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22-675: It was founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC). The Rosicrucian order continues to support and expand the museum and its educational and scientific activities. The museum holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western United States, and is located next to the AMORC headquarters. The founder of AMORC, Harvey Spencer Lewis , was a collector of various artifacts with mystical symbolism, some of them from

44-879: A zero-energy building . A notable activity took place in 1999 when the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum started the traveling exhibition "Women of the Nile" accompanied by many lectures. "Women of the Nile" travelled across the United States of America and Canada, and continued until 2001. In 2000–2002, a stone figure of Cleopatra VII from the collection was displayed in Rome, London, and Chicago in similar exhibitions. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum's child mummy traveled to Stanford University in nearby Palo Alto on May 6, 2005, to be studied under CT scans and other high-resolution methods of remote sensing, in

66-686: A collaboration between the museum, Silicon Graphics , and Stanford University Hospital and the NASA Biocomputational Lab. The results were released at the 75th Anniversary of the Museum on August 6, 2005, with detailed scans. One of the scanning images won the Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge 2006 co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Science . In November 2017, x-ray images of

88-584: A journey through the seven stages of the alchemical process, a meditation chamber featuring the Azoth of the Philosophers and a recorded guided meditation, and a full-size reproduction of an alchemist’s workshop. There is also a reproduction of the Ripley Scroll with illustrative commentary. The Exhibit forms the kernel of what will be the first alchemy museum in the United States, and the largest in

110-501: Is a Rosicrucian organization founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in the United States in 1915. It has various lodges, chapters and other affiliated bodies in several countries. It operates as a fraternal order in the mystical Western Esoteric Tradition. Harvey Spencer Lewis in 1904 founded the Rosicrucian Research Society. Lewis was an advertising agent from New York and the founder of another group called

132-450: Is not exhibited to the public. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum contains a composite replica of an ancient Egyptian rock-cut tomb , based on photos and sketches taken by Rosicrucian expeditions to tombs at Beni Hasan , in order to give the guests the experience of being in such an excavation. Below are photographs of the interior of the replica tomb, largely containing scenes from the Book of

154-489: Is the Ordo Templi Orientis , led by Aleister Crowley . Other symbols of AMORC were taken from other periodicals. While predominantly Rosicrucian, some later AMORC degrees also incorporate neo-Templar elements. The symbol of the group is a red rose on a gold cross, with the cross representing the concepts of death and resurrection and the rose representing love as well as secrecy. Together, they represent

176-491: Is the name given by ancient alchemists to mercury, which they believed to be the animating spirit hidden in all matter that makes transmutation possible. The word comes from the Arabic al-zā'būq which means "mercury". The word occurs in the writings of many early alchemists, such as Zosimos , Olympiodorus , and Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber). Azoth has also been linked to various mystical and spiritual practices beyond alchemy. In

198-796: The AMORC Board of Directors, and was ousted from the organization in 1990; he would later found a splinter group, the Confraternity of the Rose Cross. Bernard also distanced himself from AMORC and himself founded many other groups. Stewart was replaced as imperator by Bernard's son Christian Bernard . He was replaced as imperator by Claudio Mazzucco in 2019. As of 1995, the group reported that it had 1,200 lodges in 86 countries, with 250,000 members being reported in 1990. Many aspects of its teachings and symbolism are taken from other occult groups that H. Lewis had frequented. Chief among these

220-515: The Dead . The dark interior of the tomb replica is evident. Beginning in 2015, for the 100th Anniversary of the incorporation of AMORC in America, which owns and operates the Museum, the museum's Rotating Exhibits Gallery became The Rosicrucian Alchemy Exhibit. The highlights of the collection were put on display in this exhibit. This exhibit, curated by the alchemist Dennis William Hauck, features

242-555: The East. His very first artifact was a small Sekhmet statue. In 1921 he contributed financially to the archaeological excavations at Tel el Amarna (Akhetaten, the capital city of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten ) of the Egypt Explorations Society of Boston by receiving donations from AMORC members. In return, the Egypt Explorations Society donated several Egyptian antiquities to AMORC. In 1928, he presented to

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264-585: The New York Institution for Psychical Research. He founded the organization after a trip to France, claiming that he had been initiated into Rosicrucianism there in what he called an "old tower" in Toulouse . He presented this as a revival of the original, partially mythical and ancient Rosicrucian Order. The Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross (AMORC) was founded in 1915. Lewis

