| Moderated by: alchemyd | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
adammclean Member 
|
Does anyone know if a set of rituals and descriptions of the grades in the alchemically inspired order of the Golden and Rosy Cross which emerged in Germany in the 18th century has survived in a manuscript? A number of books have been published on this theme over the last decades but these tend to give summaries and speculative accounts, so it would be good to see the original source material in its entirely. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member 
|
'A Czech manuscript of 1761...contains seven grades and rituals of the Gold- und Rosenkreutz'. Hereward Tilton, in 'The Quest for the Phoenix' Vol. 88, page 251, quoting Christopher McIntosh, 'The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason', page 33-34. |
|||||||||
|
adammclean Member
|
I think this reference by Tilton could be a bit jumbled. McIntosh on page 33 was referring to the Testamentum der Fraternitet Roseae et Aureae Crucis Codex 2897 in the National Library of Austria in Vienna. Tilton on page 251 refers to a Czech manuscript dated 1761 which was discovered in Hungary in the late 19th century by Ludwig Abafi (Aigner). This was a document of a "Prager Assemblee" and was entitled Aureum Vellus seu Iunioratus Fratrum Rosae Crucis. Apparently this was in the Degh collection in the Castle of the Festetics family. Where it is now I do not know - possibly in some public or University library in Hungary. Last edited on Mon Apr 12th, 2010 07:52 pm by adammclean |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote: I think this reference by Tolton could be a bit jumbled. My bad... See pp. 46-47 of McIntosh!  Paul |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Is there anything in Bernhard Beyer's book? http://www.angewandtemagie.com/buecher/themen/rosenkreuzer/das.html "Der Autor, einer der profiliertesten Vertreter und besten Kenner maurerischer Systeme, gibt in diesem äußerst wertvollen Buch die Beschreibung der neun Grade, der verschiedenen Geheimschriften, der maurerischen Handlungen und Hieroglyphen der Gold- und Rosenkreuzer wieder." This book is mentioned in: Renko Geffarth: Religion Und Arkane Hierarchie: Der Orden Der Gold- Und Rosenkreuzer Als Geheime Kirche Im 18. Jahrhundert and in Joana Peters' thesis: http://www.grin.com/e-book/77903/historische-und-strukturelle-entwicklung-des-rosenkreuzerordens?partnerid=googlebooks The present whereabouts of the manuscript might be mentioned in: Horst Möller: Die Bruderschaft der Gold- und Rosenkreuzer. Struktur, Zielsetzung und Wirkung einer anti-aufklärerischen Gesellschaft, in: Helmut Reinalter [Hg.]: Freimaurer und Geheimbünde im 18. Jahrhundert in Europa, Frankfurt am Main 1989 Last edited on Mon Apr 12th, 2010 08:16 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Carl Lavoie Member
|
. A paper by Antoine Faivre offers a useful and comprehensive outlook at various theses regarding the Rose-Croix d’Or. Nothing about manuscripts and their locations, however. But he describes R. C. Zimmermann's study as «le meilleur travail jamais paru sur les Rose-Croix d'Or au XVIIIè siècle.» Antoine Faivre, « Rose-Croix et Rose-Croix d’Or en Allemagne de 1600 1786, » pp.. 57-70 in Revue de l’histoire des religions, Paris PUF, Avril, 1972. (Text reprinted in pp. 227-229 in Antoine Faivre, Mystiques, théosophes et Illuminés au si cles des Lumières, Hildesheim, Olms, 1977.) See pp. 64 to 69. http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rhr_0035-1423_1972_num_181_1_9808?_Prescripts_Search_isPortletOuvrage=false . Last edited on Tue Apr 13th, 2010 09:04 pm by Carl Lavoie |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote:I think this reference by Tilton could be a bit jumbled. Could well be still at the Festetics. The director is László Czoma, e-mail: khelikon AT freemail DOT hu "The highlights of the palace are a gilt, mirrored ballroom and the Helikon Library, a masterpiece of joinery by János Kerbl, built in 1801 and containing over 90,000 books in diverse languages, the oldest of which – Chronica Hungarorum – dates back to 1488." (from the 'Rough Guide to Hungary'). Attached Image (viewed 3925 times): Last edited on Tue Apr 13th, 2010 09:45 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
adammclean Member
|
What a wonderful library. I will write to the director. Thanks for finding this. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote:What a wonderful library. I will write to the director. Thanks for finding this. Seems quite a character: "The Festetics Palace near the shores of Hungary's Lake Balaton has witnessed a fair amount of colourful history in its time, not least the hosting last year of a summit of central European leaders including Czech President Vaclav Havel and his German counterpart, Roman Herzog. Earlier this summer, though, the palace's sumptuous Baroque rooms were transformed into the setting for an entirely different kind of activity: the shooting of a pornographic film based on the life and loves of Mata Hari, the notorious First World War seductress and spy. While Mata and her cohorts set to in front of the cameras, children were being escorted around adjoining rooms of the palace, most of which serves as a local history museum. Such a flagrant breach of good judgment earned the palace director Laszlo Czoma a sharp reprimand from the Ministry of Culture and Education, which said at the very least he should have read the film script before agreeing to hire out the rooms."  