RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page iiEach issue of the Rosicrucian Digest provides members and all interested readers with a compendium of materials regarding the ongoing flow of the Rosicrucian Timeline. The articles, historical excerpts, art, and literature included in this Digest span the ages, and are not only interesting in themselves, but also seek to provide a lasting referenceshelf to stimulate continuing study of all of those factors which make up Rosicrucian history and thought. Therefore, we present classical background, historical development, and modern reflections on each of our subjects, using the many forms of primary sources, reflective commentaries,the arts, creative fiction, and poetry.This magazine is dedicated to all the women and men throughout the ages who have contributed to and perpetuated the wisdom of the Rosicrucian,Western esoteric, Tradition.May we ever be worthy of the light with whichwe have been entrusted.In this issue, we make contact with the mysterious brothers and sisters of the Rose Cross and their inspiring work on the Path to Enlightenment.Page 1Peter Kingsley, Ph.D. Paths of the Ancient Sages: A Pythagorean HistoryGiulia Minicuci and Mary Jones, S.R.C.PythagorastheTeacher:FromSamosto Metapontum Ruth Phelps, S.R.C. The School of PythagorasAnonymous The Golden Verses of PythagorasAntoine Fabre dOlivet,Excerpt from Examination of the Golden VersesHugh McCague, Ph.D., F.R.C. Pythagoreans and Sculptors: The Canon of Polykleitos Melanie Richards, M.Mus., S.R.C. Pythagoras and MusicLisa Spencer, M.A.O.M., S.R.C. TheNeo-PythagoreansatthePortaMaggiorein RomeJean Guesdon, S.R.C SilenceFrater X, Music of the Spheres and Pythagorean Numerology Ben Finger,Apollonius: Man or Myth? Ralph M. Lewis, F.R.C.Reviewing our ActsStaff of the Rosicrucian Research Library A Pythagorean BookshelfRosicrucianism An Introduction2Rosicrucian Utopia3The Rosicrucian Manifestos4Christian Rebisse, FRCThe Tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz18The Rose Cross20From a Rosicrucian manuscriptRosicrucian Invocation23Living the Rosicrucian Life24H. Spencer Lewis, FRCRosicrucian Code of Life26A Noble Rosicrucian Apologist29Ralph M. Lewis, FRCParis Poster 1623 35Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians Preface36H. Spencer Lewis, FRCSecret Symbols of the Rosicrucians Foreword38Rosicrucian Secret Symbol40Peter Bindon, FRCThe College of the Fraternity43Peter Bindon, FRCThe First Rosicrucians in America46Sri RamatherioBenjamin Franklin as a Rosicrucian51Orval Graves, FRCBe a RoseCroix!56Christian Bernard, FRCEstablishedin1915bytheSupreme Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction,AMORC,Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, CA 95191.Copyright 2013 by the Supreme Grand LodgeofAMORC,Inc.Allrights reserved.Republicationofanyportion ofRosicrucianDigestisprohibited without prior written permission of the publisher.ROSICRUCIANDIGEST(ISSN #00358339) is published bi-annually for $12.00 per year, single copies $6.00, bytheGrandLodgeoftheEnglish LanguageJurisdiction,AMORC, Inc., at 1342 Naglee Ave., San Jose, CA95191.POSTMASTER:Send address changes to ROSICRUCIAN DIGESTat1342NagleeAve.,San Jose, CA 951910001.Official Magazine of the Worldwide Rosicrucian OrderVol. 91 - No. 2 No. 2 - 2013ROS CRVCISRosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 2Rosicrucianism An IntroductionInthisissueoftheRosicrucianDigest weexploreRosicrucianismfromthe early 1600s to 1801. In the last fourteen issues of this maga-zine we have journeyed through the great mystical traditions that have most signif-cantly contributed to the Western Esoteric Tradition and Rosicrucianism. We began in the mists of time with At-lantis,thenexploredthemysteriesofan-cientEgypt,theEssenes,theOrphicand DelphicMysteriesofancientGreece,the Pythagoreans,theMysteriesofEleusis, Isis, and Mithras, Hermetism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, and Alchemy. And now we come to Rosicrucianism, whichemergedinEuropewiththepub-licationofthreemysteriousmanifestos the Fama Fraternitatis (1614), the Confes-sioFraternitatis(1615),andtheChymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz (1616). Tese anonymously written and wide-lydistributedpublicationscalledforno lessthanthereformationofthewhole wideworld.Teyespeciallyfocusedon transformingtheoppressivesuperstition andintolerancethatdominatedEurope atthattime.Temanifestosandthean-nouncement of a mysterious order of mys-tics,whokepttheiridentitiesunknown, made such an impact that more than two hundred responses, both in favor of and in opposition to the Rosicrucians, were pub-lished over the next few years. InthisissueoftheDigest,weexplore theseRosicrucianmanifestos,aswellas what it means to be a Rosicrucian. We also examinetheRosicrucianCodeofLife, meet some of the most illustrious Rosicru-cians in history, experience some of the in-triguing artwork and symbols of the Rosi-cruciansofthesixteenthandseventeenth centuries,learnaboutRosicrucianismin earlyAmerica,dreamoftheRosicrucian Utopia,andtogetherstrivetoattainthe Rose-Croix state.Page 3Rosicrucian UtopiaGod of all beings, God of all life,In the humanity we are dreaming of:Politicians are profoundly humanitarian and strive to serve the common good;Economists manage state fnances with discernment and in the interest of all;Scientists are spiritualistic and seek their inspiration in the Book of Nature;Artists are inspired and express the beauty and purity of the Divine Plan in their works;Physicians are motivated by love for their fellow beingsand treat both the soul and the body;Misery and poverty have vanished, for everyonehas what he or she needs to live happily;Work is not regarded as a chore, but as a source of growth and well-being;Nature is considered to be the most beautiful temple of all, and animals are considered to be our brothers and sisters on the path of evolution;A World Government composed of the leaders of all nations, working in the interest of humanity, has come into existence;Spirituality is an ideal and a way of life that springs forth from a Universal Religion, founded more upon the knowledge ofdivine laws than upon the belief in God;Human relations are founded upon love, friendship, and fraternity, so that the whole world lives in peace and harmony.So Mote It Be!RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 4TheRosicrucian ManifestosChristian Rebisse, FRCIn this article, Christian Rebisse presents the history and narratives of the three Rosicrucian Manifestospublishedin1614,1615,and1616theFamaFraternitatis,theConfessio Fraternitatis,and theChymicalWeddingofChristianRosenkreuz.FromRosicrucian History and Mysteries.For the complete English translations of the Rosicrucian Manifestos, visit http://www.rosecroixjournal.org/resources/index.html.On the eve of the publication of the RosicrucianManifestos,Europe wasembroiledinthestrife engenderedbyitsmoralcrisis.Everyone waslongingforanewReformation.It wasinthiscontextthattheRosicrucians sentouttheircallproposingnewmeans for restoring harmony. In general, we can saythattheRosicrucianOrderproposed Hermeticismasasolutionfortheenvel-oping crisis. With this intention in mind, an anon-ymousmanifestousuallycalledtheFama Fraternitatis was published in 1614 at the printshopofWilhelmWesselinKassel, Germany.Tecompletetitleis:Univer-sal and General Reformation of the whole wideworld;togetherwiththeFamaFra-ternitatis of the Laudable Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, written to all the Learned and RulersofEurope;alsoashortreplyby Herr Haselmayer, for which he was seized by the Jesuits and put in irons on a Galley. Now put forth in print and communicat-ed to all true hearts. Te text constituting the middle portion, the Fama Fraternitatis, hadalreadybeencirculatinginGermany as a manuscript since 1610.It is the only part that has been retained in modern edi-tions of this manifesto.Advertisements from ParnassusIntroduced by a short preface, the frst Rosicrucianmanifestoconsistedofthree distincttexts.Tefrstexplainedthene-cessityforageneralreformationofthe world.Althoughnotindicated,thiswas aGermantranslationofNotice77from Traiano Boccalinis book Ragguagli di Par-nasso(TeAdvertisementsfromParnas-sus), a little-known text published in Ven-ice in 1612.However, it is important as it placedtheRosicrucianprojectincontext that is, in describing the necessity for a reorganization of Europe in agony.Tus, it is pertinent that we present here the au-thorsintentions.Boccalini,afriendof Galileo, belonged to the antipapal circle of theVenetianpatriotandstatesmanPaolo Sarpi.Boccalinissatiricworkusedmy-thology to depict the political climate then prevailinginEurope.Hecriticizedthe hegemony of the Spanish Habsburg kings overChristianEurope.Inmanyplaces, Henry IV of France appears as a hero, and oneofthescenesinthebookemphasizes thedespairfeltafterhisassassinationin 1610.Apollos ReformTe portion of the Advertisements from Parnassus quoted in the Fama Fraternitatis describeshowApollolearnedfromEm-perorJustinianthatEarthsinhabitants weresuferinggreatdespairduetothe incessant quarrels which set them at odds withoneanother.Apollowasunstinting in his eforts to send countless guides and philosophers to humanity in order to teach Page 5themexcellentmorals,andsohedecided toproposeauniversalreformthatwould be conducive to restoring humanity to its originalpurity.Toaccomplishthisend, he assembled on Parnassus the seven sages of Greece, among whom were Cato, Sen-eca,Tales,Solon,andothers.Eachof the sages made his proposals.Tales, who thought that hypocrisy and deceit were the primarycausesofevilamonghumanity, proposed that a little window be drilled in peoplesheartssoas tobringaboutcan-dorandtransparen-cyintheirrelation-ships.Atoncean objection was raised: if each person could seeintothehearts oftheprinceswho ruledthisworld,it would be impossible forthemtogovern! Talessproposal wasimmediately shelved.Solonfeltthat disorderswerepro-vokedbythehates andjealousiesrag-ingamonghumans. Tus,hecounseled thatcharity,love, andtolerancebe spread among them. Headdedthatif propertycouldbe more equally divided, life would be better. But once again the critics protested and the sagesofParnassuscalledSolonsproposal utopian.Catoproposedanextremeso-lution:anewfoodtoremoveinasingle strokeallevildoers.Finally,afterevery-onehadexpressedtheirideas,theproject ofApollosuniversalreformendedupin regulatingthepriceofbeansandancho-vies. Trough this satire, Traiano Boccalini illustratedhowinstitutionswhetherre-ligious,political,orphilosophicalare incapable of making things evolve for the better.1Te Fama FraternitatisTe pessimism of this text, which de-spaired of seeing peace restored to Europe, was followed by the optimism of the frst Rosicrucianmanifesto.Aftertheinitial text,theFamaFraternitatisitselfappears. Althoughthispieceofliteratureisquite short,constituting somethirtypages inabookwhich includesatotalof 147 pages, the Fama constitutes the heart ofthefrstRosi-crucianmanifesto. Inthiswork,the brothersoftheFra-ternityoftheRose Crossappealedto therulers,clerics, andscholarsofEu-rope.Afterhaving paidtheirrespects totheirprogres-siveerawhichhad witnessedsomany discoveriescontrib-utedbyenlightened minds,theyem-phasizedthat,un-fortunately,these discoverieshadnot broughtthelight and peace for which humanity had hoped. Tey blamed the scholars, who were more concerned with obtaining personal success than with placing their abilities in service tohumanity.Likewise,theypointedto thosewhoclungtotheolddoctrinessuchasthesupportersofthepope2and the defenders of Aristotles philosophy and Galensmedicineinotherwords,those whorefusedtoquestionauthority.Te Rosicrucian brothers discussed the confict Fama Fraternitatis. First Rosicrucian manifesto, 1614.