Just noting that the article with the above title actually promotes ignorance rather than fighting it. Consider a more factual rewrite with more than a single non-web source.
Perhaps you could comment just a little bit on what exactly you think is wrong with the article, and maybe include a link so the rest of us can follow along.
I’d like to know as well.
The subheading “sources” though is a little misleading. They are not really sources, per se, but websites where one can do further research. The first one, however, is where I took the quotes I cited earlier on in the article.
But my research comes from quite a few other sources such as Yates “The Rosicrusian Enlightenment”, “The Real History of the Rosicrucians” by A. E. Waite (only as a touch point; I suspect a lot of misinformation about the Rosicrucians comes from here) and, of course, “Atlas” by Glen Baxter. Coupling that with thirty years as a practicing “rosicrucian” (I keep practicing … still haven’t gotten it right) and consequent readings in the history; I stand by my article.
infoanarchist–are you a “one post bunny”, hopping off into the wilderness with no explanation?:dubious:
He’s a healer. We won’t know more for a hundred years.
No, he posted once.
Hey, sorry for the delay, not a regular on here, just felt the need to draw attention to this. Eutychus: While your article was well written and engaging, there is no actual information on What Rosicrucianism is All About. It’s just a pseudo-history. With thirty years as a Brother you should have a bit more insight into the practices and overall beliefs of one. Your feelings on A.E. Waite are well founded. He was a member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, which was basically a Theosophist group, and founder of the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, which was another Golden Dawn offshoot. Not exactly authoritative.
Also, you speak of Christian Rosencreutz as if he was an actual person, which you ought to know was not the case.
And my genuine apologies for misunderstanding the use of “Sources”.
Well, as I say in the beginning, looking at occult groups can be a bit mystifying since you have apologists from every angle insisting that their version is the truth without much documented evidence.
I didn’t outright state that Christian Rosenkreutz was a fictional character and the Rosy Cross a fictional group since we just don’t have the evidence one way or another. I assume he was; no record of him has ever been found and the Spiritus Sanctus has never been located. But I also always hedge my bets.
As far as the beliefs go, in my article I focused on the original beliefs of the order. Since then, quite a few organizations have taken the name Rosicrucuian without any real philosphical connection to the tenets stated in the Fama. The SRIA has more of a Golden Dawn flavor. The Rosicrucian Fellowship is a form of Christian Theosophy. And the more well known AMORC is pretty much a form of mind-control. In fact, I think a lot of 1960’s-70’s self help and mind control philosophy was inspired by AMORC. I know that AMORC sued (I think successfully) Jose Silva’s Mind Control Institute for illegally using their copyrighted teachings in his seminars.
As far as being a “pseudo-history.” Bosh. It’s a history of what is actually there. I can’t be blamed if various “Rosicrucian” groups make up pseudo histories for themselves.
eutychus, I agree with the OP as far as your article says very little about what modern Rosicrucianism is about. What are the actual modern practices and philosophies of the various groups? More would be appreciated.
I’ll try to put something together. But as far as I’m concerned there is no “modern rosicrucianism.” There are only groups who claim a tenuous link to the original Rosicrusiam group, if it ever really existed, and have used the term for their own purposes. Consequently, you won’t find a consensus, or any clearly defined single modern Rosicrucian movement.
But it may take me a while. I’m getting married this coming weekend so you’ll understand if I have a lot on my plate right now.
I know that Charles Williams was apparently initiated into the Golden Dawn, but he ended up a small-o orthodox Christian.
Check out “The Rosicrucians” by Christopher McIntosh for a good primer.
AMORC Home Study Lessons This is what it is about today. It is a threat to no one . The temple in in San Jose ,California.
That’s AMORC, which as has been pointed out is one specific thread of Rosicrucianism.
I believe William Poundstone wrote about this in his book Bigger Secrets.
There is a book alleging that AMORC is a form of mind control; it has been widely panned as nonsense.
If AMORC is mind control, then so is watching TV or any other activity where you take in vaguely persuasive information remote from the source of origin!
The SRIA does not ‘have a Golden Dawn flavour’. While the SRIA is the GD’s ancestor, to all intents and purposes it is a very different group.
Also, it is nothing to do with Theosophy, as has been also stated here. It is quite Christian, quite Masonic, quite ritualistic.
I doubt there is any version of Rosicrucianism, even the first recorded groups in the 18th century, who could be said to have a verifiable link to the Fama.
On Christian Rosencreuz, I agree, it largely depends who you ask, as to his origins. One R+C tradition maintains that he was a minor aristocrat from the Germelhausen family . . . other ‘experts’ say he’s an emanation of divine energy . . . mmm. Every other possible explanation in between those two extremes has been given at one time or another.
Ben
The search for authenticity amongst the occult has seemed like an obsession that is almost beside the point.
It describes to me a lack of faith. A lot of these organizations put God centrally to their theme, but then believe that they can only find God in some great antiquity. If someone cannot find God on May 25, 2009 at 1:30 PM, then what makes them think they’ll find him in the 1600s?
