Frater Dana

George Fox, Forgotten Rosicrucian

During the English Civil War, the Holy Spirit moved upon the face of that island nation. She illuminated individuals such as John Pordage and Jane Lead with her divine wisdom. But there is one such seventeenth-century Christian mystic who is often overlooked.

George Fox was an itinerant preacher born in Leicestershire, England, who started the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). He was active during the same period as Jane Lead, and while Lead is lauded in our tradition, Fox never comes up much in conversations.

I want to change that.

During the war, Fox preached to the soldiers. But he endured a crisis of faith due to the bloodshed he witnessed. Then, in 1647, during the height of his despair, he heard an inner voice state:

“There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.”

In 1648, Fox had a vision of ascending into heaven. There he encountered the state of Adam before the Fall. Fox stated in his own words: “through the flaming sword into the paradise of God … creation was opened to me.”[1] Fox came to believe that revelation, as an inward experience of Christ, was more important than scripture. However, he also believed that scripture could be used as an authoritative guideline to validate or invalidate the authenticity of such experiences.

He believed that the Second Coming of Christ was an inward unfoldment. Christ dwells within each person as an Inner Light that grants us guidance and illumination when we can tune into it. This Inner Light is the same as the Inner Word of the Rosicrucians. We can go deep down within ourselves to reach this Inner Light. We can then use it to regenerate and transform our lives. It is a valid alchemical process.

George Fox

In 1652, Fox began to preach his new message. But unfortunately, his spiritual insights infuriated the people of his time. People often pummeled him with fists and stones. And the authorities had him arrested eight times. Yet his fervor never wavered.

Several of his earliest disciples were Behemists. In 1664, Francis Ellington proclaimed that Fox was the fulfillment of Boehme’s prophecies of a lilly blossoming in the northern countries. About Fox, he stated: “what the Lord spake through that Faithful Servant of his Jacob Behme, in the Year 1623, is now near to be fulfilled.”[2]

In 1677, the Flemish Rosicrucian Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont traveled to England and joined the Quakers.[3] He might have imparted alchemical and cabalistic ideas among some of them.

Numerous Quakers crossed the ocean to Pennsylvania, where there were interactions with groups, such as the Ephrata Cloister.

“None of them should profess any other thing then to cure the sick, and that gratis.”

The Quakers believe that as a community, its members can be healed via the collective effort of their egregore.

“None of the posterity should be constrained to wear one certain kind of habit, but therein to follow the custom of the country.”

The Quakers believe that members should wear plain dress (simple clothing) to remain humble and modest.

The earliest Quakers in the United States were opposed to slavery. As progressives and advocates for social justice, modern Quakers can be said to possess a certain utopian and pansophic aspect.

The writer’s personal opinion is that the Religious Society of Friends is compatible with our tradition. Most Rosicrucians would feel quite at home attending Quaker meetings.

A special thanks goes to those Friends who have been kind to me throughout the years.

Light Bless You,

Dana Wright

Footnotes:

[1] Fox, George. 1952. The Journal of George Fox, ed. John L. Nickalls, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

[2] Ellington, F. Christian Information concerning these Last times. London, 1664.

[2] F.S. Darrow, Letters, Mss. Collection, Friends House Library, London, 28 March, 1928.

The Rosicrucian Tradition

Rosicrucianism is a difficult topic to define, because its ephemeral nature tends to resist efforts to delineate and (…) it. It started as an isolated phenomenon that lasted from (…) to (…). Beyond this time period, the tradition mutated (…). When we take a look at the original movement, we can discern certain (…) that can lead us to a better understanding of (…).

1) The Reformation of the Macrocosm:

The Renaissance (1300-1700) was a cultural rebirth in Europe that marked the transition from the medieval to the modern world. It was characterized with the renovation of the arts and sciences, as well as the advent of humanism, with the Latin and Greek classics held in high regard. It was unfortunate then that this period was also marred with disease, such as the Black Death, and wars, such as the German Peasants’ War (1524-25) and the Thirty Years War (1618–48) that devastated Europe.

Scientists were safe for the most part. But one needed to be careful since the burning of witches would not culminate until the end of the eighteenth-century. In 1614, the Rosicrucians emerged into this world of renovation and turbulence. Scientific innovations, such astronomy and mathematics, had jarred these Christian thinkers from the normal doldrum. In their hands, astrology and astronomy could coexist. Alchemy and chemistry could coexist. Magic and science could coexist. The Renaissance blurred the line between past and future.

