AMORC Review 1: Traditional Score

 Amorc Review Traditional Score Intro

You are now reading the original 2014 review on the Rosicrucian Order of AMORC which has a few extra details compared to my new 2019 and final Rosicrucian Order AMORC Review on this blog.

The review you are reading covers the Traditional Score of this Order. This review therefore describes how closely Amorc adheres to the original tradition set out by founding Rosicrucian documents.

The review on their Spiritual Score is coming soon. This will cover the benefits of membership.

The Order known as the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis is the largest Rosicrucian Order in the world. They claim to have some 260,000 members and lessons in all major languages.

For any Amorc students reading this I suggest you refer to a few of my documents, particularly the ‘Scoring System for the Reviews,’ to help understand how this review was conducted.

That particular document details the standard by which all the various Orders shall be reviewed.

A few Amorc students have contacted me a bit surprised about these standards.

The first point I wish to make for Amorc readers is to ask: is the Rosicrucian tradition you know actually coming from Amorc itself or have you read older documents, say dating back to the 1600’s? If you have only read the Amorc monographs then a lot of the aspects of the original Rosicrucian tradition, before Amorc ever started, may come as a surprise to you. It’s important you know the full story.

Amorc people for example have written asking what Christianity has to do with the Rosicrucian tradition. If you find it somewhat unexpected that the Rosicrucians were Christian then please ensure you read ALL the following blog post. These will give you a strong historic basis in our origins, informing you about your tradition, and they will take you far beyond the monograph lessons.

The documents you need to read are:

• Reviewing the Rosicrucian Orders.
• Scoring System for the Reviews of the Rosicrucian Orders.
• Are the Rosicrucians Really Christian?
• What is Rosicrucian Pansophy?

Onwards!

Amorc Review Section One: Trinosophia Score

The first score we will examine is the Trinosophia Score. The word means ‘Three Arts of Wisdom.’ The manifestos specify the paths of Alchemy, Cabala and Magic as being the true arts of the Rosicrucians.

In terms of Trinosophia Khunrath was a big influence here seeing that before the publication of the Rosicrucian manifestos in the 1600’s his work describes them as the true agencies towards regeneration. His symbols were also the Rose and Cross and he drew geometric talismans for seven sided cities which would later become symbolized in the seven sided tomb of Rosenkreuz.

Here is how Amorc stacks up in terms of their Trinosophia Score.

Cabala, Alchemy and Magic each offer a potential ten points each for a total of thirty.

Trinosophia 1: Amorc Cabala Score

Amorc does have a set of 22 monographs teaching Cabala. Though this series is introductory at best it does provide ‘something’ to score here because at least they have a set of documents of their own.

The monographs themselves however are not a part of the main course of study and are given as an elective should students become more interested. Since the early days of Amorc these monographs have been available for students of the forth degree or higher. I don’t know how much they cost.

The lessons consist of historical discourses, an overview of the Tree, the theory of divine names and the four worlds. Where Amorc touches upon Cabala more deeply is through its magazine publication the Rosicrucian Digest. Bear in mind however that submissions to this magazine also do not constitute the views of the Order itself but rather the views of individual authors.

All in all Amorc gets 1/10 for their Cabala Score because there is nothing in the main monographs.

Amorc also has a section called the Traditional Martinist Order (TMO.) This side Order is basic Martinism and is another story in itself. It teaches Cabala and is far closer to the three pillars of the Rosicrucian tradition, but again these lessons and influences do not enter into the main series of monographs.

There is a big conflict between the Martinist Order and Amorc however.

In most of the European Orders that feature Martinism there has always been an established approach to progress students. The fact is, normally Martinism serves as an Outer Order of the Rosicrucians. It normally serves to teach the basics and stands as a stepping stone to the higher RC Orders behind it, including the Elus Cohens and Rose Croix d’Orient or FAR+C. Thus several Rosicrucian Orders in France, Sweden, Italy and Belgium utilize Martinism as an introduction to greater things yet to come.

Where Amorc here shoots itself in the foot in that for them the TMO is a kind of ‘higher teaching’ which basically means the lowest teachings of most Rosicrucian bodies here serves as the cream of what Amorc has to offer. I did mention this in an online Amorc group and it immediately got me kicked off.

