The Rosy Cross
This is not my story, but it concerns my best friend.

My friend and I met at university. He was a Roman Catholic (as he was quick to inform me), but during the first year he went through a crisis of faith - a sort of long, dark semester of the soul, if you will.

Anyway, after breaking from Rome, he was always searching for something to fill the spiritual void that the church had left. He investigated the Freemasons and the Martinists; he even toyed with the Scientologists for a while. But what really drew him in was the Ancient and Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross - The Rosicrucians.

The Rosicrucians are a theosophical society, dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of the universe through ritual, chanting, meditation, and the reading of long monographs about astral travel. It is completely bonkers but seemed harmless enough, so I let him get on with it, although obviously taking industrial quantities of piss out of him.

There aren't any Rosicrucian lodges where my friend lives, and whenever he come to town for his monthly meeting (or seance, or ritual, or whatever they're called) he stays with me. We cook a curry, listen to music, play Go and get absolutely shitfaced drunk. (Yes, friend is a massive pisshead, in spite of the fact that the Rosicrucians discourage poisoning one's body.) Anyway, he is not a very discreet fellow when he drinks, and one night he started talking about the rituals they'd be doing next day. I was only half listening to him crapping on about the chanting and Ancient Egyptian symbolism, when suddenly I heard the phrase "vestal virgins".

"Are you joking? You don't have vestal virgins do you?"

My friend insisted that they did - 12 year old girls in white robes who assisted at the rituals (with what, he didn't say). "Yeah, these girls are the children of lodge members," said my friend, "so it's not like there's anything dodgy going on. Funny thing was that last month, about two hours into the rituals, one of the girls started crying." He tilted his head to one side and mused for a bit. And then, with a total absence of irony: "Must have been having problems with her homework."

Sure. Not the fact that she was spending all Saturday in a darkened tabernacle among flickering candles, images of eagle-headed Gods and a load of chanting, apron-wearing weirdos.

Well, that was my no means the worst of what he told me. The worst was the ritual of the mooncake. This is a piece of dough that is scattered with menstrual blood, baked and then eaten. It symbolises...oh Jesus Christ, I don't care what it symbolises. But where do they get the menstrual blood from?

The vestal virgins.

Can you imagine being twelve, having your first period, and your parents asking you to collect it in an egg cup because they want to do a bit of baking?

Honestly, this is the sort of thing that makes Christianity and Islam look almost sane.
( Mr Mann I love pigs, best of all the animals, Fri 22 Jun 2012, 17:29, 11 replies)

They fancy themselves Knights Templar
Who allegedly worship Thothmes the ape god as being given licence to pursue the development of occult powers to get the advantage over the forces of Mecca. I think their raison d'etre is slightly antediluvian, i.e. we're not trying to regain Jerusalem from Saladin's hordes.
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Fri 22 Jun 2012, 18:45, closed)

You should change your username to Tinned Foil Hat.

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Fri 22 Jun 2012, 19:55, closed)

made me LOL
excellent wit, Sir/Madame/It :-)
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Fri 22 Jun 2012, 20:58, closed)

If this is true, I find it utterly repugnant and disturbing.
This is right up there with the same barbaric practices foisted upon innnocent kids that are usually associated with the extreme religions that we all decry.

I imagine the likelyhood of that little 12 y.o. girl developing some self-damaging behaviours is quite high (abuse of alcohol, drugs, self-esteem).

"boils my piss" as the phrase goes, hearing of kids's innocence being trashed through parental neglect or abuse.

I'd be having a quiet word with child protection authorites (although that can lead to worse situations when not managed well).

I hope she somehow finds her own way towards leading a "normal" life as she grows up. Fucking hell, it's not her fault she's feeling scared or upset...eveyone in that building would know what she's been forced to do. They are all compliscent in her misery.
( Ken Oath, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 1:39, closed)

I am so nicking the neologism "compliscent".

(judgetheobscure used to sweep in butchers' shops., Sat 23 Jun 2012, 6:27, closed)

yeah righto...
...terrible spelling, sentiments are sound.
( Ken Oath, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 8:30, closed)

Maybe it means "in cahoots with" and "smells bad" in the one word.
I may have invented a new word!
( Ken Oath, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 11:39, closed)

step away from the internet, kenneth...

( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 6:27, closed)

......and breathe....

( Ken Oath, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 8:31, closed)

You're right...
..looks a bit ranty, reading it some hours later.

Just a bit emotional about protecting kids, shit things can happen.
( Ken Oath, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 11:40, closed)

I find it difficult to believe
that a religious group would mistreat children.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Sat 23 Jun 2012, 12:46, closed)