The Rosicrucian tradition, of which the Rosicrucian Order, also known as AMORC is its modern representative, has its roots in the sacred legacy received from the mystery schools of ancient Egypt dating back to approximately 1500BCE. Several thousands of years ago, in ancient Egypt, select bodies or special schools were formed to explore the mysteries of life and learn the secrets of this hidden wisdom. The word “mystery” referred to a special gnosis, a secret wisdom imparted only to sincere and worthy students who demonstrated a fervent desire for knowledge and passed certain tests that qualified them for induction into the mysteries. Over the centuries, these mystery schools added an initiatory dimension to the knowledge they transmitted.
The knowledge perpetuated by the sages of ancient Egypt was enriched by great thinkers of ancient Greece. A few centuries later, the mystical precepts of Rosicrucian alchemists of the Middle Ages were formulated. Thence, the teachings of the Rosy Cross spread centuries later to France, Germany, England and the Netherlands. Certain precise aspects of our ancient Egyptian bequest were further enriched by eminent personalities such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Paracelsus (1493-1541), Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Renes Descartes (1596-1650), Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).
The current cycle of the Rosicrucian Order began in the United States of America in 1915 with Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis as the first leader or Imperator. The Order was first located in New York; then relocated to San Francisco, California, and then Florida before being permanently situated today in San Jose, California. Harvey Spencer Lewis passed through transition (the Rosicrucian term for ‘death’) in 1939 and was succeeded by his son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis. Christian Bernard served as Imperator till 2019. The current Imperator and President of the Supreme Board of AMORC is Claudio Mazzucco, who assumed office in 2019.
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