Editing Rosicrucianism

{{Short description|17th-century European spiritual movement}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:templeofrosycross.png|right|thumb|260px|''The Temple of the Rose Cross'', [[Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens]], 1618]]
{{Hermeticism|expand=Historical figures}}
{{Esotericism}}

'''Rosicrucianism''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|r|oʊ|z|ɪ|ˈ|k|r|uː|ʃ|ə|ˌ|n|ɪ|z|əm|,_|ˌ|r|ɒ|z|ɪ|-}}) is a [[spirituality|spiritual]] and [[cultural movement]] that arose in [[early modern Europe]] in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new [[Western esotericism|esoteric order]]. Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the [[Rose Cross]] or Rosy Cross. There have been several Rosicrucian (or Rosicrucian-inspired) organizations since the initial movement was founded, including the [[Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross]] (1750s–1790s), the [[Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]] (1865–present), and the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]] (1887–1903).

== History ==
Between 1610 and 1615, two anonymous manifestos appeared in [[Germany in the early modern period|early modern Germany]] and soon after were published throughout [[Early modern Europe|Europe]]. The [[Fama Fraternitatis|''Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis'']] (The Fame of the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross) was circulated in manuscript among German [[Occult|occultists]] since about 1610, and published at [[Kassel|Cassel]] in 1614. [[Johannes Valentinus Andreae]] has been considered the possible author of the work.<ref name="Hedesan Rudbøg 2021 p. 137">{{cite book |last1=Hedesan |first1=G.D. |last2=Rudbøg |first2=T. |title=Innovation in Esotericism from the Renaissance to the Present |publisher=Springer International Publishing |series=Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities |year=2021 |isbn=978-3-030-67906-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZEtEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 |access-date=2023-01-26 |page=137}}</ref> A literal reading narrates the travels and education of "Father Brother C.R.C." and his founding of a [[Secret society|secret brotherhood]] of similarly prepared men. Names, numbers, and other details have [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalistic]] allusions, in which the cognoscenti of that era were well-versed. The ''[[Confessio Fraternitatis]]'' (The Confession of the Brotherhood of RC), published in Frankfurt in 1615, responded to confusions and criticisms and elaborated the matter further.<ref name="tiro">{{Cite book |last=Case |first=Paul Foster |title=The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order: An interpretation of the Rosicrucian allegory & an explanation of the ten Rosicrucian grades |publisher=Weiser Books |year=1989 |isbn=9780877287094 |location=Newburyport, MA |pages=3–6 |language=en}}</ref>
Many were attracted to the promise of a "universal reformation of mankind" through a science "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",<ref>Lindgren, Carl Edwin, ''{{Citation |title=The way of the Rose Cross; A Historical Perception, 1614–1620 |url=http://users.panola.com/lindgren/rosecross.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108052032/http://users.panola.com/lindgren/rosecross.html |archive-date=8 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}''. Journal of Religion and Psychical Research, Volume 18, Number 3:141–48. 1995.</ref> which they say had been kept secret for decades until the intellectual climate was ready to receive it.<ref name="Yates, Frances A 1972">[[Frances Yates|Yates, Frances A.]] (1972), ''The Rosicrucian Enlightenment'', London</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Vickers |first=Brian |title=Frances Yates and the Writing of History |date=June 1979 |journal=The Journal of Modern History |volume=51 |issue=2, Technology and War |pages=287–316 |doi=10.1086/241901|s2cid=144766713 }}</ref> The manifestos elaborate these matters extensively but cryptically in terms of [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalah]], [[Hermeticism]], [[alchemy]], and [[Christian mysticism]], subjects whose methods, symbolism, and allusions were ardently studied by many intellectuals of the period.<ref>Martin, Pierre. ''Lodges, Orders and the Rosicross: Rosicrucianism in Lodges, Orders and Initiating Societies since the early 16th century''. Edition Oriflamme, 2017. {{ISBN|9783952426258}}</ref>

In 1616 a third anonymous volume was published, the ''[[Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz]]''. In his posthumously published autobiography, Johann Valentine Andreae acknowledged its origin in a romantic fantasy that he wrote before he was 16 years old (1602), among other likewise forgotten juvenilia, and which he elaborated in response to the ''Fame'' and ''Confession'', and said of it that "the Chymical Wedding, with its fertile brood of monsters, a ''ludibrium'' which surprisingly some esteem and explicate with subtle investigations, is plainly futile and betrays the vanity of the curious" (''Nuptiae Chymicae, cum monstrorum foecundo foetu, ludibriu, quod mireris a nonullis aestimatum et subtili indagine explicatum, plane futile et quod inanitatem curiosorum prodat'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Waite |first=A. E. |author-link= |date=1924 |title= The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross: Being Records of the House of the Holy Spirit in its Inward and Outward History |url= |location= London |publisher=William Rider & Son Ltd. |page= 226 |isbn= }}.</ref> He called Rosicrucianism a "[[ludibrium]]" (a lampoon or parody) during his lifetime, in writings advocating social and religious reform through a sectarian Christian organization of his design.<ref>{{cite book |last=Waite |first=A. E. |author-link= |date=1924 |title= The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross: Being Records of the House of the Holy Spirit in its Inward and Outward History |url= |location= London |publisher=William Rider & Son Ltd. |pages= 231–242 |isbn= }}</ref> Some scholars of esotericism suggest that Andreae disowned Rosicrucianism  to shield his clerical career from the wrath of the religious and political institutions of the day.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} "[I]t is clear from his "''Turris Babel''", "''Mythologia Christiana''", and other works, that he considered the manifestos a reprehensible hoax."<ref>{{cite book |last=Waite |first=A. E. |author-link= |date=1924 |title= The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross: Being Records of the House of the Holy Spirit in its Inward and Outward History |url= |location= London |publisher=William Rider & Son Ltd. |page= 240 |isbn= }}</ref> This augmented controversies as to whether they were a hoax, whether the "Order of the Rosy Cross" existed as described in the manifestos, or whether the whole thing was a [[metaphor]] disguising a movement that really existed, but in a different form.