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 6between theology, physics, and mathemat-ics.Teirpositionwassimilartothatof HeinrichCorneliusAgrippa,especiallyin his defnition of magic, which he described as being genuine science. At the beginning of the frst book of his De Occulta Philoso-phia, Agrippa presented magic as being the acme of all science, since all philosophy is divided into three branches of knowledge whichcomplementoneanother:physics, mathematics,andtheology.3Following thisinventoryoftheirera,theRosi-crucianbrothersproposedtoofertheir contemporariesaregeneratedknowledge. Tisknowledgeofinfallibleaxiomscame to them from Father C.R., the founder of theirfraternity,wholaiddownthebasis for a universal reform many years before.Whowasthismysteriousindividual, FatherC.R.?Teanswertothisques-tionoccupiestheremainderoftheFama Fraternitatis.ItinvolvesChristianRosen-kreuz,ayoungGerman,who,wearein-formedbytheConfessioFraternitatis,was bornin1378.Atsixteenyearsofage,he accompaniedabrotherofaconventwho wasinchargeofhiseducationonapil-grimagetotheHolySepulcherofJerusa-lem.TisjourneytotheEastwasatrue initiatic journey for young Christian.But on their way to Jerusalem, his companion diedinCyprus.Accordingtomythol-ogy, Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite (Venus),whoseunionwithHermesgave birthtoHermaphrodite,anandrogynous child.TisallusiontoCyprusinChris-tian Rosenkreuzs biography is replete with alchemical connotations, and served as the preludeforthemeslaterdevelopedinthe Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz.Arabia FelixDespitethedeathofhiscompanion, Christian Rosenkreuz decided to continue his journey.However, his destination was changedandhewentinsteadtoDamcar. Contrary to what has sometimes been stat-ed, Damcar is not Damascus, but rather a town in southwestern Arabia, as indicated byMercatorsAtlas(1585).Damcarwas also mentioned by Abraham Ortelius in his Teatrum Orbis Terrarum as a city located in Arabia Felix.Tis region, celebrated for its incense, was the home of Ismaelism.It wasknowntohavepreservedtheCorpus Hermeticum.4In Damcar there was a uni-versitywithnofewerthan500students.5 UnderthedirectionoftheBrothersof Basra,animportantencyclopediawas compiledherethatgatheredtogetherall formsofknowledgebothscientifcand esoteric.In the twentieth century, Henry Corbin,quite intrigued bythis branch of Islam strongly tinged by esotericism, took delightinimaginingadialoguebetween theBrothersoftheR.C.andtheBroth-ers of a Pure Heart of Basra.He detected inthetwofraternitiesasimilarpurpose.6 A little earlier mile Dantinne made com-mentsalongthesamelines.7Whileat Damcar,ChristianRosenkreuzassociated withmagiwhotransmittedtohimim-portant knowledge, particularly in physics andmathematics,thusenablinghimto transcribetheBookMi.e.,theBookof the Worldinto Latin.After three years of study, Christian set out once more on his journeys.AfterabriefsojourninEgypt, he arrived in Fez, Morocco.Fez, City of GoldAccordingtothesixteenthcentury geographerLeoAfricanus,Fezwasan importantintellectualcenter.Students focked to this city, which possessed mag-nifcentlibraries.SincetheUmayyadera (661CE),itsschoolstaughtthealchemy ofAbu-Abdallah,ImamJafaral-Sadiq, andJabiribnHayyan(Geber),aswellas the magic and astrology of Ali-ash-Shabra-mallishi.8Leo Africanus stated that at Fez aformoftheurgicalmagicwaspracticed which,beginningwithasortofcircular-pantacle traced on the ground, allowed the Page 7practitionertoapproachinvisibleworlds. TeFamaFraternitatisinformsusthat themagicoftheseinhabitantsofFezwas notaltogetherpure.Nevertheless,what madealastingimpressiononChristian Rosenkreuz was the spirit of sharing which reigned among the scholars in this city, in contrast to the situation in Germany, where mostofthelearnedtendedtokeeptheir secretscloselyguarded.9InFez,Christian Rosenkreuz perfected his knowledge of the harmonyofthehistoricalcycles.Healso understoodthat,aseveryseedcontainsa tree in embryo, in similar fashion the mi-crocosm (human being) contains the mac-rocosmwithallitscomponents(nature, language, religion, medicine). Te authors oftheFamaFraternitatishadtakenthis visionfromParacelsus,who,inhisPhi-losophiaSagax,stated:inthissense,a human being also is a seed and the world is its apple, and whats true for the seed in the apple is equally true for humans in the world surrounding them.10

Afterhavingcompletedhisstudiesin mathematics,physics,andmagic,Chris-tianRosenkreuzbecameacquaintedwith theelementaryinhabitantswhorevealed untohimmanyoftheirsecrets.Telat-terwereprobablythosewhichParacelsus described in his Treatise on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies,Salamanders,andOtherBeings. Tese beings, which Paracelsus was said to have seen, did not descend from Adam, al-though they had a human appearance, but had a diferent origin. By contacting them, humans could learn the secrets of Nature.Te House of the Holy SpiritAfter this initiatic journey to the East, Christian Rosenkreuz returned to Europe. On his way home he stopped in Spain to sharewithSpanishscholarswhathehad learnedonhisjourney.Hesoonrealized thatthesescholarsdidnotwishtohave theirknowledgequestioned.Totheau-thors of the Fama Fraternitatis, the schol-ars of Spain symbolized those who are re-GERMANYCYPRUSDAMCAREGYPTFEZSPAINRoute depicting the journey of Christian Rosenkreuz.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 8strictedtoadoctrinewhichtheydonot wish to have questioned at the risk of see-ing their authority disputed.Disappointed by the closed attitude of the Spanish scholars, and having been met withsimilarcriticisminothercountries, Christian Rosenkreuz returned to Germa-ny. Tere, he undertook to put into writing the sum of learning which he had obtained in the East. His aim was to create a society capableofeducatingtheprincesofEu-rope,fortheywouldbecometheguiding lights.Afterfveyearsofwork,Christian Rosenkreuzsurroundedhimselfwiththe frstgroupofthreedisciplestoassisthim in his projects. Tus was born the Rosicru-cianFraternity.Together,theMasterand his disciples wrote the frst part of the Book M.Tenthefraternitywasenlargedwith four more brothers. Tey then moved into anewbuildingcalledtheDomusSancti SpiritusHouse of the Holy Spirit. Te fraternity remained discreet and Christian Rosenkreuz died in 1484 at the age of 106 years. In 1604, long after the death of the frstgroupofRosicrucians,thebroth-ersaccidentallyrediscoveredthetombof ChristianRosenkreuzastheyweredoing work on their building.Over the door of his tomb appeared the inscription: After 120 years I shall open. In this cavern, conceived as a summary of theuniverse,theydiscoveredaquantity ofscientifcobjects,heretoforeunknown, andsometextscontainingalltheknowl-edge gathered by their Master.Te Tomb of Christian RosenkreuzTediscoveryofamysterioustomb holdingmanymanuscriptsisafrequent theme in alchemical literature. Te example of Basil Valentine, involving a manuscript discoveredunderthealtarofachurchin Erfurt is well known. Te discovery of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz recalls that of Apollonius of Tyana, who had discovered in the tomb of Hermes Trismegistus the fa-mous Emerald Tablet and a book explain-ing the secrets of creation.11 Tis symbolic system referred to the concept wherein one may visit the bowels of the Earth; by rec-tifying, thou shalt fnd the hidden Stone. GerhardDorn,inhisCongeriesParacelsi-cae Chemiae (1581), gives this meaning to Vitriol,12awordwhichislikewiseclosely linkedwithHermes Trismegistus,sinceit isassociatedwithanalchemicaldrawing entitledTeEmeraldTablet.Moreover, theEmeraldTabletwhichHermesholds in his hands seems to foreshadow the Book T of Christian Rosenkreuz. TeroomwherethetombofChris-tianRosenkreuzwasdiscoveredtookthe form of a cupola or heptahedron. Accord-ing to Frances A. Yates, the appearance of the tomb may have been suggested by the portal depicted in Plate IV of the Amphi-theatrumSapientiaeAeternaebyHeinrich Khunrath (1603).13 Placed in the center of a cavern, the tomb in which the perfectly preservedbodyofChristianRosenkreuz reposed had a circular form. Te tomb was coveredbyabrassplaqueonwhichenig-matic phrases were engraved. One of them proclaimed: Te vacuum exists nowhere. Along with other meanings, this phrase re-callsadialoguebetweenHermesandAs-clepius in Treatise II of the Corpus Herme-ticumTethirdRosicrucianmanifesto includes many allusions to texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.Paracelsus and RosenkreuzEspecially noteworthy among the vari-ouswritingsrepresentedinthetombof Christian Rosenkreuz were Book T, which he held in his hands, and what is called the VocabularyofTeoph:Par.Ho.Telatter text is probably one of the vocabularies of Paracelsus,inparticulartheDictionarium TeophrastiParacelsi,Continensobscurio-rum vocabulorum ... published in 1584 by Gerhard Dorn, a disciple of Paracelsus. It maybenotedthatParacelsusistheonly Page 9authorreferredtointheFamaFraterni-tatis.Moreover,manyofthethemesde-velopedinthismanifestocomefromhis worksorthoseofhisdisciples.TeBook M, which we mentioned previously, refers directly to his ideas. We will not delve into this subject here. Nevertheless, we need to pointouttheconceptofParacelsussal-chemyfoundinthisfrstmanifesto,par-ticularlyinthewayitviewedtheGreat Worknamely,asbeingapreliminary work of little importance in regard to the spiritual procedure of the Rosicrucians. By this stand, the Rose Cross dissociated itself fromthealchemicalmethodspervading Germany in this era that gave rise to con-siderable excesses.Afterhavinggatheredtogetherthe treasuresoflearningfoundinChristian Rosenkreuzs tomb, the Rosicrucian broth-ers closed it again. Fortifed by this legacy baseduponimmutableaxioms,theyfelt ready to bring to fruition the divine and humanegeneralreformpreviouslyenvi-sioned by their Master. Te Fama Fraterni-tatis reveals that, like the brothers who had discoveredatreasureofknowledgeafter having smashed the wall which concealed theopeningofthetomb,Europewould openitselftoanewerabyadoptingnew knowledge after having set aside old beliefs thatactedlikewallstoitsadvancement. However,astheFamaFraternitatisstates, theknowledgewhichtheRosicrucians proposedwas...notanewinvention, but as Adam after his fall hath received it. Tus,itinvolvesrestoringalostknowl-edge that some people are endeavoring to perpetuate.Tefrstmanifestogavethenamesof various individuals who were the transmit-tersofthisPrimordialTradition.Tese names recall those mentioned by Marsilio Ficino in a similar context.Adam HaselmayerTeFamaFraternitatisendswithan invitationtothepeopleofscienceandto the sovereigns of Europe to join the Rosi-crucianbrotherhoodbysharinginitsre-forming knowledge. However, this appeal is peculiar inasmuch as it specifes that ... although at this time we make no mention either of our names, or meetings, yet nev-ertheless everyones opinion shall assuredly cometoourhands,inwhatlanguageso everitbe,noranybodyshallfail,whoso gives but his name to speak with some of us, either by word of mouth, or else if there be some other let [i.e., issued] in writing. Tis statement indicates in efect that the house of the Rosicrucians shall forever re-main untouched, undestroyed, and hidden to the wicked world...Tis message was heard and the open letters to the Rosicru-cians were printed at various places in Eu-rope, such as the one that was published at the end of the frst Rosicrucian manifesto. Te text of this letter is what Adam Hasel-mayer(1560-?)publishedin1612with the title of Answer to the Laudable Fraterni-tyofRosicrucianTeosophists,afterhaving read a manuscript of the manifesto which was circulating in the Tyrol in 1610, some fouryearsbeforeitwaspublished.Many authors have considered Haselmayer to be animaginaryindividual.Tisisnotthe Paracelsus.