Christian BernardChristian Bernard (born 30 November 1951) is a French Rosicrucian and the former Imperator of the Rosicrucian order AMORC. He became imperator in 1990, succeeding Gary L. Stewart. He was succeeded as imperator by Claudio Mazzucco in 2019. BiographyChristian Bernard was born in France on 30 November 1951. He is the son of esotericist Raymond Bernard, who had previously been the leader of the French branch of AMORC. His father later distanced himself from AMORC.
Ralph Maxwell LewisRalph Maxwell Lewis (February 14, 1904 – January 12, 1987), was an American mystic and the second Imperator of the Rosicrucian organisation AMORC from 1939 to 1987. He is the author of a number of books regarding mysticism. His father, Harvey Spencer Lewis, was the first Imperator of AMORC. Early life and educationLewis was born to Harvey Spencer Lewis and Mollie Foldsmith Lewis February 14, 1904, in New York City.
Harvey Spencer LewisHarvey Spencer Lewis (November 25, 1883 – August 2, 1939) was an American Rosicrucian writer, mystic and the founder of AMORC. He led AMORC as its first leader (imperator) from its creation in 1915 until his death. Early lifeLewis was born November 25, 1883, in Frenchtown, New Jersey. His parents were of Welsh and German ancestry. Lewis was an advertising agent. EsotericismHe had founded a group called the New York Institution for Psychical Research.
Rosicrucian Egyptian MuseumThe Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM) is a museum 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 Rosicrucian order continues to support and expand the museum and its educational and scientific activities.
RosicrucianismRosicrucianism () is a spiritual and cultural movement influenced by Esoteric Christianity and Hermeticism that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new secret society. Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rose Cross or Rosy Cross.
Fraternal orderA fraternal order is a voluntary membership organisation structured as an order, typically featuring initiation rituals and elements derived from religious orders, chivalric traditions, guilds, or secret societies. While drawing on these historical models, fraternal orders generally serve secular purposes: functioning as social clubs, cultural organisations, and providers of mutual aid or charitable services.
Rosicrucian ParkRosicrucian Park is the headquarters of the for the Americas of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, located in San Jose, California. HistoryThe Rosicrucian Park was established in 1927 by Harvey Spencer Lewis. It grew from one single lot to a 5-acre city block. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum was built in 1932, the Planetarium in 1936, the research library opened in June 1939. The Akhenaton Shrine was built in 1949.
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a subregion of northern Europe that most commonly comprises Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, which share strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties. It may also refer to the Scandinavian Peninsula (which excludes Denmark but includes part of northern Finland). In English usage, the term is also used as a synonym for the Nordic countries. Iceland and the Faroe Islands are sometimes included, due to their ethnolinguistic ties to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, officially the City of San José ( SAN hoh-ZAY, -SAY; Spanish: [saŋ xoˈse]), is the most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, and the 13th-most populous in the United States, with an estimated 989,814 residents as of 2025. The city's metropolitan area is home to nearly two million people, while the broader combined statistical area (the fifth-largest in the United States) has a population of over nine million.
PlanetariumA planetarium (pl.: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetariums is the large dome-shaped projection screen onto which scenes of stars, planets, and other celestial objects can be made to appear and move realistically to simulate their motion.
MysticismTraditions of human transformation aided by religious experiencesLiber Divinorum Operum, or the Universal Man of St. Hildegard of Bingen, 1185 (13th-century copy)*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.