Martinism is a form of Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his materialistic state of being, deprived of his own, divine source, and the process of his eventual (if not inevitable) return, called 'Reintegration'.
46-579: As a mystical tradition, it was first transmitted through a Masonic high-degree system established around 1740 in France by Martinez de Pasqually , and later propagated in different forms by his two students Louis Claude de Saint-Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz . The term Martinism applies to both this particular doctrine and the teachings of the reorganized "Martinist Order" founded in 1886 by Augustin Chaboseau and Gérard Encausse (aka Papus ). It
92-634: A Gnostic Church under the name Palingenius prompted the separation between Papus and Guénon. Many French Martinists supported Karl Wilhelm Naundorff 's claims to the French throne. They joined the Synarchy movement and formed the Ordre Martiniste et Synarchie (OM&S) under the leadership of Victor Blanchard. Both Imperators of The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), Ralph Maxwell Lewis and Harvey Spencer Lewis were initiated into
138-405: A faculty that is superior to the rational sense of morality, and that it is by this faculty that we receive knowledge of God. God exists as an eternal personality, created by an overflowing of the divine love, which was unable to contain itself. The four stages of divine emanation are the human soul , the human intellect or spirit, the spirit of the universe, and the elements, or matter. Thus mankind
184-534: A fashion, this was done on an informal basis; Martinism did not exist as an order per se until the efforts of Papus and Chaboseau (see below). Jean-Baptiste Willermoz (born 1730, Lyon , France; died 1824 also at Lyon), was initiated into Masonry at the age of 20 in a lodge which operated under the auspices of the Strict Observance . He was initiated into the Elus-Cohen in 1767, eventually attaining
230-546: A filiation or succession of other Martinists as no personal initiation chain from Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin exists in the sacramental manner of ordination as culmination of mastery in an Initiatic order." About the rituals themselves, the following general points may be made: During the period up to the Second World War, the I::L:: or S::I::IV degree was exceptionally added as an endorsement or rank of distinction to
276-565: A formalised Order of Martinists. For example, 20th-century Martinist author Robert Ambelain initially claimed that Saint-Martin founded an order called the "Society of Initiates", but within a few years he became disillusioned with the concept and stated that the Society of Initiates never existed. Others allege that Saint-Martin became involved in a pre-existing society called the "Order of Unknown Philosophers". It seems most probable, however, that although Saint-Martin did initiate disciples after
322-611: A nutshell, the Martinism as we know it today consists of the theurgic tradition of Martinez de Pasqually ( Martinezism ), the Masonic Templarism of Jean-Baptiste Willermoz ( Willermozism ) and the Christian Theosophy of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. This heritage was reorganized into the 'Ordre Martiniste' in 1886 by Augustin Chaboseau and Gerard Encausse (also known as Papus).. The regular transmission of
368-539: A school teacher. He was brought up a strict Catholic, and always remained attached to the Church, although his first work, Of Errors and Truth , was placed upon the Index . He died at Aulnay (now Châtenay-Malabry ), from October 13 to October 14, 1803. He was the first to translate the writings of Jakob Böhme from German into French. His later years were devoted almost entirely to the composition of his chief works and to
414-617: A secret cult with magical or theurgical rites. Around September 1768, Saint-Martin was introduced to the Elect Coëns. From 1768 until 1771, Saint-Martin worked at Bordeaux as secretary to Martinez de Pasqually. In 1771, Saint-Martin left the army to become a preacher of mysticism. In the same year, he was living with Jean-Baptiste Willermoz at Lyon , while writing his first book. His conversational powers made him welcome in Parisian salons; but his zeal led him to England, where he made
460-399: Is continually being researched, due to the lack of documentation, appears in the history of French freemasonry in 1754. His exact date and place of birth, as well as his true nationality is unknown. A number of authors proposed that he was a Spanish Jew. Certain similarities between Pasqually's theurgy and Portuguese hermetic thought led philosopher Sampaio Bruno (1857-1915) to argue that he
506-508: Is to enter into relations with angelic entities that appear in the operations as passes . These are to appear mostly in the form of characters or hieroglyphs of spirits invoked by the operator, as proofs that he is on the proper way of Reintegration. [REDACTED] Media related to Martinès de Pasqually at Wikimedia Commons Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin Louis Claude de Saint-Martin (18 January 1743 – 14 October 1803)
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#1732772991087552-611: The Key of Solomon , including the use of circles, names of angels, planetary hours and symbols. The magical operations of the lower degrees were intended to establish contact between the operator and the Invisible World. Lofty and beautiful prayers recalled the goal which the Order tried to attain. There were also exorcisms intended to strangle demonic influence in the universe and thwart its powers over men, and to combat black magic. In
