The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross : A History of the Rosicrucians

2021 Reprint of the 1924 Edition.  Illustrated with sixteen drawing.  Full facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. A Rosicrucian is a member of a worldwide brotherhood claiming to possess esoteric wisdom handed down from ancient times. The name derives from the order's symbol, a rose on a cross, which is similar to the family coat of arms of Martin Luther. Rosicrucian teachings are a combination of occultism and other religious beliefs and practices, including Hermeticism, Jewish mysticism, and Christian Gnosticism.  The central feature of Rosicrucianism is the belief that its members possess secret wisdom that was handed down to them from ancient times.  The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross is a history of the Rosicrucians, a secret society that the first appeared to the public in Germany in the early 17th century. A. E. Waite (1857 - 1942) was an American-born British mystic and poet. He wrote extensively on the subject of the occult and esoteric matters and is famous for being the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. This work is arguably the first attempt to study systematically the history of western occultism, which he viewed as more of a spiritual tradition rather a than proto-science or pseudo-religion, as was more typically the view during his era. Contents include: "Mythical Rosicrucian Precursors", "Militia Crucifera Evangelica", "Alchemists and Mystics Symbolism", "Of the Rose And Cross", "Fama Fraternitatis R C", "Confessio Fraternitatis R C", "The Chemical Nuptials", "Authorship of the Chemical Nuptials", "Development Of Rosicrucian Literature", etc. Other works by this author include: "The Alchemical Writings of Edward Kelly" (1893), "Turba Philsophorum" (1894), and "Devil-Worship in France" (1896).