Tag Archives: SRIA

January 7, 2026 · 12:00 am

Review: “Teaching System of the Golden and Rosy Cross,” by Bernard Beyer, translated by Ian H Gladwin

This is the first major book available in English which goes into detail about the “Golden and Rosy Cross,” the Masonic Rosicrucian Order deriving from Germany in the 18^th century. I say “in English” because Bernard Beyer’s original text was first published in German back in 1925: it had remained untranslated – until now. But: who exactly were these Golden Rosicrucians?

The Gold und Rosenkreuzer (to give them their original German name) emerged in mid‑18th‑century Germany as a secretive esoteric fraternity blending Rosicrucian mysticism, alchemy, and Freemasonry. Although the order formally coalesced in the 1750s, its ideological roots were older: members traced their lineage to the early Rosicrucian manifestos and especially to Samuel Richter’s 1710 alchemical work published under the name Sincerus Renatus, which outlined doctrines later absorbed into the order.

The group was shaped most decisively by Hermann Fictuld, a Freemason and alchemist who reorganized scattered Rosicrucian currents into a structured initiatory system. The order developed a nine‑grade hierarchy, emphasizing spiritual purification, laboratory alchemy, and the quest for the Philosopher’s Stone. Candidates were required to be Master Masons: although as the translator of this edition points out, this was more of a pious aspiration. The rationale of the first, “Junior” degree required that the candidate be conversant with the symbolism of Freemasonry, including the secrets of a Master Mason. However, after the first degree the Order left Freemasonry progressively farther behind. There was no requirement, for example, that one must remain a Mason after having joined, in contrast to certain modern Rosicrucian Societies.

By the 1770s–1780s, the Gold und Rosenkreuzer had spread across Central and Eastern Europe, establishing lodges in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Prague, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. Their influence peaked when Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, sympathetic to Rosicrucian ideals, elevated several members—such as Johann Christoph von Wöllner and Johann Rudolf von Bischoffwerder—to positions of political authority, allowing the order to shape religious and educational policy.

Rivalries with the Bavarian Illuminati, internal secrecy, and political upheavals after Friedrich Wilhelm II’s death in 1797 accelerated the order’s decline. By the early 19th century, the Gold und Rosenkreuzer had fragmented, though their ritual structure later inspired groups such as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. However: there are rumours that despite the original order’s decline, it did not go completely extinct (e.g. Gustav Meyrinck was alleged to be an initiate), and that the last lineage holder only died as recently as the 1990s.

As regards this book in particular: a lot of this material has been summarised and quoted by commentators before (e.g. Arthur Edward Waite), but this is the first time that the primary sources have been made available to the reading public. So unless you are a Rosicrucian fan-boy who likes to spend their time poring over old manuscripts in the Library & Museum of Freemasonry, you will not have seen a lot of this material before.

Thanks to this current book, it is possible to compare and contrast the Golden and Rosy Cross with its nearest modern analogue, the Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia (SRIA). Both are societies purporting to be Rosicrucian and which require its candidates to be Master Masons. They have similar sounding grade structures:

Grade	Golden & Rosy Cross	SRIA
1^st	“Junior”	“Zelator”
2^nd	“Theoreticus”	“Theoricus”
3^rd	“Practicus”	“Practicus”
4^th	“Philosophus”	“Philosophus”
5^th	“Minor”	“Adeptus Minor”
6^th	“Major”	“Adeptus Major”
7^th	“Adeptus Exemptus”	“Adeptus Exemptus”
8^th	“Magister”	“Magister”
9^th	“Magus”	“Magus”
10^th	(no tenth grade)	“Adept of Christian Rosenkreutz”[1]

But that is pretty much where the similarities end. In the first grade of the G&RC the candidate is immediately confronted by an initiation ritual which is heavy with Alchemical symbolism. That of the SRIA is more hermetic or qabalistic. In the second grade, the G&RC members literally learn about the Theoretical basis of Alchemy in a teaching environment. In the third grade, Practici must participate in a practical Alchemical working, albeit as students at this stage. From the fourth grade onwards, the candidate, as a condition of advancement, must perform increasingly complex alchemical operations himself: whilst in the final grade – of which there is very little data given – the candidate is implied to undertake Divine Magic.