The promise of a spiritual transformation at a time of great turmoil, the manifestos influenced many figures to seek esoteric knowledge. Seventeenth-century occult philosophers such as [[Michael Maier]], [[Robert Fludd]], and [[Thomas Vaughan (philosopher)|Thomas Vaughan]] interested themselves in the Rosicrucian worldview.<ref name="Yates, Frances A 1972" /> In his work "''Silentium Post Clamores''" (1617), [[Michael Maier]] described Rosicrucianism as having arisen from a "primordial tradition", saying "Our origins are Egyptian, [[Historical Vedic religion|Brahminic]], derived from the [[Eleusinian Mysteries|mysteries of Eleusis]] and [[Greco-Roman mysteries#Samothracian Mysteries|Samothrace]], the [[Zoroastrianism|Magi]] of Persia, the [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagoreans]], and the Arabs".{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

In later centuries, many esoteric societies claimed to derive from the original Rosicrucians. The most influential of these societies was the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], which derived from [[Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]] and counted many prominent figures among its members. The largest is the [[Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis|Rosicrucian Order, AMORC]], a multinational organization based in [[Rosicrucian Park]], San Jose, California, US. [[Paul Foster Case]], founder of the [[Builders of the Adytum]] as a successor to the Golden Dawn, published ''The true and invisible Rosicrucian Order'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Case |first=Paul Foster |title=The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order: An interpretation of the Rosicrucian allegory & an explanation of the ten Rosicrucian grades |publisher=Weiser Books |year=1989 |isbn=9780877287094 |location=Newburyport, MA |pages= |language=en}}</ref> elaborating the Qabalistic basis and interpretation of the ''Fame'' and ''Confession''.

== Rosicrucian manifestos ==
=== Origins ===

Between 1614 and 1617, three anonymous manifestos were published, first in Germany and soon after throughout Europe:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Philalethes |first=Eugenius |url=https://archive.org/details/fameconfessionof0000unse |url-access=registration |title=Fame and Confession of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |year=1997 |isbn=1-56459-257-X |location=City |page=9ff}}</ref> the ''[[Fama Fraternitatis|Fama Fraternitatis RC]]'' (''The Fame of the Brotherhood of RC'', 1614), the ''[[Confessio Fraternitatis]]'' (''The Confession of the Brotherhood of RC'', 1615), and the ''[[Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz|Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosicross anno 1459]]'' (1616).
[[File:Lutherrose.svg|thumb|The [[Luther rose]], an early symbol of both [[Protestantism]] and Rosicrucianism]]
The ''[[Fama Fraternitatis]]'' presents the legend of a German doctor and mystic philosopher referred to as "Father Brother C.R.C." (later identified in a third manifesto as [[Christian Rosenkreuz]], or "Rose-cross"). The year 1378 is presented as being the birth year of "our Christian Father," and it is stated that he lived 106 years. It is said that he studied in the Middle East under various masters – a story implying a possible link to Islamic mysticism or [[Sufism]], which influenced a number of Western esoteric traditions.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hermansen |first1=Marcia K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvb7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |title=Sufism in Western Contexts |last2=Zarrabi-Zadeh |first2=Saeed |date=2023-07-03 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-39262-5 |language=en}}</ref>

During the lifetime of C.R.C., the order was said to comprise no more than eight members, each a doctor and "all bachelors of vowed virginity."<ref>[[Fama Fraternitatis|Fama Fraternitatis RC]]</ref> Each member undertook an oath to heal the sick without accepting payment, to maintain a secret fellowship, and to find a replacement for himself before he died. Three such generations had supposedly passed between c. 1500 and c. 1600: a time when scientific, philosophical, and religious freedom had grown so that the public might benefit from the Rosicrucians' knowledge, so that they were now seeking good men.<ref>Gorceix, Bernard (1970), ''La Bible des Rose-Croix'', Paris: a work of reference, containing translations of the three Rosicrucian Manifestos, recommended in ''Accès de l'Ésoterisme Occidental'' (1986, 1996) by [[Antoine Faivre]] (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne)</ref>
[[File:Rose Cross.png|thumb|left|[[Rose Cross]]]]

=== Reception ===
The manifestos were, and continue to be, not taken literally by many but rather regarded either as [[hoax]]es or as [[allegory|allegorical]] statements. They state: "We speak unto you by parables, but would willingly bring you to the right, simple, easy, and ingenuous exposition, understanding, declaration, and knowledge of all secrets."<ref name="Yates">{{Cite book |last=Yates |first=Frances |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8uAAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA321 |title=The Rosicrucian Enlightenment |date=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-49836-9 |page=321 |author-link=Frances Yates |orig-year=1972}}</ref>

The first Rosicrucian manifesto was influenced by the work of the respected hermetic philosopher [[Heinrich Khunrath]], of [[Hamburg]], author of the ''Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae'' (1609), who was in turn influenced by [[John Dee]], author of the ''[[Monas Hieroglyphica]]'' (1564).<ref name="Yates, Frances A 1972" />{{rp|51}} The invitation to the royal wedding in the ''[[Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz]]'' opens with Dee's philosophical key, the ''Monas Hieroglyphica'' symbol. The writer also claimed the brotherhood possessed a book that resembled the works of [[Paracelsus]]. [[Adam Haslmayr]] a friend of [[Karl Widemann]] wrote him a letter about Rosicrucian people who revealed the Theophrastiam{{clarify|date=April 2019}} 24 December 1611.<ref name="Grell">{{Cite book |last=Ole Peter Grell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_m1Mf52bK70C&q=Paracelsus%20Widemann&pg=PA163 |title=Paracelsus |year=1998 |isbn=9004111778 |page=163| publisher=BRILL }}</ref>

In his autobiography, [[Johann Valentin Andreae]] (1586–1654) claimed that the anonymously published ''Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz'' was one of his works, and he subsequently described it as a ''[[ludibrium]]''. In his later works, he makes alchemy an object of ridicule and places it along with music, art, theater, and [[astrology]] in the category of less serious sciences. According to some sources, his role in the origin of the Rosicrucian legend is controversial.<ref>Cf. [[Frances Yates|Yates, Frances A.]] (1972), ''The Rosicrucian Enlightenment'', London & Edighoffer, Roland (I-1982, II-1987), ''Rose-Croix et Société Idéale selon Johann Valentin Andreae'', Paris</ref> But according to others, it was generally accepted.<ref>Cf. Dickson, Donald R. (1996), "Johann Valentin Andreae's Utopian Brotherhoods", ''Renaissance Quarterly'' 22 December 1996</ref>

== Rosicrucian Enlightenment ==
{{no citations|section|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (page 1).jpg|thumb|right|upright|The publication of the ''[[Fama Fraternitatis|Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis]]'' (1614)]]

In the early 17th century, the manifestos caused excitement throughout Europe by declaring the existence of a secret brotherhood of [[alchemy|alchemists]] and sages who were preparing to transform the arts and sciences, and religious, political, and intellectual landscapes of Europe. Wars of politics and religion ravaged the continent. The works were re-issued several times, followed by numerous pamphlets, favorable or otherwise. Between 1614 and 1620, about 400 manuscripts and books were published which discussed the Rosicrucian documents.

