Lectorium Rosicrucianum
Encyclopedia
Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...
founded in 1935 by Dutch mystics Jan van Rijckenborgh
Jan van Rijckenborgh
Jan van Rijckenborgh was a Dutch born mystic and founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, a worldwide esoteric Rosicrucian movement....
, his brother Zwier Willem Leene and Catharose de Petri
Catharose de Petri
Catharose de Petri was a Dutch born mystic and co-founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, an international esoteric school based on Gnostic ideas of Christianity....
. The school teaches a form of modern Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
which is based upon the ideas and imagery of Rosicrucianism, the beliefs of the Cathars and other forms of religio-mystical thought such as Hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
and Alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
Although suppressed by the Nazis during the war, the Lectorium Rosicrucianum now counts about 15,000 members and has branches in countries all over the world including Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(particularly Brazil), Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the UK.
History
In 1924, the brothers Jan and Wim Leene became members of the American movement Rosicrucian FellowshipRosicrucian Fellowship
The Rosicrucian Fellowship – "An International Association of Christian Mystics" – was founded in 1909 by Max Heindel as herald of the Aquarian Age and with the aim of publicly promulgating "the true Philosophy" of the Rosicrucians....
, founded in 1909 by Max Heindel
Max Heindel
Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic. He died on January 6, 1919 at Oceanside, California, United States.- Early infancy :...
. In 1929, they directed the head of the branch in Holland. Joined by Henriette Stok-Huizer in 1930, they founded together an independent group in 1935 under the name of 'Rozekruisers Genootschap' (Rosicrucian Society); however, they fixed the official date of founding of the LR on 24 August 1924, in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
. After the death of Wim Leene in 1938, Jan Leene and Henriette Stok-Huizer wrote the doctrine of the group, using pen-names: respectively Jan van Rijckenborgh
Jan van Rijckenborgh
Jan van Rijckenborgh was a Dutch born mystic and founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, a worldwide esoteric Rosicrucian movement....
and Catharose de Petri
Catharose de Petri
Catharose de Petri was a Dutch born mystic and co-founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, an international esoteric school based on Gnostic ideas of Christianity....
. Rijckenborgh published a book based on the seven letters mentioned in the biblical book of Apocalyps and entitled Dei Gloria Intacta.
During the World War II, the group was persecuted by the Nazis. In 1945, they created the School of the Rose-Croix d'Or (Lectorium Rosicrucianum). In 1948, the two founders met in France Antonin Gadal
Antonin Gadal
Antonin Gadal was a French mystic and historian who dedicated his life to study of the Cathars in the south of France, their spirituality, beliefs and ideology.-Life:...
, an important figure in the Cathar revival. In 1957, he created the French branch of the LR and immediately became its president, used a field in Ussat-les-Bains to organize conferences and created a museum.
Jan Leene died in January 1968, and Henriette Stok-Huizer directed the movement, after an important internal crisis which caused the departure of the son of the founder of the group, Hank Leene, with many students and the departure of the leader of the French branch, which led to the creation of the Sivas Esoteric Community. After Stok-Huizer's death in 1990, the direction of movement was entrusted to a panel of 13 members, the "International Spiritual Directorate" (ISD).
Type
The LR has been qualified as a "Christo-centric Mystery School" which claims to be inspired by the "ancient Christian mysteries" (the Cathars, the Grail, Rosicrucianism) and said to be the guardian of these teachings. Massimo IntrovigneMassimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist and intellectual property consultant. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions , an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of tens of books and articles in...
has defined the LR as a "dualistic and Gnostic Christianity" which is not part of the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
, but was able to find members in this movement. In its statutes, the French branch stated that its goal is "the spread of the Mysteries of the Rosy Cross, Gnosis and the Holy Grail", and rejected "the magic, mediumship and all occult or astrological practice".
Teachings
The teachings of the organization are based on the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
(especially the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse), Catharism, the Corpus Hermeticum, the dualistic Gnosticism of the first centuries and the German literature of the first Rosicrucian trend, including Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
.
