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Martinism-4

This document contains several prayers from a religious organization. It includes prayers to saints like Michael the Archangel as well as prayers for peace, protection, and spiritual goals. The document provides many examples of prayers used by this group.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
550 views70 pages

Martinism-4

This document contains several prayers from a religious organization. It includes prayers to saints like Michael the Archangel as well as prayers for peace, protection, and spiritual goals. The document provides many examples of prayers used by this group.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1

Nord Pas de Calais – Picardie District


Province of Flanders – Artois – Wallonie

C R P TRAD
Centre de recherche en psychologie traditionnelle
13, rue la Pérouse
62290 Noeux les mines
France

CRP
Educational 4
69 pages
Prayer Theurgy
Educational journal of C R P
2

Some prayers

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE


ARCHANGEL
St. Michael the archangel, defend us in battle, be our
protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, oh
prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God- cast into
hell Satan and all the evil spirits that wander through the world
seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen. +

Prayer to call for help

Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that they
comprise, come to my aid and pity me! Forgive me we
implore You so that N... escape also from those who want him
harmed. May the darkness, O Jesus, blind them and to mark
their vileness, may they be bent towards the earth. Lord! May
You spread on them the effects of Your justice and that Your
Anger inspires in them terror and continued fear. May the
horror and fear damage their audacity in the sole idea of Your
Strength. Lord, may they become still like stones until N...,
your servant who confides in You, be safe and sound.
Jesus, free him and save him from all who want to do him
harm.
O Lord, guard him from the hands of evil people and free him
from the hands of bad people. Save him and defend him from
those who want to spill his blood.
3

Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and
forever, as it was in the beginning and throughout all eternity.

Amen. +
Prayer against an Invasion or an aggressor people (real,
psychic, moral…)

Lord Jesus Christ, God of Our Salvation, who told the


Apostles and their successors to chase away Demons and thus
bring to the world formerly submitted to Satan equity, purity
and kindness, I beg You, by the Mysterious Virtue of Your
Holy Name IEHOSHOUAH, by the Virtue of this Psalm that
the Holy Spirit inspired in Your servant David, to allow my
words to have the same mysterious Virtue that You gave to
those of Your servant David.
Grant, O Lord Jesus, the request of Your servant N..., and thus
Grace be rendered to You, now and forever.

Amen. +
Psalm XLVI – The Eternal is our refuge and our strength, a
very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear
though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the
heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the
mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the City of God, the
Holy Place wherein dwells the Most High; God is within her,
she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms fall.
He lifts His Voice and the earth melts but the Eternal, the God
of Armies, is with us!
The God of Jacob is our fortress...
4

Come and see the works of the Eternal! And the desolations
He has brought on earth.
Such is He who makes wars cease to the ends of the earth,
who breaks the bow and shatters the spear, who consumes
through the fire the chariots of war!
Be still and know that I am God! I will dominate the nations; I
shall be exalted in the earth! This is the Eternal, the God of the
Armies is with us, the God of Jacob is for us a fortress...

Psalm LXVIII
- Summon Your Power, O God; show us Your Strength O

God, as You have done before. Because of Your Temple


at Jerusalem, kings will bring you gifts.
Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the
calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.

Almighty and Eternal God, we remind You of the Song of


Deborah the Prophet, and Baruch, the son of Abinoam, so that
it once again becomes powerful and at the reminder of their
words You give to Your people again salvation and victory:
“The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; no silver booty did they
take. From the heavens, too, the stars fought, from their
courses they fought against Sisera.
The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river
of Kishon; O my soul, thou hast trodden down the heroes!
There were horse hooves broken by means of their prancing,
the prancing of the mighty ones...
Thus perish all Your enemies, O God Eternal!” (Judges v, 19-
22, 31).
5

May, by Your Strength and Power, through the protection of


Your Angels and the Virtues of Your Saints, O God of the
Armies of Heaven, the enemies of our nation be chased away.
May the sword of the Exterminator Angel strikes their armies
and may their soldiers fall like ripe corn just like the sons of
Midian fell under the sword of Your servant Gideon in the
Valley of Jezreel alongside Abel-Mehola, near Tabbath, and
also at the ford of Beth-Bara, on the shores of the wars cease
to the ends of the earth, who breaks the bow and shatters the
spear, who consumes through the fire the chariots of war! Be
still and know that I am God! I will dominate the nations; I
shall be exalted in the earth! This is the Eternal, the God of the
Armies is with us, the God of Jacob is for us a fortress...

Amen. +

Prayer against religious War

Almighty and Eternal God, Eternal Giver of Well-being, we


pray to You and we beg You to soften the hearts of the
enemies of our Faith, may they calm their furor and leave
Your servants in peace, O my God. Through Jesus Christ Our
Lord and Master and through Saint John His servant. Amen. +

Prayer for the Peace of the World

O Eternal God, through whom our desires become good, our


plans become right, and our works become just, may You,
Lord of Mercy, give to Your servants this Peace that the
World is unable to give him so that our hearts be submitted to
Your Holy Will and may our days be without you will not
6

loan him money bearing interest. You will not loan him
wearable provisions. If your brother becomes poor before you
or sells himself to you, you will not give him the works of
slaves and he will stay free.....”, we pray to You, O Almighty
God, so that there would be among men a form of government
based solely on the merits of its citizens and not on the
possession of wealth and gifts from Mammon, Your
Adversary as well as ours. May birth and fortune never allow
anymore the usurpation of responsibilities and places in the
leadership of the City but be given to the best and most able
by Your kind protection and that of Your Holy Angels. By
Your Grace, O Almighty Lord, may the Terrestrial City
gradually take the one above as a model, as would the first
man made of all Souls 6onsumm himself around his Divine
model, Christ Jesus. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord and
Master and through Saint John His servant. Amen. +

Prayer for the sisters and


brothers of the Orders their
close relatives and all Past
Masters
O Eternal God, You who dispenses forgiveness and who
desires the well-being of men, we beg Your Holy Clemency to
give the Brothers and sisters of the Order, their parents and
close relatives as well as our Past Masters who left this
century, to abide with Your saints and Your Angels, the
Eternal Bliss by their return to their celestial origins and the
Original Unity reconquered at last. May You give these Souls,
O Lord of Mercy, Eternal Rest for time immemorial, and may
the everlasting light shine its rays upon them. Through Jesus
7

Christ Our Lord and Master and through Saint John His
servant.
Amen. +

Prayer for the union of the Sisters and Brothers of the


Orders

“May God arise, may His Enemies be scattered! May those


who hate Him flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so
are they driven; as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked
perish before God. But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice. Sing to the Lord, chant praises to
His Holy Name; extol Him who rides upon the clouds, whose
Name is the Lord; rejoice before Him. The Father of orphans
and the defender of widows is God in His Holy Dwelling. God
gives a home to the forsaken, he leads forth the prisoners with
singing, the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land...” (Psalm
68, 2-7).

“How good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell


together in Unity! It is as when the precious ointment upon the
head runs down over the beard, even Aaron’s beard, until it
runs down upon the collar of his robe. It is a dew like that of
Hermon, which comes down upon the mountains of Zion; for
it is there that the Lord has pronounced His Blessing: Life
Forever!” (Psalm 133).

O God, Unique Dispensator of Peace, Almighty Keeper of all


things You created, this is why we pray to You so that our
Brothers be, for time immemorial, faithful to the Mysticism
and to the Works they have freely chosen and accepted by
8

entering the Order and by Your Grace, submit to the Hierarchy


and discipline of the Order, and never fail in their Promises.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord and Master and through Saint
John His servant.
Amen. +

Prayer for the triumph of Spirituality

Almighty and Eternal God, You who revealed His Glory to all
Christian Nations, may You keep, Lord, the works of Your
mercy so that Your Universal Church here on Earth, reflection
of the one in Heaven, persevere with a firm and indestructible
Faith in the confession of Your Holy Name. Through Jesus
Christ Our Lord and Master and through Saint John His
servant. Amen. +

Prayer for the establishment in the World of the Spiritual


and Mystical Synarchy

Lord Jesus Christ, You who told Your Disciples: “I tell you
truthfully, a wealthy person will enter the Kingdom of Heaven
with difficulty and I repeat that it is easier for a camel to fit
through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter
the Kingdom of God...”, we pray to You so that there would
be among men a social organization based on the merits of its
citizens
and not solely on the possession of wealth and Gifts from
Mammon, Your
adversary as well as ours.
9

Lord Jesus Christ, You who told Your Disciples: “No one can
serve two masters at the same time, because he will end up
either hating one and loving the other, or get close to one and
despise the other; you can’t serve both God and Mammon...”,
we pray to You so that there would be among men a
government in which the leaders put in this position by the
mysterious ways of Your Providence be worthy of this trust,
zealous directors of this organization, may they maintain it
against all attempts of deviation or destruction, and may they
carry it through under Your kind protection, O Lord Jesus
Christ, who is Order, Liberty, and Life.

Almighty and Eternal God, Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ,


Distributor Just and Wise, You who ordered through Your
servant Moses the Sabbath Year, thus defining the very
principles of the Celestial City and forcing men to give up
unequal riches and unjust profits, declaring that “If your
brother becomes poor and his arm becomes weak, you will
support him. You will do the same for a foreigner living in the
country so that he lives with you. You will not use him, you
will not loan him money bearing interest. You will not loan
him wearable provisions. If your brother becomes poor before
you or sells himself to you, you will not give him the works of
slaves and he will stay free.....”, we pray to You, O Almighty
God, so that there would be among men a form of government
based solely on the merits of its citizens and not on the
possession of wealth and gifts from Mammon, Your
Adversary as well as ours. May birth and fortune never allow
anymore the usurpation of responsibilities and places in the
leadership of the City but be given to the best and most able
by Your kind protection and that of Your Holy Angels. By
Your Grace, O Almighty Lord, may the Terrestrial City
gradually take the one above as a model, as would the first
10

man made of all Souls modeled himself around his Divine


model, Christ Jesus. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord and
Master and through Saint John His servant. Amen. +
11

Old accusations

Did the Church Inquisition kill folks? Yes.