The peak of the "Rosicrucianism furore" was reached when two mysterious posters appeared on the walls of Paris in 1622 within a few days of each other. The first said "We, the Deputies of the Higher College of the Rose-Croix, do make our stay, visibly and invisibly, in this city (...)", and the second ended with the words "The thoughts attached to the real desire of the seeker will lead us to him and him to us."<ref>Cited by Sédir in ''Les Rose-Croix'', Paris (1972), pp. 65–66</ref>

The legendary first manifesto, ''[[Fama Fraternitatis|Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis]]'' (1614), inspired the works of [[Michael Maier]] (1568–1622) of Germany; [[Robert Fludd]] (1574–1637) and [[Elias Ashmole]] (1617–1692) of England; [[Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens]], [[Gotthardus Arthusius]], [[Julius Sperber]], [[Henricus Madathanus]], [[Gabriel Naudé]], [[Thomas Vaughan (philosopher)|Thomas Vaughan]] and others.<ref>Sédir (1972), ''Les Rose-Croix'', Paris, pp. 59–68</ref> Rosicrucianism was associated with [[Protestantism]] ([[Lutheranism]] in particular).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contra-mundum.org/cm/reviews/tw_masonry.pdf|publisher=Contra Mundum|title=Review of The Origins of the Freemasonry: Scotland's Century 1590–1710|access-date=1 December 2009|archive-date=23 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723170636/http://www.contra-mundum.org/cm/reviews/tw_masonry.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In Elias Ashmole's ''Theatrum Chimicum britannicum'' (1650) he defends the Rosicrucians. Some later works impacting Rosicrucianism were the ''Opus magocabalisticum et theosophicum'' by [[George von Welling]] (1719){{snd}}of [[alchemical]] and [[paracelsian]] inspiration{{snd}}and the ''Aureum Vellus oder Goldenes Vliess'' by [[Hermann Fictuld]] in 1749.

Michael Maier was appointed ''Pfalzgraf'' ([[Count Palatine (Imperial)|Count Palatine]]) by [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor]], [[King of Hungary]] and [[List of Bohemian monarchs|King of Bohemia]]. He also was one of the most prominent defenders of the Rosicrucians, clearly transmitting details about the "Brothers of the Rose Cross" in his writings. Maier made the firm statement that the Brothers of R.C. existed to advance inspired arts and sciences, including [[alchemy]]. Researchers of Maier's writings point out that he never claimed to have produced gold, nor did [[Heinrich Khunrath]] or any of the other "Rosicrucianists". Their writings point toward a symbolic and spiritual alchemy, rather than an operative one. In a combination of direct and veiled styles, these writings conveyed the nine stages of the involutive-evolutive transmutation of the ''threefold body'' of the human being, the ''threefold soul'' and the ''threefold spirit'', among other [[esoteric knowledge]] related to the "Path of Initiation".

In his 1618 pamphlet, ''Pia et Utilissima Admonitio de Fratribus Rosae Crucis'', [[Henrichus Neuhusius]] wrote that the Rosicrucians departed for the east due to European instability caused by the start of the [[Thirty Years' War]]. In 1710, [[Sigmund Richter]], founder of the [[secret society]] of the [[Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross|Golden and Rosy Cross]], also suggested the Rosicrucians had migrated eastward. In the first half of the 20th century, [[René Guénon]], a researcher of the [[occult]], presented this same idea in some of his works.<ref>Guénon, René, ''Simboles de la Science Sacrée'', Paris 1962, pp. 95ff</ref> [[A. E. Waite|Arthur Edward Waite]], an eminent author of the 19th century, presented arguments contradicting this idea.<ref>Waite, Arthur E. (1887), ''The Real History of the Rosicrucians – founded on their own Manifestos, and on facts and documents collected from the writings of Initiated Brethren'', London, p.&nbsp;408</ref> It was in this fertile field of discourse that many Rosicrucian societies arose. They were based on the occult, inspired by the mystery of this "College of Invisibles".

Some modern scholars, for example [[Adam McLean]] and Giordano Berti, assume that among the first followers of the Rose Cross there was also the German theologian [[Daniel Cramer]], who in 1617 published a treatise entitled "Societas Jesus et Rosae Crucis Vera" (The True Society of Jesus and the Rosy Cross), containing 40 emblematic figures accompanied by biblical quotations.<ref>See. Adam McLean (editor), ''The Rosicrucian Emblems of Daniel Cramer: The True Society of Jesus and the Rosy Cross'' (Edinburgh, 1991), and Giordano Berti (editor), ''The Sibyl of the Heart'' (Boves, 2015).</ref>

[[File:Prosphil.jpg|left|thumb|Frater C.R.C. – [[Christian Rosenkreuz|Christian Rose Cross]] (symbolical representation)]]
The literary works of the 16th and 17th centuries were full of enigmatic passages containing references to the [[Rose Cross]], as in the following (somewhat modernized):{{clarification needed|date=February 2025}}

{{blockquote|<poem>For what we do presage is not in grosse,
For we are brethren of the Rosie Crosse;
We have the Mason Word and second sight,
Things for to come we can foretell aright.</poem>|[[Henry Adamson]]|The Muses' Threnodie (Perth, 1638).}}

The idea of such an order, exemplified by the network of astronomers, professors, mathematicians, and natural philosophers in 16th-century Europe promoted by such men as [[Johannes Kepler]], [[Georg Joachim Rheticus]], [[John Dee]] and [[Tycho Brahe]], gave rise to the [[Invisible College]]. This was the precursor to the [[Royal Society]] founded in 1660.<ref>"The origins of the Royal Society lie in an 'invisible college' of natural philosophers who began meeting in the mid-1640s to discuss the new philosophy of promoting knowledge of the natural world through observation and experiment, which we now call science." http://royalsociety.org/about-us/history accessed 2 May 2014</ref> It was constituted by a group of scientists who began to hold regular meetings to share and develop knowledge acquired by [[scientific method|experimental investigation]]. Among these were [[Robert Boyle]], who wrote: "the cornerstones of the Invisible (or as they term themselves the Philosophical) College, do now and then honour me with their company...";<ref>Cited by R Lomas (2002) in ''The Invisible College'', London</ref>
[[File:Rosicrucian Concept of the Tree of Pansophia.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A 17th century depiction of the Rosicrucian concept of the Tree of [[Pansophia]], 1604]]
[[John Wilkins]] and [[John Wallis]], who described those meetings in the following terms: "About the year 1645, while I lived in London (at a time when, by our civil wars, academical studies were much interrupted in both our Universities), ... I had the opportunity of being acquainted with divers worthy persons, inquisitive of natural philosophy, and other parts of human learning; and particularly of what hath been called the New Philosophy or Experimental Philosophy. We did by agreements, divers of us, meet weekly in London on a certain day and hour, under a certain penalty, and a weekly contribution for the charge of experiments, with certain rules agreed amongst us, to treat and discourse of such affairs..."<ref>Cited by H. Lyons (1944) in ''The Royal Society 1660–1940'', Cambridge</ref>