Trinosophia 2: Amorc Alchemy Score

Amorc has a Rosicrucian Digest which features fourteen nice articles on alchemy, covering alchemical art, symbolism and its history. Though not part of the main monograph system it’s fair to say there is some interest from members. This definitely brings Amorc closer to the original tradition.

Amorc has had two recent and most prominent alchemical figures grace their membership, even teaching classes on laboratory Alchemy as a side-study in Amorc classrooms.

Their names were Frater Albertus and Jean Dubuis, both brilliant authors. Albertus helped increase interest in plant alchemy and Dubuis is the real master here. In fact Jean Dubuis’ own protégé and successor is a mentor and friend of mine by the name of Arthur Kompolt. Anything written by Dubuis is brilliant. He wrote courses on Alchemy, Cabala and Magic and was an ideal Rosicrucian.

Unfortunately for Amorc in both cases Albertus and Dubuis departed from the Amorc banner, and completely separated themselves from it, simply because they found the big-brother politics too restricting. Leadership felt threatened by their brilliance, and both teachers left to found their own organizations – the Albertus College and the Philosophers of Nature, where they could teach unrestrained. Since then Amorc hasn’t had any real alchemist to be proud of.

One press release from Amorc announces their intention to present the first ever Alchemy Museum in America. The launch is set for June 2015 and ‘Classes on plant and mineral alchemy will be presented by visiting alchemists and herbalists.’ The word ‘visiting’ here confirms they don’t have their own alchemist anymore. If they did they would advertise their own experts. Still it’s an exciting opportunity.

Amorc claims that their founder Harvey Spencer Lewis actually carried out an alchemical transmutation before an audience in 1916. He is said to have transmuted a piece of zinc into gold, however alchemist Russ House (student of Jean Dubuis) says that the piece does not weigh as much as real gold should, meaning the piece is fake. Later one time Amorc Imperator Gary L Stewart lived up to his reputation as a demystifier by stating that the zinc piece was merely electroplated by Lewis, which is really a common process and stage trickery at best. Gary has no reason to lie about this as the heir to the lineage.

In terms of rating their traditional score Amorc has definitely paid attention to alchemy. The Alchemy Museum sounds like a great incentive and if Lewis’ gold transmutation is for real then all the more amazing. But both these examples tend to excessively draw upon the mystery of the alchemist themselves rather than the real teaching. Where Amorc loses out on their Alchemy Points is that they do not teach anything about alchemy in their monograph lessons where other Orders do. The main body of Amorc students simply does not have access to anything for serious study.

Even if they had covered more on alchemical art and symbolism in the monographs this score would dramatically change. But Amorc has pushed the traditional aspects to side studies in most cases.

Amorc gets 3/10 for their alchemy score because it’s all about what the student gets. The Alchemy Museum is probably quite an investment. But because this review is for potential students looking to join an Order it’s about what everyone gets at home, not only those who can afford to travel.

I like to think that most people are after the real thing, and that students can have access to genuine Rosicrucian teachings in their monographs. However not everyone will agree. If you are happy to join an Order that has all the ‘mystery of alchemy’ without having to do anything yourself then Amorc is suitable. Hopefully readers here are looking for more than claiming mystery through membership.

Trinosophia 3: Amorc Divine Magic Score

The Rosicrucian manifestos state quite clearly that Magic is one of their arts.

There is pretty much nothing going on in Amorc that looks like magical work. Up until the 1970’s they employed the use of black mirrors, generally known as the art of Skrying.

This magical technique is quite powerful. I have personally used it for investigating the Rosicrucian impulse and the results were amazing. Not only that, but spirits may be called into the mirror. Several members of Amorc reported ‘seeing strange things’ that disturbed them, which is why Amorc leadership did away with the black mirror technique. It’s a shame because it was one of the most powerful methods they had. When Jean Dubuis left Amorc to found his Philosophers of Nature course they took the black mirror technique with them and re-employed it to further their alchemy pursuits.

Amorc here threw out the baby with the bathwater.

There have been debates about where Amorc stands in terms of magical practice. Mention anything like the Golden Dawn or its magical practices to Amorc members and you either get a blank stare or ‘I don’t like that sort of thing.’ For the most part Amorc appears to be against magical practice and this can be seen through the process of their gradual removal of any magical references in their course.

Amorc gets a Magical Score of 0/10 and falls flat here in terms of R.C Tradition.

In total Amorc gets 4/30 for their Trinosophia Score.

Amorc Review Section Two: Pansophy Score

The second score under examination is the Pansophy Score of an Order.

