The Rosicrucians: An Esoteric Order?

Throughout our study of esotericism, we have encountered the term "Rosicrucian" or "Rosicrucians" several times. To understand the significance of their emergence, a fruit of the diverse humanist and magical thought of the period, we must briefly summarize and analyze how this initiatory movement, considered legendary by many, began, its relationship with the Masons and Freemasons, its symbols, its principles, and its spiritual techniques.

The first time we encounter the term Rosicrucian is in the work Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, published in 1614 in Kassel, Germany, and supposedly published by the founder of the Rosicrucian Order, Christian Rosenkreutz, who signed the work Frater C.R.C. The following year, the Confessio Fraternitatis was published as an addendum to the first pamphlet, and in 1616, The Alchemical Wedding (original title: Die Hochzeit) was published in Strasbourg. This is where Christian Rosenkreutz, the author and founder, is clearly indicated for the first time. While the first two works are related, the third is almost an explanation of the symbols of the first two, leading some to believe it may have been written by a different author. Although it features the fictionalized journey of an elderly Rosenkreutz, containing so much symbolism and metaphor, with so many alchemical and spiritual proofs, that it cannot truly be said to be enlightening to anyone who is not familiar with or at least partly familiar with Rosicrucianism. However, there is no consensus on who could have written any of them. In fact, several scholars suggest that Rosicrucian ideas were already widespread and known beforehand, and that these texts were simply a kind of "confirmation material."

Of course, many historians and researchers suggest that this figure is invented, or, failing that, that the name was deliberately invented to reflect the name of their fraternity (Christian + Rose + Cross). Indeed, the symbol of the Rosicrucian order is a rose with open petals and a cross on top, or a wreath of roses surrounding a cross. For some historians, perhaps the name was distorted and referred to the Red Cross of the Templars. Before this, some have sought to see the cross as a solar symbol, and the rose as a symbol of fertility, feminine, considering that Christian Rosicrucianism would merely be a reinterpretation of symbols that previously had an esoteric and dualistic meaning. On the other hand, a possible real historical figure, Andreae, was the one who benefited most from the texts, and could be their author, and whose family crest also featured a rose and a cross.

Regardless of this, the rose and cross symbol would gain much esoteric symbolism as time progressed. There would also be multiple variants with several roses, specific numbers of petals, sometimes the rose in front of the cross and vice versa, and of course, a multitude of alchemical and esoteric symbols such as triangles, stars, circles, squares, or signs from astrology and Kabbalah.

The legend of Christian Rosenkreutz begins with these pamphlets and takes shape from what is described in the Fama Fraternitatis. Legends about his life portray him as a 15th-century European adventurer and traveler who had acquired his esoteric knowledge during his pilgrimages, especially through the lands of the Arabs and the East, and from a mysterious book M. Upon his return, he formed the Order with eight companions and founded a temple dedicated to the "Holy Spirit" - although not understood in the ecclesiastical sense. Upon his death, the Order itself would disappear, but some time later, the discovery of his supposed tomb, hidden in an underground crypt, referencing the alchemical motto VITRIOL, which in Latin would be: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem (Visit the Interior of the Earth; Rectifying You Will Find the Hidden Tombstone), would revive the Fraternity. There, the future brother of the Order who had discovered the tomb would also supposedly find the incorrupt body of the founder Rosenkreutz, who had died in the 15th century, and the Latin words Iesus mihi omnia, nequaquam vacuum, libertas evangelii, Dei intacta gloria, legis iugum (Jesus my all, emptiness none, freedom of the Gospel, of God intact glory, the yoke of the law).

Other legends attempted to provide a bit of historical background and made him part of a noble medieval German family, the Germelhausels, who lived in Thuringia, and who after converting to Catharism, were executed, with only a child hidden by a monk in Languedoc surviving. There the boy grew up adapting Cathar Gnosticism and Christianity to all the new knowledge he acquired in his studies and travels, and coming from this monastery would have been his first companions with whom he would found the Rosicrucian Order. However, there is no historical basis beyond the transmitted traditions and legends of both. Something similar happens with those who, even today, claim that Rosenkreutz reappeared reincarnated in the mysterious and "long-lived" Count of Saint Germain.

Around this time, we also find the writings of the German alchemist Michael Maier, who links the Rosicrucians with Egyptian knowledge and compares their rites, symbols, and knowledge based primarily on texts by Plutarch. Egyptian Gnosticism and Hermeticism would later be part of Rosicrucianism, although information varies, and of course, Christianity will remain the most sophisticated source of knowledge, despite everything.

