J. C. F. Grumbine

Jesse Charles Fremont Grumbine (1861 – 1938), was an American Spiritualist and New Thought author, lecturer, and organizer, best known for founding the Order of the White Rose and the College of Psychical Sciences and Unfoldment, institutions devoted to the study of psychic phenomena and spiritual development. Originally ordained as a Universalist minister and later serving in Unitarian pulpits, he left the clergy in the 1890s to pursue Spiritualism. Through his schools, lectures, and large body of books on subjects such as clairvoyance, psychometry, and telepathy, Grumbine became a prominent figure in the mind science and metaphysical movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Early life and education Grumbine was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 19, 1861, the son of Jerry and Mariana Scholl Grumbine. On his father’s side he was of Huguenot descent. His father was born in Frederick, Maryland, and his paternal grandparents came from Germany. His mother’s ancestors came to the United States from Holland; she was born in Pennsylvania.

He was educated in the Cincinnati public schools and graduated from the Art Department of the University of Cincinnati in 1883. He later graduated from the Theological Department of St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, in 1885. He began to preach in his twenty third year.

At the same time, he publicly supported Henry George and the United Labor Party and served as chairman for its convention held in Syracuse during George’s 1887 campaign for Secretary of State. George’s ideas, later known as Georgism or the single tax movement, held that individuals should own the value they produce through their labor, while economic rent derived from land and natural resources should belong equally to all members of society. Grumbine’s advocacy of these views led the Universalist Church Society to request his resignation in late 1887. The congregation became divided into opposing factions, and attempts were made to remove him from the pastorate. At contentious meetings and services, Grumbine defended his political convictions and sought a congregational vote on retaining him. A majority of the congregation declared their support for him, and efforts to oust him were unsuccessful.

Joins the Unitarian Church Following the conflict Grumbine soon left the Syracuse pastorate and in early 1888 he accepted a call to the Chapin Memorial Church in Oneonta, where he entered the Unitarian ministry. This move marked his transition from Universalism to Unitarianism, and he thereafter served in Unitarian pulpits, including in Oneonta, New York; St. Joseph, Missouri; and Geneseo, Illinois, before leaving the Unitarian ministry in 1894 due to enthusiasm for the spiritualism movement.

Transition to spiritualism and metaphysical work In 1894, Grumbine left the Unitarian ministry following what he described as a change in belief. He stated that this change made it impossible for him to continue conscientiously as a pastor. He publicly declared that he had become a Spiritualist and intended to devote his efforts to the study and teaching of Spiritualist doctrines and phenomena. Although he severed his pastoral ties, he did not withdraw entirely from church affiliation and continued to identify with the Unitarians.

Following his resignation, he traveled extensively lecturing on Spiritualism. He spent several months in Cincinnati and Muscatine, Iowa, before settling for a time in Minneapolis, where he took part in a large Spiritualist camp and lectured regularly at the St. Paul Spiritual Alliance. He later moved to Boston in December 1895 and then to Chicago in 1898.

Spiritualism: Views and Lectures In his lectures he presented Spiritualism as a system based on truth and love, emphasizing that spiritual understanding unfolds gradually through personal growth. He taught that salvation must be attained through individual effort and moral development rather than through church authority or fixed creeds. Spiritualism, in his view, could not be confined to rigid doctrine, and truth was to be received voluntarily, not imposed. Grumbine spoke about communication with spirits and rejected the popular spiritualism theory of "astral shells," stating that spirits remain in the spirit realm and that communication occurs through thought transference. He described the body as a temporary vessel and maintained that spiritual laws govern manifestation and development.

The College of Psychical Science and Unfoldment

In 1894, while still in Geneseo, Illinois, Grumbine founded the College of Psychical Science and Unfoldment, which he described as the only institution of its kind at the time. The college was devoted to what he called the "System of Philosophy Concerning Divinity." Instruction was conducted through mailed lessons and included courses in metaphysics, ontology, clairvoyance, psychometry, inspiration, intuition, psychopathy, hypnotism, telepathy, suggestive therapeutics, and illumination.

In 1898 the institution moved to Chicago and established its headquarters at 3960 Langley Avenue on the South Side of the city. Its faculty included several figures associated with Spiritualism and mental science. Among them were W. J. Colville, a prominent lecturer in the Spiritualist movement who served as chair of Mental and Spiritual Science, and Herbert A. Parkyn, head of The Chicago School of Psychology, who served as chair of Suggestive Therapeutics.

The College’s board of directors included Richard B. Gruelle, the famed American Impressionist painter; Lowry W. Goode, president of the Cairo and Norfolk Railroad Company; Dr. J. Swanson, a psychopathist and electro-magnetic healer from Minneapolis;

The institution would later operated under the name College of Divine Sciences and Realization.