== Legacy in esoteric orders ==

=== Rose-Cross Degrees in Freemasonry ===
[[File:Bijou fm 18eme.jpg|thumb|170px|right|18° ''Knight of the Rose Croix'' jewel (from the Masonic [[Scottish Rite]])]]

According to [[Jean Pierre Bayard]],<ref>Jean-Pierre Bayard, Les Rose-Croix, M. A. Éditions, Paris, 1986</ref> two Rosicrucian-inspired [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] rites emerged toward the end of 18th century,<!--reference to be added--> the [[Rectified Scottish Rite]], widespread in Central Europe where there was a strong presence of the "Golden and Rosy Cross", and the [[Scottish Rite|Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite]], first practiced in France, in which the 18th degree is called ''[[Scottish Rite#The Rose Croix|Knight of the Rose Croix]]''.

The change from "operative" to "speculative" Masonry occurred between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 18th century. Two of the earliest speculative Masons for whom a record of initiation exists were Sir [[Robert Moray]] and [[Elias Ashmole]]. [[Robert Vanloo]] states that earlier 17th century Rosicrucianism had a considerable influence on Anglo-Saxon Masonry. [[Hans Schick]] sees in the works of [[Jan Amos Komenský|Comenius]] (1592–1670) the ideal of the newly born English Masonry before the foundation of the [[Grand Lodge]] in 1717. Comenius was in England during 1641.

The [[Gold und Rosenkreuzer]] (Golden and Rosy Cross) was founded by the alchemist [[Samuel Richter]] who in 1710 published ''Die warhhaffte und vollkommene Bereitung des Philosophischen Steins der Brüderschaft aus dem Orden des Gülden-und Rosen-Creutzes'' (''The True and Complete Preparation of the [[Philosopher's Stone]] by the Brotherhood from the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross'') in [[Breslau]] under the pseudonym Sincerus Renatus<ref>Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, [[The Occult Roots of Nazism]], p. 59</ref> in [[Prague]] in the early 18th century as a hierarchical [[secret society]] composed of internal circles, recognition signs and alchemy treatises. Under the leadership of [[Hermann Fictuld]] the group reformed itself extensively in 1767 and again in 1777 because of political pressure. Its members claimed that the leaders of the Rosicrucian Order had invented Freemasonry and only they knew the secret meaning of Masonic symbols. The Rosicrucian Order had been founded by Egyptian "[[Ormusse]]" or "[[Licht-Weise]]" who had emigrated to Scotland with the name "Builders from the East". In 1785 and 1788 the Golden and Rosy Cross group published the ''Geheime Figuren'' or "The Secret Symbols of the 16th and 17th century Rosicrucians".

Led by [[Johann Christoph von Wöllner]] and General Johann Rudolf von Bischoffwerder, the Masonic lodge (later: ''Grand Lodge'') ''Zu den drei Weltkugeln'' (''The Three Globes'') was infiltrated and came under the influence of the Golden and Rosy Cross. Many Freemasons became Rosicrucianists and Rosicrucianism was established in many lodges. In 1782 at the Convent of Wilhelmsbad the ''Alte schottische Loge Friedrich zum goldenen Löwen'' (''Old Scottish Lodge Friedrich at the Golden Lion'') in Berlin strongly requested [[Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] and all other Freemasons to submit to the Golden and Rosy Cross, without success.

After 1782, this highly secretive society added Egyptian, Greek, and Druidic mysteries to its alchemy system.<ref>Bayard, Jean-Pierre, ''Les Rose-Croix'', M.A.Édition, Paris 1986</ref> A comparative study of what is known about the Gold and Rosenkreuzer appears to reveal, on the one hand, that it has influenced the creation of some modern initiatory groups and, on the other hand, that the Nazis (see ''[[The Occult Roots of Nazism]]'') may have been inspired by this German group.

According to the writings of the Masonic historian E.J. Marconis de Negre,<ref>de Negre, E.J. Marconis (1849), ''Brief History of Masonry''</ref> who together with his father Gabriel M. Marconis is held to be the founder of the "[[Rite of Memphis-Misraim]]" of Freemasonry, based on earlier conjectures (1784) by a Rosicrucian scholar Baron de Westerode<ref>Nesta Webster's, ''[http://ellhn.e-e-e.gr/books/assets/secret_societies.pdf Secret Societies and Subversive Movements] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228205819/http://ellhn.e-e-e.gr/books/assets/secret_societies.pdf |date=28 February 2008 }}'', London, 1924, p. 87 and note 37</ref> and also promulgated by the 18th century secret society called the "[[Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross|Golden and Rosy Cross]]", the Rosicrucian Order was created in the year 46 when an [[Alexandria]]n [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] sage named [[Ormus]] and his six followers were converted by one of Jesus' disciples, [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]]. Their symbol was said to be a red cross surmounted by a rose, thus the designation of [[Rosy Cross]]. From this conversion, Rosicrucianism was supposedly born, by purifying [[Egyptian Mythology|Egyptian]] [[Greco-Roman mysteries|mysteries]] with the new higher teachings of early Christianity.<ref>Further research in ''[http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article1662.html Legend and Mythology: Ormus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113204045/http://book-of-thoth.com/article1662.html |date=13 January 2010 }}'' by Sol, The Book of THoTH, 2004</ref>

Another notable figure for both egyptian freemasonry and rosicrucianism in Italy was [[Giustiniano Lebano]]<ref>{{cite web|access-date=28 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181228162447/http://corsodireligione.it/religioni/esoterismo/esoter_1e.htm |publisher=corsodireligione.it |title=L'ermetismo kremmerziano |url=http://corsodireligione.it/religioni/esoterismo/esoter_1e.htm}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> who held high offices in the Memphis Misraim rite and was an influential figure in the later esoteric developments of the peninsula, including influencing [[Giuliano Kremmerz]] and the members of the [[UR Group]].<ref>[https://www.ritoegiziotradizionale.it/gran-hyerophanti-e-gran-maestri/giustiniano-lebano/ Giustiniano Lebano - Gran Hyerophanti e Gran Maestri].</ref>
The Neapolitan branch of the Memphis-Misraim rite, Grande Oriente Egizio, instructed [[Giuliano Kremmerz]] to create the Brotherhood of Myriam with the aim of practising therapeutic magic for those affected by disease, including non-initiates.<ref>Massimo Introvigne ''[http://www.corsodireligione.it/religioni/esoterismo/esoter_1e.htm Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia]''. Cesnur. 3rd December at the {{cite web|url=http://www.corsodireligione.it/religioni/esoterismo/esoter_1e.htm|title=Corso di Religione |date= 3 December 2024}} </ref>

