THE RENEWAL OF THE

ROSICRUCIANS

“Although we do now freely confess that the world is much amended within an hundred years, yet we are assured that our Axiomata shall immovably remain unto the world's end, and also the world in her highest and last age shall not attain to see anything else” – The Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis

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THE RENEWAL OF THE ROSICRUCIANS FLCS VI

Hello and Welcome to the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians!

I am Anna Hall and I am excited to be directing this committee! I am a fourth year Physics major who has been involved with UF Model UN since my freshman year, staffing, and competing in multiple conferences each year. I have also had the honor of serving on secretariat for GatorMUN last year and am thrilled to do so again this year! Directing this committee will be the icing on the cake to making this last year with MUN my best and I am looking forward to it.

This committee comes from an interest in how mysticism played a role in history as well as how some things from history have yet to be explained. While the manuscripts published under the Rosicrucian name existed and people reacted to them both in writing and in a search for the identities of the brothers, the Rosicrucians themselves most likely never actually existed, or at least not in the capacity that they claimed to. Historians are not quite sure who or what these Rosicrucians were or what their end game was and many just claim that the whole thing was just a hoax. Even so, the ideas that they spread and got people to talk about, due to the mystery behind them, are many of the ideas and values that fueled the enlightenment and the Order itself. Additionally, this served as a basis for many societies to come that very much do exist such as the Freemasons.

It is my hope that, with this committee delegates will be able to explore the less straightforward side of the politics of this time as well as use their creativity to solve some the unique problems a group like this would have encountered. As the positions are all a mix of important scientific, artistic, political, and religious figures, I am sure that some interesting solutions will be concocted!

I am looking forward to seeing you all at FLCSIV! Until then, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email flcssecretariat@gmail.com and I will be sure to get back to you!

Best Wishes,

Anna Hall

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Parliamentary Procedure Committee will operate in a perpetually moderated caucus. All delegates must vote during a procedural matter and procedural motions will require a simple majority to pass unless it is stated otherwise by the chair.

Point of Order

A point of order may interrupt a speech and may be used when a delegate feels the chair or another delegate is incorrectly following parliamentary procedure.

Point of Inquiry

A point of inquiry may not interrupt a speech and may be used to direct a question to the chair, but speeches will not be entertained using points of inquiry.

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

A point of parliamentary inquiry may be used to ask a question to clarify a parliamentary procedure and cannot interrupt a speech.

Point of Information

A point of information may not interrupt a speech and can be used to clarify a point or motion, or to bring substantive information to the attention of the chair. Speeches will not be entertained using this point.

Point of Personal Privilege

A Point of Personal Privilege can be used when a delegate’s ability to debate is harmed for any reason. This can be used to address temperature of the room or a delegate’s inability to hear the speaker. This point can interrupt the speaker.

Right of Reply

Right of Reply can be used when a delegate feels that their dignity or integrity has been deliberately offended. Right of replies are to be written and sent to the chair. The chair will use chairs discretion as to when to invoke it.

Motion for a Moderated Caucus

A motion to enter a moderated caucus must specify the topic, length, and speaking time. Much of the committee will be spent in a moderated caucus.

Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus

A motion for an unmoderated caucus must only specify the length of time. Unmoderated caucuses should be used to work on notes and directives.

Motion to Introduce Documents

A motion to introduce documents must be made in order for them to be discussed in debate.

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Motion to Split Directive Clauses

A motion may be made to vote on directive clauses separately; requires a second and a majority to pass.

Introduction It is Paris in 1614. You are a member of the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, a part of the College of the Invisibles, and about to shake things up in Europe. As a member of the Rosicrucians, you have a set of sacred rules to follow, a legacy to uphold, and work to do in society. What you and your brothers know is based on tradition and texts passed down through the generations. Below is a quick crash course of the Brotherhood as well as the current state of Europe.

The Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis The Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis was the first manuscript published by the Rosicrucians in Germany in 1614. To facilitate committee, we will say it was originally released in Paris, where committee will be set. This text was likely written by either Johann Valentin Andreae, a German Theologian and a prominent member of the Protestant Utopian Movement, or Francis Bacon1, a philosopher and politician. It is the story of the Brotherhood’s origins starting with the life of Christian Rosenkreuz, and it might be beneficial for you to read it to get a better feel for what the Brotherhood is about. You can find pdf’s of the text online or search for a YouTube video of someone reading it aloud if that suits you better2.

