The Grand Temple - Rosicrucian Order, AMORC

After his trip to Toulouse, Lewis stopped
in Nice at the beginning of September to meet
once more with André Mauprey, who had
invited him to spend seven days in his villa of
Golfe-Juan. Together they discussed a possible
collaboration between AMORC and the
European Dramaturgical Society, of which the
French were in charge. The relationship between
the two men was quite brotherly, and André
Mauprey would become the legate of AMORC
for France.
Afterwards Lewis returned to Paris, where
Camille Savoire had invited him to participate
in a special meeting in the Temple No. 1 of the
Grand Orient of France on September 20. The
ceremony was a lodge meeting of the grand
chapter in other words, a workshop reserved
for the regular members of the 18th degree,
that of the Rose-Croix. The work was directed
by Camille Savoire, Grand Commander of
the Grand College. André Lebey, the Grand
Orator, was present, as was Ernest Dalmayrac,
who represented L’Encyclopédique Lodge of
Toulouse. As the Bulletin du Grand Orient stated,
during this meeting, “the T.Ill.F. Spencer Lewis,
33˚, Imperator of the R.C. of the United States,
in Tampa (Florida), was brought into the grand
chapter with the honors due his rank. Received
solemnly by the Grand Commander who, in
lofty words, welcomed him, thanked him for
his visit, and invited him to take his place in
the East, where, by his presence, he would
honor this important lodge meeting, bringing
together all the representatives of the chapters
of the Federation.”
Before returning to the United States,
H. Spencer Lewis continued his meetings in
Europe. What was the result of his visit to Basel?
He did not indicate, but it is probable that he
met Theodor Reuss’ successors because, in 1930,
the project that they had conceived together was
taken up once again by Heinrich Tränker. It likewise
ended in an impasse.
Upon returning to Tampa, the Imperator
remained in contact with Camille Savoire,
because the latter wished to be personally involved
in the development of AMORC in France. 19
However, in a letter dated July 12, 1928, he
brought up his difficulties in collaborating usefully,
as his command of English was poor (see
accompanying reproduction of this letter).
H. Spencer Lewis did not seem to have
been much in favor of the idea of developing
Rosicrucianism under the wing of French
Freemasonry. On this score, Maurice Jacquet
was in agreement and deplored the “European
Masonic trust” desired by the Grand Orient of
France. Although some Freemasons wanted to
become members of AMORC, the pioneering
Rosicrucian groups in France were created outside
the pale of Freemasonry. The first was established
in Paris under the direction of Charles
Lévy, and the second in Nice under André
Mauprey. Two individuals in this group Dr.
Clément Lebrun (1863-1937) and Dr. Hans
Grüter (1874-1953) distinguished themselves
and were to experience a special destiny.
In November 1933 H. Spencer Lewis proposed
that Clément Lebrun replace Charles Dana
Dean, the Grand Master for the United States,
who had just gone through transition. Although
seventy years old, Lebrun left Nice for San Jose,
where he occupied the office of Grand Master
until his death in 1937. As for Hans Grüter, he
became Grand Master of France. 20 He was assisted
by Jeanne Guesdon (1884-1955). The latter,
who spoke perfect English, had joined the Order
in 1926 while living in Cuba. She returned permanently
to France in 1930, where she became
a highly esteemed associate. Although she had
only the title of Secretary, Ms. Guesdon was in
fact the real director of AMORC in France.
In November 1927, AMORC left Tampa,
Florida, to establish its headquarters in San Jose,
California. This was the beginning of activities
in Rosicrucian Park, whose architecture was
inspired by the ancient Egyptian style. Soon
afterwards, in 1930, an Egyptian Museum
was opened. Recognized by the International
Council of Museums (ICOM) and by the
Egyptian National Museum of Cairo, it has
welcomed thousands of visitors over the years.
It remains the largest Egyptian museum on the
west coast of the United States and continues to
mount important exhibitions. In January 1999,
the exhibit Women of the Nile was opened, an
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