Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC)

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Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rosicrucian Order, Ancient Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC) is a worldwide mystical, Rosicrucian, educational, humanitarian and fraternal organization that was founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in 1915. Membership is open to both men and women of the age of 18 or older. The organization does not endorse or discourage religion, nor does it qualify as a religious movement on its own right.

The name AMORC is an abbreviation for the Latin title Antiquus Mysticusque Ordo Rosæ Crucis. The organization's traditional and authentic Latin name is Antiquus Arcanus Ordo Rosæ Rubæa et Auræa Crucis (AAORRAC), which translates in English to Ancient and Secret Order of the Red Rose and the Golden Cross.

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Philosophy and Teachings of AMORC
The AMORC holds as part of its traditional history, that one branch of its teachings originated in the so-called mystery schools of Ancient Egypt. These schools were founded in 15th century BCE under the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tuthmosis III. Students at these facilities studied a wide variety of mystical subjects focusing on the 'mysteries' of the Universe. One of the most famous pupils (and one still highly regarded by the AMORC) was the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who is best known for instituting one of the world's first monotheistic belief systems.[citation needed]

Other streams of tradition and teaching come to AMORC from many different areas of the ancient world. Important among its studies are the ideas of the major philosophers, traditional healing techniques, health, intuition, and the psychic consciousness. According to its publication, Mastery of Life, some other topics include:

Material/Spiritual Alchemy
Sacred Architecture
Mystical Sounds
Breathing Techniques
Meditation
Natural, Mystical, and Artificial Symbolism
The Great Religious Movements
Ideas of Pythagoras,Thales, Solon, Heraclitus, Democritus, et al.
The Psychic Body
The Mystery of Karma
Reincarnation
Traditional Rosicrucian healing techniques

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Organization and structure

AMORC is a worldwide organization, established in the United States of America as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, with the specific and primary purpose of advancing the knowledge of its history, principles, and teachings for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. It is financed mainly through fees paid by its members. Income is used by the organization to pay expenses, develop new programs, expand services, and carry out humanitarian work.

Grand Lodges

The organizational headquarters for different jurisdictions of the AMORC are designated as "Grand Lodges." The English-speaking Grand Lodge for the Americas is headquartered in Rosicrucian Park in San Jose, California. All Grand Lodges are governed by The Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC. The Supreme Grand Lodge is responsible for the worldwide coordination of AMORC, the establishment of new administrations, and the appointment of jurisdictions to Grand Lodges, usually based on language. This body consists of the Imperator, Grand Masters, and related executive officers.

 
A Rosicrucian Master's Cross, from the AMORC Rosicrucian Library in San Jose, CaliforniaLodges, Chapters, Pronaoi, Atrium Groups

On a local level, members of AMORC often form smaller affiliated groups organized as Lodges, Chapters, Pronaoi, or Atrium Groups. These various titles differ according to the members of each body in regular attendance. Participation in these groups is optional, and participants retain compulsory membership with their respective Grand Lodge. Many of these groups charge additional dues to participants in order to cover expenses such as rent and mailings. Most affiliated bodies of the AMORC periodically offer Open Meetings or Lectures to which the general public is invited and welcome.

AMORC Leadership
From 1915 to 1990, the leadership of AMORC was entrusted to the Office of Imperator. This Office had a dual function: that of Imperator who was solely responsible for all doctrine and ritual of the Order; and that of Corporate President who sat at the head of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors were responsible for determining all corporate matters related to the organization. When AMORC reorganized in 1990, the dual function of the Office was merged into one position, that of President of the worldwide AMORC organization. However, internally, the President was still referred to by the traditional title of Imperator. In addition to the Imperator, each Grand Lodge has a Grand Master. The title of "Master" does not connotate any type of authority intellectual or otherwise over other members of AMORC and is not intended to imply a master/slave relationship. The term "master" itself most likely derives from the latin term magister, which is also in modern use to denote a graduate level degree in academia.

In 1990 there was a dispute over the leadership of the AMORC, which was then under the leadership of Imperator Gary L. Stewart. This move was prompted by allegations made by a few members of the Board Directors of financial wrongdoing on the part of Stewart. A lawsuit was filed and the subsequent out-of-court settlement in 1993 prompted a severing of any relationship between Stewart and AMORC. Christian Bernard had previously assumed Stewart's office after a vote of the Grand Lodge officers in April, 1990. An installation ritual was held at the then "Supreme Grand Lodge" temple in San Jose, California.


AMORC and New Organizations
The events of 1990 resulted in the firing of Imperator Stewart and his replacement with Christian Bernard, then Grand Master of France. After his installation, Bernard relocated the Supreme Grand Lodge from San Jose, CA to Quebec, Canada. This move was not welcomed by many American members. Since then several new Rosicrucian Organizations have been started. The "Ancient Rosae Crucis" in Dallas, Texas, led by Ashley McFadden and the Confraternity of the Rose Cross, led by former AMORC Imperator Stewart, which uses the older Spencerian version of the Order's monographs as opposed to the monographs currently used by AMORC. Stewart also founded the Order Militia Crucifera Evangelica, loosely based on the MCE (Militia Crucifera Evangelica) that was originally created by AMORC and the British Martinist Order which is entirely unrelated to the one sponsored by AMORC.

