What do Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo and Beethoven have in common? There are all reputedly members of the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucians (meaning “rose cross”) were a secret society that is believed to have formed in late mediaeval Germany. Between 1607 and 1616 two manifestos were anonymously written and published in Europe. Many people at the time and even now regarded the manifestos as hoaxes or at best, parables. Some say it was related to alchemy and perhaps this is where the Emerald Tablet melds with the Rosicrucian lineage of the Secret. Isaac Newton was believed to be one of the people who translated the original Emerald Tablet and he was believed to be a member of the Rosicrucians.
In the sense that Isaac Newton believed in God, it is likely that he believed in an unseen hand (God) in the matters of man, which might support the Secret’s proposal that there are unseen forces in the universe. However, as Newton was a scientist, and someone who was trying to explain phenomena in scientific terms, it is unlikely he believed in the idea that our thoughts can control matter and events. Newton is quoted as saying, “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done.”
Victor Hugo (1802 -1885) was a French writer, statesman and human rights activist. He wrote Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hugo was raised a Catholic, but later described himself as a “free thinker” because of his dissatisfaction with the Church’s care of the poor. The current Rosicrucian Order claims that Hugo was a member of the Rosicrucians, though they don’t offer any evidence of this.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) was one of the most famous composers in history. He lost his sense of hearing gradually over many years. According to Wikipedia “Beethoven used a special rod attached to the soundboard on a piano that he could bite—the vibrations would then transfer from the piano to his jaw to increase his perception of the sound.” He was described as irascible and may have been bipolar. Beethoven’s religious beliefs are a subject of great debate, because of his disdain for discussing religious matters. It is unclear that he was a Rosicrucian, though the current Rosicrucians claim he is.
Next > Wallace Wattles
