I.

Rosicrucian Origins
Rosicrucianism emerged in Germany in the early 17
th
century when two short tracts were
published on the sect: Fama Fraternitatis in 1614 and Confessio Fraternitatis in 1615.
The hero of these manifestos was hristian Rosen!reut"# a German priest who li$ed in the
14
th
and 15
th
centuries# and died at the remar!able age of 1%6. &'hether or not he actually
li$ed is debatable# but let us assume that it was indeed he who inspired these articles of
faith(.
)ccording to the Fama# Rosen!reut" was born of a noble family# but sent to a monastery
aged fi$e. )s a young man# he tra$elled to the *oly +and in search of greater !nowledge.
,t was there that Rosen!reut" -learn.ed/ his 0hysic! and his 1athematics# whereof the world
hath much cause to re2oice.3
1
*e also de$oted himself to studying what we might call the
occult: magic# alchemy# sorcery# 4abbalah# etc. ,nspired by what he had seen on his tra$els
throughout the 1iddle 5ast and 6orth )frica# he assembled a few li!e7minded men and
began his new order.
The fraternity began with only four# 8rothers G9# ,)# and ,: 2oining Rosen!reut" &referred to
in the te;t as 8rother R( in his <uest to disco$er the secrets of the di$ine. -8y them was
made the magical language and writing# with a large dictionary# which we yet dayly use to
God=s praise and glory# and do finde great wisdom therein.3
>
The 8rothers of the Rosy ross were then dispatched across 5urope to do their good wor!#
and# discreetly# recruit worthy men to 2oin their cause.
)ccording to the Fama# the first of the original members to die was 8rother ,:. *e had li$ed
in 5ngland# and is alleged to ha$e cured the young ?u!e of 6orfol! of leprosy.
@

The purpose of the Fama was to formally announce the e;istence of the order. -This
Araternity should ere long not remain so hidden# but should be to all the whole German
nation helpful# needful# and commendable# of the which he was not in anywise in his estate
ashamed.3
4
The Fama also ser$es as a warning to those merely enticed by the possibility of growing
gold. The purpose of the order is hristian charity and see!ing di$ine truth# the author
warns# and not to increase oneBs worldly wealth. C.8rother R/ doth not re2oice that he can
ma!e gold# and that# as saith hrist# the de$ils are obedient unto him# but is glad that he
seeth the *ea$ens open# the angels of God ascending and descending# and his name
written in the boo! of life.B
5
&0G :uspens!y# the Russian occultist# would write in 1D1@#
-'hen the true alchemist spo!e of see!ing for gold# he spo!e of gold in the soul of man.
)nd he called gold that which in the 6ew Testament is called the 4ingdom of *ea$en.3(
6
1
Fama in 'aite# 1EE7: 67
2
,bid: 7177>
3
,bid: 74
4
,bid: 76
5
,bid: E>7E@
6
:uspens!y# 1D76: 7
1
The Confessio e;pands upon the Rosicrucian principles outlined in the Fama. ,n addition to
clarifying its greater aims# its primary purpose seems to be defending the order against
claims of blasphemy and heresy# as in 1@17 0ope Fohn GG,, had banned the practice of
alchemy.
,t is not difficult to understand why the order would be attac!ed: in addition to ad$ocating
alchemy# the Confessio plainly states they -condemn3 and -e;ecrate3 the 0ope for his
-blasphemies against our +ord Fesus hrist.3
7
&The Fama and Confessio would# naturally# go
on to be banned by 0ope 0aul 9(.
The Rosicrucians do ta!e great measures to stress that they are hristians# they belie$e in
God and they do their wor! in order to glorify *im and *is creation. The Hcriptures remain
the bac!bone of their order# despite including elements of the occult and of science.
Through the principles of Rosicrucianism# de$otees will ha$e access to the higher# purer
truths of the di$ine and of nature. )gain# the author emphasises that despite their
proficiency in alchemy# this order is not about financial gain# but spiritual and intellectual
growth.
