Harvey Spencer Lewis
Encyclopedia
Frater Rosae Crucis
F.R.C. or Frater Rosae Crucis is the title awarded to advanced members of the Rosicrucian Order. This title is awarded specifically to advanced members of the AMORC or Ancient Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis....
, S.·.I.·., 33°66°95°, Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(November 25, 1883 – August 2, 1939), a noted Rosicrucian author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
ist, and mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, was the founder in USA and the first Imperator
Imperator
The Latin word Imperator was originally a title roughly equivalent to commander under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part of the titulature of the Roman Emperors as part of their cognomen. The English word emperor derives from imperator via Old French Empreur...
of Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis
Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis
The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis , also called Rosicrucian Order, is a philosophical and humanist worldwide fraternal organization. Members are known as students...
(AMORC), from 1915 until 1939.
Life and career
Harvey Spencer Lewis was born in Frenchtown, New JerseyFrenchtown, New Jersey
Frenchtown is a Borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,373....
. He worked in advertising as an illustrator (the modern term commercial artist best describes his line of work), and he used this experience later to promote the early AMORC, through print ads and booklets. Lewis first learned of the Rosicrucians through his interest in paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
phenomena. Contacted while on a trip to Europe, he later related that he was initiated into a Rosicrucian order during that trip.
Given the mission to both bring Rosicrucian ideas back to America (an early group had a settlement in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
during the 17th century, but it had long been dissolved), and to promote them in a modern way, Lewis established AMORC, becoming its first Imperator and writing what became the order's first canon of lessons in mysticism, and spending the rest of his life working on AMORC's behalf. Lewis also founded the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum , founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, is a museum about Ancient Egypt located at AMORC's Rosicrucian Park in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose, California, United States....
, still a popular attraction in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
His second wife was Martha, and they were married at least from 1937. Martha travelled with Lewis at Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
during the AMORC Grand Tour of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
In the past Lewis had a radio station broadcasting from Rosicrucian Park, and he was also speaking at other radio stations. One of his programs was called "The Pristine Church", appearing on Sundays, with sermon-style talks on interfaith and secular topics.
Lewis was also one of the three Imperators of FUDOSI
FUDOSI
FUDOSI or FUDOESI , founded on August 14, 1934, in Brussels , was a federation of autonomous esoteric orders and societies.-Background:FUDOSI was an attempt to create a federation of mystical orders with the...
, and his nomen mysticum
Nomen mysticum
The Nomen Mysticum is the secret name that a member of a mystical secret society is given once they are considered a worthy and confirmed member of a specific mystical order.-Initiation:...
was Sar Alden. He held a number of earned and honorary ordinations, titles and degrees, many granted in recognition of his goodwill work. His son Ralph Maxwell Lewis
Ralph Maxwell Lewis
Ralph Maxwell Lewis , the son of Harvey Spencer Lewis, was the Imperator of Rosicrucian organisation Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis from 1939 to 1987. In Fédération Universelle des Ordres et Sociétés Initiatiques, FUDOSI, he was known with the nomen mysticum Sar Validivar...
became the second Imperator of AMORC, and wrote a biography of his father titled Cosmic Mission Fulfilled.
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Inventions
According to Michael Nowicki (F.R.C.)'s Mysterious Inventions of Dr. Lewis page (located at the Rosicrucians Salon WebSite), H. Spencer Lewis built several scientific devices.They included:
Luxatone
The Luxatone or Color OrganColor organ
The term color organ refers to a tradition of mechanical , then electromechanical, devices built to represent sound or to accompany music in a visual medium—by any number of means. In the early 20th century, a silent color organ tradition developed...
was a device which converted audio signals into colours, displayed on a triangular screen. Dr. Lewis used it to demonstrate mystical and philosophical ideas. The audio signal was input with the aid of a microphone.
A booklet titled "The Story of Luxatone - The Master Color Organ" was printed and sent to AMORC members and to newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s.
Cosmic Ray Coincidence Counter
This device was a prototype of a Geiger counterGeiger counter
A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger–Müller counter, is a type of particle detector that measures ionizing radiation. They detect the emission of nuclear radiation: alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays. A Geiger counter detects radiation by ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a...
and was built in the 1930s.
Sympathetic Vibration Harp
The Sympathetic Vibration Harp was built by Dr. Lewis to demonstrate the AMORC's principle of sympathetic vibration.Alchemy
In addition to his other works, on June 22, 1916 Lewis hosted what was announced as a "transmutationAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
" of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
into gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
— a demonstration of classic alchemical principles
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A team of AMORC Grand Masters, members, one scientist and one journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
assembled, a chosen few bringing selected ingredients, which were then mixed in a brief procedure. The scientist declared the results to have the "properties of gold", and an account appeared in the American Rosae Crucis. (The ingredients for the gold recipe were not revealed; Rosicrucian Questions and Answers explained that while the necessary materials weren't hard to obtain, transmutation wasn't cost-effective; buying elemental gold was more sensible.)
External links
- The Mysterious Inventions of Dr. Lewis
- Harvey Spencer Lewis in a San Francisco Buddhist Temple - 1929
- Black mirrors
- Information from the Religious Movements Homepage Project of the University of Virginia
- FUDOESI Document from AMORC Netherlands Website which lists the mystical credentials of Harvey Spencer Lewis (F.R.C., S.·.I.·., 33°66°95°)