This section examines elements of the Rosicrucian manifestos most Orders entirely ignore. In fact it is here that Amorc does surprisingly well compared with other Orders and has some legs to stand on.

Pansophy has three scores: the Utopian Score, Reformation Score and a Universal Schemata Score.

Each is worth a potential 10 for a maximum of 30 points.

Pansophy 1: Amorc Utopian Vision & Reformation Score

Amorc succeeds in embracing some elements of Pansophy and here they win positive few points.

I’ve decided to examine the Utopian Vision and Reformation aspects together because Amorc has released two key documents which demonstrate both values.

In the realm of Reformation they present a document titled the ‘Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis.’

They describe it saying ‘Imperator Christian Bernard introduced the Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, a document informing the public of AMORC’s position regarding today’s world situation, the dangers threatening it, and the future prospects we wish for all.’

One of the reasons so many other Orders take a swipe at Amorc is that this Order lays claim to being THE authority of all Rosicrucian bodies. My good friend Milko Boogard has written a book which shows their lineage is shaky and filled with inconsistencies and this shows up in their Traditional Score.

That being said they do very well in their Spiritual Score (coming soon).

Amorc indeed considers itself the highest R.C authority stating ‘‘we, the Deputies of the Supreme Council of the Rosicrucians, have judged that the time has come to light the fourth R+C Torch.’

Basically Amorc perceives its own publication as the ‘forth’ Rosicrucian manifesto, seeing that most people believe that only three manifestos were ever written. This was a big mistake.

This shows they have not taken into account the three additional manifestos, making for a total of six which were actually published. If Amorc were the ‘true Rosicrucians’ theirs would be the seventh.

Let me make this point clear for the sake of justifying this review:

The three main manifestos were the Fama, the Confession and the Wedding.

Two more were published in 1618, the first being the ‘Mirror of Wisdom of the Rosy Cross,’ the second being the ‘Pegasus of the Firmament a Brief Introduction to the Pansophy of the Rosy Cross’. Both of these describe Pansophy and the Pegasus is quite interesting because it opens with directions from Apollo. The importance of this symbolism here is that it reflects the Hermetic setting of the first TRUE manifesto; being the ‘Reformation of the Whole Wide World by Order of Apollo.’

In effect the Fama was an answer to the call for reformation commanded by Apollo, and the other tracts continue to unfold this, making in total six manifestos, ending with Apollo again. Bingo.

The writing style of each of the original six manifestos is elaborate, brilliant and most importantly MULTI-LAYERED. This ‘forth’ manifesto produced by Amorc simply lacks these qualities and borrows the surface language of the earlier three, almost making it a ‘wannabe’ fake.

Let’s leave the wannabe’s to the wiggas who need to ‘regulate’ and
consider the positive aspects however.

This Positio is most definitely sincere. It is an address to the famines, wars and such turmoil humanity still presently suffers. It is a reminder of our potential and with hope aims us towards the idea that enlightenment for all individuals is the key to world peace. This idea is new to Rosicrucianism.

The document also touches upon Utopian ideas, for example quoting Plato “Utopia is the form of Ideal Society. Perhaps it is impossible to achieve it on Earth, and yet a wise man must place all his hopes in it.” I like that they reference this but where I feel it falls flat is in claiming that the United Nations is the beginning of the coming ‘one world government.’

That sounds much too New World Order to my liking and they lose points for this.

After all, the utopian aims of the original Rosicrucians of the 1600’s were described through talisman-cities (on a higher plane of thought) and they alone sought its manifestation through the vehicle of education. I find this extremely wise on their part, as they foresaw; we wouldn’t know what such a political system might look like until everyone was educated enough or enlightened enough to figure it out. In other words – don’t try to bugger around with politics in occultism, it makes you look stupid.

All in all considering that many Orders fail to even embrace this Pansophic element Amorc wins credit here. It is a bad attempt but at least they try keep true to this major aspect of our roots.

Amorc gets a total of 4 out of 10 for their Utopian score.

Pansophy 2: Amorc Reformation Score.

If you are wondering at the difference between the Reformation and Utopian scores:

• Reformation is the call to change things NOW.
• Utopian is the vision for how things will be in FUTURE.

One steers the ship, the other is the compass.

This is why the Positio of Amorc more so relates to the Reformation score rather than to the Utopian.

