Preamble
This paper was read
May 7, 1995, at a meeting of the John Ross Robertson Chapter
of the Philalethes Society , the Etobicoke Masonic Hall, Ontario,
with the title "Masonic Rosicrucianism in Ontario."
It well could have been titled, as it is here, "Masonic
Rosicrucianism in Canada," since the Ontario College was
really about the founding of Masonic Rosicrucianism in Canada.
Introduction
In this paper on Masonic Rosicrucianism
in Ontario, I address four questions. Two are historical and
two are speculative.
The historical questions are: How did
Masonic Rosicrucianism come to Ontario? Who were some of the
people involved ? The speculative questions are: What is peculiarly
Masonic and what is peculiarly Rosicrucian about
Masonic Rosicrucianism?
Two of these questions deserve more attention
than I have time to give to them . The origins of Masonic Rosicrucianism
in Ontario could be spelled out in greater detail. It's a fascinating
subject that reflects in part the socio-political-economic culture
of the times. The latter part of the 19th Century was definitive
in shaping what was to come in the 20th Century. It was a period
of great transition.
I caution you at the outset. The definition
of Rosicrucianism is far more problematic than
the viewpoint that I propose herein. For this presentation, I
have indulged myself in the luxury of interpreting Rosicrucianism
to satisfy myself. I admit being somewhat arrogant in this regard,
but, then again, occasional arrogance is one of the perks of
being a senior citizen in early retirement.
Let me here and now disclaim any pretence
of being an authority in matters Rosicrucian or Masonic. I am
simply a student, and as such, I accepted the invitation to speak
on this topic simply because I wanted to learn more both about
Freemasonry and about Masonic Rosicrucianism in Ontario.
Early Masonic Rosicrucianism
in Ontario
From the documents which I have
consulted, the first presence of Masonic Rosicrucianism in Ontario
was due to Lt. Col. W.J.B. McLeod Moore and came about through
his acquaintance with a Frater John Yarker of England, a member
of the Manchester College and Secretary of the Northern Counties
Province. Both were active in the Red Cross of Constantine and
The Order of the Temple (The Knights Templar as it is known in
Ontario, or Commandery as it is called in the United States).
John Yarker wrote to Frater Irwin, Chief
Adept of the Bristol College, requesting that Prince Rhodokanakis
be made a member of the Bristol College, stating that he was
already a member of the Manchester College. Yarker is alleged
to have directed Rhodokanakis to appoint Col. McLeod Moore as
Honorary Ninth Grade member of the Society so that he might found
a Rosicrucian Society in Canada. This was actually done. The
date of the founding of the Society in Canada differs in Greensill's
history of the S.R.I.A. from Voorhis' history of the S.R.I.C.F.
Voorhis give the year as 1886 and Greensills gives the year as
1887.
There is actually no official record
or minutes indicating that Prince Rhodokanakis was created an
Honorary Magus 9o of the Rosicrucian Society of England
with powers to establish a Supreme Council of the Society in
Greece. On the other hand, why would Prince Rhodokanakis have
been directed to appoint McLeod Moore of Canada an Honorary 9o
Rosicrucian if he were not a Magus of the 9th Grade? It
is known that Prince Rhodokanakis did become Grand Master and
Sovereign Grand Commander of two orders which he founded in Greece,
so he may well have been elected Supreme Magus of Greece, which
would have entitled him to the roman numeral grade of IXo.
Greensill in his research found no proof
that the Society in Canada had any connection with the Society
in London. In fact, he notes that the Society in Canada "passed
into abeyance" after ten years. That the Society "passed
into abeyance" is easily documented. Exactly when it so
passed is questionable, probably some time close to ten years
after it was founded.
Membership in the first Society in Canada
was drawn from the township of Maitland, except for John Easton,
who came from Prescott, Ontario. The date of the founding of
the Society in Canada has been recorded as May 31, 1876 (120
years ago to this month). The time span of 120 years is peculiarly
significant to Rosicrucians. I shall say something about this
peculiarity later.
The date of July 25th, 1876, not May
31, is also recorded in other documents as the date when the
first Rosicrucian Society was founded in Ontario. This is the
date mentioned in a letter written by Colonel Moore to Frater
Edwin H.D. Hall. In a letter to Albert Pike in Washington D.C.,
dated April 26, 1880, Colonel Moore gives the date as September
19, 1876. I quote from that letter, a copy of which can be found
in a history of Masonic Rosicrucian Societies by M.W.
Frater Harold V.B. Voorhis, IXo:
"The
Rosicrucian Society of Canada is supreme and independent and
was organized by charter from H.I. Highness, The Prince Rhodokanakis,
33O, IXo, Supreme Magus of the Rosicrucian Society
for the Kingdom of Greece, bearing the date of 19 Sept. 1876.
There is one Provincial College at the village of Maitland, Ontario."
Colonel Moore was not listed in the first
published roster of officers of the College. No reason has ever
been discovered for this omission. Six months later Colonel Moore
is listed as Supreme Magus and President of the High Council
for Canada. In later records, the title "President"
is no longer mentioned. The head of the Society is simply called
Supreme Magus. I have not discovered when or why this change
was made.
