Ralph Maxwell Lewis (February 14, 1904 - January 12, 1987), the son of

Harvey Spencer Lewis Harvey Spencer Lewis F.R.C., S:::I:::I:::, 33° 66° 95°, PhD (November 25, 1883 – August 2, 1939), a noted Rosicrucian author, occultist, and mystic, was the founder in the US and the first Imperator of the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosa ...

, was the

Imperator The Latin word ''imperator'' derives from the stem of the verb la, imperare, label=none, meaning 'to order, to command'. It was originally employed as a title roughly equivalent to ''commander'' under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part o ...

Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...

organisation, the

Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC), also known as the ''Rosicrucian Order'', is the largest Rosicrucian organization in the world. It has various lodges, chapters and other affiliated bodies throughout the globe, operating in ...

(AMORC), from 1939 to 1987. He is the author of a number of books regarding

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

, most of which are available from the AMORC. Ralph Maxwell Lewis was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His father,

, who was the first Imperator of AMORC for North and South America was born in New Jersey and was of Gallic origin, being descended from Sir Robert Lewis, former American colonizers.

Early life and education

Ralph M. Lewis received his early education in New York and the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Military Academy. In 1918, his family took up residence in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where he began his studies of

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

in 1919.

Rise to Imperator

The use of the word 'imperator' is a norm for AMORC students and can be likened to the word 'commander'. It is used to denote the current head or leader of the AMORC mystical organization. Ralph Lewis crossed the threshold of the order on February 6, 1921, by special permission, eight days before completing 17 years spent in the various degrees of order in the

store, and then began to study

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. In March 1924, he was elected Supreme Secretary of AMORC. In ''Fédération Universelle des Ordres et Sociétés Initiatiques'',

FUDOSI FUDOSI or FUDOESI ( French: ''Fédération Universelle des Ordres et Sociétés Initiatiques'', latin: ''Federatio Universalis Dirigens Ordines Societatesque Initiationis'') was a federation of autonomous esoteric or mystical orders and societies ...

, he was known by the

nomen mysticum ''Nomen mysticum'' is a Latin term meaning "mystical name". It is the name that a member of a mystical organization is given once they are a confirmed member of that organization. Initiation Usually the secret name is not given to the neophyte di ...

(mystical name) "Sar Validivar" and received his initiation in

Martinism Martinism is a form of Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his state of material privation from his divine source, and the process of his return, called 'Reintegration'. As a mystical traditio ...

during the second convention of FUDOSI in September 1936. In the same year, he was initiated as a Rose-Croix Order Kabalistique and in the Traditional Martinist Order in Europe. On August 2, 1939, he was elected by the Board of Directors of the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC as

of the order, a position he held until his Great Initiation, on January 12, 1987. In March 1940, Lewis was elected

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the International Supreme Council of the order Rosæ Crucis. Among the awards he received in his lifetime was the honorary degree of doctor of literature from

Andhra University Andhra University (IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest do ...

in India, and the star and the cross of science from the International Academic Council. He founded the

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

of Brazil, in the summer of 1956, and commissioned new buildings for the

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM) is devoted to ancient Egypt, located at Rosicrucian Park in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose, California, United States. It was founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC). The Rosicr ...

in 1966.

Personal life

On March 28, 1923, he married Gladys Natishna Hammer, who was known to all Rosicrucians as Soror Gladys Lewis.

References

External links

Imperator Ralph M. Lewis in His Ritualistic Robe
(unofficial photograph published by Serafine Anthony Lemos, F.R.C., a member of AMORC) 1904 births 1987 deaths American occultists Rosicrucians {{occult-stub