Did the Church slaughter the Templars?


It was the French who slaughtered the Templars. As they seem
to have scattered to other centres and been quickly absorbed
by the other groups at the time, and since all the casualties
seem to be those targeted by the French taxmen, I really don’t
see this as a “Church” issue per say.
Did they insist that some sort of reconciliation of all
observations of the cosmos with their paradigm?

They felt, and still feel, that the core of their faith was a
universally potent one. Ergo the whole universe must
correspond to it in some way. I find it terribly ironic that they
enforced the Platonic paradigm, however, as Plato was
certainly no Christian!

Eggs at Easter from Astarte?


Maybe, but Eggs in the spring are typical spring symbols
derived from a base archetype – and thus applicable to the
Pasch.

Is the Church banning the five pointed star?


And so many…

No answer is a good answer when I have not mine!


12

Archetypes

The Anima or Animus


The second most prevalent potential patterning is that of the
Soul (Anima is the male name for soul; Animus is the female
name for soul). Here we meet our inner opposite. Males meet
their Anima; females their Animus.
The Anima may appear as an exotic dancing girl or a
weathered old hag–the form generally reflects either the
condition or the needs of our soul presently.
Remember the wicked witch encountered by Hanzel and
Gretel.
The Animus may appear as an exotic, sensual, young man or
as an old grouch.
Remember the Great Oz who ran the Emerald City?
There is always Simon Legree ‘uncle’s Tom cabin) who took
in Little Eva.
Consider Super Man and Lois Lane. Clark Kent is the inferior,
shadow side of Super Man, but he is also closer to ordinary
people. Lois Lane has no interest in Clark. She is infatuated
with Super Man, her Animus; the masculine completion of her
personality.
Wonder Woman offers us an example of the Anima in action.

The Divine Couple


If one comes to terms with the Shadow and the Soul, one will
encounter the enchanted castle with its King and Queen. This
is a pattern of wholeness and integration. The opposites of the
outer and the inner life are now joined in marriage.
Great power arises from this integration.
13

Christ and the Church, God and Israel are syzygy images.
The believer who aspires to be the “bride of Christ” is
modeling his or her experience in response to the syzygy
archetype.

The Child
The Child Archetype is a pattern related to the hope and
promise for new beginnings. It promises that Paradise can be
regained. Child images like the New Year’s Babe obviously
derive from this archetype. So do the golden ring and the
golden ball and most flower and circle related images. The
birth of the Christ Child who unites Heaven and Earth, Man
and God, is a powerful archetypal event. Were the life of Jesus
not interpreted by this archetype, it would lose most of its
meaning. Jesus would just be one more teacher from the
Hellenistic world.

The Self
The ultimate pattern is the Self. For Jung this is the God
image. Human self and divine self are incapable of distinction.
All is Spirit. Images of Spirit abound. Wind and breathe being
two very common ones.
The Spirit descends as a Dove upon Jesus in the wilderness.
The voice declares to him his true nature: “You are my Son,
my Beloved.”
This is an archetypal drama of the Self.
Galahad achieving the Grail and ascending with it to Heaven
is likewise an archetypal drama of Self.
Lancelot’s failure to achieve the Grail speaks of his failure to
achieve the final discovery of Self. Chariots and cars point in
this direction. Remember the death car which comes in Darby
O’Gill and the Little People?
14

Enoch is taken up in a chariot of fire. Ezekiel Chapter One


describes the chariot conveying God into the world.

Examples of Archetypes in the Gospel of Mark

The Shadow
And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for
people were saying, “He is beside himself.” And the scribes
who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by
Beelzebul, and by the Prince of Demons he casts out the
demons.”
Jesus’ family and the religious leaders understand Jesus’
curious behavior in terms of the shadow-world of the
Universal Unconscious. Both perceive him in terms of the
negative energies of the unconscious. His family relates to
Jesus through the image of “the crazy man.” The religious
leaders propose the image of Satan. Jesus’ healings could, of
course be understood positively in terms of the shadow-world.
The reader knows that Jesus is the Son of God.

The Anima
And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw
the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a
dove.... The Spirit immediately drove him out into the
wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted
by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels
ministered to him.
By entering the waters, Jesus has crossed over into the realm
of the positive Unconscious or Super-conscious.
The feminine figure of the dove–the image of his soul or
psyche–descends to form a bridge between Jesus and the
realm of the negative Unconscious–the wilderness–where
15

Jesus will have to face the Shadow of the Son of God. In this
battle, the positive energies support him–angels–even as the
negative energies assault him–the wild beasts. The key point is
that the anima serves as Jesus’ guide.

The Divine Couple


...a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure
nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over
his head....Some...reproached her. But Jesus said, “Let her
alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing
to me....She has anointed my body beforehand for burying.
And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the
whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
(Mk 14:3 ff.)

Jesus projects onto this woman’s actions his own anima who
no acts as his guide preparing him for his ordeal in Jerusalem.
Clearly, Jesus embraces his anima, thus he defends the woman
against charges of wanton waste. Jesus has embraced the inner
woman. The scene suggests that she is a type of the Bride of
Christ (Revelation 21).
Judas takes Jesus to be a false teacher and goes to betray him.
He fails to see the spiritual drama.

The Child
The Transfiguration scene in Mark serves the same purpose as
the birth stories in Matthew and Luke. Here we see that the
human does coincide with the divine. This is the basis for the
hope of salvation. Everyman can experience the divine realm
as a dimension of ordinary life.
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and
John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves;
16

and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became


glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach
them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they
were talking with Jesus... And a cloud overshadowed them,
and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;
listen to him.” (Mk 9:1ff)

Jesus and the three disciples cross over into the realm of the
Super-conscious–i.e., they ascend a high mountain. Jesus the
carpenter’s son is perceived simultaneously in his eternal form
as the Son of God.
Moses, who starts the Jewish tradition at Mt. Sinai, and Elijah,
the prophet who comes at the end of the world, appear to Jesus
to prepare him for his journey to Jerusalem and his own death.
The disciples are urged by God to heed the teaching on
discipleship which Jesus has just given (Mk 8:31-38). In that
paradoxical teaching lays the path to salvation.

Soul Oriented Interpretation


Soul or Psyche is defined by an image embedded within a
story.
In Apulieus’ Golden Ass, the story of Eros and Psyche is
related. It is our primary source for this myth which arose
around 125 A.D. Psyche is frequently depicted in art as a
nymph with wings, a butterfly. She often gazes into a circular
pool
The soft drink Buffalo Rock bears a logo which shows her in
this pose. The Psyche image is an interface between ourselves
and feminine powers deeply rooted in the Unconscious.
Unfortunately, modern man has disowned the image and thus
the powers that it connects us with. Why should this be so?
17

Remember: Martinism is not a way to become a


psychologist !
But, you have to know many things about the
psychological functions!

Erich Neumann writes in The Great Mother:


The psychologist of culture recognizes that the peril of
present-day mankind springs in large part from the one-
sidedly patriarchal development of the male intellectual
consciousness, which is no longer kept in balance by the
matriarchal world of the psyche.
In biblical studies, the patriarchal consciousness has led
to the creation of “commentary” grounded in logical
analysis and argument. Poetic materials are, for
example, reduced through the process of commentary to
a series of rational-discursive statements. The value of
metaphor as a screen on which the mysterious forces of
the world of the psyche are projected is lost. The same
process transformed Jesus the Icon, the window into
Eternity, into the Son of the doctrine of the Trinity, an
intellectual abstraction. As a balance to this type of
masculine interpretation, there must be added a
feminine interpretation which honors images,
metaphors, and icons.
Neumann observes that images are the form in which
the invisible archetypal energy complexes are perceived
by consciousness. The many different aspects of an
archetype reveal themselves in a variety of different
images. Images point consciousness to the archetype per
se which is beyond the power of language to apprehend.
18

Indeed, images are prior to language. Language itself is


built upon images, as are our concepts. “The
representation of the instincts in consciousness, that is
to say, their manifestation in images, is one of the
essential conditions of consciousness in general.”

The archetype per se is a “’disposition’ which starts


functioning at a given moment in the development of
the human mind and arranges the materials of
consciousness into definite patterns” and is thus said to
exist preconsciously. It is eternally present. It acts as a
magnetic field which directs the unconscious behavior
of the personality through the pattern of behavior set up
by the instincts. “It also operates as a pattern of vision in
the consciousness, ordering the psychic material into
symbolic images.” The symbols belonging to an
archetype are said to be its symbol group.
Archetypes are not uniquely isolated in the unconscious
but intermingle and flow into and out of each other. The
more highly developed the consciousness, the more
uniquely differentiated are its archetypes and symbols.
As unconscious contents come into consciousness, the
archetype appears to split into a complex of more
specific archetypes. The final step in the process is
when a content becomes so highly conscious that it
becomes a concept and loses its character as an image.
The primary function of an image-symbol is to get the
attention of consciousness. It fascinates and thus focuses
the attention of consciousness upon it until its contents
are assimilated. The general progression is: the
19

archetype per se comes into primitive man’s


consciousness as a primordial archetype–a constellation
of meaning and emotion that overwhelms primitive
man’s ability to represent it to him. Fear and terror
characterize such an initial experience. Consciousness is
gradually able to break the primordial archetype into
constituent archetypes. As these less powerful
archetypes are assimilated into consciousness they
become concepts. Concepts eventually become just so
much neutral data. As contents are made more
conscious their energy levels diminish. Only fresh
experience of the Universal Unconscious can release a
new cycle of experience.

There are two key forces operating from the primordial


archetype of the feminine: the conservative force that
seeks to keep everything in the orbit of the Original
Mother; the transformative force that impels one to
break free and discover a new identity by developing
Soul (anima or psyche). Both forces are important, but
each can become a danger. There are times when
conservation is needed for survival just as there are
times when only a transforming experience can save.