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/sex-trade-moguls-thrive-by-the-blue-danube-1329695.html |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote:What a wonderful library. I will write to the director. Thanks for finding this. The Hungarian Wiki article says this is Europe's largest intact castle library. There must be masses of alchemical and other esoteric stuff in there! It is interesting that another article about the castle says that the library collection was first put together in the 1760s, around the time the manuscript was written. Attached Image (viewed 1631 times): |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
This site has a reproduction of the title-page of a book dated to 1710: http://www.collegium-rosae-crucis.fr/historique-collegium-rc.html C'est en 1710, que parut à Breslau, Allemagne : “La véritable et parfaite préparation de la Pierre Philosophale de la Confrérie de l'ordre de la Rose-Croix d'Or — Die Wahrhafte und Vollkommene Bereitung des Philosophischen Steins, der Brüdeschafft aus dem Orden des Gulden- und Rosen-Creutzer”. L'auteur est Sincerus Renatus, pseudonyme du prédicateur silésien Samuel Richter, disciple de Paracelse et de Jacob Boëhme. Ce texte est un traité d'alchimie se terminant par “La Profession des Rose Croix d'Or” qui énumère 52 règles de la Fraternita Aureæ et Roseæ Crucis, Fraternité de la Rose Croix d'Or." |
|||||||||
|
Carl Lavoie Member
|
. Yes, Samuel Richter comes up in association with the Rose-Croix d’Or. I hesitated to send you a link to the article ‘Sincerus Renatus’, pp. 1073-1074 of the Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, as I couldn’t tell if it was legal copy or a bootleg. Last edited on Wed Apr 14th, 2010 01:29 pm by Carl Lavoie |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Carl Lavoie wrote:. Bootleg. |
|||||||||
|
Alan Pritchard Guest
|
And given their track record, it is a pity that Scribd does not allow people other than the actual copyright holder to report IPR breaches. ATM the only general reporting is for: Spam or junk; Porn adult content; Hateful or offensive. The only way seems to be to add a 'Scribble', which I've done to the 2 copies of the Dictionary. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Alan Pritchard wrote:And given their track record, it is a pity that Scribd does not allow people other than the actual copyright holder to report IPR breaches. ATM the only general reporting is for: Spam or junk; Porn adult content; Hateful or offensive. Trouble with these bootlegs they're like measles. It's on rapidshare too along with a whole load of other stuff: http://rapidog.com/illustrated-dictionary-of-symbols-in-eastern-and-western-art-rapidshare.html |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote:I think this reference by Tilton could be a bit jumbled. Bad news. It look as if the Degh collection was destroyed during World War II, presumably as part of the Nazi anti-Masonic onslaught. Fortunately the MS was summarised by Abafi in his History of Freemasonry: "A XIX században gr. Festetics Pál dégi kastélyában összegyûjtötte és rendszerezte a szabadkõmûvesség addigi magyar történelmének iratait és levelezését. A levéltárat (104 kötet kb. 10.000 ívnyi tartalommal) többek között Abafi Lajos dolgozta fel, s adta ki a Szabadkõmûvesség története Magyarországon c. mûvét, amely a XVIII. és XIX. szd. történéseit foglalja össze. (Mivel a dégi gyûjtemény a háborúk folyamán elpusztult ezért gyakorlatilag ez maradt az egyetlen hitelesnek mondható összefoglaló mû, amely eredeti dokumentumok alapján tárja elénk a szabadkõmûvesség magyarországi történetének kezdeteit egészen az u.n. Aranykorig.)" http://www.szabadkomuvessopron.hu/sopron/sopronszk.html Last edited on Thu Apr 15th, 2010 11:36 am by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Carl Lavoie Member
|
. It might be worthwhile to check out this fellow : Friedrich Josef Wilhelm SCHRÖDER (1733-1778), professor of medicine at Marburg (not to confuse with Johann Schröder) *. From the book-review by A. Faivre, link provided above (see p.67): «Anyway, F. J .W. Schröeder, mentioned above, chosen and insistently requested by the Order [of the Golden Rosy-Cross], had made for the latter an active propaganda, which is hardly surprising, coming from an alchemist.» Which somehow echoes Ferguson (II, 342-343), in its long bibliographical note, that states that: “He proclaimed himself a true Rosicrucian, though no longer in touch with the chief of the Order.” But this comment could have been tongue-in-cheek humour, as he had just reported that: From his youth up, Schröder was of weak constitution, but at the end his health was still more impaired, partly by his chemical and alchemical experiments, partly by his overstrained phantasy inducing mental suffering, and it was said of him that ‘ he was a man whose brain was on fire with alchemy and whose passions for paradox had made him crazy.’ Mackey’s Encyclopaedia (revised edition of 1927, pp. 669-670) has half-a-column about him (without any reference given for this first part of the extract): He established at Marburg, in 1766, a Chapter of True and Ancient Rose Croix Masons, and in 1779 [Sic. Probably ‘1769’ was meant, as he died in 1778.] he organized in a Lodge in Sarreburg a school or Rite, founded on magic, theosophy, and alchemy, which consisted of seven degrees, four high degrees founded on these occult sciences being super-added to the original three Symbolic degrees. This Rite, called the “Rectified Rose Croix,” was only practised by two Lodges under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Hamburg. Clavel (Histoire Pittoresque, p.183) calls him the Cagliostro of Germany, because it was in his school that the Italian charlatan learned his first lessons of magic and theosophy. Oliver, misunderstanding Clavel, styles him an adventurer. (Landmarks, ii., 710.) But it is perhaps more just that we should attribute to him a diseased imagination and misdirected studies than a bad heart or impure practises. And yes, in the same volume, an entry ‘Rose Croix of Gold, Brethren of’, is distinct from the ‘Rose Croix, Rectified’ one. ........................................................................................ * : There is a digitalized MS. from a Schroeder (made by Bacstrom in 1802), but it isn’t the right guy neither: "William, Baron Von Schröder, In Defence of Mercury. Nuremberg 1727. 8o. Translated from the German by S. B. " (L.A., P. Getty, M. P. Hall coll., Box 18, Vol.8) http://www.revistaazogue.com/biblio.htm#N_3_ . Last edited on Thu Apr 15th, 2010 03:29 pm by Carl Lavoie |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Thanks Carl. There is a specialised study of Schröder by Stefan Redies: http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Friedrich_Joseph_Wilhelm_Schroder_1733-1778_-Ein_Rosenkreuzer_an_Der/3897030829/ |
|||||||||
|
adammclean Member
|
Paul Ferguson wrote: There is a specialised study of Schröder by Stefan Redies: Which, sadly, appears to be unavailable. There is another work on the same theme by him which can be seen (in part) on Google books Freimauer, Tempelritter und Rosenkreuzer: zur Geschichte der Geheimbünde in 18 Jahrhundert Last edited on Thu Apr 15th, 2010 01:37 pm by adammclean |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
According to this site: http://www.muellerscience.com/ESOTERIK/Freimaurerei_Geschichte/Hochgrade.htm the rituals of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer were taken over by the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and by the "Bon Pasteur" system in Eastern Europe. For the Bon Pasteur see: http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ruspol.html "The name of the founder of the Lodge “Au Bon Pasteur” also deserves to live on in the mouth of posterity on account of the hard fate which Masonry brought upon him, and which he bore with patience for Masonry’s sake. Jean de Thoux de la Salverte*, military engineer at Brünn, had to pay dearly for his extraordinary zeal in the cause of Masonry by spending many years in the citadel of Spielberg near Brünn and afterwards in the fortress of Komorn to be finally banished from the country. But all these hard blows made his pet child only the dearer to him, so that as soon as he again felt settled in Poland as colonel of a regiment, he set about the foundation of a new Lodge, viz. the one just mentioned “Au Bon Pasteur.” It is, however, characteristic of the man and of his time that he renounced Masonry and left his newly won fatherland for 5 years in order “to study Alchemy and Cabbala,” and to introduce them into his Lodge." *His name is spelled in various ways. There is an article about him in Acta Poloniae Historica: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=12051702 "De Toux (ou Detoux, plus rarement de Thoux) de Salvert (ou de Salverte) était né aux environs de Tournai (Belgique), à l'époque aux Pays-Bas autrichiens| professeur de mathématiques, enrôlé dans l'armée habsbourgeoise en qualité d'ingénieur. Initié à Vienne| fondateur de la loge " Sternkreuz " en 1744, incarcéré, puis chassé de l'empire des Habsbourg, il se réfugie à Varsovie| il parcourut l'Europe, fondant des loges ou y adhérant. Il n'a laissé aucun exposé de sa pensée mais une intéressante correspondance. Mort en 1797, à l'âge de 90 ans environ, à Varsovie." He is also mentioned in a slightly dodgy Wiki article: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franc-ma%C3%A7onnerie_en_Pologne "Le 21 septembre 1769, une Tenue Solennelle proclame la naissance de la Grande Loge du Vertueux Sarmate, qui réorganise la Grande Loge autour d'un nouveau Règlement général. Moscynski conserve la Grande Maîtrise. Le français Jean de Toux de Salvert devient Grand Maître adjoint." The spelling Jean de Thoux de Salverte gives the most Google hits. Last edited on Thu Apr 15th, 2010 03:37 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Carl Lavoie Member
|
. Paul, About De Thoux, in your second excerpt, is this mention that:
