The Martinist Legacy
Siobhán Houston
Franceís fragile economic, social and political state of affairs during the years preceding the Revolution fostered the exponential growth of that countryís esoteric, spiritualistic and occult groups. Martinez de Pasquallyís Masonic organization became one of the most prominent esoteric societies to emerge at this time; his students, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, continued to advance his legacy in their separate and distinctive ways. This paper seeks to trace the stream of Martinism from its origins in French Masonry to its current manifestations, as well as to examine the influence, if any, on contemporary independent sacramental churches. Before wending our way through the major episodes of Martinist history, however, it would be helpful to define the word ìMartinist.î
What is Martinism? Serge Caillet summarizes the word as denoting the doctrine and theurgical practices of Martinez de Pasqually,[1] as well as the theosophy[2] of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. It also may refer to Jean-Baptiste Willermozís Rectified Scottish Rite, a Masonic system that he established after the death of his teacher, Pasqually. Additionally the term is used to refer to the Martinist Order that Dr. GËrard Encausse founded in the late 1800s and its filial descendents, as well as to those who follow Louis-Claude Saint-Martinís teachings, whether or not they belong to an established Martinist order. ìTo be a Martinist means, above all . . . the adhesion to a tradition which, in its modern formulation, comes from Martinez de Pasqually and from Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, but which is, in fact, much older, since it involves nothing less than the primitive Judeo-Christianity. Every Martinist is a Judeo-Christian, and a theosophistî (Martinism Today). In the modern era, two primary currents of the tradition exist, according to Caillet: the Papusian lineage and the Ambelain lineage of the ìneo-Cohens,î both which will be discussed later in this paper (Martinism Today).
Modern Martinists look to Pasqually as the seminal inspiration of their essential doctrine. Pasqually, whose full name was Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually, was born in Grenoble around 1727. The son of a Mason, he took initiation as a Master Mason by the age of 28. He had a vision of a more spiritualized form of Freemasonry than was in vogue at the time. To this end, he traveled extensively throughout France, attempting to attract followers for his own order.
Between 1754 and 1760, Pasqually founded Masonic chapters in the French towns of Montpellier and Foix. In 1760 or 1761, he established a lodge in Bordeaux, called the Temple des Šlus Cohen. Eventually, Pasquallyís lodge became known as La FranÁaise Šlus Šcossaie or the French Scottish Elect, and the Grand Lodge of France approved its charter in 1765.
The Grand Lodge of France prohibited the novel high-grade Freemasonry systems, which included Pasquallyís lodge, in 1766, and revoked Pasquallyís charter (Sataslatten). Attempting to once again win the support of the Grand Lodge, Pasqually traveled and politicked with numerous influential French Masons. Perhaps due to his persuasive abilities, the Grand Lodge once again approved his lodgeís charter (it is unclear if he had to eliminate the high grades from the orderís structure). Eventually, the Grand Lodge once again removed their imprimatur, scandalized by the news that the French Scottish Elect was involved in occult operations (Restivo, Martinez de Pasqually).
From then on Pasqually operated his
order outside the auspices of the Grand Lodge. On the spring equinox of 1767, he founded the Sovereign
Tribunal of LíOrdre des Chevaliers MaÁons Šlus Cohen de LíUnivers (ìOrder of the Knight Masons, Elect Priests of the
Universeî) (Restivo, Martinez).
Although the Šlus Cohen, as the society came to be called, was not
purely Masonic, only men who were Master Masons were admitted. An original member of the original
tribunal was Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, one of his foremost students, who would
play a significant role in later French Masonic history.
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A practicing Catholic, Pasqually had his son baptized in the Roman Church and required that members of the Šlus Cohen be Catholic, although a very few exceptions were made for Protestant members (Martinism Today). During his life, however, Pasqually was thought by many to have Jewish Portuguese ancestry and modern scholars have acknowledged that he possessed Marrano roots (Wassterstrom 39).
Pasquallyís familiarity with the Kabbalah and its decided influence on his theosophy was one reason he was considered to have Jewish heritage. Mazet describes Pasquallyís doctrine as ìapproximately Christianized version of a later stream of Jewish Kabbalahî (264). There is speculation that he may have been trying to establish a more pure form of Judaism, based on his understanding of Kabbalah; hence the name of his order, the Šlus Cohen, a French appropriation of the Hebrew word, ìcohanimî the temple high priests in the Aaronic lineage of ancient Judaism. John Cole, Grand Master Emeritus of the Ancient Martinist Order, notes that the concept of tikkun is comparable to Pasquallyís doctrine of the Repairer (Jesus Christ) and reintegration with the divine plan. He posits a possible link of Pasqually with Jewish kabbalistic schools that may have survived underground after the Spanish Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492 (Cole).
Kabbalistic elements, including number mysticism, figure prominently in Pasquallyís complex cosmology. He outlined his tenets in his only book, Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings into their own virtues, powers and qualities, a volume considered a modern theosophical tour de force. (Faivre, Access 73). The mythos underlying Pasquallyís concepts is based a kabbalistic interpretation of portions of the Bible, primarily Genesis. Briefly outlined, humans are essentially divine in nature and potentiality and ranked above the angelic order in the original scheme of creation; God charged them to administer a peaceful, orderly universe and restrict the wicked. The angelic order, on the other hand, was created to praise Him and to relish a divine life; they did not have the elevated administrative responsibilities conferred upon humankind.
