Max Handel is a famous American astrologer, an occultist who claims to be clairvoyant, mystic and esoteric. In the United States, he is considered one of the founders of modern astrology, an outstanding Christian mystic. In 1909, he founded the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, which became one of the key forces in the formation, spread and development of astrology in the United States. Handel has repeatedly stated that he is a modern representative of the ancient Order of the Rosicrucians. The majority of the teachings learned the basic principles of this teaching from his writings. Those who knew him claimed that mysticism was able to conquer people, thanks to an atmosphere of honesty and involvement, as well as mental purity.
Childhood and youth
Max Handel was born in 1865 in the Danish city of Aarhus. His father, Franz von Grasshof, was originally from Berlin. Most likely, he ended up in Denmark in 1864 during the Danish-Prussian war, having arrived in the army of invaders.
Von Grasshof decided to stay in this country, found himself a Danish wife, Anna Petersen. They had two sons. The hero of our article was the eldest in their family. After he emigrated to America, he changed his name there and became Max Handel.
When the boy was only six years old, his father died. The mother raised two children in extremely cramped circumstances. From a young age, they knew what poverty and deprivation are.
In search of a better life
In search of prosperity, Max Handel left Denmark in 1884, as soon as he began his independent life. In the Scottish city of Glasgow, he met Katherine, who became his wife. They got married in 1885.
Young people immediately after a modest wedding left for Liverpool, where Karl went to serve in the merchant fleet.
Emigration to America
Life in Britain did not bring the future mysticism desired, and in 1896 he decided to emigrate to the United States. In America, Max and his wife settled in the town of Somerville in Massachusetts. And he got a job at the brewery as an engineer.
In 1903, they moved to Los Angeles, where his profession was also in demand. The hero of our article is interested in metaphysics, so he soon joins the local Theosophical Society, and in 1904 even becomes its vice president. In parallel, he begins to study astrology. Handel’s books “Simplified Scientific Astrology” and “The Message of the Stars”, according to experts, are becoming key publications for reviving interest in astrology in America.
Ideas Blavatsky
In 1907, Handel travels to Germany, where he meets with one of the leaders of the Rosicrucian Order, who transfers important knowledge later described by the hero of our article in his writings.
His first exclusively literary work is the book Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine. In fact, it included a record of two of his lectures given at the Theosophical Society in Los Angeles.
His acquaintance Manley Palmer Hall recalled that the preparation of these lectures took years of life. Handel managed to significantly improve his mystical knowledge, having earned recognition as one of America's most famous Christian mystics.
Handel always spoke with admiration about the famous Russian religious philosopher Elena Blavatsky, from whom he received his first knowledge in the field of occult sciences.
Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians
In 1909, Handel founded the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians. Officially, it declares itself as the International Association of Christian Mysticism. The aim of the Brotherhood is to raise the era of Aquarius and proclaim the so-called true philosophy of the Rosencrucians.
Handel claims to have Christian esoteric secrets, fragmentary information about which is contained in the Gospel of Luke and Matthew. Thanks to them, he has the opportunity to establish unity for religion, art and science, having prepared the person of the future through the harmonious development of the heart and mind, as well as selfless service to all mankind.
The Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, led by Handel, is engaged in conducting spiritual healing services, organizing courses in esoteric Christianity, spiritual astrology and philosophy. The Brotherhood's headquarters was located in California on Mount Ecclesia, over time, its students and followers appeared in all corners of the planet.
The members of the Brotherhood believe that their main mission is to make everyone aware of the scientific method of the systematic development of man, with which you can create the so-called Body of the Soul. All this should accelerate the Second Coming of Christ.
Handel's main work
Max Handel's main book is The Cosmogonic Concept of the Rosicrucians, or Mystical Christianity. This work goes under the heading "An elementary course on past evolution, the current structure and future development of man." It contains a unique scheme of evolutionary processes in which man and the Universe are directly involved. They correspond with religion and scientific ideas of the beginning of the XX century.
The book of Max Handel "Cosmogonic concept of the Rosicrucians" is devoted to the relationship of man to the Almighty, the author writes a lot about the invisible worlds, anthropogenesis and cosmogenesis, Jesus Christ and the limitations of the Bible. In this work, he compares three theories that, in his opinion, can be worthy of attention, and can also be put forward in order to finally solve the question of the mysteries of Death and Life.
Predictions of Max Handel
Interestingly, in his prophecies, Handel often paid attention to Russia. In 1911, in his Cosmogonic Concept, he wrote that it was from the Slavs that the people would come, which would be the last of the seven subraces of the Aryan Age.
This will happen when the majority of citizens decide on their own to submit to a strong Leader, this will create the basis for the formation of a New Race, and all the rest will soon cease to exist. The American astrologer believed that it is from the Slavs that the New People of the Earth will go, which will help form the so-called United Spiritual Brotherhood. Here is what Max Handel predicted regarding Russia.
Theories of Handel
In his work, Max Handel substantiates the first, materialistic theory. According to her, life is the journey of every person that he makes from the womb of his mother to the grave. In this case, the mind is a certain important type of matter, and man acts as the supreme knowing being in the whole Cosmos. Its main difference from other creatures is cognitive ability, which systematically fades away after his death with the physical decay of the body.
In theological theory, Handel claims that the soul enters the arena of life at every new birth, going there directly from God's hands. She goes from invisible to visible. And when the life span assigned to a person ends, it rushes into something otherworldly, which remains invisible to people. From there she never returns. It happens so that her suffering or happiness is forever determined solely by her actions, in this negligible gap between death and birth.
Another theory is called the "Theory of Rebirth." She teaches that every soul in this world is an integral part of God, and at the same time contains all the possibilities that are available to the Most High Himself. For example, how a plant contains grain. As a result, with the help of constantly repeating existences in the earth's shell, the body systematically increases its latent capabilities, turning them into dynamic abilities. So, Handel was convinced, humanity will ultimately achieve its final goal - reunification with God and perfection.
Another important work of Max Handel - "Esoteric principles of health and healing." In it, he formulates the key principles on which the Rosicrucians rely in their practices. That is, these are attempts to solve health problems with the help of esotericism. In his work, the author explains the causes of psychological and physical disorders, the occurrence of various diseases, and also gives practical advice for their healing.