Rosicrucian Order

ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

To think with the heart and to love with the mind

Víctor Manuel Guzmán Villena
M:.M:.

The concept Rosicrucian has a long history in Occident. It can be considered to be one of the lines of the practical esoterism of notable significance in the western tradition. Arisen in the XVIth century, although many of their followers make sure that its origins go back to the most remote antiquity, the Rose Cross Society bases its foundation on the writings of a personage, Christian Rosenkreutz, whose existence seems to be framed in the XIVth century, although his figure is diluted in the mist of the legend.

The Rose Cross used in their philosophy not only the supposed thought of his founder, but also the contents of those sciences or more substantial arts of the occultist current of Occident like the alchemy, Cabala, hermetic tradition or arcane symbolism.

Protected in these main lines, different personages of the XXth century created different schools or esoteric movements that, still having a common root, differ deeply in its doctrinal and practical expositions. Three principal schools are: Lectorium Rosicrucianum; the Brotherhood Rosicrucian and AMORC.

LECTORIUM ROSICRUCIANUM

Lectorium Rosicrucianum or International school of the Rosacruz of Gold has his Central Head office in Haarlem - Holland, being this also its origin place. In 1924 the brothers Z.W. Leene (1892 - 1938) and J. Leene (1896 - 1968)joined the Rosicrucian Society, Dutch division (that had formed a few years earlier) of Rosicrucian Fellowship founded in 1909 by Max Heindel on Oceanside, California, USA. Soon they occupied in the Rosicrucian Society a prominent place and in 1929 they were assigned for the direction of it. In the year 1930 Mrs. H. Stok - Huizer (1902 - 1990) joined the brothers Leene and together they tackled a spiritual search from which it turned out that in the year 1935 they became independent of 'Rosicrucian Fellowship' and continued their way. Z.W. Leene died in the year 1938, but Mr. J. Leene and Mrs. H. Stok - Huizer continued together the initiated work. They wrote numerous works, which were published under his pseudonymic J. van Rijckenborgh and Catharose de Petri respectively.

After the Second World war, the activities of the Society could be re-tackled (which were prohibited for the invader during the years of the war) The mentioned spiritual leaders took a new way, centring increasingly on the concept 'gnosis', the knowledge of direct God, which one is a result of a way of spiritual development: birth by the water and spirit (Jhon 3:5). This process of spiritual development is symbolized of one or another way for 'The Chymical Wedding by Christian Rose Cross.

The name Christian Rose Cross is a denomination used by the classic Rosicrucian of the century seventeen to designate to the prototype of the man reborn in Christ and this way, completely renewed. He is to the service of the humanity with all his heart and his soul, for the achievement of the real spiritual renewal.

The concept 'gnosis' in a wider sense was the denomination used for the universal touch of Christ and his brotherhood, and his eternal salvation work across the whole history, also before Christ.

In the year 1945 the Rose Cross Society took the denomination of Lectorium Rosicrucianum and presented itself to the world as 'The Gnostic Spiritual School'. Since then more and more activities were developing out of Holland and at present Lectorium Rosicrucianum has pupils in many countries of Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. From the death of Mr. J. van Rijckenborgh and Mrs. Catharose of Petri the Lectorium Rosicrucianum is directed by an International Spiritual Direction, which is assisted by national directions and groups of work.

FRATERNITY ROSICRUCIAN

It was founded by Max Heindel, who organizes a series of activities. He creates the School of Philosophy and other one of “Mystical Healers”. The school he called “Order“ is formed in accordance with a hierarchic system.

The Fraternety Rosicrucian is named to itself “Association of Christian mystics” and takes as a motto: "A balanced mind, a tender heart, a healthy body”. Formed by men and women who try to put into practice its philosophy, their leaders make emphasizes in a series of characteristics at the School, of which we highlight the following ones:

a) It is a door of access to one of seven schools of minor mysteries that exist in the world; b) It Contains secret educations of the Christian religion; that is to say, that one that Jesus was explaining privately to his disciples; c) their educations are destined principally to the western and Christian world, claiming that those who have stopped practising this religion return to the bosom of the real Christianity; d) Ensign that in the footpath of the development two temperaments exist: the mystic and the intellectual. The first one disdains the intellectual knowledge, following the dictations of the heart. The second one, on the contrary, attends exclusively on the reason leaving aside the feeling.