Then the plan went awry. The disobedient angels or ìperverse beings,î as Pasqually calls them, rebelled, resolving to exist in opposition to God. Subsequently, these insubordinate angels seduced humans into their nefarious design. Robert Ambelain describes the scenario: ìUnder the impulse of the perverse beings, Archetypal Man made himself an independent demiurge, thereby breaking the very laws he was ordained to observe. He dared to make himself a creator [creating the material world] in turn and to be equal to God by his deeds.î He delineates the agenda of the evil angels: they have taken shelter in the material world in order to further separate themselves from God. Their plan is to keep humans captive, in order that humans might ìorganize and animateî the earth, rather like indentured servants. As he expresses it: ìTo escape the cycles of reincarnation in this infernal world, man must detach himself from everything that attracts him to matter . . . The fallen entities, however, constantly fight manís tendency towards perfection by tempting him constantly so as to make him stay in world where they can maintain their rulership over himî (Ambelain).
In order to break free from the material illusion and their enslavement to the perverse beings that hold them in a hypnotic sway, humans must employ their will, which is the only divine faculty they have retained in their dissipated state. God sent the Repairer (Jesus Christ)[3], to illuminate the path to restoration of humankindís true place in the cosmos. If humans realize that they possess amazing celestial potentialities and powers, they will be in a position to release themselves from their exile in the material world. Regaining the Adamic legacy that was abandoned in the Fall, they can resume their rightful cosmological standing. Once this is achieved, humans become dedicated to the reintegration of all beings, including the natural world, helping them return to their divinely ordained roles and conditions. This final state of restoration is similar to the doctrine championed by Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, among others, known as ìapokatastasis panton.î
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How best can humans aspire to return to God and bring about Pasquallyís eschatological revelation? He believed that the practice of a complex system of ceremonial magic was an important element in spiritual advancement. Waite notes that Pasquallyís rituals do not seem ancient in origin, but rather mostly are simplified rites from medieval grimoires, made accessible by Pasquallyís editing to the educated Masons of eighteenth-century France. There is, however, a marked difference between the intent of Pasquallyís rites and the authors of the medieval grimores, in that Pasquallyís object of invocation was ìthe Active and Intelligent Cause[4], charged with the conduct of the visible universeî rather than the evocation of shades, spirits, or elementals (Waite, Unknown 36-38).
According to one Martinist, Pasqually considered one of the consequences of the Fall to have been a cessation of communication between humans and the Divine. Theurgic operations were needed, therefore, in order to contact intermediaries who would connect the ritualist with Christ (Doctrines of Martinez de Pasqually). In order to enhance their spiritual development, Pasqually enjoined his initiates to observe a purity code; the consumption of blood, fat or kidneys of any animal and the eating of domestic pigeons were prohibited, as was fornication. In addition to the lodgeís corporate ceremonies, Pasqually would perform solo rites himself, presumably in order to develop his occult abilities, and encouraged some of his students, including Willermoz, to likewise practice daily invocations and other individual observances.
The initiates of the Šlus Cohen were organized in a grade system. According to Waite, there is some discrepancy as to the exact number of grades in Pasquallyís schema; it may be seven or nine (Waite, French 9-13). The grades are organized into the following three classes:
Restivo also describes a secret grade within the Šlus Cohen, that of RÈau-Croix (not related to Rose-Croix). ìIn this degree of RÈau-Croix, the Initiate is put in touch with the spiritual planes beyond the physical, through Magical Invocation or Theurgy. He draws the Celestial powers into his and the earthís aura. Auditory and visual manifestations, called ìsignsî, enables the RÈau-Croix to evaluate his own evolution and that of other ìoperatorsî and to determine thereby whether he or they have been re-integrated into Their original powers. The grand object of the Order was to obtain the Beatific Vision of the Repairer, Jesus Christ, in response to Magical Evocationsî (Martinez).
Pasquallyís efforts at promulgating the Šlus Cohen met with remarkable success. Within three years, Pasqually and his followers established temples in many French cities, including Foix, Avignon, La Rochelle, Paris, Versailles, and Lyons, among others. Specifically, the Šlus Cohens attracted those fascinated by ceremonial magic workings as well as its highly articulated occult philosophy, elements that mainstream Masonic groups did not offer.
On the surface, there seems to be a discrepancy in the fact that Catholic Church prohibited its congregants from Mason involvement and the vast majority of Šlus Cohen, including Pasqually himself, and later Saint-Martin, were Catholic. McIntosh clarified the curious situation; although Clement XII had issued a papal bull opposing Freemasonry in 1738, it was for the most part disregarded in France. Catholic laity and even Catholic priests were active in the French freemasonry movement (18-19).