I don`t know if he would have gone as far as to pen down a (draft of a) ritual in his letters, but it would be nice. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Carl Lavoie wrote:. That would indeed be wonderful. There is a brief study of him in Polish: J. Wojtowicz, Jan Łukasz Thoux de Salverte – wolnomularz i okultysta (z dziejów wolnomularstwa polskiego epoki stanisławowskiej), [w] Francja – Polska XVIII-XIX w. Studia x dziejów kultury i polityki poświęcone Profesorowi Andrzejowi Zahorskiemu w sześćdziesiątą rocznicę urodzin, Warszawa 1983, s. 163-172). Seems also to have been closely tied up with Falk, about whom I posted some time ago: http://books.google.com/books?id=BXyE2uz7O-MC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=%22de+Salverte%22+correspondence&source=bl&ots=LaIQnALnpy&sig=bvQb71rsPnKNl9uJgeQQOW_Yv8w&hl=en&ei=LyfHS6vwDN-lsQbGt4XjCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22de%20Salverte%22%20correspondence&f=false There is a very interesting blog here: http://gyllenegryningen.blogspot.com/2008/10/rosicrucian-nation-of-poland.html "As a future King Poniatowski was in fact trained and educated by two alchemists and Rosicrucians, Lucas de Toux de Salverte and the Polish Count August Moszynski. The latter probably [was] the head of the Polish branch of the Gold- ünd Rosenkreuz. With the financial support of the King, they both set up an alchemical laboratory in the Ujazdowski palace, even causing great damage to the castle when a accidental fire broke up during an alchemical experiment. According to MacIntosh Moszynski in 1768 wrote "a manuscript treatise addressed to the King entitled Réflexions sur la science hermétique". The king himself wrote several papers on the subject of alchemy. During his reign in the mid-1770s the membership of the Gold- und Rosenkreutz amassed, including nobility, officers and other dignitaries. The Rosicrucian system of Bon Pasteur was supposedly founded in 1750 by Toux de Salverte, i.e. preceding the Gold- ünd Rosenkreutz Order of Herman Fictuld even if it shared many features with the latter. It was probably to this Order that the Polish King were initiated, as it has a degree with the title of "Chevalier Rose-Croix". Like the Gold- ünd Rosenkreutz it started off from the Scottish Master Degree, i.e. from the 5th degree and onwards to the 12th. MacIntosh notes that both the Bon Pasteur and the Gold- ünd Rosenkretuz shared "a pietistic type of Christianity with a Gnostic, dualistic colouring". Alchemical symbolism [was] prominent within both systems. They even shared many common rules, which had their origins in the document of Sincerus Renatus and the Rosicrucian group around the document D.O.M.A. That in turn [was] strikingly similar, according to MacIntosh, to another document called the Testamentum der Fraternität Roseae et Aureae Crucis. Thus MacIntosh concludes that Bon Pasteur can "be seen as a Polish offshoot of the same stream to which the Gold- und Rosenkreutz belonged"." Mackenzie's Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia says he was: "Founder of the Academy of Ancients at Warsaw, in 1763. A colonel in the Polish service, and a deputy to the Convention of Paris, in 1785. He was also a member of the Strict Observance, by the designation 'Eques a carcere'." Carcer, carceris can mean the starting-barrier at a race-course as well, of course, as the more usual meaning 'jail' (De Salverte had spent time in jail for his Masonic affiliations). Lenning, in his Allgemeines Handbuch der Freimaurerei, Vol. 3, page 379, confirms his S.O. nickname but says that the Academy he founded was called the Academy of Secrets, an echo of della Porta's "Academia Secretorum Naturae." He is also mentioned in a paper by our very own Rafal Prinke reproduced on Adam's website: http://www.alchemywebsite.com/sword.html I wonder if Rafal knows of the present whereabouts of his correspondence? Last edited on Thu Apr 15th, 2010 07:55 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Paul Ferguson wrote:According to this site: The Third Grade (Practicus) - the 'alchemical' degree - of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia is partially reproduced here (page 11 onwards): http://books.google.com/books?id=p3FbN9vmxJ4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Rituals+of+the+First+Four+Grades%22&hl=en&ei=cm7IS8-vMM_r-AbV-diOBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Last edited on Sat Apr 17th, 2010 12:37 am by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