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 10case, as proved by Carlos Gilly, who, after patient research, succeeded in reconstruct-ing the biography of this Paracelsian, who was a great collector of alchemical manu-scripts.14 AdamHaselmayerwassoenthusias-ticabouttheFamaFraternitatisthathe askedArchdukeMaximiliantosubsidize research on the Ros-icrucians.Tetext ofhisAnswertothe Rosicrucian Manifes-toisstronglyinfu-enced by the proph-ecyoftheLionof the Septentrion and byJoachimism.He madetheRosicru-cianstheforecast-ersoftheAgeof theHolySpiritand feltthattheywere those that God has chosentospread theTeophrasti-calanddivineeter-naltruth.Hean-nouncedthat1613 wouldmarkthe end of time and that theGreatjudgmentwouldtakeplacein 1614.Hethusthoughtthatattending churchwasuselessanattitudewhich ledhimtobesuspectedofheresy.Refus-ing to retract such statements, Haselmayer was condemned to the galleys in October 1612.Heremainedtherefourandahalf years, but during this period he seemed to have enjoyed special treatment, because he remainedincontactbyletterwithmany other individuals equally fond of alchemy. AccordingtoCarlosGilly,AdamHasel-mayers enthusiasm was excessive and was notinfullaccordwithRosicrucianphi-losophy.Hermes and RosenkreuzAs noted previously, it was in this con-text of moral crisis that the frst manifesto advocatedaprogramofreforminwhich esotericism held the place of honor.TeRosicruciansplacedthemselves in the mainstream of Renaissance esoteri-cism,towhichwere addedsomespecif-callyChristianmys-ticalpreoccupations. Wemayalsonote thatthisfrstmani-festodidnothesitate to distance itself from thepufers[show-ofs]ofesotericism, justasitdidwithall ossifed religions. Te Rosicrucianswished tomovecloserto science,esotericism, andmysticisminan optimisticprojectof reformstronglychar-acterizedbyParacel-sianism.Inplacing itselfsquarelywithin thePrimordialTradi-tion, as it was defned in the Renaissance, the Rosicrucians relegated Egypt to a sec-ondaryrole.TeenigmaticHermesTris-megistus,whoselegitimacywascompro-misedbyIsaacCasaubonin1614,disap-peared in favor of a more human personal-ity, namely, Christian Rosenkreuz.Te Confessio FraternitatisIn1615,theyearfollowingthepub-licationoftheFamaFraternitatis,Wil-helm Wessel published a second manifesto inKassel,Germany.Justastheprevious manifestohadbeensupplementedbythe Advertisements from Parnassus, this second manifestowasaccompaniedbyatexten-titledSecretiorisPhilosophiaeconsideratio Title page of Confessio Fraternitatis. Page 11brevisaPhilippoaGabella.Tefulltitle of the latter translated into English reads: A Brief Consideration of the More Secret Philosophy, written by Philip a Gabella, a studentofphilosophy,publishedforthe frst time with the updated Confession of theR.C.Fraternity.15 Teauthorofthis text remains anonymous. In the introduc-tion, he points out that this work involves aphilosophical treatise,afternotingthat itisembellishedbytheactions,studies, andknowledgeoftheR.C.Fraternity.A short preface follows, signed Frater R.C., whereintheauthorindicatesthatthis Brief Consideration was derived entirely fromHermes,Plato,Seneca,andother philosophers.Tefrstmanifestoannouncedthe forthcoming publication of a Confession inwhichthirty-sevenreasonsforwhich theOrderexistswouldbesetforth.Te secondmanifestodidnotprovidethese reasons, but provided information that at-tempted to make the Fama more clear by reformulating anything too deep, hidden, and set down over dark in the Fama. Te Confessio Fraternitatis, or the Confession of theLaudableFraternityofthemosthonor-able Order of the Rosy Cross, written to the LearnedofEurope,wasdividedintofour-teensections,althoughlatereditionsdid notalwaysobservethisdivision.Inthis text, the Rosicrucians emphasize that they possess the antidote for the disease which gnawsatscienceandphilosophy,because they hold the key to all knowledge, wheth-eritbethearts,philosophy,theology,or medicine.Teyalsogivenewparticulars as to the sources of their knowledge, indi-cating that they do not simply come from investigationscarriedoutbyChristian Rosenkreuz,butalsofromthoserevela-tionsheobtainedbydivineillumination broughtaboutthroughthemediationof angels. Te Fortress of TruthTe Confessio Fraternitatis declared that the sages of the city of Damcar would set an example for Rosicrucians, ...according untowhichexamplealsothegovernment shall be instituted in Europe. Tese indi-viduals were said to have a plan established for this purpose by Christian Rosenkreuz. As in the frst manifesto, the Rosicrucians invited the people of their era to join their fraternity and proposed that these seekers unitewiththemforthepurposeofcon-structinganewfortressoftruth.Tey promisedhealth,omniscience,andinner calmtoeveryonewhowantedtobeini-tiatedintotheheritageofallofNatures bounties.However,theywarnedthose whowereblindedwiththeglisteningof gold,andwhowantedtojointheirfra-ternity with the aim of obtaining material profts, that they would never be admitted. Title page of the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 12Te Chymical Wedding of Christian RosenkreuzTeChymicalWeddingofChristian Rosenkreuz, a book that is considered to be thethird Rosicrucianmanifesto,made its appearance in 1616. It was printed in Stras-bourg by Lazarus Zetzner, the publisher of Teatrumchemicumandnumerousother alchemicaltreatises.Tisworkdifers considerablyfromthefrsttwomanifes-tos.Firstofall,althoughitwaslikewise publishedanonymously,itisknownthat JohannValentinAndreaewastheauthor. Secondly, it is unusual in form in that it is presented as an alchemical novel and as an autobiography of Christian Rosenkreuz. Te StoryBriefy,hereisthestory.(Foranin-depth description of the story of the Chy-micalWeddingofChristianRosenkreuz, seetheRosicrucianDigestAlchemyissue -Volume91,Number1,2013athttp://www.rosicrucian.org/publications/digest/digest1_2013/table_of_contents.html.) Christian Rosenkreuz, an elderly man who iseighty-oneyearsold,describeshisad-ventures over a seven-day period in 1459. After being summoned to a royal wedding by a winged messenger, Christian leaves his retreat, situated on a mountain slope. Af-ter various incidents, he arrives at the sum-mitofahighmountain,andthenpasses through a succession of three gates. Once within, he and the other people who have been invited are put to a test in which they areweighedonscales.Iftheyarejudged virtuousenough,theyareallowedtoat-tendthewedding.Teselectfewreceive a Golden Fleece16 and are presented to the royal family. Afterbeingbroughtbeforetheroyal family, Christian Rosenkreuz describes the presentation of a play. Tis is followed by abanquet,afterwhichtheroyalfamilyis decapitated.Tecofnscontainingthe corpses are loaded onto seven ships bound foradistantisland.Arrivingattheirdes-tination,theyareplacedintheTowerof Olympus, a curious seven-story edifce.For the remainder of the narrative we witnessthestrangeascentoftheguests throughthesevenstoriesofthetower. Ateachlevel,underthedirectionofa maidenandanoldman,theyparticipate in alchemical operations. Tey carry out a distillation of the royal skins from which a liquid is obtained that is afterwards trans-formed into a white egg. From this a bird is hatched that is fattened before being de-capitatedandreducedtoashes.Fromthe residue,theguestsfabricatetwohuman-shaped fgurines. Tese homunculi are fed until they become the size of adults. A f-naloperationcommunicatestothemthe spark of life. Te two homunculi are none otherthanthekingandqueenwhohave beenrestoredtolife.Shortlyafterwards, theywelcometheirguestsintotheOrder of the Golden Stone, and all return to the castle.However,ChristianRosenkreuz, atthetimeofhisfrstdayinthecastle, committed the indiscretion of entering the mausoleumwherethesleepingVenusre-poses.Hisinquisitivenesscondemnshim to become the guardian of the castle. Te sentence does not seem to be executed, be-cause the narrative suddenly ends with the return of Christian Rosenkreuz to his cot-tage.Teauthorleavesustounderstand thatthehermit,whoiseighty-oneyears old, does not have many more years to live. Tis last statement seems to contradict the FamaFraternitatis,whichclaimedthat ChristianRosenkreuzlivedtothevener-ableageof106.Moreover,otheraspects of the narrative depict a Christian Rosen-kreuzwhoisquiteatoddswiththeone presented in the earlier manifestos. Te Sources of Te Rosicrucian ManifestosCountlessscholarshavespeculatedas towhowrotethefrsttwoRosicrucian Page 13manifestos and what the sources were that theydrewupon.Wemaynoteherethe infuence of the medieval era, as the infal-libleaxiomtowhichthemanifestosrefer recallstheArsMagnaofRaymondLully, whoseworkswerepublishedin1598by LazarusZetzner,thefamedpublisherof Strasbourg.17TeRhenishmystichad alsoconsiderablyinfuencedtheauthors of the early Rosicrucian writings, particu-larlybywayofJohannArndt,whoshall be discussed later.However, the Fama and theConfessiodrawessentiallyfromthree currentsofthetradition:Paracelsianism, contemporaryNeo-Joachimism,andthe Hermeticism of the Renaissance.18It is not by accident that Paracelsus is theonlyauthorpraisedbythemanifes-tos, as he constituted a primary source for the ideas presented in these writings.Te needforsharingtheknowledgeacquired fromvariouspartsoftheworld,thefact that man is a microcosm, the reference to the Liber Mundi, and to the dwellers of el-ementaryworldsormoreparticularly, the metaphor of the seed are themes in the manifestos originating with Paracelsus. Let us recall that in Christian Rosenkreuzs tomb there appeared a book called the Vo-cabularofTeoph:Par.Ho.,identifedas beingoneofthedictionariesofParacel-siantermspublishedbytheseventeenth century.Such infuences are perfectly un-derstandable in that Paracelsian texts were widelyreadduringthetimeofthemani-festos.Between1589and1591Johann HuserhadpublishedParacelsusscom-pleteworks,followingtheenormoustask of researching his manuscripts.A second edition was then issued in ten volumes be-tween 1603 and 1605 by Lazarus Zetzner, thefutureeditorofJohannValentinAn-dreaes works.Neo-Joachimism is ever-present in the manifestos.TetheoriesofJoachimof Fioreexperiencedarevivalofinterestin the sixteenth century, as had the Prophecy of Elijah or that of the Lion of the Septen-trionalongwiththemanypredictions of channeling the peoples aspiration for a renewalareformationthatallowedthe sixteenthcenturysnumerousconfictsto becalmed.RenaissanceHermeticismis