On the True Origin of the Rosicrucians and the Order of Freemasons

and astronomy * enabled him to sell the then-popular astrological whims to advantage and to occupy himself with nativity charts. His writings, in particular the Magna Alchymia Great Alchemy and Quinta Essentia Fifth Essence, are full of astrological absurdities, just as the explanation of his Archidoxa Principal Teachings is full of alchemical nonsense. One of his closest friends was Magister Georg Cäsar in Stettin.

From the time of this man onwards, the secret science of the Paracelsists took a different direction. Specifically, theosophical, astrological, and magical nonsense was supplemented with the kabbalistic. This happened primarily through Heinrich Khunrath of Leipzig, whose first book known to me is Confessio de Chao physico-chemicorum catholico Confession concerning the physical-chemical Catholic Chaos, Magdeburg, 1596, in duodecimo, and which was published in German the very same year there: Confession of the...

• He also took up almanac-making and calculated astronomical tables from the year 1580 to 1590.