This text goes through the story of Christian Rosenkreuz, the Brotherhood’s founder, and his path that led him to start it. According to this account, Rosenkreuz was born in 1378 to a poor family. As a young boy, he was put into the care of a convent where he began his studies of the ancient languages and the religious teachings they had to offer. At 15 years old, he decided to join a monk on a pilgrimage through Holy Lands. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Rosenkreuz’s guide died when they arrived at Cyprus, their first stop. Rosenkruez decided to carry on anyways, and this is where the story really begins.

Rosenkruez soon arrived in Damascus, but in ill health, so he joined some physicians and astronomers until he was better. He began to study with them during this time. They told him of a mysterious group of wise men residing in the mystical city of Damcar with whom Rosenkreuz might find suitable instruction. So that’s where he went at age 16.

In Damcar, Rosenkreuz spent the next three years learning Arabic and translating a mystical book titled “M.” This text is lost to us today, but it is often said by alchemists that it contains all of the great secrets of the universe. Here is where he also started his studies of all things the Middle East had to offer.

1 http://rosicrucianlight.tripod.com/rc_famafraternitatis.htm 2 http://hermetic.com/norton/pdf/Rosicrucian.pdf

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In 1397, Rosenkreuz left the wise men and headed to Egypt where he continued his studies. The following years were spent learning about the medicinal techniques, the Wisdom, the creatures, and anything else to be found in the area and the Mediterranean states. Finally, Rosenkreuz ended up in Fez to learn the ways of alchemy.

During this whole process, it is said that Rosenkreuz was given by God the capacity to learn all of these great Secrets and Wisdoms as he was Chosen. This entire section of his life was the work of the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

After learning all he could in Fez, Rosenkreuz returned to Spain to start spreading all that he had learned in the Middle East, as he felt he was destined to do. Europe wasn’t nearly as willing to learn the knowledge of the Holy Lands as Rosenkreuz had been, so Rosenkreuz ran away to Germany. There he remained uneventfully for about 5 years. 3

The last portion of the Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis goes into the part of the story concerning the creation of the Brotherhood. After his isolation in Germany, Rosenkreuz decided it was time to try again, so he went back to the convent he started his studies as a child and gained his first three followers. There they started to organize and compile all that Rosenkreuz had learned throughout his life. As time went on, more joined what had become

the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross, having a total of eight members. The men worked to build a temple named the House of the Holy Spirit, the location of which is unclear. Eventually, it was decided that all of the eight knew all that Rosenkreuz had known, so it was time for them all to secretly spread around the world to teach others. That was essentially all that happened through the rest of the life of Rosenkreuz, his followers, and their successors.

It was then told that 120 years after the death of Rosenkreuz, the current members of the Brotherhood stumbled upon his secret tomb in the temple. Inside were tomes of ancient writings, books of medicinal knowledge, Rosenkreuz’s writings, scientific and alchemy instruments, etc. There were symbolic engravings and sculptures throughout the whole room. Under the altar they found the perfectly preserved body of

Christian Rosenkreuz himself.

With this discovery, the text ends. 4

3 Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Sacred Text of the Rosicrucians 4 Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Sacred Text of the Rosicrucians

1 ROSICRUCIAN TEMPLE

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The Brothers It is clear from the Fama that the Brotherhood’s main goal is to reform society and science in much the same way that many believed the Church had just been reformed with the Protestant break from the Catholic Church. They believe that Europe has “errors [in their] arts” and that the learned refuse to admit these errors, causing them to build up and make matters worse. Essentially, the egos and pride of the learned are keeping them from seeing the “Truth” which brings with it the knowledge of things like transmutation and the inner workings of the universe.5 The Brothers have been going out as missionaries to try to spread these ideas and to teach others what Rosenkreuz gathered from his travels described in the Fama.6 It will be up to committee to decide what exactly the Brotherhood considers Europe’s errors to be. One example is the fact that, in general, education is only for those who can afford it.

