Jan van Rijckenborgh

Who was Jan van Rijckenborgh?

Jan van Rijckenborgh was a Dutch-born mystic and founder of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, a worldwide esoteric Rosicrucian movement.

Jan van Rijckenborgh was born in Haarlem, Holland, under the name Jan Leene, adopting the name van Rijckenborgh later. With his brother, Zwier Willem Leene, he rejected the teachings of the orthodox Christianity and grew up with in favour of a more mystical approach. Under the influence of Dr. A. H. de Hartogh he read the theosophical works of German mystic Jakob Böhme and in 1924, with Zwier, joined Max Heindel's school of Esoteric Christianity the Rosicrucian Fellowship, eventually becoming the heads of the Dutch branch.

Ultimately even Heindel's approach proved not enough for van Rijckenborgh and his brother, who left the Fellowship in 1935 to found their own Rosicrucian movement, the Lectorium Rosicrucianum. By this time they had made acquaintance with female Dutch mystic Catharose de Petri who became a co-founder of the Lectorium with the brothers.