The Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis published in 1610 is one of the three manifestos that serve as the base of Rosicrucianism. Rosicrucianism in turn has many links with Freemasonry, indeed I read an essay from a learned Mason recently that seemed to conclude that Freemasonry is Rosicrucianism in a Scottish/English context.
I read Fama many years ago, and one line apparently really stood out to me, because I remember it all these years later.
Fama includes a list of six promises that the members of this mythical order made to each other. The line that has stuck in my mind for so long is the first such promise:
“First, That none of them should profess any other thing than to cure the sick, and that gratis.”
I’ve always wondered, what does this mean, exactly? And does it have any relationship to Freemasonry today?
Was the manifesto referencing physical illness, or spiritual illness?
If physical, was it discussing efforts to medically cure, as we generally understand that today? (As we understand it today, but of course with the primitive and often misguided methods of 1600.)
Of, if physical, was it referring to energetic healing methods? Prayer, meditation, laying on hands, energy flow and manipulation?
Those same, or similar methods for spiritual healing? Or something closer to what we would consider counseling today? Whispering a good word to a Brother or someone we encounter?
Do things such as our Shriner’s Hospitals for Children fulfil this promise to “cure the sick, and that gratis.”? If so, is fulfilling that promise important beyond the mundane world?
Just what on earth was the anonymous author(s) of Fama trying to communicate with that line? The promise that was listed first, so obviously given place of highest importance.
The origin of the order CRC (c. 1407) was brought about by a Germanic man who traveled in foreign lands becoming a master of philosophy, medicine, science from both the Eastern and Western schools of thought. He likely studied Sufism as a core to his philosophical beliefs and was said to have lived 106 years. He founded the order which consisted of just 8 doctors all who were virgins and vowed to heal the sick ( as defined by physical/mental illness) at no cost. The obvious appeal being a quite extended life and a deep spiritually meaningful existence. They also vowed to find a replacement doctor for themselves should they die. In a continent ravaged by political and religious war, the Rosicrucian order was a ray of enlightened hope that many needed to see an end to the savage inhumanity that was pervading the land in the 16th and 17th century. They were rumored as secret alchemists who would save humanity and bring enlightenment and lead them down a more peaceful path. The RC evolution certainly skewed into a more spiritual and metaphysical existence, but the origin story seems to be the actual healing of the ill (sick).
I think if you look at the context of the time period, the reformation, for example was happening at the same time. The many of the manifestos were a rallying cry against abominations of the clergy and the catholic church. Modernized, (First, none of them should claim to do anything other than cure the sick, and they should do it for free. ) Perhaps this was a call to the spirituality of men, and one to ensure that they were not peddling favors for gold, and power. IMHO
I think your questions could stimulate volumes of answers, almost all of it speculative. On the point of exploring what is meant by the ‘healing’ in the Rosicrucian context, it’s my opinion that the answer should be put in the context of when it was written. Today, we see mainstream society separating metaphysics and medicine. In the 16th century the demarcation was only starting to manifest. I would say a person claiming to be a Rosicrucian in the 16th century would be confused by the question. They would say any hospital would qualify, because their worldview combined nascent science and metaphysics. Now, a more interesting question for me is would we consider modern medicine as qualifying. That is a more complicated question. It's clear from the various Rosicrucian documents from this period that they definitely worked with the metaphysical. The absence of that component in most modern hospitals would in my opinion exclude them from qualifying as a Rosicrucian activity. I personally think that a hospital combining reasoned metaphysics with modern science, a true Rosicrucian approach, would be a great thing, healing body and soul.
On the point of Masonry being the modern manifestation of Rosicrucianism; I once was working on a presentation on the history of Masonry, which I never got around to giving. The core of the talk used a visualization of our history in the form of a great river. In the 16th century Freemasonry would have had significant Rosicrucian and Scientific components. But those elements eventually parted ways with Freemasonry to create their own societies (The Royal Society and various Rosicrucian movements like the Golden Dawn). The echoes of those systems remain, but those pursuing them seriously do so mostly outside the Craft now. There are of course minor exceptions, but in the main these elements are absent in Lodge. I want to be clear; yes, you may see a presentation on Geometry, but i seriously doubt you will see a serious presentation on cutting edge mathematics on the level of Royal Society. Yes, you may see a presentation of metaphysics, but its unlikely you will see a Lodge regularly performing ritual intended to produce metaphysical outcomes. In fact in many lodges you would encounter serious resistance to such activities. I would very much like to see both world class science and metaphysics return to Lodge, or at least manifest in concordant bodies. I would say its more accurate to say Freemasonry is the older brother of both Science and Rosicrucianism. They are related, but not the same thing.
