AMORC/Rosicrucianism

Anyone on here know anything about AMORC? Is it a good way to develop your magickal abilities and increase in knowledge about the mysteries? I am a freemason and I'm thinking about joining it, but I hear that if you join it you cannot join the Societas Rosicrucianus that is operated by the Scottish Rite? Does anyone know the reason behind this prohibition? Even the masons I know don't fully understand it. I was under the impression the Scottish Rite version was a research lodge and not like AMORC, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyone know more?

To answer your questions, the compass points are positioned differently depending on each degree. Not sure what the lost word is, I guess that's why they call it lost. :rolleyes:

Anyway, good luck on joining the masons. Also, thanks for the info on the Rosicrucians, if you find out more about them be sure to let me know. This stuff really is fascinating.

The Lost Word is mainly allegorical, but the beauty of it all is that half of the esoteric meanings of anything within Freemasonry is very mystical and very subjective, and yet the exoteric meaning is almost just as important and deals with the lovely mythology the Masonry has created for itself.

To speak bluntly, LandofShadows, you ask too many questions. Stop dipping your toe in the pool when you have the opportunity to dive right in! Go and join our society, experience our rituals and THEN start asking questions from the brethren themselves. And of course if you ever have questions about Masonry of a more esoteric bend, feel free to ask me, I love to discuss that sort of thing. It depends on the area, but finding a magick-practicing Mason is rare.

Another really important point is this: Non-masons can go and read the ritual, ruin some of the surprises, get the passwords and grips, even memorize whole sections of ritual and you STILL will not get the full picture, absolutely garunteed. Before you join, its like the curiosity of seeing light under a closed door, and once you DO join, then its like looking through a keyhole. You still are not in the room. It is designed that even people who are full fledged members for years WILL NOT get the whole picture if they do not ask the right questions and observe the more subtle things.

Becoming an officer and taking part in performing the ritual allows you access to different points of view for things NEVER explained in the ritual dialogue, like marching patterns and geometric equations right in front of everyone's eyes that not alot of brothers see because they choose not to work for their own enlightenment. I have personally heard from brothers that they have been seeing the same initiations for over 20 years and still to this day pick up little things they did not notice years ago.

Everyone thinks they know all of our 'secrets' after going online and reading the passwords and such, when in fact, thy only are privy to the most useless parts of Masonry. So we let them go on and think they know it all, when even most of our own members do not see the light. Masonry has many layers, many different meanings, all are legitimate and each one can be subjective. And just because you've studied occultism does not give you any sort of edge unless you stick to the required learning and put forth some effort...Masonry does not divulge any of her secrets to those not willing to work for it, and that is something I can garuntee.

I am of the opinion that you kind fellows would do quite well within the world of Masonry, and I urge you to indulge in your curiosity, but to do that by going straight to the source and finding out for yourselves. Within a few years, you will have gained much knowledge as long as you are prepared to work for it.

Sorry for getting off topic, about Rosicrucianism. I am no authority on this subject, what little I do know tells me this(and the same goes for the study of Alchemy and even Kabbalah when it comes to the comparitive relevance to Freemasonry) every little bit of learning you could do about anything even remotely associated with Freemasonry is worth the study. These are all seperate societies that have very similar teachings, but for some reason, especially the Scottish and York Rites, you will see the influence of those on Masonry flourish there without much of a back story.

Some are of the opinion that these concepts floated into those rites of masonry merely out of vague interest and influence by people in the right place at the right time who crafted our rituals...and others think that Masonry has always been a bit of a breeding ground for specific esoteric thinking, and that it has a capacity to store knowledge of all sorts from every path. Its all a matter of opinion, as there is a great opportunity to connect different styles of thinking within the realm of masonry, but I personally believe that it is a crime to stop there, thinking that it'll be the full extent of its usefulness.

As I am sure you know already, AMORC is not the only Rosicrucian organization out there, and I am sure they all have something different to offer. And, I am interested as to where you heard that if you do join AMORC then you can't take part in the Rose Croix degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. I have never heard this before, maybe you could give me a source? It is only one degree, but it is considered the 'spiritual heart of Scottish Rite' and although one does not go through all 32 degrees in one weekend in order to become a 32nd Degree member of the Scottish Rite, the Rose Croix degree is mandatory. Also, you do not have to be a Christian to take this degree or join the SR, just as you do not necessarily have to be Christian to join the Knights Templar order of the York Rite, which many think otherwise because of a simple misunderstanding of semantics within the ritual itself.

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Originally Posted by ThisIsNecessary

Sorry for getting off topic in my previous post... About Rosicrucianism; I am no authority on this subject, what little I do know tells me this(and the same goes for the study of Alchemy and even Kabbalah when it comes to the comparitive relevance to Freemasonry) every little bit of learning you could do about anything even remotely associated with Freemasonry is worth the study. These are all seperate societies that have very similar teachings and concepts here and there, but for some reason, especially the Scottish and York Rites, you will see their influence on Masonry without much of a back story.

Some are of the opinion that these concepts floated into those rites of masonry merely out of vague interest and influence by people in the right place at the right time who crafted our rituals...and others think that Masonry has always been a bit of a breeding ground for specific esoteric thinking, and that it has a capacity to store a comprehensive body of knowledge of all sorts from every path. I'm somewhere in between. Its all a matter of opinion, as there is a great opportunity to connect different styles of thinking within the realm of masonry, but I personally believe that it is a crime to stop there, thinking that it'll be the full extent of its usefulness.

