Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis
Golden State College
A College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, the Masonic Rosicrucian Society of the United States. Golden State College brings together Master Masons devoted to the study of philosophy, symbolism, and the Rosicrucian tradition within American Freemasonry.
Our Object
Golden State College exists to afford mutual aid and encouragement in working out the great problems of life and in searching out the secrets of nature. Its members study a system of philosophy founded upon the Kabalah and the doctrine of Hermes Trismegistus, as taught by the original Fratres Rosae Crucis of A.D. 1450, and investigate the meaning and symbolism of what remains of the wisdom, art, and literature of the ancient world.
For what we presage is not gross,
For we be brethren of the Rosie Cross;
We have the Mason word and second sight,
Thanks for to come we can foretell aright.
A Rosicrucian Tradition in American Freemasonry
In 1878, three American Masons traveled to England and were initiated into the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia at Yorkshire College in Sheffield, hoping to charter an American college. When no charter followed, they turned instead to the Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia, which granted one on December 27, 1879, establishing the first American college in Philadelphia. A Grand High Council was formed there on April 21, 1880, and consecrated that September. After passing through two earlier names, the Society was formally Latinized to its present form, Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, in 1934 by Dr. William Moseley Brown.
Local bodies, called Colleges, confer a sequence of nine Grades from Zelator through the higher Adept degrees. Advancement depends on demonstrated scholarship and service, not ceremony alone. The Society is not primarily concerned with increasing its membership, and seeks only those whose interest in its aims is sincere. Admission is by invitation alone: a candidate must be a Master Mason in good standing, nominated by an existing member, and must profess the Christian faith in writing.
What the College Offers
Scholarly Publications
Members research and submit papers on Rosicrucian philosophy, symbolism, and history, reviewed and published for the wider Masonic and public community.
Fraternal Fellowship
Members connect across Grades, sharing study and correspondence within a private, member-only directory and library of works.
Governance and Dues
Information on Golden State College membership dues, administration, and standing within the wider Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis.