Raymond Bernard (esotericist)

Raymond Antoine Bernard (19 May 1923 – 10 January 2006) was a French esotericist, Rosicrucian, and freemason. Bernard was a member or founder of a number of different esoteric orders across decades. He was the grand master of French AMORC, a large Rosicrucian order, in Francophone countries. As part of AMORC, he founded the neo-Templar order the Renewed Order of the Temple with Julien Origas. Bernard left that order a few years later and gave leadership of it over to Origas.

Bernard left AMORC under uncertain circumstances in 1977 and was replaced in his position as grand master by his son, Christian Bernard. After leaving AMORC, Bernard founded the esoteric orders OSTI and CIRCES. As part of CIRCES, he was a personal advisor or friend to the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya. His connection to Biya attracted attention and controversy over the large financial donations Biya made to him and his orders, though their precise relationship is unclear. He was particularly active in spreading Rosicrucianism in Africa, and wrote several allegorical works about esotericism topics.