Freemasonry enjoyed a huge degree of popularity in predominately Catholic France during the latter eighteenth century. The incredible growth of Masonic lodges may be traced in part to ìthe intellectuals who had initiated the revolt against the Christian Church, were, by the middle of the eighteenth century, already becoming tired of their own skepticism and were looking around for a new faith to replace the one they had abandonedî (McIntosh 18-19). By 1789, the year the Revolution began, there were approximately six or seven hundred lodges in France, for a total membership of about 30,000 (McIntosh 18-19). Moreover Freemasonry had a stronghold in Lyon, which would become the nexus of significant Martinist activities: ìIn the later eighteenth century, the Lyonnais eagerly welcomed sentimentalism; they had tired of rationalism and allowed themselves to be won over by the mystical Freemasonry of M. de Pasqually, L.-C. de Saint-Martin, and J.B. Willermozî (Scott 611).
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Another element of Freemasonryís popularity seems to have been in regard to social intercourse. French Masonic lodges, while administratively hierarchical, offered a venue for the nobility and the bourgeoisie to mix as relative equals, an unusual situation in the highly stratified society of the time. Since French Masonic lodges of the period only admitted the nobility and bourgeoisie, the members were educated men. The working class was not allowed to become members during this period; they were not considered to be ìfree,î because their livelihoods depended on being employed by others (McIntosh 40-41). While a definite causal connection between Freemasonry and the Revolution has not been established, there is no doubt that the Masonic fellowships provided a fertile setting for the exchange of political and philosophical ideas.
In 1772, at the height of the Šlus Cohenís popularity, Pasqually sailed to San Domingo to oversee some family matters. Although he corresponded with his students on the Continent, sending them magical formulae and rituals, he never returned to France. He died in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on September 20, 1774. His appointed spiritual heir was his cousin, Armand Cagnet de LestËre, a Navy official in Port-au-Prince. De LestËre was only able to devote enough time to manage the two Haitian Cohen temples in Port-au-Prince and in LÍogane and was unable or unwilling to address the controversies occurring in the French branch. In 1778, Sebastian de las Casas succeeded the deceased de LestËre as Grand Master. By that time, various French factions of the Šlus Cohens were involved in considerable infighting and the movement was in disarray. De las Casas resigned as head of the order in 1780, instructing the members to align with the Philalethes or the Masonic lineage of the Strict Observance (Sataslaaten).
Although the Šlus Cohen Temples ìfell asleepî (become dormant), nevertheless the ìKabbalistic Areopagoi,î a council of nine Šlus Cohens members continued to pass on the teachings. Although the Temples disintegrated, some of his students still carried on the magical work in informal groups. Restivo reports that the theurgic rituals of the Šlus Cohen were still performed in the early 1800s on the equinoxes (Martinez).
According to Serge Caillet, Robert Ambelain (Sar[5] Aurifer, 1907-1997) ìreawakenedî the Šlus Cohen in 1942-43 during the Nazi occupation of France, even in the face of German persecution of Masonic societies. Ambelainís newly constituted ìMartinist Order of the Šlus Cohen,î was dedicated to the theurgic rites of Pasqually. Caillet believes that although there was no direct ritual initiatic succession between Pasqually and Ambelain, there was a valid ìspiritual filiationî (Martinism Today). After operating for several years, Ambelain put the lodge to rest, only to revive it 30 years later. There are still orders that call themselves Šlus Cohen, and claim to be spiritual heirs to Pasquallyís ceremonial magic system.
Antoine Faivre lauds Louis-Claude de Saint Martin, Pasquallyís foremost disciple, as ìthe most important Christian esotericist of his time, whose influence, directly or indirectly, has never ceased to spreadî (Faivre, Access 73). The scion of an aristocratic family, Saint-Martin was born in Amboise in the Touraine region of France in 1743. At the insistence of his father, he studied law at university, but upon graduation only practiced as a lawyer for a few months, finding the profession not to his liking. While in his early twenties, he decided to enter military service as a lieutenant in the RÈgiment de Foix. It was in this city that he encountered a student of Pasqually and he joined the Šlus Cohens in 1768. Long preoccupied with philosophy, Martin also dabbled in Mesmerism and spiritualism, highly fashionable in France at the time. Leaving the army around 1769 or 1770, his teacher employed Saint-Martin as his personal secretary. Although Saint-Martinís correspondences indicate that he enjoyed a social life to some extent, he never married but instead dedicated himself to a quiet contemplative life and his spiritual writings.
Even previous to the death of Pasqually in 1772, Saint-Martin slowly began to move away from his masterís emphasis on theurgy (Waite, Unknown 25). Although Saint-Martin continued to adhere to his teacherís philosophical teachings, he abandoned the practice of ritual magic and became deeply immersed in Bible study. Although he cast off his first teacherís methodology, there was no estrangement between them; Saint-Martin held Pasqually in the highest esteem. Many years after leaving the Šlus Cohens, Saint-Martin wrote to Baron Kirchberger de Liebistorf in letter XCII (11 July 1796), comparing his teacher to Jakob B–hme, who exercised a significant influence on Saint-Martin in his later years: ìThere were precious things in our first school. I am even inclined to think that Mr. Pasqualis, whom you name, (and who, it must be said, was our master), had the active key to all that our dear Bohme exposes in his theories, but that he did not think we were able to bear those high truthsî (Penny).