Two nature orders
The LR has a "particular version of Christian Gnosticism", which includes the fundamental teaching of the concept of the 'two nature orders': First, there is the material nature order which includes the dead as well as the living, and everything in this nature order is subject to the cycle of being born, living, dying and being born again; secondly, there is the original, divine or spiritual nature order. The first domain of existence is the world of perishability, of rising, shining and fading, or 'dialectics'; the second is the world of imperishability, or 'statics', which in the Bible is called 'the Kingdom of Heaven'. A last remnant, a Divine Spark or Rose of the Heart of the latter is latent in the heart.Awakening of the Inner Christ
One of the aims of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum is to inform people about the source of this sense of yearning, and to explain the need for a return to the divine nature order by the process of 'rebirth from the spirit' (John 3:8), which was taught, for instance, by Jesus to Nicodemus. It is stated that this process of rebirth, or 'transfiguration', is made possible through our 'daily dying', as Paul calls it (1 Cor. 15:31). What dies is the old nature, the I-consciousness, and what must awaken is the divine nature, the inner Christ. The Lectorium Rosicrucianum proposes a teaching of this process, as well as support for its members in their efforts to realize it in their lives.According to authors Fahlbusch and Bromiley, Rijckenborgh taught that Christ never came on Earth and his sacrificial death is a mistaken teaching; they think that this can lead LR members to leave the Church. However, the actual writings of Rijckenborgh contradict this assertion by the authors. According to Rijckenborgh, Jesus was a disciple of and proceeded from the Order of the Essenes.
Transfigurism
The transfiguristic precepts taught by the Lectorium Rosicrucianum are said to be embedded in the teachings of all great religions. For instance, in the Bible, the concepts of the two nature orders, the divine principle in the human heart, and the path of transfiguration, can be traced in the following quotations: 'My Kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36), 'the Kingdom of God is within you' (Luke 17:21) and 'He must increase, I must decrease' (John 3:30).The Human Being as Microcosm
Another fundamental Rosicrucian concept is the idea of the human being as a microcosm or world in miniature – a system of visible and invisible vehicles surrounded by a magnetic field and bounded by a 'microcosmic firmament', or 'lipika.' This idea is in accordance with the hermetic axiom, 'as above, so below.'The Stages of Transfigurism
The path of transfiguration comprises five main stages:- Insight into the real nature of this earthly domain of existence and experience of the inner call to return to the divine nature order.
- Genuine yearning for salvation.
- The surrender of the I-central self to the inner divine spark, so that the process of salvation can be realized.
- A new approach to life, adopted and carried out spontaneously under the guidance of the inner divine spark. The chief characteristics of this new approach to life are described, for instance, in the Sermon on the Mount.
- Fulfilment: the awakening (or resurrection) in the original life-field.
Organization
The Lectorium Rosicrucianum has its own publishing section in Holland, named Rozekruis Pers, which issues a large range of publications, including books by the founders which are also translated, books by authors dealing with Rosicrucian subjects, and a magazine called Pentagramme. The publications are mainly in German and Dutch.The movement claims to be a religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and has achieved this status in the Netherlands, Spain and Hungary.
Spread
Worldwide, the LR has some 15,000 pupils and persons who await admission as pupils. Nearly 8,000 of them are in European countries.In its first time, the movement enjoyed success in Germany. It began to be active in this country in 1949, initially under the name "Neue Internationale Transfiguristische Schule". In May 1955, it was registered as nonprofit association as the "Internationale Schule des Rosenkreuzes" then in 1998, as "Internationale Schule des Goldenen Rosenkreuzes, Lectorium Rosicrucianum e.V". The association has in Germany a total of three conference centers and, in 2005, the number of active members is about 2,500.
The LR became active in Switzerland (Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) in 1954, in Benin in 1989.
The first centre in Australia was established in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1974, and in 1999 they were two centres in the country (near Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
metropolitan area).