Rosicrucianism started as a revitalization movement that sought to breathe new life into the stagnant culture through a fresh infusion of classical ideas from the past. The goal of the Rosicrucians was religious and social revitalization via Cabalistic and Hermetic ideas from the past.

Revitalization movements fall into the following categories:

Messianism
Millenarianism
Revivalism
Utopianism

Messianism is the idea that a leader will emerge who will serve as a savior or deliverer from a corrupt world. This relates with millenarianism, the notion that this leader will herald an age of peace.

The Rosicrucian movement fell into all four of these categories. Numerous Christians believed that the End Times were at hand during this era. Simon Studion had predicted the apocalypse in his Naometria (1592). And the Great Conjunction of 1623 was an auspicious omen. The Rosicrucians believed that the End Times were at hand. But unlike mainstream population, who believed the doom and gloom of the Book of Revelation, the Rosicrucians believed in the coming Golden Age of Paracelsus. Religious and social turmoil would lead to the Kingdom of Heaven.

God would calcine the world in the alchemical crucible to reveal its inner spirit. All would be revealed in a bright flash of scientific revelation. Tommaso Campanella predicted the return of Elijah the Prophet in Monarchia Messiae (1604). The Rosicrucians believed that a messianic king known as the Lion of Septentrion (Lion of the North) would arrive and establish a utopia. Many associated Frederick V with the Lion of Septentrion. His defeat at the Battle of White Mountain (1620) dashed the utopian dream.

2) The Regeneration of the Microcosm:

The second goal is the regeneration of man. Regeneration is the process of bringing the soul to the true gnosis (knowledge) of God. It is the true goal of religion, whether or not it is acknowledged. Regeneration has three effects: 1) man rises above the world and the influences of the stars; in other words, he learns to become responsible for his destiny rather than being a victim of planetary and zodiacal forces. 2) man rises to such divine heights that he gains the ability to receive prophecy and work miracles. 3) the man becomes a member of the invisible fraternity.

What is the invisible fraternity?

Instead of looking at it as a group of disincarnate Ascended Masters who guide humanity, we can perceive it as those incarnate individuals connected through time and space with an invisible thread. So what is this invisible Rosicrucian thread? Well, for the original Rosicrucians, it was the body of Jesus Christ, the invisible spiritual church of Sebastian Franck. But for modern practitioners, it could be the body of Osiris.

So how does one go about spiritual regeneration?

3) The Science of Alchemy:

Alchemy is the purification of the soul. Andreae spoke against outer alchemy that sought to create gold in a lab. He instead emphasized the inner alchemy that facilitates spiritual regeneration. The gold of internal alchemy is love, the domain of the goddess Venus. To arrive at the gold, we must imitate Christ. First, we must suffer from the vicissitudes of life. Our spirit is then released so that it can consume and digest the impurities of our lesser nature like a snake munching on a rodent.

When our spirit returns to its purified vessel, a resurrection occurs. This cycle repeats several times throughout life. The ouroboros is symbolic of this process — the serpent (higher nature) swallows its tail (lower nature) ad nauseam. When we are arrogant enough to think that the process is complete, the universe will give us another kick in the pants. Groups such as the Orden des Gold-und Rosenkreutz (Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross) used laboratory alchemy to prepare its initiates for the more significant work of inner spiritual alchemy and magic.

4) THe Practice of Magic:

There are four varieties of Rosicrucian magic:

Healing
Natural
Theurgical
Divine

Like Paracelsus before them, Rosicrucians are healers. Their methods are not only occult, but also scientific. Metaphysical healing is fine. It does work. But a true Rosicrucian will have at least a basic understanding of anatomy and first aid. They are going to have some basic knowledge of herbalism and pharmacology. You should know how to make some essential remedies. Herbs that correspond with the sun can be great for Rosicrucian healing magic. Natural magic is the magic of Ficino and Agrippa. The use of natural items, such as herbs and stones, that are infused with the virtue or quintessence of the planetary spheres. For example, one might wear a golden ring to attract the solar forces.