Amorc refers to their ‘Appellatio’ document, saying that some may ‘consider it somewhat utopian.’

Discussing themes such as money, politics and God vs. atheism this work is rather mundane compared to the high utopian visions presented by our Rosicrucian forefathers. In fact it was tiresome to read.

The style in which it is written appears a carefully planned marketing ploy on Amorc’s part. It is written to appeal to the new-age market, describing themes of consciousness and near death experiences and describes itself as non-secular and non-racist. In doing this they have removed the symbols of power.

The real miss-hap with this treatise is that it is a total waste of opportunity.

The author asserts that the Positio is in the lineage and fashion of the great Rosicrucian manifestos of the 1600’s and that this Appellatio (they claim) is an extension of that, as an address to their earlier work. BUT where the original manifestos of the 1600’screated uproar, I mean UPROAR, for politicians, theologians and clergy alike, these two treatises from Amorc come off as impotent and flat.

Where the originals will remain important pieces in occult history these two ‘manifestos’ from Amorc will be forgotten. They are completely unremarkable, forgettable and tiresome.

Thus Amorc gets a 3/10 for their Reformation Score. It simply lacks the bang for your buck.

Pansophy 3: Amorc Universal Schemata and Cycle of Pansophy Score

The final aspect of Pansophy is the universal schemata which should not only appear as a backbone to the teachings of the Order, but it should provide a model in which to view everything.

And I mean everything in the entire universe.

The other aspect of Pansophy is following a blueprint which some myths repeat, such as the legend of Arthur and his Knights on the Grail Quest, and the legends of Isis and Osiris. I’ll put out an EBook on this soon 😉

In terms of the mythic cycle being repeated there is zero presence in Amorc, however because they teach that ‘the universe is made up of vibration’ they do tend to view the universe as some sort of cosmic field. However, this barely comes close to anything related to the universal Pansophic system expounded by early Rosicrucians. It’s just too ‘New Agey’ to align itself to the brilliance of Pansophy

Amorc gets 0/10 for their Universal Schemata Score.

In total Amorc gets 7/30 points for their Pansophy Score.

Amorc Reiew Section Three: Christianity Score

Most Rosicrucian aspirants know that the Rosicrucian tradition has something to do with Christianity. All of the Rosicrucian writers and proponents were Christian and followed the Christ spirit, yet its only recently, say in the last 150 years, that we have seen Orders that shy away from Christ symbols.

This is probably why Amorc students at times ask me ‘what does Christ have to do with Rosicrucians’ as if they have never heard of any connection between the two whatsoever. I find this highly ironic and at the same time refreshing. We don’t need ‘one true Rosicrucian Order’ as imho what we need are various versions each presenting a different approach showing the ways the pendulum can swing within the realm of this beautiful tradition. That being said I have mentioned in defining my Scoring System of the Rosicrucian Orders that if there is no Christ it means there is no Rosicrucian current.

Christ is most definitely revered in the original manifestos. But I like the way Amorc also welcomes everyone and seeks to be non-sectarian. Certainly Jesus himself is seen in the Bible to carry out healings and blessings to anyone of any race or religion, which in itself at the time certainly was a new revelation, so Amorc carries that spirit here. If only they hadn’t dropped this potent symbolism entirely.

Christianity 1: Amorc Jesus Score.

Harvey Spencer Lewis originally included teachings relating to Christ in his original monographs. His son Ralph Lewis expanded on those ideas however the Amorc of today is a different expression.

I will say that some of the original ideas of Lewis were a bit ‘out there’ and seem to have been drawn from other sources. Those ideas basically stated that Christ did not die on the cross, did not ascend to heaven, and retired to a monastery in Carmel to carry on a secret mission with his apostles. In other words: Amorc claims to have insider knowledge to the true events of Christ and therein claims an actual historic-spiritual continuation directly from Christ but exclusively known to them alone.

But the Amorc of today is not the Amorc of Harvey Spencer Lewis. Since the aggressive takeover by Christian Bernard (who removed the rightful Imperator Gary L. Stewart) Amorc no longer covers such ideas, either choosing to steer clear of such theological meddling or because it looks just looks a bit cloak and dagger, nearly ‘Da Vinci Code’ in fact .

Gary L Stewart though continues to use the original monographs of older Amorc and certainly approaches them with levelheadedness in his CR+C Order, meaning that not only does he teach the old ideas but also promotes the idea of ‘traditional history’ as set in motion by Ralph Lewis.

