Читать книгу The Secret Source - Maja D'Aoust - Страница 19

Several New Thought authors considered themselves to be Rosicrucians. Most people have a hazy idea that Rosicrucians inhabit secret conspiracy-type organizations, but few realize Rosicrucianism’s Hermetic basis, which evolved in Europe in the seventeenth century. Myriad fraternities have formed throughout time (and many still exist today) that have studied and practiced the Hermetic arts. These groups tend to be secretive, often to avoid persecution from larger religious organizations such as the Catholic Church, but occasionally they expand, sharing their information with a wider audience. The Rosicrucians are one group that shared much of its information with the public. Also known as “The Brethren of the Rose Cross,” Rosicrucians are traditionally Christian organizations, but to be certain, they are Christian Hermeticists.

In his Apology, Fludd described the Rosy Cross Brothers as true Christians and the spiritual descendants of Hermes Trismegistus. He declared himself a disciple without being a member, and he thought it possible that there was no formal Rosicrucian organization; a community of minds sharing the same spiritual and philosophic goals was quite enough to constitute a movement, in his opinion. “I affirm that every Theologus of the Church Mystical is a real Brother of the Rosy Cross.”³³

The history of Christian Hermeticists goes back to the dawn of Christianity itself, and there have been schools of thought that combine these two philosophies. The Rosicrucians claim their origins date back to the time of Christ, but there is no written evidence of their existence until the early 1600s in Germany. At that time, three Rosicrucian manifestos were anonymously published one year after the other: Fama Fraternitatis (1614), Confessio Fraternitatis (1615), and the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (1616). This last work is entirely alchemical and Hermetic in its contents, basing its contents on the Emerald Tablet. Contained within the pages of these books, particularly Fama, is the story of an initiate who undergoes a spiritual revolution. The name of the initiate is given as Christian Rosenkreutz (also known as C.R.C.). There is no small amount of mystery concerning the origins and identity of C.R.C., and many say the entire story is simply to be taken allegorically. However, Rosenkreutz is commonly credited with being the founder of the original Rosicrucian Order. During his lifetime, the Order was said to consist of no more than eight members, all of whom dissipated after his death. The Order picked up again much later, upon the discovery of his tomb:

In the morning following, we opened the door, and there appeared to our sight a vault of seven sides and corners, every side five foot broad, and the height of eight foot. Although the sun never shined in this vault, nevertheless it was enlightened with another sun, which had learned this from the sun, and was situated in the upper part in the center of the ceiling. In the midst, instead of a tombstone, was a round altar covered over with a plate of brass, and thereon this engraven: “This is all clear and bright, as also the seven sides and the two Heptagoni: so we kneeled altogether down and gave thanks to the sole wise, sole mighty and sole eternal God, who hath taught us more than all men’s wits could have found out, praised be his holy name. This vault we parted in three parts, the upper part or ceiling, the wall or side, the ground or floor. Of the upper part you shall understand no more of it at this time, but that it was divided according to the seven sides in the triangle, which was in the bright center; but what therein is contained, you shall God willing (that are desirous of our society) behold the same with your own eyes; but every side or wall is parted into ten figures, every one with their several figures and sentences, as they are truly shown and set forth concentratum here in our book.”

—from Fama Fraternitatis

Rumors had it that the Emerald Tablet itself was amongst these texts in the tomb. It is theoretically possible that somehow C.R.C. could have come across it, or that the book copied someone else’s interpretation of the Emerald Tablet. It was also speculated that some of the texts belonged to other Alchemists such as John Dee:

Inside the tomb there were said to have been alchemical books with a quasi-political overtone, definitely favoring the court of Frederick V, the Elector Palatine. All this was disseminated as gospel in a kind of alchemical Protestant revival. Curiously, these texts, The Fama and The Confessio, had many doctrinal similarities to Dee’s Hieroglyphic Monad, so that it appears that Dee’s earlier work was used as the model for the Rosicrucian broadsheets by their authors.³⁴

It is most likely that Rosenkreutz came upon Hermetic writings as a young boy living at a monastery. According to legend, Rosenkreutz was rescued by a monk from a fire that burned his family’s castle. The monk happened to be an Albigensian adept from Languedoc, and a specialist in Hermeticism. Rosenkreutz was brought up and educated in the monastery, and, with four other monks in the community, he formed a fraternal group determined to devote themselves to the search for truth.³⁵ Later in his life, C.R.C. traveled to Arabia where he apparently studied with some Arabic alchemists, learning their deepest secrets.