II. Rosicrucianism, Freemasons, and The Golden Dawn
)s Fohn *eydon writes on the origins of Areemasonry# -That $e;atious <uestion has been
perpetually debated with singularly unprofitable results.3
E
Rosicrucianism is often considered
to be its precursor# though the secrecy practiced by both organisations ma!es confirmation
difficult.
The earliest mention of Areemasonry in 8ritain was in C1ason 'ord#B a poem published in
5dinburgh in 16@E.
Aor what we do presage is not in grosse#
Aor we be brethren of the Rosie rosseI
'e ha$e the Mason Word and second sight#
Things for to come we can foretell arightJ
D
Arances Kates &1D7>( argues that Areemasonry is the 8ritish $ersion of the Rosicrucian
mo$ement: that Rosicrucian philosophy mi;ed with 5nglish esoteric influences and 5nglish
chi$alry yielded Areemasonry.
1%
The *ermetic :rder of the Golden ?awn was founded in +ondon in 1EE7# by Hamuel
1athers# a 1ason and Rosicrucian# and his 1asonic cohort 'illiam 'ynn 'estcott.
1athers and 'estcott came across a coded manuscript containing fi$e heretofore forgotten
1asonic rituals. 'ithin the manuscript# there was the name and address of )nna Hprengel#
a German Rosicrucian adept. 'hen 1athers wrote to her# Hprengel instructed him to start
his own branch of the Rosicrucian society# and call it the Golden ?awn.
7
Confessio in 'aite# 1EE7: E6
8
<td in 'aite# )5# 1EE7: 4%@
9
<td in Kates# 1D7>: >11
10
Kates# 1D7>: >15
2
)fter renaming himself 1cGregor 1athers# he de$oted his time and attention to leading the
Golden ?awn. ,t is worth noting that 1athersBs lin!s to the eltic nations are# at best#
tenuous. 8ut he ne$ertheless was a fan of the fol!lore and culture of ancient Hcotland and
,reland.
+i!e 1adame 8la$ats!yBs Theosophy# the Golden ?awn blended 5astern esoteric beliefs
with 4abbalah# alchemy and spiritualism in composing their philosophy. 8oth sects also
adhered to the notion of *idden 1asters &called# in the Golden ?awn# Hecret hiefs(. These
were the forces that communicated with the respecti$e leaders# usually by lea$ing auto7
written messages.
'8 Keats had 2oined the +ondon +odge of the Theosophists# and fell under the powerful
influence of 1adame 8la$ats!y
11
&and# no doubt# her *idden 1aster mahatmas(. Keats was
long7interested in Theosophy# but upon 2oining the lodge# ob2ected to the -unstrenuous
attitudes3 of many members.
1>
*e was by no means a sceptic# but was interested in
researching the phenomena presented to him. ,n 1EEE he 2oined the esoteric branch of the
Theosophical lodge# as this branch had stricter membership re<uirements and emphasised
study. Their de$otees were encouraged to learn for themsel$es# among others# the arts of
clair$oyance and summoning apparitions.
Ket it appears Keats too! his efforts in researching the phenomena too farLhe was e$en
li!ened to an H0R researcher. Though it was not his intention to pro$e any phenomena
false# he occasionally did.
1@
*e was as!ed to lea$e the Theosophical Hociety in 1ED%.
*e had# in 1EE7# 2oined the newly7created :rder of the Golden ?awn# so he was not left
without li!e7minded company despite his ignominious e;it from the Theosophical Hociety.
)mong his fellow initiates to the Golden ?awn that year were )5 'aite# )rthur 1achen#
George 0olle;fen# 1aud Gonne# and )lgernon 8lac!wood. ,n 1EEE# Keats helped 1athers
write the $arious rituals and initiation rites of the :rder.
8y 1D%% there was disruption within the :rder. 1athers# li$ing in Arance# had sent his heir
apparent )leister rowley to act as ,mperator in his place. Mnpopular due to his imperious
style of leadership# Keats led the charge in deposing rowley# and became ,mperator
himself. 8y 1D%5# howe$er# Keats# 1achen and 'estcott had left the order. rowley was
also to lea$e# to found his own :rder# that of the Hil$er Htar.
