Rmack
Van Allen Belt Sunbather
. . .
No matter what outcome I'm personally expecting, I'm bracing myself for the long haul so I don't feel too disappointed if the "ending of this novel" fails to satisfy.
I think future Internet historians will mark Oct-Nov 2013 (Super Power / GAT II releases) as the major turning point and "beginning of the end" of the COS. However, I've studied history enough to realize that many movements and schools of thought have a long shelf lives and are unkillable. Some endure for hundreds of years, despite questionable or sketchy delivery on their ultimate promises.
Though Rosicrucianism has zero influence in the world, the main thing you can say about it is it's still around in some form or another after 400 years. Just tossing it up as one example for a look.
Here are some parallels (excerpts indented) from some articles I found.
Will Scientology follow a similar path to Rosicrucianism?
Extremely vague
What exactly are Rosicrucians? Their website is extremely vague, saying only that they aren't a religious organization.
Unkillable and kicking around for over 400 years
In 1614 a curious pamphlet entitled the Fama Fraternitatis was published in Cassel, Germany.
Mystical wisdom
The Fama tells the story of one Christian Rosencreutz who, as a young man, wandered through the Near East learning the mystical wisdom of the Arabs and Egyptians and finding much enlightenment there. Upon returning to Germany he attempted to share this knowledge but was laughed at and shunned. He and a few like-minded people formed a society called the Fraternity of the Rose Cross, building a temple called the Spiritus Sanctus.
Like minded membership only
It doesn't explicitly ask people to join, but says the group's members will be watching for those in tune with their thinking.
State of grace
This was followed in 1615 by another purported Rosicrucian publication, the Confessio Fraternitatis, in the same vein as the first but much more apocalyptic. It told not only of a society that had obtained the secrets of enlightenment, but of a forthcoming reformation of the age, returning it a state of grace.
Spiritual gold
A third document appeared in 1616 entitled The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz. This is a highly symbolic treatise following Rosencreutz 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."
Current push
Probably the best known group is the Ancient Mystical Order Rosea Crucis, otherwise known as AMORC, which operates a mail-order mystical school out of San Jose, California. It was founded by H. Spencer Lewis, an acquaintance if not an actual associate of the English occultist Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and an ex-member of his Ordo Templi Orientalis.
Source: www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2225/what-is-rosicrucianism-all-about
Join a group with a purpose
"To participate in a movement" is to understand truly the Rosicrucian tradition.
Pushing freedom
Who was responsible for the introduction of the scientific methods, freedom of thought, the elements of democracy, the advancement of peace and culture, and many more? The philosophers and mystics, many of whom worked within movements and many within the Order.
This short attempt to show the history and tradition of Rosicrucianism points out the significant role it played in the past, and the bright place the future holds for it. Traditionally and historically, the Rosicrucian movement has always fought for the establishment and perpetuation of freedom – the freedom of mind, spirit, and soul. This website is dedicated to that movement.
Source: http://www.crcsite.org/rosicrucianism.htm
Today's Saint Louis Org is very a Rosicrucian-esque, mausoleum-like building.
Great post, but a couple of things.
As you mentioned, the Chemical Marriage is an allegory. C.R. is not a man, but Man.
I wouldn't say they have had zero influence on society. Ben Franklin was suppose to be associated. I've heard rumors of Abraham Lincoln's involvement. In modern times, David Bowie was associated with the Ordo Templi Orientis, the cult that Crowley founded. Led Zeppelin's lead guitarist Jimmy Page was very into this stuff, and their music has had a profound effect. Others could be named.
AMORC is probably the best known, but they are pretty watered down. Their curriculum is very stretched out, and rather elementary compared with some more advanced groups. Spencer Lewis was associated with, I think, the Alpha et Omega, which was an early American Golden Dawn group that imploded from internal strife, and splintered into several groups, AMORC being one of them.
The thing to keep in mind is that all of these groups are lower level steps to much more hidden and secretive groups that only approach potential initiates after they have proven themselves amenable to the system in several levels of preparatory groups. Members are completely unaware (usually) of this, and most will never find out.
Freemasonry is an early example of these preparatory and filtering groups, though most, if not all of its current membership are unaware of this function.
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