The Johannine community is a global movement of spiritual seekers and friends rather than an organisation with fixed structures. This web of friendships guided by the Holy Ones is a reality vested in the heavens and an earthly impulse that has manifested down the centuries as a subversive catalyst for positive change. The cohesion of the movement is fostered by supportive communication and teaching that today includes the internet. Community members are invited to gather at a designated place for the seasonal festivals of the spiritual year. 

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Christ is at the heart of the Johannine impulse related to the Sun mysteries. The essence, reality and meaning of this mighty being is Love. Under different names the Spirit of Love is and has always been central to many spiritual paths and wisdom traditions. We know this being as the Christ, the divine Logos and the spirit dwelling in us. 

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The community was born in the first century through the mystery of the Logos incarnated and crucified as Christ, when realities long experienced through ancient myths became a mystical fact on the stage of world history. Our name ‘Johannine’ comes from the Gospel of John and the community in Ephesus centred around the Beloved Disciple who wrote the gospel and mapped the individual path of initiation into the Christ mystery, first walked by John the Beloved and Mary Magdalene.  

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This community has re-emerged in different guises over the centuries, mostly outside the mainstream church. In the thirteenth century the Johannine impulse became Rosicrucian when the Beloved Disciple was initiated into the Rosy Cross and became known as Christian Rosenkreutz, with the birth of a new modern path of initiation.

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Our present Rosicrucian movement had its beginnings in the teachings of a charismatic Dutchman Mario Schoenmaker (1929-1997), who migrated to Australia, and with his colleague Colin Read (1944-1999) founded a Christ-centred community under the direction of the Order of Melchizedek. This became the first Johannine community established in the southern hemisphere. Esoteric pupils trained by Mario have continued to work with the cosmic and personal meaning of the Christ mystery in the knowledge that through the cross at Golgotha an impulse of love and a potent force for good became active in human souls.

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The depth of this mystery means that we are always striving to express the I AM. The path requires dedication and willingness to learn from the high initiates who have walked the path before us, openness as its truths are revealed, and the courage to make our own choices and to learn from mistakes. Initiation is a gradual, step-by-step process over many lifetimes and each Johannine walks an initiatory path leading deeper into the mystery of the Rosy Cross. We have been here before and will incarnate again on the journey towards becoming fully human and realising our spiritual potential as individuals. 

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After two thousand years genuine Christianity is still in its infancy. Strife and selfishness are rampant and as yet no nation on earth has ever practised the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, exemplified by the exhortation to do unto others as you would have them do to you. We reject exclusivity and as friends of Christ we are dedicated to fostering liberty, equality and fraternity.

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The purpose of those who become part of the Johannine community is to purify the astral nature and transform the lower self so that we express the fulness of the Christ in us, and through the wisdom of divine Sophia are empowered to work with Mother Earth for the healing of the world. The Johannine community is directed towards bringing about a new Christ-centred impulse for today that prepares souls for the future. The task of a Johannine is to offer self continually for this purpose.