Commitment to scientifically reveal the mysteries of the Occult

Grumbine's collaboration with Dr. Parkyn was based on a shared commitment to distinguishing serious psychical research from what both men viewed as the excessive mysticism dominating turn-of-the-century occult literature. Grumbine criticized what he called the "occult rubbish" of the contemporary occult revival, particularly targeting Theosophy and what he described as its reliance on "Oriental phraseology" and "mystic or cabalistic symbology," which he believed obscured rather than clarified spiritual understanding. While he studied ancient traditions such as Hermeticism and Hindu philosophy and believed they contained genuine insight into spiritual law, he objected to the way these teachings were often presented in obscure language and separated from practical application. In his writings, he emphasized disciplined personal development and the mastery of mental and moral faculties rather than reliance on mystical speculation.

Grumbine and Parkyn also explored the relationship between physical phenomena and spiritual principles. Drawing on ideas from optics and color theory, Grumbine wrote that sensory experiences such as light, color, and form reflected underlying spiritual laws. He described color as a vibratory expression or aura that corresponded to the moral and psychic condition of the individual. In his 1897 book Clairvoyance, he presented consciousness as the medium through which divine impressions were received, maintaining that the brain functioned as a reflector of thought rather than its source.

The Order of the White Rose

The College also served as the headquarters of the Order of the White Rose, a Rosicrucian organization founded by Grumbine in 1893. The order was devoted to promoting what he called "Universal Religion", the idea that divine truth transcends sectarian boundaries and can be realized through inner spiritual development rather than external authority. It taught that spirit is the underlying reality behind the material world and that personal consciousness and inner guidance are the true sources of religious insight. Religious figures such as Jesus, Buddha, and Zoroaster were regarded not as founders of separate faiths but as teachers who expressed a single universal truth. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, whom Grumbine claimed was the inspiration for his Order of the White Rose through spiritual communications. In presenting the origins of the order, Grumbine stated that its teachings were inspired in part through communications he believed he received from the spirit of the deceased English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. These spiritual communications were later published in a pamphlet titled Proofs of Spirit Identity and Guidance, which consisted of letters said to have been received by Grumbine while he was serving as a Unitarian minister. According to his account, the communications offered spiritual truths that helped shape the teachings associated with the Order of the White Rose.

Alongside the regular curriculum of the college, the Order hosted a series of lectures known as the "Parlors of the Order of the White Rose," which offered members further instruction in spiritual illumination and personal development. Membership in the Order was reserved for students who had completed the four series of teachings offered through the college, which together formed what Grumbine termed the "System of Philosophy Concerning Divinity."

Objects of the Order of the White Rose

The constitution of the Order of the White Rose set out nine objectives that defined the purpose and activities of the organization:

To establish a spiritual organization devoted to the idea of Universal Religion, based on a philosophical system concerning divinity and the shared truths found in the sacred writings of many religious traditions. To help individuals develop their innate spiritual powers, including abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, intuition, telepathy, healing, will, and spiritual illumination, so that error, disease, and moral weakness could be overcome. To unite kindred spirits in fellowship and cooperative service, encouraging spiritual growth, mental development, and the advancement of the Order’s aims. To provide mutual spiritual support through fellowship, reflection, and what the Order described as loving or silent ministration to those prepared to receive spiritual insight. To establish and maintain the College of Psychical Sciences and Unfoldment as the educational center of the movement, where students would be trained in the System of Philosophy Concerning Divinity. To communicate spiritual insight from the inner or spiritual world to the outer world through methods such as telepathy and correspondence, thereby encouraging the development of humanity’s latent spiritual potential. To organize local chapters of the Order where study classes, public meetings, and instruction could be conducted and where guidance could be offered to those seeking spiritual knowledge. To cooperate with other spiritual and philosophical organizations throughout the world that pursued similar ideals. To maintain a strictly non political and non sectarian character, allowing members to retain their personal religious and political beliefs without compromise.

Among its recurring features was The Academy, a dialogue series which claimed to channel rare illuminations from the Christ, Platonic, and Hermetic spheres. These teachings were delivered in dialogue form through the voices of ancient seers, hierophants, philosophers, and Illuminati. Other regular content included The Editor’s Tripod, which provided oracular commentary on contemporary affairs "in a Platonic spirit," along with updates from the Theosophical Review by Annie Besant, and regular contributions by W. J. Colville, Cora L. V. Richmond, Jerome A. Anderson, Swami Vekananda, Swami Saradananda, and Swami Abhayananda.

Numerology and Sacred Geometry in Immortality

Immortality magazine as the voice of the Order of the White Rose, presented sacred geometry, numerology, and divine form as central elements in its teachings on mental science. Its pages described number and shape as a universal language through which the eternal principles of spirit could be expressed, drawing heavily on Hermetic, Masonic, and occult traditions.

