-Caveat Lector-
Rosicrucians
A subgroup of the Order of Hermes
By Anders Sandberg
http://www.d.kth.se/~nv91-asa/Mage/roci2.html
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Copyright 1994 by Anders Sandberg. Version 2.0. This text mentions lots of
things White Wolf has trademarked.
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The Rosicrucians are not a tradition, but a camp inside the Order of Hermes.
After the failure during the middle ages of the false order, the Order was
shaken to its foundations. Many mages simply left to other traditions or
founded their own small groups. Many claimed that the failure was due to
excessive contact with the mundane world, and retreated into pure study.
The Rosicrucians were a more radical camp of the order. They claimed the
failure was not due to the contact with mundanes, but due to the fact that
they had initiated almost anybody into the false order. This led to the
appearance of diabolists, power-hungry or destructive mages. The Rosicrucians
wanted to continue to spread the hermetic ideas among the sleepers, but now
only to the "worthy", who could handle them. During the period of 1500-1600
the Rosicrucians organized themselves, slowly preparing for their grand plan.
They allied themselves with some Ahl-I-Batin sects, and exchanged information
with them.
To avoid the Technomancers they had invented a trick: to hide in the open.
Their idea was to create as many false orders as possible, to confuse and
annoy the Technomancers. In 1615 they publicised "Fama Fraternitatis" and
"Confessio fraternitatis Roseae Crucis, ad eruditos Europae", two manifestos
revealing their existence and some of their powers. They also contained a
request to all the learned men in Europe to join them in their quest. Of
course this lead to a lot of noise. The Traditions were furious. The
technomancers were furious. The learned and not-so-learned men was curious,
and wanted to join. Exactly what the Rosicrucians had planned.
Soon a lot of people was searching for the elusive Rosicrucians. Learned men
was writing their own books about them, subtly pointing out that the author
was a very wise man and certainly a prospective member. Some people mistook
these books for secret messages from the Rosicrucians themselves, and began
to believe that the author was one of them. Others were writing texts
condemning rosicrucianism, and after a while there was hundreds of
manifestos, books and texts about the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucians were
quiet. Soon there began to start rosicrucian orders all around Europe. Secret
societies began to flourish, and the Rosicrucians (the real ones) silently
took control over some groups, using them as bases of operations. The
Technomancers simply couldn't stop them, because for every genuine order
there was hundreds of copycats, and most of them was secret.
The Rosicrucian movement evolved. Today they are the secret masters of
several Masonic groups and a lot of different secret societies. And they
continually start new groups and movements. Using these as a front, they
initiate the "worthy" into the secrets. Often they do not make them into full
mages, preferring to diffuse their enlightenment into society. The orders are
a very useful place to find new candidates for membership. They also try to
contact as many powerful and wealthy patrons as possible, to protect
themselves and expand the orders even more.
The Technomancers are powerless against all these secret groups. They can't
eradicate them, since that would be very suspicious, and they contain too
many influential people. They instead try to infiltrate them or subverting
them in order to stop the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucians counter by creating
even more new groups, and luring the technomancers into traps. Whole groups
are faked, just to fool them into doing something stupid. The technomancers
try to discredit the groups, hoping to erode their enemies power base. They
also start new groups themselves, hoping to lure the Rosicrucians to try to
take them over, and then catching the infiltrators. This secret war have been
raging among the secret societies for several centuries, and there are no
indications of an end. Everyone is tangled up in a web of intrigue, and
paranoia is rampant among all involved.
The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn was one of their most successful
fronts. It initiated people in plain sight. Unfortunately it split up because
of internal strife (and possible technomancer infiltration). This created a
lot of new orders, some which evolved away from the Rosicrucians. Aleister
Crowley used methods both from the Rosicrucians and the Cult of Ecstasy (to
the Rosicrucians dismay). The splinter groups have influenced a lot of other
groups, like wicca, chaos magic and lots and lots of "real" Golden Dawn
orders. This has both helped the Rosicrucians, as there are now even more
groups to hide in, but the unorthodox hermetics that have evolved are an
source for embarrassment.
The Rosicrucians have amassed more mundane power and wealth than any other
group in the Order of Hermes. Through the charity trusts they control through
different Masonic groups, they can put pressure on banks and invest money as
they wish. Many powerful and important persons are members in their far flung
new of lodges and orders. Some of their groups function as traps, where the
Rosicrucians collect people they gather incriminating evidence against for
use as blackmail. By financial manipulations, political pressure and lots of
contacts, the Rosicrucians are a force to be reconed with.