14
III. Yeatss Symbolism
Though Keats was only a Golden ?awn member for a relati$ely short period# its symbols
would inspire much of his poetry# plays and prose for the rest of his life. ,n Essays and
Introductions Keats writes:
, belie$e in three doctrines# which ha$e# as , thin!# been handed down from early
times and been the foundations of nearly all magical practices. These doctrines are:
11
*ough# 1DE4: @5
12
,bid.: 4%741
13
,bid: 41
14
Raine# 1D6D: 117
3
&1( That the borders of our minds are e$er shifting# and that many minds can flow into
one another# as it were# and create or re$eal a single mind# a single energyI &>( That
the borders of our memories are as shifting# and that our memories are part of one
great memory# the memory of 6ature herselfI &@( That this great mind and great
memory can be e$o!ed by symbols
15
,t is unsurprising# then# that his wor!s are filled with Rosicrucian and Golden ?awn symbols
and imagery.
The most ob$ious Rosicrucian symbol is the rose. Aor Keats# it is the belo$ed# it is spiritual
beauty# and it is the -ideal soul3 of ,reland.
16
,n -To the Rose Mpon the Rood of Time3 Keats
writes:
Red Rose# proud Rose# sad Rose of all my daysN
ome near me# while , sing the ancient ways:
uchulain battling with the bitter tideI
The ?ruid# grey# wood7nurtured# <uiet7eyed#
'ho cast round Aergus dreams# and ruin untold
.J/
8ut see! alone to hear the strange things said
8y God to the bright hearts of those long dead#
)nd learn to chaunt a tongue men do not !now.
ome nearI , would# before my time to go#
Hing of old 5ire and the ancient ways:
Red Rose# proud Rose# sad Rose of all my days
17

,n the short story -Rosa )lchemica#3 the narrator &the Keats figure( encounters a te;t which
states that it was not Rosen!reut" and the Germans# but -si; students of eltic descent3 who
were tas!ed with founding the :rder of the )lchemical Rose.
1E
Keats also writes of -The Rose of the 'orld#3 -The Rose of 0eace#3 -The Rose of 8attle#3
-The Hecret Rose#3 and -The Rose Tree#3 the latter of which ta!es a fiercely nationalistic
stance. ,t is a con$ersation between 0atric! 0earse and Fames onnolly &leaders of the
1D16 5aster Rising(# wherein 0earse notes that a -wind that blows across the bitter sea3 is
responsible for the -withering3 of ,relandBs rose tree. onnolly tells him that the tree needs
only to be watered# to which 0earse replies#
=8ut where can we draw water#=
Haid 0earse to onnolly#
='hen all the wells are parched awayO
: plain as plain can be
There=s nothing but our own red blood
an ma!e a right Rose Tree=
1D

15
Keats# 1D61: >E
16
*ough# 1DE4: 7D
17
Keats# 1D67: @5
18
Keats# Stories of Red Hanrahan# 1D14: >177>1E
19
Keats# 1D67: >%6
4
:ne of the great influences of the Golden ?awn was 4abbalah# and its Tree of +ife. KeatsBs
-The Two Trees3 spea!s of an ancient tree# -made when God slept in times of old3:
8elo$ed# ga"e in thine own heart#
The holy tree is growing thereI
Arom 2oy the holy branches start#
)nd all the trembling flowers they bear.
.J/
There the +o$es a circle go#
The flaming circle of our days#
Gyring# spiring to and fro
,n those great ignorant leafy ways
>%
,n 4abbalah# the tree of life consists of ten attributes &CsepirothB( on the path to the di$ine. ,n
some interpretations they represent characteristics that one must attainI 2oy# mercy# serenity
and wisdom are among them.
-The +o$es3 of which Keats writes could well be the Tarot +o$ers# who represent not
necessarily romantic lo$e# but the -e<uilibrium of contraries3
>1
and achie$ing light andPor
balance. Keats here also appears to incorporate the symbol of the Great 'heel &-the
flaming circle of our days3(# another 4abbalah and Tarot tradition.