Colonel Moore mentions in a letter to
Albert Pike of New York, a Mason of Scottish Rite notoriety who
seems to have been in frequent contact with Moore, that the Ontario
College is the only College in the Province.
Other Colleges active in Ontario at one
time or another were the Dominion College in Maitland, Ontario,
with 15 members; the Ontario College whose members met
in Orillia, and the McLeod Moore College with its 10 members
who met in Peterborough.
Members of the Dominion College came
from Maitland, Prescott, Brockville, Toronto, Ottawa; and one
from Birkenhead, England.
Members of the Ontario College, who met
in Orillia, gave various locales in Quebec and Ontario as their
addresses: places like Montreal and Richmond in Quebec, and in
Ontario: Toronto, Ottawa, Peterborough, Cannington, Orillia,
London, Barrie, and Port Hope. One member, Robert Ramsay,
was noted as having affiliated from the Dominion College.
There was one college with three members
which met in Hamilton, but no record of it's name has ever been
found.
In 18779 the High Council
of the Society in Ontario, according to copies of papers sent
to the Society in England, consisted of the first eight members
of the Dominion College, designated No. 1: George C. Longley,
who held the 9th Grade and was denominated the Master General
and Chief Adept and John Dumbrille, 8th Grade, was Deputy Master
General. The other principal officers who also held the 8th Grade,
were John Easton (Celebrant), Alexander G. Hervey (Treasurer-General),
and Robert Ramsay (Secretary-General), Robert Hervey (1st Ancient
and Conductor of Novices, Daniel Collins (2nd Ancient and Torch
Bearer), and John Moore, holding the rank of 7th Grade (3rd Ancient
and Herald).
Three important names were not included
among the members of the College, but must assuredly have been
members. The reason for the omission no one has been able to
discover. The names omitted are Col. W.J.B. McLeod Moore himself,
who held the rank of 9th Grade, and Thomas D. Harrington, also
with the rank of 9th Grade. This omission is all the more remarkable
in light of the fact that by constitution there could only be
three living members of the Society at any one time with the
rank of 9th Grade. J. Ross Robertson soon afterward became a
member of the Dominion College. Robert Ramsay in 1879, transferred
to the Ontario College at Orillia.
According to records in the High Council
in England, the High Council in Canada six months later consisted
of W.J.B. McLeod Moore (Supreme Magus-President holding the 9th
Grade, Thomas D. Harrington (Senior Substitute Magus, Vice-President),
and George C. Longley (Junior Substitute Magus) all holding the
9th Grade; while holding the 8th Grade were A.G. Hervey (Treasurer-General),
J. Dumbrille (Secretary-General), R.R. Hervey (1st Ancient),
D. Collins (2nd Ancient), S.B. Harman (3rd Ancient), and John
Easton (4th Ancient).
Moore of Canada and Pike of the United
States in their correspondence discussed the matter of ritual.
Moore admitted that the rituals for the different Grades he had
seen were, in his words, "very poor affairs." Prince
Rhodokanakis in a letter to Pike was of a like mind about the
rituals, writing:
"For myself, I found the rituals
so full of nonsense that I returned them and used none whatever.
I have tried to give the Society a sort of literary form and
to connect it as nearly as possible with Hermeticism.11
You are aware that the Rosicrucian order of which we are Supreme
Magi pretends to represent the older fraternity of the Rose Croix
which flourished the first fifteen years of the 17th century.
If you could yourself write Rituals for the various degrees of
Rosicrucianism, having as a basis the old ceremonies of the Order,
the present Order would owe a debt of great gratitude to you."
In a letter to McLeod Moore from John
Yarker of the Society in England, dated April 27, 1876, we get
an idea of the relationship between the Society in England and
the Society in Greece and Canada. I quote from Voorhis history:
"It is but fair to inform you that
the English Society of Rosicrucians hold under no warrant and
have no authority to start the rite other than what (authority)
you would have yourselves. We have a very excellent College in
Lancashire but we have twice arranged to break off altogether
from the London College as it's entirely in the hands of those
who will not attend to its affairs."
There is evidence that the Society was
active in Ontario as late as May 17, 1886. It must have been
active beyond this date, because correspondence exists between
Albert Pike and McLeod Moore discussing the affairs of the Society
in Ontario as late as 1889.
The S.R.I.A. and the
S.R.I.C.F.
Presently there are two distinct
and separate Societies of Masonic Rosicrucians in Ontario, the
American Masonic Rosicrucian Society and the English Masonic
Rosicrucian Society. They are formally and respectively designated
as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, also referred
to as the S.R.I.A., which is the English Society, and the Societas
Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, referred to as the
S.R.I.C.F., which is the American Society.
Each jurisdiction of a Masonic Rosicrucian
Society is governed by a High Council, or Grand High Council,
headed by a Supreme Magus who is a Third Order Rosicrucian of
the IXo, which is the highest grade that can be conferred
by the Society.
The High Council is like a Grand Lodge
and charters what are known as Colleges instead of Lodges. The
head of a College is called the Chief Adept who upon appointment
receives the IXo. The High Council of the S.R.I.C.F.
is situated in the city of Washington, D.C. It has warranted
one College in Canada, the Ontario College, which meets in Toronto,
the Chief Adept of which I have the honor of being.