As I am sure you know already, AMORC is not the only Rosicrucian organization out there, and I am sure they all have something different to offer. And, I am interested as to where you heard that if you do join AMORC then you can't take part in the Rose Croix degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. I have never heard this before, maybe you could give me a source? It is only one degree, but it is considered the 'spiritual heart of Scottish Rite' and although one does not go through all 32 degrees in one weekend in order to become a 32nd Degree member of the Scottish Rite, the Rose Croix degree is mandatory. Also, you do not have to be a Christian to take this degree or join the SR, just as you do not necessarily have to be Christian to join the Knights Templar order of the York Rite, which many think otherwise because of a simple misunderstanding of semantics within the ritual itself.

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I am sorry I might not be of more help than that, but I can do a bit of research later and see if I can come up with anything else, as I am now curious myself on several points.

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Originally Posted by ThisIsNecessary

As I am sure you know already, AMORC is not the only Rosicrucian organization out there, and I am sure they all have something different to offer. And, I am interested as to where you heard that if you do join AMORC then you can't take part in the Rose Croix degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. I have never heard this before, maybe you could give me a source? It is only one degree, but it is considered the 'spiritual heart of Scottish Rite' and although one does not go through all 32 degrees in one weekend in order to become a 32nd Degree member of the Scottish Rite, the Rose Croix degree is mandatory. Also, you do not have to be a Christian to take this degree or join the SR, just as you do not necessarily have to be Christian to join the Knights Templar order of the York Rite, which many think otherwise because of a simple misunderstanding of semantics within the ritual itself.

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Sorry I wasn't more clear. There is a number of research lodges you can join in addition to the York and Scottish Rite. For instance, the York rite has the Allied Masonic Degrees. While there is a Rose Croix degree in the Scottish Rite, I was referring to a research lodge (my state mentions it briefly in the 3rd degree canditate's guide) called Societas Rosicruciana that can be joined by Invitation only. Once inside, it is my understanding that you cannot belong to any other Rosicrucian group. I'm not sure if this is because some kind of priesthood lineage or what, since I don't know much about Rosicrucianism. The website is here: MSRICF
Oh, I'm sorry, it looks like its not Scottish Rite after all but York Rite.

I've been on the AMORC website and much of it seems pretty exciting if they can deliver on the teachings they promise, like improving your psychic abilities, astral projection, etc. I'm wondering if some of the material is not duplicated by this Masonic rosicrucian group, so they feel it would be useless to join both. I don't know. It says on the introductory page that as a matter of ethics you are not allowed to belong to any other Rosicrucian group.

I'm also wondering why they limit their membership to only 72 in each state. I also don't understand the reason for the exclusivity, but I guess they feel it limits the less serious. Any thoughts?

Greetings everyone,
I would humbly suggest the CR+C for serious inquiry.

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Originally Posted by bjw

Sorry I wasn't more clear. There is a number of research lodges you can join in addition to the York and Scottish Rite. For instance, the York rite has the Allied Masonic Degrees. While there is a Rose Croix degree in the Scottish Rite, I was referring to a research lodge (my state mentions it briefly in the 3rd degree canditate's guide) called Societas Rosicruciana that can be joined by Invitation only. Once inside, it is my understanding that you cannot belong to any other Rosicrucian group. I'm not sure if this is because some kind of priesthood lineage or what, since I don't know much about Rosicrucianism. The website is here: MSRICF
Oh, I'm sorry, it looks like its not Scottish Rite after all but York Rite.

I've been on the AMORC website and much of it seems pretty exciting if they can deliver on the teachings they promise, like improving your psychic abilities, astral projection, etc. I'm wondering if some of the material is not duplicated by this Masonic rosicrucian group, so they feel it would be useless to join both. I don't know. It says on the introductory page that as a matter of ethics you are not allowed to belong to any other Rosicrucian group.

I'm also wondering why they limit their membership to only 72 in each state. I also don't understand the reason for the exclusivity, but I guess they feel it limits the less serious. Any thoughts?

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I used to be a member of AMORC and was the Master of a local (UK) Pronaos for a while. I reached the 9th Degree, but resigned when AMORC had internal problems after the death of the Imperator. The successor wanted to change the whole ethos of the order. However, I believe the issues were resolved.
Although, the teachings of the Order remain secret, most of the knowledge can be found in the public domain nowadays.

Having been a member of AMORC for a long time now, i can say, if you are interested in active work of a practical nature to develop your innate psychic abilities, mental capacity and gain more understanding and control of your environment, then AMORC has a lot to offer. Though its study system may seem slow, but engaging in regular and active study as expected of every AMORC student will definitely work wonders in your life. Apart from that, if you are into more of ceremonial magic and ritual work, well, i don't think AMORC does that pretty well except for its own temple rituals and individual initiation rituals (although its members affiliated to the TMO - Traditional Martinist Order department of AMORC do engage in rituals of a slightly different nature). By this i mean, it has very little to offer in the line of hermetic/magickal work. But trust me, when it comes to personal development, its system is very effective.