For the D.O.M.A. (referred to in my last post but one) see Rafal Prinke's article on Adam's site: http://www.levity.com/alchemy/lampado.html For reproductions of the D.O.M.A. plates see: http://www.jamesclairlewis.com/pages/metaphysics/doma.html |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Also worth investigating in this connection, it would seem, is the Chevaliers de l'Aigle Noir et Rose-Croix, which Ricker and Faucher say, on page 102 of their Histoire de Franc-Maçonnerie, was 'nothing other than a gathering of alchemists': http://books.google.com/books?id=EBC2OUmsKXQC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=%22Chevaliers+de+l%E2%80%99A%C3%AEgle+Noir+et+Rose-Croix%22&source=bl&ots=LVsCehszUE&sig=i06ei8kAkoKVfDva61sKO69YKoo&hl=en&ei=EdLKS5zBE9nfsAbhiYSHAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false See: http://hautsgrades.over-blog.com/article-21514611.html "...si les Chevaliers de l'Aigle noir sont appelés Rose-Croix, c'est parce que Raymond Lulle grand maçon et philosophe hermétique, ayant trouvé par la science kabbalistique le vrai salut de vie par le mariage des six métaux, il en composa un parfait appelé or ; il le présenta au roi d'Angleterre qui en fit fabriquer de la monnaie, où d'un côté était une croix symbole des quatre éléments, et de l'autre une rose, symbole du triomphe du Travail et le prix des sages, l'épine n'appartenant qu'aux vrais trompeurs et aux sots. Raymond Lulle fut fait chevalier et, depuis lui, tous ceux qui travaillent à la science kabbalistique ou art royal sont appelés chevaliers Rose-Croix. Ce sublime grade est en vénération dans toutes les cours du Nord et en Prusse, où le souverain en est le protecteur et le GM C'est pour cela qu'il lui a même donné le nom d'Aigle noir comme roi des oiseaux et le seul fait pour voler au devant du soleil et en fixer la lumière." Last edited on Sun Apr 18th, 2010 03:47 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Allow me to mention also a (now rather scarce) book by Claude Guérillot: La rose maçonnique, Tome I http://www.amazon.fr/rose-ma%C3%A7onnique-1-Claude-Gu%C3%A9rillot/dp/285707705X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271969916&sr=8-1 "L'auteur a recherché les liens de filiation qui unissent entre eux les différents Grades d'Apprenti, de Compagnon et de Maître, pour ensuite nous faire découvrir les premiers rituels Écossais, aujourd'hui oubliés, tels l’ Écossais Parisien des Trois J.J.J. ou le Grand Écossais de Montpellier. Il suit l'enchaînement symbolique de l'Ancienne Maîtrise, qui deviendra, bien plus tard, les quatorze premiers Degrés du Rite Écossais Ancien et Accepté, il analyse la progression qui, du Chevalier d'Orient au Souverain Grand Inspecteur Général, complète ce Rite. Mais, aussi, il nous fait découvrir des trésors oubliés, tels que l'Ordre de l'Étoile Polaire ou le Chevalier de l'Aigle Noir, première forme alchimique du rose-croix." Attached Image (viewed 1019 times): Last edited on Thu Apr 22nd, 2010 10:02 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
There is also an 18th manuscript in the library of the French Grande Loge Nationale illustrated here: http://www.glnf-musee.fr/matrice.asp?ARB_N_ID=1&COL_N_ID=571&collection=Pr%E9cis%20des%20huit%20premiers%20grades# The manuscript apparently contains information about the Aigle Noir degree but I do not think any of the illustrations relate directly to it. Last edited on Thu Apr 22nd, 2010 10:24 pm by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Anyone read this? http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/2916123113?ie=UTF8&tag=blogmaconniqu-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1642&creativeASIN=2916123113 "... Telle est la fabuleuse série de grades, jamais publiée " en clair " à partir de l'autographe de 1766, qui constitue le corpus de ce livre. Ils sont à l'origine de certains des degrés les plus alchimiques du Rite écossais ancien & accepté, et surtout de tout un esprit de maçonnerie hermétique maintenant propre aux rites dits " égyptiens " de Memphis et de Misraïm. Mais surtout, ils sont une véritable clef pour la réalisation alchimique, comme le suggère l'importante préface de Jean Solis. Voici, en effet, une lecture qui intéresse autant le laboratoire que la dramaturgie maçonnique..." Attached Image (viewed 1091 times): Last edited on Fri Apr 23rd, 2010 01:39 am by Paul Ferguson |
|||||||||
|
adammclean Member
|
Paul Ferguson wrote: There is also an 18th manuscript in the library of the French Grande Loge Nationale This looks very interesting. I wonder if it would be possible to obtain some scans. I have a book with a facsimile of a similar manuscript the Mutus Liber Latomorum which has an introduction by Didier Kahn. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
adammclean wrote:Paul Ferguson wrote:There is also an 18th manuscript in the library of the French Grande Loge Nationale As befits a secret society their 'Information and Links' page is completely blank, but the Curator is François Geissmann, G.L.N.F., 12 rue Christine de Pisan. 75017 PARIS. They seem to have some fabulous stuff. Look at this painting here by Louis Huet: http://www.glnf-musee.fr/matrice.asp?ARB_N_ID=33&COL_N_ID=221&collection=Sc%E8ne%20ma%E7onnique,%20tableau%20de%20Louis%20Huet |
|||||||||
|
adammclean Member
|
Thanks for the reference to the French Grande Loge Nationale web site. I looked at their collection of artworks and found they had a copy of an engraving I saw many years ago, which I would dearly love to have a high resoution scan of large photograph of. http://www.glnf-musee.fr/matrice.asp?ARB_N_ID=33&COL_N_ID=779&collection=Le%20Miroir%20de%20la%20Sagesse# |
|||||||||
|
Carl Lavoie Member
|