alsopresentinRosicruciantexts,particu-larlyinconnectionwithalchemy.How-ever, it should be noted that the Kabbalah, both Jewish and Christian, occupies a mi-nor role here.Other infuences are equally apparent,suchasthoseregardingtime, whichis presentedas beingcyclic. Tese textscouldverywellrefertoIsmaelism, with Damcar being one of the sources.Te Tbingen CircleTe study of the ideas expressed in the manifestos allows us to hypothesize about theirauthors.Mostpresent-dayexperts agreethattheywerenottheworkofone person, but rather of a small group of stu-dentsandscholarslivinginTbingen,a universitytownin Wrttemberg,Germa-ny.Tis group was called the Tbingen Circle.Itwasformedaround1608and consistedofaboutthirtyindividualswho were passionate about alchemy, Kabbalah, astrology,naometry,andChristianmysti-cism.Te most important individuals in-cludedJohannArndt, TobiasHess,Abra-ham Hlzel, the pastor Vischer, Christoph Besold,andWilhelmvonWense.Tey conceived the project of another reforma-tion,contemplatingthoseofLutherand Calvin,whichwerejudgedtobeinad-equate.Two of these scholars, Tobias Hess andAbrahamHlzel,werepreviouslyin-volved in a movement for circulating eso-teric and mystical works among the faculty of the university.Johann ArndtJohannArndt(1555-1621),consid-ered by Andreae to be his spiritual father, wasthegroupsmentor.Apastor,theo-logian,physician,alchemist,andkeen RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 14followerofJohannes TaulerandValentin Weigel,hewastheauthorofacommen-tary on the plates of Heinrich Khunraths AmphitheatrumSapientiaeAeternae.Ac-cording to a letter written on January29, 1621, to the Duke of Brunswick, his desire was to lead students and researchers away frompolemicaltheologyandtobring them back to a living faith, to a practice of piety.He was the popularizer of Te Imi-tationofChrist.Hismysticaltendencies are noticeable in his sermons on the Gos-pels or on Luthers Small Catechism, and in hiscollectionofprayersentitledParadies Grtlein Aller christlichen Tugenden (1612). HewroteadevotionaltextentitledVier BchervomwahrenChristentum(Four BooksonTrueChristianity,1605-1610) that was one of the most widely read until the nineteenth century.Both a mystic and an alchemist, he attempted to integrate the Paracelsianheritagewithmedievaltheol-ogy, and in this latter work, he developed the idea of an inner alchemy, of a spiritual renaissance.RolandEdighoferhasshownthatan entire passage of the Confessio Fraternitatis discussing the Book of Nature is taken al-most word for word from the fnal volume ofArndtsFourBooksonTrueChristian-ity.19 In his De Antiqua Philosophia (1595), Arndtemphasizesthatwisdomisfound notinspeculation,butinthepractical aconceptalsofoundinthemanifestos. He is considered to be one of the instiga-torsofPietism.In1691,JohannesKel-pius and his followers took Arndts works with them as they left for the New World. AccordingtoaletterfromJohannArndt foundamongthepapersofthetheoso-phist Christophe Hirsch, Johann Valentin Andreae acknowledged having written the FamaFraternitatiswiththirtyotherpeo-ple.Another letter, sent by Johann Valen-tin Andreae to his friend John Amos Co-menius,madethesameclaim.However, some questions have been raised regarding the authenticity of these letters.20Tobias HessTobiasHess(1558-1614)wasone ofthemostimportantmembersofthe TbingenCircleperhapsevenitsin-stigator.Hispreoccupationssynthesized perfectlythevariouselementspresented in the manifestos.Hess, who was a mem-berof TbingenUniversity,aParacelsian physician, Kabbalist, philosopher, and ad-mirerofSimonStudion,JuliusSperber, andJoachimofFiore,probablyplayeda fundamentalroleindraftingtheFama andConfessio.In1605,hewasaccused ofpracticingnaometryandcontinuedto promotemillennialismincertainpubli-cationswhereheexpressedhimselftobe infavorofworldwidereform.TeFama repeated his idea which basically declares: Itiswrongtoclaimthatwhatistruein philosophy is false in theology.Hess was also accused of being an instigator of a se-cret society.Even though his accusers did notprovidethenameofthissociety,itis probablethattheywerereferringtothe RosicrucianOrder,whosefrstmanifesto was circulating at this time in manuscript form.TobiasHesswasassociatedwithOs-waldCroll,adiscipleofParacelsus.Due tohismedicaltalents,Hesshadhealed Andreaeofaterriblefever,andthelat-teradmiredhimimmensely.Hessdied in1614,justbeforethepublicationof themanifestos,andhisfuneraloration wasdeliveredbyAndreae.Tistextwas printed afterwards, and curiously enough, as Roland Edighofer notes, it included the following words in italic type, Tobias Hess andFamatheonlyonesinthebook as though to emphasize a link between the two.An astonishing fact should be men-tioned:In 1616, Andreae published anon-ymouslyTecagladiispiritus(TeSheath oftheGloryoftheSpirit),indicatingin the books preface that it was authored by Tobias Hess.Interestingly enough, forty-eight passages of this book are taken from Page 15the Confessio!In his autobiography Andre-ae would later acknowledge that all of the textfoundintheTecawashis.Canwe not conclude from this that Hess was the author of either a part or the entirety of the Confessio Fraternitatis?Johann Valentin Andreae Asearlyas1699,inhisUnparteyische Kirchen und Ketzer Historie (History of the Church and of Heretics), Gottfried Arnold claimed that Johann Valentin Andreae was theauthoroftheRosicrucianmanifestos. For a long time this theory was considered tobeauthoritative.InAndreaescasewe aredealingwithaparticularlynotewor-thyindividualwhomwewilldiscussin furtherdetailwhenwetouchuponthe thirdmanifesto,TeChymical Weddingof ChristianRosenkreuz.However,Andreae tookpainstodistancehimselffromthe Rosicrucians,andinoneofhisbooks, Menippus (1617), he speaks harshly about theRosicrucianFraternitywhenhedeals with ludibrium in other words, farce or mockery.Nevertheless, as Frances A. Yates indicates,thesetermsarenotforcefulpe-joratives when spoken by Andreae, because heattachedconsiderableimportanceto the moral infuences of stories and the the-ater.21 His literary output likewise testifes tothisinterest.22Itshouldbeaddedthat throughouthislife,hedidhisbesttoor-ganize societies or associations correspond-ing in many ways to the project presented in the manifestos.It appears that Andreae basically took an ofcial position in oppo-sition to the manifestos so as to protect his religiouscareer.Itmaybesaidthatun-foreseen circumstances led to the publica-tion of the Fama Fraternitatis at the exact moment when, after a series of difculties, Andreaefnallyobtainedthepostofdea-conatVaihingenandmarriedElisabeth Grninger,thedaughterofapastorand niece of a Lutheran prelate.Muchspeculationhasswirledaround thesubjectofthepossibleauthorsofthe manifestos;however,noneofthemisen-tirelysatisfactory.Althoughtheauthor of the early manifestos has kept his secret well, Tobias Hess and Johann Valentin An-dreae probably played a fundamental role in developing these works. An Initiatic NarrativeLet us return to Christian Rosenkreuz, theindividualpresentedbythemanifes-tos as the founder of Rosicrucianism.Are wedealingherewitharealoramythical individual?Asmanyhavestated,these texts do not recount the biography of one person, because they involve initiatic nar-ratives that present many facets.What can be generally said is that through the travels ofChristianRosenkreuz,hissojournsin the Arab lands and then in Spain, we may rediscover the advances which various eso-teric sciences made when passing from the Johann Valentin Andreae.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 16East to West.Tese sciences, after having experiencedfurtherdevelopmentinEu-rope, were to come into full bloom under Paracelsus.After his death, Valentin Wei-gel and other individuals succeeded in rec-tifyinganyfawsandenrichedthemwith the mysticism of the Rhineland and Flan-ders.What Rosicrucians proposed was to recover this heritage and include it in the body of knowledge of an era that they en-visioned as being the dawn of a new age.Manyelementscontributeinproving thatthemanifestosaresymbolicnarra-tives.Forexample,theimportantdates inChristianRosenkreuzslifecorrespond tosignifcanthistoricalevents.Teyear of his birth, 1378, corresponds to the year of the Great Schism of the West in which AvignonandRomewereatloggerheads. Andthatofhisdeath,1484,corresponds totheyearthatMartinLutherthein-dividualwhoattemptedtoreformChris-tianitywasborn.Althoughitisnow thought that Luther was born in 1483, his ownmotherwaveredbetween1483and 1484, and Luther himself opted for 1484. Tere exists an astrological tradition based onthestudiesofPaulusvonMiddleburg andJohannesLichtenberger,whosaw hisbirthsignintheconjunctionofJupi-terandSaturnthattookplaceinScorpio in1484.Equallysignifcantisthatthe writingsrelatingtoParacelsusstextswere placedinChristianRosenkreuzstombin 1484.ButkeepinmindthatParacelsus couldnothavewrittenanythingyet,see-ing that he was born in 1493!Te theme ofthediscoveryofatombisarecurring symbol in the tradition, and we will have occasion to return to this subject later.Onlyonestepseparatessymbolfrom invention, and certain authors do not hesi-tate to cross the threshold.Several histo-rians have pointed out that the authors of themanifestosdidnotneedtoadaptthe biographies of real persons to invent Chris-tianRosenkreuz.PaulArnoldhasshown that several mystics bear uncanny similari-tiestoChristianRosenkreuz.23Firstthere isJoachimofFiore,whoundertookthe foundationofafraternityafterhistrav-els to the Orient.Ten there are Rulman Merswin (1307-1382), the founder of the FriendsofGod,24andGerhardGroote (1340-1384),thecreatoroftheBrothers oftheCommonLife.Telattergroup promoted the Devotio Moderna, a spiritual movementwhichemphasizedtheinner experience.Te most beautiful fowering of this movement is seen in Te Imitation ofChrist,abookwhichhadconsiderable infuence on Rosicrucians.25 Paul Arnolds observationsareofinterestinthatthe parallelsbetweenthesepersonalitiesand ChristianRosenkreuzarestriking,even though notable diferences do exist. In ad-dition, many of the ideas promulgated by these mystics are found in the manifestos.It is possible to view such matters from another angle as the manifestos can also be readastheaccountofaspiritualexperi-ence.Tey fall within an indisputable his-torical context, but, as with all initiatic ac-counts, they are associated with a metahis-tory that goes beyond a mere chronology. Tis is where we leave the historical realm andplaceourselvesonanotherlevel,one whose characteristics need to be defned so thatwemayunderstandthemeaningof the Rosicrucian manifestos.Page 17ENDNOTES1.A French edition of this text was published in 1615 under the name Les cent premires nouvelles et aduis de Parnasse par Traian Buccalin Romain, o sous admira-ble inventions, gentilles metaphors, et plaisans discours sont traictees toutes matieres politiques dEstat de grande importance et preceptes mauraux choisis et tirez de tour lesbonsautheurs,publishedinFrenchbyTomas deFougasses,chezA.Perier,rueSaint-Jacques,au Compas,Paris.Chapter77occupiespages457to 515.Te frst German translation dates from 1644. Te extract represented in the Fama Fraternitatis was probably translated into German by Wilhelm Biden-bach,afriendof TobiasHess.TeRosicruciansof TbingenadmiredTraianoBoccalini.Christoph BesoldquotedhiminOpuspoliticum,andJohann Valentin Andreaes Christian Mythology shows his in-fuence.2.Tomas Vaughan mistakenly translated this as Por-phyry,ratherthanthePopeorPopery,which the German manuscripts specify.3.LaMagienaturelle,BookIofPhilosophieOcculte, translation and commentaries by Jean Servier (Paris: Berg, 1982) pp. 32-37.English edition: Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius.Tree Books of Oc-cult Philosophy Written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim,completelyannotatedwithmoderncom-mentary.JamesFreake,translator.DonaldTyson, editor (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1993).4.Concerningthismatter,seeChapterI,TeSabae-ans.5.Te frst edition of the Fama reads Damascus, but the erratum in the same work specifes that it should beDamcarinstead.LEncyclopdiedelIslam (Leyden-Paris:1965)Vol.II,p.224,callsthistown Dhamar.6.HenryCorbin,LImaginationcratricedanslesou-fsmedIbnArabi.