Rosicrucianism
Oxford University Press eBooks October 14, 2008 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320992.003.0007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Rosicrucianism significantly shaped Western esotericism, with its manifestos indicating Protestant and Paracelsian sympathies, and its myth influencing literature, Freemasonry, and the Golden Dawn. |
Abstract
This chapter examines the influence of Rosicrucianism on the history of Western esotericism. During the early part of the 17th century, the original Rosicrucian manifestos attracted widespread interest and a wave of applications to join the order. Its first manifesto, titled Fama Fraternitatis, together with these other texts is strongly suggestive concerning the Protestant and Paracelsian sympathies of the manifesto authors. The Rosicrucian myth inspired literature, 18th-century Masonic adaptations, the rituals of the Golden Dawn, the leading magical order of the modern occult revival and until today it exerts a powerful mystique.