They seem to have some fabulous stuff. Look at this painting here by Louis Huet: Yes. I suspect Bellini’s Sacred Allegory, though (now in les Offices), with its ‘theatrical’ composition and its contrast architecture/nature, to have been the model, or say, a strong influence for several of these Masonic scenes. http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bellini/giovanni/1490-99/149alle.html |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Milko Bogaard's essay 'Manifestations of the Martinist Order' contains some useful information on this subjec: http://omeganexusonline.net/rcmo/martinistorders.htm See the section "Ordine Martinista Napolitano" for more about Baron Tsch(o)udy. See the section "Russian Martinism" for Novikov (mentioned in another thread under "New Books"). There are many references to alchemy in this essay - search the page for "alch" |
|||||||||
|
Johann Plattner Member 
|
adammclean wrote: Paul Ferguson wrote:There is a specialised study of Schröder by Stefan Redies: I could have a look to that book from Stefan Redies and it doesn't mention any manuscripts which could be linked to the Gold und Rosenkreuzer of that period of time at all. |
|||||||||
|
Rafal T. Prinke Member 
|
I have just found out about two books that may be relevant to this old thread -- and wonder if anyone has seen them and can say a few words about the contents. The "La magie" is apparently by Madathanus [=Mynsicht] and contains some 150 magical sigils -- from a Czech manuscript. Dánann, Alexandre de. Un Rose-Croix méconnu entre le XVIIe et le XVIIIe siècles Federico Gualdi ou Auguste Melech Hultazob Prince d’Achem. Avec de nombreux textes et documents rares et inédits pour servir à une histoire de la Rose-Croix d’Or, Itinéraires, 13. Milano: Éditions Arché, 2006. Dánann, Alexandre de. La magie de la Rose-Croix d'Or: Traduction de "La Croix d'or ou Bréviaire de la Confrérie de la Rose-croix d'or" dans le seul manuscrit connu du XVIIe siècle avec ses psaumes et caractères magiques, une introduction sur l'origine de la confrérie et la traduction intégrale de ses statuts (1678), Acacia, 13. Milano: Éditions Arché, 2009. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Rafal T. Prinke wrote:I have just found out about two books that may be relevant to this old thread -- and wonder if anyone has seen them and can say a few words about the contents. The "La magie" is apparently by Madathanus [=Mynsicht] and contains some 150 magical sigils -- from a Czech manuscript. Hi Rafal, I don't actually have the books but I can tell you that Alexandre de Dánann is the nom de plume of two Italian researchers, Alessandro Boella and Antonella Galli. Website here but the English pages are under construction: http://www.alexandrededanann.net/ This is what the blurb for their Mynsicht book has to say (in my free translation): "Alexandre de Dánann has undertaken researches into the original Fraternitas Aureæ et Roseæ Crucis (which should not be confused with the 9-degree system known as the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross of the Old System). He continues his work by publishing here a previously unpublished document of quite exceptional importance: a breviary of the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross based on the sole surviving MS, which dates from the 17th century, at the Czech National Library in Prague. Written in Latin and German, the prayers alternate with psalms, magical symbols, drawings and a hundred magical seals, one section of which is accompanied by a key in code. It has been deciphered here with the help of an elementary steganographic method using correspondence tables based on those of Trithemius, in several variants. This MS therefore confirms the use within the Golden & Rosy Cross of magic in addition to alchemy, something that the statutes from the 17th century also confirm, as do the documents establishing the genealogy of the operative texts of the Brotherhood. A substantial introduction adds new and important information and sheds light on key personalities such as Hinricus Madathanus alias Hadrianus a Mynsicht, and Johannes Augustinus Pantheus. It draws special attention to the least well-known but by no means least important personage, Giovan Battista Agnello, a Venetian physician and alchemist who knew John Dee and who helped introduce the Voarchadumia tradition (and perhaps the Rosicrucian tradition as well) to England. The appendices provide further information, and include, inter alia, the statutes of 1678 in their entirety. These prove that the Brotherhood was in existence in 1542-1543. Also included is an 18th century document attesting to common elements between the Golden & Rosy Cross and Freemasonry, as well as an exquisite little alchemical poem in code (which is also deciphered here) dating from the 17th century." More about the Gualdi in a moment... |
|||||||||
|
Rafal T. Prinke Member
|
Thank you, Paul. I had also found their website and while the books seem to contain valuable editions of archival documents, the statement that they prove the existence of Rosicrucians in Italy in mid-16th c. certainly lights a red lamp. Books published by Arche seem to be of good quality, though. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Paul Ferguson wrote:
Regarding Gualdi, this is what the authors have to say about their book (again in a free translation by His Nibs): "This is the first biographical essay dedicated to a legendary alchemist, who has almost completely escaped the attention of historical researchers: a Rosicrucian, a teacher of Cagliostro and a close friend of the Comte de Saint-Germain, he was known as Federico Gualdi, but was actually of German origin. During his long sojourn in Venice he engaged in a variety of activities. Versatile and eclectic, and multilingual, he was also an astronomer and mathematician, and in 1662 even designed a barrage for the Lagoon. He was considered an adept in possession of the "divine secret" and the elixir of life. After reaching the age of 200 (and even, allegedly, 600 years) his appearance was still that of a man of 40 – as a portrait by Titian shows. His milieu included aristocrats, scholars, artists, clergymen, Italians, French, Germans, and a smaller circle of disciples. The best known of these, Francesco Maria Santinelli, a gentleman at the court of Queen Christina of Sweden, published under the pseudonym of Marcantonio Crassellame Chinese, the "Lux obnubilata suapte natura refulgens" (1666), which was translated into French under the title "La Lumière sortant par soi-même des ténèbres". The model for this composition was the "Philosophia Hermetica" of his master Federico Gualdi, which is presented here for the first time with its variant, the "Opus Philosophicum", with a French translation of the latter. Gualdi was considered one of the leaders of the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross, an order which was founded well before 1710 (a manuscript preserved in Naples, dated 1678, mentions its existence in Italy and Germany as early as 1542). In accordance with the statutes of the Order, he devoted himself to alchemy, familiar spirits, the creation of homunculi, and the manufacture of medicines and elixirs. He was the subject of an investigation by the Inquisition of Venice (1676), which, however, did not lead to a formal trial. Much later on he disappeared from this city, to reappear on German soil in 1716. Rare engravings of the time show him transformed into Melech Hultazob August, Prince of Achem, with all the attributes of a great lord from Eastern Europe. Famous for his universal medicine, produced in an alchemical transmutation for King Frederick Augustus II of Poland, he also met King Frederick II of Prussia and Tsar Peter the Great. He maintained a correspondence with Anna Ivanovna, Duchess of Courland and future empress of Russia. His marriage to a Polish countess however brought him to a sad end: on her orders a negro servant strangled him. Sic transit! But the story of "Gualdi" does not end there: Baron von Wächter, of the Order of the Strict Observance, was to meet his self-styled "nephew" who took part in two magical rituals. The text of the Philosophia Hermetica was also adopted for use in the highest degree of Starck's Clerical Templars... The present work also contains a detailed description of and keys to the use of various secret texts, both alchemical and magical, of the Golden and Rosy Cross, thus making accessible a literature that is notoriously difficult to access, as well as numerous rare or previously unpublished documents (accompanied by a rich iconography) which can be used to rewrite a few pages of the history of the Rosicrucians. One chapter is devoted to artificial generation and deals with the Divine Magic of the Sabaeans and the homunculi of Count Kueffstein. An extensive afterword highlights the links between Rosicrucian and Arab hermeticism, the role of the monasteries in the transmission of the hermetic and alchemical tradition, the Paracelsian origin of Rosicrucian knowledge, the fundamental distinction between the original Golden and Rosy Cross and that known as the Old System, calls into question the primacy of the Rosicrucians of Andreae, and completes a rehabilitation of Karl Kiesewetter and the manuscripts of his great-grandfather, JS Haussen, the last Imperator of the Golden and Rosy Cross. In Appendix A the reader will find a rich collection of sources in the original language, including full-texts and extensive excerpts from the alchemical-magical of Gualdi; in Appendix B, texts in French; and in C, research on a particular current in the Rosicrucian tradition, "the unknown Rosicrucian." |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Rafal T. Prinke wrote:Thank you, Paul. I had also found their website and while the books seem to contain valuable editions of archival documents, the statement that they prove the existence of Rosicrucians in Italy in mid-16th c. certainly lights a red lamp. Books published by Arche seem to be of good quality, though. ...and they've just published this: https://it-it.facebook.com/events/669850366360993/?ref=22 Attached Image (viewed 525 times): |
|||||||||
|
Rafal T. Prinke Member
|