From the Arabians C.R.C. also learned of the elemental peoples and how, with their aid, it was possible to gain admission to the ethereal world where dwelt the genii and Nature spirits. C.R.C. thus discovered that the magical creatures of the Arabian Nights Entertainment actually existed, though invisible to the ordinary mortal. C.R.C. became an adept n the gathering of medicinal herbs, the transmutation of metals, and the manufacture of precious gems by artificial means. Even the secret of the Elixir of Life and the Universal Panacea were communicated to him. Enriched thus beyond the dreams of Croesus, the Holy Master returned to Europe and there established a House of Wisdom which he called Domus Sancti Spiritus. This house he enveloped in clouds, it is said, so that men could not discover it. What are these “clouds,” however, but the rituals and symbols under which is concealed the Great Arcanum?³⁶

The publications of these three works caused a huge stir in Europe. Alchemy was both popular and taboo during this time period, so people were looking for any information they could get their hands on. The third and last book in the Rosicrucian trilogy, The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, was infused with the srongest type of alchemical material which focused more on the soul’s evolution than the production of gold:

[It was] replete with rich allegorical details, as well as cosmological, alchemical, astrological, magical and chivalric symbols. As the allegory began, Rosenkreutz was preparing for the celebration. All manner of trials, ordeals, and strange initiation rites were put before him, but he triumphed over them in what can be seen as a spiritual progression . . . . He was invested with the chivalric Order of the Golden Stone, an apparent reference to the legendary philosophers’ stone, by means of which base substances could be turned into gold and silver. As in the earlier tracts, the author went to great lengths to indicate that the goal of Rosenkreutz, as well as all the others who received the Golden Stone, was a transmutation of the spirit and not the crasser sort of alchemy.³⁷

Much like Christianity, Rosicrucianism has had many different groups who all have their own interpretations of the material. The differences between these organizations can be as pronounced as, say, the Catholic and the Episcopal churches. Some of these groups disseminate the information on a large scale, while others remain secretive and exclusive.

Ancient Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC): This group is probably the most widely known, as they do the most advertising and invite all members of the public to join (who are over eighteen). AMORC touts itself as a worldwide mystical, philosophical, educational, humanitarian and fraternal organization devoted to the investigation, study and practical application of natural and spiritual laws.

Harvey Spencer Lewis (1883–1939) founded the organization in 1915 in America, bringing over the Rosicrucian philosophies he had learned while studying in Europe. He set up a Rosicrucian and Egyptian museum (still extant in San Jose, California). Lewis was an illustrator and worked in advertising, so it is no wonder that this particular group was so prolific in this area. Lewis was an extremely productive author and his books are generally available to this day.

AMORC has a special connection to the New Thought movement through William Walker Atkinson. There has been much controversy regarding the sources of some of Lewis’ material; some claim he plagiarized it from Atkinson. Under the pen name Magus Incogniti, Atkinson wrote The Secret Doctrine of the Rosiscrucians. Then Lewis slapped Atkinson with a lawsuit for revealing the secrets of the Order³⁸ (though Lewis certainly revealed just as much information in his own works.) The Order that Lewis was referring to was the Rosicrucians, not AMORC. Atkinson had spent his entire life practicing law before his New Thought endeavors. Lewis did not win his lawsuit.

The Rosicrucian Fellowship: In 1909, a few years before AMORC came on the scene (and having no affiliation with it), a Rosicrucian brotherhood was founded in Oceanside California by Max Heindel. The Rosicrucian Fellowship conducted Spiritual Healing-Services and offered correspondence courses in Esoteric Christianity, Philosophy, Spiritual Astrology, and Bible Interpretation. In the fall of 1907, Heindel traveled to Germany, where he attended several lectures given by Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Anthroposophy movement (similar to Theosophy in intent, but with variants due to the personalities of Steiner and Blavatsky). Steiner was an avid student of Rosicrucianism, and even published his own version of The Chymical Wedding.³⁹ Shortly after attending these lectures, Heindel claims he received his Rosicrucian initiation via an apparition who came to him in a vision. Heindel states in his writings that this entity identified himself as an Elder Brother of the Rosicrucian Order from 1313, and conferred upon him the most intricate secrets of the Order at this time. Additionally, according to Heindel, the Elder Brother gave him directions to an exclusive Rosicrucian temple located on the German border, which he traveled to, studying there with other Elder Brothers of the Rose Cross. The Rosicrucian Fellowship has no affiliation with any other Rosicrucian groups and no ties to any of the fraternities in Europe. After this time, Heindel wrote immense amounts of information on the Rosicrucian cosmology and many books on astrology, most of which are still in print today.

Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA): This was one of the most infamous of the Rosicrucian groups of its time, due to some of its celebrity participants. These include John Yarker, P.B. Randolph, E. Bulwer-Lytton, Dr. Wynn Westcott, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, Eliphas Levi, Theodor Reuss, Kenneth Mackenzie, Paul Foster Case and Frederick Hockley. The SRIA was founded in 1860 by R.W. Little, an active freemason. Most of the members of this society were both freemasons and Rosicrucians. Little is said to have been introduced to the material when he came across some Rosicrucian documents from the much more ancient “August Order,” but these were never seen by anyone verifiable. The SRIA spread abroad after infiltrating Canada and the United States. The Scottish Rite Freemason Albert Pike was chartered to head a branch of the organization in the U.S. around 1879, which eventually transformed into the Societas Rosicruciana in America. Today, the S.R. in America have no ties to the original lodges in Europe, reportedly due to the fact that they admit women into their ranks. The original SRIA got into all kinds of trouble on account of sexual issues, and several of its members were tried in court for Sex Magic rituals.⁴⁰ The teachings of the Rosicrucians, and the Hermetics for that matter, did include quite a bit of sexual material.

Hargrave Jennings, a founder of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, “hinted as strongly as he could that these rites and mysteries were of a fundamentally sexual nature, though to make his point in Victorian England he was obliged to resort to some involved and often poetically purple prose. Dancing around the theme of Tantric sex as the basis of the Rosicrucian philosophy, Jennings was almost specific when he pointed out that . . . the Masonic seal of Solomon symbolizes the intertwined triangles of male and female, which in conjunction represent life . . .”

—Peter Tompkins, The Magic of Obelisks

Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis (FRC) was founded in 1912 by Reuben Swinburne Clymer. Clymer was a student of the eminent mulatto occultist Pascal Beverly Randolph, and he claimed that Randolph had originally founded the Order in secret in 1856. Randolph was initiated into the SRIA in 1868, and was also a member of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. For one of Randolph’s ethnicity to rise to the ranks he achieved, at his time, was nothing short of astonishing. A good amount of time and effort in Clymer’s Rosicrucian career was spent battling with H.S. Lewis of AMORC, who devoted much of his writings to countering and disproving anything and everything Lewis had to say. This created a rivalry between the groups, and is why, if members of AMORC are asked what they think of Clymer of Randolph’s writing, they will usually respond negatively.

It is entirely possible to attract, direct and redeem by the thoughts we hold in the mind, those who are inclined to follow destructive tendencies. Our thoughts become magnets, continually attracting to us those things and people toward which our thoughts are turned, thus the nature and quality of Man’s thoughts become the ruling power in his life.⁴¹

Societas Rosicruciana Civitatibus Foederatis: This organization was founded in Pennsylvania in 1879, and the only ones welcome to join were “Master Masons.” It received many members from defunct lodges of the SRIA.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: This was an offshoot of the original SRIA, and all of its founders were members of this organization. It was started in 1888 by S.L. MacGregor Mathers, William Robert Woodman and Wynn Westcott. This society probably had the most influence on the occult world as it exists today. The writings of some of its members are widely circulated and looked upon as bibles by occultists the world over. Individuals such as Aleister Crowely, Paul Foster Case, William Butler Yeats, Bram Stoker, Israel Regardie and Dion Fortune represent some of the magi who came out of this organization.

Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) was originally founded by Carl Kellner, Heinrich Klein and Franz Hartmann in 1895. Franz Hartmann’s works were particularly popular, and continue to influence students of occult history today. The Order defined itself as Rosicrucian and belonging to the original Knights Templar. The Rosicrucian influence was reinforced when Theodore Reuss became its chief, as Reuss had been a member of the Societas Rosicruciana. Under Reuss’ leadership, the organization grew throughout Europe and into the U.S. After Reuss stepped down, he appointed Aleister Crowley to lead the organization.

Collegium Pansophicum: This organization was founded by Heinrich Tranker in 1923 after he left the OTO, upset that Crowley and not himself had been asked to take over. Tranker said that his group was the only one to teach the “true” Rosicrucian secrets, but he worked closely with H.S. Lewis of AMORC in several endeavors.

Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose Croix (the Kabbalistic order of the Rosy Cross): This group began in Paris in 1888, headed by Count Stanislas de Guaita. Like the Societas Rosicruciana, this group attracted many famous participants and had some crossover with the SRIA, including Eliphas Levi and E. Bulwer-Lytton. H.S. Lewis was also rumored to have been a member of this group at one time. This fraternity worked with another esoteric group in Paris headed by Papus called The Martinist Order.

The Rosicrucians provided a template (and much written material) for the New Thought writers, who further extrapolated and developed the concepts formed by the unification of the Christian and Hermetic philosophies. But how was it that the Rosicrucians came upon this information to begin with? What exactly are the Hermetic teachings and where do they come from?