Keats also uses this e$er7re$ol$ing wheel in -The 'heel3:
Through winter7time we call on spring#
)nd through the spring on summer call#
)nd when abounding hedges ring
?eclare that winter=s best of allI
)nd after that there=s nothing good
8ecause the spring7time has not come L
6or !now that what disturbs our blood
,s but its longing for the tomb
>>

+ife continues on a continuous loop until death# that is# the end of the particular cycle. ?eath
may mean the end of a human life# or the end of the historical era.
:uspens!y &1D76( writes that the Tarot 'heel of Aortune is -a huge re$ol$ing circle co$ered
with 4abbalistic letters and symbolsJ 5;istence begins at e$ery moment. Round each
ChereB rolls Cthere.B The middle is e$erywhere. The way of eternity is a cur$e.3
>@
Tarot was an element of esoteric Fudaism and esoteric hristianity that was incorporated
into Theosophical and Golden ?awn philosophy. Keats would ha$e been e;tremely familiar
with Tarot# not least because 1athers and KeatsBs uncle# George 0olle;fen# were interested
20
,bid: 54755
21
:uspens!y# 1D76: 16
22
Keats# 1D67: >@7
23
:uspens!y# 1D76: 5E
5
in it &0olle;fen e$en !ept a detailed Tarot diary# now housed at the 6ational +ibrary of
,reland(. They did not use the cards for fortune7telling# as we would perhaps understand it#
but as a guide to life. 1athers belie$ed that the twenty7two Tarot cards# placed in numerical
order# ga$e a connected story guiding its reader to the light.
>4

KeatsBs -0hases of the 1oon3 is a con$ersation# in $erse# between 1ichael Robartes and
:wen )hearne# two recurring characters across KeatsBs body of wor!. Robartes is a
1athers7es<ue figure# a leader in his Rosicrucian :rder. )hearne is interested in the :ccult#
but his atholicism and his fears pre$ent him from 2oining. ,t is possible that )hearne and
Robartes represent duelling elements of KeatsBs own soul: the part that see!s di$ine
!nowledge &Robartes( and the part that is frightened at what he may find &)hearne(.
-0hases of the 1oon3 ma!es e;tensi$e use of Golden ?awn symbolismLthe phases of the
moon as described by Robartes correspond with the CphasesB of human history.
Twenty7and7eight the phases of the moon#
The full and the moonBs dar! and all the crescents#
Twenty7and7eight# and yet but si;7and7twenty
The cradles that a man must needs be roc!ed in:
Aor thereBs no human life at the full or the dar!.
.J/
'hen all the dough has been so !neaded up
That it can ta!e what form coo! nature fancies#
The first thin crescent is wheeled round once more
>5
This lin!s with 0latonic idea of the Great Kear &co7opted by 4abbalists and esoteric
hristians(# that a year will come when all the stars and planets re$ert to their original &that
is# immediately post7creation( positions. ?espite the Golden ?awn belief in the 'heel of
Time &that is# time is cyclical( this poem e;hibits fin de sicle angst.
:ne of KeatsBs most famous poems# -The Hecond oming#3 also alludes to this Cend of daysB
motif.
Hurely some re$elation is at handI
Hurely the Hecond oming is at hand.
The Hecond omingN *ardly are those words out
'hen a $ast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sightI somewhere in sands of the desert
) shape with a lion body and the head of a man#
) ga"e blan! and pitiless as the sun#
,s mo$ing its slow thighs# while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The dar!ness drops again# but now , !now
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
'ere $e;ed to nightmare by a roc!ing cradle#
)nd what rough beast# its hour come round at last#
24
Raine# 1D6D: 1>6
25
Keats# 1D67: 1E5I 1E7
6
Hlouches toward 8ethlehem to be bornO
>6
,t is perhaps a decepti$ely hristian7sounding poemLthe second coming# the birth at
8ethlehem all recall hristian tradition. Ket Ai;ler &1D5D( notes that Keats# who had re2ected
his 0rotestant roots# -was prepared to see in the fin de sicle the possibility of an apocalyptic
fin du monde# or at least the twilight of the hristian God and the return to the pre7eminence
of +ucifer.3
>7
The -mere anarchy loosed upon the world3 seems unli!ely# then# to be ushering
in anything as mundane as the anti7hrist. &Graham *ough writes that Keats# who died in
1D@D# did not li$e to see the answer to his <uestion: that the desert was +os )lamos# and
8ethlehem *iroshima(.