According to Maurice Magre (1877–1941) in his book ''Magicians, Seers, and Mystics'', Rosenkreutz was the last descendant of the Germelshausen, a German family from the 13th century. Their castle stood in the [[Thuringian Forest]] on the border of [[Hesse]], and they embraced [[Albigensian]] doctrines. The whole family was put to death by [[Konrad von Marburg|Landgrave Conrad]] of [[Thuringia]], except for the youngest son, who was then five years old. He was carried away secretly by a monk, an Albigensian adept from [[Languedoc]], and placed in a monastery under the influence of the Albigenses, where he was educated and met the four Brothers later to be associated with him in the founding of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. Magre's account supposedly derives from oral tradition.

Around 1530, more than eighty years before the publication of the first manifesto, the association of cross and rose already existed in Portugal in the [[Convent of the Order of Christ]], home of the [[Knights Templar]], later renamed [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]]. Three ''bocetes'' were, and still are, on the ''abóboda'' (vault) of the initiation room. The rose can clearly be seen at the center of the cross.<ref>[[:pt:António de Macedo|Macedo, António de]] (2000), ''Instruções Iniciáticas – Ensaios Espirituais'', 2nd edition, Hughin Editores, Lisbon, {{ISBN|972-8534-00-0}}, p.&nbsp;55</ref><ref>Gandra, J. Manuel (1998), ''Portugal Misterioso'' (''Os Templários''), Lisbon, pp. 348–349</ref> At the same time, a minor writing by [[Paracelsus]] called ''Prognosticatio Eximii Doctoris Paracelsi'' (1530), containing 32 [[prophecy|prophecies]] with [[allegory|allegorical]] pictures surrounded by enigmatic texts, makes reference to an image of a double cross over an open rose; this is one of the examples used to prove the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" existed far earlier than 1614.<ref>[[Stanislas de Guaita]] (1886), ''Au seuil du Mystère''</ref>

== Modern groups ==
[[Image:Palacio da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal.JPG|330px|thumb|The ''Well of Initiation'' (27&nbsp;m high; 9 levels/strata) located in [[Quinta da Regaleira]], [[Sintra]], Portugal. It was built 1904–1910. At the bottom of the "well" is seen the [[Compass rose|Rose of the Winds]] <small>(8-point compass rose: 4 cardinal and 4 ordinal directions)</small> placed upon the [[Cross pattée#Knights Templar|Templar Cross]] <small>(Cross pattée/Alisee: with the ends of the arms convex and curved, a variant used by the [[Knights Templar]] in Portugal)</small>: the [[Rose Cross]].<ref>Anes, José Manuel, PhD, 33º. [[Scottish Rite]], ''Os Jardins Iniciáticos da Quinta da Regaleira'', Ed. Ésquilo, Lisbon, Nov. 2005</ref>]]
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, various groups styled themselves Rosicrucian. The diverse groups who link themselves to a "Rosicrucian Tradition" can be divided into three categories: [[esoteric Christianity|Esoteric Christian]] Rosicrucian groups, which profess Christ; [[Masonic]] Rosicrucian groups such as ''[[SRIA]]'', ''[[Societas Rosicruciana]]''; and initiatory groups such as the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn|Golden Dawn]] and the [[Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis]] (AMORC).

[[Esoteric Christian]] Rosicrucian schools provide esoteric knowledge related to the inner teachings of Christianity.<ref>Skogstrom, Jan (2001), [http://www.spiritunited.com/articles/exotericesoteric.htm Some Comparisons Between Exoteric & Esoteric Christianity] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209144259/http://www.spiritunited.com/articles/exotericesoteric.htm |date=9 February 2008 }}, a table comparing [[exoteric]] and esoteric Christian beliefs</ref>

[[The Rosicrucian Fellowship]], 1909 at [[Mount Ecclesia]] (groundbreaking for first building: 1911). Teachings present the 'mysteries', in the form of [[esoteric knowledge]], of which [[Christ#Esoteric Christian tradition|Christ]] spoke in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 13:11 and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 8:10. The Fellowship seeks to prepare the individual through harmonious development of mind and heart in a spirit of unselfish service to mankind and an all-embracing [[altruism]]. According to it the Rosicrucian Order was founded in 1313<ref>[http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/pamen010.htm The Rosicrucian Interpretation of Christianity] by The Rosicrucian Fellowship</ref> and is composed of twelve exalted Beings gathered around a thirteenth, [[Christian Rosenkreuz]]. These great adepts have already advanced far beyond the cycle of [[reincarnation|rebirth]]. Their mission is to prepare the 'whole wide world' for a new phase in religion, which includes awareness of the [[plane (cosmology)|inner worlds]] and the [[subtle bodies]], and to provide safe guidance in the gradual awakening of man's latent [[spirituality|spiritual]] faculties during the next six centuries toward the coming [[Age of Aquarius]].<ref>''[http://www.rosicrucian.com/rms/rmseng01.htm The Rosicrucian Mysteries]'' by [[Max Heindel]]. Accessed 29 March 2006</ref>

Several Russians of a mystical mind took advantage of the [[Edict of toleration#20th century|Edict of Toleration]] of religion in 1905 to form or resurrect what they considered the ancient forms of esoteric Orders. These were the new Rosicrucians. Their inspired mentors compiled volumes of mystic philosophy which they combined with their personal notions of what the ancient Orders were, and so formed groups. The three principal neo-Rosicrucian Orders of early Soviet Russia were Emesh Redivivus, the Orionist-Manicheans, and the Lux Astralis. Due to suppression by the Soviets they had disbanded by 1933.<ref>Shubin, Daniel H., [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1716429978 ''New Rosicrucians of early Soviet Russia''] {{ISBN|978-1716429972}}, 2020. {{page?|date=July 2023}}</ref>