Theurgy is the magical process of climbing up Jacob’s ladder toward the godhead. The Holy Guardian Angel is an entity that is sometimes benign — often frightening. As an avatar or embodiment of the god within, it guides (or pushes) us up that ladder. The dilemma: Rosicrucians disagree about what that means. Does climbing the ladder lead to personal transcendence or universal transcendence? I would argue that personal development helps lead to the elevation of humanity as a whole. Divine magic is associated with communicating with entities, such as angels, that are higher up the ladder than we are. These entities can give us advice on how to avoid the pitfalls or make further progress on the path.

Thus, we have:

The reformation of social institutions through the use of a combination of messianism, millenarianism, revivalism, and utopianism.

And the regeneration of ourselves through the use of certain alchemical and magical practices.

Fraternally & Sincerely,

Dana Wright

Andreae-Wappen

Inward Initiation

In 1600, German shoemaker, Jacob Boehme, had a divine revelation as he gazed at a pewter dish that sparkled in the sunlight. In 1612, he articulated this infused knowledge in his The Rising of Dawn. In 1670, Jane Lead, had a powerful vision of Virgin Sophia, not long after the death of her husband. In 1681, after the death of John Pordage, she assumed leadership of the Philadelphian Society, a group of Protestant Christians within the English dissenter movement. These are two examples of inward initiation within the context of the Western esoteric tradition.

Initiation is a hard thing to define. We like to limit it to those spooky rites that we undertake in candlelit lodges. But on a more base level it can include any event that causes a major shift in consciousness. It serves as a paradigm shift that shakes a person out of their doldrum existence. The individual cannot resume life as normal. Life has been shifted into a higher gear. The individual has traded in their old Honda for a Ferrari. Initiation provides a person with a newer, more-powerful vehicle for their consciousness. And it can take time to get used to the extra horsepower.

There are two main forms of initiation: outward and inward.

We are all familiar with the outward initiations that take place in lodges and temples. Inward initiations are those personal and subjective experiences that can cause a person to cross a liminal threshold:

Dreams
Near-death experiences
Psychedelic experiences
Revelations
Visions

The only hard rule is that these experiences have to be profound enough to cause a significant shift in consciousness. These experiences are given great importance in cultures that exist outside of industrial civilization. But in the West these experiences are usually discounted as aberrations of an unsound mind. Mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, can make it hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Rational acumen and discernment are necessary to separate legitimate spiritual experience from whimsical fantasy. The individual must tread on sound and sturdy ground.

Outward initiation into a lodge serves to forge an etheric link between the candidate and the inner plane contact. This contact serves to guide and teach the members of the magical lodge. Inner development is necessary to maintain and strengthen this link; otherwise the link will dissipate and fade with time. For example, a person initiated into the Golden Dawn tradition must continue to do the work to retain the link. Likewise, a person who has received an inward initiation has forged such a link. But outward work must be done; otherwise the experience is lost to the individual.

The Hermetic credo “as above so below, as within so without” holds true. Outward initiation within a magical lodge must be reinforced with inner development; otherwise it is nothing more than empty ceremony. The Golden Dawn initiate must keep up with the daily ritual work that facilitates inner development. Inward initiation must be reinforced with outer work; otherwise it is nothing more than a mystical experience. The initiate must travel to the castle to locate Virgin Sophia and the crucible. There the experience is transmuted.

There are individuals who collect degrees and grades without any focus on inner development. There is a sort of consumerism mentality that can take place with some people. Likewise, there are individuals who are preoccupied with inward experiences without any focus on outer work. People on both sides of the coin must strive for balance. The Great Work requires the initiate to place his heart upon the altar as a sacrifice. In other words, you have to sacrifice and do the work to facilitate the initiatory process. You have to put gas in the tank.

ladder

Milk and Wine

The wind possessed a frigid chill despite it being a sunny day. Crammed in an automobile, we set out in the late afternoon along a rural road. We drove for miles in silence through the verdant terrain. In a secluded glade deep in the forest, we celebrated the sacred consummation of Christ and Sophia within the bridal chamber of the natural world. Sophia is the deification of nature — the source of all life — who nourishes gods and humans alike with the milk from her breasts. She is the many-breasted Ephesian Artemis of the Greco-Roman world.

