At the start of the 17^th Century, the reign of Elizabeth I was coming to an end. England was a prosperous nation and the leading lights of literature, science and the arts were making their marks on society. Francis Bacon, Robert Fludd, John Dee and William Shakespeare are but a few from this latter part of the Renaissance period. In Europe too, notably in the German speaking Protestant states, hopes for a new age of enlightenment were high. Into this milieu of hope and expectation arose three unique manifestos, the Fama Fraternitatis (1614), the Confessio Fraternitatis (1615) and the Alchemical Wedding (1616), causing great interest in academic and literary circles and deep consternation amongst the clergy. All three documents espoused in individually unique ways a single dynamic message: the need for a universal reformation of ideas and outlook embracing the arts and sciences, but particularly a reformation of religion in Europe.

Unfortunately, the hoped for universal reformation that was to bring about a utopian society did not materialise in the early 17^th century despite the considerable attention the Manifestos received. But Rosicrucian ideas lived on, simmering as an undercurrent while the forces of the later Enlightenment and religious authority battled it out. During the closing years of the 19^th Century and the first decade and a half of the 20^th Century, a new wave of interest in esotericism gained momentum, and in 1915 the Rosicrucian Order opened itself for public membership again.

In 2001, the Rosicrucian Order produced a fourth manifesto, the Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis to address several critical issues of the modern world. At its heart is a plea for the spiritual re-awakening of humanity, with love as its central guiding principle. It is hoped today, as it was in 1614, that the Rosicrucian utopia spoken of will have far reaching consequences affecting every aspect of human existence for the general amelioration of humankind.