I've long felt that the publication of _Fama fraternitatis_ accomplished
something along the lines you're describing, Ben, although arguably on a
far greater scale. This is to say that regardless of whether the
Rosicrucian Brotherhood was actually (i.e. materially) in existence at
the time of its publication, the Fama accomplished its instantiation by
planting it in the European imaginary. In AOSian terms the Fama could
even be regarded as a complex sigil which has been going strong ever
since it was launched.
- Noah
On 3/27/2011 8:26 AM, Caduceus Books wrote:
> Greetings!
>
>> It could have been an astral temple... and who knows what kind of
>> imaginative reasoning might have been involved in thinking that Budge
>> somehow "allowed" this. Then again, he might very well have.
>> ..
>
> That is an interesting thought!
>
> There may be an analogy in another vector of western occultism, the Nu
> Isis Lodge. I think there are question marks as to who else, other
> than Kenneth and Steffi Grant, were actually involved, and to what
> degree its workings were astral, or imaginary. However, despite (or,
> rather, I wonder, because of) this occult grouping as acquired
> mysterious status and powerful glamour. Far more than other occult
> groupings that have impressive extant membership lists and documentary
> records of meetings.
>
> I am wondering if very powerful and influential vectors can be
> generated in the field of western occultism through the combination of
> a small action, a seed in the physical plane, which is fed by
> imagination, astral vision and, indeed, rumour and exaggeration.
>
> It probably does help if there is some real action in the physical
> plane, giving things the ring of truth. It probably also helps if this
> seed is small and elusive. To invent an example; we could imagine
> Wallis Budge, was curious what results might be gained by psychometry
> and privately and discretely invited some Golden Dawn members (who
> were exploring this facility with Egyptian artefacts) to give it a go
> in a BM back room and they kept records and he noted it in his diary.
> This would be a less potent glamour than the rumour that does come
> down to us, which says far less, has no surviving records, and yet is
> more exciting and more evocative.
>
> I think magical orders can be created from small seeds of truth fed
> with imagination and astral vision.
>
> With my best wishes
>
> Ben
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