Again, it is clear from the Fama that the Brothers are required to follow several rules. First, they must remain anonymous. This includes not wearing anything that separates them from the general public, no special insignias, etc. This anonymity also leads the brothers to signing everything with only their initials. Committee will take this secrecy another step further even, but more will be said on that later. Everything officially done by the whole Brotherhood will be signed only with the seal bearing the initials of their founder, R.C.

The brotherhood was originally supposed to remain secret for at least 100 years after its founding.7 Seeing it is currently 1614, the Brotherhood clearly decided to add an extra century or so onto that. However, the head of the society has decided that now is the time to come out of hiding and he published the Fama to do just that.

It is also required that every brother has to meet with the others at the House of the Holy Spirit once a year, or at least send in a note explaining why they couldn’t make it. This way the Brotherhood can make sure they are spreading the same message, can exchange new information they have gathered since their last meeting, and talk about plans for the future.8 With the decision to make the Brotherhood known to the world, it has also been decided to make these meetings twice a year. Each committee session will, more or less, represent one of these meetings.

When it comes to successors, they are to be picked by each brother prior to their death. After a brother’s death, their association with the society must still remain discreet, as in nothing on their gravestones to indicate their affiliation with the Brotherhood. There are no other rules to be found about recruitment.

5 Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Sacred Text of the Rosicrucians 6 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Rosicrucians.aspx 7 Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Sacred Text of the Rosicrucians 8 http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Secret-Societies/The-Rosicrucians.html

2 "BECAUSE STRAIT IS THE GATE AND NARROW IS THE WAY THAT LEADETH UNTO LIFE AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT"

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The last set of rules the Brotherhood must abide by deals with wealth. The Brothers are supposed to heal all sick they can, but at no price. They will not ask anyone for money. This is particularly interesting since they also claim to have large sums of money for the purposes of providing for the poor and education. Where does it all come from?9

Politics in 1614 Europe Although it shouldn’t be essential to committee to know a great deal about what is going on in Europe during this time, it might be helpful to have a general sense of where the major powers are standing. This way it can best be decided how to go about doing the Brotherhood’s work in different parts of the continent.

In the year 1614, and the years leading up to it, Europe was rather quiet compared to all the upheaval that was going on during this era. For instance, James I is the King of England, the last meeting of the Estates General in France has just begun, and Protestants and Catholics are at odds with one other.

Britain conquered and colonized Ireland in the 1530’s with the intent of converting the native Catholics to the British’s protestant faith, and it is still not going over well. The tensions between the two groups are continuously bad and exasperated with various famines and unsuccessful rebellions. Most recently, in 1607, Catholics were barred from public office and the military which understandably angered many Irishmen. This is just one example of the many ways that the Catholics were being discriminated against in Ireland

The British Isles in general weren’t getting along too well right now. James I is ruler of both Scotland and Britain, but not effectively as both states are keeping separate parliaments. Unfortunately, James and the British Parliament just cannot seem to get along. In the recent years, James has run up Britain’s debts and dissolved parliament after failed negotiations to finance the king. Thus, James has begun to be forced to do things such as sell monopolies, which generally isn’t popular. 10

In contrast to Ireland, in Spain the Catholics are the ones doing the oppressing instead of being oppressed. The year 1614 is seeing the last of the “Moriscos” being kicked out of the country and sent to North Africa for their Muslim roots. Apparently the Spaniards didn’t think this through as the Moriscos not only took their culture, but their skills and knowledge in areas such as agriculture, greatly hurting the Spanish economy. A falling economy has started to be King Phillip III’s theme as he hands much of the running of the government off to his valido11 instead of doing it himself. 12

France is currently under the rule of King Louis XIII. However, as he is only 13, his mother, Marie de Medici, has been serving as regent and the monarchy’s power was starting to wane. Luckily for King Louis, he has started to take the council of Charles, Duke de Luynes. Together they are beginning to work towards extending the monarchy’s absolutism. 13

9 http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Secret-Societies/The-Rosicrucians.html 10 http://www.britannica.com/biography/James-I-king-of-England-and-Scotland 11 royal advisor 12 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1761&HistoryID=ab50&gtrack=pthc 13 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/france-in-the-seventeenth-century/france-in-the-seventeenth-century/

