The Death of Simon the Magician

from Geheime Figuren der Rosenkreuzer.

It is made of spiritual gold & each Brother wears it upon his breast. It bears the alchemical symbols of salt, sulphur, and mercury; also a star of the planets; and around it are the four words faith, hope, love and patience. The double-headed eagle, or Phoenix, foreshadows the ultimate androgynous state of the human creature. None could reach Rosicrucian adept-ship until he had performed the supreme experiment of transmutation by changing the base metals of ignorance into the pure gold of wisdom and understanding. MPH

Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus

From Historia Deorum Fatidicorum

Master of all arts and sciences, perfect in all crafts, Ruler of the Three Worlds, Scribe of the Gods, and Keeper of the Books of Life, Thoth Hermes Trismegistus-the Three Times Greatest, the "First Intelligencer" -was regarded by the ancient Egyptians as the embodiment of the Universal Mind. While in all probability there actually existed a great sage and educator by the name of Hermes, it is impossible to extricate the historical man from the mass of legendary accounts which attempt to identify him with the Cosmic Principle of Thought. MPH.

Chart showing the Relationship between the Human Body and the Exterior Universe

The original symbol of the Rosi-crucian Fraternity was a hiero-glyphic rose crucified upon a cross. The cross was often raised upon a three-stepped Calvary. Occasionally the symbol of a cross rising from a rose was used in connection with their activities. The Rosicrucian rose was drawn upon the Round Table of King Arthur, and is the central motif for the links forming the chain from which the "Great George" is suspended among the jewels of The Order of the Garter. MPH

The Rosicrucian Rose

From Geheime Figuren der Rosenkreuzer

The rose is a yonic symbol associated with generation, fecundity, and purity. The fact that flowers blossom by unfolding has caused them to be chosen as symbolic of spiritual unfoldment. The red color of the rose refers to the blood of Christ, and the golden heart concealed within the midst of the flower corresponds to the spiritual gold concealed within the human nature. The number of its petals being ten is also a subtle reminder of the perfect Pythagorean number. The rose symbolizes the heart, and the heart has always been accepted by Christians as emblematic of the virtues of love and compassion, as well as of the nature of Christ—the personification of these virtues. MPH

The Crest of Johann Valentin Andreae

From Chymische Hochzeit

The reference to four red roses and a white cross in the Chymical Marriage of Christian Rosencreutz identified Johann Valentin Andreae as its author, for his family crest, shown above, consisted of four red roses and a white cross. MPH

Johann Valentin Andreae

In certain esoteric circles there are vague rumors which intimate that the humble personality of Johann Valentin Andreae masked an exalted emissary of the Rose Cross. While there is evidence to establish the actual existence of a German theologian by the name of Andreae, there are many discrepancies in his biography which have not been cleared up to the satisfaction of critical investigators. A comparison of the face shown above with that of Sir Francis Bacon discloses striking resemblances in spite of the differences due to age. If Lord Bacon borrowed the name and identity of William Shakspere, he could also assume, after his mock funeral in England, the personality of Johann Valentin Andreae. The crescent below the bust is significant, as it also appears upon the crest of Lord Bacon to denote that he was the second son of Sir Nicholas Bacon. Furthermore, the four letters (OMDC) in the frame at the lower right corner of the plate, by a very simple Baconian cipher, can be changed into numbers whose sum gives 33—the numerical equivalent of the name Bacon. MPH

The Round Table of King Arthur

From Jennings’ The Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries

From all parts of Europe came the brave and the bold, seeking admission into this noble order of British knighthood. Nobility, virtue, and valor were its requirements, and those possessing these qualities to a marked degree were welcomed to King Arthur’s court at Camelot. King Arthur chose twenty-four who excelled all the others in daring and integrity and formed of them his Circle of the Round Table. According to legend, each of these Knights was so great in dignity and power that none could occupy a more exalted seat than another, so when they gathered at the table to celebrate the anniversary of their foundation it was necessary to use a round table that all might occupy chairs of equal importance.

Elias Ashmole, in his volume on the Order of the Garter, inserted a double-page plate showing the insignia of all the orders of knighthood, the block set aside for the symbol of the Round Table being left blank. MPH

The Great George and Collar of the Garter

From Ashmole’s Order of the Garter

The Order of the Garter was formed by Edward III, perhaps in imitation of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. The motto of the Order of the Garter is "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (Shamed be he who thinks evil of it). St. George is looked upon as the patron of the order, for he typifies the higher nature of man overcoming the dragon of his own lower nature. While St. George is supposed to have lived during the third century, it is probable that he was a mythological personage borrowed from pagan mythology [as in Scandinavia where he is commonly identified with Sigurd the Dragonslayer]. MPH