286-736: The context of Renaissance magic , it was often associated with the idea of spiritual enlightenment and the purification of the soul. Some mystical traditions regarded Azoth as a metaphor for the internal transformation required to achieve a higher state of consciousness. It was thought to embody the process of turning base human traits into divine virtues, akin to the transformation of base metals into gold. This spiritual interpretation of Azoth influenced numerous esoteric and hermetic schools of thought, contributing to its lasting legacy in Western mystical traditions. Additionally, Azoth's connection to mercury and its fluid, transformative properties also made it

308-404: The existence of this substance. The myth of Azoth may stem from misinterpreted observations of solvents like mercury, capable of dissolving gold. Additionally, the myth might have been fueled by the occult inclinations nurtured by alchemists, who rooted and steered their chemical explorations in superstitions and dogmas. Azoth was believed to be the essential agent of transformation in alchemy. It

330-406: The mummy were released that provide a 3D visualization of the girl's remains. A statue of Taweret , the ancient Egyptian hippopotamus -like goddess of pregnant women and childbirth, once stood at the entrance, but has been moved to the side. Since 2004, the Museum has been completely renovated, with the following Gallery themes: The museum also holds a 1.5 million-year-old stone hand ax, but it

352-529: The museum, which opened in November 1966. By that time the museum was unique in: In 1995, Julie Scott, M.A., S.R.C., who is a practicing Rosicrucian, became director of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. In 2017, the museum was claiming 110,000 visitors per year, including 26,000 sixth-graders. The building is also used by the Rosicrucians for meditation and group discussions. In 2018, the museum became

374-626: The public a collection named "The Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum", located at the administration buildings of AMORC at San Jose, California . Supposedly, the San Jose location was chosen because of the affordability of the land back then. After Lewis' tour in Egypt in 1929, AMORC received many more artifacts and donations, and as a result the collection grew significantly, with more than 2000 exhibits. The second Imperator of AMORC, Ralph Maxwell Lewis , son of H. Spencer Lewis, built new buildings for

396-428: The significant French branch of AMORC tied to the parent by collaborating with Jeanne Guesdon. Lewis died in 1939. Following his death, Lewis was succeeded by his son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis . Ralph Lewis would die in 1987, succeeded by Gary L. Stewart ; Stewart was young, at 34, but was able to be elected with the support of the leader of the powerful French branch, Raymond Bernard . However, Stewart later fought with

418-478: The usage of reincarnation progressing towards perfection. The emblem of the group, the Rose Cross, was taken from a periodical run by Crowley ( Equinox III). The group maintains it is not a religion, instead saying it has members (who it calls "students") from many different religious origins. Azoth Azoth is a universal remedy or potent solvent sought after in the realm of alchemy , akin to alkahest —a distinct alchemical substance. The quest for Azoth

440-749: The world. It will be housed in the present "Rose-Croix University International" building at Rosicrucian Park . The RCUI Building also contains a working alchemy lab. On June 22, 2024, the museum unveiled the Thoth AI, a fully integrated artificial intelligence persona modeled after the ancient Egyptian god Thoth. This innovative addition enhances the educational experience by providing interactive guidance and insights, bridging ancient wisdom with modern technology. 37°20′03″N 121°55′24″W  /  37.3342°N 121.9233°W  / 37.3342; -121.9233 Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC)

462-576: Was the "imperator" of the group. The group later moved to San Francisco , Tampa , and San Jose ; it would establish its world headquarters in the latter. Its headquarters there include a museum , a planetarium , and a temple. The group was successful in the USA, leading to the founding of several branches in Europe, which were mostly independent from the main branch of AMORC. Several of these groups would later schism into their own organizations, but Lewis kept

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484-641: Was the crux of numerous alchemical endeavors, symbolized by the Caduceus . Initially coined to denote an esoteric formula pursued by alchemists, akin to the Philosopher's Stone , the term Azoth later evolved into a poetic expression for the element mercury . The etymology of 'Azoth' traces to Medieval Latin as a modification of 'azoc,' ultimately derived from the Arabic al-za'buq (الزئبق), meaning 'the mercury.' The scientific community does not recognize

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