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The Holy Roman Empire is seeing religious fueled tensions between its states. On one side you have the Protestant Union which formed in 1608, and on the other is the Catholic League forming in 1609. Although there hasn’t been any conflict seen between these two groups, it is sure to happen within the coming years despite the attempts of Matthias, the emperor, to get the two sides to compromise.14

Over in the east, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is in its usual state of unrest with its neighbors. There are usually conflicts with Sweden to their west, uneasiness with Russia to their east, and issues with the Muslim states to their south. 15

The Arts and Music of 1614 Europe Europe is just entering into the Baroque Period at the start of this committee. In other words, it entered into an era of drama and exuberance as far as the arts go. This was largely inspired by the proceedings at the Council of Trent about 60 years previous. In an effort to make religion

more accessible to the uneducated, and in response to the protestant movement, the Catholic Church was pushing for ecclesiastic art that didn’t need interpretation to be understood. The result was art that showed a clear message or story with theatrical styles meant to appeal to the senses. Grandeur, sensual richness, emotion, tension, and movement became the defining characteristics of work from this time. 16

Besides the Church’s influence, the changing political sphere of Europe also played a role in shaping the Baroque era. The rise of absolute monarchies and the growth in the middle class created a rise in patronages to artists. Centralized states were building large and exuberant palaces in the Baroque style to display their power and the rising middle class could now afford to purchase art and were interested in what was available due to the return to an art style relying heavily on realism. Overall, more patronages meant more artists could afford to be artists and still afford costs of living.17In more secular parts of the art world, the blossoming scientific revolution also influenced humans’ prominence in artwork. In response to the world’s changing view of their significance in the universe due to work like Capernicus’ heliocentric theory of the solar system, types of art like landscapes began to feature less people and had them often as only small figures in a larger natural setting. The Scientific Revolution and increase in world exploration also inspired more artistic focus and appreciation for nature and its complexities. On the other hand, still lives of fruit bowls also became more popular due to their realism as well as the opportunity to use light to create drama in the paintings. Many historians say that the Baroque period was filled with contradictions.

14 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=2794&HistoryID=ac62&gtrack=pthc 15 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=993&HistoryID=ab01&gtrack=pthc 16 https://www.britannica.com/art/Baroque-period 17 https://www.britannica.com/art/Baroque-period

3 DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN, PETER PAUL RUBENS

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Painters like Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci in Italy helped pioneer the whole movement when they broke away from the Mannerism style previously popular to branch out into the classicist but naturalistic movement that was the Baroque period. Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most famous artists of the time bringing together Caravaggio’s style with religious figures to create rather emotional pieces. Other famous Baroque artists included Rembrandt (although later in the century than committee), Bernini (Michelangelo’s successor), and Johannes Vermeer (again, his prominence was later in the century). Artists like Michelangelo paved the way for the Baroque architects and sculptors as seen in the popularity of fluidity in the periods sculptures as well as the rise of paintings on cathedral ceilings.18

Baroque music also reflected the changes in religion, politics, and science that affected the art world. Baroque music turned away from the precise and measured style of music and performance towards a style meant to invoke emotion and inspire thought in its listeners. Music was now meant to be used as a tool of communication and not just as a way to show off one’s education. However, the themes of music still reflected the musicians need for patrons to earn a living.

All in all, changes in music that became the Baroque style reflect the changes in the art world. To create tension, contrasting techniques such as exaggerated dynamics and tempo changes became prominent. Phrasing became about telling the story and thus became more exaggerated. The rise of trumpets and violins on popularity reflected the want for a more brilliant sound.