My knee jerk response would be to look at the Hospitalars Order of St. Lazarus. This society goes back to the dawn of the poor fellow soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. There is a connection to this order and the Rosicrucians, revolving around Lazarus which is lengthy and unbelievable to some. But, I would like to point out, Jesus raised a man with the grip of our 3rd degree. I'll leave it at that.
Hi Warren I have some difficulty in understanding your source for Lazarus being raised with the 3rd Degree grip.Having read St John Ch 11 verses 43 and 44 my understanding is that Jesus called upon Lazarus to come forth from the tomb. No handshakes involved.
Hello John, you are correct and sorry for the confusion. Not being in a tiled room and having to be vague, I am alluding the grip to Jesus. It has been written that Jesus is from the lineage of Judah through King David, as he bestows the title, the lion of Judah. The verse you mentioned has a subtitle, “Jesus Raises Lazarus.” I hope you now see what I was alluding to with that.
Attached, is a wikipedia page regarding what some hold as Lazarus and the Order of the Hospitallers of St. Lazarus and the Rosicrucians. Furthermore in my research of Lazarus, I discovered an ancient process called Avesa. [Avesa is rooted in Sansrkit and at its most direct translates as two energies; Ave- Hail to the Divine. Sa- Infinite Consciousness. Avesa- Hail to the Impersonal Infinity, the return of your Divine empowerment within.] If you do a little digging, you may see a connection to these names; Saint Alban -Francis Bacon Saint Alban, Lord Verulam - John Valentine Andrea, Lord Verulam - Comte de Saint Germain.
Brother Benjamin Franklin brought bro. Voltaire into the lodge of the Nine Sisters in France. He wrote that St. Germain was known as "the man who does not die."
Hello Warren At my last Rose Croix meeting we closed then convened to be treated to a lecture on Rosicrucianism by a brother who is Master of an Esoteric Lodge Very interesting and stimulated some thoughts on SRIA
A few weeks back, I took a couple really basic classes on acupuncture, taught by an acupuncturist from China. And, despite my odd phobia of needles, I've got to say that I found those classes to be truly fascinating.
I even let him stab me, hence his new nickname Dr. Stabby.
Healing is, I think, healing of The Body, The Mind, The Spirit, and The Energy. Modern western medicine as we know it today is I think really really good at healing the body. If I have a broken leg, I certainly want to go see the MD. But, if pressed, I'd probably have to argue that modern western medicine does far more harm to the mind than it helps. And, I don't think it touches, or even attempts to touch the spirit or energy.
But, I think those are real things that sometimes need healing as well. The sacred world tries to take care of the spirit, and often does, when it matches well with the needs of the individual. And, 'alternative' medicine works with energy. Ultimately that's what Dr. Stabby does, what Reiki does, and so many other alternative healing modalities.
And I've got to think that's what the manifesto was referencing. Medicine as we know it, within the extreme poor understanding faced by practitioners at that time. Plus the mind and spirit through the sacred, and energy through techniques understood, likely largely hidden, at the time. A more holistic approach that much later grew to be specialized.
The origin of the order CRC (c. 1407) was brought about by a Germanic man who traveled in foreign lands becoming a master of philosophy, medicine, science from both the Eastern and Western schools of thought. He likely studied Sufism as a core to his philosophical beliefs and was said to have lived 106 years. He founded the order which consisted of just 8 doctors all who were virgins and vowed to heal the sick ( as defined by physical/mental illness) at no cost. The obvious appeal being a quite extended life and a deep spiritually meaningful existence. They also vowed to find a replacement doctor for themselves should they die. In a continent ravaged by political and religious war, the Rosicrucian order was a ray of enlightened hope that many needed to see an end to the savage inhumanity that was pervading the land in the 16th and 17th century. They were rumored as secret alchemists who would save humanity and bring enlightenment and lead them down a more peaceful path. The RC evolution certainly skewed into a more spiritual and metaphysical existence, but the origin story seems to be the actual healing of the ill (sick).
I think if you look at the context of the time period, the reformation, for example was happening at the same time. The many of the manifestos were a rallying cry against abominations of the clergy and the catholic church. Modernized, (First, none of them should claim to do anything other than cure the sick, and they should do it for free. ) Perhaps this was a call to the spirituality of men, and one to ensure that they were not peddling favors for gold, and power. IMHO
I think your questions could stimulate volumes of answers, almost all of it speculative. On the point of exploring what is meant by the ‘healing’ in the Rosicrucian context, it’s my opinion that the answer should be put in the context of when it was written. Today, we see mainstream society separating metaphysics and medicine. In the 16th century the demarcation was only starting to manifest. I would say a person claiming to be a Rosicrucian in the 16th century would be confused by the question. They would say any hospital would qualify, because their worldview combined nascent science and metaphysics. Now, a more interesting question for me is would we consider modern medicine as qualifying. That is a more complicated question. It's clear from the various Rosicrucian documents from this period that they definitely worked with the metaphysical. The absence of that component in most modern hospitals would in my opinion exclude them from qualifying as a Rosicrucian activity. I personally think that a hospital combining reasoned metaphysics with modern science, a true Rosicrucian approach, would be a great thing, healing body and soul.
