ROSICRUCIANS The Rosicrucians grew out of the confluence of alchemists, Christian Kabbalists and religious reformers that swept through Europe in the 1500's as a result of the spread of the printing press. The information explosion that spread a mystical Christianity and brought enlightenment to many scholars also brought these men into contact with one another. The English mystic and alchemist Dr. John Dee traveled through Europe for six years, widely disseminating his alchemnical tract called the Monas Hieroglyphica.
The rose had long been an alchemical symbol of the Great Work of spiritual transformation, and the rose was also a symbol of silence concerning secret knowledge; thus, the rose was carved on the ceilings of meeting places to symbolize this, giving us the term 'sub-rosa.' The cross was an alchemical symbol of the material world and also symbolized salvation to the alchemists, most of whom were also Christians. The combination of these symbols was an alchemical device used to symbolize the opening of spiritual consciousness in one whose consciousness was based in the physical world.
It has been said that alchemists started calling themselves Rosicrucians in the 1500's, and the Moravian alchemist Michael Sendivogius' Society of the Unknown Philosophers is considered a precursor to the movement. Sendivogius rescued one of the foremost alchemists of his time, Alexander Seton of Scotland, from imprisonment by Christian II, Eelector of Saxony. Seton had been traveling to city after city in Germany giving demonstrations of his ability to create high quality gold from base metals using an alchemical powder, when the greedy Elector had imprisoned and tortured him in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain the secret of making the powder. Seton gave Sendivogius a supply of his alchemical powder, but not the secret for making it. When Seton died shortly afterward, Sendivogius married Seton's widow, who gave him an alchemical manuscript left by Seton. Sendivogius published the manuscript at Gdansk in 1604 as his own work, under the title 'Twelve Treatises on the Philosophers' Stone.' Sendovogius made his reputation as a successful alchemist by using the powder he got from Seton to effect many transformations and obtained several titles from grateful rulers, but when the powder ran out, he was reduced to poverty.
The beginning of the Rosicrucian movement is generally accepted as starting in the early 1600's with the publication of three manuscripts in Germany by the Lutheran theologian at Wurtemberg, Johann Valentin Andreae, and his students at Tubingen. The 'Fama Fraternitas R.C.' was first privately circulated in 1610, then published in 1614; this was followed by the 'Confessio Fraternitatis,' also circulated first privately, then published in 1615 along with the fourth reprint of the Fama. Finally, Andrea's 'Chemische Hochzeit Christiani Rosenkreuz 1459' (Chymical Marriage of Christian Rosenkreutz) was published in 1616. The Fama, appended to a work called 'The General Reformation of the World,' told the symbolic tale of a mystic named Christian Rosenkreutz, whose tomb was opened in 1604 with miraculous results. His followers announced the existence of an "invisible college" of enlightened men throughout Europe who called themselves Rosicrucians; these men were prosecuting the Great Work of spiritual transformation and actively opposing the efforts of the Church to destroy the secret knowledge of the spirit. The Fama echoed the words of Sendivogius in his preface to his 'Treatise on Sulphur.' The Confessio went into more detail about the Work of the Rosicrucians, and quoted extensively from Dee's 'Monas Hieroglyphica' and Seton's 'Twelve Treatises.' The 'Chymical Wedding' was an allegory of alchemical achievement that Andreae had written years before, and it had little to do with the first two publications other than the use of the name Christian Rosenkreutz. Some believe the symbol and name of the Rosicrucians was taken from the coat of arms of Martin Luther, although Andreae also had these symbols in his family coat of arms.
One event that spurred Andreae to action was the death of the mathematician and Neo-Platonic mystic, Giordano Bruno. Bruno was a genius and visionary who had fled from his position as a Dominican priest in 1576 to escape charges of heresy. As a mathematician, Bruno is considered the father of statistics; as a visionary, he predicted that the infinite universe contained many worlds that harbored intelligent life. The Church chased Bruno from country to country all through Europe, as he published one after another manuscript on a wide range of mystical subjects. Bruno was captured by the Church in 1592 and tortured for eight years; when he failed to break under torture, he was burned alive at the stake on February 17, 1600. The number of scholars who read Bruno's works, and his frequent thumbing his nose at the Church, made him a 'cause celebre' among Europe's mystics and free-thinkers; consequently, his death strongly affected those mystics interested in Church reform, such as Andreae.
Many alchemists, Kabbalists and scholars declared themselves to be Rosicrucians and published manuscripts that spread their knowledge throughout Europe. A number of groups and societies grew out of these efforts, and one of the most influential and widespread was the Order of the Gold and Rose Cross. This group was said to have been in existence in Germany before the publication of the Fama, as early as 1580; it existed in Gdansk in 1620 and in the Hague, Netherlands in 1622, and in France in 1624, by which time over 400 pamphlets on the Rosicrucians had been published. Michael Sendivogius had lectured to the 19 year old Andreae at Wurttenberg in 1605, and was conducting alchemical work in Gdansk in 1611, so he may have had a hand in this group, which published alchemical manuscripts through the end of the 17th century. As early as 1615, the alchemist Julius Sperber published at Gdansk a manuscript called 'Echo der von Gott hocherleuchteten Fraternitet, des loblichen Ordens Rosae Crucis.' The group, called variously the 'Gold- und Rosenkreuzer Orden' and the 'Bruderschaft der Gold- und Rosenkreuzer,' issued publications that included: "Materia Prima Lapidis Philosophorum" ("A True and Perfect Preparation of the Philosophers' Stone according to Secret Methods of the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross,") published at Nuremburg in 1710 by Sigmund Richter, "Der Rosenkreutzer in seiner Blosse," by Magister Pianco in 1781, "Geheime Figuren der Rosenkreuzer," ("The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians,") published at Altona in 1785, and "Signatstern," published at Stuttgart in 1866. Various elements of the Order of the Gold and Rose Cross were imported to England and served as a basis for magickal groups such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (see 'Origins of Alchemy' ).
Alchemist and Rosicrucian Theophilius Schweighart published a manuscript called Speculum Sophicum Rhodostaurticum in 1618, with included an illustration of the "invisible" college of the Rosicrucians.The Order of the Gold and Rose Cross publication of 1785 contained both alchemical and Kabbalistic drawings, and has had a lot of influence on other Rosicrucian manuscripts. The Order itself drew on the works of the mystic Jacob Bohme, incorporating some of his drawings into their work.
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