In contrast, in the SRIA each grade involves a certain amount of ritual drama, but there is very little in the way of practical teaching given. Far from learning and taking part in Alchemy, its members are encouraged to research and write papers on esoteric subjects. In fact, I have heard it said that in the old days one could not be advanced to the next SRIA grade unless one actually had presented such a paper to the Society: if that had been the case, it would at least have made the SRIA if not an Alchemical society, then at least as rigorous as continental Freemasonry. However, by the time I came into contact with it, this had completely fallen by the wayside, and members were routinely advanced to the next grade a year after attaining their previous grade, notwithstanding whether they had made any contribution or even attended at all within the intervening twelve-months.

The book ends by announcing that there will be sequel to this volume entitled “The Golden and Rosy Cross: Ritual, Revelation, and the Legacy of Rosicrucian Alchemy.” I heartily recommend both the current volume and its forthcoming companion to all those interested in this fascinating aspect of Rosicrucian history.

Beyer, B, Gladwin, I H (translator), 2025, “Teaching System of the Golden and Rosy Cross,” Pansophic Press, Dunstable, UK. ISBN 979 8 9993799 0 0

[1] This was not part of the original SRIA structure. It started off simply as a Medal given to senior members of the Society for outstanding service, until the last but one Supreme Magus decided to create a ritual for it.

Rosicrucianism for Men and Women

In 1794, Sigismund Bacstrom was initiated into the “Societas Roseae Crucis” by Comte Louis De Chazal, on the island of Mauritius. Bacstrom signed a series of fourteen pledges, which has been reproduced in various places (e.g. A E Waite’s Real History of the Rosicrucians). Curiously, one of the clauses contains this paragraph:

And, as there is no distinction of sexes in the spiritual world, neither amongst the blessed Angels nor among the rational immortal spirits of the Human race; and as we have had a Semiramis, Queen of Egypt, a Myriam, the prophetess, a Peronella, the wife of Flamel, and lately a Leona Constantia, Abbess of Clermont, who was actually received as a practical Member and Master into our Society in the year 1796, which women are believed to have been all possessors of the Great Work, consequently Sorores Roseae Crucis and members of our Society by possession, as the possession of this our art is the key to the most hidden knowledge. And moreover as redemption was manifested to mankind by means of a woman (the Blessed Virgin), and as salvation, which is of infinitely more value than our whole Art, is granted to the female sex as well as to the male, our Society does not exclude a worthy woman from being initiated, God himself not having excluded women from partaking of every spiritual felicity in the next life. We will not hesitate to receive a worthy woman into our Society as a member apprentice, (and even as a practical member or master if she does possess our work practically and has herself accomplished it), provided she is found, like Peronella, Flamel’s wife, to be sober, pious, discreet, prudent, not loquacious, but reserved, of an upright mind and blameless conduct, and withall desirous of knowledge.

It is within my personal knowledge that a facsimile of Bacstrom’s 14 Rosicrucian pledges was amongst the documents that the Reverend A F A Woodford passed to Wynn Westcott. Coincidentally, the original Adeptus Minor of the Golden Dawn ceremony contains a series of clauses similar though not identical to the Bacstrom document, implying that MacGregor Mathers too used this as inspiration to create the later ritual. Mathers puts it more succinctly:

I further promise to support the admission of both sexes to our Order, on a perfect equality, and that I will always display brotherly love and forbearance towards the members of the whole Order, neither slandering nor evil-speaking, nor repeating nor tale-bearing, whereby strife and ill-feeling may be engendered.

Thus, pointing to the example of Bacstrom quoted above, Rosicrucianism appears to have been prophetic in recognising male-female equality, almost a century before it became established as the norm within new esoteric societies which arose as part of the Occult Revival of the late Victorian period. Hence, Westcott probably had this in mind when he wrote this, describing the Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia (SRIA), which was founded by Robert Wentworth Little in 1867:

Frater Little was a student of the school of Levi and also an eminent Freemason, and the Rosicrucian Society as revised by him was made by intention and permission essentially masonic, thus severing all connection with those Adepts who have not been Craftsmen, as Basil Valentine, Artephus, Nicolas Flamel, Jacob Behmen and Robert Fludd. The Rosicrucian Society in the same manner fails to recognize any worth for occult research in women. This is also an innovation or the scheme of the Ancient Mysteries in many of which, notably those of Isis priestesses and virgin prophetesses, were prominent ministers.

Historic Lecture of the Golden Dawn.

