Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #352969 in Books
• Published on: 1989-05-01
• Released on: 1989-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Customer Reviews

The Seekers 'Bible'
Those of us who are serious Seekers can struggle for years before the light begins to dawn. I have been a Freemason for many years and an SRIA member. I have read Boehme, Blake and others. Struggled with Tarot and Qabalah, but on getting into this book the scales fell from my eyes. Many feel within; and struggle to find words. Paul Foster Case finds them for us.

A book to be studied
Dr. Case was a gift to humanity and True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order is a crown jewel amongst the treasure of material he left behind. It is not for everybody. This book requires patience and many readings to get the full value out of it.

I agree with the other reviewers who say that the BOTA lessons provide a necessary foundation for truly getting the most out of this dense and difficult text. That being said, there is so much value here words fail me.

I have read so many books on occultism. I have started so many "self-initiation" programs. When I found the BOTA I felt like I was coming home. When I then discovered this book I felt like I found a treasure chest in the attic. I have spent the last two years primarily focused on studying this text and no other experience in my life (outside of my marriage) has provided me with such clear exercise and evidence of spiritual development.

I am humbled by Dr. Case and his legacy. My only prayer is that I might become a channel for that Divine Love that has so graciously provided my being. I owe it to Dr. Case that I even have an inkling of the worthiness of that prayer.

Masterly Qabalistic analysis of the Rosicrucian manifestoes.
Who were the Rosicrucians? Appearing out of nowhere in 1614, the Rosicrucian fraternity anonymously published two manifestoes and then went silent. Because of this silence, many scholars surmised that the Rosicrucian Order was just an elaborate hoax... but the the Rosicrucian manifestoes undeniably had an immediate and profound impact on the philosophy, science, and politics of the age. Even unto the Twenty-First Century, Rosicrucian thinking continues to play a major role in Freemasonry and many other esoteric organizations.

Paul Foster Case wrote "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order" because he believed that the original Rosicrucian manifestoes were written in a sort of Qabalistic short-hand, making them clearly understandable to those versed in alchemy and Qabala-- and obscuring much of their meaning from the general reading public. The first portion of Case's book is an exhaustive look at the Rosicrucian manifestoes, gleaning a treasure-trove of Qabalistic symbolism, numerology, and sacred geometry from the literal words printed in the documents; the second half of this book presents a series of highly subjective meditations on Rosicrucian philosophy, using Tarot keys to communicate the wisdom of the Rosicrucian masters.

The first portion of the book, covering the Rosicrucian manifestoes, is hardly light reading. Case spends page after page delving into the esoteric significance of the two Rosicrucian documents, reading deeply between the lines for a hint as to their real meaning. Admittedly, Dr. Case's style is relentlessly analytical, and he writes with a sort of focused intensity that may not appeal to everyone. Much of this material is difficult to grasp, many of Dr. Case's references are obscure, and there are several entire chapters which are little more than advanced occult geometry lessons. Despite these entirely valid criticisms, however, Case's analysis of the Rosicrucian manifestoes stands as a tour de force of Qabalistic Gematria and Rosicrucian philosophy. You simply won't find a better work of this nature anywhere! As Case correctly points out, the Rosicrucian manifestoes were addressed to an "erudite" reading audience, and their occultic significance could not have been missed by the practicing alchemists and philosophers of early Seventeenth-Century Europe.

My favorite parts of the first section of the book are those discussing Brother C.R.C.'s allegorical tale, the geometry of the Vault of the Adeptii, and especially the meaning of the Rosicrucian rose-cross symbol (Case's analysis of this symbol will undoubtedly have special significance to Scottish Rite Masons!).

Where the first half of this book is unnervingly direct, the second half is more subtle. This section covers the traditional Rosicrucian scheme of initiation (patterned after the Qabalistic 'Tree of Life' diagram), and provides the reader with a true system of self-initiation very much in accord with the Golden Dawn tradition. Because each Grade of Initiation is associated with a particular center on the Tree of Life, Dr. Case focuses on one aspect or attribute of that center, and then uses the Qabalistic attributions of the Hebrew letters in that word to establish a set of "doctrines" for each Grade. These doctrines are then exemplified using their associated Tarot Keys, providing the would-be initiate with a complete series of Tarot meditations to guide them up the Path.

The methods suggested in "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order" are solid, but unfortunately, this book doesn't provide any instructions for carrying them out. This was probably by design, and there are certainly strong arguments in favor of this omission, but it's easy to see how the would-be initiate might become frustrated with the book's total lack of guidance. Individuals who are already familiar with Case's writing will probably have an inkling about how to use these meditations to their best effect, and for this reason, I would strongly recommend reading Case's other masterpiece, "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ancients," before attempting to tackle the exercises suggested in this book.

Paul Foster Case was a gifted teacher, and this book is probably his crowning achievement in the field of occultism. Outside of B.O.T.A., the Order that Case founded, you aren't going to find a more open discussion of his techniques. However, because of the complexity of "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order," this certainly isn't a title that I would recommend to a beginner on the Path.

For more information about B.O.T.A., see http://www.bota.org.

SHALOM!