Europe and promoted by men such as Johannes Kepler, Georg Joachim Rheticus, John Dee and Tycho Brahe, gave rise to the Invisible College, a precursor to the Royal Society formed during the 17th century. It was constituted by group of scientists who began to hold regular meetings in an attempt to share and develop knowledge acquired by experimental investigation. Among these were Robert Boyle, who wrote: "the cornerstones of the Invisible (or as they term themselves the Philosophical) College, do now and then honour me with their company".

Alleged influence on Freemasonry

18° Knight of the Rose Croix jewel (from the Masonic Scottish Rite)

According to Jean-Pierre Bayard, two Rosicrucian-inspired Masonic rites emerged from the end of 18th century. One was the Rectified Scottish Rite, which was widespread in Central Europe where there was a strong presence of the "Golden and Rosy Cross." The other was the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, first practiced in France, in which the 18th degree is called Knight of the Rose Croix.

Although many attempts have been made to learn about the change from "operative" to "speculative" Masonry, no definitive answer has yet been found, other than that it occurred between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 18th century. Two of the earliest speculative Masons for which a record of their initiation exists were Sir Robert Moray and Elias Ashmole.

There is speculation that Robert Fludd, who defended the Rosicrucians in his writings, may have been a Mason