(Paris:1955;reprint1993,Au-bier)p.20.Englisheditions:CreativeImagination in the Sufsm of Ibn Arabi.Ralph Manheim, transla-tor(London:Routledge&KeganPaul,1969);and AlonewiththeAlone:CreativeImaginationinthe SufsmofIbnArabiwithanewprefacebyHarold Bloom. (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1998).7.mile Dantinne, De lorigine islamique de la Rose-Croix, in Inconnues, No. 4, 1950, pp.3-17.8.Brockelmann,GeschichtederarabischenLiteratur, Vol. II.9.Forthisstudy,twoeditionsofthemanifestoshave beenused.TefrstisthatpublishedbyDifusion Rosicrucienne in 1995 under the general title of La Trilogie des Rose-Croix.Tis French edition is based ontheEnglishtranslationthatTomasVaughan made in 1652 from a German manuscript then cir-culatinginEngland. Wefeelitwouldbeusefulto also refer the reader to Bernard Gorceixs translation, La Bible des Rose-Croix (Paris: PUF, 1970), which is baseddirectlyontheoriginalGerman.Tequota-tions in this edition are taken from this edition.10. RolandEdighofer,LesRose-CroixetParacelse, Aries, No. 19, 1998, p. 71, from which we have taken the translation of Paracelsuss text.11. See Chapter 1, Te Emerald Tablet.12. VisitaInteriora TerraRectifcandoInveniesOccultum Lapidem V.I.T.R.I.O.L.13. TeRosicrucianEnlightenment(London/NewYork: Ark Paperbacks, 1986) facing p. 48.14. CarlosGilly,AdamHaselmayer,derersteVerknder derManifestederRosenkreuzer(Amsterdam:In dePelikaan,BibliothecaPhilosophicaHermetica, 1994).15. PapusprovidedaFrenchtranslationofthistextat theendofhisTraitlmentairedesciencesoccultes (Paris, 1903). 16. TeGoldenFleeceisasymbolwhichdesignated theGreatWork.Afascinatingworkregardingthis subject was written by Antoine Faivre, Toison dor et Alchimie(Paris:Arch1990).Englishedition:Te GoldenFleeceandAlchemy(AlbanyNY:StateUni-versity of New York Press, 1993). 17. Hewasthepublisherofmanyalchemicaltexts,in-cluding the celebrated Teatrum Chemicum (6 vols.), the Complete Works of Paracelsus, the Chymical Wed-dingofChristianRosenkreuz(10vols.),andvarious other works by Johann Valentin Andreae, Christoph Besold, etc.18. AntoineFaivre,DasErbedesChristianRosenkreutz (Amsterdam: In de Pelikaan, 1988). Tis text was re-peated in Accs de lsotrisme occidental (Paris: Galli-mard, 1996), tome II, pp. 263-289. English edition: Teosophy,Imagination, Tradition:Studiesin Western Esotericism(Albany:StateUniversityofNewYork Press, 2000).19. RolandEdighofer,LesRose-Croixetlacrisedecon-science europenne au XVIIe siecle (Paris: Dervy, 1998) pp. 296-297.20. SeePaulArnold,HistoiredesRose-Croixetlesorigi-nes de la franc-maonnerie (Paris: Mercure de France, 1990), pp. 120-122, who considers this information to be probable despite some misgivings. 21. SeeTeRosicrucianEnlightenment(Boulder,CO: Shambala, 1978) p. 50.22. Roland Edighofer has done a detailed study of this authorsworkinRose-CroixetsocitidaleselonJo-hann Valentin Andreae (Neuilly-sur-Seine: Arma Ar-tisk, 1982). 23. HistoiredesRose-Croix...,op.cit.,chap.V,pp.136-156.24. For more information about this group, see Bernard Gorceix,LesAmisdeDieuenAllemagneausiclede Matre Eckhart (Paris: Albin Michel, 1984) and Hen-ry Corbin, En Islam iranien, op. cit., book VII.25. Te Imitation of Christ (1471) by Tomas Kempis is, after the Bible, one of the most widely read books amongChristians.TeophilusSchweighardt(Dan-ielMgling),inSpeculumsophicumRhodo-Stauroti-cum...(1618),saidthatwhenreadingTomas Kempis one is already a semi-Rosicrucian.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 18The Tomb ofA vaultofsevensidesandcorners, everysidefivefootbroad,andthe height of eight foot.Although the Sun never shined in this vault, nevertheless it was illuminated with another sun, which had learned this from the Sun and was situated in the upper part of the center of the ceiling.Inthemidst,insteadofatombstone, was a round altar covered over with a piece ofbrass,andthereonthisengraving:Tis compendiumoftheUniverseImadeinmy lifetime to bemy tomb.Roundaboutthefrstcirclestood: Jesus is my all.Inthemiddlewerefourfgures, enclosed in circles, whose circumscription was:1.A vacuum exists nowhere.2.Te yoke of the law.3.Te liberty of the Gospel.4.Te whole glory of God. Te vault:Upperpart:dividedaccordingtothe sevensidesinthetriangle,whichwasin the bright center.But every side or wall is parted into ten squares, every one with their several fgures and sentences.Bottom part: parted in the triangle.Every side of wall had a door for a chest, wherein there lay diverse things, especially ourbooks,besidestheVocabularyof Teoph. Par. Ho. (Teophrastus Paracelsus vonHohenheim-Paracelsus)andhis Itinerarium and Vitam.Inanotherchestwerelooking-glasses ofdiversevirtues,asalsoinotherplaces were little bells, burning lamps, and chiefy wonderfulartifcialsongs;generallyall done to that end that if it should happen aftermanyhundredyearstheOrderor Fraternityshouldcometonothing,they might by this only vault be restored again.Page 19Christian RosenkreuzWethereforeremovedthealtaraside, thereweliftedupastrongpieceofbrass, and found a fair and worthy body, whole andunconsumed,withalltheornaments and attires. In his hand he held a parchment book, called I. which next unto the Bible is our greatesttreasure,andwhichoughttobe deliveredtothecensureoftheworld.At the end of the book stands this following Elogium:A grain buried in the breast of Je-sus. C. Ros. C., sprung from the noble and renowned German family of R.C.; a man admitted into the mysteries and secretsofheavenandearththrough thedivinerevelations,subtlecogita-tions and unwearied toil of his life.InhisjourneysthroughArabia andAfricahecollectedatreasure surpassing that of kings and emperors; butfndingitnotsuitableforhis times, he kept it guarded for posterity touncover,andappointedloyaland faithful heirs of his arts and also of his name.Heconstructedamicrocosm correspondinginallmotionstothe macrocosmandfnallydrewupthis compendiumofthingspast,present, and to come. Ten, having now passed the century of years, though oppressed bynodisease,whichhehadneither feltinhisownbodynorallowedto attackothers,butsummonedbythe Spirit of God, amid the last embraces ofhisbrethrenherendereduphis illuminated soul to God his Creator. A beloved father, an afectionate brother, a faithful teacher,a loyal friend, he was hiddenherebyhisdisciplesfor120 years.ConcerningMinutumMundum (Miniatureworld,Microcosm),we found it kept in another little altar.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 20The Rose CrossFrom a Rosicrucian manuscriptTe word Rosicrucian comes from the Latin words Rosae Crucis, meaning of the Rose Cross. Tis phrase has no religious connotation.Although both the rose and the cross have long been used in many traditions around the world, for Rosicrucians the Rose Cross has a special mean-ing.Thecrosswasreveredasasacred symbol long before Christianity. The oldest forms of the cross are probably fromEgyptandPhoenicia.Theswastika, avariationofthecross,hasbeenreveredin Hinduism for thousands of years, long before the Nazis perverted its sacred meaning in the twentiethcentury.Intheseancientcultures, the cross represented the coming together of two different things or states, thus creating a new thing or state.In the Rosicrucian Tradition, the cross representsourlifeinthisearthlyincarna-tion made possible by the coming together of two types of energy. When we stand be-fore the Sun with our arms outstretched in veneration, our shadow forms a cross. Terosealludestooursoul-person-alityintheprocessofunfolding.Asthe rosereceivesmorelight(understanding), it opens wider, revealing its beauty and ex-uding its fragrance or inner grandeur. Te refnement of the cross, being polished in contactwiththevicissitudesoflife,con-tributes to the unfolding of the rose. Aswelearnthroughourexperiences withthelawsoflife,ourconsciousness evolves.Tisevolutionisexpressedina more spiritual personality and understand-ing, depicted by the rose.Page 21From the Rosicrucian Manual 1930, slightly edited for clarifcation.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 22From the Rosicrucian Manual 1927.Page 23RosicrucianInvocationGod of my heart, God of my understanding.I know that You are at the origin of the universe,nature, and humanity itself, but do notknow what You think and what You feel.Since Your existence became plain to me, I havebeen seeking to understand the laws bywhich You manifest through the visibleand invisible planes of Creation.Your light shines deep within me andcontinually lights the way for myconsciousness on the path of Good.Your life gives vitality to my body, and makes itthe temple that my soul has chosen tobring its spiritual evolution to fruition.Your love accounts for my existence, and wakensin me the desire to love all people.May You grant me the will to perfect myself inthought, word, and deed, that I maybecome an agent of Your wisdom inthis world.So Mote It Be!RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 24Living theRosicrucian LifeH. Spencer Lewis, FRCIn this reprint of an article frst published in the Rosicrucian Digest in 1936, H. Spencer Lewis, frst Imperator and founder of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, points the way to liv-ing the Rosicrucian lifethat is, to answer the call of our own destiny, directed only by our Master Within.There is a section in the Rosicrucian ManualdevotedtotheRosicru-cian Code of Living, in which the ancient rules for living the Rosicrucian life are presented.Even when they are strictly followed,fewoutsideofonesimmediate family would note anything distinc-tive about the circumstance, for the rules pertain to private matters and not to demonstrable things. Itiseasytorecognizebytheir distinctiveclothingthosewhobe-longtosomeorganizations:the SalvationArmyworkers,clergypeople andpriestsofsomedenominations,and membersofcertainreligioussects.Rosi-crucians have none of these distinguishing earmarks; in fact, the ancient rules prohib-ited the wearing of distinctive clothing ex-ceptwhenofciallyconductingthework of the Order in public or in private. If we review the teachings of the Order, wefndthatthegreatestgoodthatany Rosicrucian can accomplish for humanity can generally be carried out in silence and secrecyfromoneshome.Inpublic,a Rosicrucian can perform seeming miracles withoutmovingonesfngersorcastinga singleglancenoticeabletoothers.Sofar astheobligationsoftheOrderandthe specifc promises of its various Degrees are concerned,thereisnonethatcallsupon themembertorevealonesidentityorto