In 1710, Samuel Richter, under the pseudonym Sincerus Renatus, published an alchemical work in Breslau, Germany, entitled The True and Complete Preparation of the Philosopher's Stone, by the Brotherhood of the Order of the Golden Rose Cross. This work detailed the various hierarchies and positions of the Rosicrucians, as well as their 72 rules. He also claimed to have taken the basis from an earlier work by an art teacher, but once again this is considered a publicity stunt like the previous ones. What can be deduced from the appearance of this work is that the former had a sufficient impact on European society to have led to the creation of Rosicrucian orders, which required an initiation manual, as this text seems to suggest. Similarly, we find that in 1785, The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians was published by the Masonic Order "Golden Rose Cross of the Old System." It is noteworthy that this order established the nine degrees that most subsequent Rosicrucian organizations have followed, namely: Junior, Theoricus, Practicus, Philosophus, Adeptus Minor, Adeptus Major, Adeptus Exemptus, Magistri, and Magi. Although other orders, such as the AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order of the Rose Cross), have added more degrees, reaching 12. This is due to the importance of numerology, as we will see later.

Historians agree that the Rosicrucian "renewal" has a revolutionary basis. They see in the texts messages of a Lutheran and anti-Papist bent, without disregarding their own Christian religion, but cleansing it of all those socio-political aspects they do not consider acceptable, most of which are framed within Catholicism. It is also no coincidence that in Southern Europe, which was predominantly Catholic, the Rosicrucian orders did not have the same impact. It should also be noted that the Bavarian Illuminati made a strong effort to discredit the Rosicrucians, as the leadership of the secret and political orders had more Rosicrucian members than Illuminati. Therefore, it was not just a question of rituals, but of power, and to achieve this, religion had to be brought into the mix, as well as the occult sciences, and of course, international relations. The disbanded lodges meant less power and, at the same time, greater dissemination of ideas.

The relationship between the Rosicrucian Order and Freemasonry dates back primarily to the 19th century, when there was a great proliferation of occult orders, many of them founded by Freemasons (see Golden Dawn), and many of which blended Freemason and/or Templar figures in their origins and histories. The Rosicrucian Order "in Anglia" (England) requires a Master Mason to enter. In modern Freemasonry, the seventh degree of the French Rite and the eighteenth degree of the Scottish Rite are known as the "Rosicrucian Prince or Knight." Their symbols are the rose and the cross, as well as the pelican, which has been iconographically associated with Christ and the sacrifice of Christ to others since early Christianity. If a pelican has nothing to give its young, it will allow itself to be pecked so they can eat its flesh.

Some Rosicrucian orders, however, based on alleged reincarnations and different philosophical paths or religious ideas, suggest that Rosenkreutz as such is not the founder of the Rosicrucian Order, but that there were others before him who already possessed higher knowledge and saw this symbolism as their recognizable mark. To cite an example, one of these "discordant" orders is the Fraternitas Rosae Crucis, whose main figure and founder is none other than Paracelsus, to whom the earliest texts attribute. This order declares itself American and in fact is the only continent where it exists, specifically in Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its beliefs coincide with Paracelsus's belief in the divine essence and astrological influences in nature, and therefore the perfection of the human being must be both in its physical, animal aspect and in its soul.

The foundations of Rosicrucian societies are similar to those of the Freemasons, as well as those of other secret orders. The search for truth and spiritual perfection, unconditional support for the order and its members, respect for others, discretion regarding the order, etc. The rejection of physical alchemy and the development of spiritual alchemy are noteworthy: one of their rules is precisely to distance themselves from those seeking to make gold, while regarding spiritual work, they say that "alchemy brings all the riches one needs."

In their beginnings, according to the earliest writings, the Rosicrucians' main dedication was to medicine, traveling and freely helping as many people as possible with their knowledge (physical or spiritual medicine?). However, they would not have any distinctive habit or sign; they had to dress naturally and adapt to local customs. They were required to meet once a year, without fail, at a designated location, and the RC signature or seal would be a sufficient sign of identification. One of their life's goals, in addition to knowledge, would be to find a replacement so that when they died, the order would continue with at least the same number of followers.

We can identify two basic branches or types of Rosicrucianism: mystical Rosicrucianism and theurgic Rosicrucianism. While the former seeks to draw on divine knowledge through study and religious faith, the latter employs theurgy, that is, the invocation of divine and spiritual beings to establish more direct contact. In other words, mystical Rosicrucianism follows the foundations of Gnosticism and esoteric studies, that is, it is a more philosophical and spiritual endeavor, while theurgic Rosicrucianism draws more on occult practices and magic, and is therefore more physical and symbolic. Even so, in most Rosicrucian orders, blended patterns can be found, with individuals utilizing both paths for their personal evolution. For example, the use of Chaldean and Pythagorean numerology—already initiated with the Rosenkreutz pamphlets—and astrology is common, regardless of whether one is more religious or more occult-minded. One of the mottos reads as follows: He before whose eyes all nature opens, that is Rosicrucian. This is a prayer that would suit any student of natural magic.

Despite all this, it should not be forgotten that Rosicrucians always start from a Christian foundation. Some orders even consider the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, who attempted to eliminate Egyptian polytheism in favor of a single solar god, Aten, to have been the first great teacher or role model, having understood the essence of a single divinity beyond idols. The AMORC includes among its founding legends that it was Thutmose III who founded the Rosicrucian Order, which would have paved the way for Akhenaten. In any case, Rosicrucians conduct all their studies based on the biblical text and monotheism, as well as underlying Egyptian culture. In this way, they interpret their own hierarchies and elaborate their halls and initiations as, according to them, the knowledge of the priests of Solomon's Temple and the Temple of Jerusalem would have been, passing through veils, halls, and curtains until reaching the place where the divine presence would be found, whether the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy of Holies of the Temple.