Thanks for the second instalment, Paul. Even more interesting -- and still more difficult to believe! But even if the conclusions are wrong, the source material may still be fascinating. Maybe someone has seen the two books? Intriguingly, I do not see them quoted searching through GoogleBooks. |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Rafal T. Prinke wrote:Thanks for the second instalment, Paul. Even more interesting -- and still more difficult to believe! But even if the conclusions are wrong, the source material may still be fascinating. Maybe someone has seen the two books? Intriguingly, I do not see them quoted searching through GoogleBooks. They are listed here but not extracted. Maybe their lawyers read the Riot Act to Google about copyright: http://tinyurl.com/nmn5s6p |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Rafal T. Prinke wrote:Thanks for the second instalment, Paul. Even more interesting -- and still more difficult to believe! But even if the conclusions are wrong, the source material may still be fascinating. Maybe someone has seen the two books? Intriguingly, I do not see them quoted searching through GoogleBooks. This would make a good translation series. I wonder if Adam's resources would run to it... |
|||||||||
|
Rafal T. Prinke Member
|
This is all so fascinating -- and shows how little we (or rather I) really know about the roots of the Rosicrucian "current". I have found two more references which make the whole thing look quite serious: Barbierato, Federico, Adelisa Malena. "Rosacroce, libertini e alchimisti nella società veneta del secondo Seicento: I Cavalieri dell’Aurea e Rosa Croce " Storia d'Italia. Annali 25 (Esoterismo), (2005): 323-357. Humbertclaude, Eric. Federico Gualdi à Venise: Fragments retrouvés (1660-1678). Recherches sur un exploitant minier alchimiste. Paris: Editions L'Harmattan, 2010. The second one is partly visible on GoogleBooks. It seems that much of the RC history will have to be re-written (or actually is being rewritten). |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
Paul Ferguson wrote:Rafal T. Prinke wrote: Regarding which they say: "This volume includes the most important parts of a document of remarkable importance: an Italian manuscript of the Golden and Rosy Cross conserved at the National Library in Naples, containing texts which reveal an advanced knowledge of the practice of alchemy within the Brotherhood, as well as the complete statutes of 1678 of the Brotherhood: the inviolable vows to be observed by the Brothers of the Golden Cross or indeed of the Golden Rose preceding the usual Profession is evidence of their existence from 1542-1543 and of the practical use of alchemy within the Brotherhood. The German statutes of 1710 published in the appendix to the work of Samuel Richter on the authentic and complete preparation of the Philosopher's Stone of the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross therefore turn out to be a translation, adapted to need, of the Inviolable Vows, which were not originally Protestant in tone, but which were the rules of a Catholic brotherhood of knightly origin, which it would seem was actually very tolerant towards the other Christian denominations. Other previously unknown texts relating to the Golden and Rosy Cross are also presented here thanks to the rediscovery of an Italian Hermeticist of the 18th century, Count Francisco Onofrio da Marsciano, Lord of Orvieto and Foligno, described as an “adept without envy of others”, and above all thanks to a manuscript conserved in Vienna which provides new and important information about the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross, described as “a most ancient society of twelve adepts”, the archaic emblem of which is shown. This emblem is a symbolic cross, for the explanation of which Marsciano refers us to a text by the Hermetic philosopher and physician from Macerata known as Ludovico Conti (who, Marsciano tells us, was himself a member of the Golden and Rosy Cross), which is contained in the Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa: this is the draft of the appendix to a treatise on the alkahest published in 1665. Ludovico Conti was, in fact, the author of the first published treatise dedicated specifically to the alkahest, published in Venice in 1661, which contains the same symbolic cross. Conti's interpretation of this symbolic cross, disclosed “out of love for the students of Hermetic orthochemistry and voarcadumia [sic]” is also given here. The volume also presents for the first time: the first documents mentioning the Golden and Rosy Cross; an Italian connection to the origins of the Chemical Wedding; the Voarchadumia of Giovanni Augustin Panteo; Giovan Batiste Agnello and his relations with John and Arthur Dee; indirect evidence of the Golden and Rosy Cross in Italy in an Hermetic circle surrounding the Gonzaga, which included the Piedmontese Giacomo Antonio Gromis, Cesare della Riviera and Angelo Ingegneri; and the rediscovery of a German Brother of the Golden and Rosy Cross, Paulus Stein; it is completed by a list of texts, manuscripts and engravings which make explicit reference to the Golden and Rosy Cross.” |
|||||||||
|
Paul Ferguson Member
|
I do not see any specific references in this material to the Venetian Jews, who were one of the themes of Panteo's life. I wonder what influence they had on these esoteric movements and whether they provided the shot in the arm that the Renaissance humanists needed to formulate a magical and alchemical system. |
|||||||||