The English Masonic Rosicrucian Society,
the S.R.I.A., was founded by Masonic Rosicrucians of Scotland.
They conferred the various grades upon Bro. Robert Wentworth
Little on the first of June, 1867, essentially giving him their
support to become the first head of a Supreme Council of England.
The Rosicrucian Society of England held
its inaugural meeting at the Grand Hotel, Aldermanbury, London
on the 1st of June, 1867, at which Bro. Little was elected Master-General
and Supreme Magus. Later the title Master-General was dropped
and the Head of the Council simply referred to as Supreme Magus.
This was contrary to the Scottish precedent, in which the head
of the Council was simply referred to as Magus. Since only a
IXo could become Supreme Magus and Bro. Little was
the only Mason in England to have had the IXo conferred
on him, he was the only Freemason at the inaugural meeting eligible
to become Supreme Magus.
The London College was autonomous as
was the Edinburgh College. They were independent and completely
autonomous. There was no attempt to make one subordinate to the
other. For the first few years the Society was the College and
the College was the Society.
As a result of some inter-order rivalry,
the London College, S.R.I.A., made a move that was to change
the nature of the Society and mark a departure from the Scottish
model of independent and autonomous colleges. Permission was
given by Bro. Little and his Council to a Capt. Francis George
Irwin to constitute a subordinate College at Bristol, restricted
to 12 members, including himself as Chief Adept. This is the
first instance in which the rank of Chief Adept was conferred.
His name is recorded as "Capt. F.G. Irwin, CA."
There is no mention in the rules or ordinances
of the title of Chief Adept and no record of the matter ever
having been discussed. We have no idea where the title comes
from. Neither were the authority and functions of a Chief Adept
defined anywhere.
In 1869 the Bristol College is called
the Provincial College of Bristol and Provincial By-laws are
framed, a copy filed with the High Council. This set of by-laws
became the model for all subsequent Colleges.
In 1967 the first S.R.I.A. College in
Canada received its Warrant as the Michael Maier College. Bro.
Charlie Fotheringham had been invited to join the Society in
1947, but was unable to take the grades before leaving for Canada.
In 1966, by special dispensation, he received the degrees necessary
to begin a College in Canada. An inaugural meeting of interested
Brethren was held on the 5th of February at the Castle Inn in
Kitchener, Ontario. Thus began the S.R.I.A. in Canada.
Fotheringham returned to England in June
to attend a special Convocation of the Metropolitan College for
the purpose of Consecrating the Michael Maier College. Later
that same day Fotheringham was duly Installed as Celebrant of
the Michael Maier College. The first meeting of the newly Consecrated
College was held at Woodstock on the 23rd of August, 1967. A
representative of the Supreme Magus, Frater Stanley Wilkinson,
High Councilor for the York College journeyed to Canada to confer
the appropriate grades on the Officers of the College after they
had been appointed.
The next year, 1968, Fotheringham was
appointed Suffragan of the Province of Ontario, while the Supreme
Magus remained its Chief Adept. Fotheringham was also appointed
High Councilor for the Michael Maier College.
In 1970, Frater Gordon Stuart, IIo,
was appointed Acolyte, and in 1972 he was appointed Herald. To
prepare him to head a new College to be formed at Toronto, Frater
Stuart was advanced to the Second Order in 1973 and was elected
Celebrant of the Toronto College, later becoming Chief Adept.
The principal founders of the Toronto
College, Warranted the 25th May, 1973, were Fraters Charles Fotheringham,
Gordon H. Stuart and Peter Maydan.
The College first met at the Orange Hall
in Cooksville, then the Orange Hall in Toronto and now meets
at the Renforth Masonic Building in Etobicoke.
This College has a format of its own.
Prior to the regular meeting and conferring of grades, the Fraters
meet to dine together and, before going to the Lodge room, to
discuss a paper prepared and presented by a member of the College.
Copies of these papers are forwarded to London.
On the 29th of August, 1979, Frater J.H.
Emerson, Recorder-General, visited the College as Commissioner
representing the Supreme Magus. Present at this meeting were
R.W. Frater James Campbell, Chief Adept of the Ontario College,
S.R.I.C.F., and R.W. Frater E. Horwood, Suffragan.
At this same meeting the Supreme Magus
decided to change the boundaries of the Province of Canada and
form a new Province of Ontario. Frater Stuart was Installed
as Chief Adept and Frater Maydan as his Suffragan. Attending
this same meeting was R.W. Frater Philip Birchist, Secretary-General
of S.R.I.C.F. in the U.S.A. and Grand Maser of the Grand Lodge
of Massachusetts. He had previously Installed Frater Stuart as
an Honorary member of the S.R.I.C.F., 9o.
There is no evidence of a Warrant being
granted to the English Society by the Scottish Rosicrucian Society.
It must have been self-constituted simply by virtue of Bro. Little
having been appointed to the IXo. Also, in the beginning
the title "Brother" was used, not "Frater."
Since we are discussing Masonic Rosicrucianism
in Ontario, I will only touch on these other bodies as they are
connected to Masonic Rosicrucianism in Ontario.
In the S.R.I.A. the Chief Adept is the
first officer of a Province while the Celebrant is responsible
for conducting the meetings of the College. There can be several
Colleges within a Province.