598-506: The beatific vision through a series of magical invocations and complex theurgic operations. After Martinez de Pasqually's death, the Elus-Cohens continued to operate for some time; however, divisions started to occur between various temples, which became dormant during the first half of the 19th century. The last-known surviving Elus-Cohen from the original incarnation of the order, Destigny, died in 1868. Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin
644-596: The Doctrine of the Unknown Philosopher in France, Germany, Denmark and above all in Russia. It was through one of them, Henri Delaage, that in 1880 a brilliant young Parisian doctor, Gerard Encausse (Later to be known as Papus), became acquainted with the doctrines of Saint-Martin. Subsequently, in 1884, together with some of his associates, he established a Mystical Order which he called the Ordre Martiniste or
690-587: The Elus-Cohens to adopt a more contemplative practice, he cut back his involvement in the Order. He ceased all involvement in 1790. Saint-Martin outlined his philosophy in several books , using the pen name of "The Unknown Philosopher". These include: Note: the books with the name Man or l'homme in French are retellings of Saint-Martin of the main teachings of Martinez de Pasqually and what he learned in Martinezism mixed with Boehme. There has been some controversy over whether Saint-Martin himself ever founded
736-469: The Elus-Cohens' use of theurgic ritual, feeling that it was too sophisticated for the desired end. Instead, he favoured inward contemplation, or what he called "The Way of the Heart". Nevertheless, Saint-Martin continued to acknowledge Martinez de Pasqually's influence on his own system of thought. In addition, Saint-Martin drew much inspiration from the work of Jakob Böhme . In 1777, after failing to convince
782-507: The French Revolution as a sermon in action, if not indeed a miniature of the last judgment . His ideal society was a natural and spiritual theocracy , in which God would raise up men of mark and endowment, who would regard themselves strictly as divine commissioners to guide the people. All ecclesiastical organization was to disappear, giving place to a purely spiritual Christianity . Saint-Martin taught that humanity possesses
828-624: The Martinist Order. The founding of the Order came about when Encausse met Augustin Chaboseau in 1884. In parallel, Stanislas de Guaita , in association with Papus and Pierre- Augustin Chaboseau founded the Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose Croix in 1888. Papus and Chaboseau discovered that they had both apparently received Martinist initiation through two different chains of succession which linked back to Saint-Martin and his original disciples. Papus claimed to have come into
874-727: The Martinist heritage to Chaboseau and Papus has not been proven as of today. Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually was born in c. 1727 in Grenoble , France, and died in 1774 in Saint-Domingue while dealing with profane business. Martinez de Pasqually was active in Masonic organisations throughout France from the age of 28 onwards. In 1765 he established l'Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l'Univers ( Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of
920-673: The Martiniste et Synarchie (OM&S). AMORC Imperator Harvey Spencer Lewis held the title of Grand Inspector for the Americas as well as Sovereign Grand Master Legate for the United States and was granted a charter to establish Lodges in the United States. Lewis later decided not to proceed with the OM&;S plan for the U.S. due to the fact that Victor Blanchard was unable to produce all the required documentation. It turned out that
966-511: The Order. After the war, the Order was almost extinct and the surviving members splintered into competing factions. René Guénon was himself initiated in the Martinist Order. In between 1906 and 1912, Guénon was a member of Martinist Lodges Humanidad and Melchissedec , and published articles in L'Initiation , Revue Indépendante des Hautes Etudes Martinistes . The Congrès Spiritualiste held in Paris on 7–10 June 1908, and organized by Papus, with
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#17327729910871012-491: The S::I::I:: degree for legates in new Martinist jurisdictions who were expected to eventually become Grand Masters. Later branches of the Martinist Order worked a fifth degree, I::L:: (Free Initiator/Initiateur Libre), which conferred on the candidate the power to initiate others into all four degrees in person, not requiring Lodge or Heptad group forms, and to establish a new and independent Martinist Order, as well as to act as
1058-992: The Strict Observance, such as the Bavarian Illuminati of Adam Weishaupt . The French Revolution curtailed the activities of the CBCS in France although the rite was preserved in Switzerland. Today the CBCS, or "Scottish Rectified Rite" ( Rite Ecossais Rectifié ) has several "great priories" throughout the world: Switzerland, USA., France, both the Waite's & Michael Herbert's Great Priories in England, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Brazil, with prefectures and lodges of Saint Andrew as well as Rectified Craft lodges existing in many places from Italy to Brazil to Romania. The disciples of Saint-Martin spread