For the Rosacruz Fraternety the perfect man is that who possesses polarities: the positive belonging to the intellect and the reason, and the negative is that of the heart, which refers to the feeling and to the love. Naturally, the integral development of the individual includes this double slope that has to take care of it in full form, since both the mystic and the intellectual are developing from asymmetric form, to having concentrated more on one polarity than on other one; this unilateralidad constitutes an important limitation, since in a future time they will turn out to be needed of exercising another polarity. This way it is demanded by the natural laws that govern our evolution, and that have to lead us of insensitive form, but inexorable towards the perfection.

Inside the Rosicrucian Order, the heart and the intellect develops of parallel and symmetrical form; and it gives logical explanations to the religion and to the science. It is necessary to highlight that inside the order there are no irreconcilable assertions with the reason and also anyone can verify personally if takes the sufficient interest and develops his/her own potentials.

For the Rosicrucian Fraternity the “Terrestrial Period” has happened for several stadiums of evolution that names “races“, to each of these ones has given in its moment the religion most adapted for it development.

We wonder, in this point, who are in charge of transmits to the human being this legacy, the Fraternity answers that they are Top Beings who are in other planes and who ultimately are the persons in charge of our evolution.

In relation to the natural laws the Rosicrucian Fraternity grants special attention to : The law of the Renaissance that governs the evolution of the spirits in their terrestrial stage and with multiples existences the human being could be improving their spiritual quality. The law of Compensation or called Consequence law of Cause and effect, or Karma, it is the one that make that we all receive the proper effects of the causes, during our lives we put in functioning. This way we learn the opportune lessons on the natural laws and how we must observe them. The law of the Repentance is a contribution of the Christian doctrine.

Thanks to it, we are allowed to escape to the effect of the law of Compensation for the infractions that we have committed. According to this law, when we show deep repentance for any infraction of a natural law and realize the necessary repair to the harmed one, the consequences remain dissolved and excused. The Epigenesis law is a contribution of the educations of the Rosacruz Fraternity and they refer in direct form to the Compensation law. But if we ponder in it we come to the conclusion that its principles generates a completely mechanical world. Because, every cause produces an effect, which turns into following cause and in this way successively.

ROSICRUCIAN ORDER, AMORC

It is known like The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis and whose name stems from the most ancient symbol that is the cross and only one red rose. Being important to emphasize that being its symbol a cross does not have religious relation but a proper allegorical sense.

Mariano Vázquez in his work “Esoteric Schools of Occident” points out that the initials of AMORC are an abbreviation of the words “Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis”. His studies program, gather a philosophy of life that is possible to live, the metaphysical idealism and the practical sciences like: physicist, chemist, biology, physiology and Psychology. He tries with his educational system, to free the society of the slave influence from the ignorance, the fanaticism, the fear and the superstition. Being his intentions to encourage the evolution of the humanity by means of the development of the potential that every individual possesses; teaching the significance and the application of the natural and cosmic laws that are evident in the universe, inside us and around us.

Its tradition is dating back to the mystery schools of ancient Egypt. In these schools, enlightened mystics gathered on a regular basis to explore the mysteries of existence. Precisely for this reason were called "mystery schools". They were grouping all the searchers who were aspiring to a better comprehension of the natural and universal laws. Therefore, the word “mystery“ in the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations did not have the meaning that is given to it at the present. This way this Order, on having referred to its origins, there includes one of the first initiated the Pharaoh Thutmose III who grouped his followers in the unique fraternity of the one that AMORC perpetuates in our days the rules and essentials. And from this historical relation there is included a long list of names like Salomon, Pythagoras, Solon, Plotino, Charlemagne, Francis Bacón, Claude Debussy, Isaac Newton, Benjamín Franklin, René Descartes, etc.

Also indicates that the hermetic principle "The above is as below" is the slogan chosen for the school to teach that you can not understand the laws governing the metaphysical world, without knowing the basic principles that govern the physical world. To support its thesis AMORC remembered that the all great initiated the all times were well aware that the search for the invisible begins with observation and analysis of the visible.

IT RELATIONSHIP WITH MASONRY

In the long journey of the Rosicrucian, its relationship to Masonry holds an important place. For example, in the historical version provided by the most numerous and widespread of its organizations at present, AMORC, the Freemasons, would be the organization born of Solomon, a rosacrucian that did not become completely initiated"; version not accepted, obviously, by the Masons, and lacks of any historical base.