In the S.R.I.C.F. there are no Provinces
and the principal officer and head of each College is a Chief
Adept.
The S.R.I.A. is unique among their Colleges
by virtue of their interest in scholarship. They have committed
themselves to building a collection of books on Rosicrucianism
and related subjects. They also have a meeting prior to each
regular Convocation in which Fraters who are interested gather
to dine and to hear a paper delivered by one of the Fraters.
The S.R.I.C.F. is unique in similar respects.
Unlike the Toronto College, S.R.I.A., the Ontario College, S.R.I.C.F.,
does not perform ritual or ceremonial conferring of grades. Members
dine; afterwards they conduct a brief business meeting and then
attend to a paper prepared by one of the Fraters. The reading
of the paper is then followed by discussion, each Frater in turn
having an opportunity to respond to and to comment on the paper.
To allow opportunity for everyone to participate in the discussion
the number of members of the College is deliberately kept low.
The number of members to be admitted to the College is not regulated
by any by-law, but a matter of precedent only.
In the S.R.I.C.F., as in the S.R.I.A.,
advancement is a prerogative of the Chief Adept, except for the
appointment of Chief Adept, which is the prerogative of the Supreme
Magus. The only criterion for advancement in the lower grades
within the College is by presenting papers. As I have said, advancement
is at the pleasure of the Chief Adept , except for the Eighth
and Ninth Grades, which are appointments made by the Supreme
Magus. The Chief Adept of a College is appointed for life. The
Supreme Magus is elected for a five year term. In the S.R.I.A.
the Supreme Magus is elected for life. All other officers of
the Ontario College S.R.I.C.F. are elected annually by the Fraters
of the College.
More About the S.R.I.C.F.
and Its Beginnings
The Supreme College for the United
States was warranted May 17, 1880 by Frater William James Bury
McLeod Moore, whom Pike describes as the "Supreme Magus
of the Rosicrucian Society of Canada."
Only three Fraters, all of the Ninth
Grade, seemed to have been needed to establish a Supreme Council.
The number could be increased to five, seven or nine. The number
of Honorary Magi were not to exceed Sixteen, each one to be elected
by unanimous vote.
How active was the Society in Canada
in the 1800's? We don't know. Neither do we know when it ceased
to be active. Most official documents, which were stored at the
La Prairie Barracks, were destroyed in a fire.
The three Magi who founded the first
Canadian Society were prominent Canadian Freemasons. Colonel
William James Bury McLeod Moore was initiated into Freemasonry
at 17 years of age in 1827 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He served in
the office of the Supreme Grand Master of Knights Templar of
Canada. Born at Kildare, Ireland in 1819, Moore died in Prescott,
Ontario on August 31, 1890. He was a Scottish Rite Mason, being
made in 1868 an active member of the Supreme Council of England
and Wales.
Another member of the first Canadian
Society was Thomas Douglas Harrington. Born in Windsor in 1808,
he also died in Prescott, Ontario in 1882. He served as Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada and as Sovereign Grand Commander
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Canada from 1874
to 1882.
George Channing Longley, another charter
member, was born in Maitland in 1827 and died in Toronto in 1885.
He was the first Chief Adept of Dominion College No. 1. He was
received into Freemasonry in Ogdensburg, New York in 1852 and
was elected a 33rd degree Mason in the Thompson Scottish Rite
Body in New York City. That same year he was made the first Sovereign
Grand Commander of the Canadian branch of the Scottish Rite.
Following the death Colonel Moore, a
Frater Daniel Spri became Supreme Magus of the Canadian Society.
He also was a Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada. We have
no solid evidence that the Society was active later than May
17, 1886.
The American Masonic Rosicrucian Society,
the S.R.I.C.F., is not to be confused with the Societas Rosicruciana
in America. The latter is a non-profit organization incorporated
in New York in 1909. Its membership is not restricted to Freemasons.
M.W. Wm. G. Peacher, M.D. IXo,
while he was Supreme Magus of the S.R.I.C.F., gave a paper to
the Southern California Research Lodge to clarify among his Masonic
Brethren some misunderstandings which he felt were wide-spread
among Freemasons. Peacher claimed that the S.R.I.C.F. was formed
on September 21, 1880 by three Colleges chartered by the Society
in Scotland. He also claimed that the S.R.I.C.F. was then and
continues to be entirely autonomous and in no way connected with
any other institution. He gives no evidence for these claims.
In 1987, while Peacher was still Supreme
Magus of the S.R.I.C.F., he published a paper which I delivered
to the Ontario College on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary.
Here I argue that the founding of the S.R.I.C.F. was connected
with the Society in Canada through the auspices of Colonel McLeod
Moore and Prince Rhodokanakis of Greece.
The S.R.I.C.F. (the American Society)
is presently at amity with the S.R.I.A. (the English Society)
and the S.R.I.S. (the Scottish Society). There was an eight-year
period in which the S.R.I.A. and the S.R.I.C.F. were not at amity.
This rift was mended when R.W. Frater Jim Campbell, Chief Adept
of the Ontario College S.R.I.C.F. was made an Honorary 9o
of the S.R.I.A. and R.W. Gordon Stuart of the Toronto College
S.R.I.A. was made an Honorary 9o of the S.R.I.C.F..