live in such a manner as to distinguish one either to the casual or careful observer. In fact, everywhere in the work of the Order,theinjunctiontoeachmemberis tostrivetofndonesparticularmission inlifeandtoactaccordingly.Tatdoes not mean that each must fnd some distinctiveoutwardworktodo whichwillmakehimasignpostor asignalofRosicrucianphilosophy. Nor does it mean that in fnding his missioninlifefromaRosicrucian pointofviewhemustabandonor change his present work.A Good ExampleAmanwhowasbuildingasuccess-fulleathergoodsfactoryintheMidwest joined the Order just as business problems and the rapid development of his interests threatenedtotaxhiscapabilities.Itwas more than he knew how to handle, and he was worried. After uniting with the Order, he found himself meeting new conditions with a power and understanding that sur-prisedmany.WhentheCosmicpointed out his real mission in life, he was discon-certed since it was not the making of leath-ergoods.Diditmeantheabandoningof his new and growing business?Notatall.Itmeantonlythat,when he was not busy with his daily occupations inthematerialworld,therewasworkhe Page 25could do in the psychic world. Known to theaveragememberasabusinessperson, he was, nevertheless, a great psychic healer; yet those who met him on the street or in business did not suspect that he was doing other more important work. Howcanwetellwhatisbeingdone by the truly devout members of the frater-nity,whomaywillfullyorunconsciously concealwhattheyaredoing?Bywhat signsandstandardsdowejudgeothers? We may know a member who seems to be in moderate circumstances, attempting to meetherworldlyobligationsasbestshe can but in no way typical of one we con-sideramasterofnaturesprinciples.We may believe that such a person should want for nothing in the material world since she should be able to attract and secure all that she requires.She should have no business worries,forsomemagicshouldsolveall herproblems.Itisnotapparentthatthis persons greatest concern is some secret or private work which she pursues with pow-er and success; yet in the material feld she isstrugglingtoovercomeconditionsthat might destroy another with no knowledge of cosmic laws. Itmaynotbeknownthatadoctor, whoseemstobeonlypartiallysuccess-ful in his practice, is privately conducting certain biological experiments in his labo-ratory and devoting to this work more of his time than to his public practice.Or it may be that a factory employee, who as an initiate, might be considered to be wasting his time in menial work, has for years been working at night on an electrical device as a contribution to future scientifc achieve-ment. Te Rosicrucian knows that fame will betheleastorthelastrewardsheshould have in mind in considering her mission in life. She knows that she must abide by cer-tain decrees that she must yield to certain urges from within.Whatever may be her struggles, weaknesses, and problems in life, certain defnite things must be attended to attheexpenseofworldlysituations.She may choose to accept all or part of the op-portunitiesopenedtoher.Shemustthen expect to reap as she sows. Living the life of a Rosicrucian means followingthelawasitappliestothein-dividual.Whenreligiousinstitutionsat-tempted to lay down a set of rules of con-duct for all, a few adhered to them, even to theextentofmartyrdominsomecases withoutanyrealbenefttothemselves, thechurch,God,orhumankindgener-ally. Te majority wandered away from the rigid rules because they were not adaptable to all. Nosuchstandardoflivingissetfor the Rosicrucian. As rapidly as he becomes familiar with the cosmic laws and his rela-tiontothemasanindividualexpression of the whole, he is capable of determining what his obligation is.By his decision, he determineshisfateinthislifeandothers to come.We can never know how greatly an in-dividualmayhavechangedthecourseof her life.We cannot know the extent of her sufering,struggling,andbattlingagainst odds that we might consider insurmount-able. We can never know what she may be sacrifcing to maintain even a partial con-tact with the Order and its teachings. We cannot know what the Cosmic is directing her to do. Leteachofusmakesurethatweare doing what the Master Within has pointed outforustodo.Leteachliveaccording to our own Light, doing what we feel the divine urge to do even though it be menial orcasualwork,seeminglyunimportant andunrelatedtotheworkoftheOrder. Tenwecanbesureoftrulylivingthe Rosicrucian life.Tere will be no time to notewhetherothersarelivinglifeaswe thinktheyshould.Byourfruitsshallwe bejudgedandtheMasterswilldothe harvesting, not we.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 26RosicrucianCode of LifeSalutem Punctis Trianguli!1)In the morning, before rising, thank the God of your Heart for the new day that you are privileged to live on the earthly plane, and ask the Divine to inspire you through-out the day. Ten, standing facing east, take seven deep breaths as you focus on the vitality that is awakening in you. Afterwards, drink a glass of water and then begin your daily activities.2)Despite the trials and tribulations of life, always consider life the most precious gift theCosmicevergrantedhumanbeings,becauseitisthemediumofourspiritual evolution and the source of the happiness we seek. Furthermore, regard your body as the temple of your soul, and take great care of it. 3)Ifyoucan,reserveaplaceinyourhomededicatedtoprayer,meditation,andthe studyoftheRosicrucianteachings.Makeityourownoratory,yoursanctum,and keep it free from any profane concern or activity.4)Beforeeverymeal,givethankstotheDivineforbeingfortunateenoughtohave something to eat, and think of all those who do not have the privilege of eating their fll. If you are alone or together with other members of the Order, place your hands above your food, palms down, and say mentally or aloud this symbolic invocation: May this food be purifed and magnetized by the vibrations radiating from my hands so to provide for my body and souls need. May all those who are hungry be associated with this meal and be given a spiritual share of its benefts. So Mote It Be!5)You know that the aim of all human beings is to perfect themselves; to become better persons. Terefore, constantly endeavor to awaken and express the virtues of the soul that animates you. In doing so, you will contribute to your evolution and serve the cause of humanity.6)Isolateyourselfforamomenteveryday,preferablyinyourSanctum,andsend thoughtsoflove,harmony,andhealthtowardshumanityasawhole,particularly towards all those who sufer physically or mentally. Also ask the Divine to assist them on all planes and to preserve them as much as possible from the ordeals of life.Page 277)Behave in such a way that all those who share your existence or live in contact with you regard you as an example and feel the desire to be like you. Guided by the voice of your conscience, may your ethics be as pure as possible and may your frst preoc-cupation always be to think well, speak well, and act well.8)Be tolerant and defend the right to be diferent. Never use the faculty of judgment to blame or condemn anyone, for you cannot read the hearts and souls of others. Look at them benevolently and leniently, and see what is best in them.9)Be generous towards those who are in need or less favored than you. Arrange things everydaysothatyoudoatleastonegooddeedforsomeoneelse. Whateveryour good deed, do not boast, but thank the Divine for enabling you to contribute to the well-being of others.10) Be moderate in your behavior and avoid extremes in all things. Be temperate, and follow the middle way in all circumstances.11) If you hold a position of power, do not be overly proud about it and do not become intoxicated by the power you may wield. Never use your position to force others to do anything that they disapprove of or that is unfair, illegal, or immoral. Hold your ofce with humility and make it serve the common good.12) Be attuned to others and speak with care. If you ever criticize, make sure that it is done constructively. If someone asks you for advice on a subject you do not know well, humbly admit your ignorance. Never stoop to telling lies, backbiting, or slan-der.Ifyouhearmaliciousgossipaboutsomeone,donotsupportitbylendinga willing ear.13) Respect the laws of your country and endeavor to be a good citizen. Always remem-ber, the key to human progress lies in the evolution of consciousnesses.14) Be humanistic. Regard all humanity as your family. Beyond race, culture, and belief, allhumanbeingsarebrothersandsisters.Consequently,theyalldeservethesame respect and consideration.15) ConsiderNatureasbeingthemostbeautifulsanctuaryandexpressionofDivine Perfection on earth. Respect life in all its forms, and look upon animals as conscious and sensitive beingsand not as mere living things.16) Beandremainafreethinker.Tinkforyourselfandnotaccordingtowhatother people think. Likewise, let everyone think freely; do not impose your ideas on others and always remember that your ideas are also evolving.17) Respect all religious or philosophical beliefs, as long as they do not strike a blow at human dignity. Do not support fanaticism or fundamentalism, in any shape or form. As you live your faith, make sure that you are neither dogmatic nor sectarian.18) Be faithful to your promises and commitments. When you give your word of honor, consider it to be a sacred pledge that binds you. If you must take an oath, think of the Rose Cross, the symbol of your ethical ideal, while doing so, and remember that any lie you might tell will have karmic consequences for you. Although it is possible to deceive others, no one can escape Divine Justice.