The Rosicrucians grew out of the confluence of alchemists, Christian Kabbalists and religious reformers that swept through Europe in the 1500's as a result of the spread of the printing press. The information explosion that spread a mystical Christianity and brought enlightenment to many scholars also brought these men into contact with one another. The English mystic and alchemist Dr. John Dee traveled through Europe for six years, widely disseminating his alchemnical tract called the Monas Hieroglyphica.