Membership in the Society is by invitation
only, restricted to Freemasons in good standing. Some Masonic
Rosicrucian Societies require in addition that membership be
restricted to those of the Christian Faith. But not all are this
restrictive.The Society is not merely another degree of Freemasonry.
There is no requirement that a candidate for admission to the
S.R.I.C.F. sign any form proclaiming allegiance to the Christian
faith.
The Masonic qualification, that is, restricting
membership only to those who are Freemasons in good standing,
is intended to give assurance that fidelity and privacy will
characterize the conduct of its members. The Christian qualification
is desirable because the character of the rituals is based on
Christian mysticism and Hermeticism.
The governance of the Society resides
in a body known as The High Council, composed of Fraters of the
Third Order (Eighth and Ninth Grades). The head of the Society
is given the title Supreme Magus IXo.
The subordinate bodies are called Colleges,
each headed by a Chief Adept IXo, who is appointed
for life by the Supreme Magus. The number of members in a College
is restricted to 72. New members must select a distinctive Latin
Motto and may not belong to any non-Masonic Rosicrucian organization.
As mentioned earlier, the S.R.I.A. in Canada also has Provinces,
headed by a Suffragan. The S.R.I.C.F. has no such division. It
has simply a High Council and Colleges.
Masons in the United States, having learned
about the development of Masonic Rosicrucianism in England and
Scotland, became interested as early as 1878 in bringing the
movement in the United States. A Dr. Jonathan French was granted
a Charter to organize a College in Illinois. Unfortunately, he
died soon thereafter and the College did not survive without
his leadership.
In July, 1878, three Brethren from the
Mary Commandery No. 36 of Knights Templar, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
on a pilgrimage to England with other members of the Commandery,
were admitted to the Zealator degree in Yorkshire College. One
other member was subsequently admitted to the Metropolitan College,
London.
These four Brethren constituted the nucleus
for the Pennsylvania College which received a charter from the
Masonic Rosicrucian Society in Scotland, December 27, 1879.
Other charters were soon afterwards granted
to establish Colleges in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, and
Vermont. Members from Philadelphia and New York met in Philadelphia
in April, 1889 and formed a Grand High Council, which they then
called the Societas Rosicruciana Republica Americae. In September,
1880, nineteen members of the newly formed Grand High Council
met in Boston, electing Charles E. Meyer from the Pennsylvania
College as the first Supreme Magus. The Massachusetts College
is the only College which has been continuously active since
its institution. The others were cleared from the books and subsequently
reorganized and reinstituted.
The First and Second Order Grades are
conferred by the Chief Adept of the College. The Third Order
is conferred by the Supreme Magus. The Ninth Grade is the Grade
of Magus and the jewel is a miter and red ribbon.
The official publication of the Society
is The Rosicrucian Fama, first published in 1951. Fifty
issues appeared between 1951 and 1979. Then, only one in 1984
and one in 1985. Since February, 1986 the Fama has been
published twice yearly. The See of the Supreme Council is in
Washington, D.C.
There are 26 Colleges in 25 States. There
is one College at large for members in states and countries without
Colleges. There is one College in Canada, Ontario College at
Toronto, Province of Ontario.
There are two Colleges in the Far East:
Hong Kong College at Hong Kong, and Okinawa College in Okinawa,
Prefecture of Japan. These have recently surrendered their charters
at the request of the High Council. The intention is to encourage
Masonic Rosicrucians in jurisdictions outside the United States
to form their own national High Councils.
Only 11 Colleges confer the grades one
through seven in full form. There are currently (in 1995 at the
time of the preparation of this document) more than 1200 members
on the roster of the High Council, S.R.I.C.F., including Colleges
outside the United States.
At the regular annual meeting of the
High Council, S.R.I.C.F., in Washington, D.C. in February, which
I attended as Chief Adept of the Ontario College, the Council
moved to that all Colleges outside territorial United States
surrender their charters and establish their own national bodies.
At the time of the delivery of this paper, the Ontario College
is still under charter from the SRICF.
It is 120 years since Masonic Rosicrucianism
had its first College in Ontario. In Rosicrucian circles the
number 120 has special significance. Legend has established that
120 years elapsed between the burial of Rosencreutz and the discovery
of the Vault of Rosencreutz. Moses is supposed to have died on
lonely Mount Nebo at the symbolic age of 120 years, his sepulchre
unknown. Is it time to form a distinctively Canadian Masonic
Rosicrucian Society?
The idea of a national Society being
instituted by a Council of three, as it was in Canada in 1876,
is a Rosicrucian tradition dating back to the Great Council of
Three of 1842, composed of Benjamin Franklin, George Clymer and
Thomas Paine, who was later succeeded by Lafayette.
Rites and Ceremonies
According to Voorhis, whose history
I have already mentioned, the Metropolitan College, which was
founded in 1866 in London, England, we have no evidence of any
rituals of any grade higher than the second.
McLeod Moore, Supreme Magus of the Canadian
College, under warrant from H.I.H. Prince Rhodokanakis of Greece,
in a letter from Frater Whytehead of York College England, learns
that the York College has only the first and second rituals and
the Supreme Magus of the College, as he phrases it, "seems
to have lost sight of some of the grades." He adds the following
information: "they were first got from Germany, I (meaning
Frater Whytehead) believe, by the late Bro. Wentworth Little,
who founded the English Order."