According to Masonic writers, the Order of the Rose Cross is expounded in a major Christian literary work that molded the subsequent spiritual beliefs of western civilization: ''[[The Divine Comedy]]'' (ca. 1308–1321) by [[Dante Alighieri]].<ref>[[Albert Pike]], ''[[Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry]]'', [http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/morals_and_dogma/table_of_contents.htm "XXX: Knight Kadosh"], p. 822, 1872</ref><ref>[[René Guénon]], ''[http://www.thule-italia.net/Sitospagnolo/Guenon/Guenon,%20Rene%20-%20El%20esoterismo%20de%20Dante.pdf El Esoterismo de Dante]'', pp. 5–6, 14, 15–16, 18–23, 1925</ref><ref>[[Manly Palmer Hall]], ''[http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/secret_teachings_of_all_ages/table_of_contents.htm The Secret Teachings of All Ages]: The Fraternity of The Rose Cross'', p. 139, 1928</ref>

Other Christian-oriented Rosicrucian bodies include:
[[File:Centro de Estudios Rosacruz - Zaragoza.png|thumb|Centro de Estudios Rosacruz ([[Zaragoza]])]]
* [[Lectorium Rosicrucianum]], 1924
* [[Archeosophical Society]], 1968

Freemasonic Rosicrucian bodies providing preparation either through direct study and/or through the practice of a symbolic initiatory journey.
* [[Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]], 1866
*Societas Rosicruciana in Canadiensis, 1876<ref>{{Cite web |title=W.Bro. Colonel William James Bury MacLeod Moore |url=https://rosicrucians.ca/macleod-moore/ |last=Salus |first=Incruce |date=4 April 2016 |website=S.R.I.C. - Societas Rosicruciana in Canada |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>

Initiatory groups which follow a degree system of study and initiation include:
* The [[Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis]] (AMORC), incorporated in the U.S. in 1915

=== Related groups ===
Many of these groups generally speak of a linear descent from earlier branches of the ancient Rosicrucian Order in England, France, Egypt, or other countries. However, some groups speak of a spiritual affiliation with a true and invisible Rosicrucian Order. Note that there are other Rosicrucian groups not listed here. Some do not use the name "Rosicrucian" to name themselves. Some groups listed have been dissolved or are no longer operating.

<!-- only groups with articles or third-party citations should be included -->
====18th and 19th centuries====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Society !! Founded !! Status
|-
| [[Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross]] || 1750s || Dissolved
|-
| [[Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite]] || 1776 || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Fraternitas Rosae Crucis]] || 1861 || '''Active'''
|-
| Brotherhood of Myriam || 1896<ref>{{Cite book |title=Il dio del silenzio. Permanenze della tradizione esoterica egizia a Napoli |last=Höbel |first=Sigfrido |date=2017-03-13 |publisher=Stamperia del Valentino |isbn=978-8895063706}}</ref> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]] '''(SRIA)'''|| 1860s<ref name="Melchior">Frater Melchior. [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/rosi_grp.html "Manifestations of the Neo-Rosicrucian Current"]</ref> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Societas Rosicruciana in America]] || 1878<ref name=Melchior/> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis]] '''(SRICF)'''|| 1878<ref name=Melchior/> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Cabalistic Order of the Rosicrucian]]|| 1888 || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]]|| 1888<ref name=Melchior/>|| Dissolved
|-
| Order of the Temple & the Graal and of the Catholic Order of the Rose-Croix|| 1890<ref name=Melchior/>|| 
|}

====20th century====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Society !! Founded !! Status
|-
| Rosicrucian Society || Rosicrucian Society 1763 in New Orleans as the Loge de Parfait -Rose Croix || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Rosicrucian Fellowship]]|| 1909<ref>8 August 1909, in Seattle, Washington, at 3:00 p.m; cf. http://mount_ecclesia.tripod.com/chronology_about_max_heindel.htm</ref> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Anthroposophical Society]]|| 1912/1923 || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Builders of the Adytum]]|| 1922 || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Order of the Temple of the Rosy Cross]]|| 1912<ref name=Melchior/> || Dissolved
|-
| [[Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis]]|| 1915<ref>Not 1909: a Charter forming this organization is dated from 1 April 1915 in New York, after a previous document titled "American Pronunziamento Number One" or "First American Manifesto" by H. Spencer Lewis issued in February, 1915.</ref> || '''Active'''
|-
| [[Fellowship of the Rosy Cross]]|| 1915|| '''Active'''

|-
| [[Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship]]|| 1924|| Dissolved
|-
| [[Lectorium Rosicrucianum]]|| 1924<ref name=Melchior/>|| '''Active'''
|-
| [[Fraternidade Rosacruciana São Paulo|The Saint Paul Rosicrucian Fellowship]] || 1929|| '''Active'''
|-
| [[Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua]]|| 1932|| '''Active'''
|-
| [[Archeosophical Society]]|| 1968|| '''Active'''
|-
| [[Fraternity of the Hidden Light]]|| 1982|| '''Active'''
|-
| Confraternity Rosae + Crucis|| 1989<ref name=Melchior/>|| '''Active'''
|}

====21st century====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Society !! Founded !! Status
|-
| [https://www.rosicrucians-kmr-global.com/rsohgr Order of the Hermetic Gold and Rose (RSOHGR)]|| 2002 || '''Active'''
|-
| [https://rosae-crucis.net/eng/ Sodalitas Rosae+Crucis]|| 2003 || '''Active'''
|-
| [https://order.rosy-cross.org/ Order of the Rose and Cross]|| 2007 || '''Active'''
|}

== See also ==
{{div col begin|colwidth=18em}}
*{{Annotated link|Academic study of Western esotericism}}
*{{Annotated link|Anthroposophy}}
*{{Annotated link|Ashrama Hall and Christchurch Garden Theatre}}
*{{Annotated link|Bogomilism}}
*{{Annotated link|Brethren of Purity}}
*{{Annotated link|Catharism}}
*{{Annotated link|Druze}}
*{{Annotated link|Essenes}}
*{{Annotated link|Jakob Böhme}}
*{{Annotated link|Manichaeism}}
*{{Annotated link|Martinism}}
*{{Annotated link|Michael Sendivogius}}
*{{Annotated link|Neoplatonism}}
*{{Annotated link|Numerology}}
*{{Annotated link|Parabola Allegory}}
*{{Annotated link|Pigpen cipher}}
*{{Annotated link|Pythagoreanism}}
*{{Annotated link|Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum}}
*{{Annotated link|Rudolf Steiner}}
* [[Secret society]]
*{{Annotated link|Theosophy}}
*{{Annotated link|Western esotericism}}
*{{Annotated link|Giustiniano Lebano}}
*{{Annotated link|Giuliano Kremmerz}}
{{div col end}}


{{center| [[List of general fraternities]] }}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|25em}}

