Rosicrucian Magic and Symbols: The Ultimate Guide to Rosicrucianism and Its Similarity to Occultism, Jewish Mysticism, Hermeticism, and Christian Gnosticism (Spiritual Philosophies)

It is always encouraging when a new publication comes along on the subject of Rosicrucianism, promising an introduction to the esoteric to the new seeker on the path.I had high hopes for this title, but unfortunately, it turned out to be fool’s gold. The author comes across in his sincerity in wanting to uncover the secrets of this organization but his research is so flawed and muddled concerning the origins of the contemporary groups that the rest of the book dealing with the Hermetica, Kabbalah, and rituals is hardly worth the effort.Contrary to the author’s assertions, H. Spencer Lewis, founder of AMORC, had absolutely no connection with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. His links were with the old Rose Croix of France. Furthermore, the author’s statements that” all of the literature that is used by the Rosicrucian Order seems to have been written by one individual who went by the name of Max Heindel” are totally ludicrous. Max Heindel founded the Rosicrucian Fellowship which was an outgrowth of a movement in Germany founded by Rudolph Steiner and focuses on Christian Theosophy and astrology.All of this casts a shadow on the rest of this book. The so-called pentagram and middle pillar rituals are like none I have ever encountered before and the allusions to a connection to Freemasonry further muddy the waters.It appears from the references, that this book was put together from online sources and scarcely mentions any of the classic works which contain real knowledge of the R+C. Many of these are available on Amazon.com.

A very informative book.

This Book is full of history information about Rosicrucianism. I was unaware of the existence of this philosophical movement. As and always Mari Silva, she writes clear and simple to understand. I'm glad I added this book to my library. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it gave me new insights into this teaching/ following. I was very impressed about the level and amount of detail and information on the topic which made it very easy to understand and follow.

This not only addressed otherwise dry history of Rosicrucianism (i.e., historical facts and dates and all that), but presented the information in a framework so it was easily accessible, and it was easy to understand how everything actually worked together.Symbolism intrigues me, and it is always engaging to explore the context for symbol development. I also appreciate how well Mari was able to connect this relatively obscure world view to similar and historical frameworks.Rather than showing up all of a sudden, Mari shares how Rosicrucianism grew from its philosophical predecessors. The works which describe it may seem to appear from nowhere, but with careful research the reader is shown these ideas can be seen to be logical and sometimes obvious continuations of earlier thought.Dealing with the development of esoteric thought can always be excused for being obtuse or confusing, but the author is able to comfortably relate a difficult field of thought in a way which makes sense, and is easy to understand.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

As always with Mari Silva, there is a lot of historical background. The information is well presented and easy to follow. There was so much information on Christan Rosenkruenz, the Rosicrucianism founder. I did find myself getting a bit bogged down here but was very interested in the information on the use of the symbols used in this philosophy. A very good beginner introduction.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I found this book to be like some of the other books in the author’s collection - good basic info. A start. Nothing too deep or taxing to read. Finished it in a few hours.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

from Claudette Elliott on May 25, 2022Excellent Introductory OverviewI enjoyed reading this book. I would like to see a different title, in that I expected, from the title alone, a more in depth revealing of symbols and their magical use in Rosicrucianism. I was looking for a more detailed and specific guide or instruction regarding magic and symbols. Instead i found that the book was a general overview or synopsis of the interrelatedness of occultism, Jewish Mysticism, Hermeticism and Christian Gnosticism with some history thrown in. However, it is well written and i especially liked the recap at the end of each section. It is informative, an easy and pleasant read and a good first introduction to add to your library.