What is the Rosicrucian tradition?
The Rosicrucian tradition is a flowering of Hermeticism, a rose blossoming upon the cross of the Hermetic tradition. The rose may also be seen to symbolize the soul and the cross, the body of the four elements. In other words, the human soul crucified on the cross of the material plane. This rosy cross may be similar to the Egyptian use of the ankh. According to a legend of the 18th century Golden and Rosy Cross order in Germany, the Rosicrucian order was created when an Alexandrian Gnostic sage named Ormus and his six followers were converted by Mark, one of Jesus’ disciples. From this conversion, Rosicrucianism was supposedly born, fusing early Christianity with Egyptian mysteries. Historical research indicates the origin of the Rosicrucian tradition in a group of German Protestants between 1607 and 1616 (early 17th century), when three anonymous documents were elaborated and published in Europe: Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Confessio Fraternitatis, and Chymical Wedding of Christ