Jean Pierre Bayard in his book The secrets goals of the rosicrucian (Robin Book, Barcelona, 1991), that "The Manifestoes of the Rosicrucian, created or not by Andreae and his friends, have had a spiritual influence on many groups and, particularly, on those of England. Francis Bacon, with the Nova Atlantis, influenced and marked the Masonic lodges".

He affirms, on the other hand, that "Johann Gotthier, on having published in 1804 his book on the rosicrucian, thought that masons and rosicrucian they were not but the only group in its origin, that they separated to spread on one hand philosophical and philanthropic ideas in the Masonry and, on the other hand,the Rosicrucian, to carry out cabalistic and alchemical investigations". And, further on, he describes the intellectual ambience in which all this could take place, since "The same way we have seen that in the Century of the Lights those who felt attracted by the enlightenment that foci allowed the bloom of the freemasonry, well structured from 1717. This order only could remain vigilant to all creation of similar societies and to follow the continue evolution of the circles, always attributing to the Rosicrucian of Gold alchemical intentions". A few paragraphs that we consider, beyond anecdotes, as extremely explanatory.

It is important to note that the 18 degree in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, practiced in most Masonic lodges around the world, is called the Great Prince Rose Croix. At this grade diverse symbols gathered undoubtedly are Rosicrucian: the triple kiss, the pelican, the eagle and wax bars to seal.

The S.R.I.A. is composed exclusively, we saw it previously, for Masons, who conceive the "Rosicrucian route" even a more spiritual, in some aspects superior, to experienced in the proper Masonry.

In the concrete case of the Rosicrucian Order, the aprons, of Masonic appearance to simple sight, the denomination of its places, "lodges", and the references to the Big or supreme Architect of the Universe; they send us, inevitably, to the Masonry as inspirer so much formal as materially or, at least, being part of a common trunk.

Manuel Guerra, in his extraordinary encyclopedic Dictionary of the sects (BAC, Madrid, 1999,2nd edition) makes sure that "The grades of initation, the secret, etc. of the rosicrucian must be influenced of the Masonry".

When some rosicrucian organizations analyze their differences with other tentities so called the same, they denounce the biggest or minor influence exercised by the Masonry in them. It is the case of the Rosacruz Fraternity of Max Heindel that, to differ from AMORC, resorts to the Masonic inspiration of the last one, when he affirms that in it the process of the beginning covers Masonic character: it is realized in a lodge, ceremony officials help, a precise ritual follows, pass words are used, signs and secret instructions are used and on the contrary, the followers of Max Heindel would experience a personal, spiritual and intimate initation.

But where a big inspiration source can be found for some of the current orders rosicruces, particularly AMORC, there is in the cloudy masonry called Egyptian, that is to say, the follower of the rites of Menfis, Misraim and Menfis-Misraim.

AMORC, in its text rosicrucian questions and answers,affirms, also, that "In the XVIIIth century, the Order of the Rose- cross and the Freemasonry they were very related,and tells why one of the highest grades of the Freemasonry takes the name of "Knight of the Rose Croix" . These two organizations are completely independent between themselves, and therefore, their activities also are. Certainly, there are numerous persons who are at the same time rosicrucian and masons, demonstrating that incompatibilities do not exist between these two movements".

Like summary, we try to establish some resemblances and differences between both currents, already become clear that the "humus" human and intellectual were common.

Resemblances: both are orders (organizations herarchicas and structured in degrees); they are initiatic entities (to move to one degree to another superior is by means of initiation ceremoniese; there are esoteric groups (for a minority, opposite to the religions exotérics, proper of the majorities); they affirm to go back to a remote antiquity; they possess systems of signs, touches and words; they realize its works in lodges directed by venerable teachers; they use aprons; they share numerous philosophical principles.

Differences: the masonry possesses three fundamental grades (Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason), while the rosicucian does not have them; the education systems are different (in the masonry it is symbolic, in the rosicrucian it is realized across periodic monographs); in the rosacruz one listens to the speech of the teacher and they move back, at the Masonic, the assistants exhibit their opinions; in the rosacruz the grade ascent is automatic, while in the masonry the applicants must credit their preparation; the apron rosacruz is triangle, on the contrary, in the masonry it is square; the masonry is focused on the simbología and the philosophical and social reflection, and the rosicrucian heads for the development of the potentialities of the person, the alchemy and the astrology.