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IMAGINE
AMORC
We build on the firm
foundation of our past
and create generative images
of our collective future.

“We allow heartfelt ideas to be laid
on the table as we participate in
vulnerable engagement.
We listen to everyone without
defensiveness; with open
communication we
pushed through to consensus.
We express all of ourselves, our special
gifts, and honored those gifts.
We let our process run its course,
willing to let our perspectives
shift, with energy, learning, and
appreciation!”
- From a participant’s journal

Introduction
The purpose of this booklet is to serve as a brief introduction to IMAGINE AMORC
and the strategic planning methodology that it is based on Appreciative Inquiry. It
also serves to highlight a few of the themes that have emerged, and projects that
have manifested, from the IMAGINE AMORC summits that we have held over
the past four years.
What Is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry is a strategic planning methodology, that chooses to focus
on what is working and what we want more of, rather than focusing on problems
or what we want to fix. It views organization life as “a mystery to be embraced”
rather than a “problem to be solved.”
An Appreciative Inquiry usually consists of four processes that we call Discovery,
Dream, Design, and Destiny. While each of these stages consists of specific
tasks, which allow us to move through the planning process, they contain
common elements: a focus on positive and generative images, an appreciation
and inclusion of all perspectives, and a commitment to manifest the dreams that
are articulated.
We begin the process with the Discovery phase, which consists of one-on-one
interviews using specific questions that serve to elicit inspiring and uplifting
stories from one another. An example of an interview question would be: “What
has been your very best experience of being a member of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC?” or “Tell me about a time when you felt completely engaged in serving
our Order.” Positive questions serve to increase our energy and creativity rather
than to drain it.
The next phase in an Appreciative Inquiry is where we begin to Dream. Led
through a visualization by our Grand Master, we begin to capture, in imagery,
a collective vision for our Order. Together, in small groups, we create artistic
representations of this vision.
During the Design stage of our work we create provocative propositions. To
create these provocative propositions, we synthesize the highlights of our various
stories, as well as inspiration that we may have received during our visualization,
into poetic statements that reflect the essential elements of our collective vision
for our Order. From our provocative propositions we begin to design the projects
that will bring to fruition our collective vision.
We complete the Appreciative Inquiry process by articulating our goals, strategies,
and objectives. We form inter-regional teams that will work together through the
completion of each of our projects. We refer to this as the Destiny phase, the final
stage in the process.

History of IMAGINE AMORC
IMAGINE AMORC officially began at a Rosicrucian Park holiday party, which
took place in December 2001, with staff (members and non-members) attending.
We divided up into pairs and interviewed each other using questions designed to
elicit uplifting and inspiring responses. We found the process to be so energizing
and productive that we decided to take the process further and use Appreciative
Inquiry for our January 2002 strategic planning, which included all of the
Rosicrucian Park staff.
The feedback that we received from those who participated was so overwhelmingly
positive, we felt that this would be an important process to introduce to the
members who work actively in the field – our affiliated bodies’ officers. We
began by introducing the process to our Grand Councilors at the jurisdictionwide
convention in Atlanta during August 2002 and, again, the feedback that we
received was overwhelmingly positive.
Since that time, we have held three jurisdiction-wide IMAGINE AMORC summits,
each attended by over 100 members, representing all regions of our jurisdiction.
The first was held in San Jose in January 2003; the second in New York City in
January 2004; and the third in Denver in March 2005.
IMAGINE AMORC Summits
There are many factors that we believe contribute to the success of IMAGINE
AMORC in our jurisdiction: resonance with our teachings; energizing processes;
inclusive philosophy. However, there is one factor that stands out above all others,
and that we believe is critical for the continued success of the process, and that is
the active participation of our members. To integrate all of the various perspectives
from members all over our jurisdiction, from all levels of our organization, has
been invaluable in envisioning and designing programs that all members can
participate in, and benefit from.
Over the next few pages, we have highlighted a few of the processes and projects
that have emerged from each of the past summits. This listing is by no means
exhaustive and does not in any way capture the essence of the process, the synergy
that happens when those of like mind gather together for a common purpose; this
can only be experienced through participation. We do hope though that this will
serve to describe, through example, what an IMAGINE AMORC summit actually
consists of, as well as encourage you to participate actively in this aspect of our
Order’s work.

IMAGINE AMORC 2003: SAN JOSE
Discovery
With over 100 members present,
we began our first jurisdictionwide
IMAGINE AMORC summit by
dividing up into pairs and interviewing
each other using questions based on
the following topics: Best Experience,
Listening to the Master Within,
Expanding Knowledge of Core Values,
and Bringing the Best of our Past
into the Future. Examples of these
questions include:
“Tell me about your best experience
with the Rosicrucian Order. Looking
carefully at the entire experience, recall
a time when you felt most involved in
our Order. What contributed to your
sense of involvement? Please describe
this experience in detail.”
“Application of the Rosicrucian
teachings enables you to contact
your inner self and make use of that
knowledge in your life. Describe a time
when you had an intuitive impression
or hunch that was validated. Share
what you learned from this. How did
this impact your spiritual journey?
What do you think needs to be in place
to have intuitive experiences?
Dream
Following the one-on-one interviews,
participants met in small groups to
share highlights and inspirational
stories gathered from their interviews.
Together with our stories and images
received while participating in a
visualization led by our Grand Master,
we collectively chose our focus for
the summit: Rosicrucian Learning
Centers, Community Service, and Our
Public Image.
Design
From these three themes – Rosicrucian
Learning Centers, Community Service,
and Our Public Image – we wrote
provocative propositions. The
following was written by the members
that formed around the theme Public
Image:
“We, as Rosicrucians and Seekers
of Light, are expanding our circle.
AMORC has implemented a creative
plan suitable for today to bring the
knowledge of our ancient tradition
to all those who seek answers to the
mysteries of life and are ready to
investigate them.”
Destiny
From the above statement, The Seekers
Campaign Committee was formed.
The initiatives and projects that this
committee have launched during the
last two years include:
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•
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•
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Seekers page on the website:
www.rosicrucian.org/seeker
Downloadable ads for placement
in community newspapers:
www.rosicrucian.org/seeker/ads
How to Talk about the Order
promotional booklet:
www.rosicrucian.org/seeker/booklet
Open Meeting presentation:
www.rosicrucian.org/seeker/meetings
Distribution of Rosicrucian books
to libraries and used bookstores:
programs@rosicrucian.org

