Just as relevant today

Rosicrucianism is a complex phenomenon with a wide variety of manifestations.

Many readers will know of Masonic ones, such as the Ancient and Accepted Rite (often referred to as the Rose Croix) and the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia.

Whatever the manifestation, however, they all more or less take as their starting point three pamphlets published between 1614 and 1616. Whether written as a hoax by German theologian Johann Valentin Andreae (1586–1654) or not, fascination with them spread quickly across Europe.

This book is a collection of papers (many of which were delivered at meetings of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia) that provide a good historical overview of Rosicrucianism’s origins, spread and later development through the 18th and 19th centuries to the present day.

The real aim of the book, however, is to explore how an older esoteric tradition can be squared with today’s fast-paced, fragmented and increasingly digital world. Robert Gordon sets out his personal view on what it means to live as a Rosicrucian in the 21st century.

Tellingly, he also points out that with Rosicrucianism, there is no one person or even group that has an answer to suit everyone, ‘because ultimately it all rests in experience and not interpretation’. He goes on to say that he hopes readers will be ‘energised by the idea that Rosicrucianism is a lot more than obscure symbolism put down in old texts’.

All of this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for anyone with any interest in the subject, it is defi nitely worth reading. My only beef is that there is no index, which is a pity. That apart, I enjoyed it very much.

Review by Aubrey Buchanan

21st Century Rosicrucianism, by Robert Gordon, Lewis Masonic, 250pp, £14.99

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