By Fr. James Achanyi-Fontem
Members of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, of Plotinus Chapter in Bonaberi-Douala assembled like bees to celebrate the beginning of their New Year 3363 and welcomed their new Worthy Master Fr. Abongwa Jerome during a solemn installation on March 21, 2010 at the Ngwele premises.
The very significant event was officiated in the presence of the Regional monitor, Fr Agbor Tarh, who witnessed Fr. Achere Oben Mathias hand over to a new team led by Fr. Abongwa Jerome.
In the inaugural message to the members during the solemn ceremonies, Fr. Abongwa told his brothers and sisters that collective thoughts can become words, words deeds, deeds habit, habit character and character can be crowned by destiny.
He told the Plotinus affiliates, that the work for greater achievements can be attained only through collective contributions of all officers and the members. With this, he invited all members to set in motion causes whose effect are beneficial not only for them, but also for the affiliated body as well. Describing members present as architect of destiny, Fr. Abongwa reminded them that there is no future, because future is the present in the past and what is done now is what is reaped now or tomorrow.
Fr. Achere Oben Mathias had in his introduction of the event thanked members for their immense collaboration during his tenure of office and wished the same should be attributed to Fr. Abongwa.
After the solemn event at Plotinus Chapter domain in Ngwele, was the Agapes organized to celebrate the beginning of the New Year 3363 proper at Bonamikano Small Baobab, where again was introduced the very humble 1961 AMORC affiliated member who donated the piece of land that now houses the activities of the organisation.
Fr. Uche from Onitsa, Nigeria who had served Plotinus Chapter of Bonaberi before relocating in his home country Nigeria acted as the master of ceremony of the Agapes, bringing a lot of humour as he introduced the different phases of fraternal sharing in foods and drinks accompanied by dancing. The special guests observed that “This had never happened and they found everybody during the Agapes sharing very lovely’’ The candle has been ignited and the challenge now is to keep the flame burning forever as AMORC has no frontiers.
Traditonal Rosicrucian New Year
The Imperator, Fr. Christian Bernard, proclaimed Saturday, March 20 / Sunday, March 21, 2010 as the beginning of the Traditional Rosicrucian New Year 3363.
Rosicrucians commonly measure time by some recurring event. If something impresses itself upon the consciousness as the beginning of a series of impressions, it is then a time factor. For example, a person may say, “It was just the year before the great fire” or “It followed some years after the hailstorm.”
In nearly all cultures, the New Year has begun with some impressive annual event, most often some easily observed astronomical occurrence. Archaeological evidence discloses that such phenomena were used in prehistoric times by the early Homo sapiens, to indicate a period, or transition of time. This is explained by the differences in the calendars of different cultures. The Bangwa, Cameroon calendar counts eight (8) days a week instead of the seven (7) days used universally.
The ancients also used certain natural phenomena to indicate the beginning of a period of time. To the ancient Egyptians, the star Sirius, or Sothes as they called it, was the foremost of all stars, because this heliacal star arose at dawn at the time of the summer solstice. This also corresponds to the annual inundation of the Nile upon which the Egyptians depended for the irrigation of their otherwise arid land.
However, in the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox, which occurred on or about March 21 when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries, was generally accepted as the beginning of a New Year. It is when dormant plant life seems to awaken and be rejuvenated. There was an apparent parallel in this awakening with the idea or concept of rebirth from death; at least, spring time came to symbolize rebirth. Nature appeared to be teaching a lesson. It gave rise to a symbolic mystical concept, that is, that mortal death is not final annihilation - man may live again.
Down through the ages, the ancient mystery schools perpetuated this concept of death and rebirth in dramatic allegories. These early rituals subsequently had an effect in their rites and doctrines, on contemporary religions and those that followed. For centuries the Rosicrucians have perpetuated the fundamental symbolism of this beautiful New Year ceremony throughout the world. There are no specific religious doctrines associated with the ritual, only the beautiful presentation of the concept of rebirth itself, dramatically and symbolically portrayed.
All Rosicrucian Lodges, Chapters, and Pronaoi of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis conducted this ancient traditional New Year Ceremony on or about March 20 & 21. The ceremony and mystical symbolic feast are most impressive, inspiring events.
Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC),
The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC), also called Rosicrucian Order, is a philosophical and humanist worldwide fraternal organization. Members are known as students. The organization is devoted to "the study of the elusive mysteries of life and the universe". The organization is non-sectarian and it is open to both men and women of legal adult age (18 years old in most countries) regardless of their various religious persuasions.
The AMORC association was founded in 1915 in New York to support and organize the activities of a legendary Rose-Croix Order, which according to their tradition traces its origin to Ancient Egyptian mystery schools that they studied a wide variety of mystical subjects. The oral accounts they provide hold that these schools were founded during the joint reign of the Egyptian Pharaohs Tuthmosis III and Hatshepsut and included among their most esteemed pupils Pharaoh Akhenaten.
As the phrases "Rose-Croix" and "Rosicrucian" are in the public domain, there are a number of organizations that describe themselves as such. According to AMORC members and related publications, these organizations may or may not be related to a real Rosicrucian Order and most of them are not. AMORC is an authentic modern manifestation of the ancient Order, keeping the teachings of the ancient Rose-Croix Order undiluted and the primordial tradition intact. Contemporary readers have been introduced once again to the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis and its principles in Dan Brown's latest novel The Lost Symbol.
For more information, click on the following link – www.amorc.org.uk
