The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross - A History of the Rosicrucians

Arthur Edward Waite

Description

“The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross - A History of the Rosicrucians” is Arthur Edward Waite's study of the elusive Rosicrucians, a secret society which the first appeared to the public in Germany in the early 17th century. Arthur Edward Waite (1857 – 1942), more commonly referred to as A. E. Waite, was an American-born British mystic and poet. He wrote profusely on the subject of the occult and esoteric matters, and is famous for being the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. His work arguably constitutes the first attempt to systematically studying the history of western occultism, which he viewed more of a spiritual tradition than proto-science or pseudo-religion, as was the more common conception. Contents include: “Mythical Rosicrucian Precursors”, “Militia Crucifera Evangelica”, “Alchemists And Mystics Symbolism”, “Of The Rose And Cross”, “Fama Fraternitatis R C”, “Confessio Fraternitatis R C”, “The Chemical Nuptials”, “Authorship Of The Chemical Nuptials”, “Development Of Rosicrucian Literature”, etc. Other works by this author include: “The Alchemical Writings of Edward Kelly” (1893), “Turba Philsophorum” (1894), and “Devil-Worship in France” (1896). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de l'esprit
• Religion
• Kabbale
• Body
• Kabbalah
• Mind
• Hermeticism
• Philosophy
• Cábala
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 14 juillet 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528768849
• Langue: English

Extrait

The BROTHERHOOD of the ROSY CROSS
A History of the Rosicrucians
ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE
Copyright 2018 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE
Arthur Edward Waite was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA in 1857. His father died when he was very young, and his widowed mother returned to her home country of England, where he was then raised. Waite was educated at a small private school in North London, and St. Charles College. After school, he became a clerk, and wrote verse in his spare time.
In 1874, the death of Waite s sister saw him become deeply interested in psychical research. He began to read regularly in the Library of the British Museum, studying many branches of esotericism. Not long later, Waite became editor of an occultist magazine called The Unknown World , and in 1891 joined Aleister Crowley s Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. A decade later, he became a Freemason, and entered the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. Waite had a lifelong rivalry with Aleister Crowley, who presented him as a villainous wizard in his novel Moonchild .
Waite was a prolific author, and many of his works were well received in academic circles. He wrote occult texts on subjects such as divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Kabbalism and alchemy; he also translated and reissued several important mystical and occultist works. His works on the Holy Grail rank amongst his finest publications.
However, Waite is best-remembered not for his scholarly work, but for his co-creation of the popular and widely used Rider-Waite Tarot deck, and his authoring of its companion volume, The Key to the Tarot . First published in 1909, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot was notable for being one of the first tarot decks to illustrate all 78 cards fully, in addition to the 22 major arcana cards. The work made him famous, and Waite spent much of the rest of his life lecturing and speaking on the topic of the Tarot. He died in 1942, aged 88.
The BROTHERHOOD of the ROSY CROSS