The conservative tendency is at work in all forms of


tradition and in settings where dogma and authoritative
teaching are at issue. It is the nature of groups centered
on tradition to preserve the heritage of the past and to
keep all things in its orbit. New experience is anathema
to tradition. Repetition not innovation is the goal.
20

The transformative tendency is at work in the heroic


journey pattern.
The hero is called upon to brave the dangers of self-
discovery and to build a soul (psyche) that
individualizes him. Upon this foundation a strong ego
may be founded.
The hero is a force to be reckoned with as an individual
with a highly developed consciousness. The biblical
paradigm of this type of hero is Jesus in Mark Chapters
8-9.
Peter speaks for the tradition of the warrior Messiah
expected by first century Israel. Jesus condemns his
speech as being the voice of Satan and of men. Jesus
then challenges his disciples and the crowd to undertake
the perilous journey to Jerusalem with him for the sake
of the Gospel in full knowledge that the guardians of the
religious tradition are going to kill Jesus as a
blasphemer. Jesus challenges the crowds to choose to
build a soul (RSV: “life”) rather than being attached to
the world. Jesus focuses on the transformation that will
come through the suffering of the cross, the
resurrection. Clearly, Jesus is responding to the
transformative force of the feminine archetype which
the New Testament calls Spirit.

Let us put the matter a different way. There are times


when the universe speaks to us as a Mother whose
protection and guidance we need if we are to survive.
To the extent that we are “immature” or “children,” we
need to remain in the orbit of the matrix, our point of
21

origin. At these points in our lives, the support of


tradition is what we need. There are other times when
the inner feminine voice of the soul (psyche) urges us to
rebel, to strike out on our own, to undertake the heroic
journey for the sake of building our souls through the
acquisition of greater levels of consciousness. At these
moments, the pull of tradition can be fatal to our
continued growth. Jesus is aware of living at such a
moment. A new metaphor impresses itself upon his
imagination–the image of the message from the King
that is the “good news” that the Kingdom of God is now
accessible to those who will reach out to take it. Jesus
dared loyalty to this vision even at the price of fatally
angering the guardians of the Jewish tradition who saw
his new vision as a temptation laid before them by
Satan. The outcome was the transfiguration. Through
his journey to the Cross and into the Underworld, Jesus’
soul was perfected, transfigured into a perfect spiritual
being that the disciples experienced as God’s Heavenly
King. The release of spiritual energy from Jesus’ new
metaphor created the Christian Church and energized
Western culture for centuries.
Consider the case of St. Paul. Paul was dominated to the
conservative tendency. He was the arch defender of the
Pharisee faith who murdered Stephen and relentlessly
pursued the new “Christians.” On the Damascus Road,
the transformative tendency impressed it self upon Paul
with such energy that Paul was both blinded and forced
to take note of the new metaphor. The voice of God was
addressing him through the form of Jesus of Nazareth,
22

the great enemy of the Pharisee tradition. Paul came


under the influence of the transformative tendency and
began a forty year journey for the sake of the Gospel
and for the sake of building his soul.

It is Neumann’s thesis that an archetypal representation


or ‘primordial image’, when it exerts a power of
fascination over a particular individual, achieves its
power to do so by virtue of the stage of ego
development that that individual has reached. The
Ouroborus, or symbol of “the dragon devouring itself
tail first” (which Jung first discussed in connection with
alchemy), for example, dominates during the infantile
phase of ego consciousness, according to Neumann.
Some of the other symbols of which Neumann speaks
are the son-lover connected with the image of the Great
Mother: “they are loved, slain, buried, and bewailed by
her, and are then reborn through her”, the virgin birth
associated with the image of the Hero, the image of the
fertile-dead associated with the Transformation Myth,
and the mythological formula expressing the goal of the
Hero” “I and the Father are one”. Each image is
essentially paradoxical when taken literally. The act of
devouring necessitates a devourer separate from the
devouree; to slay is to take life

An advanced consciousness will therefore split the


bivalent content into a dialectic of contrary qualities.
Before being so split, the content is not merely good and
23

bad at once; it is beyond good and evil, attracting and


repelling, and therefore irritating to consciousness. But
if there is a division into good and evil, consciousness
can then take up an attitude. It accepts and rejects,
orients itself, and thus gets outside the range of
fascination. This conscious bias toward one-sidedness is
reinforced by the rationalizing process we have
mentioned.
But as consciousness becomes inflexible, overly biased
or ‘one-sided’ to use Neumann’s words, paradox can be
used to break the hold habitual patterns of contexting
have over the individual. Inherent in the confusion and
interspersal techniques Erickson uses for ‘depotentiating
the conscious set’ of a subject in order to replace it with
an alternative is the possibility of the use of paradox for
the intentional re-organization of personality. These
techniques, in fundamental respects, resemble the
individuation process of which Jung speaks, a process
which, by virtue of the production of such archetypal
designs as the mandala, a new wholeness of personality
is to be achieved. Both can be analyzed in terms of a
process in which consciousness is presented with a
paradox which triggers the altered state in which
consciousness is no longer bifurcated into object of
attention and subsidiary awareness. The altered state,
characterized by the dissolution of gestalt, and in these
particular cases induced by paradox, allows for the
restructuring of patterns of contexting. For this reason
alone, we can understand why the mythological symbols
corresponding to the later stages of life indicate a more
24

favorable attitude toward the non-bifurcated state than


do the earlier stages, which treat it as inimical to the
necessary strengthening of the ego.
All the differentiations and personality components that
were built up during the first half of life, when
consciousness was developing, are now inbuilt.
This “transformation process” is connected, via the
transformation mythology associated with this stage of
development, with the image of the ‘fertile-dead’. The
wholeness that comes into being as a result of the
individuation process corresponds to a profound
structural change, a new configuration of the
personality. Whereas in the first half of life there was a
tendency to differentiation and ever-increasing tension
at the expense of wholeness, the integration process
tends towards increased stability and a lowering of
tension.
Among the traditions which sanction the return to the
primordial unity of the non-bifurcated state stands
Yoga. Eliade summarizes the goal to be achieved in the
following way.
All this amounts to saying that we are dealing with a
coincidentia oppositorum achieved on all levels of Life
and Consciousness. As a result of this, union of
opposites and experience of duality is abolished and the
phenomenal world transcended.
And speaking of the undifferentiated state, Eliade
says: ...we are dealing with a transcendental situation
which, being inconceivable, is expressed by
contradictory or paradoxical metaphors.
25

But we should like to supplement Eliade’s discussion by


pointing out that the fundamental differentiation in
normal consciousness is between figure and ground–it
occurs when an object of attention is relevated from the
whole which remains in subsidiary awareness. It is this
initial bifurcation of consciousness which produces the
subject-object distinction and creates for the subject his
or her ‘phenomenal world’. It is an elusive duality
underlying everyday experience precisely because the
experience of subsidiary awareness cannot be captured
in attention, and yet subsidiary awareness plays a
significant part in experience in influencing the
deployment of attention. It is not surprising, then, that
the traditions which advocate a return to the primordial
non-bifurcated state should employ paradox, not merely
as a way of speaking about that state, but as an
instrument to achieve it. In the analysis we have given
of the Shri Yantra we described paradox in terms of the
double bind phenomena in which the subsidiary
experienced context in which an object of attention is
entertained is incompatible with (or contradicts) the
object. Hence, to seriously entertain a paradoxical
representation such as the Shri Yantra is to make an
impossible demand on consciousness structured as
subsidiary awareness/object of attention and to insist
upon assumption of the primordial non- bifurcated state.
We quoted a passage which suggested that the ‘obscure,
esoteric metaphors’ of the East constituted an obstacle
for a clear understanding of the insights such metaphors
were intended to express. If, however, we give Eastern
26

systems the benefit of doubt, we might discern not a


mere vagueness of expression which demands
clarification, but an indication that the transcendental
state of consciousness which is the primary interest of
such systems is fundamentally different from normal
consciousness. That the difference between the two is a
fundamental one becomes apparent when we conceived
of normal consciousness as subsidiary awareness/object
of attention and the transcendental state of
consciousness as lacking this characteristic bifurcation.
We may then understand the esoteric pronouncements
of the East to reflect both a reluctance to use
descriptions which would confuse the altered state with
normal consciousness and an attempt to induce the state
in question or a facsimile by the use of paradox.

Remember: Martinism is not a new psychiatric system


You don’t become a Martinist to be cured of your
diseases!
27

Martinez Pasqually “les Chevaliers Elus


Coens »
Out of the Illuminates of Avignon developed within the
French Freemasonry a mystical-theosophical order
founded by Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la
Case Martinez de Pasqually (or Martinez Pasqually for
short.) Pasqually was born in Grenoble in 1727. His
inclinations towards mysticism made him join
freemasonry, and he became Master mason in
Montpellier around 1754. He was also supposed to have
established a chapter of the Scottish Rite (Les Juges
Ecossais). Pasqually tended very early towards
speculative masonry. He made extensive travels through
France in the years 1755 -1760, and met many masons
that were fascinated by his thoughts. His ideas had by
the time of 1760 gained enough resonance among
freemasons that it allowed him to establish a lodge
called “Temple des Elus Coen”. The members were
known as “La Perfection Elue Ecossaise”. The Lodge
blended with the mother lodge ‘La Française’ in 1764
under the name “La Française Elue Ecossaise” It
received recognition by the regular Grand Lodge of
France in 1765. This made it much easier for Pasqually
to recruit new members for his Elus Coens.
The inflation of new High grades systems within French
freemasonry around the year 1766 led the Grand Lodge
to prohibit these systems. The Grand Lodge asked
Pasqually to shut down his “La Française Elue
28

