The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order: An Interpretation of the Rosicrucian Allegory and an Explanation of the Ten Rosicrucian Grades

Paul Foster Case

ISBN 10: 0877286086 / ISBN 13: 9780877286080

Published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1985

About this Item

Paul Foster Case?s ?The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order: An Interpretation of the Rosicrucian Allegory and an Explanation of the Ten Rosicrucian Grades? was published by Samuel Weiser in York Beach, Maine in 1985, with 331 pages and an index. The 1985 Weiser edition is described as a fuller mature form of material that had earlier appeared in limited editions in 1927, 1928, and 1933, with a later expansion completed in 1937 and revised by Case in 1953 before his death.

Case presents Rosicrucianism less as membership in an external fraternity and more as an inward path of initiation, spiritual unfoldment, and union with the Higher Self. The ?true and invisible? order, in his framing, is not primarily an earthly institution but an esoteric current or initiatory reality whose signs are expressed in transformed consciousness, disciplined practice, ethical service, and symbolic understanding.

The book is commonly described as having two major parts. First, Case interprets the classic Rosicrucian manifestoes, especially the Fama Fraternitatis and the Confessio Fraternitatis. Second, he explains the ten Rosicrucian grades in relation to the Qabalistic Tree of Life and Tarot correspondences.

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order is not mainly a history of Rosicrucian organizations. It is an esoteric interpretation of Rosicrucian allegory as a complete path of spiritual initiation. Case reads the Fama Fraternitatis and Confessio Fraternitatis as symbolic manuals, then maps the Rosicrucian grades onto the Tree of Life and Tarot. The book?s central message is that the real Rosicrucian order is ?invisible? because it is ultimately found in awakened consciousness, disciplined practice, and union with the Higher Self.

The book is significant because it offers one of Case?s most complete integrations of Rosicrucian symbolism with the Western mystery tradition. It is also closely associated with Case?s role as founder of Builders of the Adytum, or B.O.T.A., a mystery school that continues to teach Western esoteric and Qabalistic material.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust jacket condition: Very good. Some creasing and splitting at the crown of the spine and some shelf wear to the corners.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order: An Interpretation of the Rosicrucian Allegory and an Explanation of the Ten Rosicrucian Grades
• Publisher: Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine
• Publication Date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0877286086
• ISBN 13: 9780877286080
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 1.695 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

This is a thorough presentatio of the Rosicrucian system of Initiation by Dr. Paul Foster Case. He explains that Rosicrucianism is based upon earthly organizations, but on personal unflodment, and clearly describes the distinctive marks of a Rosicrucian. The treatise is divided into two main parts by Dr. Case. The first is a careful examination and interpretation of the principle Rosicrucian maneifestos, the Fama Fraternitatis and the Confessio Fraternitatis. The second part is an explanation of the Rosicrucian Grade system, as applied to the diagram of the Tree of Life and Tarot attributions. By participating in the outlined procedures, aspirants are put on the right track of preparing themselves for union with the Higher Self, which may or may not include group work with an outer order or fraternity. The first editions of 1927, 1928 and 1933 were of limited publication. THe fourth and most complete expansion of the text by Paul Case ws finished in 1937, revised by him in 1953 just before his death , and published in hardcover by Weiser in 1985. It represents the full maturity of his thought on this subject.

About the Author

Paul Foster Case (1884-1954) was one of the leading American occultists of the twentieth century. His book, "The Tarot," and his deck of Tarot cards significantly influenced how Tarot is taught and understood today in the United States, and in other parts of the world.