BIOGRAPHY

Edward Obeng Torkornoo was born on 2nd February 1897 at a village called Adzato in the Keta disctrict of the Volta Region of Ghana, he completed his education in Koforidua in 1916 and from there started his first work with C. F. A. O for a while and joined the civil service as a customs officer in 1924 in Accra. In 1931 he was transferred to Ada and then to Takoradi where he stayed for 34 years, then in 1921 he changed work and started a new job as a clerk at Akuse in the Eastern region of Ghana, then in 1922 he was tranfered from Akuse to Koforidua.

Edward Obeng Torkornoo was a Grand Master of Mysticism whose life deeply influenced many noble men and seekers of wisdom across the African continent. As a custodian of ancient mystical knowledge and an astute astrologer, he dedicated his life to exploring and applying the secrets of the cosmos, particularly using astrology as a tool for healing and spiritual growth.

It is believed that his early journey led him to join the Order of the Freemasons. Yet, in time, his path shifted toward an even deeper spiritual pursuit: the Rosicrucian Fellowship. This august society, rooted in esoteric Christianity and the Western mystery tradition, resonated deeply with his soul’s calling. Wherever he settled in Ghana, Edward Obeng Torkornoo helped establish local circles of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, quietly spreading its teachings and culture among countless Africans hungry for higher knowledge.

The story of how he discovered the Rosicrucian Fellowship itself has become something of a legend. One day, after closing from work and heading home, he happened to pick up a small piece of paper lying on the ground. On this slip were written the name and address of the Rosicrucian Fellowship. Moved by an inner prompting he could scarcely explain, he wrote an application for membership. That seemingly chance encounter would open the doors to a lifelong quest for mystical illumination. The Fellowship teaches that when the student is truly ready, the teacher will appear—a principle closely tied to the universal Law of Attraction. Perhaps it was Edward Obeng Torkornoo’s profound inner yearning for mystical wisdom that attracted this opportunity into his life. In reflecting on his life, one is drawn inevitably to the words of Shakespeare: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” For Edward Obeng Torkornoo, to “be” meant more than mere existence. It meant choosing to awaken each day with conscious intent, to embrace both light and shadow on the path to self-realization, and to live in harmony with divine laws. Through his devotion, Torkornoo chose “to be” in the highest sense: to become a vessel of ancient wisdom, a healer, and a guide for others. His legacy is not just in the societies he helped establish, but in the countless lives quietly transformed by his example. Today, his story serves as an enduring reminder that true spiritual greatness is often quiet, humble, and hidden from the world’s stage, but its light continues to shine across generations. Edward Obeng Torkornoo’s life stands as a testament to the power of spiritual dedication, and to how one individual’s quiet devotion can ripple out to awaken and inspire generations.

Torkornoo’s work rippled outward in ways impossible to measure fully. Many noble men and women of African descent found in his teachings a spiritual foundation amid changing times, a compass pointing toward inner mastery and compassionate service. By living as a true custodian of ancient knowledge, he reminded his students of a central mystical truth: that what we seek outside ultimately resides within. His story also echoes the profound wisdom of the Law of Attraction: that our deepest yearnings can, through unseen channels, draw to us exactly what our souls need for growth. Perhaps it is no coincidence that a slip of paper, easily ignored by another, became his key to the Rosicrucian path. The Fellowship teaches that the universe responds to sincere spiritual aspiration—and Torkornoo’s life proves this truth.

His exceptional interest in Spirituality was very great and he developed himself to become a learned Disciple of the Rosicrucian fellowship, a position which has to be earned by persistent effort towards spirituality. Mr Torkornoo had about three wifes, but the story goes that when he became a Disciple he divorced two of them and lived with only one of them. He spent his last days in Takoradi, in the western region of Ghana. There are many spiritual stories about him but the one I know is that one day while he was in his garden a vulture came to steal his chicken and he raised his index finger up and aimed at the vulture and fired a bullet to bring the vulture down. Another story about him says when the wife gave birth to his first son he was in a different city from them so every evening instead of going to visit them he thought it was too far to go, then he will lie down on his bird and off he will appear in the village where the wife and son stays, he had mastered the art of living the body. This is a reflection of what he was made of before he joined the Rosicrucian fellowship.