Ecossaise”. He thereby lost his freemasonic basis, but


filled with an urge to again receive acceptance by Grand
Lodge he 28onsumma around France and met with
masons of a very high standing. Thereby he again
received license to go by Grand Lodge, but only for a
short while. When The Grand Lodge of France received
notice of the Elus Coëns system’s occult nature, it was
prohibited all over France. Strangely enough: Even
more masons became interested in his system after this
prohibition! Pasqually reorganized the whole system,
and established as substitute for a Grand lodge in 1767 a
“Tribunal Souverain”. Pasqually constituted himself as
‘Grand Souverain’, and established the Bacon de la
Chevalerie as ‘Substitut Universel’. The members of the
‘Tribunal Souverain’ named themselves “Supérieur
Inconnu” –Unknown Leader. This term is also used by
the Strict Observance and Gold-und Rosenkreuz
systems.
The members of the Order was called le Chevaliers Elus
Coëns de l’Univers. The name Coen has been said to be
a French version of the Hebrew word “Cohanim” : a
name for the highest class of priests in Jerusalem in
biblical times. That’s a fantasy of Robert Ambelain, a
confusion between cohen and coen.
They believed they descended directly from Aaron, the
brother of Moses.
Pasqually met Saint-Martin in Foix in 1768, and Saint-
Martin joined the Elus Coens shortly thereafter. Saint-
Martin was really influential in the Elus Coens.
29

Due to an ever increasing amount of internal conflicts


and strides within the Order, Pasqually left for Port-au-
Prince on Haiti in 1772. After a few years, he had
established a Tribunal Souverain on the island. His
cousin, Armand Caignet de Lester, was constituted as
‘Substitut Universel’ . In 29onsumma it thereby existed
two Tribunal Souverains and two substitutes in the
order. A Lodge was established in Port-au-Prince, and
another in Léogane. The lodges in France received in
the following years more complete formulas for magical
evocations and procedures for the higher degrees of the
system. In October 1773 Pasqually sent a « Répertoire
général des noms et nombres en jonction avec les
caractères et hiéroglyphes » to France. This was a
general “grimoire” or outline of a system of
correspondences to be employed in the invocation and
evocation of sprits. In 1774 he constructed a particular
initiation rituals for ladies of the order. Pasqually died in
Port –au- Prince in the year 1774. Some says : His grave
has never been found.
Pasqually had named his cousin Lestère his successor,
but the death of the Grand master led to a schism in
France. The group in Haiti, which was called “Temples
Coens de Port-au-Prince et de Lèogane”, functioned up
until 1780. Lestère died in 1779, and his successor was
Sébastien de las Casas. He dissolved the order in
November 1780 after an unsuccessful attempt to gain
influence over the European branch. He resigned as
Grand master in august 1780, and requested the
members of the order to join either the Strict
30

Observance or the Philalèthes. We find traces of activity


up until 1784, but most authors on freemasonry seems
to suggest that the original order died out with Casas.

The Grade structure of the Elus Coens:


The system was based on three classes with nine
degrees, and also a fourth class with a sub degree. The
first class was called “Maconnerie symbolique”
(Symbolic masonry) or “ordinaire”, and in it were the
three degrees Apprenti, Compagnon and Maître.
The second class was called 30onsummat Porche, and
contained the degrees Apprenti, Compagnon and
Maitre-Elu Coën.
The third class was called “les Degrés du Temple”, and
contained the degrees Grand Maitre Elu Coën, or Grand
Architecte and Chevalier or Commandeur d’Orient or
Grand Elu de Zorobabel.
In the fourth, secret Class, was the content of the Réau-
Croix grades comprised.
An initiate of the Réau-Croix grades was also entitled to
carry the name “Très Puissant Maître” (T.’.P.’.M.’.), a
term we also find amongst the later Martinists. Another
term was the Grand Elect of Zorobabel, a biblical term
that refers to the widow of King Jojachin, Serubabel. A
good deal of the system within the Elus Coens seems to
be based on legends of the Old Testament. The name of
the second Class of degrees, 30onsummat Porche, also
give hints to Blue Masonry.
The “Grand Architects” of the Order performed magical
operations to drive away ‘The Forces of Darkness’ To
31

be able to perform these ‘Operations’, the member of


the order had to go through an *ordination’. Through
the Most Mystical Master (Très Puissant Maître), the
member received empowerment to perform the magical
rituals that were to take place in the Temples –the
“Chambres d’Opération”.
The esoteric content of the grade of “Grand Elu de
Zorobabel” prepared the candidate for the secret Class
“-la Classe Secrète”. Saint-Martin called this grade
“Grand Réau-Croix” or Grand-Réau”. The original
significance of this grade according to Pasqually was
through magical evocations to establish contact with the
highest realms of the Spirits of the Elus Coens. When
the Grand Architect had driven the demonical forces
away from the sphere of the Earth, it lay in the hands of
the Réau Croix to attract the Celestial Forces, and
transport these forces into the mundane Aura. These
forces were brought down by either visual or acoustic
manifestation through the Réau Croix, in order to create
a link to the original image of man and thus integrating
it within each individual soul. This philosophy was the
main goal of Pasqually’s teachings.
As original sources of the Elus Cohens lies:
1) Pasqually’s handwritten text : « Traité de la
Réintégration des Etres dans leurs premières propriétés,
vertus et puissances spirituelles et divines ».
2) the handwritten Rituals and catechisms of the Order,
3) the correspondence between Pasqually and his
followers, especially Jean-Baptiste Willermoz from
Lyon.
32

The Traitè contains Pasqually’s Secret Doctrine, which


was delivered to members of the Rèau-Croix degree. It
is the doctrine of the Fall of the Angels, the fall of
mankind into the material realm, the secret esoteric
history of the Cosmos , the esoteric role of the evil and
demonic forces, and finally of mankind’s possibility of
returning to the glorious, original shape. These
teachings are developed in the rituals and catechisms,
and furthermore supplied with legends. In his letters,
Pasqually give examples of his conversations with
spirits and angels.
33

Gerard Encausse and the French Occult


revival.

Gerard Anaclet Vincent Encausse was born in Corogna


in Spain in 1865. By 1891 he had already established
his first occult order as well as published his first occult
magazine, ‘Traité méthodique de science occulte’. He
delivered a exam in Medicine at the University of Paris
in 1894.
The name Papus derives from Encausse’s reading of
Eliphas Levi’s translation of Apollonius of Tyena’s
‘Nuktemeron’. Encausse apparently started his studies
in magick in 1882. His conversion from a materialistic
view of life is described in his memoir entitled
‘Comment je devins mystique’. He may have
established contact with the ‘older’ martinist movement,
and studied the works of the chemist Louis Lucas who
was an acquaintance of Eliphas Levi. Encausse called
himself a pupil of Lucas, and dedicated his ‘Brochure
L’Occultisme Contemporain’ to him in 1887. In 1890
he issued the journal ‘Le Voile d’Isis’ on a weekly
basis. Among the editors were Sédir. Papus was a
member of the Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose croix
(the Cabalistic order of the Rosy Cross), led by Stanislas
de Guaïta (1861-1897) and Joséphin Péladan. The order
was formed by de Guaita in 1888. It was upheld by a
Supreme Council of twelve. Six of these remained
unknown with the idea that the order could be
resurrected in case of apparent destruction.
34

McIntosh deems it highly unlikely that there ever were


six such ‘Unknowns’. It has been speculated by various
authors whether this order upheld a genuine line in
Rosicrucian’s, some dare say dating back to the original
Brotherhood (see cf. Robert Ambelain’s ‘Templiers et
Rose-Croix’ from 1955). It would have been imported
via Levi, Bulwer-Lytton, Abbé Lacuria, Adrien Péladan
and unto his brother Joséphin.

This line of succession is highly doubtful.

The main participants of the order were de


Guaita,Péladan, Papus, Francois Barlet, Marc Haven, abbé
Melinge and Paul Adam. There were three grades of

initiation: baccalauréat, licencié, and doctorate of the


Cabala. Each stage required the passing of
examinations. The purpose of the order was threefold:
to study the classics of occultism, to enter communion
with the Divine through meditation, and to spread the
word among the uninitiated. The syllabus for the first
examination involved the study of the general history of
the Western esoteric tradition with particular emphasis
on the Rosy Cross, the formation of Hebrew letters,
their names and symbolism. The second consisted of the
general history of religious tradition through the ages,
with special reference to the unity of dogma behind all
symbols, knowledge of the constitution of Hebrew
words. This part of the examination was oral, and
accompanied by a written paper dealing with a
philosophical, moral or mystical question.
35

Guaita was descended from a Lombardy family. He was


a poet, and in 1881 he published his collection Oiseaux
de Passage, followed by La Muse Noire and Rosa
Mystica. His friend, the writer Catulle Mendès,
introduced him to the works of Eliphas Levi.
Pèladan (1858-1918) was “a character who personified
everything eccentric and fin de siècle. He was originally
a bank clerk, but soon set himself up as an occult
propagandist, calling himself Sar Mèrodack Péladan:
“Sar” being the Assyrian word for king, and Merodack
the Chaldean god associated with Jupiter. He published
a series of remarkable novels –some with underlying
occult themes. In 1890 he broke away from the group
after a series of conflicts, and formed a group of his
own, called l’Ordre de la Rose Croix Catholique, du
Temple et du Graal (The Catholic Rose Cross).
McIntosh says it was much more than an occult order:
“Péladan envisaged it as a nucleus from which would
emerge a whole set of religious, moral and aesthetic
values. He assumed the role of standard-bearer in the
field of art, music and drama, and carried it out.
36

Yhvh and Martinism

(that is, the first three degrees that are generally


associated with Martinism), but that there is, or at least
should be, a significant tie in with the Elus Coen and
any operations dealing with the twelve zodiacal signs,
and the 72 Names derived from the Schemhamaphoresh
(the seals, angels, and associated Psalms).
This however, is somewhat advanced as far as
ceremonial magic goes, and few people stick it out long
enough to actually do these operations.

Manipulations of the YHVH allow for a direct effect on


matter and consciousness by artificially creating their
corresponding ‘cycle’ or astro-cyclic pulse/phase. After
this is done a few times, then the rituals are no longer so
needed.