H.I.H. Prince Rhodokanakis, in a letter
to Frater Pike of the United States, alludes to rituals in his
possession. He disparages them, writing, "for myself, I
found the rituals so full of nonsense that I returned them and
used none whatever."
He had a different approach to Masonic
Rosicrucianism. As mentioned elsewhere in this paper, he wanted
to give the society "a sort of literary form and to connect
it as nearly as possible with Hermeticism." This, he considered
truer to what he refers to as "the older fraternity of the
Rose Croix which flourished the first fifteen years of the 17th
century."
His negative opinion of the ritual notwithstanding,
Prince Rhodokanakis in this same letter encourages Pike to put
his hand to writing rituals. He recommends basing them on the
old ceremonies of the 17th century Order of the Rose Croix. He
also recommends that he get in touch with Moore to assist him
in this task.
Frater Moore writes to Pike sanctioning
him to make any changes and amendments and to do with the rituals
whatever he wants, with the following restriction. He is not
to increase or eliminate the number of grades, or alter the names
of the grades.
Frater Pike did write a set of regulations
governing the Order. He called them Regulae, or Rules
of the Rosicrucian Society of the United States of America, rules
which are still observed by the members of the Ontario College,
S.R.I.C.F..
The first rule acknowledges that the
Society is independent and created upon its own foundation. The
second rule acknowledges that it is not Masonic, that its field
of study and activities are far wider than Freemasonry. It is
Masonic only in the sense that it selects its members from among
Masons exclusively.
Under the heading of "purposes",
Pike proposes that the purpose of the Society is "to unite
in one organization a limited number of thoughtful and studious
Masons, who would study the ancient human thought in old books
of the Orient, and the ancient Holy Doctrine concealed in the
works of the Adepts, on Magic and Hermeticism.
The studies are to be published as papers
shedding light on these subjects. The symbols of Masonry, and
the truths they represent, are also specifically mentioned in
these Rules as proper objects of study for Masonic Rosicrucians.
Especially important, because it reflects
an enlightenment mentality, is the rule which ascribes to the
Society the following purpose: "to assert and vindicate
the right of men in every land to think, speak and write freely,
according to their convictions, upon matters of religious faith
and creed."
Moreover the Society is to consist only
of those who believe that there is a God and the human soul is
immortal.
The rules commend its members to establish
and maintain ties of real Brotherhood among the members, "with
utter disregard of differences of creed or party." The society
is to draw its membership wholly from "gentlemen who are
persons of intelligence, good social position and education."
The Ontario College, S.R.I.C.F., can
be characterized as operating within the framework of Pike's
Rules.
Rosicrucianism As Masonic
The Masonic Rosicrucian Societies
are superficially Masonic in the sense that only Freemason can
belong.
It is Masonic in another sense, by being
a progressive science, that is, the member advances by being
passed through different grades, viz. degrees.
The Society is composed of nine Classes
or Grades forming three Orders. The First Order consists of four
Grades: Zealator; Theoricus; Practicus; and Philosophus. These
are the first, second, third and fourth grades respectively.
The Second Order consists of Adeptus
Junior, Major and Exemptus. These are the fifth, sixth and seventh
grades respectively.
The Third Order consists of Magister
Templi and Magus. These are the eighth and ninth Grades respectively.
What's Rosicrucian About
Masonic Rosicrucianism?
This is a difficult question
to answer simply. Is it a set of beliefs? Is it a peculiar teaching
about the meaning of life? Is it a society of those seeking truth
and liberation from all that is superficial and shallow in the
affairs of men? Is it a form of mysticism? Is it an attempt to
correlate science and religion? The answer is a qualified yes
to all these questions.
Some believe that Rosicrucianism originated
as such in Germany in 1378, and so named after Christian Rosencreutz
(Rosencreutz meaning Rosy Cross). He is said to have been
a great spiritual leader and mystic. That such a person existed
has been widely disputed and there is no solid evidence that
such a person ever existed. He seems to have been simply an allegorical
figure.
While the existence of such a figure
is highly and justifiably questionable, the existence of a Rosicrucian
movement having its beginnings as such in Germany at the time
of the Enlightenment in Europe is well established. The Societas
Rosicruciana in Anglia is believed by some to be an offshoot
among Freemasons of this movement.
What is there about the Rosicrucian movement
that would be attractive to Freemasons? Let me be controversial.
I believe that Freemasonry would be a place where enlightenment-minded
men could find refuge for their ideas and a vehicle for discussing
those ideas. Among those attracted to the enlightenment movement
were some of the most extraordinarily accomplished men of art,
literature, science, philosophy and religion of the time. Truth,
beauty, freedom and tolerance were their passionate pursuits.
They were reaching out beyond religion
for age-old wisdom through the study of the mysteries of nature
and science. They tended to be mystics and gnostics. Their highest
aspiration was enlightenment, both in a material sense and in
a spiritual sense.
