Rosicrucian America: How a Secret Society Influenced the Destiny of a Nation, by Steven Sora.
Book Review by Lalia Wilson
Published by Destiny Books a division of Inner Traditions International, ISBNs 2019978-1-62055-2 (print) and 978-1-62055-9 (ebook).
This book is available as a paperback, perfect bound 280 pages, with index, 6 X 9 inches, and as an e-book.
There is a tradition in today’s America, whether literally true, partially true, or completely false, that the United States of America was founded using secret principles that came from the western esoteric tradition. My personal position is that this story is partially true, but you will need to read this fascinating book to discover your own view.
Fans of the films National Treasure (2004) and its sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) will also be familiar with some of these underlying structures of the history of the U.S.A. A third film in this series is in the process of being written and produced at this time. All three star Nicholas Cage.
First of all, the Rosicrucians are a society that exists today in America. Its history goes back to Europe for up to 700 years. During the time of the Crusades, the 12th century, many secret societies, esoteric societies, had their birth. Perhaps this was aided by contacts with the Middle East, and with the artifacts of early Christianity. At any rate, the Catholic Church, at that time the only Christian Church in Europe (until the Reformation in the early 16th century), had a lock on what was true. Their clergy were almost the totality of the literate people in Europe. The official church dogma was the only publicly expressed viewpoint by anyone who did not want to run afoul of the church. For that reason, any differences with official church doctrine, such as are expressed in this book, were by necessity only communicated within secret societies which had vows of secrecy.
Among the topics addressed in Rosicrucian America are whether Sir Francis Bacon was actually a child of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, who were perhaps secretly married. (If we could find the right descendants, modern DNA testing could solve this mystery.) Queen Elizabeth I’s necessity to remain unmarried, holding out her alliance and country for various suitors, and thus aiding England to remain strong and powerful, is a fascinating story in itself. Perhaps she did secretly marry Dudley and that marriage had to stay secret for reasons of state. Should that have been true, the queen could not acknowledge any children.
Whether the son of QEI, or not, Francis Bacon was one of the best educated polymaths of his century. For this reason many would speculate he is the actual author of works attributed to Shakespeare. An entire chapter discusses Shakespeare and several possible men who could have done the actual writing, concealing their identity in the person of William Shakespeare.
Another chapter discusses the men in Queen Elizabeth I’s court. The astrologer, “sorcerer,” cartographer, and physician John Dee was her confident for many years. Dee was connected to the Rosicrucians and other esoteric societies of the day. Other strong influences in Elizabeth’s court were Sir Francis Bacon, Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester), Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Henry Wriothesley (Earl of Southampton), and others. This turbulent period in English history was a time of flowering of esoteric societies and the beginning of England’s colonization of North America.
Many cultural forces from England influenced the colonial period of America, but the secret societies were among them. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Thomas Paine were all Rosicrucians. Over the years since, the secret societies have been pushed and shoved in various directions, some anathemas to modernity. However two Rosicrucian societies exist today, one headquartered in California the other in Pennsylvania, which are true to the pioneering vision of the Rosicrucians in the 16th century.
A review copy was provided by the publisher.