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For Saint-Martin, following Pasquallyís philosophy, human beings were of supreme importance in the divine plan. They possess godlike abilities and are Christs in potentio, but most people fritter away their lives as sleepwalkers, unaware of the latent powers within. Occasionally glints of these faculties may flare up and be glimpsed during times of great stress or great joy but most ignore these episodes (Wilson 320). Saint-Martin cites cowardice as the reason humans refuse to take up their responsibility to work for the restoration of Godís plan. ìThe present-day avoidance of the belief that we are the highest in the universe is the reason that we have not the courage to work to justify that title, that the duties springing from it seem too laborious, and that we would rather abdicate our position than realize them in all their consequencesî (qtd. in Wilson 318).
To become reborn is a difficult path, Saint-Martin acknowledged, and he saw self-discipline and to some degree ascetism as essential aspects of the inner way. He viewed the material body to be the major barrier to reintegration with the Divine and he did not see Nature as a creation or reflection of God, since it was not created as part of Godís plan. Saint-Martin wrote in his first book, ìI must not conceal that this crass envelope is the actual penalty to which the crime of man has made him subject in the temporal region. Thereby begin and thereby are perpetuated the trials without which he cannot recover his former correspondence with the lightí (qtd. in Waite, Unknown 177). He advocated that humankind recover their primeval nature and supremacy through the regenerative influence of Christ, through spiritual contemplation and prayer, through the exercise of will and devotion to God; success in this endeavor results in a second birth, a creation of the ìNew Man.î
Once he left the army, Saint-Martin lived off the little family money available to him and dedicated his time to composing theosophical works, even as the chaos of the Revolution raged around him, often endangering his life. Waite describes the mood of this period: ìThere is no need to say that is was a time of disillusion and unbelief, of expectancy which had at least a touch of awe, for the Revolution was already at hand, and so also it was a time of wonder-seeking, of portents, and prophets, and marvel; it was the day of Cagliostro and of Mesmer, of mystic Masonry and wild Transcendentalismî (Unknown 27). In 1775 Saint-Martin published his first book, Des Erreurs et de la VÈritÈ, par un Philosophe Inconnu (Of Errors and the Truth, by an Unknown Philosopher), which the Spanish Inquisition condemned in 1798. Always writing under the moniker, ìthe Unknown Philosopher,î he followed this work by several more books in which he ìsought to combat modern rationalist and materialist reductionismî (Versluis 230).
Waite supposes several
possible reasons for Saint-Martinís use of a pseudonym: he wished to protect
the knowledge of his membership in an occult society; he may have protected his
identity out of consideration for his (Catholic) family and social network;
and, as a member of the nobility during the French Revolution, he regarded it
as prudent to keep a low profile.
Whatever the reason, it was not until 1809, after Saint-Martinís death,
that his published work included his name as author (Waite, Unknown 18).
Greatly inspired by B–hmeís theosophy, Saint-Martin learned German in the latter part of his life and was the first to translate the theosopher from G–rlitz into French. In 1800 he published the translation of Boehmeís Aurora and two years later came out with the translation of Boehmeís Three Principles. That year also saw the publication of Saint-Martinís final work; a book entitled The Ministry of Man and Spirit, which was his attempt to fuse the doctrine of Pasqually with B–hmeís theosophy. By 1803, when Saint-Martin died of a stroke, his works had circulated throughout France and in many other European countries as well, garnering him a notable reputation as a philosopher.
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A member of the original Šlus Cohen tribunal and a close friend of Saint-Martin, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz directed the vibrant Šlus Cohen temple in Lyons. After Pasquallyís death, Willermoz became a central figure in the reformation of French templar masonry. In 1778 he founded a new Masonic order, which was a development of the ìOrder of Strict Observance,î of German masonry. Willermoz called his society the ìRectified Scottish Rite,î which included the degree of líOrdre des Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la CitÈ Sainte (ìOrder of the Knights Beneficent of the Holy Cityî) (Faivre, Notions 162). Satisfied he had discovered the esoteric secrets of Masonry, he created a Masonic course of development that taught these inner Christian teachings in the higher degrees (Mazet 264-265). He established two new secret degrees in this order, which transmitted his teacherís doctrine and parts of Saint-Martinís teachings, although he removed the theurgical practices given by his teacher. Willermoz presupposed a link to the medieval Order of the Knights Templar, considered by him to be one of repositories of ancient and divinely inspired wisdom, transmitted through lodge initiates to the present day (Faivre, Notions 162). Ultimately the French Revolution led to the disintegration of this society; an attenuated form of Willermozís group reportedly continues on within the ranks of the Scottish Rectified Rite of France and Switzerland (A Short History of Martinism).
In the 1890s, the city of Paris flourished and bloomed, offering a vital and liberated environment for artists, writers, poets, playwrights and the politically defiant. Although fin de siËcle Paris had its dilemmas and dangers, including frequent bombings by anarchist groups, the capital presented its denizens and visitors a freedom of expression and creation that could hardly be rivaled in Europe. Not surprisingly, therefore, Paris became the hub of a major occult resurgence, one that attracted a wide swath of the French population: ìThe renewed interest in the occult was by no means confined to a few eccentrics and scholars and it was inevitable that artists and poets who had turned from naturalism to the world of dreams and the mysteries of the spirit should include magic in their sphere of interests. A wider public which avidly read accounts of new scientic [sic] marvels was also becoming fascinated again by supernatural subjectsî (Rudorff 193).