They reinterpret biblical events from astrological and era-change perspectives: for example, Moses' exodus from Egypt marks the change from the era of Taurus (the bull as a creature worshipped in Egypt) to Aries (the lamb as a Hebrew people), and when the Lamb, that is, Jesus, appears, the era of Pisces, that is, the Christian era (whose first symbol was the fish), begins.

They also believe in reincarnation. Loosely based on the Egyptian idea of ​​the multiple soul, they consider that the soul accumulates acquired knowledge and memories, while the spirit is energy itself. However, there is a "spiritual death" at the moment the spirit is reincarnated, as all memories remain latent, as if forgotten, and a new "soul" is born. Many figures have been recognized as reincarnated Rosicrucians, based on their ability to be recognized and even to remember their past lives through their actions, the most notable being the aforementioned Count Saint Germain. This is because reincarnations also follow a pattern of "justice." Anyone who has been a Rosicrucian—or has led a just, dignified, studious, etc. life like the one they promote—in a previous life, and therefore has knowledge of transcendence, receives a better transcendence-reincarnation as a "reward."

Transcendence is not limited simply to new lives after death. Rosicrucians believe that through study and faith, one can attain divine wisdom and thus be closer to divinity, which is usually identified as Jesus Christ or the Christian God the Father. It is a state of higher consciousness, which, moreover, seems to draw on Eastern philosophy.

Regarding numerology, its interpretations begin with the dates given for the life of Christian Rosenkreutz in the Fama Fraternitatis. According to this, he lived 106 years, from which the sum of 7 can be extracted, as well as the numbers 100, 10, and 6, which have cyclical and completive values. Let us also not forget that Pythagorean numerology also implies an association of alphabet and number, so the years of birth and death (1378-1484) and of the supposed founding of the Order (1407) may contain hidden messages accessible only to initiates.

In parallel to numerology, we find symbolic studies of words, texts, places, and situations. Perhaps the most notable is the INRI sign of the cross of Jesus, which popularly means: Jesus of Nazareth Rex Iudeorum. Well, taking the letters with their corresponding Hebrew—Jod, Rain, Nasid, and Jot—and their correspondences: active principle + passive principle + union + creation, we obtain the Rosicrucian mission of renewal, as well as other alchemical phrases: Igni Natura Renovatur Integra, or Ineffabile Nomen Rerum Initium. We must not forget that many secret orders refer to their superiors as "Invisibles" or "Ineffables."

Magic in Rosicrucianism ranged between natural magic, mathematical magic, and beneficial magic. This is known from Robert Fludd's Tractatus Apolegeticus integritatem Societatis de Rosea Cruce defendens (1617), an apology for those who accused the Rosicrucians of black magic and witchcraft, referring to emerging sciences and spirituality, and distancing them from goetia, necromancy, and other popular and satanic images used to discredit the Rosicrucians. Many thought he was a member of some order, but no; he simply considered, as a scholar, that they deserved the distinction of magic.

As expected, for magical acts there are also ancient representatives and masters, this time the vast majority of them real historical figures. Astrology dates back to Ptolemy and Clement of Alexandria; alchemy to Roger Bacon. It is said that Agrippa was a Rosicrucian, and that the formal study of angelic magic is owed to him. Marsilio Ficino is credited with regenerating natural magic by combining the works of Arabic magic with those of Pietro D'Abano.

Today, there is such a variety of types of magic practiced that it would be impossible to list them individually here. We can say that, for example, the Rosicrucian Order Alpha and Omega—also known as the Golden Order—is a descendant of the Golden Dawn or Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and practices the magic taught there. It uses talismans, Hermetic guides, astrology, and so on. Others draw on everything from Paracelsus to Blavatsky, Levi, Crowley, and so on: in short, their desire for knowledge believes that they should not be closed off even to ideas that contradict their own philosophy. For its part, the Kabbalistic Rosicrucian Order, founded by Stanislas de Guaita, places paramount importance on the study of Kabbalah and numerology.

The secrecy of the Rosicrucians today is not so great, at least in 50% of them, as many even distribute information about their rites, history, or members in books and on social media. And as since its beginnings, disputes between orders, adepts, rites, etc., continue, making the study of this "no longer so secret" order even more complex.

Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com

Bibliography:

- Calais, R. Los Rosacruces. Editors SA, 1998.

- Heindel. R. Diccionario Rosacruz. Ed. Kier, 1992

- Rebisse. C. Historia y Misterios de los Rosacruces. Ed. rosacruces, 2012.

- Suárez, D. Rosacruces. Historia y personajes. Almuzara, 2019.

Related articles:

> A Brief History of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

> Aleister Crowley (1857-1947)

> Freemasonry vs. Christianity