Ralph Lewis basically separated mythic or historical ‘stories’ from actual historical facts. For example the myth of Ormus starting the Rosicrucian Order in Egypt is a traditional history (mythic). Traditional history cannot be proven and therefore belongs to the ‘tradition’ itself being the lore of the Order. This certainly is a level headed approach and helps separate fact from fiction. Well done to Ralph Lewis.

The Amorc under its present Imperator Bernard instead of teaching anything related to the ‘hidden’ history of Jesus Christ only mentions Christ in passing. Some members now claim that Jesus was in fact a Rosicrucian himself! I find that seriously stupid. Don’t believe me? Check this –

Dr. Kenneth Idiodi, a member of Amorc for some fifty years and president of Amorc in Africa, wrote the below in defense of Amorc (against claims Amorc was a cult.) I would like to point out that his article contains some often-heard statements repeated by Amorc members online in blogs or forums.

He writes for example: ‘According to our records, the three wise men, were part and parcel of the tradition of the Essene Brotherhood, ‘the White Brotherhood,’ therefore in our opinion and to our knowledge, we refer to Jesus Christ as one of our great masters.’

Here an actual president of Amorc is outright saying that Jesus Christ was one of the great Rosicrucian masters. Later he also writes ‘AMORC, has been in existence for about 3500 years now, as an organised philosophical and mystical organization.’ It’s safe to say this is ‘traditional history’ meaning not a fact but unfortunately Amorc members do tend to mix up their mythical origins from actual events.

Facts are; Amorc was started in 1915 by Harvey Spencer Lewis who changed the story of his ‘Rosicrucian initiation’ several times, as did his son. These inconsistencies have been pointed out by Rosicrucian historian Milko Boogard in his upcoming book on Amorc’s history. During the time Lewis claimed to be ‘rescuing’ the Rosicrucian tradition from extinction several Orders were in fact already in existence, had been in existence for quite some time, and operated just fine without needing any ‘rescue.’

This story of his mission to ‘rescue the Order’ continues today in Amorc.

Amorc gets 3/10 for their Jesus Score.

Christianity 2: Amorc Syncretic Hermetic Elements Score

Deriving from Egypt, Hermetic teachings are definitely intertwined with the Rosicrucian current. In fact the words ‘Rosicrucian’ and ‘Hermetic’ are quite inseparable. That being said the Rosicrucian tradition is neither Christian nor Hermetic in their traditional sense but is a union of the two.

What does this mean?

The Hermetic teaching essentially represents an Egyptian form of Gnosis, that is to say; a form of transcending normal consciousness into super consciousness. This is where Amorc does well in their traditional score and they even have a set of monographs covering the Hermetica for optional learning.

The best part is that the Hermetica has an Egyptian origin (deriving from the Egyptian sage Hermes) and Amorc similarly represents Egyptian symbols throughout their lessons and rituals.

Their Rosicrucian Park in San Hose is a testimony to the Egyptian heritage flowing through the Rosicrucian tradition. Amorc’s Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is also located at the same center. Their collection is beautiful, they have amazing items but some of the structures featured at the park do appear to somewhat represent a movie set from 1960’s Cleopatra type movies.

Without doubt Amorc has one of the best collections in terms of the Egyptian influences. They are secondly only to the Lectorium Rosicrucianum which host the largest Rosicrucian manuscript collection.

The Egyptian tradition emerging behind Amorc is quite interesting in that where a lot of these influences enter is from is a cross pollination via Egyptian Freemasonry, largely known as the Rite of Memphis Misraim. This is probably new information for quite a few Amorc students.

The symbols of both Orders are very similar but the Rite of Memphis Misraim started in the 1830’s.

The Seal of Amorc derives from the Memphis Misraim lodges of Theodore Reuss in Germany, and the famous three-sided altar piece known as the Shekinah was actually conceived by Cagliostro who founded Egyptian Freemasonry in the 1780’s. These influences have flowed into Amorc and I see this as positive because the Rite of Memphis Misraim is a very Rosicrucian tradition unto itself.

In fact the Rite of Memphis Misraim is one of the next Rosicrucian Orders under review. It’s so influential that Amorc in many ways is Egyptian Masonry without the builder’s legend.