Similar manipulations can be done with the attributes of


the Hebrew letters and their corresponding planetary,
elemental, and zodiacal powers. All of this is outlined
in the Sepher Yetzirah, as well as the permutation of
YHV (no final H, as it deals with the realm of Yetzirah,
and not Assiah), for the creation of duality out of unity,
or actual ‘time-space’. This is a very interesting and
easy meditation to do. The ‘Cube’ thus created
becomes a charged astral matrix and is very useful for
meditation and every work.
37

The works on YHVH generally tie into anyone who has


had at least a significant, but not lasting, experience in
which they ‘listen to, and converse’ with their Inner
Master/Guardian Angel. They are concerned with the
15th Path on the Tree of Life, from Tiphareth to
Hockmah. If assuming Martinists are little cabalists, and
work the Tree of Life, then this Path is concerned with
increasing the direct influx of expansive, fiery power, of
a very high nature, in all of its permutations, into the
psyche of the adept/student.
Through work on the permutations, one might discover
their personal ‘Inner Name’ or the Name of their
‘Master’ or ‘Angel’ whereby they can converse (ie.
Achieve integration) at will with this part of their Being.
In fact, one could easily say that after zodiacal magic,
there are no further operations to learn or undertake
(since it builds on all previous knowledge), except those
that directly work upon experiencing the ‘regulus’ or
‘regularization’ of our consciousness to its primordial
state of unity.

Papus wrote on the Shemhamaphoresh and the


translation is published in the out of print Thorson’s
volume. The 72 letter Name is permuted from a passage
in the Book of Exodus. Robert Ambelain includes a
practice in his book “Kabbale Pratique”. This also
includes an old medieval engraving with the Names.

A few thoughts on such exercise:


38

For those who follow Gnostic traditions YHVH is a


Demiurge, an imperfect and even evil overseer. Using
the Shemhamforesh formula would be similar to Goetic
work; to reign in unruly and destructive spiritual forces,
perhaps the “Nephilim”.
Most practitioners of this tend to believe in an inherent
power in the Hebrew language, it being the language of
the Angels and God, but it comes with the burden of the
Old Testament world view. Shemhamforesh is
inherently attached to the Torah, which was first written
down from the oral history and laws during the
Babylonian captivity.
Large elements of Babylonian history and metaphysics
are incorporated into the likely much simpler Hebrew
oral traditions. From the Babylonians the Hebrews
absorbed the Angelic hierarchies, based on the seven
planetary Yazatas (the Menorah for example) of the
Magian cosmology.

There is a big difference between how Jewish


Cabbalists use the tree and its paths, and how the
Mathers derived Golden Dawn people use it.
The latter use the tree as a glorified filing cabinet and
vertical map of progression, somewhat delusional in my
opinion. A more holistic approach is to balance the tree,
which exists in microcosmic entirety in every person;
some have preponderance in one part of the tree, or a
deficiency in another. Creating homeostasis allows one
to perceive more subtle levels. One doesn’t
automatically begin in Malkuth and finish in Kether.
39

A strong argument has been made that Jewish Kabala is


merely absorption of Pythagorean and Platonic
philosophy into Jewish theology. The original “Tree”
being the tetraktys.

Reminiscent of the Zoroastrian “Daena”; the guardian


angel who accompanies each of us through life and is
reflective of our spiritual state, when we die, we are met
at the Chinvat/Rainbow bridge by this Angel. The
Magick (derived from Magi) tradition allows for the
possibility that we can be meet this angel before we die,
and therefore be better prepared for the “crossing”.

Many ideas are in this stuff, but all this is not pure
martinism of Saint-Martin or even Martines!
Individually you do what you want, but in a group you
are allowed to study such a stuff, not to use it as part of
martinism.

Papus and the others have introduced in martinism


many things which were not the way of Martines or
Saint-Martin, even Willermoz.

Another lineage of a martinist order than those


becoming with Papus, eventually Chaboseau, is
certainly pure fantasy!
40

FRENCH FREEMASONRY, l9l3

French Freemasonry is usually accepted as beginning in


the years l725-l730, with not just an English but with
Scottish Stuartist influence also a major factor in the
early years. But, if the French adopted English
Freemasonry, the innovative Gallic mind would also
inject esoteric, philosophic, and chivalric tendencies
into the Craft. The early era also saw a fair amount of
internal Masonic dissension and turmoil, as likely often
existed elsewhere.
Through the years, numerous Rites and Orders came
into being such as –the Scottish Grand Lodge, --
Council of the Emperors of the East and West, -- the
Strict Observance, --The Scottish Directories, --the
Scottish Philosophic Rite and many others. They would
all impact on the development of the Craft in France,
but such references will be noted only briefly, our
interest aimed at a more modern period. As a matter of
brevity, let us note simply that a Grand Lodge was
established in the early years of French Masonic
development, dissolved in the early 1770s, a National
Grand Lodge organized in l773, and then superseded by
a Grand Orient (G.O.) that same year.
In the realm of Masonic history, however, one group
does deserve particular mention. A member of the
Lodge “Des Amis Reunis”, Savalette de Lange, was
instrumental in setting up a study group between 177l-
1775 to search for the “truth”; not just “Masonic Truth”,
but “The Truth” – an admirable quest to be sure but
41

undoubtedly a difficult one. In time, a proposal was


made to establish both a system of l2 grades,
culminating in the grade of Philalethes, or Searcher for
Truth, and a comprehensive Masonic Library which was
an innovation at that time. With de Lange’s death in
l797, however, the “Rite of Philalethes” would
unfortunately disappear along with its founder.
Louis-Philippe, Joseph de Bourbon, Duke de Chartres,
cousin to the King and known to history as Philippe-
Egalité, had accepted the Grand Mastership of the new
G.O. In reality, however, it was the strong
administrative and leadership abilities of the Duke de
Montmorency-Luxembourg, as General Administrator,
who provided day-to-day guidance and moulded the
young G.O. into a viable Obedience. Although there
were continuing problems, these two high-level
members of the nobility undoubtedly assured the Craft
of a certain “protection” and stability, without which its
survival might have been questionable.
In an unusual turn of events, however, some members
of the former Grand Lodge of France (G.L.F.) met in
June of l773 and, unhappy with the “new” Grand
Orient” reformed” their own G.L.F. The Count de
Clermont, Grand Master of the old G.L.F. since l743,
had passed away in 177l and the “reformed” G.L.F. was
often called the G. L. of Clermont in his memory. Thus,
for over 20 years, until after the Revolution, a rivalry
existed between the G.O. and the Clermont G.L.
The Revolution of l789 saw French Freemasonry as a
body fall victim to the era’s frenzy and Masonic activity
42

largely ceased during that bloody epoch. The G.O. and


G.L.F. resumed labor in the late 1790s, although the
Clermont body faced serious problems. Its activities and
membership never equaled the level of the G.O.’s and it
vanished in June l799 when circumstances forced its
disappearance and absorption by the G.O.
Through the years, there have been allusions that French
Freemasonry instigated the l789 Revolution, a false
assumption but one still believed by some. In essence,
there were American Freemasons involved in the
American Revolution and French Freemasons involved
in the French Revolution. But, in both instances, the
Craft itself was not directly involved, only members
thereof. In that members were prominent citizens and
active in community life in both nations, it’s quite
normal and proper they were involved. (Northern Light
Nov. l992)
The first Active Scottish Rite Supreme Council was
formed in Charleston, South Carolina, in 180l, with the
first French Supreme Council formed in Paris in l804
under Count de Grasse Tilly, the rise of the Scottish
Rite an epic in itself. (Philalethes Oct. l995). The early
1800s saw continued Masonic dissension among the
various French Obediences, principally the G.O. and
Supreme Council (S.C.), the waters somewhat “calmed”
during the Napoleonic era. There is no clear evidence
the Emperor was a Mason, but he clearly “favored”
Freemasonry and his top-level advisors were invariably
Masons, presumably as a means for him to “control” the
Craft. Napoleon did not legalize Freemasonry but rather
43

“tolerated” it and is reported to have said: “It is better


that they (the Freemasons) depend on me, rather than I
depend on them.”
The fortunes of the Craft ebbed and flowed as the
nation’s destiny swung back and forth between Royalist,
Imperial, and finally Republican elements. Whatever the
circumstances, the continual harassment by the Church
with its religious intolerance was a constant specter on
the horizon. The long history of Church and State
persecution in many nations is well known, hence needs
little further clarification here. Nonetheless, the Craft
continued to prosper as the Masonic spirit captured
French imagination. (Philalethes June l994).
In l877, the G.O. took the unprecedented action of
deleting from its Constitutions the requirement for a
belief in God and the presence of the Three Great Lights
in Lodges. Masonically, their action can neither be
accepted nor condoned. Viewed historically, it appears
to have been brought on, first, by a wave of anti-
Clericalism then sweeping France as a result of Church
excesses and repressive religious and political policies;
and, secondly, the G.O.’s position that “an absolute
liberty of conscience was required.” Naturally, by
rejecting traditional Masonic principles, such action
resulted in withdrawal of Recognition by Regular Grand
Lodges worldwide.
At the end of l894, a number of Symbolic Lodges then
under the S.C. founded a new G.L.F. A Symbolic Grand
Lodge had been formed in l880 and a large portion of
this body then fused with the new G.L. A minority of
44

the membership, however, resisted the fusion and


carried on their Grand Obedience, although it eventually
disappeared. There have, of course, been other Masonic
movements within the country, but the few noted
represent a brief overview of the volatile French
situation from the early 1700s to the beginning of the
20th Century.
In 19l3, members of the G.O., disenchanted with that
Obedience’s continuing Irregularity and position vis-à-
vis traditional Masonic landmarks, formed a new
Obedience, today known as the Grande Loge Nationale
Française (G.L.N.F. – French National Grand Lodge).
The Grand Lodge of England and other Regular
Masonic bodies recognized the new Obedience as being
the only Regular representative of French Freemasonry,
but early years were nonetheless difficult for the young
G.L.
If WW-I hindered Masonic progress internally,
conversely it brought the opportunity of providing for
the formation of Military Lodges for American, English,
Canadian, and Brethren of other nationalities. Post
WW-I events saw the English and American presence,
in particular, result in forging close and strong links
with English and American Freemasonry, links which
have endured.
WW-II was a particularly disastrous period for French
(and European) Freemasonry, the NAZI Regime
seeking out and destroying the Craft and its members.
Countless members of French Freemasonry were to
serve the wartime Allied Cause; e.g., P.G.M. Derosière
45