1104-596: The Traditional Martinist Order (TMO) still exist. The TMO currently operates in almost every free country in the world under the protection of AMORC . Martinism is still growing in popularity, and with the advent of the Internet, many new orders and online groups expressing an interest in Martinism have emerged worldwide. The Martinist Order (L'Ordre Martiniste) founded by Papus in 1887 continues, and grows worldwide with Groups across Europe, Africa,
1150-552: The United States and the Middle East. Martinez de Pasqually Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually (1727?–1774) was a theurgist and theosopher of uncertain origin. He was the founder of the l'Ordre de Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l'Univers – commonly referred to as the 'Elus Cohens' in 1761. He was the tutor, initiator and friend of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz . Martinez de Pasqually, whose biography
1196-483: The Universe ), which functioned as a regular Masonic obedience in France. This order had three sets of degrees: the first were analogous to the symbolic degrees of conventional Freemasonry . The second were generally Masonic, though hinting at Pasqually's own secret doctrine. The third set were blatantly magical : for example, by using exorcisms against evil in the world generally and in the individual specifically. In
1242-564: The acquaintance of William Law , the English mystic, and to Italy and Switzerland, as well as to the chief towns of France. In February 1784, Saint-Martin joined Society of Harmony in Paris . In 1787, he met William Law on a trip to London . From 1788 until 1791 he resided at Strasbourg, where he met Baron Karl Göran Silfverhjelm , the nephew of Emanuel Swedenborg . At Strasbourg , in 1788, he met Charlotte de Boecklin , who introduced him to
1288-464: The activities of the OM&S were limited to the transmission of various Martinist Initiations, and that the Order otherwise had no actual existence. There was no Martinist Lodge in Paris at the time and Victor Blanchard gave his initiations in the temple of the Fraternitae des Polaires . In 1931 Augustin Chaboseau joined Victor-Emile Michelet and Lucien Chamuel (the other two surviving members of
1334-497: The first two introduce the Candidate to key Martinist concepts, while the third supposedly confers the actual Initiation which Saint-Martin gave to his original disciples. Martinists generally believe that to be an authentic initiate, one must be able to show a chain of Initiatic Succession which goes back to Saint-Martin himself. However, Restivo states that "Martinist authenticity is not contingent upon acceptance or initiation into
1380-482: The highest degree of the Order, and being named by de Pasqually as a "Superior Judge," one of its most senior officers. Concerned about dissent in the order after the death of de Pasqually, Willermoz in 1778, together with two other Superior Judges, formulated the idea of creating two additional degrees for the Auvergne Province of the Strict Observance, which exemplified the philosophy, though not
1426-612: The highest degree, the Reaux-Croix , the initiate was taught to use Theurgy to contact spiritual realms beyond the physical. De Pasqually put forth the philosophy underlying the work of the Elus-Cohens in his only book, Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings , which first uses the analogy of the Garden of Eden, and refers to Christ as "The Repairer". The ultimate aim of the Elus-Cohen was to attain – whilst living –
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1472-596: The highest of the three degrees of the Order of the Elus-Cohen, known as the Shrine, itself consisting of three degrees of which the highest was the Master Reau-Crois, evocation of entities belonging to the Divine Plane was carried out. This makes clear that the Elus-Cohen were not merely a mystical but a magical order. The chief evocation was that of the 'Mender', Jehoshua, and the basic methods were those of
1518-504: The legate or representative or Grand Master of that new order. For example, the Rose+Croix Martinist Order (Ontario, Canada): In 1905, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia invited Papus to Tsarskoye Selo to ask for advice on domestic difficulties that he was facing with revolutionaries. The First World War was disastrous for the Order. Papus died on the battlefield fulfilling his duties as a doctor, as did many other leaders of
1564-503: The original Supreme Council of 1891) to resuscitate the Order that they had founded with Papus. To emphasise the difference between traditional Martinism and the many new groups that had emerged, they named their movement the Ordre Martiniste Traditionnel (OMT). Victor-Emile Michelet was elected Grand Master and Augustin Chaboseau succeeded him in 1939 until his death in 1946. AMORC Imperator Ralph Maxwell Lewis
1610-490: The possession of the original papers of de Pasqually and to have been given authority in the Rite of Saint-Martin by his friend Henri Viscount Delaage . However, Encausse realised that there was a "missing link" in his own chain of succession: he and Chaboseau therefore "swapped initiations" to consolidate their lineages. The Martinist Order which Papus founded was organised as a Lodge system, which worked four degrees: Of these,