The Rosicrucians are the undisputed masters of subtle intrigue together with
the Ahl-I-Batin (who taught them the basics). Their extremely complex plots
have however an unfortunate tendency to unravel when confronted with reality,
causing the participants to stumble in the confusing dark. Its not uncommon
for their agents to believe they are working for the other side, or even that
they are double agents. Some are double agents, turning the Rosicrucians ever
more paranoid. The war against the Technocracy agents and lodges have become
more and more absurd, with every participant desperately trying to stay on
top while all the time trying to sort information from disinformation.
One area the Rosicrucians excel in is cryptography. The hermetic mindset,
combined with their paranoia, have made them masters of secret communication.
Beside obvious codes, they have developed hidden coded which are encoded into
art, normal text or completely unexpected things like interior decoration or
gardening. One common way hiding messages is to use symbols and references
which are only meaningful for a Rosicrucian of high enough rank (this serves
to hide important information from members of low rank).
Beside the more common conspiracy-oriented Rosicrucians there are more
withdrawn members who spend their time helping Sleepers in need. These trace
their origin back to a small group of survivors of the fall of the false
Order, who wished to atone for their pride by helping people with their
magick. They have continued their work, protected and aided by the
conspirators. They sometimes use alchemical methods, but prefer to avoid
suspicion by posing as physicians. However, one of their strict rules is to
never accept any payment for their work, since true healing should be free
for all in need. The healer Rosicrucians are supported by most of the Order
of Hermes, especially the Alchemists and Cabalists. The conspiracy-oriented
Rosicrucians support the healers with donations, protection and information,
while they themselves use the healers as a kind of PR for the sub-tradition.
Philosophy
Mankind must Ascend, but is hindered by its ignorance, malice and greed. We
must prepare the way in secrecy, initiating the worthy into the mysteries and
spreading the enlightenment into the world. This must be done in secrecy,
lest our enemies will find and destroy us. As long as we hide among our
imitators we are safe. In order to guard our secrets, we must reveal them.
Organization
The Rosicrucian order are tightly organized into smaller orders, but the
different orders have little contact. This have led to incidents where two
orders have begun to fight each other, without realising who the enemy was.
The orders are organized into grades of initiation. Each member have a grade,
and is not allowed to learn the secrets of the higher grades until he is
initiated into it. The initiations are complex rituals, wherein the candidate
is instructed into the mysteries, the secret passwords and handshakes. The
grades below are an example, based on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,
one of their most successful front orders.
Probationer A candidate for membership, but not a mage yet. Many are
acolytes.
Neophyte The candidate is initiated and awakened. He is instructed and remain
in this grade until he has mastered Forces 1.
Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, Philosophus These four grades represent the
elements Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The initiate learn to control the lesser
forces. When the mage has mastered a force he may be initiated to the next
grade.
Adeptus Minor, Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus These grades are for those
who have reached forces 3.
Magus and Magister Templii The mage now have power over the greater forces.
Adepts of Forces. Many mages of these grades control different secret
societies for the main order.
Ipissimus. Now the mage is a Master of the forces, and often allowed to
create his own order.
Meetings
Mainly the four equinoxes and each full moon. Different orders have quite
different schedules, often rather similar to lodge meetings of masonic
orders. These meetings are rather ceremonial, but after the solemn part most
groups have dinner and discuss less important or mundane matters.
Initiation
Varies among the orders. A typical initiation consists of an elaborate
Masonic-looking ritual, wherein the initiate is led around the temple and
presented with different symbols, guardians and must answer questions and
swear oaths. After a long and tiring time, during which the suspense has been
slowly built up, the initiate is unexpectedly shocked in some way, which will
(hopefully) awaken his avatar. Often the initiate will have some sort of
vision of the avatar.
Chantry
Vienna is the site of the oldest chantry, an old manor. This chantry is one
of the most influential Hermetic chantries in Europe. It is officially owned
by the fraternal order Ordo Rosae Crucis (to be secret, you have to obvious).
Most Rosicrucians reside or have ties to Hermetic chantries, or run their own
chantries disguised as secret societies or Masonic orders.
Acolytes
Freemasons, members of secret organizations, illuminati fans, nurses.
Sphere
Forces is the main sphere, having great symbolic importance. Different
subgroups concentrate on Mind, Life or Prime depending on philosophy and
need. Mind is popular among the conspirators, who use it both to manipulate
people and to protect themselves. Life is common among the healers, who
specialize in caring for the sick and needy. Prime is studied mainly by the
more mystic members, who see it as the link to true Ascension.