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History
AMORC was founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in 1915 and was represented by him in FUDOSI, a federation of independent esoteric orders. As is traditional, Lewis claimed (and is generally accepted) to have been regularly initiated into the Rosicrucian tradition in Europe, prior to the founding of AMORC. As part of this association, Lewis ultimately was given charters and authority to found AMORC as a Rosicrucian body in the United States. Beside his many European connections, Dr. H.S. Lewis also had a notable association with Mrs. May Banks-Stacy, one of the last successors to the original colony of Rosicrucians that settled in America during the late 17th century. By the end of the 1920's he was known for being acquainted with most of the then notables of the esoteric world.

The early AMORC headquarters were located in New York City, San Francisco and then Tampa. The headquarters moved to San Jose, California in 1927. Harvey Spencer Lewis died in 1939 and was succeeded in the office of Imperator by his son Ralph Maxwell Lewis who had previously served as Grand Secretary. Gary L. Stewart was appointed to the office of Imperator on the demise of Ralph Maxwell Lewis in 1987. Christian Bernard was elected to the office of Imperator in 1990.

World War II had a devastating impact on the membership of many esoteric groups, which were outlawed under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Leadership figures in particular were frequently arrested, persecuted, or in some cases assassinated by the Gestapo. Still others were known to have died in concentration camps. AMORC, being protected by virtue of being in the United States underwent a dramatic period of growth during this time. After the destruction of the war ended, AMORC was then in a position to lend support to its battered sister organizations. Eventually many of these came to be absorbed under the administration of AMORC's leadership based in San Jose.

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Headquarters

Around the world, each AMORC Grand Lodge has its own headquarters facilities. In North America, the headquarters of the English Grand Lodge for the Americas is The Rosicrucian Park in San José, California, USA, founded in 1927, which includes the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the 5th Planetarium built in the USA (and the first to have a US-built star projector, made by Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis himself), the Rosicrucian Peace Garden, Rosicrucian Research Library, Grand Temple, Administration Building, Fountain Plaza and Gardens.

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Criticism
AMORC has become the target of some criticisms.

Conspiracy theorists have attempted to link AMORC, through persons once participant with the group as a possible co-conspirator and beneficiary of funds which vanished as part of the Order of the Solar Temple mass suicide in 1995. Theorists also believe this link ties in with the existence of NATO-organized secret armies in Europe (known as Operation Gladio). Former member of the World Council and former Grand Master of France, Raymond Bernard has refuted these allegations in an interview. When asked "What is the influence of the Secret Service in the traditional movements?," Bernard responded:

I must be again very clear and categorical in my response on this subject. Never, at any time, has any contact whatsoever has been made with me in order to fulfill a mission of this sort, or that I do anything whatsoever in the service of an unspecified organ of information and, to be even more precise, I affirm clearly that at no time has there been any pressure, official, semi-official, or other request, which could, in any manner, make me suppose that one expected that I accomplish a mission for the information services or official services of any nature whatsoever...To claim otherwise would be an out and out lie, pure fabrication, pure calumny and pure slander!
Other Rosicrucian organizations, such as FUDOFSI and Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis have criticized AMORC's authenticity with the benefit of bolstering their own claims of authenticity.

Gary L. Stewart of the Confraternity of the Rose Cross believes that the nature of the modern AMORC is now different from Harvey Spencer Lewis's legacy. The same view is held by other organizations which started as splinter groups from AMORC after its 1990s corporate reorganization.

AMORC, like many other similar organizations, has been criticized by some Christian groups. The PanHellenic Parents Union has included the AMORC in a list of 422 organizations which considered as incompatible with the Eastern Orthodox tradition by the "7th Panorthodox Conference" of 1995 and its president Metropolite Hieronymus of Theba and Levadia.

Some theologians have tried to classify it as a secret society. For an example, see the ECWA case below.

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Conferences and Councils
AMORC often organises various conferences around the world, usually restricted only to members, and several councils of experts on various topics.

Rosicrucian World Conventions

In August 2001 the world convention took place in Göteborg, Sweden. The main theme of the convention was world peace and harmony. The convention was of significant importance to Rosicrucian history because Imperator Bernard presented the "Positio Fraternitatis Rosæ Crucis" to inform the public about AMORC's position on the current world situation.

In July 2004 The Rosicrucian World Peace Conference was held in San José, California, USA. Over 2000 Rosicrucians from 70 countries gathered with Imperator Christian Bernard, and North American Grand Master Julie Scott. The Imperator dedicated The Rosicrucian Park's newest institution, the Rosicrucian Peace Garden, designed according to examples from Egypt's 18th Dynasty by the Grand Master of the English Grand Lodge for Australia, New Zealand and Asia, Peter Bindon.

The next World Convention will take place in Berlin, Germany in 2007.

International Research Council

The International Research Council is a group of AMORC members who have expertise in several areas, including physics, biology, philosophy and music. According to the AMORC, the members of the International Research Council dedicate themselves to the advancement of their profession for the benefit of humanity.

Council of Solace

The Council of Solace is a group of Rosicrucians who meditate and pray daily on behalf of others. They offer free 24-hour metaphysical aid to people in need regardless of membership.