The Rosicrucian Mysteries Part I w/ Al Borealis & Recluse (Patreon)

Making his first appearance on The Farm for this subscribers episode is "Al Borealis." He is an esotericist and podcast host. As to the former, he has invested years researching esoteric orders and compiling rare documents. As for the latter, he is the host of Forum Borealis.

When I originally asked Al to appear on The Farm, it was to discuss the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis, or AMORC, as it commonly referred to. But in order to address AMORC, the broader Rosicrucian movement itself must be unpacked. And that is no small task. Going in, I figured this show would be on the long side. But Al and I ended up recording for over four hours, leading to my decision to break this presentation up into two parts.

For this installment, Al and I explore the early Rosicrucian movement from the late Renaissance up through the Age of Enlightenment. Among other things, Al weighs on whether there actually was a Rosicrucian society during the seventeenth century, and what may have been its inspiration. Inevitably, this leads to a fascinating discussion involving Templar treasure, Sir Francis Bacon, and Shakespeare.

From there, we delve into the revolutionary climate of the eighteenth century and how this effected esoteric orders on the whole, and specifically the style of Rosicrucianism that emerged during that time. This leads us into an epic discussion concerning the historic Bavarian Illuminati, the reality of it and why it is massively overhyped. We also look into the rivalry between the Illuminists and an especially reactionary German Rosicrucian order. This makes for compelling insights into the world in which these societies operated, as well as the illusions of unity perpetuated by conspiracy theorists.

As always, I hope you guys enjoy. Al and I will be back in two weeks to finish this discussion. AMORC will be subjected to an epic exploration, making use of documents from Al's collection that have never been made public. We'll also look at black mirrors, the history of psychotronic weapons and the Faustian pact made between some esoteric orders and various Western intelligence services during the Cold War. Until then, stay tuned and thank you you all so much for your support!