The occult craze manifested in the formation of esoteric sects as well as an explosion of books on magic, sorcery, mysticism, Kabbalah, alchemy and Satanism. The leading occult writer of the time, Eliphas LÈvi, whose given name was Alphonse Charles Constant, had great success with his renowned occult tomes, Histoire de la magie (ìHistory of Magicî) and Dogma et ritual de la haute magie (ìDogma and Ritual of High Magicî). Formerly a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, he came in contact with Martinism and became an avid supporter of Saint-Martinís philosophy, though LÈvi remained a devoted Catholic throughout his life (Smoley 36).
This period of fervent mystical fascination in France inaugurated the era of modern Martinism, beginning with the group founded in 1891 by Dr. GËrard Encausse, whose magical and pen name was Papus. He was a member of the Paris temple of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Croix under Grand Master Marquis Stanislaus de Guaita. LíOrdre Martiniste (ìThe Martinist Orderî) whose official name was LíOrdre des SupËrieurs Inconnus (ìOrder of the Unknown Superiorsî), consisted initially of a twelve-member ìSupreme Councilî with Papus as Grand Master and President (Laurant 285). The infamous occultists Josephin PÈladan and de Guaita were also original members of the tribunal. As the order grew, it attracted numerous occultists and visionaries, including RenÈ GuÈnon, who was affiliated with the Martinist Order between1906 and 1912 (Wasserstrom 44).
A principal aim of the order was to standardize the Martinist initiatory system (Melchior). Papus wished to create a society that would bring together Martinist initiates and provide an opportunity for further study and promulgation of the Martinist teachings. According to Papusís account of succession, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin initiated the AbbÈ of Lano¸e and Chaptal, Comte de Chanteloup. Each of these initiates continued the tradition by initiating others, thereby forming two distinct lines of succession. The AbbÈís lineage led to Papus; the line of the Comte de Chanteloup ended with Augustin Chaboseau. Eventually, Papus and Chaboseau initiated each other, thus bringing together the lines of succession.
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In 1893, Papus received the archives of the Šlus Cohen temple in Lyons and the records of Willermoz, which had been in the keeping of a man named Brother Cavarnier (Restivo, Papus). Papusís Martinist Order flourished in the next quarter of a century, spreading as far as Russia and the court of Nicholas II. By the early 1800s, the works of Saint Martin and B–hme were available in St. Petersburg (Wilson 249). Russians knew of Saint-Martinís writings primarily in connection with Rosicrucianism, the work of Swedenborg, which were both connected to occult masonry, and Martinism attracted followers from the courts of aristocrats as well as the professional class.
The Martinist Order under Papus was officially allied with an independent sacramental church, the líElglise Gnostique Universelle (ìThe Universal Gnostic Church--UGC), whose origins were in Jules Doinelís líEglise Gnostique de France (the ìGnostic Church of Franceî), although Doinelís church had undergone several permutations in its transformation into the UGC. The UGCís strange history began in 1888, when Doinel had a vision of the ìEon Jesus,î who consecrated Doinel (at that time immersed in studies of the Cathars and the Bogomils) as ìBishop of MontsÈgur and Primate of the Albigenses.î In this revelation, Eon Jesus commanded the newly ordained espiscopate to found a Gnostic church. Doinel established the church in 1890 and undergirded its liturgy and theology in Catharist doctrine and sacramental observances. While acting as patriarch under the name Valentin II, he ordained numerous bishops and sophias (female bishops), including Papus, who assumed the spiritual name Tau Vincent, Bishop of Toulouse. Doinel became a member of Papusís Martinist Order in 1890 and a member of that societyís Supreme Council.
In 1907, Jean Bricaud (1881-1934), who had been consecrated as Tau Johannes in the original Gnostic Church of France, created a schismatic Gnostic body, whose liturgy and doctrine was more Roman Catholic than the Doinelís Catharist sect. Papus encouraged this move, and Papus and Bricaud, who was also a member of the Martinist Order, christened the new church líEglise Catholique Gnostique (the Gnostic Catholic Church). In 1908, with Bricaud elected as the new churchís patriarch, its name was changed to líEglise Gnostique Universelle (the Universal Gnostic Church). In 1911, Papus and Bricaud declared that the Universal Gnostic Church to be the official ecclesiastical body of the Martinist Order (Apriyon). The Martinist Order reaffirmed this affiliation in 1918.
In 1916, Papus died of tuberculosis in while serving as a French army surgeon and caring for soldiers at the front. Papus left behind an impressive legacy; there were 160 active Martinist lodges by 1916. After Papusís demise, however, the Martinist movement lost its unity and began to fragment with the loss of its unfaltering guide (A Short History of Martinism).