who was imprisoned for providing England with


information; P.G.M. Jean Mons, one of France’s great
Resistance fighters, who marched down the Champs-
Elysées next to Charles de Gaulle when Paris was
liberated; P.Lt.Gd.Cmdr. of the S.C. Michel Garder,
arrested by the NAZIS and imprisoned for his activities
in France’s “Secret Services”; P.G.M. Van Hecke who
carried messages on his bicycle from one Resistance
Center to another; and Grand Master M.W.Bro. Claude
Charbonniaud, who entered the Resistance at age l7,
eventually joining the Regular Free French Forces.
Countless others could be cited, but these few G.L.N.F.
Members are representative.
In spite of repression, the Craft survived and, like a
Phoenix rising from the ashes, the post WW-II period
saw a Masonic resurgence throughout Free Europe.
After the War, their former meeting rooms destroyed,
the G.L.N.F. eventually relocated to Neuilly-sur- Seine,
a Paris suburb. In June of l967, in the presence of
representatives from around the world, including
England, Scotland, Ireland, other European Grand
Lodges and almost a dozen American Grand Lodges, a
new and modern Grand Lodge Temple Building was
dedicated.
Growth was steady and, in time, the Neuilly premises
became too small with additional space required.
Planning began and in June of l993 a newer and larger
Grand Lodge Temple was dedicated in the 17th District
of Paris, again with distinguished Grand Lodge visitors
46

in attendance including the Right Worshipful Grand


Master of Masons in Pennsylvania.
The new four-story building, perhaps modest by some
American standards, nonetheless comprises a Grand
Temple with a capacity of 500, eleven smaller Lodge
rooms, library, executive offices, and other areas
including a snack bar, restaurant, several dining rooms,
and an underground parking garage. With consideration
given for future growth, and with the Neuilly premises
also still in use, Regular French Freemasonry will have
outstanding facilities available for many years to come.
Through the years, members of military forces stationed
in Europe have been afforded the opportunity of being
part of the G.L.N.F. As a result, some l0, 000 American,
Canadian, English, and other Brethren have been able to
practice Freemasonry, either as Initiates or Joining
Members. Formerly, there were American-style lodges
using American Rituals at most military bases
throughout France. But, with the continual withdrawal
of American Forces from Europe, such lodges have
largely disappeared. There remains, however, a
Continental District Grand Lodge grouping a handful of
still existing lodges. (Northern Light August l994).
French Freemasonry is very circumspect insofar as the
general public is concerned. Masonic Temples are not
marked as such with no exterior identification as to the
purpose of the facility, there are no public notices of
meetings, members wear no identifying insignia, nor do
they generally identify themselves to non-Masons. One
may then ask how prospective members are located.
47

Usually, when a Member knows someone he believes


would make a good Mason, discreet comments are
made as appropriate and selective introductory readings
may be made available thus providing an opportunity
for a man to learn about the Craft and petition and
request membership if he is so inclined. But, following
traditional Masonic principles, there is, of course, no
direct recruitment.
French Freemasonry is not secret, however, being duly
registered with French authorities. And, the G.L.N.F.
forwards a Birthday message to the President of the
French Republic each year who, in turn, expresses his
acknowledgement and appreciation. On occasion, there
are public meetings to explain more fully the Craft to
interested parties, and from time to time there are “open
house” invitations from the Grand Lodge to non-
Masons. One such instance, for example, occurred in
conjunction with the June 10th, l994, D-Day celebrations
in Normandy where numerous Paris citizens were
hosted at the new Grand Temple.
There were also Masonic ceremonies conducted
wherein a new lodge, the “Star Spangled Banner”, was
consecrated in Paris. The Grand Master of the District
of Columbia, M.Wor.Bro. William T. Jenkins,
participated in the ceremonies in that the Lodge will use
an American/D.of C. ritual. In additional to numerous
Masonic dignitaries attending from the U.S., there were
visitors from several other countries. As a part of the
ceremonies, M.W.Bro. Jenkins presented the new Lodge
48

with a United States Flag which had flown over the U.S.
Capitol.
Additionally, there were special Masonic ceremonies in
Normandy to which visiting Brethren were invited.
Underscoring the special relationship between France
and America, there were four American guests of the
French Prime Minister at a luncheon at his residence in
Paris on June 2nd, l994, one of whom was a Masonic
Brother from Texas. The American, British, and
Canadian Ambassadors to France were also in
attendance.
One cannot compare the Craft in France to its North
American counterparts solely in terms of numbers,
French membership being much smaller, as is the
country itself. In terms of Masonic Regularity, of
course, the G.L.N.F. adheres to the same traditional
landmarks and Masonic principles as all Regular Grand
Lodges. The Masonic organizational structure also
essentially parallels that of the North American and
other Regular Obediences.
French (and European) Freemasonry, with the exception
perhaps of the American Forces, have essentially only
Symbolic, Scottish, and York Rite Masonry, including
the Royal Arch and Mark. There are no appendent
bodies such as the Shrine or Tall Cedars, no ladies’
auxiliary groups such as the Eastern Star or Amaranth,
nor any youth groups such as Demolay, the Rainbow, or
Job’s Daughters. Interestingly, however, insofar as the
ladies are concerned, there are women’s groups styling
themselves Masonic in England, several European,
49

South American, and Mediterranean nations. Efforts are


under way to establish similar bodies in those areas
which were once behind the “Iron Curtain”. (Philalethes
June l995).
It is not easy to become a French Freemason and it
requires effort to remain one. Entrance requirements are
strict, although following traditional Masonic principles,
and inquiry into the character of a prospective member
may take a considerable amount of time. In that several
Rituals are practiced, administrative and ritualistic
procedures may vary slightly between the several
groups. In some, for example, prospective members
may eventually be invited to the Lodge for an
examination “sous le bandeau”, to be blindfolded, then
escorted into the Lodge, questioned by the Membership,
and then escorted out of the Lodge thus quite naturally
not being privileged to see the Lodge’s interior. A ballot
may or may not be taken that same evening, thus
affording the Membership ample time to reflect upon
the candidate’s qualifications if additional time is felt
necessary.
For favorable ballots, Initiation, Passing, and Raising
follow in due course, although this, too, can be a
lengthy process. And, in between degrees, a newly
obligated Brother may be required to give an oral
presentation in Lodge on his reactions and
interpretations of what has gone before. In some
instances, a catechism is required in essentially the same
manner as in the American system. Examinations, while
in the friendly spirit of brotherhood, are nonetheless
50

detailed both with a view of determining if the Brother


has fully grasped the meanings imparted in the degree
and in aiding him to a better understanding where
necessary, an important part of his Masonic progress.
Recent years have seen the implementation of some
Symbolic Lodges using what is known as the “York
Rite”, essentially an American style ritual translated into
French. This particular ritual has proven quite
successful and is now being used by a number of French
lodges with more in the offing. Visitors are always
welcome in all lodges, but an American visitor would
immediately recognize the workings of this particular
ritual.
Members are expected to participate actively in the life
of their lodge and repeated unjustified absences are not
considered favorably. For the first year, however, a
member is generally obliged to only sit and listen,
without “active” participation, thereby absorbing
knowledge from more senior members. It takes, on
average, perhaps three years to become a Master
Mason; i.e., a degree a year, although some
advancements are more rapid. Masonic progress is not
automatic and in both Symbolic and Scottish Rite
Masonry a member must exhibit a knowledge of the
Craft, its meanings, symbolism, and aims In the
Scottish Rite, for example, it can take a man years to
advance to the 18th or 30th degree.
Lodges are, in general, rarely larger than 30-40
members who know each other well and attend
regularly, with a new lodge formed when necessary to
51

preclude a lodge from becoming too large. Initiation and


yearly fees are also significantly larger than North
American Obediences. French Masonry is highly
intellectual, it being common for papers of a historic,
symbolic, philosophic, or spiritual nature to be
presented in lodge followed by a discussion period.
Degree work, primarily in French, of course, except for
several “American” and “English” style lodges, follows
the traditional story lines familiar to Americans
although presentations may vary slightly in the several
rituals practiced. In general, lodges are opened and
business conducted in the First Degree. This permits
E.A.’s and F.C.’s to observe and learn, although they
must naturally temporarily leave the room when the
lodge goes to a higher degree than they possess.
(Philalethes Aug. l994).
France, being largely a welfare state, has a fairly large
tax rate which supports public hospitals and other
similar activities and the Social Security System
reimburses medicines and provides funding in other
areas. Consequently, there are fewer requirements for
private charities than in North America. Nonetheless,
while not on a comparable scale to the large American
and Canadian efforts, both the G.L.N.F. and Supreme
Council for France have charitable endeavors designed
to provide aid in cases where the need arises. Lodges
also have a “charitable collection” at the close of
meetings destined to aid members in need.
Meetings are usually held monthly and are invariably
followed by a dinner (agapes) either at a local restaurant
52

or one of the Grand Lodge dining areas, full restaurant


facilities available. These after-meeting dinners are an
important part of building fraternal friendships between
members as well as expounding more informally the
tenets of the Craft. While Masonic protocol is generally
followed, being perhaps somewhat akin to a “Table
Lodge” but in a more relaxed vein, it may happen that
members will rise and give their thoughts on the
evening’s work (planche); i.e., continuing discussions
on a paper which has been presented earlier. It is also
the usual rule for visitors to rise and say a few words.
Some critics have expressed concern about the l9l3
G.L.N.F. establishment in not having three founding
lodges. It should be noted, however, that it was only l6
years later, in l929, that such stipulation was advanced.
Thus, the 19l3 formation was clearly legal. It should
also be noted that the Grand Lodges of Georgia (l786),
New Hampshire (l789), and Rhode Island (179l) were
also formed by less than three lodges and that New
Jersey was formed not by lodges but rather by an
Assembly of Masons in l786. It can safely be stated that,
like the G.L.N.F., these American Grand Lodges are
also eminently Regular and beyond reproach.
From l954-l964, there were merger discussions between
the G.L.N.F. and the G.L.F., such talks finally ending in
failure, the G.L.F. ultimately preferring its attachment to
the so said Irregular G.O. Thus, while previously
maintaining relations with the G.O., and long permitting
inter visitations therewith, in l964 the G.L.F.
52onsummated a formal Treaty of Alliance with the
53

