or a Discovery of the Fraternity of the Most Laudable Order of the Christina d’Arcy, SRC During the period leading up to had just waged eight atrocious Wars of the publication of the first Rosicrucian Religion over thirty-six years. Henry IV manifesto in 1614, Europe was in a moral of France, a progressive king who was crisis. New scientific discoveries and religiously tolerant, was assassinated by a theories were challenging long-held beliefs religious fanatic. Plague and drought added and dogmas. The Roman Catholic Church’s to the turmoil. Seeking scapegoats for these various Inquisitions responded with renewed calamities, intolerance and superstition were intensity. The Roman Inquisition had just rampant. publicly burned at the stake the scientist Many people hoped for a “new and mystic , who adhered Reformation,” but who would dare to the belief that the universe was infinite raise their voices or offer solutions and that other solar systems exist. They under conditions like this? Who? – the began to scrutinize (and later placed under Rosicrucians. It was in this climate that a house arrest until his death) the brilliant group of students and teachers at Tubingen Italian natural philosopher, astronomer, and University in Germany anonymously mathematician Galileo Galilei (a committed published the first Rosicrucian manifesto, Catholic) for his support of the Copernican the Fama Fraternitatis, in 1614, sending an theory. Protestants and Roman Catholics appeal to the leaders of Europe to restore

Rosicrucian Digest No. 1 2019 Fama Fraternitatis in the Rare Books Room in the Rosicrucian Research Library. Page 24 Thoth Judgment Scene, 1298 BCE, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. harmony in society and proposing new Fama Fraternitatis means for doing so. The Fama presents the allegorical They offered that Europe could usher initiatic journey of Brother C.R. (later in a new era of peace and prosperity by called ), a mythical embracing the knowledge of the Primordial figure who is credited with founding the Rosicrucian Order. Rosenkreuz means Tradition, combining mysticism with “rose cross” in German. scientific knowledge based on observations of nature. They proposed Hermetism (the C.R. was born in Germany in 1378 to a poor but noble family. At the age of five, ancient Egyptian wisdom passed on through he was orphaned. A brother from a nearby the lineage of ) as monastery looked after him and took a solution for their societal crisis and responsibility for his education. Some advocated a program of reform based on years later they set out on a pilgrimage to esotericism. together, however the brother Hermes Trismegistus was a later died at their first stop – Cyprus. The young manifestation of Thoth, the all-knowing C.R. then continued alone, traveling to Damcar, , Fez, and Spain gathering sage and teacher of Initiates in ancient knowledge and experiences along the way. Egypt. Thoth was usually portrayed as an He never went to Jerusalem. ibis holding a palette, reed, and papyrus, Cyprus was the birthplace of the Greek always ready to record the words of the goddess Aphrodite whose union with Deity. He was the keeper of the mysteries Hermes gave birth to Hermaphrodite, an and the Initiator. The Greeks later merged androgynous child. Androgyny symbolizes him with their deity Hermes, who over time the balance of the primordial masculine became Hermes Trismegistus – the three and feminine, harmonized wholeness of times great Hermes. the spiritual and material, and freedom Page 25 Hermes Trismegistus in Siena Cathedral.