Before launching into a discussion of post-Papus Martinism, it may be helpful to address a contentious topic within modern Martinism, that of initiation. Often in scholarly articles and books, the authors refer to Saint-Martin as ìthe founder of Martinism.î There is, however, no hard evidence, either in his books or correspondence or any other extant source, that the philosopher founded an order or that he initiated students. In his correspondence, Saint-Martin alludes to the value that a physically transmitted initiation might be valuable; ultimately his position on initiation was specific:
ìThe only initiation which I preach and seek with all the ardour of my soul is that by which we may enter into the heart of God and make Godís heart enter into us, there to form an indissoluble marriage, which will make us the friend, brother, and spouse of our Divine Redeemer. There is no other mystery to arrive at this holy initiation than to go more and more down into the depth of our being . . .î (Waite, Unknown 254).
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Among modern Martinists, one can find a number of versions of the initiatic lineageís development. One ubiquitous depiction describes a diverse group of students that formed around Saint-Martin during his lifetime. In this scenario, Saint-Martin may have given them an informal initiation, possibly involving a transmission through laying on of hands, which the students carried on after his death. This loosely formed society is said to have operated under various names, including SociÈtÈ des InitiÈs (The Society of Initiatesî).î An apocryphal story recounts that during the Reign of Terror, Saint-Martin secretly met and taught his students, who dressed in cloaks and masks at these rendezvous in order to hide their identities from Robespierreís henchmen. Reportedly the contemporary use of a cloak and mask as Martinist ceremonial accouterments in some orders rose from such clandestine meetings during the Revolution (A Brief History of The Martinist Movement).
Frater Melchior relates another verbal tradition in circulation, which he notes is questioned by the majority of Martinists. It recounts Saint-Martinís establishment of an order called the ìRectified Rite of St. Martin,î which initially had ten degrees of initiation, although later the number was decreased to seven. This Rectified Rite is also mentioned as an actuality in a 1938 issue of the journal Theosophy.
While most modern
Martinists concur on the significance of initiation, the Rose-Croix Martinist
Order of headquartered in Greeley, Colorado takes an extreme view of the
importance of an intact succession.
They state that ìthis mysterious and secret Initiation is a ritual
ceremony that, to be valid, must be passed on from person to person in an
unbroken line from St.-Martin himself.
A true Martinist must be able to show that his or her Line of Filiation
has been transmitted person-to-person and without a break in the Line. The Initiation confers powers and
abilities which enable a Martinist to understand and apply the ancient esoteric
wisdom and theurgical processes taught by The Unknown Philosopherî (A Brief
History of Martinism).
Another Martinist group avers that initiation is an ìessential component of being a Martinist,î although they do not require the tracing of a memberís initiation back to Saint-Martin himself. The position of LíOrdre Martiniste et Synarchique (ìThe Martinist Order and Synarchyî) is that initiation consists of ìthe transmission of a spiritual influence by a word, a breath and the imposition of hands such as the initiator himself had received . . . Saint-Martin not only instructed his disciples in the principles of the ëInner Wayí . . . he transmitted to them, under the appearance of a simple ritual ceremony, that mysterious viaticum which is a key even stranger than Solomonís Keysî (A Short History of Martinism).
The accurate conclusion may be the one upheld by many Martinists, including Lí Ordre Martiniste de Chevaliers du Christ (ìMartinist Order of the Knights of Christî), whose literature states: ì. . . [W]e adhere to the thesis of Robert Amadou, who claimed that Louis-Claude de Saint Martin never founded the Martinist Order, nor transmitted the Martinist initiations under the guise of rituals. He acted, therefore, from an affiliation with desire, from a spiritual affiliation, which little by little, formalized ritually under the influence of various personalities, notably Novikov[6] and Papusî (Martinist Order of the Knights of Christ).
Caillet, director of the Eleazar Institut, seconds the opinion that Saint-Martin did not directly initiate anyone. He contends that this story was fabricated by later followers of Saint-Martin, including Papus. Caillet states: ìFirst, [consider] the Papusian current . . . which, as the name indicates, goes back to Papus, because the ritual initiation said to be ëfrom Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin,í which is conferred by all of the Martinist Orderóletís state this clearlyódoes not go back to Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. Papus is at its origin, andñcontrary to what is said and to what still may be written, there is no ritual filiation between Saint-Martin and Papus . . . the Martinists, in the Papusian sense of the term, have an authentic filiation which goes back to Papus; the neo-CoÎns, on their side, have a filiation which goes back to Robert Ambelain. However, this does not exclude, for one of the other, a spiritual filiation permitting a veritable and authentic attachment to Saint-Martin or to the Ordre des Šlus CoÎns of Martines de Pasquallyî (Martinism Today). In the absence of any primary documents or other hard evidence to the contrary, this view of initiation as a spiritual current flowing from Saint-Martin to his followers through a lineage of spiritual affiliation and not via ritual transmission is the most logical deduction.