== References ==
<!-- Please order books alphabetically by the author's last name -->
{{Refbegin|2}}
'''Old editions'''
* Among the treasures of the [[Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica]] in Amsterdam are books on the Gnosis and the Corpus Hermeticum as published in Florence in 1471.
* The [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] Digital Collections Center has a [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?id=HistSciTech.GeheimeFiguren digital edition] of the ''Geheime Figuren der Rosenkreuzer, aus dem 16ten und 17ten Jahrhundert (1785–1788)''.
'''Publications'''
* Bayard, Jean-Pierre (1986) ''Les Rose-Croix'' M. A. Éditions, Paris, {{ISBN|2-86676-229-0}}, in French
* Bayard, Jean-Pierre (1990) ''La Spiritualité de la Rose-Croix: Histoire, Tradition et Valeur Initiatique'' Dangles, Saint-Jean-de-Braye, France, {{ISBN|2-7033-0353-X}}, in French
* [[Christian Bernard|Bernard, Christian]] (2001) ''Rosicrucian Order AMORC: Questions and Answers'' Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction, AMORC, San Jose, California, {{ISBN|978-1-893971-02-8}}; based upon the earlier versions by Harve Spencer Lewis 1929 and following, and Heindel, Max (1910) 'The Rosicrucian philosophy in questions and answers'' M.A. Donohue & Company, Chicago, {{OCLC|67395149}}
* Clymer, R. Swinburne (1916) ''The Rose Cross order: a short sketch of the history of the Rose Cross order in America, together with a sketch of the life of Dr. P. B. Randolph, the founder of the order'' Philosophical Publishing Company, Allentown, Pennsylvania, {{OCLC|6671066}}
* Churton, Tobias (2009) ''The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians: The World's Most Mysterious Secret Society'' Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, {{ISBN|978-1-59477-255-9}}
* Dietzfelbinger, K. (2005) ''Rosicrucians through the ages'' (translation of Dietzfelbinger, K. (1998) ''Rozenkruisers toen en nu'' Rozekruis Pers, Haarlem, Netherlands, {{ISBN|90-6732-199-0}}) Rozekruis Pers, Haarlem, Netherlands, {{ISBN|90-6732-323-3}}
* Edighoffer, Roland (1982) ''Rose-Croix et Société Idéale selon Johann Valentin Andreae'' (volume 1) Arma Artis, Neuilly-sur-Seine, {{OCLC|39787480}}, in French
* Edighoffer, Roland (1987) ''Rose-Croix et Société Idéale selon Johann Valentin Andreae'' (volume 2) Arma Artis, Neuilly-sur-Seine, {{OCLC|311787409}}, in French
* Frietsch, Wolfram (1999) ''Die Geheimnisse der Rosenkreuzer'' Rowohlt, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, {{ISBN|3-499-60495-7}}, in German
* Gorceix, Bernard (1970) ''La Bible des Rose-Croix: traduction et commentaire des trois premiers écrits rosicruciens (1614–1615–1616)'' PUF, Paris, {{OCLC|64751560}}, in French
* [[Manly Palmer Hall|Hall, Manly Palmer]] (1929) "Chapter 19: Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins" ''Lectures on Ancient Philosophy: An Introduction to the Study and Application of Rational Procedure'' Hall Publishing Company, Los Angeles, {{OCLC|2028728}}; [http://the_mystic_light.tripod.com/rosicrucian_and_masonic.htm full text] from ''The Mystic Light''
* Hall, Manly Palmer (1928) ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Quabbalistic and Rosictucian Symbolical Philosophy''Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, {{OCLC|1358719}}; see [http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/index.htm full text] from ''The Internet Sacred Text Archive''
* [[Max Heindel|Heindel, Max]] (1909) [[The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception|''The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Christian Occult Science, An Elementary Treatise Upon Man's Past Evolution, Present Constitution and Future Development'']] Independent Book Company, Chicago, {{OCLC|7466633}}; [http://www.rosicrucian.com/rcc/rcceng00.htm full text of updated version entitled 'The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Mystic Christianity, An Elementary Treatise Upon Man's Past Evolution, Present Constitution and Future Development''] from ''The Rosicrucian Fellowship''
* [[Hargrave Jennings|Jennings, Hargrave]] (1870) ''The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries'' John Camden Hotten, London, {{OCLC|301465719}}; reprinted in 1976 by Arno Press, New York, {{ISBN|0-405-07957-5}}
* Lindgren, Carl Edwin as "Neophyte" (1996) ''Spiritual Alchemists: Rosicrucians, the Brotherhood of Light'' Ars Latomorum Publications, New Orleans, Louisiana, {{ISBN|1-885591-18-7}}
* Lindgren, Carl Edwin ''The Rose Cross Order: A Historical and Philosophical View'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20121108052032/http://users.panola.com/lindgren/rosecross.html full text] from Professor Lindgren's web site
* [[Antonio de Macedo|Macedo, António de]] (2000) ''Instruções Iniciáticas – Ensaios Espirituais'' (2nd edition) Hughin Editores, Lisbon; see [http://paginasesotericas.tripod.com/instrucoesiniciaticas.htm partial view] from Hughin Editores, in Portuguese
* [[John and Caitlin Matthews|Matthews, John]] (1999) ''The Rosicrucian Enlightenment Revisited'' Lindisfarne Books, Hudson, New York, {{ISBN|0-940262-84-3}}
* McIntosh, Christopher (1992) ''The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason: Eighteenth-century Rosicrucianism in Central Europe and its relationship to the Enlightenment'', E.J. Brill, New York, {{ISBN|90-04-09502-0}}
* Palou, Jean (1964) ''La franc-Maçonnerie'' (''The French Masons'') Payot, Paris, {{OCLC|417482551}}, in French
* Pincus-Witten, Robert (1976) ''Occult Symbolism in France: Joséphin Péladan and the Salons de la Rose-Croix'' Garland Publishing, New York, {{ISBN|0-8240-2003-0}}
* Rebisse, Christian (2005) ''Rosicrucian History and Mysteries'' (translation of Rebisse, Christian (2003) ''Rose-croix histoire et mysteres'') Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, San Jose, California, {{ISBN|1-893971-05-8}}
* [[Herbert Silberer|Silberer, Herbert]] (1917) Problems of mysticism and its symbolism (translation of Silberer, Herbert (1914) ''Probleme der mystik und ihrer symbolik'' Heller, Vienna, {{OCLC|4943853}}) Moffat, Yard and Company, New York, {{OCLC|538149}}; reprinted in 1970 by S. Weiser, New York, {{ISBN|0-87728-038-X}}