Views of the Spheres:
Correspondence
Everything in the world is tied to everything else through symbolic links. By
following these links (using the wisdom of Tradition), a mage can see the
connections between superficially disparate things. He can also use this
knowledge to manipulate the connections, bringing objects closer or farther,
or even transporting himself along the network.
Entropy
Decay and dissolutions are a sad fact of our fallen world. A mage must fight
these to purify the world again and bring it closer to Ascension. This sphere
gives the necessary power, but is also a great temptation for the unwary.
Forces
The whole universe is created by the interplay between different forces. When
two opposed forces meet, they create something new. When Light meet Darkness,
shades appear. Fire and Water destroy each other, yet they transmute matter
by their battle.
Life
The living world is filled with organization and beauty. By learning to see
the secret order underlying everything alive, a mage can heal the sick and
wounded by restoring the forces and structures to equilibrium. This is one of
the most noble uses of magick, and to use this Sphere to disrupt or unduly
transmute living beings is an affront to all sensibility.
Matter
Matter is composed of forces which have been woven into stable patterns. It
is an inert sphere, forming the floor of the Temple of Ascension but lacking
the power to rise upwards. Matter is easily controlled using the lower
forces, and is a mighty servant if used properly, but a heavy burden if
misused.
Mind
The forces of the Mind are subtle and powerful. Unenlightened minds are
filled with chaos, stray thoughts and battling emotions. The Enlightened ones
can control these forces, and hone them into mighty tools for Ascension.
Prime
This is the highest force, the force which ties the Universe together. It is
the light from the Fiat of the Great Architect of the Universe. To understand
it is necessary for all works of higher magick.
Spirit
The spiritual world represent a higher world, where the true symbols of
reality exist. By learning to rise to higher planes, a mage can find deep
truths and see the great Work clearer. But beware of the treacherous and
capricious beings from the Abyss, they only seek to trick and do harm.
Time
Everything that happens are but a part in the great chains of destiny. By
learning how these links work, a diligent mage can follow their paths
backwards and divine their future ways. But Destiny is a most powerful force,
and attempting to change it will bring down hideous danger.
Foci
Often the same as the Order of Hermes, but sometimes they use a wand, a
sword, a cup and a pentacle instead of the Seal of Solomon. Which foci is
used depend upon the type of magick they want to perform, as related to the
four elements. A fireball would use the wand, while a invisibility spell
would use the sword.
The Wand is used for fire and destructive magic. Most often used for higher
forces. It is often red, with inscriptions in hebrew or Latin.
The Sword is for air, light and electricity. Sometimes used for Mind, lesser
forces and Correspondence. Often an elaborate ceremonial sword, or perhaps a
dagger.
The Cup for water, emotional and life magic. Often made of silver, with
complex inscriptions.
The Pentacle (a disk with a pentagram on, or a shield or a coin) is used for
earth, matter and stability.
Concepts
Mason, conspirator, ceremonial magician, physician.
Quote
"I, in the presence of the Lord of the Universe and of this Hall of Neophytes
of the Order of The Golden Dawn in the Outer, regularly assembled under
warrant from the Greatly Honoured Chiefs of the Second Order, do of my own
free will and accord hereby and hereon most solemnly pledge myself to keep
secret this Order, its name, the name of its members, and the proceedings
which take place at its meetings, from all and every person in the whole
world who is outside the pale of the Order, and not even to discuss these
with initiates, unless he or they are in the possession of the password for
the time being; nor yet with any member who has resigned, demoted or been
expelled, and I undertake to maintain a kind and benevolent relation with all
the Fratres and Sorores of the Order."
Stereotypes
Akashic Brotherhood
Our eastern allies. They have at last seen the need to spread the
enlightenment. Unfortunately many are still locked up inside their old
monasteries.
They are too tied up in their war of shadows to notice that the Truth is
right among them.
Ahl-I-Batin
Our closest friends. They work in the same way as we do, and strive for
generally the same goals. Unfortunately their secrecy has made them
fractious, unlike us. However, we generally cooperate well and have done so
for several centuries.
They have learned well, but unfortunately they tend to get involved in more
worldly matters than bringing the Unity to the people.
Celestial Chorus
Beautiful philosophy, but what is behind their masks? Remember what the
inquisition did, remember what the Jesuits did against the masons and the old
Rosicrusian order. Be careful.