Frontispiece:
T HE G OLDEN AND R OSY C ROSS , understood in the secret circles as the Cosmic Cross of the Order, symbolizing universal manifestation, with the manifested Christ in the centre as the power and the grace of all things. The motto is: Ego sum flos campi et lilium convallium . This emblem appears on the title-page of G EHEIME F IGUREN , issued at Altona in 1785, and is characteristic of the theosophical spirit which permeates the whole work. It was attached evidently to a ribbon or collar, and is probably the reverse side of a Cross shewn in another plate, described as of fine gold and said to have been worn by each Brother on his breast. The inscription on the reverse is the well-known salutation of the Order which was repeated on exposing the symbol: Benedictus Dominus Deus noster qui dedit nobis signum . Beneath this inscription the signs of Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are written about a six-pointed star, having the Sun in its centre. On the uppermost arm of the Cross are the words: M AGISTER J ESUS C HRISTUS , D EUS ET H OMO ; the horizontal arms bear the signs of the three Philosophical Principles; and on that which is lowermost is inscribed: Frater, Ros et Aure Crucis , i.e. Brother of the Rose and of the Golden Cross. The symbol illustrates the dedications of the Order at this period: but they were no new development, peculiar to the eighteenth century: they were in evidence even at the beginning and are characteristics of the present day more assuredly than ever.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
MYTHICAL ROSICRUCIAN PRECURSORS
Adventitious and inherent difficulties of research into the subject of the Rosy Cross-Analogies in the early history of Emblematic Freemasonry-First Manifestation of the Order and as to that which lay behind it-Its Claims in respect of origin-Exoteric speculations and reveries-A dream about Raymund Lully-The Comte de Falkenstein-A mythos concerning Paracelsus-Agrippa and his Alchemical Society-An alleged dedication of Dr. John Dee-Facts and Inventions concerning Francis Bacon-Curiosities of Baconian criticism and dreams of astral skrying-Implicits of false ascriptions-Of that which remains over after all the Reveries and Inventions
CHAPTER II
MILITIA CRUCIFERA EVANGELICA
Varieties of miscellaneous speculations-A Case which stands by itself-The Story of Simon Studion-The Evangelical Cross-bearing Brethren-Their Rosicrucian resemblances-The N AOMETRIA of Simon Studion-How it offers a concrete fact as a starting-point-Studion may also have married the Rose and Cross in symbolism-The crux of the whole subject-The present location of Studion s work on Prophecy-The deponents who examined his MS.-A reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the present research-An American invention of 1905
CHAPTER III
ALCHEMISTS AND MYSTICS
Claim on the part of original Rose-Cross documents-Their philosophical and theosophical position-Position in respect of alchemy-Jacob B hme-Traces of anterior mystical associations in Germany-The place of Heinrich Khunrath among precursors of the Rosy Cross-Valentine Weigel- gidius Gutmann-Mendacities concerning Faustus Socinus-The Travels of Nicolas Barnaud-Benedictus Figulus-A Hermetist on a Heavenly Quest-Count Bombastes as a Knight of the Rose-Croix-The Diary of Hosea Lux-Conclusion on the findings of this chapter
CHAPTER IV
SYMBOLISM OF THE ROSE AND CROSS
An initial critical distinction-The Rose in symbolism-Vestiges in pagan myth-The Rose in Holy Scripture-The Rose in Christian Legend-The Rose and Shekinah-The Rose and Mary the Mother-T HE R OMANCE OF THE R OSE -The Rose of Dante-The so-called Rose of Khunrath-The Rose of Michael Maier-The Cross in Alchemy-Cross-symbolism of Robert Fludd-Conjunction of Rose and Cross-The Cross and Rose of Luther-The witness of Heraldry-Maier on the Rose and Cross-Later explanation of the name and symbol of the Order-The Rose-Cross symbol according to the mind of Fludd-Present theosophy of the symbol-General conclusion
CHAPTER V
FAMA FRATERNITATIS R C
Position of the Research summarised-Beginning of official publications-Dates and editions of the F AMA -Its previous circulation in manuscript-Testimony of Adam Haselmeyer-Testimony of E CHO F RATERNITATIS and certain early Letters-T HE U NIVERSAL R EFORMATION summarised-Its distinction from the text which follows it-Story of the F AMA F RATERNITATIS -Critical observations on the text-Languages in which it was published-The Tomb of Christian Rosy Cross-Follies and extravagance of modern occult reveries
CHAPTER VI
CONFESSIO FRATERNITATIS R C
Things left over by the F AMA -Bibliography of the C ONFESSIO -Its introductory matter-Unfulfilled promises of the F AMA -The C ONFESSIO and its Reasons of Purpose and Intention-Its anti-Papal spirit and foolish declamation arising therefrom-Postponed promises to Applicants-Sophistic Books-Birth-date of Christian Rosy Cross-Failure of the C ONFESSIO to support the ambitious claims of the supposed Order
CHAPTER VII
THE CHEMICAL NUPTIALS
The M AGNUM O PUS in Romance-The Marriage and its date of celebration-The text and its place in the literature-The Seven Books of the Marriage-Their story at large-Its effect on the German occult mind-Its meaning unfolded in commentaries-Origin of the text
CHAPTER VIII
AUTHORSHIP OF THE CHEMICAL NUPTIALS
Johannes Valentinus Andre -His literary output-His Autobiography-The author of N UPTI C HYMIC -Described as a Ludibrium -Its progeny of monsters-Its publication many years after-Possible interpolation of the text-Possible concealed motive-An alternative speculation-Comparative value of two hypotheses-Andre and Studion-Andre and Tobias Hess-Rosicrucian Manifestoes as a planned hoax-Reasons for rejecting this view-Position of the Occult Sciences at the period-Thesis of Godfrey Arnold-Tracts against the Rosy Cross by Andre T URRIS B ABEL -Evidence of M YTHOLOGIA C HRISTIANA -Preface to the Third Book-The Dialogues of M ENIPPUS -The House of the Rosy Cross not built by Andre -His probable relation to the movement-How again we are referred back to N AOMETRIA -The C R C legend and that of Raymund Lully-Conclusion on Andre
CHAPTER IX
DEVELOPMENT OF ROSICRUCIAN LITERATURE
Reception of the first Manifestoes-Clash of Opinion in Pamphlets and Books of the Period-Applications for Admission to the Hidden Brotherhood and its Holy House-Dedications to the Rosy Cross-Accusing Voices-Champions of the Cause in Germany-The E CHO F RATERNITATIS -Julianus de Campis-Other Claimants to Initiation-E LUCIDARIUS M AJOR and E LUCIDARIUS C HYMICUS -A Cloud of Notions-Religion of the Order-The Case of Libavius-Hostile works-Menapius and Schweighardt-Florentinus de Valentia-Iren us Agnostus-Isaiah sub Cruce-Metamorphosis of the Rosicrucian subject in the hands of later Apologists and in presumed Official Publications
CHAPTER X
ENGLISH ROSICRUCIANISM
A Memorable Shrine at Bearsted-The Church and Manor House-The Tomb of Robert Fludd-A great Protagonist of the Rosy Cross in England-Characteristics of his Writings-His Quest in Philosophy and Medicine-His Travels abroad-His first Published Works-A POLOGIA C OMPENDIARIA and T RACTATUS A POLOGETICUS -Their Defence of the Order-The Rosy Cross and King James I of England-The S HORT D ECLARATION of Robert Fludd-His Address to the Order-T RNCTATUS -T HEOLOGO -P HILOSOPHICUS -The Secret Tradition and the Rosy Cross-Its Treasures of Heaven-The spiritualisation of the Order by Fludd-Hostile criticisms of Mersenne-The reply in S OPHI CUM M ORIA C ERTAMEN -Its momentous additamentum in the S UMMUM B ONUM of Joachim Fritz-Its defence of the Brotherhood-The Hidden Church of the Rosy Cross-A Voice speaking from within-The House of Wisdom-Heads of a Rosicr