Sophia

We used an uprooted tree encrusted with moss as an altar. Upon it we placed a sprig of hawthorn and a chalice of wine. Hawthorn is associated with marriage and sexual union. In this case, it is associated with the sacred marriage of Christ and Sophia. It is also associated with the crown of thorns that Christ wore during the crucifixion. In the Cabalistic tradition of the Rose and Thorn, the cross is superimposed over the Tree of Life. Thus, the head of Christ, adorned with the crown of thorns, rests upon Kether. Kether is associated with Uranus, the emasculated god, who is in turn associated with the Wounded King of Arthurian legend.

The layers of symbolism get deep…

The chalice of wine was shared among us as a magical sacrament. It sparks within each of the brethren a desire to undertake the Grail Quest. In the Cabalistic tradition of the Rose and Thorn, Geburah is associated with the spear that pierced the side of Christ, and Chesed is associated with the chalice that caught the blood from the wound. In the Elder Futhark, the spear corresponds to Thurisaz (Thorn) while the chalice corresponds to Pertho (Cup). These polarities — Christ and Sophia — Spear and Chalice — contain layers and layers of mysteries.

– Dana

Chalice

Merry Christmas

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

December is a busy month for us at the Rosae Solis.

December 8th was our feast day for Sophia. Catholics will notice that our celebration takes place on the same day as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Members pray for the inner spirit of Christ to be nourished. And other petitions are made as well.

December 21st is our winter solstice celebration. It is a time for quiet introspection and soul-searching. There is also certain work that is done in regard to the sphere of sensation. The winter solstice is of particular importance to us this year due to the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. As most of you know, this planetary conjunction has great significance to the Rosicrucians.

And of course, December 25th is Christmas. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas from the bottoms of our hearts.

Merry Christmas,

Dana Wright

Small Groups

Some of the best groups are small and quiet. Big groups seem to be on the decline. Lodges are shutting their doors en masse. But there are small groups that are thriving and doing great work. Let us take a quick look at a few of the obscure currents that are helping to carry the torch.

Catherine Kunzog: My grandmother was born in 1924, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Her grandfather, Adam Kunzog, was a Christian mystic who immigrated from Germany. His esoteric teachings have been the spiritual foundation of our family for four generations. She advocated a personal, mystical relationship with God, as well as a pious Christian lifestyle. She got me started on the esoteric path at an early age and was one of my greatest initiators. I listed this family tradition, because I will be passing it down to my two daughters.

EAST (Ephrata Aurora Society of Theosophers): This group is a modern descendant of the Ephrata Cloister located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century. This group practices alchemical mysticism, as well as baptismal mysteries based upon the teachings of Jacob Boehme and his lineage of theosophers.

Gallets Circle: This small group met in an old farmhouse in Chautauqua County, New York, to conduct Cabalistic pathworkings. Members would share and record their experiences at the end of each meeting. There was no designated leader, so this group imploded when one of its members attempted to become an authoritarian leader. Fortunately, their ritual format was carried over to a new group, the EOL (Eyes of Light), that continues to this day.

Ordo Rosae Solis (Order of the Rose and the Sun): This small group practices a form of spiritual alchemy based upon the alchemical marriage of the solar force and alchemical mercury. There is a lovely ritual that is performed during the summer solstice. It is an exclusive group with a small membership. Prospective members are invited based upon genuineness and friendship. There is a spiritual alchemy that takes place between brothers and sisters who are friends.

Rosicrucian Underworld

Back in September, we explored a cavern in Pennsylvania. Those who go spelunking can attest that caverns are strange.

According to cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman burial might be one of the earliest forms of religious practice.[1] Inhumation can be traced back to the Neanderthals of the Stone Age (circa 130,000 BCE). At some point, ancient peoples devised the concept of an afterlife associated with these burial processes. The Mesopotamians believed that once buried, people dwell in an underworld, where the dead “live in darkness, eat clay, and are clothed like birds with wings.” Sounds like fun!

In classical Judaism, death meant game over! Once a person died, the respiratory processes ceased. The person was then buried in the ground where their body decomposed. According to Eccles. 3:19–20: “man has no advantage over the beasts … all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.” Nonetheless, some of the Jewish people had a concept of an afterlife inherited via cultural diffusion. Jewish necromancers, such as the Witch of Endor, could summon the spirits of the dead.