This is ironic in that the SRIA, although it is an organisation for Masons, is not actually Masonic per se! By this I mean that if one were to take any of the additional degrees in Freemasonry – such as the Mark, Royal Arch, Knights Templar, Rose Croix, Royal & Select Masters etc etc etc – as well as the three degrees of Craft Masonry itself, one would notice that they are all based upon a common theme, that of the importance of King Solomon’s Temple in general and the Holy of Holies therein in particular. For example, the original Freemasons built it; the companions of the Royal Arch re-discovered it; the Knights Templar re-discovered it again – and so forth (this could be worthy of a blog post or an article in its own right).

However: the SRIA moves completely away from that Solomonic-paradigm, as it concerns itself with the mythos of Christian Rosenkreutz and the Rosicrucian fraternity. In doing so it provides a number of rituals which come as a delight to those freemasons genuinely interested esoteric matters, but must bewilder those who see the Craft as nothing other than a chance to collect badges. And yet, according to Westcott, it is only half the way there! We should remember that despite the apparent criticism Westcott himself was one of the most ardent supporters of the SRIA, working hard for almost thirty years at least to turn it into a genuine forum for esoteric study and learning.

It has been claimed by minds wiser than myself that the SRIA could remove the Masonic requirement from its ordinances – although personally I think that mucking about with a constitution can often upset people unnecessarily. The only near equivalent would be something like AMORC, but that is different again – it’s a pity that there is not a male/female version.

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Tagged as A E Waite, freemasonry, Rosicrucian, rosicrucianism, Sigismund Bacstrom, Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia, SRIA, Wynn Westcott

April 10, 2017 · 1:16 pm

Oh God!

A magician without a religion is … just an evil paedophile who wears a dress to cover their crimes.

Nick Farrell

As anyone who has spent too much time in a pub on a Friday night will know, there is nothing more divisive a topic of conversation as Religion – except perhaps Politics. This must be the main reason why discussions on topics of Religion and Politics are banned in all Masonic lodges – because the lodge is meant to be a place of tolerance for people of all faiths and leanings.

Nevertheless, the topic of Religion has raised its ugly head in the Golden Dawn blogosphere this week – just in time for Ishtar, I might add – so I thought I would shove in my two pennyworth.

I am not going to criticise directly what other bloggers have written about the subject. Instead I shall just point out something that no-one has yet considered. The writers of the original GD rituals were Rosicrucians – more specifically, they were members of the SRIA. In one of the rituals of the SRIA, there is the following quote:

[Alchemists] used the language of their physical work to communicate spiritual teaching which at that time had to be kept secret to avoid persecution by the official Church. And many medieval Alchemists whose writings are still extant appear to have been mainly, if not entirely, concerned with this spiritual aspect of the work.

This higher Alchemy can thus be regarded as almost identical with Religion as distinct from Theology. The function of Religion, like the great work of the Alchemist, is the “separation of the subtle from the gross,” the redemption of the spirit, while still dwelling in matter, from the taint inevitable on the lowest planes of manifestation.

(Emphasis added)

Hence: when the Golden Dawn talks about “religion,” it is reasonable to suppose that what is meant is what Westcott, Mathers and Woodman – and their contemporaries -would have understood by the term, i.e. the pure concept of Religion liberated from dogmatic theology, or the true Internal Alchemy.

Public Challenge to David Griffin

Stop all your verbal attacks against Chic, Tabby, Nick Farrell, Pat Zalewski, the SRIA and all the rest, and use your supposed EU trademarks to stop the neo-nazis in Greece from bringing the “Golden Dawn” name into disrepute.

If you want to be remembered for doing something good for the Golden Dawn community, that is.

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Tagged as chic cicero, Chrysi Avgi, David Griffin, Golden Dawn, Nick Farrell, Pat Zalewski, SRIA, tabatha cicero

May 15, 2010 · 7:26 pm

Rosicrucian Treasures

Here are some pictures of valuable Rosicrucian documents from the archives of the Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia. Many of these documents are first editions from the 17th Century, which means they are most likely priceless. In total there were articles by Robert Fludd, Elias Ashmole, Michael Sendivogius, William Lilly, Basil Valentine and more. What most interested me though was a handwritten copy of Sigismund Bacstrom’s initiation into Rosicrucianism, which A F A Woodford has passed to Wynn Westcott.