Publisher's Synopsis
Mysteries of the Rosie Cross is a classic religious study and Rosicrucian history text. In the following pages an attempt has been made to convey something like an intelligible idea of the peculiar mystic sect known to the readers of history, as the Rosicrucians. The subject is confessedly difficult, owing to the grossly absurd character of the writings left by the disciples of this body, and the secrecy with which they sought to surround their movements and clothe their words. Anything like a consecutive narration is an impossibility, the materials at hand being so fragmentary and disjointed. We have, however, done the best that we could with such facts as were within reach, and if we are not able to present so scientific and perfect a treatise as we might have hoped to do, we at least trust that the following contribution to the scanty literature treating of this matter will be found interesting, and will throw some light upon what is shrouded in such profound mystery. Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement which arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts which purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its knowledge attractive to many. The mysterious doctrine of the order is allegedly "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." The manifestos do not elaborate extensively on the matter, but clearly combine references to Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Alchemy and mystical Christianity. The Rosicrucian manifestos heralded a "universal reformation of mankind," through a science allegedly kept secret for decades until the intellectual climate might receive it. Controversies have arisen on 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. In 1616, Johann Valentin Andreae famously designated it as a "ludibrium." By promising 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 interested themselves in the Rosicrucian world view. According to historian David Stevenson, it was influential to Freemasonry as it was emerging in Scotland. In later centuries, many esoteric societies have claimed to derive from the original Rosicrucians. Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rosy Cross or Rose Cross.