The magazine explained numbers as spiritual archetypes and "impresses of thought," holding that ancient Egypt, India, and Greece had used numerical and geometric forms to express Deity, Soul, Eternity, and Infinity. The concept of numbers was explained as transcending the senses and revealing deeper truths, not just superficial appearances, but with each number having direct meaning.

Cosmic order and correspondence

Geometry was described as a science dealing fundamentally with space and time. All regularity of form in nature was seen as an expression of thought, and principles such as Plato’s extreme and mean ratio and conic sections were regarded as already embodied in the universe. A central tenet was the Hermetic aphorism “as above, so below,” establishing the "Law of Correspondence" between the universal (macrocosm) and the individual (microcosm). This law was considered essential for understanding the unity of all things. The Order’s teachings aimed to reveal the mathematical structure of the inner and outer cosmos, affirming the cosmos itself as both the center and the "Eternal Omnipresence."

Hindu philosophy: Soul, Karma, and Yoga Immortality magazine placed Hindu philosophy at the center of its exploration of spiritual truth, treating it as a foundational system for understanding the soul, the afterlife, and the path to self-realization. The Order of the White Rose drew heavily on these concepts, presenting them as essential to its curriculum and its mission to reveal the deeper laws of life.

Later in 1900, Grumbine traveled to Washington, D.C., where he established a chapter of the Order of the White Rose with Kate Atkinson Boehme serving as its president. Boehme also became editor of Radiant Center, the magazine that served as the organ of the Order in Washington. Grumbine then established a chapter of the Order in Boston with Miss Lucy C. McGee serving as its head. Henry Wood, an early pioneer of the New Thought movement and a close family friend of Herbert A. Parkyn, was invited to serve as a teacher and to deliver several special lectures. Wood's books were also prominently promoted in Immortality as essential reading. Other Boston figures associated with the movement were also invited to lecture, including Horatio Dresser and Charles Malloy, who had been a close friend of the late Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In 1902, Grumbine, together with W. J. Colville and Henry Wood, took part in the reuniting of the Metaphysical Club of Boston.

Libel case and the Hunt controversy While in Washington, D.C., Grumbine became involved in a widely reported scandal concerning Lucile Hunt, an eighteen-year-old who had begun working with him as a secretary and assistant in the activities of the Order of the White Rose and the College of Divine Sciences and Realization. Her mother, Martha C. Hunt, accused Grumbine of exercising undue influence over her daughter and attempted to enlist detectives to recover her. The dispute intensified when Grumbine accused Mrs. Hunt of taking papers belonging to the Order of the White Rose. Mrs. Hunt asserted that the documents were actually letters written by Grumbine to her daughter containing affectionate and improper expressions. During the conflict Grumbine wrote a letter accusing Mrs. Hunt of misconduct, which led to his arrest on a charge of criminal libel. He waived a preliminary examination and was released on $1,000 bond pending the action of a grand jury.

The controversy deepened when Lucile Hunt herself reported her mother to authorities for stealing numerous household items from a rental residence where she had been staying. The theft accusation resulted in Martha Hunt’s arrest and added further attention to the already public dispute. Lucile Hunt subsequently left Washington and moved to Syracuse, New York, where she continued working with Grumbine. Although the legal proceedings were eventually dropped, the episode produced months of negative press and became one of the most damaging scandals associated with Grumbine and the Order of the White Rose.

Later Years and Spiritualist Leadership

In his later years Grumbine became deeply involved in the organized Spiritualist movement and spent much of his time lecturing throughout the United States and around the world. His lectures promoted his Universal Religion and he continued to advocate a system of spiritual training intended to cultivate the latent powers of the mind and soul.

During this period Grumbine also became increasingly critical of the condition of the Spiritualist movement. He argued that Spiritualism, in its popular form, had entered a period of decline and that many of its organizations had grown weak through apathy, poor leadership, and an excessive focus on attempting to persuade skeptics. He also maintained that the movement had been damaged by disreputable or fraudulent mediums whose conduct had discredited Spiritualism in the eyes of the public. In his view, the future of the movement depended not on institutions or demonstrations but on individuals who lived disciplined spiritual lives and demonstrated spiritual truth through character and personal development.

He also served as general missionary for the General Assembly of Spiritualists of the United States and Canada, and was a life member of the Society of Science, Letters, and Art in London and the Survival League of America.

An Old Religion (1889) Also during his years in the Unitarian ministry, Grumbine published An Old Religion in Chicago through Charles H. Kerr & Co. The book grew out of a lecture he had given in Chicago and focused on the problem of division within Christianity. In it, he questioned whether Christian unity could be restored by placing authority in apostolic succession as some Protestant churches were teaching. Grumbine rejected this idea and argued that unity could not be secured simply by appealing to inherited authority or church hierarchy, but should be based on reason and shared principles.