G.O. As a result, about l,000 members of the G.L.F. re-


evaluated their Masonic integrity and left that
Obedience, joining the G.L.N.F. to find Masonic
Regularity. While unification of French Freemasonry
did not then prove possible, perhaps the future will
prove more positive.
While placing the G.L.F. further into an Irregular
position, the Treaty produced other ramifications as
well. If the G.O. worked with the Grand Council of
Rites as its high degree body, the G.L.F. worked with
the Supreme Council of France. The Treaty meant that
the S.C. would then be in amity with an Irregular body,
a situation not acceptable to the Sov. Gd. Commander
of the S.C. and others who eventually withdrew from
the G.L.F. and formed a new Supreme Council. With a
membership drawn from the Regular Masonic
Obedience, the G.L.N.F., the new Supreme Council for
France, with its subordinate bodies is now recognized
by Regular Supreme Councils worldwide.
Concerning current European events, there is renewed
Masonic activity in several “Eastern European” nations.
Efforts by the G.L.N.F. to revive the Craft in Russia
resulted in four Symbolic Lodges as well as French
Supreme Council efforts which have resulted in the
requisite subordinate Scottish Rite bodies. It’s a delicate
situation in areas once behind the “Iron Curtain”, but
such efforts have been crowned with success with a
Grand Lodge of Russia created by the G.L.N.F. in
Moscow on June 24, l995. Efforts to reestablish a
54

Russian Supreme Council will undoubtedly also be


realized in the near future.
The G.L.N.F., with other Regular Obediences, has
supported consecration of Grand Lodges in Iran,
Hungary, and Eastern European areas. Rumanians
Lodges have also been formed in France in preparation
for the day when they can return to that nation and
reestablish the Craft there. Political events often intrude
upon the life of the Craft as, for example, in Iran where
a cessation of Masonic activity was dictated with both a
Grand Lodge and Supreme Council in Exile being
formed.
Also, since Wwl-II, the G.L.N.F. has been responsible
for introducing Regular Freemasonry into Spain,
Portugal, Morocco, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Senegal,
Togo and Benin. In brief, up until l995, the G.L.N.F.
had established Freemasonry in countries with over 200
million inhabitants, l5 different languages, l50 ethnic
tribes with as many dialects and more than l0 different
religions. Now, the new Grand Lodge of Russia with its
millions of inhabitants and diverse cultures can be
added to that already imposing list.
In summary, Regular Freemasonry in France is a
dynamic and growing body whose influence has
extended far beyond France’s own borders. The
“Miracle of 19l3”, the establishment of the G.L.N.F.,
has undoubtedly aided in mankind’s hopes for the future
and has left a profound Masonic legacy, one Masons
worldwide can be justly proud of.
William E. Parker, M.P.S.
55

November l995
A very good song, but just a G L N F’s song!
56

Martinism is Christian!
No less!
No more!
Martinism is a system of philosophic thought. It is
essentially Christic in outlook and the traditions are
based chiefly on the works and writings of Martinez
Pasqually, Jean Baptiste Willermoz and Louis Claude
Saint Martin. Martinism also perpetuates a sacred
system of initiation
Martinez Pasqually received his patent and initiation
from his father who received it from Charles Stuart
(Bonnie Prince Charlie), who in turn had received it
from the Knights Templar.
Martinez founded the order of Elus Cohen. Martinez
Pasqually initiated, among others, Jean Baptiste
Willermoz and Louis Claude De Saint Martin.
Saint Martin was for many years an Elus Cohen,
however, he gradually moved away from the technique
used by his brothers to achieve their re-integration - a
technique that involved ceremonial magic. His personal
preferences turned to a search for a more inward means
to achieve the same result. He thus developed what is
known in Martinist terminology as "The Inner Way" of
re-integration
A loose organization was built around him, formed of
people who had received from him a special initiation.
After his death his disciples carried on the work. This
57

organization was known under different names, but


more generally as "la Société Des Initiés".
Modern Martinism dates from around 1890 and the
creation of "The Martinist Order" by Papus. Among
others, Saint-Martin had initiated the Abbé De Lanoue
and Chaptal, Comte De Chanteloup. These two brothers
transmitted in turn the initiation creating two, so said,
lines of succession, one leading to Dr Gerard Encausse
(Papus) and the other to P. Augustine Chaboseau. Papus
and Chaboseau exchanged their initiations due to one
unidentified brother in Papus, initiation line, and in
1884 l’Ordre Martiniste was constituted. In 1893
l’Ordre Martiniste received the archives and records of
Willermoz and the Elus Cohen Temple of Lyons
Martinism grew and spread under the guidance of
Papus. He added two degrees before the superior degree
to serve as chambers of instruction and probation.
The first degree, that of associate is said to come from
Cagliostro's Egyptian Masonic Rite and the second
degree, that of Mystic, from Willermoz's Knights
Beneficent of the Holy City (C.B.C.S).
On the death of Papus, the order was soon to become
divided.
Bro Charles Detre (Teder) succeeded Papus and under
his leadership the order took on a more Masonic
outlook. Teder died in 1918 leaving Bro Victor
Blanchard as Grand Master Designated.
58

Bro Blanchard declined the Grand Mastership and it


was given to Bro Jean Bricaud. Bricaud took the order
even closer to a Masonic basis and many Martinists
rejected this. These Martinists gathered under the
guidance of Bro Blanchard. In 1934 an International
Convention of Martinists was held as Brussels. Bro
Blanchard was unanimously elected Universal
Sovereign Grand Master and it was decided to call the
work, "L' Ordre Martiniste Et Synarchique". This order
has operated in an unbroken line since its formation.
59

Theurgy and the Martinist Tradition


by Rectificus, S:::I:::I:::, XI/V, Elder of
Circle #8
Introduction
I was asked by a friend, recently, why The Rose+Croix
Martinist Order (commonly known as "The R+CMO,"
"R+CMO," or just "RCMO") practices Theurgy. She
had read somewhere in AMORC's The Rosicrucian
Digest that our V.M. Louis-Claude Saint-Martin
abandoned Theurgy during the latter part of his life
because he felt that it was "too dangerous." She was
concerned about how "dangerous" Theurgy is. I realized
then that there are misunderstandings, even among the
esoterically inclined, not only regarding the differences
between Magic and Theurgy, but also in understanding
what our V.M. Saint-Martin meant by the term.
Theurgy and the AMORC
To begin with, it is important to understand that the
author of the article in The Rosicrucian Digest is not a
Theurgist, was never a Theurgist, and has no idea about
genuine Theurgy. The AMORC, which publishes The
Rosicrucian Digest, does not teach Theurgy, does not
practice Theurgy, and knows nothing about genuine
Theurgy. Therefore, the author of that article would not
know what Theurgy is and would not be capable of
actually writing anything informative or instructive
about the Act and Art of Theurgy, other than to fall back
60

into the standard practice of the uninformed which is to


breathe hushed and ominous "warnings" about it.
Secondly, understanding authentic and genuine
Martinist history, and understanding (and using) the
practices of authentic Martinism is not now and seldom
has been a strong "forte" of AMORC and its officers.
Therefore, one must be very careful about Martinist
"information" coming from such a publication as The
Rosicrucian Digest. These statements are made, not
disparagingly, but to provide facts which have bearing
on the Digest author's confusion.
Theurgy and Magic
Thirdly, many persons have seriously and sadly
misunderstood the term Theurgy, often confusing it with
Magic. We find such misunderstanding and confusion
even among those persons who consider themselves to
be esotericists or mystics.
It is important to understand that the two operations of
Magic and Theurgy can be confused because they are
similar in certain ways. Both employ varying degrees of
Ritual, and both may use mental imagery or words to
express the desired goal. But, again, Magic and
Theurgy are not the same! The major difference is the
position of the Will in the operation.
In Magic, the Rituals, mental imagery, and words are
used to raise and empower the personal Ego and its
Egoic Will.
In Theurgy, the Rituals, mental imagery, and words are
used to merge the personal Will into God's Will. This
61

merging is called in authentic Martinism, The Way of


the Heart.
Therefore, we conclude that the essential difference
between Magic and Theurgy is the position of the Will
in the process of accomplishing our goals.
This essential difference has to do with the constitution
of the human being as a creator in God's world.
Man as Creator
It is important to understand that man is a divine being,
created in the image and likeness of God. Consequently,
man is, among other things, also a creator. Make no
mistake--man is a creator! Obviously, man is a creator
on a very minuscule scale compared to God, but,
nevertheless, man is a creator. He can create mentally,
as well as by the use of the spoken word. When we sit
back and do what is fashionably called "visualization"
in many schools, we are mentally creating that which
we are "visualizing." It is true that what we have created
is on the mental or astral plane, but we can bring what
we have created to manifest by an act of Will. In other
words, we can "will" something to happen or to
manifest. Here we are exercising our innate divinity--a
power which God did not strip away from us after the
Fall. Man can also create by use of the spoken word.
Man as Magician
By the mere proclamation of the word or statement "Be
it done," It is done. With So be it or Let it be done,
coupled with the Will, man sets in motion a chain of
vibrations for the accomplishment or manifestation of
62

his desires. Of course, its manifestation may be


modified, delayed, or mitigated by karmic influences.
By the exercise of the Will, we are saying: "My will be
done!" This is a simple example of Magic. Usually we
associate Magic with only such romantic things as
ceremonial, evocation to visible manifestation, spells,
conjurations, and so on.
Man as Theurgist
Now, let us examine another operation. We have
visualized what we want to manifest. Then, instead of
willing it to happen or to manifest, or instead of saying
My will be done, we say, instead: Holy Father, Thy Will
be done.... In this instance, we have merged our
personal Ego into God's Love, and we have aligned our
personal will to God's Will. We have expressed our
desire, but we have left its manifestation to His Will, not
ours. This is a simple example of Theurgy. In Theurgy,
however, because we are putting God's Will first and
aligning our will with His, we do not need to mentally
create every time we desire something. We can invoke
His Name and ask for what we want. If it is His Will, it
will manifest...
For who, if his son asketh for bread, will give him,
instead, a stone?
--Matthew 7:9
When we align our will with God's Will during our
Work, we open our consciousness to the Divine flow of
Consciousness. What often occurs is that we may
approach our place of Work with a certain plan in mind,
63