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After Papusís death, the Martinist Order began to deteriorate. Charles Deter (whose spiritual name was ìTederî) took over as Grand Master, but soon died, in 1918. Teder had been a fervent Memphis-Mizraim Freemason and the order had acquired a pronounced Masonic tone under his guidance. His assistant, Victor Blanchard, was offered the Grand Mastership but turned it down, due to his dissatisfaction with the orderís Masonic requirements. At that point, Jean Bricaud took over as Grand Master of the Martinist Order and reinforced the Masonic leanings of Teder. Under Bricaud, the group accepted only those candidates who had been initiated as Master Masons. Lyons became the orderís main center during this period.
Many Martinists refused to accept these constitutional changes; especially those who protested the Masonic test effectively eliminated women from entering the Martinist Order, which previously had been egalitarian. Scores of members abandoned the group and some continued to initiate in the Martinist lineage as ìFree Initiators,î unattached to any formal Martinist order. In 1920, Blanchard organized most of the Free Initiators and became the Universal Sovereign Grandmaster of the Ordre Martiniste et Synarchique (ìMartinist Order and Synarchyî). Most of the adherents of Blanchardís group were in Switzerland, with a smaller number in France. One did not have to have the third degree Masonic initiation to join this order.
Members of the Martinist Order and Synarchy, including Augustin Chaboseau, had differences with Blanchardís leadership, and broke away to form yet another order, the líOrdre Martiniste Traditionnel (ìTraditional Martinist Orderî), directed by Chaboseau, whose lodges became well-established in France and today remains one of the strongest Martinist groups.
Eventually Constant Chevillon (1880-1944) succeeded Bricaud as Grand Master of the Martinist Order, whose name was eventually changed to LíOrdre Martiniste MartinËziste de Lyons (ìMartinist-Martinezist Order of Lyonsî). According to Restivo, Chevillon required even more Masonic requirements of prospective members than did Bricaud. Under Chevillon, the outer order consisted of two Memphis-Mizraim Masonic lodges and the CollËge díOccultisme in Paris. Candidates were required to advance through higher degrees of Memphis-Mizraim Masonry in order to receive the Martinist degree, Initiate and Superior Unknown (Restivo, LíOrdre Martiniste). Henri-Charles Dupont was the last Grand Master of the order founded by Papus and it was he who ìput it to sleepî in 1958, when it was merged with Robert Ambelainís Šlus Cohen order as well as the Martinist Federation headed by Phillipe Encausse.
During World War II, Martinist orders continued to exist but their activities were restricted by the German occupation; the Nazis persecuted those affiliated with Masonic lodges. Once the war was over, more vigorous activity resumed. Chaboseau died in 1946, and the Traditional Martinist Orderís council did not elect his son, Jean, to head the society. Controversy erupted within the order and Jean Chaboseau left. Under the weight of this controversy, the order disintegrated. Ralph Lewis, who was the Grandmaster of the Traditional Martinist Order in the United States, amalgamated this group within the Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross (AMORC) organization, where it continues to this day.
In 1951, Papusís son, Phillipe Encausse reconstituted the Martinist Order under the constitution of his father, and Encausse became the orderís Grand Master. In 1968, Encausse, a priest in the UGC, restated the formal alliance of the Martinist Order with the Universal Gnostic Church, echoing Papusís declaration of 1911.
Encausseís resolution to affiliate the UGC with the Martinist Order drew numerous protests, since it constrained the memberís freedom to choose their own church. Although most Martinists were Catholic or members of an independent sacramental church, some were Protestants. Two groups independent of the UGC arose from Encausseís decision. The first was the líOrdre Martiniste Belge (ìMartinist Order of Belgiumî), founded in 1968 at the instigation of Encausse. Four former members of the Martinist Order formed the Supreme Council of this new assemblage. Reportedly the Martinist Order of Belgium only has one group that still congregates. A more successful order, also founded to provide religious choice for its members, was líOrdre Martiniste des Pays-Bas (ìMartinist Order of the Netherlandsî), also formed at the request of Encausse, in 1975. This order is still flourishing and has active groups in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Canada and the United States.
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After Blanchardís death in 1953, Dr. Edward Bertholet (Sar Alkmaion) took over as Grand Master of the Martinist Order and Synarchy. In 1958, the Martinist Order of the Šlus Cohen, the Martinist Order and Synarchy and the Martinist Order of Lyon came together to form the Union des Ordres Martinistes (ìUnion of Martinist Ordersî), headquartered in Paris. This federation allowed each organization complete operational freedom. Henri-Charles Dupont, head of the coalition, named Encausse his successor in 1960, and died two months later. In 1960, the Union of Martinist Orders renamed itself the Martinist Order, composed of an outer circle headed by Encausse and an inner circle directed by Ambelain. This arrangement did not last; in 1967 the Union of Martinist Orders dissolved, leaving in its wake two separate orders: the Martinist Order, presided over by Encausse, and the Order of the Šlus Cohen, headed by Ivan Mosca, Ambelainís appointed successor. The Šlus Cohen order was finally put to sleep in 1968 (L'Ordre Martiniste).
Encausse served as Grand Master of the Martinist Order until 1971, when his close associate Irenee SÈguret took over until 1974. At that point, SÈguret passed leadership back to Encausse for several years, from 1974-1979. At age 74, Encausse retired and handed over the management of the group to Emilio Lorenzo, formerly a vice-president of the order, who still holds this office today (Apiryon).
