A Short History of Rosicrucians

by Magenta Griffith

Rosicrucian refers to both the groups and the members of any of several lodge organizations, some secret, which trace their lineage back to an order said to have been founded in fifteenth-century Germany. They hold a doctrine “built on esoteric truths of the ancient past,” which, “concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm.” Rosicrucianism is usually symbolized by the Rose Cross, a many-petaled rose superimposed on a cross, often equal-armed. The cross is supposed to symbolically represent the human body while the rose represents the individual’s unfolding consciousness.

In 1614, an anonymous pamphlet entitled the Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (The Fame of the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross) was published in Cassel, Germany. This was followed in 1615 by the Confessio Fraternitatis (the Confessions of the Brotherhood), a publication in the same vein as the first but much more apocalyptic. It told of a society that had obtained the secrets of enlightenment and of a forthcoming reformation of the age, returning it to a state of grace. These pamphlets tell the story of one Christian Rosencreuz (the name Rosenkreuz can be translated as “Rosy Cross”), a young man who wandered through the Near East learning the esoteric wisdom of the Arabs and Egyptians. Upon returning to Germany in the early fifteenth century, he and a few like-minded people formed a society called the Fraternity of the Rose Cross and built a temple called the Spiritus Sanctus. There were only eight members at the beginning; all men, all bachelors, and all virgins. They had certain principles: they would be healers without asking for payment, they would have no uniform, they would adopt the customs of the country where they lived, they would meet once a year at the Spiritus Sanctus, and each would find someone to be his successor. Also, the fraternity would remain secret for one hundred years.

Presumably, the Fama was published after the hundred years had elapsed since it describes the fraternity to the outside world. In that time, scientific, philosophical, and religious freedom had grown so that the public might benefit from the Rosicrucians’ knowledge. The pamphlets don’t explicitly ask people to join, but says the group’s members will be watching for those in tune with their thinking.

A third document appeared in 1616 entitled The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreuz. This is a highly symbolic treatise following Rosencreuz through a mystical “wedding” that is actually an alchemical allegory. Alchemy is presented not as the physical transformation of base metals into gold, but rather as a spiritual process in which the “base” person is enlightened, turning into spiritual “gold.” The idea that Rosicrusians were not just offering free healing but also spiritual enlightenment comes from this writing.

Major Rosicrucian Organizations

Many groups have used the word “Rosicrucian” in their name. The earliest ones are difficult to find information about; this is an overview of some of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century orders, especially the largest and most influential.

Fraternitas Rosae Crucis (the Rosicrucian Fraternity) claim they existed in America prior to the American Revolution, but the evidence is that this group was started in 1858, by Paschal Beverly Randolph after he was initiated by a German Rosicrucian fraternity. It is the oldest Rosicrucian Order in the United States and continues to provide mail-order instruction. They teach that there is one God and that within each of us is buried a particle of a Divine Spark, of and from God. To develop this celestial spark, we must transmute our lower nature. This state of spiritual development is termed Soul Consciousness or Soul Illumination, which is symbolized by the fully bloomed rose in the center of the Rosy Cross. Their mission is to guide individuals, one by one, on the path toward Soul Consciousness followed by God Consciousness.

The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (Society of Rosicrucians in England, or SRIA) was founded in 1867 by Robert Wentworth Little. This offshoot of Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia (Society of Rosicrucians in Scotland) requires its members to be both Masons and Christians. SRIA was popularized by William Wynn Wescott, who later helped to start the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; the Golden Dawn had an inner order called the Ordo Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis, (Order of the Red Rose and Cross of Gold), whose rituals were based on Rosicrucian ideas. The American branch of this group, Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, Society of Rosicrucians in the Civil Republic, was founded in 1880. It still exists; membership is by invitation only.

The Societas Rosicruciana in America, (Society of Rosicrucians) SRIA is an American organization started in 1907 and incorporated on September 8, 1912, by Sylvester C. Gould and George Winslow Plummer, both prominent Freemasons. In 1916, the Society began to admit women into its ranks. This group doesn’t require any prior membership in any other organization, Masonic or Rosicrucian, or restrict members from joining other groups, and is not affiliated with the Societas Rosicruciana anywhere else. They offer a number of correspondence courses and have an extensive website with links to many articles on a variety of occult subjects.

The Rosicrucian Fellowship was founded by Max Heindel in 1907. A largely Christian organization, it has closer ties with theosophy than with any other Rosicrucian group. It is composed of men and women who study the Rosicrucian Philosophy, and heal the sick—primarily spiritual healing. They offer correspondence courses on the Bible, Esoteric Christian Philosophy, and related topics. Because their founder felt strongly that no price should be put on spiritual teachings, only the Rosicrucian Fellowship books cost money—everything else they do is on a free-will “love-offering” basis, and there are no membership dues or fees. The Rosicrucian Fellowship has no connection with any other organization.

