IF ANY one slogan describes the Rosicrucian Research Library, it would be “Hidden in plain sight.” The library occupies an 80-year-old building at the back of Rosicrucian Park and provides the most comprehensive collection of esoteric readings anywhere in San Jose.
IF ANY one slogan describes the Rosicrucian Research Library, it would be “Hidden in plain sight.” The library occupies an 80-year-old building at the back of Rosicrucian Park and provides the most comprehensive collection of esoteric readings anywhere in San Jose.
Anyone from the public is allowed to hang out—it isn’t restricted to Rosicrucians—but everything in Rosicrucian Park seems to exist behind some veneer of mystery. It’s just how they operate.
These days, once inside the library, visitors are greeted with a display showcasing several copies of a 2009 Wired issue dedicated to esoteric mysteries, the CIA and the Rosicrucians. Also inside the room are portraits of Julie Scott, the current grand master of the English Grand Lodge for the Americas, Christian Bernard, the current Rosicrucian imperator in France, as well as busts of former imperator Ralph Davis and the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
And, of course, there are thousands of books on every occult and esoteric subject imaginable, in every format: ancient treatises, large-bound volumes, magazine articles, collectible Time-Life series, Rosicrucian material in probably 10 different languages, antiquarian volumes behind a glass case, folios and several shelves of new, yet-to-be-cataloged books.
Apparently, since people are donating books at such a frisky pace, the library has outgrown the current building, and the Rosicrucians will eventually move the entire library to the administration building on Naglee.
But there is another reason why I went to the library. There will be a conference, July 22–25, at Rosicrucian Park, five years in the making and commanding a hefty title: “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Influence of Western Esoteric Movements on Modern Thought.”
Esoteric voyagers from across the globe submitted academic papers and will be descending upon San Jose to present their research. Everyone paid for their trips out of their own pockets.
“We wanted to reach out to other esoteric groups so that together we could really address the issues existing in the world at this time,” said Scott. “For several years, we had a call for papers online. It was totally open. … There are people from many esoteric groups; there are people not even associated with esoteric groups. It’s wide open. There were no restrictions or requirements at all.”
The now-sold-out conference features a lineup of highly intriguing individuals. Every man and woman involved will be a star. Here are just a few examples: Dr. Patricia Downes, an organization development specialist with a doctoral degree from George Washington University, will give an interactive presentation titled “The Great Work and the Workplace: Transforming Work and Workplaces Through Stealth Esotericism.” Providing guidance for dealing with boring work environments, she will lead an experiment on a “mystical perspective of work which examines work from the inside out, allowing us to open the door to deeper learning, wisdom and the workplace.”
Romanian-born Mioara Merié, Ph.D., wrote a paper titled “Christian Esotericism and the Inner Eye: Automatic Drawing, Sciences of the Mind and Religious Innovations in Mid-Nineteenth Century Britain.” Her presentation will explore, among other things, the afterlife investigations of Victorian-era Christian spiritualists.
Retired Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, Herm Cardona, MSSI, 32°, will talk about Freemasonry and the Enlightenment; professor Bruce Krajewski, Ph.D., will analyze the unpublished papers of a bizarre castle builder in New Jersey; and Geoffrey Redmond will discuss the I-Ching’s influence on Western esotericism. According to Scott, the presentations will be taped and made available on YouTube.
Back at the Rosicrucian Research Library, the shelves are overflowing due to lack of space. Even though the librarian isn’t allowed to give me the secret WiFi password, I am at peace nevertheless.