For me, the essence of Rosicrucianism
is not contained in its ritual, ceremonies and grades. It is
essentially a meeting of minds for the purpose of stimulating
study, reflection and the exploration of those realms of thought
beyond the pale of limited, institutionalized religion and science.
For me, the spirit of Rosicrucianism is best exemplified in the
Hermetic axiom that "All Is One and One is All."
Rosicrucianism embraces Biblical, Hermetic,
Alchemic and Cabalistic teachings. It covers mental science in
all its forms; it is philosophical in its less abstract form
and metaphysical in its most abstract expression. The study of
cosmology and evolution are attractive to its devotees.
I would argue that a Rosicrucianism with
a focus simply on ritual and ceremony is indeed very Masonic
in character, but is incidental to the essence of Rosicrucianism
itself. Ceremony by itself is not empowering to the individual.
The purpose of such a focus would be to empower institutions.
What is truly empowering, however, is knowledge, especially knowledge
gained through study, discipline, and the interchange of ideas
in a free, tolerant, non-oppressive society of like-minded fellows.
Dr. Wm. G. Peacher in his talk to the
Southern California Research Lodge, F. & A.M., describes
the objects of the society as follows:
- to obtain verified truth in place of
traditional error, for the purpose of reconciling any apparent
discrepancies between history, myths, legends, philosophy, and
science as embraced in the study of Freemasonry;
- to facilitate the study of the system
of philosophy founded upon the Cabala and the doctrines of Hermes
Trismegistus, and to investigate the meaning and symbolism of
all that now remains of the wisdom, art, and literature of the
ancient world;
- to create a base for the collection
and deposit of archaeological and historical subjects pertaining
to Freemasonry and Secret Societies, and other interesting matter;
- to draw within a common bond men of
scientific inclination, and authors who have been engaged in
these investigations, and, as well, those interested in them,
...that Freemasonry may be rendered free from the apparently
gross contradictions within itself, its sciences and historical
myths;
- to promote scientific and philosophical
investigations, either by published papers on subjects read and
discussed within the Society, or by lectures sponsored by the
Society.
One has to remember that Rosicrucianism
appealed to the literati of the times. It was a child of the
enlightenment and espoused freedom of mind and conscience at
a time when ecclesiastical hierarchies were counter-enlightenment.
As an aside, I would like to mention
two books that might appeal to the student of contemporary enlightenment
issues. One is by Dame Frances A. Yates, a renowned Oxford Renaissance
historian; her book is entitled The Rosicrucian Enlightenment,
and subtitled "The Renaissance's mystic and secret dawn
of knowledge." She maintains that members of the movement
were considerably influential in international politics, especially
at the opening of the Thirty Years War. She puts key figures
of science, like Descartes, Bacon, Kepler, and Newton, in a new
perspective, making their thought processes appear less modern
and less like our own.
The other book is a published series
of CBC talks, part of the CBC Massey Lectures Series, by the
accomplished Irish statesman and man of letters Conor Cruise
O'Brien, who identifies what he considers to be contemporary
threats to the Enlightenment tradition - threats which he feels
are escalating as we approach the millennium. The main threat
he proposes is the communications revolution of the second half
of this century, spawning what he considers to be degenerative
tendencies to intellectual life, like the political correctness
and multiculturalism movements in the academies. The book is
entitled On the Eve of the Millennium.
Simply stated in his own words, he theorizes
that by the turn of the century "the advanced world may
well be like, and feel like, a closed and guarded palace, in
a city gripped by the plague."14 This certainly
would be the sentiment of a Rosicrucian-minded thinker. I am
not suggesting the O'Brien is connected with or knowledgeable
about Rosicrucianism. He may be. I just don't know.
The object of Rosicrucian study is most
assuredly human nature and the perfection and improvement of
that nature through diligent study and service so that the individual
is transformed from a state of nature to a state of grace.
Where Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry
have common ground is in their regard for truth and selflessness
in the service of humanity. Rosicrucianism differs from Freemasonry
in one very important respect: Rosicrucians are expected to be
engaged in healing work without fee or material compensation
of any kind. In a sense this is also an implicit obligation which
Freemasons undertake through their benevolence work, but not
directly in the way a Rosicrucian is obligated.
Other similarities between Freemasonry
and Masonic Rosicrucianism are a commitment to the establishment
of the Brotherhood of Man, the espousal of service to God and
country, and the objective of helping the individual to advance
in his appreciation of the Divine or governing law. Both teach
the Fatherhood of God and the immortality of the soul.
Rosicrucianism came to the attention
of the public through the publication in 1614 and 1615 of two
documents: the Fama and the Confessio, and the
publication of an alchemical romance written by Johann Valentin
Andreae entitled The Chymical Wedding, published following
the appearance of the Fama and the Confessio, in
1616.
These are the documents that one would
have to study to gain a greater understanding of the nature,
objects and aims of Rosicrucianism.
At the request of the R.W. Dr. James
Campbell XIo, Chief Adept of the Ontario College S.R.I.C.F.
from 1964-1984, R.W. Maarten van Wamelen, VIIIo, then
Secretary of the College, prepared a paper which was read at
the Convocation of the College held on October 17, 1984 on the
objects of the Societas Rosicruciana. The paper and discussion
led to several observations are worth noting for an understanding
of the uniqueness of this particular College. Much of this uniqueness,
of course, is a mark of the gentle direction given by the Chief
Adepts of the College, in particular Dr. James Campbell, and
the two Secretaries of the College, Fraters Harry Wilson and
Maarten van Wamelen.
