In 1915, businessman and occultist Harve Spencer Lewis announced to the world that Pharaoh Akhenaton’s secret society was now taking applications. The society was known as the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), or “The Rosicrucians,” and Lewis was its Imperator, or head.

AMORC claimed to have been founded by the apostate Akhenaton, generally credited as the first monotheistic sovereign, in ancient Egypt. From there it worked through Western history in 108-year cycles of public and private activity, making an especially strong splash in the Renaissance, when the followers of the legendary “Christian Rosenkreuz” antagonized the Church with their faith in reason, personal enlightenment, and a coming New Age. Many great men in history had allegedly been members of the secret society, and with the 20th century underway, the group’s leaders had apparently decided it was once again time to resurface and open their membership to the masses.

But there were already several “Rosicrucian” groups in existence in 1915, and many of them disputed Lewis’ group’s claims to antiquity and authenticity. Included among the disputants was the notorious English occultist Aleister Crowley, who claimed that Lewis was a poseur and con-man who, after acquiring a plethora of dubious esoteric titles and initiations, had lifted the teachings of a German “sex magick” cult and claimed them as AMORC’s own.

But Lewis persisted, and AMORC thrived, dispensing its “ages-old wisdom” by mail to dues-paying members. Their ads still appear in countless magazines, promising the secrets of “cosmic consciousness” to sincere seekers. Since AMORC denies that it’s a religious organization, it avoids the whole process of “converting” recruits––a major factor in its success.

AMORC’s international headquarters occupies a city block-sized, park-like compound in San Jose. All of the buildings have been designed to look like Old Kingdom shrines and temples, reflecting the Rosicrucian love of things ancient Egyptian. The park’s elaborate fountains, tiled walkways, gardens and statues also faithfully evoke the Land of the Pharaohs.

Not surprisingly, the park’s biggest attraction is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the largest collection of ancient Egyptian relics in the Western U.S. The museum displays relics, statuary, mummies, and a life-sized replica of a rock tomb, along with several multimedia exhibits depicting daily life in ancient Egypt. Babylonian and Assyrian items are featured as well.

Next door, the Planetarium presents AMORC’s vision of the universe and the future. The planetarium is a structure of Moorish design, which honors Arabic astronomers. It contains a “star projector” that can project over 2100 stars, planets, and other extraterrestrial wonders. It has the ability to modify the sky forward or backward in time 13,000 years. There is also a Foucault Pendulum inside, and everyone loves a Foucault Pendulum. Especially Foucault.

The Theatre of the Sky features astronomical lectures and light shows in a large, domed auditorium. Space-exploration exhibits in the lobby express the traditional Rosicrucian interest in science and technology updated to the era of moon landings and space stations. And, closed to public eyes, there are the other grand Egyptian-style buildings.  There’s the Research Library, which houses thousands of rare books on mysticism and the occult. Rose-Croix University is here as well, along with the massive, secretive Supreme Temple.