On the point of Masonry being the modern manifestation of Rosicrucianism; I once was working on a presentation on the history of Masonry, which I never got around to giving. The core of the talk used a visualization of our history in the form of a great river. In the 16th century Freemasonry would have had significant Rosicrucian and Scientific components. But those elements eventually parted ways with Freemasonry to create their own societies (The Royal Society and various Rosicrucian movements like the Golden Dawn). The echoes of those systems remain, but those pursuing them seriously do so mostly outside the Craft now. There are of course minor exceptions, but in the main these elements are absent in Lodge. I want to be clear; yes, you may see a presentation on Geometry, but i seriously doubt you will see a serious presentation on cutting edge mathematics on the level of Royal Society. Yes, you may see a presentation of metaphysics, but its unlikely you will see a Lodge regularly performing ritual intended to produce metaphysical outcomes. In fact in many lodges you would encounter serious resistance to such activities. I would very much like to see both world class science and metaphysics return to Lodge, or at least manifest in concordant bodies. I would say its more accurate to say Freemasonry is the older brother of both Science and Rosicrucianism. They are related, but not the same thing.
BTW I hope I see some of you folks at the Esoteric Conference later this month. If you go, let's connect!
My knee jerk response would be to look at the Hospitalars Order of St. Lazarus. This society goes back to the dawn of the poor fellow soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. There is a connection to this order and the Rosicrucians, revolving around Lazarus which is lengthy and unbelievable to some. But, I would like to point out, Jesus raised a man with the grip of our 3rd degree. I'll leave it at that.
Hi Warren I have some difficulty in understanding your source for Lazarus being raised with the 3rd Degree grip.Having read St John Ch 11 verses 43 and 44 my understanding is that Jesus called upon Lazarus to come forth from the tomb. No handshakes involved.
Hello John, you are correct and sorry for the confusion. Not being in a tiled room and having to be vague, I am alluding the grip to Jesus. It has been written that Jesus is from the lineage of Judah through King David, as he bestows the title, the lion of Judah. The verse you mentioned has a subtitle, “Jesus Raises Lazarus.” I hope you now see what I was alluding to with that.
Attached, is a wikipedia page regarding what some hold as Lazarus and the Order of the Hospitallers of St. Lazarus and the Rosicrucians. Furthermore in my research of Lazarus, I discovered an ancient process called Avesa. [Avesa is rooted in Sansrkit and at its most direct translates as two energies; Ave- Hail to the Divine. Sa- Infinite Consciousness. Avesa- Hail to the Impersonal Infinity, the return of your Divine empowerment within.] If you do a little digging, you may see a connection to these names; Saint Alban -Francis Bacon Saint Alban, Lord Verulam - John Valentine Andrea, Lord Verulam - Comte de Saint Germain.
Brother Benjamin Franklin brought bro. Voltaire into the lodge of the Nine Sisters in France. He wrote that St. Germain was known as "the man who does not die."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Rosenkreuz
Hello Warren At my last Rose Croix meeting we closed then convened to be treated to a lecture on Rosicrucianism by a brother who is Master of an Esoteric Lodge Very interesting and stimulated some thoughts on SRIA
Thanks for that Warren.
A few weeks back, I took a couple really basic classes on acupuncture, taught by an acupuncturist from China. And, despite my odd phobia of needles, I've got to say that I found those classes to be truly fascinating.
I even let him stab me, hence his new nickname Dr. Stabby.
Healing is, I think, healing of The Body, The Mind, The Spirit, and The Energy. Modern western medicine as we know it today is I think really really good at healing the body. If I have a broken leg, I certainly want to go see the MD. But, if pressed, I'd probably have to argue that modern western medicine does far more harm to the mind than it helps. And, I don't think it touches, or even attempts to touch the spirit or energy.
But, I think those are real things that sometimes need healing as well. The sacred world tries to take care of the spirit, and often does, when it matches well with the needs of the individual. And, 'alternative' medicine works with energy. Ultimately that's what Dr. Stabby does, what Reiki does, and so many other alternative healing modalities.
And I've got to think that's what the manifesto was referencing. Medicine as we know it, within the extreme poor understanding faced by practitioners at that time. Plus the mind and spirit through the sacred, and energy through techniques understood, likely largely hidden, at the time. A more holistic approach that much later grew to be specialized.
And, I think that we could learn from that.