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 2819) If you can aford and wish to do so, support the Order materially, so as to promote its activities and contribute to its continuity.20) TepurposeoftheOrderistocontributetotheraisingofconsciousnesses,and thetransmissionofitscenturies-oldteachings.Terefore,makeyourselfavailable to present its ideals and philosophy to those who seek Knowledge, but without ever trying to coerce them.21) Never cause anyone to believe that members of the Order are sages who are in full possession of the Truth. To those who may ask, present yourself as a philosophical person who is seeking Wisdom. Never pretend you are a Rose-Croix, but say you are a perfecting Rosicrucian.22) In the evening before going to sleep, summarize the day that is ending, and see in what ways it has been constructive or otherwise. In your soul and mind, weigh up what you have thought, said, and done throughout the day. From this draw useful lessons for your spiritual evolution and make frm resolutions. When this is done, send positive thoughts to the whole of humanity and entrust your soul to the Divine before going to sleep.So Mote It Be!Page 29A NobleRosicrucian ApologistRalph M. Lewis, FRCRalph Lewis served as Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC from 1939 to 1987. In this article, a reprint from the Rosicrucian Digest October 1956, he extols the courage and convictionsoftwogreatdefendersoftheRosicruciansoftheearly1600sRobertFluddof England and Michael Maier of Germany and explores Francis Bacons connection with the Rosicrucians of that time.Everyone has his or her convic-tions,whethertheyareborn ofbelieforexperience.Such convictions constitute our fount of knowl-edge. Philosophically, the idea of belief as knowledgemaybechallenged.Itcanbe contended that, to have reality, knowledge mustbecapableofbeingconfrmedby senseexperience.Nevertheless,formany persons,wherethereistheabsenceofa conficting reality, a belief stands as a per-sonal conception, a point of knowledge. Suchconvictionsbecomeanintimate partofthepersonalityoftheindividual. Ones intellectual self, if it is well defned, participatesinonesstateofpreservation equallywithonesphysicalwell-being.A strong conviction has the character of real-ity to the mind.It has as much existence as does our body or our family. Opposition to the conviction will, therefore, arouse as much resistance as a corresponding attack upon the person or character. Te sensitiv-ityofthepersonality,theemotionalstate of the individual, determines the degree of retaliationtoanyoppositiontoaconvic-tion just as it does to an ofense against the physicalbeingorcharacter.Convictions, pointsofknowledge,whichhavebecome intimately associated with the moral or re-ligious ideals of an individual are defended more fervently than others. Tey are root-eddeeplyinonespsychicandemotional nature. Robert Fludd was a man of moral con-victionsthatwerenotamereinheritance ofideas.Teyaresetinanintellectual framework,theconsequenceofpersonal long study, experience, and meditation. As aconsequence,achallengeofhisconvic-tionscalledforthsuchadefensiveaction in words and deeds as to require great for-titude.Itisonethingtoutteraloudour beliefs in tolerant surroundings; it is quite anothertospeakoftheminahostileera and before an antagonistic mentality and the latter is what Fludd did, not once but many times. In the beautiful rolling countryside of Kent,England,nearthepicturesquevil-lageofBearsted,aretheremainsofMil-gate House, the manorial home of Robert Fludd.Te original structure, of which a portion now remains, and to which addi-tionshavesubsequentlybeenbuilt,was erectedbySirTomasFludd.Hewas Treasurer of War to the celebrated Queen Elizabeth I. It was there that Robert Fludd was born in 1574. Te setting is one of in-spiration today. One sees patches of wood-edland,interspersedwithsmallacreages of hops bisected by pleasant streams along which little focks of sheep graze. One feels quite isolated from the political and social RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 30turmoil of the times. Tis tranquility must have touched the consciousness and spirit of Fludd at an early age. Near the house of hisbirtharetherosefarmandothergar-dens where he cultivated the plants used in his pharmaceutical and alchemical experi-ments.At a time when higher education was, toanextent,aluxury,youngRobertwas fortunate to have a parent whose economic status permitted him to attend college. He matriculatedatSt.JohnsOxfordonNo-vember10,1592,andtookhisM.A.de-gree in 1598.After attaining his Masters degree, he spent the next six years in study and travel on the Continent. Tis practice of travel and study in foreign lands among cultured Europeans, then and in more re-centtimes,whenconditionspermit,was considered a requisite for education. Fludds study on the Continent was by no means confned to the furtherance of his knowledge of medicine. His pursuits were diversifedandinfuencedbyhisinterest innaturalphilosophy.Hisfascinationby the sciences and his conscientious observa-tions and analysis are refected in his liter-ary works and the methodical illustrations of their texts. He maintained a laboratory duringhissojournontheContinent,in which he constructed various and strange mechanicaldevices,oneofwhichwasa self-playinglyre.Manyofthesedevices, itisreported,hadausefulvalue.Infact, somewriterscreditFluddwithbeingthe original inventor of the barometer.Era of IntellectualsItwouldappearthatFluddspharma-ceutical studies led him to the threshold of alchemy and he crossedover. Alchemy beingcontiguoustoandalliedwithHer-meticismandOccultPhilosophy,Fludd soonfoundinterestintheRosicrucian philosophy.Hepursueddiligentlythe teachingsanddoctrinesofParacelsus, whichmuchofhisownlaterideaspar-alleled.Terearemanycircumstances which would indicate that Fludd made the acquaintance,whileontheContinent,of the celebrated German Rosicrucian Grand MasterandHermeticphilosopher,Mi-chael Maier. Tough Maier was but in his thirties,hewasthenknownforhiswrit-ingsonHermeticismandtheKabbalah. Page 31In Maier, Fludd must have found a virtual treasurebecauseoftheformersquestfor magic, the secret lore and order behind the phenomenaofnature.InyoungFludd, Maier found a keen intellect, an uninhib-itedimagination,andadevoutlovefor esoteric wisdom.Fludd returned to Eng-landandwasadmittedtothepracticeof medicinein1606.In1609hebecamea member of the College of Physicians.TeversatilityofFluddstalentswas being expressed in other channels than that of medicine.He became, aswell,aphilosopher, ananatomist,physicist, chemist,mathematician, and engineer. His literary works were numerous and brilliant,thoughoften ponderous.Someofthe principal ones are: Apolo-gia Compendiaria pro Fra-ternitatem de Rosae Crucis (Leyden1616);Tractatus ApologeticusIntegritatem SocietatisdeRosaeCruce Defendens (Leyden 1617); Mosaical Philosophy, Trac-tatusTeologo-philosophi-cus, etc. (1617); a treatise in three parts, dedicated to the Rosicrucian fraternity,andSummumBonum(Frank-fort, 1629). In addition, he wrote numer-oustractsonKabbalisticTeosophyand Rosicruciandoctrines,aswellasonfaith healing.GrandMasterMichaelMaiervisited Englandsometimebetween1614and 1620theexactdateisindispute.Tis followed closely the issuance of the famous FamaandthelaterConfessio,theformer beingthefrstpublicannouncementof the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross. Tese pamphlets became the focal point of con-siderablecontroversy.Terewerethose who,afterreadingthem,immediately becamehostiletotheRosicrucianmove-ment. Te liberal views, as set forth in the FamaandintheConfessio,antagonized theRomanCatholicHierarchywhich thoughtitsawinthemanalliancewith theLutherans.Terewerealsothoseof the vast multitude who were fascinated by theproclaimedaimsoftheRosicrucians, having never heard of the secret movement previously.Terewere,too,thoseindi-vidualswhosoughttoexploitthepublic interestarousedbythepamphletsinthe Rosy Cross Brotherhood by avowing their membership in it.WhileinEngland, Maier renewed his associ-ation with Robert Fludd. Historianswithinthe RosicrucianOrder,and most of those others who had chosen to write its his-toryasaliteraryachieve-ment,declarethatMaier theninitiatedFluddinto its higher degrees.It was in1618thatMaierpub-lished his Temis Aurea in Latin,whichcontained the laws of the Fraternity oftheRosyCross.Tese were perhaps imparted to Fluddorfollowedasaresultoftheirpri-vate conclaves. Subsequently, at least, Rob-ert Fludd became a Magus of the Order in England. He fearlessly let his identity with the Order be known. He even expounded thegeneralobjectivesoftheOrder,asits proselytizer, to his colleagues in the medi-calprofessioninLondonwhereheprac-ticed. He had their respect because he was called eminent in his medical capacity.It must not be inferred from the fore-going that Robert Fludd was the frst per-son of the Rosicrucian Order to bring it to the attention of his country people.Tere is evidence that the Rosicrucian Order was known in England before the Fama was is-sued in its original version in about 1614. Robert Fludd.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 32Te Order was also known some eleven or twelve years before Michael Maier initiat-ed Fludd into the higher degrees as a Ma-gus on the occasion of his visit to England. Oneaccountrelatesthat,onJanuary 6, 1604, the Queen held a masque ball at Whitehall.InigoJones,celebratedarchi-tect, was commissioned to design the cos-tumes for the gentlemen. Over one of the sketchesInigoJones submitted,hehad inscribedthewords, ARosicross.Tus evidentlytheRosi-cruciansweresuf-cientlywellknown sothatacharacter designatedARosi-crosswouldhave signifcance.AsF. deP.Castells,well-knownhistorianof arcaneorders,has written,iftheball occurredonJanu-ary6,1604,most certainly Inigo Jones would have prepared thesketchesatleastafewweeksbefore for the consideration of Her Majesty. Tis beingso,itconstitutedevidencethatthe RosicrucianswereknowninEnglandas early as 1603. BenJonson,playwright,whosemost notedworkisTeAlchemist,wasactively associatedinmanyenterpriseswithInigo Jones. It is he, we are informed, who often interpretedcertainallegoricalreferences for the crown.Jonson said, in efect, that A Rosicross might be called a mere fool because he represents a man who foolishly laborsundertheopinionthatmerelyde-claringhimselfaRosicrucianwouldthus make him a member of the secret brother-hood.Jonsonthenaddsthatsuchaper-sonfoolishlybelievesthathehasvowed himselfintotheairy(lofty)Order.Jon-son concludes that anyone who so merely vowed himself deserves to be called a mere fool.Te costume, then, was not in deri-sion of the Order but to signify a fool, one who thought himself A Rosicross by the mere wearing of a costume and so declar-ing himself.All of this discussion, we re-peat, does establish the fact of knowledge of the Order before either the issuance of the Fama or Fludds initiation by Maier in or about 1615. Toughhistori-ans,notwithinthe circleoftheRosicru-cianorMasonicOr-ders, consider Francis Baconsconnection withtheBrethren oftheRosyCrossa controversialsubject, thoseoftheabove Orders,inthemain, are convinced of such relation.Francis Ba-con,LordVerulam, wasactuallyassoci-atedwithprominent Rosicruciansofthe period and was followed by those who met asaninvisiblecollege.BaconsNewAt-lantis, published in 1627, has a number of pointsofstrikingsimilaritytotheobjec-tivessetforthintheFama.Especiallyis this so of the House of Solomon (sages home) where learned people were to gather and devote their lives to the acquisition of knowledge.Further,therequirementsof these sages of the New Atlantis parallel the moral obligations exacted from the Breth-renoftheRosyCross.Cryptographers, interpretingthehiddencodeinBacons writings,havebroughtforthmuchthat canonlybeconstruedinthelightofhis afliation with the Rosy Cross. Tough, in Rosicrucian circles, Bacon is recognized as having been the Imperator of the Order for England, Robert Fludd is Michael Maier.Page 33accepted as the Magus or Grand Master of England.Bacons prominence at court and the strong political enemies which he had, necessitatedtheconcealmentofhiscon-nections with the Order at the time.Tere must have been the greatest collaboration between Robert Fludd and Francis Bacon.Baconwasageniusofthetimeand thoughFluddwasalsoanexceedingly learnedman,wecan,withoutdetracting from his eminence, assume that he echoed, in his writings, some of the conceptions of Bacon. In Defense of TruthTeattacksontheFamabypromi-nentJesuitsandotherswhosoughtto deridetheRosicrucianOrder,termingit anewlyorganizedLutheranbodyandan anti-Christiansecretsociety,evokedthe forceofFluddsconvictions.Hebecame EnglandsforemostRosicrucianapologist. Tisisaclassicaltermdenotingonewho argues in defense of a principle or cause.It isthoughtthatFluddwrotehisApologia, published in 1616, after Maier paid a visit to England and conferred the higher Rosi-crucian degrees upon him. Te courage of Fludd should be an incentive for Rosicru-cians today, for the Order is still the victim of vilifcation by religious bigots.FluddstaunchlydefendedtheBreth-ren of the Rosy Cross in his Tractatus Apol-ogeticus, published in 1617.In 1629, his SummumBonumandSophicecumMoria Certamen appeared.In 1633 Fludd writes: Oftheformerso-calledRosicrucians, whoarenowknownasSapientes,Sophi, or Wise Men, that they under the type of an architect erect their House of Wisdom. In much of Fludds writing he used archi-tecturaltermsassymbolicexpressions. Infact,incertainMasonicrecordsofthe period there are charges, that is, orations, signedFludd.Teseusethesametype of architectural phraseology as a symbolic language.Te teachings of Fludd, as mentioned previously,weregreatlyinfuencedbyhis studyofParacelsus.Telattersviewsare extendedbyhisownscientifcresearches. Fludds cosmology and theology are prin-cipallythoseofthecontinentalRosicru-cian. Tere is much reference to the word magicinhiswritings.Itmustbeunder-stood that the word magic at this time had reference to the applications of many kinds of phenomena. Fludd classifed magic un-der various headings, three of the principal ones being: 1.Natural magic ...that most occult and secret department of physics by which the mystical properties of natural sub-stances are extracted; 2.Mathematical magic, by which adepts areabletoconstructmarvelousma-chinesbymeansoftheirgeometrical knowledge; 3.Divinemagic,thisbeingmorallaws and theological precepts. Fludd expounds that the universe pro-ceedsfromtheDivineandwillreturnto theDivine.Creation,hedeclares,isthe separationoftheactiveprinciple(light) Francis Bacon.