* [[Rudolf Steiner|Steiner, Rudolf]] (1984) ''Esoteric Christianity and the Mission of Christian Rosenkreutz: Thirteen lectures given in various European cities in the years 1911 and 1912'' (a partial translation of Steiner, Rudolf (1962) ''Das esoterische Christentum und die geistige Führung der Menschheit: dreiundzwanzig Vorträge, gehalten in den Jahr. 1911 und 1912 in verschiedenen Städten'' Verlag der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, Dornach, Switzerland) Rudolf Steiner Press, London, {{OCLC|264715257}}; see  [http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/EsoChristian/19121218p02.html full text] from the Rudolf Steiner Archive
* Steiner, Rudolf (1965) ''Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation: Mystery Centres of the Middle Ages: Six lectures given in Dornach, 4–13 January 1924'' (translation of Steiner, Rudolf (1950)  ''Mepterienstätte des Mittelalters: Rosenkreuzertum und Modernes Einweihungsprinzip'', printed as volume two of ''The Mission of Christian Rozenkreuz'') R. Steiner, London, {{OCLC|7209265}}; see  [http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/RosiModInit/RosIni_index.html full text] from the Rudolf Steiner Archive
* [[Arthur Edward Waite|Waite, Arthur Edward]] (1887) ''The Real History of the Rosicrucians'' G. Redway, London {{OCLC|7080058}}; reprinted in 1960 by Society of Metaphysicians, Hastings, England, {{ISBN|1-85228-705-5}}; reprinted in 2000 by Garber Communications, Blauvelt, New York, {{ISBN|0-89345-018-9}}; see [http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/rhr/index.htm full text] from ''The Internet Sacred Text Archive''
* Waite, Arthur Edward (1916–1918) ''Complete Rosicrucian Initiations of the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross''; reprinted in 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-9735931-7-4}} and 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-9783883-4-8}} by Ishtar Publishing, Burnaby, British Columbia; renamed in 2008 ''Rosicrucian Rites and Ceremonies of the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross by Founder of the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn Arthur Edward Waite'' {{ISBN|978-0-9783883-4-8}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080620010315/http://www.ishtarpublishing.com/new-age-book/complete_rosicrucian_initiations_of_the_fellowship_of_the_rosy_cross.html book description] from Ishtar Publishing
* [[William Wynn Westcott|Westcott, William Wynn]] (1885) ''Rosicrucian Thoughts on the Ever-Burning Lamps of the Ancients'' (pamphlet) G. Kenning, London; reprinted in 1979 by David Medina, London, {{ISBN|0-9505859-2-0}}; see [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/westcott.html full text] from ''The Alchemy Web Site''
* Williamson, Benedict J. (editor) (2002) ''The Rosicrucian Manuscripts'' Invisible College Press, Arlington, Virginia, {{ISBN|1-931468-12-5}}
* [[Frances Yates|Yates, Frances]] (1972) ''The Rosicrucian Enlightenment'' Routledge, London, {{ISBN|0-7100-7380-1}}; reprinted in 2002 by Routledge, New York, {{ISBN|0-415-26769-2}}
'''Essays'''
* Alexandre David, ''Fama Fraternitatis – Introduction'' [http://rosicrucianlight.tripod.com/rc_famafraternitatis.htm www]
* [[Corinne Heline]], ''The Seven Jewels and the Seven Stages of Initiation '' [http://themysticlight.tripod.com/nbtr.htm www]
* Prinke, Rafal T. ''Michael Sendivogius and Christian Rosenkreutz, The Unexpected Possibilities'', The Hermetic Journal, 1990, 72-98 [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/sendi.html Rafal T. Prinke - Michael Sendivogius and Christian Rosenkreutz]
'''Fictional literature'''
* [[St. Leon (novel)|St. Leon]]: A Tale of the Sixteenth Century by [[William Godwin]], 1799
* [[St. Irvyne]]; or, The Rosicrucian by [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], 1811, London, [[John Joseph Stockdale]]
* Wolfstein; or, The Mysterious Bandit by Percy Bysshe Shelley, circa 1815, J. Bailey, London, a chapbook reduction of St. Irvyne
* [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton|Edward Bulwer-Lytton]], ''[[Zanoni|Zanoni: A Rosicrucian Tale]]'' (1842), {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041019094750/http://www.edward-bulwer-lytton.org/zanoni/ www]}}
* Edward Bulwer-Lytton, ''[[Vril|Vril: The Power of the Coming Race]]'' (1870) [http://sacred-texts.com/atl/vril/index.htm www]
* [[Franz Hartmann]], ''With the Adepts: An Adventure Among the Rosicrucians'' (1910) [http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/wta/index.htm www]
* [[Hermann Hesse]], ''[[Journey to the East]]'' (1932, also "Journey to the Land of the Morning/of the Tomorrow" (''Die Morgenlandfahrt''))
* Hermann Hesse, ''[[The Glass Bead Game]]'' (1943), also known as "Magister Ludi" (Master of the Game)
* Prentiss Tucker, ''In the Land of the Living Dead: an Occult Story'' (1929) [http://members.shaw.ca/jamis/LivingDead.htm www]
* [[Antal Szerb]], "[[The Pendragon Legend]]" (1934) (Translated by [[Len Rix]]).
'''Conspiracy literature'''
* Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and [[Henry Lincoln]], ''[[Holy Blood, Holy Grail]]'' (1982), advanced a [[pseudohistorical]] relation of Rosicrucianism with a secret society called [[Priory of Sion]].
* [[Umberto Eco]], ''[[Foucault's Pendulum (book)|Foucault's Pendulum]]'' (1988), ''Serendipities: Language and Lunacy'' (1998).
* [[Dan Brown]], ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' (2003), follows the ''[[Holy Blood, Holy Grail]]'''s conspiracy theories line.
* [[Dan Brown]], ''[[The Lost Symbol]]'' (2009)
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{external links|date=December 2022}}
{{commons category|Rosicrucianism}}
* [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/rosicros.html Alchemy Web Site (The): Rosicrucianism]
* [[Catholic Encyclopedia]]: [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13193b.htm Rosicrucians]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725055431/http://www.roca.org/OA/95/95p.htm Orthodox America: The Rosicrucians]
* [http://www.reversespins.com/rosicrucian.html Reverse Spins: The Mysterious Rosicrucian...]
* [[The Straight Dope|Straight Dope (The)]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060411201514/https://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrosicrucian.html] archived from the original [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrosicrucian.html What is Rosicrucianism all about?]
* [http://rosicrucians.ca The Societas in Rosicruciana in Canada]
* [http://www.rosicrucian-order.com/ Rose Cross Order]
* [http://www.rosicruciansociety.com/ Rosicrucian Society]

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[[Category:Rosicrucianism| ]]
[[Category:Alchemical traditions]]
[[Category:Esoteric Christianity]]
[[Category:Hermeticism]]
[[Category:Magical organizations]]