Some Jews began to categorize the underworld of the Mesopotamians into sections, such as Gehenna where the wicked would be tortured with fire and smoke — a precursor to the hell of the Christians. But most people ended up in Sheol, “the land of gloom and deep darkness.”

While exploring the cavern, we got to see stalagmites that resembled chthonic creatures. Stalagmites are deposits of calcium carbonate formed from calcareous water. It is a sort of natural alchemy that can require thousands of years. These stalagmites resemble humanoid figures from a distance, and one in particular resembled a horned devil. I imagined ancient peoples with superstitious mindsets, under the influence of geothermal gases, transforming stalagmites into ghosts and devils to populate their underworld. It was pareidolia in all its glory!

120068163_661200557860321_2480434594875694936_n The subterranean river that flowed through the cavern reminded me of Styx. The faint unidentified odors reminded me of brimstone. In Cabala, the underworld is associated with Tav, the path that connects Malkuth and Yesod. Suspended between the Earth and the Moon, the underworld is a sublunar realm where illusions and phantoms hold dominion.

It is Plato’s cave, where the shadows of ignorance hold sway.

It is at the threshold between Malkuth and Yesod that one first encounters an entity known as the ‘Dweller of the Threshold.’ This spectral entity resides between the physical and spiritual planes. It often takes the form of a phantom clad in a black hooded cloak.

The concept of the ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ had its beginning in the writings of Edward Bulwer-Lytton. In his book ‘Zanoni,’ this phantom is a liminal gatekeeper that seeks to prevent unprepared candidates from pursuing higher spiritual aspirations.

According to Blavatsky, these entities are the “maleficent astral doubles of defunct persons.”[2] She goes on to suggest that the ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ is the astral shell of a previous incarnation drawn to a new incarnation via magnetic attraction.[3] In other words, when you encounter this phantom, you are encountering the astral remnants of one of your past lives; in theory you might unmask it to reveal information and secrets about your past incarnations.

The ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ stands at the threshold of the astral plane where it seeks to frighten us from pursuing our Great Work. It embodies the angst that holds us back from spiritual attainment.

The ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ is also the guardian of the mysteries. It protects the Western tradition from being misused for evil. Through causing the unworthy to abandon their quest, it keeps the mysteries out of the hands of those who might have abused them.

“Fear is failure.” The neophyte must face his fears and leave them behind before he can proceed any further on his spiritual path. “Fear is death.” Fear can kill any spiritual quest dead in its tracks.

The way past the ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ involves allowing oneself to be guided by the light of their conscience. Additionally, the teachings of a mentor or lodge can act as an intermediary guiding principle that can assist people with navigating through their fears.

But let us not forget that the underworld is also a place of light. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” The light dwells in the darkness. There was light to be found in the subterranean temples of Mithras. The tomb of CRC was illuminated with the light of the divine. “Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying what you find there, you will discover the hidden stone.” Once the light in the underworld is rectified the lapis philosophorum can be found.

Footnotes:

[1] Philip Lieberman. (1991). Uniquely Human. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. p. 162. ISBN.

[2] Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Theosophical Glossary (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 106.

[3] Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982), 636.

Brothers of Light

In Hermeticism, God was all that existed within the primordial chaos. For reasons hitherto unknown, God emanated the divine light into the darkness that surrounded it. As the Hermetic Corpus states: “there was darkness in the deep and water without form and there was a subtle breath – intelligent – which permeated the things in chaos with divine power. Then, when all was yet undistinguished and unwrought, there was shed forth holy light and the elements came into being.”[1](7)

The Watchtower ritual describes the light as the “image of a voice.” In other words, it is an emanation of divine will. The Gospel of John states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).” It is described as “crying aloud” as it tore through the darkness like “lightning” from Kether to Malkuth. Christ states: “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18).” Light as this notion of lightning is a force of both creation and destruction.

This holy light is eternal. It cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be emanated from the One Thing. It coagulates and becomes corporeal – spirit transformed into matter. Otto Rahn described it as a green stone that fell from the crown of Lucifer during the War in Heaven.[2] This is apropos as Kether is described as a crown. This green stone that fell from the heavens is the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. It is also Nature with its green vegetation. And it is also the Green Lion of the alchemists.(7)

One of its ciphers is the astrological sign of Gemini, the Divine Twins: Christ and Lucifer. It is also Yaldabaoth, an amalgamation of serpent (Lucifer) and lion (Christ), a Gnostic version of the Rebis (Divine Hermaphrodite). Lucifer is also associated with the planet Venus when it appears as the “morning star.” Dim in comparison with the sun, this source of light is considered a “false light.” It is trapped between Yesod and Netzach on the path of Tzaddi associated with the tarot card: The Star.(7)

According to myth, Lucifer was a rebellious angel, who fell from heaven. In some accounts, he was once a member of the seraphim, the “burning ones,” the highest order of angels. Like Tiamat, a dragon who embodied primordial chaos, the seraphim were described as dragon-like creatures. In occult philosophy, the dragon is oftentimes the guardian of treasure, who must be bypassed or slain. The treasure is often depicted as a virgin princess (Sophia) who must be liberated.(7)

In Cabala, Tiphereth is the sixth Sphere of the Tree of Life that corresponds to the sun, and as such, it occupies the center of the Tree of Life, much in the same way that the sun is at the center of the solar system. But Tiphereth not only relates to the sun, but also to the heart center, the rose at the center of the cross. The light of Tiphereth shines down upon the “loud resounding sea” of Yesod, the astral plane. Like a sunrise on the ocean, one source of light is real (the sun) and one is illusory (the reflection of the sun on the water). This symbol is quite important within the tradition of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.(9)

Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn

Christ is considered to be the real and tangible source of light. He is known as the “Light of the World,” humble and benevolent. Lucifer the “Light Bearer” is the illusion of light mirrored in the astral world, arrogant and tyrannous. Like Janus, the two-headed god, Christ and Lucifer embody the two polarities of the divine light. Two sides of a coin, these two opposing forces are intrinsically linked. In alchemical terms, Christ is associated with gold while Lucifer is associated with pyrite (iron sulfide). As the Green Lion (sulfuric acid) that can be used to refine gold, Lucifer serves to coax the light into its full potential.(9)

Green_lion_consuming_the_sun

While we have Christ as the “Light of the World,” we also have Lucifer as the “Light Bearer,” two brothers of light, one “true” and one “false.” But truth is relative to the observer. So, then, who is who? Could both of them be valid? Could both of them be invalid? Could the two, Christ and Lucifer, be seen as two sides of a cosmic coin? Joséphin Péladan, the founder of the Salon de la Rose + Croix, believed that Lucifer could be redeemed through our compassion,[3] for his fall was due to his misguided love for humans.[4] In this capacity, Lucifer was more akin to Prometheus than the demonic monster depicted in the works of Dante Alighieri.(9)

Light is a base material that can be transmuted. Both Christ and Lucifer can be perceived as unfinished expressions of the cosmos. Lucifer, as the great villain (or antihero) of the world, his tale follows the cyclical nature of the sun. As the sun sets in the evening, Lucifer falls from heaven and bathes the world in darkness. But as the sun rises the next morning, Christ rises and illuminates the world. The villain is redeemed and becomes a hero – at least until he falls again. The cycle continues ad infinitum.(7)

Footnotes:

[1] Hermes, Scott, W., & Ferguson, A. S. (2001). Hermetica. Montana (USA): Kessinger Publishing Company.

[2] Rahn, O. (2008). Lucifer’s Court: A Heretic’s Journey In Search Of The Light Bringers. Inner Traditions.

[3] Peladan, J. (1893). Istar. Paris: Dentu.

[4] Péladan, J. (1894). Comment on Devient Artiste: Esthetique. Paris: Chamuel.

The Alchemy of the Rosae Solis

105957313_10217909874520660_4852442871671675801_n Here at the Rosae Solis, we use alchemical procedures every summer solstice to charge our bodies with the solar force.

We humans do not fully understand this force that animates us.

This mysterious force not only gives us life, but also ignites within us the fire of consciousness.

It is the eternal flame that burns within the temple of our physical bodies. For those who are chaste, this fire is the untapped sex force that is presided over by the temple virgins.

We absorb this solar force from the light of the physical sun, as well as the etheric sun. This solar force then coalesces in the area of the solar plexus where it appears as a red light visible to astral sight.

