Editorial Page

Welcome to Volume 17 of the Rose+Croix Journal!

We are pleased to present the latest papers accepted for publication in the Rose+Croix Journal, an international, transdisciplinary, peer-reviewed online journal that focuses on topics that relate to the sciences, the arts, history, mysticism, and spirituality, especially transdisciplinary topics that traverse and lie beyond the limits of various fields of study. Since its founding in 2004, the Journal has provided readers and researchers with materials that enlighten, educate, challenge, and inspire.

Over the years, many individuals worldwide have contributed to the success of this journal, including our authors, peer reviewers, editors, translators, proofreaders, and most importantly, every reader of the Rose+Croix Journal. Thank you all so much for your participation!

This issue features the following papers:

“Understanding the Mystical Writings of Jacob Boehme through Modern Physics” by Christopher Eriksson, PhD

“William Shakespeare and Jacob Boehme’s Learning Experiences: Experiential Learning and the Use of Allegory in the Search for a Better Self” by Christopher Eriksson, PhD

“The Grand Hourglass of Time” by Roger Franz, MS

“Cartographies of the Soul: Challenges to Esotericism” by Lee Irwin, PhD

”A Comparison of Two Representative Creation Myths and Their Unconscious Influence on Human Consciousness, Beliefs, and Values” by Cindy John, MS, and Frank Hutchinson, EdD

We are hopeful that the papers in this current volume will inspire you to contemplate familiar and new subject matter in novel ways.

We are pleased to offer two papers by Christopher Eriksson, PhD, on the writings of Jacob Boehme (1575 – 1624), the German mystic. The first examines Boehme’s concepts in relation to contemporary physics, while the second explores both William Shakespeare’s (1564 – 1616) and Boehme’s mystical journeys in relation to modern Experiential Learning Theory. These men, now recognized as the significant luminaries of their age, were contemporaries who, on their own individual life-paths, sought their Better Self, their connection to the Divine Within.

In “The Grand Hourglass of Time,” Roger Franz, MS, offers us insights into the science of vibration, cycles, and time measurement, and also provides a visual instrument to enhance our contemplation of the mysteries of time and the nature of being.

We invite you to carefully read “Cartographies of the Soul” by Lee Irwin, PhD. His paper represents a journey across time and cultures that provides maps of how various peoples have interpreted the nature of the soul, particularly through the reports of those who have had Near-Death Experiences. He then uses these broad maps of the soul to present an argument for esoteric studies as essential to understanding the whole of a person.

Finally, Cindy John, BSE, MS, and Frank Hutchinson, EdD, challenge us to examine the unconscious influences of creation cosmogonies as they examine the power that myths have over not only cultural values but also our individual way of being in the world.

All of the various papers in this year’s volume consider in their own way how the soul represents an essential part of our individual self as it evolves on this human journey through space-time. Please be sure to also read the cover analysis of John William Waterhouse’s The Soul of the Rose (1908) to deepen your appreciation and conception of the papers presented here.

All of these papers successfully explore their various subject areas as well as transdisciplinary topics that expand our understanding of the natural laws around us. The abstracts for each of the papers are published in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Also included on the Journal’s website are tools for dissertation searches, research links, archival documents of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, and guidelines for submitting a paper. The submission deadline for the Rose+Croix Journal is May 15 for the following year’s annual issue; however, authors are encouraged to submit their papers for the peer-review process as soon as they are ready. Both Rosicrucian members and non-members are invited to submit papers for consideration.

If you would like to join our team of volunteers working on the Rose+Croix Journal, please let us know by emailing editor@rosicrucian.org. All areas and levels of expertise are welcome.

Again, thank you for reading the Rose+Croix Journal – enjoy!

Sincerely, 

Claudio Mazzucco
Executive Editor