IMAGINE AMORC 2004: NEW YORK
Discovery
During our second IMAGINE AMORC
summit, our interview questions
formed around four topics, which were
chosen by members at a pre-summit
meeting in San Jose the previous
week: Perpetuating Our Tradition,
Rosicrucian Sacred Spaces, Our
Rosicrucian Heritage, and Practical
Applications of Teachings. Questions
included:
“How do you see yourself contributing
to the perpetuation of the Rosicrucian
tradition and teachings?”
“Describe your experience when you
first entered a convocation or other
Rosicrucian gathering. What kind of
vibrations did you experience? What
types of emotions were evoked? What
types of conversations did you have?”
“Recall a time when an element of our
heritage inspired you. What were the
circumstances? How did it feel?”
“Describe your vision of an ideal
world where people are able to benefit
from the practical application of
Rosicrucian teachings to improve the
quality of their everyday life. Tell me
what you see, what you hear, what you
feel. Who is involved? What are our
resources? What are our techniques?”
Dream
From the stories evoked through the
interview process, and our collective
visualization, we refined our focus for
the summit to Members Directed and
Inspired by the Cosmic, Expanding
Human Consciousness, and Sacred
Spaces.
Design
During the discussions that emerged
around these three themes, a consensus
formed around the importance of
sacred spaces, which contribute to both
cosmic inspiration and the expansion of
human consciousness. This thought is
articulated in the following provocative
proposition:
“Within our Order there exist Sacred
Spaces, whether they are in our Affiliated
Bodies, home sanctums, or within us.
These spaces are made sacred by our
thought and conduct. In our Affiliated
Bodies we are always connected
to these Sacred Spaces through the
shared power of the Vital Life Force.
This power is granted to us through our
well-executed rituals. Therefore, we are
dedicated to the Rosicrucian tradition
of excellence in ritual. We in turn use
this power to inspire and strengthen our
membership. We realize that our words
and actions are powerful instruments,
and we attract others to the purity of
the Sacred Spaces that we create.”
Destiny
In order to support our affiliated bodies
in providing the most inspiring ritual
possible, the Sacred Spaces Committee
has created: a Tips Handbook for
Affiliated Bodies Officers, Ritualistic
Officers Handbook; a Sacred Spaces
Workshop template; and a regional
resource directory. This committee
has also inspired the distribution of the
Treasures of the Rosicrucian Vault CD,
ritualistic robe patterns, fabric samples
and insignia, to each of the lodges and
chapters in our jurisdiction.

IMAGINE AMORC 2005: DENVER
Discovery
For our most recent summit, rather
than focusing our inquiry on particular
topics, each member was invited to
share their vision for our Order using
the following questions as a starting
point:
What inspired you to join the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC? How
would you describe its purpose? What
does being a part of this organization
mean to you?
Tell about a time when you observed
your vision of the Rosicrucian Order
being accomplished in both big and
small ways. What was happening?
Who was involved? What part did you
play?
What do you believe are the most
important parts of your vision for
the Rosicrucian Order? What do you
believe are the key factors that will
strengthen the power of your vision
in the future? What part will you be
playing in keeping that vision alive?
Dream
During this summit, participants
identified five themes to form
programs and projects around:
Harmonious Relationships; Art and
Public Programs; Nurturing Youth;
Encouraging Members’ Talents; and
Self-Development.
Design
Each of the themes that emerged during
this summit has led to projects that will
reap many benefits for our members,
such as guidelines for affiliated bodies
to use in creating public programs,
focused attention on providing
programs for youth and young adults,
regional mentoring guidelines, and
tips for encouraging Rosicrucian
members in their studies. The projects
that have emerged from the group that
formed around the theme, Harmonious
Relationships, promise to have
especially far-reaching results.
Destiny
The Harmonious Relations Committee
is currently focusing on three main
initiatives: focused meditations,
including re-energizing attunement
with the Council of Solace, and
participating in large-scale meditations
such as when all Rosicrucians
throughout the world participate in our
Imperator’s Meditation for Peace on
the third Sunday in June; developing
research partnerships within the Order
and with other scientists inquiring
into the nature of consciousness; and
launching a Rosicrucian sponsored
e-zine, peaceconsciousness.org,
featuring anonymously submitted
articles focusing on a consciousness of
peace.

Invitation to Participate!
IMAGINE AMORC
February 17 - 20, 2006
Tampa-St. Petersburg
For information,
email: programs@rosicrucian.org
or write to:
Programs Department
Rosicrucian Park
1342 Naglee Ave
San Jose, CA 95191