The solar force then stimulates the four bodily humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. These humors then influence our thoughts and emotions.

humors

But our physical bodies, animated with the solar force, are little more than crude machines. In this lowly state, we wander through the Dark Night of the Soul, beset with the vicissitudes of life. We know that as long as we are imperfect, all of our deeds will be imperfect.

Thus, we pledge ourselves to the Magnum Opus (Great Work). We seek the Golden Dawn that awaits us at the end of the Dark Night.

Some of our predecessors sought longevity and life eternal via the synthesis of red colloidal gold in alchemical laboratories. But on their quest to create the Philosopher’s Stone, some of our predecessors peered at their reflections in the Cosmic Mirror. They then realized that the Stone was not a mere magical rock — rather it was something located in the subterranean depths of the human condition.

Thus, we begin to use Vitriol, milestones upon our spiritual path, to dissolve impurities from our being. This purification process demands that we strive for greatness. We examine ourselves — body and soul — for any flaw that can be rectified.

The Vitriol catalyzes the solar force stored in the solar plexus, crystalizing it into a metaphorical rock or crystal. Our soul hardens as our physical body is spiritualized. Once all of our impurities have been dissolved, we are left with a purified “stone,” the Philosopher’s Stone. This “stone” transforms us from humans into gods.

Michael_Maier_Atalanta_Fugiens_Emblem_21

The Philosopher’s Stone is the rose that blossoms at the center of the rose cross. It is the rough ashlar of the Freemasons that is worked and shaped until it is perfected. It is the superdense singularity that bursts forward to create universes.

According to Genesis 1:26: “God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” But it is our responsible to use spiritual alchemy to make ourselves into the images and likenesses of deities.

The Rose and Thorn

I would like to look at a small group known as the Rose and Thorn. I have permission to share this information.

I encountered this group while traversing the metaphysical scene in the American northeast. This group has its meetings in a secluded forest. I had the privilege of visiting this forest on numerous occasions. It has an enchanted, magical quality to it.

The members were calm and studious. They had in their possession old texts, magical tools, and other bits of antiquity.

The Rose and Thorn venerates Christ (Mars) as the herald of the divine light. Sophia (Venus) is also venerated. As a married, conjoined duality of soul and spirit — they provide the model that we must emulate.

Christian Rosenkreuz is presented as a sort of friendly hermit who lives in the forest. He guides those who are lost, as well as heals those who are wounded. He is syncretized with the Green Man.

The Rose and Thorn does a lot of work within the realm of herbal alchemy. Members are taught how to use medicinal plants to create spagyrics. Wortcunning, the knowledge of the magical properties of plants, is a big part of their curriculum.

But the real meat and potatoes is their spiritual alchemy that involves a marriage between the initiate and a fae spirit known as a changeling for the purpose of reconstituting the lunar body.

They practice the natural magic of Agrippa, as well as communicate with the elemental spirits of Paracelsus.

The Rose and Thorn does interesting Cabalistic work within the realm of the crucifixion mysteries that I have never seen before. I am not at liberty to say more on this secret work.

Due to the work carried out by Sam Robinson, I have started to look at Rosicrucian groups for elements of Pansophy.

Members of the Rose and Thorn believe that the light gleaned from mysticism can be applied to real world problems.

First and foremost, the members believe that education reforms should be made to push philosophy, as well as ecology, as mandatory coursework in schools. Students would not only be instilled with an appetite for metaphysics, but also with respect for the natural world.

A few members support the concept of garden cities. These are communities that incorporate gardens, parks, and other ecological features. English urban planner, Ebenezer Howard, originally proposed this concept in the late nineteenth century. His idealized garden city was concentric, with six radial boulevards extending from a central urban sprawl, each lined with gardens, parks, farms, woodlands, et cetera. The natural world would be brought back into the cities.

Diagram_No.7_(Howard,_Ebenezer,_To-morrow.) — Diagram No.7 (To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform)

A few members support the ideas of Italian architect, Paolo Soleri, who proposed that an ideal city could be contained within a single immense vertical building, thereby reducing wasteful consumption and preserving the natural surroundings. By placing apartments, shopping centers, indoor farms, et cetera, all inside one giant building, the horrors of the urban sprawl could be drastically inhibited.

More realistically, members suggested the construction of massive parks for recreation, urban forests for the restoration of native flora and fauna, as well as communal gardens for the growing of food.

That is it for now.