1656-494: The presence of Victor Blanchard, Paul Veux, Paul Chacornac, Theodor Reuss , and Charles Détré alias Teder took place at the peak of the collaboration between Guénon and Papus. However, the regularity of the Martinist Order was strongly questioned by Brother O. Pontet of the Grand Orient de France ,. The creation by Guénon in 1909 of an Ordre du Temple within the premises of the Martinist Order, as well as his involvement in
1702-583: The theurgic practices, of the Elus-Cohens, while working in the Knight Templar -oriented milieu of the masonic rite. The name of the rite was changed to Chevaliers Beneficient de la Cité-Sainte (CBCS). The degree structure of the rite was thus: Having reformed the French branch of the order, Willermoz in 1782 succeeded in persuading the German mother branch to adopt his reforms – though not without meeting considerable opposition from other branches of
1748-654: The translation of Böhme. His published letters show that he was interested in spiritualism , magnetic treatments, magical evocation and the works of Emanuel Swedenborg . His chief works are Lettre à un ami, ou Considérations philosophiques et religieuses sur la révolution française ( Letter to a Friend, or Philosophical and Religious Considerations on the French Revolution ), Éclair sur l'Association humaine , L'Esprit des choses ou Coup d'œil philosophique sur la nature des êtres et sur l'objet de leur existence and Le Ministère de l'Homme-Esprit . Other treatises appeared in his Œuvres posthumes (1807). Saint-Martin regarded
1794-403: The very prison he was to contain, becoming a physical and mortal being, and was so thus forced to try to save both himself and the original creation. It can be done via inner perfection with the help of Christ, but also by the theurgic operations that Martinez taught to the men of desire he found worthy of receiving his initiation. This is obtained by practicing certain rites, where the disciple
1840-566: The writings of Jakob Böhme . In July 1790, he resigned from Rectified Scottish Rite and asked Jean-Baptiste Willermoz for his name to be removed from all Masonic registers. In 1792, Saint-Martin began corresponding with the Swiss theosopher Niklaus Anton Kirchberger von Liebisdorf . A nobleman, he was interned and his property was confiscated during the French Revolution . He was later freed by local officials, who wanted him to become
1886-475: Was a French philosopher , known as le philosophe inconnu ("the unknown philosopher"), the name under which his works were published. He was an influential Christian mystic whose legacy, together with that of his mentor Martinez de Pasqually , inspired the founding of the Martinist Order . Léonce de Saint-Martin , composer and organist, was a distant relative of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. He
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1932-583: Was asked by the OMT in 1939 to bring Traditional Martinism to the U.S. Lewis was thus appointed Sovereign Legate and Regional Grand Master of the OMT and received the necessary charters and other documents required in order to proceed with the Order's expansion. The Second World War was as disastrous for the Order in Europe as the first. The Nazi regime suppressed all 'occult' groups and many Martinists died in concentration camps. The OMT in Europe and its American branch,
1978-479: Was born at Amboise , into a family from the lesser nobility of central France. As his father wished, he tried first law and then the army as a profession. While in the garrison at Bordeaux , he came under the influence of Martinez de Pasqually , usually called a Portuguese Jew (although later research has revealed the probability that he was a Spanish Catholic ), who taught a species of mysticism drawn from cabbalistic sources, and endeavoured to found thereon
2024-554: Was born in 1743 in Amboise , France, and died in 1803. He was originally a barrister before taking a commission in the army at Bordeaux . Saint-Martin was initiated into the Elus-Cohens in 1768 and was active in the organization for at least six years. Saint-Martin was initiated into the Reaux-Croix, the highest degree of the Order, and in 1770 became de Pasqually's secretary. Saint-Martin became increasingly dissatisfied with
2070-551: Was not used at the tradition's inception in the 18th century. This confusing disambiguation has been a problem since the late 18th century, where the term Martinism was already used interchangeably between the teachings of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and Martinez de Pasqually , and the works of the first being attributed to the latter. Regular transmission of Martinism to Augustin Chaboseau and Gérard Encausse has yet to be documented. Martinism can be divided into three forms through which it has been chronologically transmitted: In
2116-957: Was probably of Portuguese origin. In 1772 Pasqually went to collect an inheritance in the island of Hispaniola . Grainville, one of his fervent disciples, came from the Caribbean . He died within two years and appears to have influenced early mystic groups in the Caribbean. The doctrine of Martinez is described as a key to any eschatological cosmology. God, the primordial Unity, had a desire to emanate beings from his own nature, but Lucifer, who wanted to exercise his own creative power, fell victim to his own faults. In his fall, which included his followers, he found himself trapped within an area designated by God to serve as their prison. God sent man, in an androgynous body and endowed with glorious powers, to keep Lucifer's rebels at bay and work towards their reconciliation. Adam prevaricated himself and fell into
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