Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis
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Introduction
The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC), also calling itself the Rosicrucian Order, is currently the largest Rosicrucian organization in the world. It has various lodges, chapters and other affiliated bodies throughout the globe, operating in 19 different languages.
AMORC claims to be the oldest existing Traditional Fraternity and the modern-day manifestation of the ancient 'Rose-Croix' Order, which is said to have originated in the Ancient Egyptian Mystery schools. The ancient Mysteries are said to have been preserved through the millennia by closed secret societies until the early years of 17th Century Europe. At that point, according to AMORC internal mythology, the time was right for the existence of this body of secret knowledge to become open, i.e. revealed, to the world, in the form of the Rosicrucian manifestos.
In his book, Silentium Post Clamores (1617), famous seventeenth century Rosicrucian Michael Maier described the origins of Rosicrucianism as "Egyptian, Brahmanic, derived from the Mysteries of Eleusis and Samothrace, the Magi of Persia, the Pythagoreans, and the Arabs." Several of his other works also allude to the mysterious origins of the Rosicrucians.
Today, AMORC sees itself as representing an "open cycle" of the ancient Rosicrucian tradition, claiming that its existence is a "reactivation" of Rosicrucian teaching in the United States, with previous Rosicrucian colonies in the United States having become dormant.
AMORC was established by Harvey Spencer Lewis in 1915, with AMORC claiming that "Lewis received authority to do so from the Supreme Council of the Rosicrucian Order after being tried, tested and finally being initiated into the Order in 1909, Toulouse, France."
Another aspect of the AMORC internal mythology, as outlined in the official Rosicrucian Manual, is that Mrs. May Banks-Stacey is the "Co-Founder and First Grand Matre in the U.S.A." According to the Manual, she acted as a representative of the Rosicrucians "Supreme Council of the World" to bring to H. Spencer Lewis the necessary implements for reactivation.
AMORC presents itself as a worldwide philosophical and humanistic, fraternal order devoted to "the study of the elusive mysteries of life and the universe." The organization claims to be non-sectarian and apolitical. It is also open to both men and women of legal adult age (18 years old in most countries) regardless of their various religious persuasions.
AMORC's teachings draw upon ideas of the major philosophers, particularly Pythagoras, Thales, Solon, Heraclitus, Democritus. The teachings are divided into "Degrees" which are further grouped into broad categories under titles such as Postulant, Neophyte, and Initiate sections. These degrees cover various fields related to physical, mental, psychic, and spiritual existence such as physics, metaphysics, biology, psychology, parapsychology, comparative religion, traditional healing techniques, health, intuition, extrasensory perception, material and spiritual alchemy, meditation, sacred architecture, symbolism, and that mystical state of consciousness relating to the experience of unity with the Divine.