Conditions to be member
According to the Lectorium transfiguristic teachings are not meant to be considered only in a philosophical way – they are meant to be 'lived'. This 'living' of the teachings is the central aim of pupilship of the Spiritual School. For those who do not feel ready to practice pupilship in this sense, but who still want to maintain a connection with the School, membership is possible. For both forms of affiliation a fixed monthly contribution is asked.Personal Freedom
Temples and Conference Centers
In many countries the Lectorium Rosicrucianum has temples and conference centres, where the pupils meet regularly for temple services and other meetings during which they study the transfiguristic philosophy and reflect on how they can integrate it into their lives. Also about 160 centres exist in cities around the world. These serve the same purpose and are also used for giving lectures and courses for interested people. Around 12,000 pupils and 3,000 members are active worldwide.
Morality
Pupils are expected to adopt certain basic life reforms, such as vegetarianism and the abstention from tobacco, alcohol and drugs. A high standard of morality is also expected. In external activities as well as in their inner development, men and women play an equal part. Pupils are of all ages.
Reception
In France, the group was classified as a cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
in the 1995 and 1999 parliamentary reports. On 27 May 2005, the 1995 annex of the French report and cult classifications in which LR was listed, were officially cancelled and invalidated by Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for Vienne.Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin...
's circulaire. According to French anti-cult association UNADFI, Lectorium Rosicrucianum "can put people in a state of weakness" by "marginaliz[ing] the applicant from the beginning and in the minute details" (vegan food, avoidance of television, prohibition of alcohol ...).
Because of the inclusion of the group on the list of cults of the parliamentary report, the mayor of Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
did not allow the LR to participate in a public event called "Day of Associations", on 24 July 1996. Defended by lawyer Olivier-Louis Séguy, LR sued the city of Poitiers and won. After the publication of the 1995 report, the president of LR claimed to have received death threats.
About LR, delegate of the French episcopate for the study of cults and new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
s Jean Vernette
Jean Vernette
Jean Vernette , was a French priest of the diocese of Montauban. In 1973, he was appointed national secretary of the French episcopate for the study of cults and new religious movements. He published several books on cults and new therapies...
said: "The commission did not have reliable information. (...) With the mention of the Rose-Croix d'Or in the parliamentary reports, we have a fairly typical example of the error of route." When hearing by the Belgian commission on cults, philosopher Luc Nefontaine said that "the establishment of a directory of cult movements (...) seems to him dangerous, because it would also give a bad image of quite honourable organizations as School of the Rose-Croix d'Or".
After analyzing the movement, French historian Antoine Faivre
Antoine Faivre
Antoine Faivre is a prominent French scholar of esoterism. Until his retirement, he held a chair in the École Pratique des Hautes Études at the Sorbonne, University Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Haute-Normandie, director of the Cahiers del Hermétisme and of Bibliothèque de...
said that "it has all the characteristics of an initiatory order which fits into the history of current modern esoteric movements. (...) It seems to me that it does not meet any of the criteria used in the report of the [French] commission to define a cult. (...) This school, in every way honourable, does not present any dangerous aspects and even exerts (...) an interesting and positive action".
See also
- Antonin GadalAntonin GadalAntonin Gadal was a French mystic and historian who dedicated his life to study of the Cathars in the south of France, their spirituality, beliefs and ideology.-Life:...
- Catharose de PetriCatharose de PetriCatharose de Petri was a Dutch born mystic and co-founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, an international esoteric school based on Gnostic ideas of Christianity....
- Cathars/Catharism
- Esoteric ChristianityEsoteric ChristianityEsoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...
- GnosticismGnosticismGnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
- Jan van RijckenborghJan van RijckenborghJan van Rijckenborgh was a Dutch born mystic and founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, a worldwide esoteric Rosicrucian movement....
- Rosicrucianism, Rosicrucian ManifestosRosicrucian ManifestosThe Rosicrucian Manifestos were two documents of unknown authorship written in the early 17th century in Europe. They purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order, the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross, to the world...