In terms of correlating these influences to the Rosicrucian manifesto documents there seems to be too much emphasis being placed on the Egyptian origins by Amorc. The early Hermetic influences certainly reveal Egyptian and Greek gods at work behind the early Rosicrucian tradition, but these powers were intended by the original Rosicrucians to enter into a receptacle in the form of a talisman shaped holy city, holy conclave or seven-sided tomb which is occupied by syncretic Christian mystics.

But let’s face it: Christianity is out of vogue in spiritual circles and the Egyptian is more glamorous.

My deep respect for Amorc here is that they have successfully redirected the influences and have taken what works. They have taken the best of Memphis Misraim without the masonic aspect. They have also taken the Rosicrucian tradition and removed the need to be Christian which I see as being very positive. Other Rosicrucian Orders also under review require members to be Trinitarian Christian which I view as preserving older forms of our tradition. Both forms of the R.C are also needed imho.

That is why I find Amorc’s approach to be inclusive and well-rounded in this respect.

For their Hermetic Elements Score Amorc gets 5/10. They don’t represent many practical aspects of Hermetic lore such as magic and planetary ascension but they offer the best bang for your buck in Egyptian monuments.

Christianity 3: Amorc Minus Points for Gnosticism Score

As some of my readers know, while I do look for Christian forms of mysticism within Rosicrucian Orders I also find Gnosticism a very poor substitute. As per my Scoring System of the Rosicrucian Orders any Order representing Gnosticism will lose points and be penalized. See my scoring system to find out why in detail. I explained how the Gnostics hated Nature and the Rosicrucians saw Nature as a great revealer for one thing, and for another in Gnosticism the female had fallen (Sophia) whereas in the Germany Boehme and Rosicrucian Pansophic systems it was the masculine that fell and the female in contrast stood as the great restorer. These differences are very important to understand.

Amorc does not represent Gnosticism and does well to represent the mystery of Nature. No points are lost here. Amorc’s Negative Gnostic score is 0/10 which is means no penalty points.

In total Amorc gets 8/20 points for their Christianity Score.

Again, if you are upset that I have scored Amorc on their Christianity Score then please read my ‘Are the Rosicrucians REALLY Christians?’ blog post which explains the matter. Don’t only rely on monographs because Order lessons are only second-hand teachings. Look at your sources people!

Amorc Review Section Four: 20 Points Wild Card Score

The 20 points wild card is where Orders have the chance to really win in terms of tradition.

Bear in mind that these points are given in relation to tradition, as opposed to spiritual value. In the up-coming Spiritual Score the monographs, the temples and the sheer size of Amorc truly really wins a bonus here. The 20 points given here is awarded in relation to how the Order under question relates to the six Rosicrucian manifestos of the early 1600’s, and to be sure they show a secretive hidden brotherhood which few Orders making themselves available online could ever represent…

Well, being online defeats the idea of the Rosicrucians being secret!

Amorc wins more points for the alchemy museum incentive. This aspect is totally traditional. Most Orders avoid the subject of alchemy and Amorc throughout the years has provided us with several famous alchemists. Though those glory days are over and the alchemy museum itself stands more so as a monument to the past tradition (rather than a living tradition in Amorc) it has to be appreciated simply because they might help inspire a new generation of Amorc students to pursue that path. A lot of mainstream RC Orders don’t even have a laboratory set up as they do; so kudos to Amorc.

In addition Amorc has created its own ‘traditional history,’ which though it is a fabricated legend it certainly connects them to the R.C tradition. Let me explain this for a moment.

Firstly, most people by now will realize that the Fama legend of Christian Rosencreuz is exactly that: it is a fabricated legend. It is fabricated, but it is highly sophisticated, and more importantly, its internal matrix is intelligently designed so as to represent the height of the European occult tradition.

The legend of CRC is a world within webs, a maze and I believe the document of the Fama itself acts as a living talisman, rooting the occult forces of Europe into a new unfolding human culture.

Where this legend was fabricated it does not discredit the tradition of the Rosicrucians.

Remember; Myth-Making was the high art of the Egyptian priestly class
who once designed legends to help inspire humanity.

Entire civilizations revolved around such mythic constructs and they served to raise the culture to a higher standard, and that higher standard was only perceived by an enlightened class of adepts, in the form of gnosis. The Rosicrucian Fama was written under the same circumstances.