from the world’s duality. In , , the German-Swiss androgyny is a form of spiritual alchemy physician and alchemist, had worked to in which a new being is created through synthesize many different branches of the natural harmony of the feminine and esoteric knowledge. He was a pioneer in masculine. several aspects of the medical revolution of the Renaissance, emphasizing the Damcar was a mystical city of secret value of observation in combination with Arabia, inhabited by a group of . received wisdom and establishing the role An important encyclopedia gathering of chemistry in medicine. He rejected the together both scientific and esoteric Galen medical approach and met with the knowledge was compiled there. Damcar most important alchemists of his time, was known to have safeguarded the not only to learn their efficacious medical Corpus Hermeticum – the core documents treatments, but also to discover the latent of the Hermetic tradition, perpetuating forces of Nature and how to use them. the wisdom of the Mystery Schools of After three years of study in Damcar, ancient Egypt. C.R. spent a brief time in Egypt studying biology and zoology. He then traveled to While in Damcar, C.R. met with the Fez. Ismaeilian magi who passed on to him Fez was an important philosophical important knowledge in physics and and intellectual center with magnificent mathematics (contributions from the Arab libraries. It was also known for its alchemy world) and gave him a secret book called schools. C.R. perfected his knowledge of Rosicrucian the Book M (Liber Mundi - Book of the historical cycles there and learned through Digest No. 1 World) with the ideas of Paracelsus, which nature that what is below is like that which 2019 he translated into Latin. is above. C.R. was introduced to the Page 26 “elementary inhabitants” (gnomes, fairies, knowledge questioned. The same thing nymphs, etc.) who revealed many of their happened in other nations. secrets to him. These are the invisible, Once back home in Germany, C.R. spiritual counterparts of visible Nature – began to write down all the knowledge the essences of earth, air, water, and fire. he had gained on his journey. After five According to Paracelsus, they share the years, he invited three trusted brothers secrets of Nature with those who know from his old monastery to join him in his how to contact them. work. C.R.’s goal was to create a fraternity C.R. was most impressed with the capable of providing council to the rulers of Europe (like the ancient oracles), who trans-disciplinary collaboration among the would become the guiding lights of society. scholars of Arabia and Africa who met This is the allegorical beginning of the each year to share their knowledge. They Fraternity of the Rose Cross. Later four celebrated if they found better ideas or if others joined them for a total of eight. experience showed the reasoning of their previous findings might not be correct. Once they felt that each of them was Every year their knowledge in mathematics, sufficiently instructed in the work and able to present it fluently, they separated physics, and was amended. themselves to live in several countries in Spain was C.R.’s last major stop before order to disseminate the knowledge (which returning home. He longed to share what they believed would be more effective if he had learned on his journey, but soon done in secret) and to observe and learn realized that the scholars of Spain were from events from the perspective of that more interested in protecting what they country, which they would report back to already believed. They did not want their the others.

Page 27 Before separating, they agreed to the discover a new era by setting aside obsolete following: beliefs and embracing knowledge. This 1. That none of them should profess knowledge was not new; rather it was the any other thing, then [they would] wisdom passed on from antiquity. cure the sick, and that gratis. The new Rosicrucians resealed the 2. None of [them] should be tomb. The Fama states that some few may constrained to wear one certain join them to increase the number and kind of habit, but therein to follow respect of their Fraternity and to renew the custom of the country. the beginnings of the philosophy laid out 3. That every year upon the day C. by Christian Rosenkreuz. They will have they should meet together at the the privilege of not walking so blindly in house S. Spiritus, or write the cause the knowledge of the wonderful works of his absence. of the Divine, thus making their lives less 4. Every Brother should look about challenging. for a worthy person, who after his The Fama ends with a direct request, decease might succeed him. again, to the learned of Europe to consider 5. The word C.R. should be their seal, their offer to help restore harmony to mark, and character. society and to declare their agreement. 6. The Fraternity should remain secret These Rosicrucians make no mention of one hundred years. their names or meetings yet imply that Brother C.R. went through transition they will connect with whoever is worthy in 1484 at the age of 106. Then, 120 years of joining their cause. later, the tomb of C.R. was discovered by a new generation of Rosicrucians. This is With this, Hermes Trismegistus was reminiscent of the mythical account of replaced by a more human personality – Apollonius of Tyana, who centuries earlier Brother C.R./Christian Rosenkreuz – and had discovered the tomb of Hermes through him, the Rosicrucians, the new Trismegistus containing the perpetuators of the Ancient Mysteries, with the esoteric secrets of Hermes and dedicated to restoring peace and harmony a book explaining the secrets of creation. in the world through a philosophy based C.R.’s tomb contained many treasures too, on science and mysticism. including previously unknown scientific So Mote It Be! objects and the manuscripts containing all the knowledge gathered by C.R.. The texts ______were primarily alchemical and Paracelsian Resources: in nature. The new Rosicrucians would perpetuate this knowledge to help restore Anonymous, FAMA FRATERNITATIS peace and harmony in society. or a DISCOVERY of the Fraternity of the Most Laudable Order of the Rose Cross, Cassel, The tomb also contained the pristine body of Brother C.R. Germany, 1614. The Fama explains that just as these Christian Rebisse, Rosicrucian History Rosicrucian Rosicrucians had broken through a wall and Mysteries (San Jose: Grand Lodge of the Digest No. 1 to discover this treasure trove of ancient English Language Jurisdiction, AMORC, 2019 knowledge, they hoped that Europe would 2005). Page 28