In the early 17th century, a new movement was proclaimed throughout Europe, announcing the universal reform of religion, science, art, and society. The main proponents of this movement were the esoteric "Rosicrucians". Europe was a world in transition and Rosicrucianism was but the latest movement to capture the public imagination.

Concerned with spiritual illumination and intellectual knowledge the movement continued to have widespread influence long after it was supposedly over, as can be traced in the works of Isaac Newton and Fraof modern science and medicine, "The Rosicrucian Enlightenment" has had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the western esoteric tradition.