Some people never learn. Now they are just as inefficient in helping people
as the conservatives they split from. Most of them are far too interested in
the forces of power and wealth to care about ordinary humans. However, we
welcome those few of them who actually heal people.
Cult of Ecstasy
Not even worth mentioning.
Masonic Parties... need I say more?
Dreamspeakers
It is nice to dream, but one have to change something. They have no power
anymore.
They have tangled up themselves in intrigue and learning, not listened to
their inner voice. They have become a parody of those they sought to defeat.
Euthanatos
Their goals are questionable, but at least they are actively working for
them.
Secrecy is a tool, not a goal. And do they remember their original goal?
Hollow Ones
Perhaps a sign that our work have begun to give fruit. Too bad they seem to
lack any direction, and most of them are not worthy their powers. If we can
find them before they get caught into their own weird beliefs, we can maybe
turn them to the light.
Stuffy, pretentious and arrogant. They live in a eternal spy-novel just to
avoid facing reality.
Orthodox Order of Hermes
They do not seek to spread the Ascension among the sleepers anymore. Instead
they have retreated into pure research to avoid the dangers outside. Still,
without them we would not have been able to get this far.
Overly political, but otherwise fine mages.
Unorthodox Order of Hermes (Chaos mages, Thelema etc.)
A tragic mistake. We cannot avoid responsibility for these perversions of the
order. This clearly shows how important it is to be careful when initiating.
Aleister Crowley should never have been initiated, and we are still paying
the price.
They believe its their duty to run everything, including us. And they won't
take 'no' for an answer.
Sons of Ether
Still left on the material plane. And they are even less outwardly active
than our brethren in the old order.
Who?
Verbena
The allow the forces of nature and their flesh to rule their souls. They are
lost.
They cling desperately to their precious organizations, their power and
wealth. They do not realize that they are doomed along with the Technocracy,
which they unknowingly (?) imitate.
Virtual Adepts
Interesting group, and very effective. We have much to learn from them.
Unfortunately their philosophy is both ridiculous and limited.
These are the real Illuminati! They meet in secret societies, use their own
secret codes and try to take over the world "For the best of Mankind". Where
have we seen that before?
Rotes
The Middle Pillar Ritual (Prime 2)
This rote has been developed from a Cabalist exercise, and became very
popular in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It will strengthen the
body, mind and soul of the mage. The mage stands and vizualises himself as
the middle pillar of the Sephirothic Tree. Below him is the material world,
and above his head Keter, the source of prime. He feels the energy flowing
through him, into the world and from the world back to the source. The mage
will feel filled with power, in perfect balance of mind and body.
[ The mage will pump quintessence into his own pattern for a while. This will
temporary strengthen the mages own pattern and hopefully weaken intruding
patterns. Each success will remove one success of magick (Both helpful and
harmful), like a countermagick roll. The target number for the rote is the
highest sphere involved in the effect + 3, or 5, whichever is highest. It
will not heal any damage already done nor stop any flaws in the mages own
pattern. Prolonged use of this rote have been shown to cause egocentricity,
as the mage unconsciously begin to believe he is the centrum of the universe.
]
The Rose-Cross Ritual (Mind 2)
This rote consists of the mage drawing six celtic crosses with an
incense-stick in to the East, South, West, North, Up and Down. The lines
traced in the air will form a protective sphere, which will make people
overlook the mage. People around the mage will ignore him and will not
remember him very well, if at all. They will not think about the mage if he
does not attract attention.
[ The rote will make people overlook the mage. Three successes are enough to
be ignored by all people in the vicinity of the mage. Each success will
subtract one die from every perception roll to spot the mage, as long as he
does not attract attention. Since most people ignore each other anyway, the
mage will in effect be almost invisible]
Detect Disinformation (Mind 1 Entropy 1, often Correspondence 3 and/or Time 2)
Many Rosicrucians are paranoid about information they receive, and seek to
test it to see if it is disinformation or lies. This rote was developed by a
group of especially worried mages, who were barraged by subtle disinformation
from the Technocracy. They studied the information in the mental image of
their showstones, invoking Mikael and other angels of truth to help them to
find falsehoods and lies. By seeking internal inconsistencies, they managed
to ascertain some of the validity. This method was later developed into a
very efficient rote by adding Correspondence and Time. The mage not only
studies the internal consistency of the information, he also compares it to
the causal chains and actual state of the world. This might take a long time
if it is complex information or relates to very specific matters, so the use
is somewhat limited. However, even a brief check can reveal some types of
disinformation.