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 34fromthepassive(darkness)inthebosom of the Divine Unity (God). Te universe to him consists of three worlds: the arche-typal(God),themacrocosm(theworld), and the microcosm (humans). All parts of each world correspond to each other; that is,thereisaharmoniousparallelismbe-tweenthem.Fluddholdsthatthingsare notjusttheresultofnecessitybutdeter-minism, the will of God. In his work, Mo-saical Philosophy, Chapter VII, he states: For frst of all what (I beseech you) is ofgreaterantiquitythanGod,being that he was before anything?What is ingeometrybeforeorinmeasureless than a point? Or which among all the numbers of arithmetic is of so ancient a standing as is the unity? Wherefore it must needs follow, that God is free and voluntary in his actions, being that he wasofhimself,anddidexistwithout any respect had unto any other...RobertFludd,then,astheRosicru-cians have ever done, denounced the super-stitions which, in the mind of the masses, had been associated with the Brotherhood. He inveighed against venefc, necrominic, goetic, malefc, and theurgic magic.Tis putasideallattemptsatcommunication with the dead, spiritism, and what is today alsotermedblackmagic.Tewritingsof thatlaterRosicrucian,JohannesKelpius, who in 1694 frst brought the Rosicrucian teachingsinanorganicformtoAmerica, refect much of the works of Robert Fludd. FluddspantheistictheoriestheDi-vine in all things were challenged by the astronomerKepler.Teirargumentscon-stituteoneoftheliteraryachievements oftheday.InreplytoKeplersApologia, Fludd says in part (1622): Finally,Pythagoras,andalltheother philosophers who were endowed with sometouchoftheDivine,recog-nized that God is one and indivisible. Wherefore, we can argue syllogistically as follows: a.Tat which was a whole before anydivisionisnotapartof something; b.Now,thesoulwasawholebe-fore any division; c.Terefore, it cannot be a part of nature.On his death (1637) Fludd was buried inHolyCrossChurch,Bearsted.Tisis but a few miles from Milgate House where he was born. A monument to him is now in the choir vestry under the tower of that centuries-old edifce. It bears an inscription extolling his virtues.Te memorial monu-ment is a copy of Camdens monument in Westminster Abbey. Tere is a brass plate inthefaggingofthechurch,indicating where Fludds body is interred. Tose Ros-icrucianswhogazeuponthemonument are fortifed in their convictions, and their courage is renewed to defend anywhere at any time the Orders noble purpose.Page 35Paris Poster - 1623In1623,nineyearsafterthefrstRosicrucianmanifestowasanonymously publishedin Germany, the walls of Paris were plastered with the mysterious poster below,by the unknown brothers and sistersof the Rose Cross.We, the Deputies of the Higher College ofthe Rose-Croix, do make our stay, visiblyand invisibly, in this city, by the grace ofthe Most High, to Whom turn the heartsof the Just. We demonstrate and instruct,without books and distinctions, theability to speak all manners of tongues ofthe countries where we choose to be, inorder to draw our fellow creatures fromerror of death.He who takes it upon himself to see us merelyout of curiosity will never make contactwith us. But if his inclination seriouslyimpels him to register in our fellowship,we, who are judges of intentions, will causehim to see the truth of our promises; to theextent that we shall not make known theplace of our meeting in this city, since thethoughts attached to the real desire of theseeker will lead us to him and him to us.RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 36Page 37RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 38Page 39RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 40RosicrucianSecret SymbolPeter Bindon, FRCPeterBindonisaprofessionalanthropologistandbotanist.HehasservedontheEditorial BoardoftheRose+CroixJournal(www.rosecroixjournal.org)formanyyearsandisa frequent contributor to the Rosicrucian Digest. He recently retired as Grand Master of the EnglishGrandLodgeforAustralia,Asia,andNewZealandaftermanyyearsofservicein that position. In this article, he explains some of the symbolism of this image from the Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians.TotheearlyEgyptians,twopillars together were symbolic of the portals ofeternityorthegatewayoflife. Theywerealsoconsideredtostandatthe entrance to heaven, but unlike the pillars of thealchemists,thoseoftheEgyptianswere related to the directions of the north and the south.AstheSunmanifesteditspresence inthesouthernpartofthesky,itisafairly obvioususeofsymbolismtohavethat portion of the heavens representative of light. North, the opposite direction, thus becomes identified with darkness. Althoughthealchemistsalsoviewed thepillarsasrepresentingtheportals orgatesofanentrancetoahigherstate (perhaps infuenced by Egyptian thought), theirinterpretationwasinspiredbya moredirectrelationshipbetweeneach pillar and the movement of the Sun across theheavens.Livinginhigheraltitudes ofthenorthernhemisphere,European alchemistsseemtohavebeeninfuenced morebythedailyprogressionoftheSun from east to west across the sky than by the generaldirectioninwhichthesolardisk waslocated.Terisingandsettingofthe Sunintheeastandwestrespectivelyled totheassociationofthecomingoflight withtheeast,theoppositedirectionwest becoming identifed with the loss of light. Tus, we often see a light colored pillar on the side of a diagram representing the east and a dark colored pillar on the opposing western side. In the Latin inscriptions in the corners and along the edges of the illustration, the four cardinal directions, north, south, east, andwestarepairedupwiththeseasons: winter,summer,spring,andautumn respectively. Tese form a boundary to the illustrationsuggestingtotheviewerthat thefeldofendeavorisboundedbythe fourseasonswhosepassagethroughthe year is marked by the winds typical of those seasons (found in the corner inscriptions). By placing the feld of endeavor within the annualcycle,theauthorisencouraging thestudenttostudycontinuously andnotjustinoneoranotherseason. Inotherwords,continuousprogress requirescontinuousstudy.Noonecould challenge this wise counsel when the goal isself-improvement.Tissentimentis emphasizedbytheinscriptionaround the doorway. It encourages the student to workdiligentlyatthetaskofcombining the four elements, producing and refning theso-calledPhilosophersStone,itself symbolic of the link that an individual can attain with the Cosmic. Toenterhisplaceofstudy,our studenthasascendedthestepsof wisdomleadingtotheportalfankedby Page 41Ibidem 14. V. 6. A scorner seeketh wisdom and fndeth it not; but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth. Hand colored by H. Spencer Lewis. RosicrucianDigestNo. 22013Page 42thetwopillars,notingthatthesethree stepsrepresentthreeoftheconditions necessaryforadvancement.Tefrststep for Rosicrucians is to develop and cultivate arespectfortheGodofyourheart.Te second step is to Know yourself or learn to be true to your self and not indulge in self-delusion. Tirdly, one should learn to love their neighbors or have compassion for thesuferingofothers.Rosicrucianismis not alone in encouraging the development ofthesecharacteristics.Teyare encouragedbymanyotherorganizations and religions, simply because anyone with those characteristics is considered a worthy citizen of their society. As it is difcult to live in the world today without belonging to one or another social group, the student withthesetraitsishappilyparticipating intheirchosensocietyandisthusnot distracted from the task of developing the other characteristics of a modern mystic. Having ascended the stairs, our student haspassedbetweenthetwopillarsthat supportthearchedroofofhissanctum. Te symbology of the pillars is to mark his admissiontoastateofknowledgerather thanformingtheentrancetoaphysical place.Teseatedstudentorphilosopher nextpondersthebalancethatmustbe struckbetweenthepairsofoppositesif successistobeattainedintheworkthat liesahead.Achemicalbalanceswinging inequilibriuminitscabinetonhistable confrmsthisinterpretationofhistask. Lyingbeforehimonthetable,weseea sun and moon, ancient symbol of the two humangendersaswellaspotentsymbols of the Godhead and Creation. Tetrianglesrepresentingthefour elementsoffre,earth,air,andwater surround the scene. Te student will work withtheseprimalelementsincreating hisorherphilosophersstone.Te upwardpointingtriangleisasymbolof the masculine and the element of fre; the triangle with its point aligned downwards issymbolicofthefeminineandthe element water; the barred triangle pointing upwards is the symbol for air, and earth is represented by the barred triangle pointing down. At the top of the pillars, we see a man andwomanreachingtowardseachother. Could this be symbolic of a mutual quest towards assimilating certain characteristics eachoftheother?Terearemanyways tointerprettheappearanceofthesetwo fgures other than in their usual alchemical guise.Wecanseethemasrepresentative oftheGreatWorkbeingundertakenby people of both genders. Tis is certainly the case in AMORC where participation in the studies and other elements of membership placesnodistinctiononanindividuals gender.Tereisafurtherinterpretation possiblerememberingthatthestudent intheillustrationisstrivingforbalance in his studies and in his life. It is obvious thateachindividualenfoldsaspectsof lifeattributedtotheoppositegender. Forexample,thewarlikeandaggressive attributesofthemasculinenatureoften outweigh the caring and nurturing aspects ofpersonalityinmen.Regardlessofhow thisimbalancemayhavedevelopedin pastgenerations,itisdesirabletobring the two into a more equitable balance for thesakeofbetteringonesownspiritual advancement.Tisaspectofbalancein