SRICF Indiana College: A Transition

The Autumnal Equinox meeting of the Indiana College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis was held this evening, and it was outstanding on all fronts. Our new Chief Adept Roger S. Van Gorden IX° officially presided over his first meeting, and as transitions go, it couldn't have been more spectacular - for both planned and unplanned reasons.

Due to a catastrophic flood that damaged the downstairs of the Murat Shrine earlier in the summer, our traditional meeting room was unavailable. As a result of a chain of events in scheduling, the majestic ballroom of the Scottish Rite Cathedral became available for us. So the location was perfect.

Roger and the incredibly talented John Bridegroom VII° spent the summer designing a series of appropriate symbolic banners for the room, and they helped to provide a whole new feel to the gathering.

The indefatigable Mike Brumback IX° started us down the path during his time as Chief Adept transitioning the College from just a bi-annual supper club that was started for former Grand Masters and Scottish Rite officers into a true Rosicrucian organization that actually exemplifies grades and hosts guest speakers.  Consequently, Roger's talk with us was to reaffirm that program, as well as to set the stage for a greater future concentration on the actual stated goal of the Society:

"The aim of the Society is to afford mutual aid and encouragement in working out the great problems of Life; and in searching out the secrets of Nature; to facilitate the study of the system of Philosophy founded upon the Kaballah and the doctrine of Hermes Trismegitus, which was inculcated by the original Fratres Rosae Crucis, A.D. 1450; and to investigate the meaning and symbolism of all which now remains of the wisdom, art, and literature of the ancient world."

It's probably too much to wish for that we'll be able to stay in the Scottish Rite ballroom in future, but it was certainly a perfect setting to set off on a new voyage for us all.

French author and aviator (and Freemason in the Grand Orient) Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince, once wrote “If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather, teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

Just a reminder to all SRICF members to be sure you have made reservations for the High Council annual meeting in Louisville November 4th and 5th at the Brown Hotel.  If you haven't, the program and reservation forms are HERE.

Hope to see all of you in November.