Clairvoyance: A System of Philosophy Concerning Its Law, Nature, and Unfoldment (1897) Clairvoyance: A System of Philosophy Concerning Its Law, Nature, and Unfoldment (1897) by Grumbine. The book presents Grumbine’s explanation of clairvoyance as a natural faculty of the human spirit rather than a supernatural phenomenon. The book argues that all individuals possess latent spiritual powers that can be developed through a process he calls "unfoldment." According to Grumbine, clairvoyant perception occurs when the mind becomes sensitive to subtle spiritual vibrations, allowing consciousness to perceive realities beyond ordinary sight. It combines philosophical discussion with practical instruction on lessons associated with the Order of the White Rose that outline methods intended to cultivate clairvoyant ability, including meditation, concentration, ethical discipline, and the regulation of physical and mental conditions.

Immortality or The Future Life (1899) This work presents Grumbine’s view that the survival of the soul after death is governed by spiritual law rather than theological doctrine. The book argues that life is an eternal progression and that death represents only a change in the form of existence, not the end of consciousness. Grumbine discusses the pre-existence and divine nature of the soul and maintains that the spiritual self exists independently of the physical body. Drawing on spiritualism, mysticism, and mental science, the work presents the future life as a natural continuation of human spiritual evolution and emphasizes the ongoing unfoldment of the soul beyond physical life.

Psychometry: Its Science and Law of Unfoldment (1900) Psychometry: Its Science and Law of Unfoldment (1900) By Grumbine. The book examines psychometry, defined as the ability of the soul to perceive the history of an object or person through physical contact. Grumbine argues that all material things retain a spiritual record or aura that can be sensed by a sufficiently sensitive mind. He presents psychometry as a natural human faculty governed by laws of vibration and unfoldment rather than a miraculous gift. The work outlines a series of lessons and exercises intended to develop this ability through concentration, meditation, and disciplined mental practice.

Auras and Colors: An Esoteric System of Teaching Concerning Halos, Aureolas, and the Nimbus (1900) The book examines the aura as a radiant expression of the soul that reflects a person’s mental, emotional, and spiritual condition. Grumbine discusses the meanings of different colors and links them to specific states of health, character, and stages of spiritual development. He also distinguishes between forms of spiritual light such as the halo and the nimbus. The work presents the perception of auras as a natural ability that can be developed through disciplined awareness. Drawing on the idea that thought and emotion produce changes in a person’s vibratory field, Grumbine offers lessons intended to help readers refine their perception and use this knowledge for self-development and healing.

A Series of Meditations on the Ethical and Psychical Relation of Spirit to the Human Organism (1900) A Series of Meditations (1900) By Erastus C. Gaffield and edited by Grumbine. Published by the Order of the White Rose The book, written by Erastus C. Gaffield and edited by J. C. F. Grumbine, presents a philosophical exploration of the relationship between the human soul and the physical body. Gaffield, a longtime collaborator of Grumbine and a member of the board of directors of his College of Psychical Sciences, describes the body as a temporary vehicle through which the spirit expresses itself in the material world. It argues that the soul interacts with the physical organism through ethical, mental, and spiritual processes, and that every thought and action influences an individual’s spiritual development. Human life is presented as a period of training in which the spirit learns to overcome material limitations and refine its character through self-control and higher aspirations. According to Gaffield and Grumbine, this process represents an ongoing evolution of consciousness that extends beyond a single lifetime. It concludes that the purpose of human life is to recognize the unity of all existence and to align personal will with universal spiritual law, allowing the individual to become a clearer expression of spiritual light.

Other major publications include The Spirit World: Where and What It Is (1909) Proof of Spirit Identity and Guidance (1909) Telepathy: The Science of Thought Transference (1910) Clairaudience: The Philosophy of Its Expression (1911) Boston Lectures on the New Thought (1917) Melchizedek, or the Secret Doctrine of the Bible (1919) Psychology of Color (1921)

Grumbine also published Universal Religion magazine and issued instructional compilations such as his Easy Lessons in Occult Science series on topics such as unfoldment and realization of Psychometry, Clairvoyance, and Inspiration. Several of his shorter pamphlets were later repackaged into collected editions and incorporated material from earlier standalone works.

In addition to his book publishing, Grumbine wrote regularly for a number of Spiritualist and metaphysical publications. In 1909 he headed "The Department of Psychical Sciences and Unfoldment," in The Stellar Ray, the continuation of his longtime collaborator Herbert A. Parkyn’s magazine Suggestion. His articles also appeared in journals such as The New Ideal, Reality, Mind and The Sunflower.

Personal life Grumbine was married on September 2, 1886, to Helen Louise Gilbert, and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Beatrice. After his first wife's death in 1908, he married Mary Rose Otto in 1913, who he met while lecturing in Portland, Oregon. He and Mary spent several years traveling the world before settling down in her hometown of Portland.