Spencer Lewis continued the method of myth making here. In his account Spencer Lewis himself was chosen to move the immortal rested body of Christian Rosencreuz to America. Though he was playing at his usual larrikins at claiming to be the ‘chosen savior of the Rosicrucian tradition’ something special was also occurring here. His new myth also served to transmit the Rosicrucian impulse onto the American continent in new form. Rosicrucians had been in America for many years in pietists communities, but Lewis’ new myth served to bring forth the torch of Rosicrucian illumination in full form for Americans who would also seek Rosicrucian inspiration on a greater scale. What’s more… it WORKED!

Many people today call themselves Rosicrucian, thanks to the efforts of Spencer Lewis.

This in itself deserves a few points because it brings new generations in search of our tradition.

If it wasn’t for his work the Rosicrucian movement would not have become as widely known as it is today. Though at times his intentions were to position himself as an authority and many of his stories and activities were shady at times he did in fact promote the Rosicrucian name. Personally, I don’t like a lot of things that he did, and I find them dishonest. Things like giving away free membership certificates to important people, who received them by post, which he did in order to bolster names/members roll associated with Amorc. Those who happened to ignore those posted certificates are now counted amongst Amorc’s famous ranks despite never having studied any monographs or attended any lectures in person.

There is of course the problem that nearly everything Amorc teaches has very little to do with Rosicrucian teachings at all, and that they are mostly Rosicrucian only in name. That being said, if it wasn’t for Lewis then Rosicrucians would be a kind of weird hide-out for Christian occultists.

I do believe that because of Lewis a greater number of people are drawn to find out more.

And the purpose of this blog is to help show you those roots.

One more thing worth mentioning is that Amorc initiation rituals deserve some points under the wild card score. They are very much in line with what most Rosicrucian Orders are doing to confer initiation degrees. What’s more they even use the grade titles used by most traditional Rosicrucian Orders: from Zelator, to Adeptus Minor, and onwards to Magus. The same titles are used by Masonic Rosicrucian bodies such as the SRIA and the Golden Dawn. They derive from the German Golden Rosicrucians of the late 1700’s and have become something of a standard amongst Rosicrucian bodies.

The last wild card points are given towards the traditional setting Amorc places the student within. Students are told they belong to an ancient Order, an ancient tradition and much attention is given to instilling this value. Though the teachings are largely new-age the setting is certainly reinforced due to the beautiful rituals they perform, the lovely Egyptian styled temples they have, and even the design of membership and grade certificates are drawn in an older style to give you the feeling that the Order you belong to is indeed ancient and authentic and imbued with an old illumination. Everything is designed to give students the idea that what they are doing is ancient and sacred. Now, a lot of this may be all surface dressing and perhaps even glamorous, but let’s face it, everyone loves it.

Amorc gets 10/20 for their Wild Card Tradition Score.

This might appear at first quite low but actually it is over-rated. As you will see in up-coming reviews some Orders do exceptionally well in their traditional scores.

My final conclusion is that all in all, while Amorc has some amazing facilities and appears very ancient most of this is just a display and well-funded. They are without a doubt spiritual and have a lot of genuine people. Many of whom I count as dear friends. But unfortunately when it comes to tradition Amorc simply lacks traditional values in their monographs and do not draw upon the original tradition enough, a beautiful tradition outlined in six manifestos. These reviews are really in search of a perfect demonstration of tradition.

In total Amorc gets 29 points out of 100 for their entire Tradition Score.

As stated, Amorc does extremely well in terms of their Spiritual Score in the next series of reviews. Some Orders have terrible traditional scores and high spiritual scores. The same goes the other way; other Orders have very high traditional scores but fall flat on their spiritual scores.

My advice to Amorc students reading this is simply this: FIND OUT MORE.

Make sure you read the Rosicrucian manifestos directly, and in addition read anything you can from a broader range of Rosicrucian teachings, derived from as many Rosicrucian Orders as possible.

If you have any questions feel free to join our Facebook group the Rosicrucian Tradition. It’s probably one of the only groups where members from various Orders get together and exchange well. You’ll meet members of the SRIA, Rosicrucian Fellowship, BOTA, Confraternity of the Rose Cross and more…

We’ll welcome any bits of Rosicrucian lectures or ideas you want to post and welcome.

Thanks for reading folks. Stay tuned for more Reviews of the Rosicrucian Orders here or read the final full AMORC review here.

(Facebook, WordPress & Google + comments enabled below)

Samuel Robinson,
Founder of Pansophers.