Tritheimus Mental Meeting (Mind 3 Correspondence 2)
This rote was used in earlier times to keep the leaders of the Rosicrucians
in touch. The participants gaze into the showstones at a specific time, and
seek the minds of their fellow mages while naming the angels of communication
(as described by Tritheimus). They will communicate semi-telepatically,
making it very hard for outsiders to listen in on the conversation. Today
this rote has fallen into disuse due to paradox and modern communications,
but many traditionalists still use it. Another group have adopted a variant
borrowed from the vampiric Tremere, which merges the minds of the
participants over large distances. The result is said to be a form of
brain-washing, where the participants become more loyal to the overall
organization. Most Rosicrucians think this use is too dangerous.
The Lesser Pentagram Banishing (Spirit 2)
This is another adapted Cabalist rote. The mage performs the Cabalist Cross,
draws protective pentagrams in the four directions and then stand with his
arms straight out to the sides, so that his body forms a cross. He invokes
the four Archangels: "Before me Raphael. Behind me Gabriel. On my right hand,
Michael. On my left hand, Uriel. For around me flames the pentagram, and
within me shines the six-rayed star." By using this rote, the mage will scare
away most spirits, fearful for the powerful Archangels and the powerful mage.
[ The Archangels will normally not appear in person, but will (if the mage is
lucky) send subordinates to the mage. They will not manifest physically, but
their presence is often felt. The subordinate angels will scare away lesser
beings from the vicinity. After they are done, they will report back to their
superiors what happened. It is very unwise to misuse this rote.]
Test the Traitor (Mind 3 Entropy 1, sometimes Time 2)
This rote is used to test initiates of the Tradition to see if they are
possible traitors. It is often used during the initiation ceremony just as
the initiate is shocked or is busy concentrating on something else, since the
psychological defenses will be weaker. The users (often several older
Rosicrucians working together in secret) tries to find weak points in the
devotion to the Rosicrucian ideals and possible treasonous thoughts. They
watch the mind of the person with their showstones, comparing it to the
purity of their seals. The mages also use Time if they can, to see if there
is any chance the tested person will become susceptible to such ideas or have
been subjected to them.
Sphere of Truth (Forces 3 Mind 2 Prime 2)
This rote is used by the Rosicrucians at tribunals and trials to test if
someone tells the truth or speaks with true conviction about something. The
user of the rote draw a symbol above the Showstone using the seal, while
chanting the twelve secret names of Truth. From inside the showstone a small
sphere of vibrating, dancing light emerges. It can be handled, and while held
in the palm it will change color, size and shape depending on the bearers
state of mind and what he says. If he lies, the sphere will become darker,
stained and begin to vibrate with a eerie sound. If the bearer tells the
truth it will become brighter. If the bearer talks with true conviction and
tells the truth it will jump up and down, glittering with intense colors
depending on mood.
Oath (Mind 3/4 Correspondence 2 Prime 3 Matter 2/3)
Another way of keeping their members loyal is the binding oaths used by the
Rosicrucians. When a initiate swears his Neophyte Oath, this rote is used in
some lodges. It creates a link between the oath, the mage and a material
object (sometimes a drop of the initiates blood, or his signature or a symbol
fashioned during the ceremony). If the initiate ever breaks the oath, the
link will shatter causing some kind of change in the material object (the
blood will burn, the signature fade or the symbol shatter). By using more
powerful mental magick, the link can remind the mage of his duty if he ever
thinks something contrary to the oath. Some groups have developed a more
fearsome version, which will attack the oathbreaker (often using Forces, Life
or Spirit, depending on the casters).
Deep Programming (Mind 4 Prime 2, sometimes Spirit 2)
The mage enters the mind of a person (often while the person is asleep or in
trance) and reprograms it in secret. The most common use is to place
suggestions or ideas into the subconscious, where they will trickle to the
surface. Other possibilities are deep hypnotic suggestions giving the mage
control over the actions or thoughts of the victim, mental blocks of certain
memories, placing "trapdoors" which will give the mage a way around mental
defenses or even the creation of full-fledged sub-personalities. The last
use, often called Invocation of Thelemic Beings, is sometimes combined with
Spirit too. Such sub-minds will be independent from the main mind, and may
influence it, read its thoughs or do other things on a mental level, as
programmed by the mage. This is a subtle way to sneak around enemy mental
scanning.
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