Information For Members

Past Events

The Sixth CR+C Convention
& Tenth N.A.P. O.M.C.E. Castrorum

April 16, 17 & 18, 2004
Philadelphia, PA

The 6th CR+C Convention and 10th OMCE Castrorum was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Holiday Inn Hotel in the Historic District of the city.

On April 16, the 1st degree initiation was conferred upon 8 eligible candidates.

The theme of this year's event was "The Elements of Life". Members were encouraged to "Come journey with us through the quintessential elements of Life; Consciousness, Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Through inspiring discussions and interactive presentations, experience how to work the elements within us and in Nature. Discover the power that enables us to bring about a course of events that coincides with the laws of God, the Cosmic and Nature; creating a more equitable society and system of Life."

The first presentation, on Friday April 16, was by our Imperator, Gary L Stewart, opening our minds to the basic tenets of Rosicrucianism. It prepared us for the discussions and demonstrations that followed.

Brother Pascal Bourquiqnon took us through a powerful meditation and exercise that brought forth the spiritual nature and multiple aspects of "Fire".

Sister Jo Ann Valentin presented a thorough and complete understanding of "Air"and its impact on all that exists in nature, our lives and on the spiritual plane.

Sister Elizabeth Anderton Fox discussed aspects of "Consciousness" that helped us to understand that the akashic records holds much that our collective consciousness has added to it and that we have forgotten, but we have the ability to recall these memories to use for the benefit of humanity.

Sister Nancy Berranger presented a detailed discussion on the various ways in which "Water" affects our lives. She conducted an experiment with us asking that we hold a glass of water with both hands without the fingers of each hand touching and meditate on water as a source of life. Additionally, she took the birthdate of each of us to plot our astrological patterns, showing which elements were the strongest in the pattern and how that affects our emotional behavior and the choices we make.

Sister Elaine Ralston shared with us her extensive knowledge of Geomancy and how the element "Earth" can be used to regain memory of things we have forgotten or buried deep within us. She gave us each dowsing rods to demonstrate the accuracy of that which we seek to know. The earth can reveal many secrets that we thought we lost.

Brother Channing Brown gave an interesting overview of the "Elements of Life"using his experience with NASA and space exploration to reveal the vastness of space; the multitude of stars, planets, galaxies etc. He showed a slide presentation revealing the myraid of stars, planets and other stuff of space and how infinitessimal we are in the scheme of things. Yet the same elements that create the myriad of forms of space create Life in us, that tiny speck revealed on the projection screen.

It is difficult to capture the enormous amount of work each presenter put into their brilliant discussions and demonstrations; to bring to our realization the five qualities, consciousness, fire, air, water and earth is the "stuff of Life" in the universe, nature and humanity. Nothing exists without these elements working as a unit ot manifest Life in its multifarious forms.

Friday evening at a buffet reception, we had the pleasure of listening to a professional jazz trio; Brother Francis Ralston on the saxaphone, Brother Scott Heavener on the drums and Steven Runyon playing the keyboard. It showed off the diverse talents of CR+C/ OMCE members.

Later that evening Alvin Holm, Classical Architect and Dr. Lucy E. Carroll, music historian were our guest speakers. They are members of the Kelpius Commemorative Marker Committee. Al showed slides of the Kelpius site he had taken over the past 25 years, including Lauriston Cottage before it was demolished. He was the person who identified the log cabin beneath the the outer white surface of the dwelling that was thought to be Lauriston Cottage. Only the foundation remains today and we are curious to know what lies beneath it. One added interesting feature of the slide presentation was an instrument known as the "Horologium Chaz Hydrographicum", constructed by George Schissler around 1565. It is reported to have been used by Dr. Christopher Witt to calculate the planetary systems of the heavens. The intricate symbols and figures on it are a study in itself. It is the only relic that has been found to be used by the Kelpius community. It is on display at American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia and said to be given to Benjamin Franklin by Christopher Witt before Dr. Witt's death at age 90.