Lectorium Rosicrucianum (LRC) officially began in 1935, but had been developing years earlier. In 1924 the brothers Zwier Willem Leene and Jan Leene joined Het Genootschap Rozekruisers, the Dutch organization of the Rosicrucian Fellowship. Soon, the brothers took a prominent place, and were entrusted with its leadership in 1929. In 1935 they decided to proceed on the spiritual path with their own group, independent of the Rosicrucian Fellowship. In 1935, the Leene brothers went to London, visited the British Library and discovered the forgotten manifestos of the classical Rosicrucians of the seventeenth century. They carefully translated these manuscripts, republishing them in 1936 in Dutch under the title The Book M, and made these spiritual works available to a wider audience. New editions of the classical writings, including their commentaries, were published several years later, and are now available in many languages. The Lectorium Rosicrucianum say they are a “Gnostic Spiritual School.”

In 1912, Annie Besant, a prominent member and leader of the Theosophical Society, Marie Russak, and James Wedgwood founded the Order of the Temple of the Rosy Cross in England. However, during the First World War, the group’s activities were suspended; Besant and Wedgwood returned to other work. Russak contacted Harvey Spencer Lewis in California and helped Spence compose the rituals of the AMORC, which is discussed below.

Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship (ROCF) was started around 1924 by George Arthur Sullivan. It is important in occult history because they created the “New Rosicrucian Theatre” in Christenchurch, Hampshire. In this group, in the late 1930s, that Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Witchcraft, first encountered witchcraft in some form. Also, Sullivan was the occult mentor of Peter Cady, one of the founders of the Findhorn Society. Not much is known about what happened to this unusual group, but it seems that it didn’t last after the death of its founder and the chaos of World War II.

The Ancient Mystical Order Rosea Crucis (AMORC), was founded in 1915 in New York City by H. Spencer Lewis, an American occultist and mystic. Today, it is probably the largest and best-known Rosicrucian group in the world. From the beginning, men and women have had equal roles in this Rosicrucian Order. AMORC considers its traditions to go back to ancient Egypt; it is believed that these teachings were used by many people, including Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Pascal, and Spinoza. While none of these historical figures can be confirmed, it is known that Walt Disney was once a member of AMORC, as was Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

In 1909, Harvey Spencer Lewis visited France in search of Rosicrucians, was duly initiated in Toulouse, France, and given the mandate to establish an order in North America. After further qualification and preparation, the first official Manifesto was issued in the United States in 1915, announcing the establishment of Rosicrucian activity in America. Lewis also may have been given a charter from the magical order Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) by Theodore Reuss, its head, perhaps as a way of getting support in his battle for leadership with Aleister Crowley.

In 1927 the Order moved its headquarters to San Jose, California. The AMORC headquarters now includes the Rosicrucian Park, the Rosicrusian Egyptian Museum, the fifth planetarium built in the USA, the Rosicrucian Peace Garden, Rosicrucian Research Library, Grand Temple, an administration Building, Fountain Plaza and gardens. AMORC is a worldwide organization, with the primary purpose of advancing of its principles and teachings for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. It is financed mainly through fees paid by its members. Income is used by the organization to pay expenses, develop new programs, expand services, and carry out educational work. AMORC publishes several periodicals, including a public magazine called the Rosicrucian Digest. They have always used media technology of the day—in 1928, they erected a radio tower and began regular broadcasts, which continue on a regular radio station in San Jose. Their ads on the backs of magazines with the motto: “A split second in eternity—the ancients called it Cosmic Consciousness” are widely remembered. Now they have an extensive website, podcasts, and YouTube videos, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

AMORC is not a religion and does not require any specific beliefs; their students come from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. They claim that much of the material in their teachings cannot be found anywhere else, and goes back to the mystery schools of ancient Egypt and Europe. Their system of study is supposed to enable students to achieve their highest potential and bring about a transformation on all levels of being: physical, mental, emotional, psychic, and spiritual. Weekly lessons for study and practice that lead to three introductory degrees comprising an overview of the Rosicrucian course of study. This is followed by nine additional degrees, each having its own particular emphasis. The basic program of lessons, from the introductory courses up through the end of the ninth degree, takes approximately five years. There are teachings past the ninth degree for those who wish further development.

While they charge dues, there is no charge to members for their lessons, which are available online as well as by mail. They have local groups that offer classes and lectures as well. Initiations can be performed at home, or at an AMORC lodge. No Rosicrucian member is obligated to associate with a local Rosicrucian group, but it is highly recommended. They state on their website that students will discover how to achieve vibrant health and increased vitality, learn how to bring the life they want into physical manifestation, develop a greater sense of confidence and inner peace, waken their deeper psychic senses, and finally, achieve a gradual inner awakening, leading to a permanent awareness of the unity of all creation and a personal relationship with the “oneness” of the universe.

There are other Rosicrucian organizations in existence; new ones start and old ones fold over time. Some are small, or strictly invitational, and don’t make themselves known to the general public. I found websites for several that seem to have been started since 2000, but have no recent activity, suggesting they were short-lived. These groups wax and wane, and there is no way to make a complete list of Rosicrucians orders. The larger, well-established groups serve an important purpose of providing training to seekers, especially those who need to use correspondence or online courses. All are part of a larger, ongoing Western tradition seeking spiritual enlightenment.

For Further Study:

Greer, John Michael. Inside a Magical Lodge. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1998.

———. New Encyclopedia of the Occult. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2003.