ROSICRUCIANISM — by Alexandre David
Jan 18th, 2010 by admin
The most complete history of the Rosicrucian Fellowship has been published in Dutch by Ger W, who first wrote the narrative (in English) in the 1960s and then more recently augmented this study with official documents and photos. [Editor’s note: See the third and fourth chapters recently added to the serialized book under the BOOKS tab.]
Heindel Drawing
The European origins of exoteric Rosicrucianism are treated by, among others, Frances Yates in her book The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. A sequel to this is a compilation of essays published by Lindisfarne Books entitled The Rosicrucian Enlightenment Revisited, again focusing on the European theater, especially during the 17th century, following upon and stimulated by the appearance of several curious documents, including The Fama Fraternitatis and the Confessio Fraternitatis.
The American follow-up on this impulse can easily be studied through a web search. I believe that the trees shall be judged by their fruits, so if any of these organizations serves a good purpose, there is no problem in them operating even if they should wrongly use the term Rose Cross.
Despite the foregoing, little is known of the true Rosicrucian teachings, according to Max Heindel. In his principal work on the subject (The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception) he stated that his offering was (1909) “one of the first few fragments of the Rosicrucian knowledge being publicly given out,” and that “All that has been printed as such [purporting to be authentic ‘Rosicrucian knowledge’], previous to the last few years, has been the work of either charlatans or traitors.”
Furthermore, Heindel clearly stated on several occasions that the Rosicrucian Fellowship has no connection with any other society that is engaged in the dissemination of esoteric teachings, even though they call themselves Rosicrucian.
In an auxiliary book, The Rosicrucian Mysteries, Heindel writes that “The teachings herein set forth are those handed down by the Great Western Mystery School of the Rosicrucian Order and are the result of the concurrent testimony of a long line of trained Seers given to the author and supplemented by his own independent investigation.”
“Independent investigation” is a key phrase in the foregoing quote because it indicates the possession of a faculty that can voluntarily access the higher worlds of spirit, which is the source of all that we know here on the physical plane of existence. The Rosicrucian Fellowship was founded to meet the needs of those persons whose intellect demands a reasonable answer to life’s mysteries and it provides the means for attaining these answers–first, through studying esoteric truths and, second, by living the requisite life, thereby developing the capacity to personally enter the supersensible realms to confirm and expand upon what one knows through inquiry and experience in the world through the physical senses.
The first and cardinal precept of the Rosicrucian Fellowship student is that Christ Jesus shall be his ideal. This precept ideally and practically informs his conduct and orders his thinking. The student desires to make and see himself and the world whole in every respect, whole as in health (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual) and holy. One best realizes this goal by being of service to the four life waves manifested in the physical world (minerals, plants, animals, humans) and to the vastly larger realm of beings operating solely from the higher invisible worlds.
Fellowship students typically are not content with knowledge per se but are impelled to function in and desire to improve their souls and minds through hands-on, day-to-day experience, which is the indispensable crucible and forge of spiritual development. A guiding injunction for the Fellowship Student is: Live the life and you shall know the doctrine. Knowledge informs doing, but doing also generates knowledge.
The Rosicrucian Fellowship webpage has a wealth of material that will enlighten you on the substance of its Teachings. Other than the Cosmo and the Rosicrucian Mysteries, you may find the pamphlets particularly informative. [Pamphlets link: http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/pamentoc.htm]