>E

,n -The Tables of the +aw3 &1ED6( :wen )hearne reads an ancient manuscript# and soon
finds that he has -loo!ed out of the eyes of angels3
>D
Lhe has seen what mortal man is not
meant to see. ,f he were to be assigned a corresponding Tarot symbol# )hearne would li!ely
be the hanged man. *e achie$es his higher consciousness# but he is bound by the
limitations of body and mind# so much so# that he finds his life destroyed.
4athleen Raine &1D6D( suggests that Robartes is the incarnate of the Tarot *ermit
@%
# that is#
an authority figure in an :rder &Theosophical# Rosicrucian# or otherwise(I the one who wields
the lantern which illuminates the initiateBs life.
@1
,n -Rosa )lchemica#3 Robartes literally
carries the lantern inside the Rosicrucian Temple. ,t is also possible to lend to Robartes the
symbol of 1agician &-Huperman. The :ccultist. *igher onsciousness.3(
@>
.
Keats# born into a world of growing irreligion# re2ected entirely the traditional 0rotestantism of
his ancestors. ,nstead of following the path of his father and embracing agnosticism# Keats
was a pioneer in late7nineteenth and early7twentieth century occult circles. ?espite the
philosophical dilemmas and occasional anti7occult messages in se$eral of his wor!s &the
narrator in -Rosa )lchemica3 runs screaming from the :rderBs Temple(# in KeatsBs personal
life it seems the Robartes on one shoulder won the battle against the chastened )hearne on
the other.
itations
Ai;ler# 1ichael. -The )ffinities between F4 *uysmans and the CRosicrucianB Htories of '8
Keats3 PMLA 74.4 &Hept 1D5D(: 464746D.
*ough# Graham. he Mystery Reli!ion of W" #eats. Husse;: *ar$ester 0ress# 1DE4.
26
,bid: >1%7>11
27
Ai;ler# 1D5D: 465
28
*ough# 1DE4: 7%
29
Keats# a$les of the La%& 1D14: >%
30
Raine# 1D6D: 141
31
:uspens!y# 1D76: 5@754
32
,bid: 15
7
Raine# 4athleen. -Keats# the Tarot and the Golden ?awn3 he Se%anee Re'ie% 77.1
&'inter 1D6D(: 11>714E.
'aite# )5. he Real History of the Rosicrucians. +ondon: George Redway# 1EE7.
Kates# Arances ). he Rosicrucian Enli!htenment. +ondon: Routledge Q 4egan 0aul# 1D7>.
Keats# '8. he Collected Poems of W" #eats. +ondon: 1acmillan# 1D67.
Keats# '8. Essays and Introductions. +ondon: 1acmillan# 1D61.
Keats# '8. he a$les of the La%( ) he Adoration of the Ma!i. Htratford7upon7)$on:
Hha!espeare *ead 0ress# 1D14.
Keats# '8. Stories of Red Hanrahan( he Secret Rose( Rosa Alchemica. 6ew Kor!:
1acmillan# 1D14.
8ibliography
*arper# George 1ills# ed. #eats and the *ccult. +ondon: 1acmillan# 1D76.
Ransom# Fohn rowe. -Keats and his Hymbols3 he +enyon Re'ie% 1.@ &Hummer 1D@D(:
@%D7@>>.
Ratton# FF+. -:rigin and 0rogress of Areemasonry3 he Irish Monthly 41.47E &)pril 1D1@(:
17571E>.
Hilberer# *erbert. Hidden Sym$olism of Alchemy and the *ccult Arts trans. Hmith 5ly
Felliffe. 6ew Kor!: ?o$er 0ublications# 1D71.
8