Hermetic Rosicrucianism

Today we are going to talk about the hermetic tradition and Rosicrucianism. I've been trying to trace Organic Gnosticism through the centuries and we made it to the 13th and 14th centuries and then hit a big mess because that's where it seemed like everything was happening.

One of the things that we have not really talked about is the hermetic tradition, which is related to alchemy and to the Rosicrucian’s. What I'm interested in is what I call Organic Gnosticism, which is soul development through a combination of mysticism and tantrism.

Traditionally, 1378 is the birth date of Christian Rosenkreutz who was the founder of the Rosicrucian order. That was the 14th century, and there was a whole grouping of alchemists alive at that time.

In the 15th century, we see Martin Luther as one of the main figures. Now I'm a Rosicrucian elder. That's my spiritual school which my soul has found again and again lifetime after lifetime.

I spent over 22 years in the Rosicrucian Order AMORC and according to the first Imperator H Spencer Lewis, Martin Luther was the Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order in Germany during his lifetime. This would place the Rosicrucians in the 15th century. His coat of arms had a cross with a garland of roses in the middle which was highly symbolic for Rosicrucians.

From there the Rosicrucian movement seems to go to England to Sir Francis Bacon in the 16th and 17th centuries. That's when the first Rosicrucian manifestoes came out in 1616. But it's also a time of Rosicrucian writers and hermetic writers such as Jakob Boehme, Robert Fludd and Elias Ashmore.

These are well-known names and we want to just throw them out there. But I am saying that the teachings I received had this Rosicrucian movement beginning in Germany with Martin Luther and the Protestant revolution.

Sir Francis Bacon began Freemasonry as a social experiment, especially high-grade Freemasonry in the 17th century according to the teachings that I received through the Rosicrucian Order. Freemasonry continues on into the present day.

Freemasonry exploded and soon there were all kinds of masonic lodges and teachings all over the world. John Yarker tried to unite a lot of these teachings into his own masonic order which became known as the Rite Of Memphis and Mizraim.

Albert Pike was another prominent Freemason who created the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. These men were in conflict with each other. The Scottish Rite was Kabbalistic in nature and the Rite of Memphis and Mizraim was not.

I find it interesting that even though I studied the Scottish Rite and the writings of Albert Pike I was never initiated into the Scottish Rite. I have been initiated into the York rite of Freemasonry, the Rosicrucian Order AMORC, the Traditional Martinist Order and even the OTO of Aleister Crowley.

So my own lineage follows that of John Yarker. Theodore Reuss inherited John Yarker’s position as head of this branch of Freemasonry and of course Aleister Crowley continued the OTO after the death of Theodore Reuss. But Crowley’s teaching were Kabbalistic!

Crowley’s OTO involved the development of the soul and its powers under a Kabbalistic framework and included the secrets of sex magic.

There seem to be three threads that come out of ancient Rosicrucianism.

H Spencer Lewis and the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, which I am an elder in also came out of John Yarker’s school. Both Aleister Crowley and H Spencer Lewis were initiates of the rites of Memphis and Mizraim.

Something else I find interesting is that the OTO continues with the Gnostic Catholic Church which Papus created. But but the Rosicrucian Order AMORC continues with the Traditional Martinist Order which Papus was the head of.

The Rosicrucian Order AMORC is very intent on mystical Christianity and the path of mysticism which leads to the development of Cosmic Consciousness. The OTO is more interested in combining magical and mystical paths together in a Kabbalistic framework.

I discovered a third branch that was previously unknown through my translation work of Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stanislaw Przybyszewski. I call this third branch Organic Gnosticism. This was the development of the soul and its powers through love relationships and tantric practices. It was also known as German Satanism.

Both Przybyszewski and Ewers show the same dark current or black current of sexual energy in their writings that Crowley's writings have been accused of. I personally believe that it is highly likely that Aleister Crowley was initiated by Ewers in New York during the time they were together there.

Hanns Heinz Ewers had been lecturing about German Satanism [Organic Gnosticism] for approximately 7 to 10 years before he knew Crowley and was well-established. It was widely thought that Ewers was the spiritual successor to Przybyszewski.

Letters exist where Ewers calls Przybyszewski the equivalent of Worthy Master, indicating that they belonged to the same spiritual organization.

Here are a few lines about Przybyszewski’ s funeral.

“He was the author of many publications and a highly successful public speaker. His funeral procession, headed by a four horse carriage with State insignia was 3/4 mile long and included State and Church dignitaries, chancellors of colleges and universities, writers and journalists.”

Anyone that has a funeral procession that large with so many respected people attending was not just some unknown writer!