and then find that we will do Work that we never really


thought of before we entered the Holy Place! In
Theurgy, we accept the role of being an agent of God's
Will. One common example of Theurgy is the
Celebration of the Holy Eucharist (the Mass).
The Work of Initiation
In order to practice true and genuine Theurgy, one must
have the Knowledge, the Power, and the Authority to
use that power! Innately, all human beings have the
divine power that is our birthright ("This was the Light
that lighteth every man that cometh into the world"). To
truly apply that divine right, however, man's
consciousness must be aligned properly with the divine
current, in order to awaken the "sleeping giant" of inner
divinity ("Christ in you, the hope of glory"). The proper
alignment with the divine current is what true, authentic,
and genuine Initiation does, and such Initiation must be
received in person from one who stands in an unbroken
Initiatic Chain of Initiators. The first link in that Initiatic
Chain is always one who has established an Inner Plane
Contact from which the Initiatic Power is received. By
receiving Initiation in a Theurgical Order like The
Rose+Croix Martinist Order, you are awakened, and the
innate Divine Power which was formerly only a
slumbering potential is activated--and you are "born to
become a child of God."
Disadvantages of Magic
The disadvantage of Magic is that the personal Ego
prevails and the personal Will is paramount--"My will
64

be done." That is, Magic inflates the Ego in order to


have a source of energy, then channels the powers and
energies of the inflated Ego into the Will which directs
those powers and energies outwardly. It is no wonder
that Saint-Martin rejected such a practice! He knew that
because Magic exercises one's personal prerogatives as
a divine being, one also assumes full responsibilities for
the results of the magical acts. In other words, in Magic,
we incur and accept the karma of the results--whether
good or bad--usually bad. Because "we see through a
glass darkly," working Magic is always a risky business
because it is difficult--if not impossible--for the
magician to see all the way through to the final
outcome.
Advantages of Theurgy
In Theurgy, on the other hand, because the Theurgical
Initiate knows those secret, Initiatic methods which
perfectly merge the personal Will in God's Will so that
there is a unity of the two Wills, the goals that are
granted are given because God's Will has been done. In
true and authentic Theurgy such as is taught in The
Rose+Croix Martinist Order®, God's Perfect Vision
overcomes the human's imperfect vision (the "dark
glass") and the "way of the Lord is made straight." Is
there karma associated with this? Yes! Good karma
because only Good can come out of the execution of
God's Will! This is the true meaning of the Master's
command,
65

Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father in


heaven is perfect.
--Matthew 5: 48
God and "the Cosmic"
Does this mean, then, that when we end our
visualization with "If it pleases the Cosmic, it is done,"
then we are practicing Theurgy? NO! In the first place,
the "Cosmic" does not encompass God! To illustrate the
difference between the two, consider this analogy: think
of yourself as the "Cosmic" and the entire Universe as
God. You can see that God, in this illustration, includes
you (the "Cosmic"), but that the "Cosmic" does not
encompass God!
But there is an even greater difference between the two
terms. The term "Cosmic" suggests a cold, soulless, and
distant impersonality, a conglomeration of organized
forces without persona, rather like an electric
generator--a source of power which can be used (or
abused) at the whim of the operator. However, the term
"God" suggests persona, a Mind (the true meaning of
the Greek "Nous"), and sentience. To Work Magic, you
need only call upon the soulless, mindless Cosmic to do
your bidding. To Work Theurgy, you must realize that
there is a Greater Will and a Greater Mind and a Greater
Heart into which you shall plunge. The authentic
Martinist works with God, not with the mere "Cosmic."
Saint-Martin and Theurgy
Let us come, now, to examine St.-Martin's
understanding of the term Theurgy. First of all, St-
66

Martin rejected the Ritual acts of Pasqually's "Elus-


Cohen" as being unnecessary "to find God." The Ritual
acts of the Elus-Cohen have almost all disappeared, but
a few (a very few) manuscripts have survived. These
show that Pasqually was using ceremonial magic very
similar to the ritual found in the medieval grimoires.
Even though Pasqually called these magical procedures,
"theurgy," in fact, they were not in any way actually
Theurgical! The Magic of the Elus-Cohen was nothing
more than medieval magic, but Pasqually, despite his
considerable genius, was unlearned and incorrectly
called these acts "theurgy." Thus, all his life, Louis-
Claude de Saint-Martin confused the two terms and
incorrectly referred to Magic as "theurgy" because that
was what he was taught in his "first school" (as he
called the Elus-Cohen).
But did Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin use and teach
genuine Theurgy? The answer is--Yes! But he used a
different term: "Magism of God." For proof of this, note
this statement he wrote in a letter to his friend, Baron
Kirschberger:
...There were precious things in our first
school. I am even inclined to think that
[Martinez] Pasqualis...had the active key to
all that our dear Boehme exposes in his
theories.... From all this, it follows that an
excellent match may be made by marrying
our first school to friend Boehme. This is
what I work at; and I confess to you
candidly that I find the two spouses so well
67

suited to each other that I know nothing


more perfect in its way....
--Letter XCII, 11 July,1796 in Theosophic
Correspondence
What does Saint-Martin mean by "marrying our first
school to friend Boehme" (pronounced "Ber-mah")?
Simply this: active Ritual should be combined with
divine philosophy--which is what genuine Theurgy
does! Also, let us examine the following statements
from Saint-Martin's Man: His True Nature and
Ministry (Penny translation):
All these things point to one and the same
term, the Divine Magism [Editor's note: i.e.,
genuine Theurgy], which embraces all things,
fills all things, penetrates all things. If men
direct their aspiration... in any direction
where this Magism is likely to be
found,...they are not long in arriving at one
of these springs, which all have the same
Magism for principle, and they soon get
intoxicated with delights, which, though
coming through different channels, all have
the same foundation in God. (p. 196)
Saint-Martin also writes in Man: His True Nature and
Ministry:
The same law is laid down for you, O Spirit-
Man, for the management of your domains
as the officer of Truth. You are God's earth;
you are a divine functionary in the
68

Universe.... He sends you this task, wishing


you not to spare yourself in pains for its
accomplishment, and warning you that He
will rigorously exact His returns, which
consist in nothing less than the restoration
of order, peace, and life, in the portion of
His domains which He trusted to your care.
This work is the Magism of God, [Editor's
Note: this is Saint-Martin's term which means
genuine Theurgy] and the complement of
prayer. When He thus sends His desire or
thirst into you, He does more than admit
you into His council, for He brings His
council into you; and insinuates within you,
the sweetest and highest purposes of His
Wisdom; and impregnates you with the
same relations, which He Himself has to all
that is defective, and Himself provides you
the needful wherewith to work its
rectification; that is, He provides you with
funds out of His own glory.... This work is
the very complement of prayer, since it is
the very action...of the divine order which
passes into you. (pp. 176-177)
Thus, it is clear that Saint-Martin believed in the
combination of the practical application of human
powers as found in the Elus-Cohen, but he also believed
that such application was to be raised to the sublime
heights of Boehme's vision--and this is what Theurgy
does.
69

Theurgy and the Martinist


There is no question that Saint-Martin used and taught
Theurgy, and this is the secret Tradition passed on to
The Rose+Croix Martinist Order® (commonly known
as "The R+CMO" or as "R+CMO) and all genuine
Martinism. A Martinist Order which has no Tradition of
genuine Theurgy to give to its Initiates does not
empower them to do the work which Saint-Martin
commanded, which is "the management of your
domains as the officer of Truth."
If the Martinist does not possess the Tradition of
Theurgy, how can he or she follow the rule of God as
Saint-Martin established it, which is "nothing less than
the restoration of order, peace, and life, in the portion of
His domains which He trusted to your care"? Can
"order, peace, and life" be restored by simple talk? Can
"order, peace, and life" be restored by merely Initiating
(if, indeed, one possesses that Power) and then inviting
the so-called Martinist to attend lectures? NO! Saint-
Martin, as the man of action, understands that "[God]
sends you this task, wishing you not to spare yourself
in pains for its accomplishment, and warning you
that He will rigorously exact His returns." True
Martinists understand that merely lecturing about dinner
does not prepare and serve the meal. True Martinists
understand that the Work of Reintegration cannot be
accomplished by merely talking about it, but by
application through genuine and authentic Theurgy.
Authentic Martinism and Theurgy
70

The genuine Martinist Order produces a Martinist


Theurgist whose Martinist Theurgy follows Saint-
Martin's command to restore "order, peace, and life" in
the world. The Martinist Order that denies Theurgy or
that denies that Saint-Martin both practiced and taught
Theurgy not only doesn't know what Saint-Martin
wrote, but also fails to provide its Initiates with this all-
important Theurgical Tradition. Such an incomplete
Martinist Order must remember that Saint-Martin wrote
that God "...will rigorously exact His returns" because
of its failure and refusal to truly work for Reintegration.
The Rose+Croix Martinist Order® will not fail in its
duty to equip its Initiates with the full and complete
Tradition of Martinist, and that Tradition includes Saint-
Martin's practice and teaching of Theurgy.
Conclusion
Hence, we answer in the very words of Saint-Martin:
because it is authentic Martinism, The Rose+Croix
Martinist Order® ("The R+CMO")is a Theurgical Order
that accepts "this task" of working for Reintegration,
wishing "not to spare [it]self in pains for its
accomplishment."
NOTE: The Martinist books mentioned herein, as well
as other Martinist supplies, can be obtained from The
Martinist Information Service. Please write for a free
catalog and be sure to enclose a self-addressed stamped
envelope.

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