Dr. Lucy E. Carroll our next guest speaker has done extensive research and work at the Ephrata Cloisters as a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Scholar in Residence, Commonweath Speaker and past Director of the Ephrata Cloisters Chior. She has studied the 4 part and 8 part harmony of Conrad Beissel's music. She also studied and performed the music of the Kelpius community. On July 27, 1986 she directed and performed a music drama written by members of the Kelpius community in 1708. It was entitled "The Power of Love that Conquers the World, Sin and Death" She transcribed 136 poetic verses from 16th century German to English, using singers and instruments which were thought to be used by the group when they performed it in 1708.This performance was a post AMORC Convention and members traveled from New York city to witness a music drama that was performed for the first time in 280 years. It was a huge success.

She brought with her on Friday April 16 members of her Carmelite Monastery Choir to perform a sampling of a hymn written by some member of the Kelpius community in 1697. It was beautiful.She discussed other musical works of the group written in poetic verse and promised more of the same on Saturday.

On Saturday April 17 ,in the Wissahickon Valley of Fairmount Park, we participated in the unveiling of a historical marker for the first Rosicrucian Colony in America near the site of the communtiy. The event was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in partnership with the Kelpius Commemorative Marker Committee and CR+C/ OMCE. Members of the KCMC are Dorothy Pinkett, CR+C/OMCE, Chair; Dr. Lucy E Carroll, Music Historian, and Alvin Holm, Architect. At the event, Dorothy Pinkett gave a brief overview of the contributions of the group in music, art, science, botany, the healing arts, astronomy and education, and how they shared their considerable talents with the Germantown community. We examined why they continue to be important to us today and the impact they had on the ideals we cherish today as a nation; freedom of speech and religion, equality, providing for the less fortunate, the education of children etc. This was followed by acknowledgement of letters from Governor Edward Rendell, Senator Arlen Specter, Congressman Chaka Fattah expressing their regrets for not being able to attend but wishing us success.

Other speakers were;

Greetings from the office of Mayor John Street delivered by Laura Maurer representing the Arts Commission. She gave a glowing endorsement of the work we plan to undertake.

Alvin Holm spoke about the importance of the Kelpius Community and his plans to restore the Botanical gardens, the first in America, and once again use the natural amphitheater for the performance of music written by the group and construct an educational site for students to learn about the contributions of these learned scholars.

Lucy Carroll performed additional segments of two poetic verses of the music in beautiful 4 part harmony.

Educator Director at Ephrata , Micheal Showalter extended greetings and well wishes. It was through his guidance that we were able to obtain the historical marker. He spoke of the link between the Kelpius group and the Beissel group as it moved to Ephrata to continue its activities.

Scott Wilds representative of the Philadelphia Historical Commission brought well wishes and greetings from his commission.

Rhonda R. Cohen Esq., Commisioner of the Penna. Historical Commission delivered the dedication and the unveiling of the marker. She read the inscription on the marker,quote" In 1694, Mystic Johannes Kelpius and his followers established a community near here in response to William Penn's offer of religious freedom. Members of the Hermits of the Wissahickon produced poetry and music, practiced astronomy and botany and made an early pipe organ, as they awaited the millenium. They welcomed all ethnic groups and Native Americans. The community dissolved after Kelpius died in 1708"

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 2004

The Penna. Historical Society of Phila. gave us permissiom to use a print in our program of the only exisitng portrait of Johannes Kelpius for the occassion. The portrait was painted by Dr. Christopher Witt.

Dorothy, Lucy and Al are reactivating the Phila Kelpius Society to continue the work needed to restore some portions of the site. Invitations to join the Kelpius Society were distributed. Lucy Carroll wrote a bound paper back book entitled "The Gathering in the Glen". Copies were given to each participant the remaining copies were sold. We have begun to receive donations and 15 people have expressed an interest in joining us in this venture. We thank everyone who worked so diligently to make this a reality.