Prominent composers of the period included Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Handel, and Bach. The Baroque period also gave birth to the oratorio, sonata, opera, and concerto. The later Baroque period also saw the rise of ballet with the help of Lully. The Baroque period’s belief in the power of music to move people emotionally continued past the era and is still an important aspect of music today.19

Science of 1614 Europe The time period of this committee not only falls at the beginning of a new art era, but comes in just after the start of the scientific revolution. This era is often noted to start around the 1550’s with the discussions of the structure of the solar system. It had been long believed that the universe was centered on the earth. With the realization of the solar system being just one part of the whole universe, its structure was called into question. The geocentric model was still largely popular. In 1543, Copernicus published his heliocentric model to much rebuke, although that is the accepted model today. The 1570’s brought Tycho Brahe’s detailed work on the same problem, but claiming a geocentric model. The interesting thing about this model is that in it all of the planets except the Earth circled the Sun. The Sun in turn circled the Earth

18 http://all-that-is-interesting.com/seventeenth-century-art-most-significant-artists-of-the-baroque-period 19 https://www.baroque.org/baroque

4 BASKET OF FRUIT, CARAVAGGIO

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as seen in the picture above. This is technically the correct model of the universe, just from a different relativistic reference frame.

At the start of committee, the scientific community is still at odds with itself about this issue. One of the main reasons why this debate was so heated is that it called into question our role and importance in the universe. If the universe turned out to not be geocentric like it had always been thought, that meant that humans may not be the most important thing out there, and are

therefore insignificant. That idea had a lot of philosophical and religious consequences and frightened people. It was a large scale en masse existential crisis resulting in some troubling times for the scientific community in the years to come. 20

Other notable scientific discoveries of the time included the publication of Johannes Kepler’s first two planetary motion laws in 1609. Kepler was a student of Brahe and used his data to propose his own heliocentric theory of the universe. In 1600, William Gilbert discovered and detailed the Earth’s magnetic field and 1610 saw Galileo’s prominent work in telescopic observations. Logarithms were first used for calculations in 1614 by John Napier.

The focus of science and math in this era was largely centered on the natural world. Then, physics and philosophy were still closely tied together; the human body was still largely a mystery and intensive study of systems, like the circulatory system, was just beginning. Optics was a big field of study as well as how best to use it to create better telescopes and microscopes. Laws of motion were being formed. Scientific methods were being created. This was all done with a shift from purely mathematical and observational studies of the world to experimentation like we see today. It really was one of the most important and formative eras in science. 21

Another important aspect of science in this era was the beginning of the creation of scientific societies. This marked a move to separate science from the religious world and into a secular one. As you can imagine, this caused a whole lot of problems and tensions at the time between the various churches, certain scholars, and the public. If you wanted a more in depth look at the nuances of the relationship between science and society at this time, I would highly recommend reading A History of Science and Society by Ede and Cormack.22

20 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Scientific_Revolutions.aspx 21 http://users.clas.ufl.edu/ufhatch/pages/03-Sci-Rev/SCI-REV-Home/05-sr-lng-timeline.htm 22 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442604522/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

5 BRAHE'S SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL

6 GALILEO STUDYING THE COSMOS

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Notes on Committee and Positions The main goal of committee is for you, as the Brotherhood, to spread the ideals and knowledge that Rosenkreuz gathered. You want to bring Europe into an age of scientific revolution and societal reform. What exactly that world looks like, will be up to you to decide based on what the Rosicrucian texts and traditions as well as your own personal ideas. It will also be up to you as a committee to decide how to go about this reform and how far you will go to achieve your goals. Meanwhile, you will also need to uphold the rules of the Brotherhood, especially their anonymity.

This committee will procedurally run like a normal crisis committee. However, the positions will be done a little differently. Everyone will receive an email with their position, and each position is an influential figure in the sciences, arts, philosophy, etc. of Europe. You are to use your specialties and connections to enact change and help achieve the goals of the Brotherhood. In the spirit of anonymity, you as a delegate will not know who the other delegates in committee are. You will only know them as Brother C or Brother M, but not by their real names. It will be up to you as a delegate to decide who you share your identity with- if you share it at all!

The chair of this committee, Brother RC, will take the role of the Brother following the line of Christian Rosenkreuz himself. He will act as the presiding head of committee, in that he ensures that order is kept and that the Brotherhood’s rules are followed. You as a committee may ask him for spiritual guidance in a specific matter, but he will not voice an opinion in a matter otherwise.

As I’m sure you will realize in your research, the Brotherhood published two more manuscripts in the following years after the Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis. You may assume that these are texts that the Brotherhood has available to them, but it will be the chair’s discretion as to whether or not they will be released to the public and when.

Position Papers

No Position Papers are required.