This article’s focus on the authenticity of Rosicrucianism seems to miss the point entirely, but it’s a common theme when perusing occult literature. The modern mindset seeks to find Empirical proof, with the occult we substitute historical authenticity for literal proof as though the philosophical descent from some real or imagined godling gives one a greater purchase on the mantle of enlightenment. Enlightenment as such is treated as something unattainable, and therefore for many becomes unattainable because we build up these idolatrous shackles around ourselves in relationship to the grail that we seek. The lessons are all there, seek inside yourself, live a good moral life, help and heal others. That’s available to anyone on the most superficial reading. There is no deep and mysterious, ‘how’, to attain these, there are many different ways and they are all available. If you have trouble controlling your thoughts and keeping your mind from running all over the place, go to a Buddhist temple in Thailand for 10 days and practice meditation, it will benefit you for your whole life. Why are you going to Thailand? Is it to seek ‘authenticity’? No, it is to break you out of your normal habituated patterns by immersing yourself in a foreign environment where everyone around you is dedicating themselves to the same task. The ‘authenticity’ thing is just more identity seeking.
It is no big secret that these occult organizations have pins, buttons, badges, honors and aprons galore that symbolize this or that attainment. Inwardly we seek symbols that tell us we have attained things. In the end the symbol is only useful in as much as it helps one to attain things. An emblem that one wears outwardly is only useful in as much as it tells others that you are able to help them attain things. The search for authenticity is just a very deep-seated and sophisticated manner of searching for identity. But it is still an outward modality, it is exoteric rather than esoteric. If joining AMORC or SRIA puts you in touch with people who can help you on your path to wisdom then so be it, if they can’t then so be that too.
We have created this notion of ‘The Wise’ as though somewhere out there Gandalf the Red or Enoch the Grey/White are running around and will tap us on the shoulders awakening us to true Hermes/Christ/Buddha consciousness. It is a waste of time to seek this because it’s simply fantasy, tilting at windmills. Some people are wiser than others, and they are everywhere. There is something to be learned from everyone. Be sharp as snakes and innocent as doves as Jesus would have you do.
So much time is wasted on the search for authenticity. We see it in schismatic sects in every religion. All of this hot air blown over which one is maintaining the true revelation, fighting the good fight against the heretics, but that is IMO the true nature of what it is to be ‘Of’ the world as Jesus put it. Too obsessed with the outward accoutrements. “Am I in the correct rite? Am I worshipping the correct God?”, of course everyone is trying to sell you on their version of what is right and true, but that’s the crux of it, they are trying to sell you something.
I believe seek and ye shall find. God is God.
All religious/spiritual traditions have been uprooted as far as I can tell, there is no direct line to some sort of authentic source. And even if there is, what makes people believe that back in some great antiquity there was one guy who got it right while everyone before and since has gotten it wrong?
So no, SRIA and AMORC are not authentically descended from whatever source they claim to be, but that’s irrelevant. Besides, those on the outside of these organizations usually get core tenets spectacularly wrong. That’s the essence of a secret society, those who know don’t say, and those who say, don’t know. And even if you heard five different tales, with one of them being absolutely true, how would you know which one it is?
**Eutychus **is right, when delving into the occult, it is always quite murky, that’s why it’s called the occult.
Well, no, it’s not murky because of all of that. It’s murky because of what I stated in the first sentence of my article.
I don’t have a whole lot of time for a lengthy back and forth on this, so I’ll just make a few points.
1 : When I said “mind control” I wasn’t talking about controlling other people’s minds, but your own. That why AMORC’s philosophy is called “The Mastery of Life.” They feel that is you can master your own mind enough, you’re able to control yourself and your surroundings and circumstances better. However, one of their early exercises has you trying to make someone turn around by staring at the back of their head; a talent that Charles Xavier should have been looking into seeing how useful it might be.
2 : Just because a group puts on the label of “occult” does not dismiss them from the same historical standards that we would apply to any other association, such as The Boy Scouts, The Salvation Army, the Republican Party or the Elks. The problem with most of these groups is that they usually claim directives from some “secret chiefs” or some such mysterious benefactor who comes to them in the dead of night wearing shadowy clothes drinking vile, foamy liquids from a Hello Kitty coffee mug, and installs them with legitimacy which the unwashed must therefore accept. I say twaddle. I can categorically state that there is no historical link and just barely any philosphical link between the original Rosicrucians, if they ever did exist, and any modern day group.
3 : Spiritual ancestry doesn’t equate to historical ancestry. Just because I am a patriot doesn’t make me a member of the pre-Revolutionary War Sons of Liberty than it makes me Joe Lewis. My artcile was about what the Rosicrucians believed. That’s what I wrote. Modern “Rosicrucians” are such in name only. Spiritual ancestry as a philosophical standard in this case barely holds water. As a historical standard, it sucks.