You want some offbeat history? Here’s something that might tickle your fancy. Here’s how a half-serious series of occult texts, dreamed up by a bunch of uni students in 17th century may have revolutionised our world. No, I’m being serious! Read on. THREAD 1/ 
In the early 17th century, religious strife, plague and war had many across Europe wondering what the future held. Many young, affluent men saw it as a time of great opportunity, along with the challenges posed. They were hungry for knowledge with which to reshape the world. /2
Between 1614 & 1617, three pamphlets were published in Germany - the 'Fama Fraternitatis RC’, the ‘Confessio Fraternitatis’ and the ‘Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosicross’, each talking of a mystical brotherhood founded by a bloke called Christian Rosenkreuz (‘rosy cross’). /3
To put it very, very, very simply, Rosenkreuz’s brotherhood were dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, the healing of the sick & passing their teaching onwards. To the knowledge-hungry gentry of the early 17th century, this was red meat - they couldn’t get enough of it. /4
These pamphlets sold like deep-fried donuts, passed on from person to person and became the subject of serious debate and discussion in letters passed between learned men. The alchemical and occult trappings of the texts drew them in… /5
...while the central, core message - pursue knowledge and share it widely - encouraged them to follow their passions and share the results of their investigations with others. The roll call of those who were influenced by them is very, very impressive. /6
Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire, Johannes Kepler, William Shakespeare, Sir Francis Bacon, Robert Fludd, Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz and many, many more appear to have been familiar with the texts, or at least discussed them. /7
In the years following the publication of the pamphlets, those who discussed them in England would form the nucleus of the Royal Society (@royalsociety) in the ‘Invisible College’ - men who came together to discuss subjects such as mathematics. /8 nature.com/articles/14206…
Rosicrucianism is linked to the formation of the Freemasons in 18th century London, and the Illuminati (Yes, really) in Bavaria, both sprung out of the craze for secret brotherhoods. Both movements had their share of famous members - the Freemasons still do… *nudge, wink* /9
It can be persuasively argued that the publishing of the Rosicrucian texts heralded a new age of learning and discovery, the Scientific Revolution that would change almost every aspect of human life forever. But who was this Rosenkreuz? Did his brotherhood exist? /10
Nah. We can’t be sure, but it looks like it was the work of theology students at the University of Tubingen (@uni_tue). Somehow, between the hours of study, Johannes Valentinus Andreae & his mates seem to have come up with the thing. /11 sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/andreae_…
Years after the pamphlets took off, Andreae claimed to have written at least one of them (‘The Chemical Wedding’) and intimated that it was all to make fun of alchemy-mad nobles & their ilk. There’s also written evidence linking him to at least one of the others. /12
Of course, this is exactly the kind of thing you might say if you were trying to cover up you had revealed an ancient secret brotherhood to the world, but hey, Occam’s Razor: If he says it’s all bollocks, then odds are, that’s probably what it was. Sorry to disappoint. /13
Still, it’s kind of awesome that what was probably at least half a prank went on to have such a lasting influence on the learned brains of Europe. It’s wonderful that it got people talking and sharing information in a way that a scientific revolution began to take place. /14
Of course, there’s nutty New Age movements these days that call themselves Rosicrucians, but these are strictly modern movements, mostly with their origins in the surge of interest in the occult that came with the sixties. Money-making scams, for the most part. /15
For a basic timeline of how Rosicrucianism spread, the @ritmanlibrary has a fairly good overview. /16 ritmanlibrary.com/collection/ros…
For a look at Rosicrucianism in a fairly sober, skeptical light, I like this @skeptoid show. /17 skeptoid.com/episodes/4164
Hope you enjoyed that. Plenty more ‘secret’ history out there to explore. For now, though, to quote two of my favourite learned ascended masters - be excellent to each other, and party on! /FIN
PS. THE BROTHERHOOD IS REAL, THEY MADE ME TYPE THIS! THEY'RE GOING TO DEVELOP A SU-
