The Rosicrucian Counterculture

“Ronnie Pontiac’s The Rosicrucian Counterculture brings to 21st-century life the most famous secret society that never existed. Who were the Rosicrucians? Not even René Descartes could find out. But when the mysterious Rosicrucian Manifestos turned up in a sleepy German town shortly after the great Hermes Trismegistus lost his street cred, an esoteric treasure hunt began with participants who are still at work today. Join in: you may discover that you were a Rosicrucian and didn’t know it.” * Gary Lachman, author of Touched by the Presence, The Return of Holy Russia, and Maurice Nicoll * “Ronnie Pontiac vividly places the Rosicrucian phenomenon in the rich historical tapestry from which it emerged and traces its multiple reverberations up to modern times. The book covers a broad panorama with a lively and engaging style.” * Christopher McIntosh, author of Occult Russia, Occult Germany, and The Call of the Old Gods * “Ronnie Pontiac’s history of the Rosicrucian movement is learned, engaging, and remarkably breezy reading. He has done an enormous service in sifting what can be known about the Rosicrucians from speculation and fancy.” * Richard Smoley, author of A Theology of Love and Forbidden Faith * “Ronnie Pontiac’s remarkable talent for researching hidden history and esoteric secrets, combined with his passion for storytelling, really shines through in this masterwork! He takes us on a captivating journey through time, brilliantly demonstrating how Rosicrucian countercultural ideals have shaped civilizations for centuries and continue to influence contemporary culture today. This is a must-read that revolutionizes our understanding of our modern world by illuminating the invisible threads that connect our past and present.” * Heather Diane Lauvia, translator of Etteilla’s The Seven Nuances of the Hermetic Philosophical * “This work is simply dazzling. It follows a single Rosicrucian thread to unfold a vast historical tapestry of people and events made real through a prose that sings with life. Ronnie Pontiac describes himself as a storyteller, and it is with this special gift that he invites the reader to step from the past into the present, bearing the blessings of the phoenix: counterculture itself.” * Naomi Ozaniec, priestess of Isis, founder of The House of Life, and author of Becoming a Garment of * “Ronnie Pontiac’s The Rosicrucian Counterculture traces the deep and often overlooked roots of Rosicrucianism, following its flowering within the heart of the European intellectual tradition in the 16th and 17th centuries and its eventual diffusion across the Atlantic into early American culture. In doing so, he reveals how this esoteric current helped shape the often-hidden spiritual, artistic, and philosophical undercurrents that continue to resonate today. With both scholarly rigor and evocative storytelling, Pontiac illuminates the enduring legacy of a visionary tradition that is too often overlooked within European culture and its transatlantic inheritors.” * Ian H. Gladwin, coauthor of Letters on the Royal Art and writer for the Rosicrucian and Hermetic Tra * “With The Rosicrucian Counterculture, Ronnie Pontiac has crafted a unique viewfinder for the tradition of Rosicrucianism, whose history has long been clouded by various interpretations, myths, and mystery. Expertly navigating the murky waters of the historical record, while remaining engaging, exciting and invigorating, The Rosicrucian Counterculture resuscitates Rosicrucianism for a modern audience. Pontiac’s meticulous research is woven into a literary cloth that reads part history, part novella, methodically leading the reader through a thicket of pre-Enlightenment haute culture and politics by way of an intriguing series of intersecting byways. Approaching the subject with palpable wonder, while remaining intellectually honest, Pontiac has given us an invaluable resource in the study of esotericism in western culture. Those interested not only in the history, but in the heart of the Rosicrucian phenomenon will find ample sustenance in these pages.” * Ike Baker, author of Ætheric Magic and host of the Arcanvm Podcast *