A CR+C /OMCE event is not complete without ritual. We attended and participated in CR+C convocation, OMCE Vigiliae, Vespers, Nones and a special BMO ritual open to all CR+C and OMCE members. It is an opportunity to expand our consciousness and to do the Work of the Order.

We hope this bird's eye view of the activities this year will encourage you to attend next year . We always come away having learned something very valuable to our continued growth as students on mystic path.

Submitted by,

Dorothy Pinkett
Phila. CR+C/OMCE Committee, Chair

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Past Events

The accomplishment of our 1st CR+C Convention and 1st OMCE Castrorum that took place on March 21-22, 2003 is an actual proof that the seed planted a few years ago has already blossomed and shall bring forth fruits in a not too distant future.

Many members coming from different parts of the country were present and we had as special guests Brother Gary L. Stewart, Imperator of the CR+C and Knight Commander of the OMCE, and Sister Elizabeth A. Fox, Magister Templi of the OMCE.

As a direct result of this memorable meeting we had the establishment of the Brazilian Priory of the OMCE and the approval by Brother Stewart of the website "Confraternitatis" with information in Portuguese about the three Orders of our Confraternity (www.confraternitatis.org.br), as well as of a quarterly newsletter called Chevalier News to be sent by email to Portuguese speaking OMCE members.

It was also decided to begin the translations into Portuguese of all CR+C Monographs, so that it will be possible to start offering them by the middle of next year. This is an important step of the Rosicrucian Movement in Brazil, and a dream cherished for around seven years which starts now to take shape in this plane. Its greatest importance is related to the fact that it will be possible to offer to the future generations of Rosicrucians the heritage of instructions originally prepared by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. Even those who have had the opportunity to know these teachings will be surprised to learn that many editorial changes have been made along the years and that many of the original instructions ended up in being lost. We are recovering this knowledge that would not otherwise be available to Portuguese speaking seekers.

I already knew Imperator Stewart and Sister Elizabeth personally, but said again and again many times that I would like them to come to Brazil so that other members could at least also know them and learn from their simplicity, readiness of reasoning and great sense of humor.

Imperator Stewart does not usually prepares his addresses or experiments in advance and this made me rather apprehensive because of the difficulties that might arise during the simultaneous translations that would be done. I mentioned my worries to him before his arrival and his answer was that we would be in family and everything would work out fine. It was exactly what happened: although having two formal lectures and two Forums scheduled, what actually happened were relaxed conversations upon several esoteric subjects in an extremely harmonious atmosphere.

The CR+C Mystical Convocation was particularly inspiring with a brief introduction to some of the Rosicrucian Lineages since the beginning with Father C.R.C., as well as with an interesting exercise for building up a protective aura around the participants.

In short, I believe we all learned a lot with this event and it is my sincere wish that, for the next one, all members who could not be amongst us may overcome the difficulties and share the fraternal conviviality that manifests on these occasions.

Castrorums/Conventions are opportunities, not only to meet with members of our own area, but also members one might not get a chance to meet at all. Members attending an OMCE Castrorum/CR+C Convention come from all over the world. Castrorums offer opportunities for sharing , learning and even fun times. They also offer an opportunity to meet and speak with our officers "up the line'.

Members attending Castrorums/Conventions are from many cities and countries - Texas, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Idaho, Brazil, England, Singapore, Ghana, even Australia, as well as many, many, others.

Castrorums are certainly a microcosm of a harmonious world family. Becoming acquainted with another's customs, language idioms and even food preferences are only a few of the experiences. Most of all we come to realize how much unity truly exists among the peoples of the world when given the chance to know one another. And, when we add to this our teachings and how they can be used to create a spiritual consciousness in a mundane world, we can readily see how important it is for us to attend Castrorums/Conventions when it is possible for us to do so.

Castrorums are held in different places so as to make it easier to attend one comparatively nearby. Of course, if one is able, attending all of them is perhaps the most productive and desirable. Give yourself the experience and pleasure of attending at least one.