In correspondence dated August 28, 1984,
Frater Campbell encourages Frater van Wamelen to read his paper
at the next Convocation of the Ontario College. In this letter,
Frater Campbell describes it as "a valuable and important
paper, which should provide much food for thought and active
discussion," and further writes to him: "I wish to
congratulate you and express my sincere thanks for (your) fine
contribution to our work in this field of Masonic Rosicrucianism.
It (the paper will) give us a guide to the nature of the art
and how we can best promote it."
We must not conclude from the Chief Adept's
remarks that all members of the Ontario College were in complete
agreement about the objects of Masonic Rosicrucianism. To generate
consensus, it is well to remind ourselves, has never been the
aim of the discussions. Frater Campbell summarized his reaction
to the paper in a way which I believe best captures the spirit
of this particular Rosicrucian College, to quote:
"Fascinating as are the thoughts
and influences that brought about the formation and ideas of
Rosicrucianism, I do not believe that we should be confined in
our thoughts and explorations to the seventeenth century. It
would appear that the Divine influences were active and pervasive
at that time in a peculiarly potent way. I do not believe, however,
that these influences ceased at that moment. I believe that these
Divine influences have been continuously and fruitfully active
in mankind since then to the present and that they will continue
into the future.
"I believe, therefore, that we
have a right and indeed an obligation to bring our thoughts and
knowledge into the present day and to make these thoughts as
potent and competent as we are able through the use of all available
and proper means. Nor do I agree that there should be a limitation
to the scope or depth of enquiry. In my view, the nature, scholarship
and validity of the enquiry are of great importance.
"It seems on cursory examination
that the Objects of Masonic Rosicrucianism are somewhat confining
as compared to those of Rosicrucianism in general.
"This, however, is a matter of
interpretation, which can vary. Masonry claims to be a progressive
science and therefore one feels that limitation is not one of
the purposes of the Objectives (of Rosicrucianism).
"It also appears...that we should
not allow our penchant for mysticism and the occult to interfere
with the progression of knowledge and ideas. The controversy
between Robert Fludd and Johannes Kepler is an example of this.
"I am therefore of the opinion
that in our work in the Ontario College we should be free to
make it as wide as is appropriate and that we should strive to
make it as competent and powerful as possible."
And with these words of Dr. Campbell,
a beloved colleague, friend and mentor, I conclude this paper.
Readings
T.M. Greensill, History of the S.R.I.A.
Broad Oak Press, Cambridge, England, 1987.
Bernard Grun, The Timetables of History.
A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events. Simon and Schuster,
New York, 1979.
Conor Cruise O'Brien, On the Eve of
the Millennium. Canadian Broadcasting Co., Toronto, Canada,
1994.
Laurence Urdang, Ed., The Timetables
of American History. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1981.
Harold V.B. Voorhis, Masonic Rosicrucian
Societies. Henry Emerson, New York,1958
Francis Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment.
Routledge & Kegan Paul, New York, l972.
Appendix A:
Timetable of Events
in Early 17th Century
Clearly, at the time when Rosicrucianism
surfaced in Europe some rather remarkable changes were taking
place. Freedom of thought and religion were not encouraged. New
sciences were being formulated: astronomy, chemistry. New concepts
in banking and trade were being developed. America was being
colonized, the far east was being opened to the western adventurer
and trader.
Giordano Bruno burned as heretic in Rome
(1600)
Persecution of Catholics in Sweden under Charles IX (1600)
Harps used in orchestras (1600)
Recorder (flute-a-bec) becomes popular in England (1600)
Thycho Brahe and Johann Kepler work together in Prague (1600)
English East India Company founded (1600)
Dutch opticians invent the telescope (1600)
Barium sulfide is discovered (1602)
Dutch East India Company founded (1602)
Spanish traders admitted to eastern Japan (1602)
Heavy outbreak of plague in England (1603
Don Quixote, Part I, is published (1605)
Sir Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning (1605)
First public library in Rome is founded (1605)
Works by Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, Thomas Campion, John Donne
are being published in this period 1600-1610.
Galileo invents the proportional compass (1605)
Galileo constructs astronomical telescope (1608)
First checks are used in Netherlands (1608)
Catholic League of German princes formed at Munich against Protestant
Union of 1608 (1609)
The Emperor Rudolf II permits freedom of religion in Bohemia
(1608)
Hugo Grotius publishes a book advocating the freedom of the sea
(1608)
Tea from China shipped for the first time (1609)
Bank of Amsterdam founded (1609)
First text book in chemistry published (1610)
King James Bible published (1611)
University of Rome founded (1611)
Last recorded burning of heretics in England (1612)
Galileo faces the Inquisition for the first time (1615)
Catholic oppression intensified in Bohemia (1616)
Galileo is prohibited from further scientific work (1616)
Royal College of Physicians, London, issues first pharmacopoeia
(1618)
John Harvey announces discovery of the circulation of the blood
(1619)
Johann Kepler's book on Copernicus is banned by the Roman Catholic
Church (1621)