The Real History of the Rosicrucians
Mar 2007 · Cosimo, Inc.
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About this eBook
Does the secret order known as the Rosicrucians even exist? Though fabled for centuries as clandestine movers and shakers of European and world events-alongside the Knights Templar and the Freemasons-evidence for its authenticity is shaky. But that doesn't mean that later organizations haven't claimed the name, or that libraries of words haven't been written about them. Waite, a preeminent 19th-century expert in esoterica, here surveys all the literature necessary for understanding the roots of the Rosicrucians, whether they are real or fantasy. This volume, first published in 1887, includes translations of the 17th-century German documents at the foundation of the story of the Rosicrucians as well as a comprehensive survey of literature about the Rosicrucians. Students of secret societies and European history and literature will be enthralled. American-born British occultist and author ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE (1857-1942) was co creator of the famous 1910 Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Among his numerous books are Book of Ceremonial Magic, The Holy Kabbalah, and New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry.
About the author
Arthur Edward Waite was born on October 2, 1857 in Brooklyn, New York. He was a poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Waite joined the Outer Order of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in January 1891 after being introduced by E.W. Berridge. In 1899 he entered the Second order of the Golden Dawn. He became a Freemason in 1901, and entered the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia in 1902. In 1903 Waite founded the Independent and Rectified Order R. R. et A. C. Waite was a prolific author and many of his works were well received in academic circles. He wrote occult texts on subjects including divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and ceremonial magic, Kabbalism and alchemy; he also translated and reissued several important mystical and alchemical works. His works on the Holy Grail, influenced by his friendship with Arthur Machen, were particularly notable. A number of his volumes remain in print, including The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911), The Holy Kabbalah (1929), A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1921), and his edited translation of Eliphas Levi's 1896 Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual (1910), having seen reprints in recent years. Waite also wrote two allegorical fantasy novels, Prince Starbeam (1889) and The Quest of the Golden Stairs (1893).
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