The Castrorum/Convention is a priory event which is hosted by a Commanderie of the area where in it is held. This yearly gathering serves several purposes. One is to bring together like minded members to work in harmony through ritual, creating an environment that releases positive energies into the world.

The lectures and workshops offer a broader perspective on subjects that we are familiar with, enabling us to see things perhaps in a different light.

Friendship, laughter, good conversation and the joy of common bonds lifts our hearts and strengthens us for the work that needs to be done.

Lastly the Castrorum/Convention serves as a fund raiser for the Priory in which it is held. It helps to insure for its proper functioning and future growth.

If you did not attend the 2001 Castrorum/Convention you missed a very special event. It was hosted by the New York City Commanderie in upstate NY at Williams Lake Resort. Its rural, relaxing atmosphere added a very natural flow to all events. There were dignitaries from Texas, Connecticut and England, with guest speakers from Australia and Canada.

On the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of September, 2000, the historic Cruce Signadorum Conventus was held at Tatton Park near Knutsford, Cheshire. In one of England's finest historic houses, surrounded by fifty acres of magnificent Parkland and beautiful Gardens, our confraternal association of Orders held the historic meeting to mark the Work of the new millennium. Present were the delegates representing our Confraternities and other Orders and Lineages from many different countries on six continents. Below is a short report written by our Brother John Fox (Commander of Knights, UK Priory, OMCE) about this meeting.

We are slowly getting our breath back after the CSC 2000. It was a wonderful three days of mystical work, in the beautiful setting of the Tenants Hall in Tatton Park, Cheshire in the United Kingdom. On Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd and Sunday 25th of September 2000.

We had OMCE ceremonies, a BMO ceremony, CR+C ceremonies and a Rosicrucian ceremony from the French Cenacle Rose Cross Order. We also saw the Installation of the new Grand Master of the Ghanaian Rose Cross. Plus a variety of lectures and presentations.

As well as members from the OMCE the BMO and CR+C we had members from the Ghanaian Rose Cross Order, the Norsk Rose Cross Order and French Cenacle Rose Cross Order.

The final item on a varied and inspiring programme was the new OMCE Terce Red Section ritual conducted by our Knight Commander, Gary L. Stewart.

However, to me, the most important part of the programme was the special CSC 2000 Initiation, held on Friday afternoon and evening. The CSC 2000 Initiation was unique for this special occasion and everyone attending the CSC 2000 received the Initiation from Gary L. Stewart the Knight Commander of the OMCE the Sovereign Grand Master of the BMO, and Imperator of the CR+C. Being one of the officers assisting in the Initiation made it for me a very special and spiritual occasion and everyone who took part will remember it for the rest of their lives.

As a light social relief there was a Dinner held on Saturday evening the 24th September, in the Tenants Hall, where members and their families could relax and enjoy themselves. The caterers provided a first class meal. The Saddleworth Morris Dancers entertained us by an energetic series of traditional clog dances, on a special floor that had been laid down prior to the CSC 2000.

The Tenants Hall staff and the caterers worked very hard to ensure that everything was in order from the moment we started the event on Friday morning until we finished on Sunday evening. They did a first class job.

To allow for extra space a large marquee was erected along one side of the foyer which allowed for lectures and extra presentations to be held while Initiations were being held in the Tenants Hall.

When first conceived three years ago it seemed an almost impossible task. To bring the three Orders, the BMO, the OMCE and the CR+C together in one place sharing in a single event. However , the mystical will and spirit was present and with the help of Sister Elizabeth Anderton-Fox, who played a major part in the planning from the start, Sister Pamela Eckersley and Sister Jackie Carpenter-Fitzpatrick and a host of other BMO, OMCE and CR+C members from here in the UK and abroad the impossible was made possible and we had a wonderful international mystical gathering in the Tenants Hall, Tatton Park in Cheshire, in the United Kingdom. We had members attending from all six continents around the world.

Truly a wonderful mystical, spiritual, historical event, that members will talk about for many years to come.

Confraternity of the Rose Cross