Contemporary Martinist Orders
Although a complete survey of current-day Martinism would be too lengthy for this paper, looking at a few examples of modern groups is instructive in that we can view some of the myriad of Martinist paths that have developed in the last two centuries.
For example, the Rose Croix Martinist Order of Ontario, Canada, unusual among the modern Martinist Orders, puts forth a curriculum that refers only to the ìpure Christian Mystical traditionî of Saint-Martin and advocates no Masonic or theurgic work. The head of the order, Mike Restivo (Sar Ignatius), is an InitiatËur Libre (ìFree Initiatorî). He believes that Martinís teachings should be transmitted in a context of Platonic philosophy and Bible study, without the occult accretions of Papus and others. In this way, Christians who are interested in a mystical path but are not inclined to occult practices and philosophy are able to take advantage of Martinís luminous instructions and writings. In Restivoís understanding of initiation, ì . . . it is the Martinist education itself that constitutes whatever might pass for Initiation. It does not occur at once, but is a gradual improvement maintained with study and practice of the Degreesí material. This is a more substantial form of Initiation . . . Thusly, the only real Initiation is the one directly from God in the form of Christ-Consciousness.î Restivo trains RCMO students in Stoic and Neoplatonic philosophy and encourages them to employ spiritual and meditation practices that resonant with them as individuals rather than following a set program. Group work is important in that it is a forum for sharing experiences, socialization, and interacting with teaching exemplars. Initiation by laying on of hands, the traditional Martinism rite de passage, is awarded in person at the end of the formal curriculum (Restivo, Introduction).
Only members of the Ancient and Mystic Order of the Rose and Cross (AMORC) may join another order, that of LíOrdre Martiniste Traditionnel, known in English as the Traditional Martinist Order (TMO). The origins of this society began when August Chaboseau initiated Ralph Spencer, son of Spencer Lewis, AMORCís founder, into Martinism. Lewis eventually assumed the office of Sovereign General Delegate for ìCalifornia and the United States of Americaî [sic]. Initially, the American chapter was subordinate to the larger Traditional Martinist Order; however, in 1951 Lewis created a new order with the same name and declared himself to be Chaboseauís successor.
A few years ago a group of Martinists sought to bring together fellow Martinists of diverse backgrounds and orientations into a unified body. At a convention in Indiana in 2000, the ìAncient Martinist Order, Sovereign Grand Lodge of the United States and Its Jurisdictionsî came into being, one of their goals being to work in cooperation with all Martinists in the great work of reintegration. Sar Michael is the current Grand Master and the order has active lodges in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States, as well as Brazil, Norway and the West Indies.
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The British Martinist Order (BMO) was established in 1991 in the Templar Chapel at Rothley, England. Its centers are present in Manchester, Leiscester, London, Edinburgh, the West Indies and Norway. The Order is dedicated to propagating the ìChristian Mystical Tradition in the same spirit as Martinez de Pasquales, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin and GËrard Encausse.î (Brief History) and also emphasizes the Russian Martinist lineage, which they believe was neglected by Papus (History). Candidates are brought into the order through an initiation, or if one is already a member of another Martinist group, through regularization. The BMO estimates that it will take a candidate approximately 18-24 months to complete the studies for each of the three degrees. Since there is no correspondence division, prospective members must be able to participate in one of the local lodges (Membership).
Another contemporary group, The Martinist Order of Unknown Philosophers (Chevillon-Chambellant Lineage), ìexists only in the invisible,î with almost no earthly organization: no entrance fees, statutes or registered office. The members look to ìPassed Masters,î including Pythagoras, Plato, Meister Eckhart, B–hme, Swedenborg, Pasqually and Saint-Martin, for inspiration and teachings. The Unknown Philosophers trace their heritage through two lines: through Constant Chevillon, who was assassinated by the Nazis during the Second World War; and through Phillipe de Lyon (1849-1905). The current order is open to both men and women and Masonic initiation is not a prerequisite. The inner way of Saint-Martin as well as theurgy of Pasqually is advocated in the lodges, located in the United States and England. Members are brought up through two probationary degrees by instruction in the ìExternal Circle.î After passing through the initial degrees, they may attain the grade of ìSIî (ìUnknown Superiorî or ìUnknown Serverî). The qualifications for this grade include a demonstration of hermetic knowledge and a commitment to Martinist principles in daily life. The ìInner Circleî of the order is composed of SI initiates, who are also members of a community called the ìInner Sanctuaryî or ìSociety of the Electî (Martinist Order of the Unknown Philosophers).
In addition to the many and varied orders, Martinists publish several periodicals, including Líinitiation, originally established by Papus. Robert Amadou founded the le Centre International de Recherches et díEtudes Martiniste (ìthe International Center for Martinist Studiesî), which issues the journal LíEspirit des Choses (ìThe Spirit of Thingsî). The Martines de Pasqually Society, based in France, also puts out a regular bulletin.
Martinism is still a vital part of the esoteric subculture, although the actual number of adherents does not seem to be large. Caillet reflects: ìBy definition, initiatic schools are reserved for a small number of people . . . Therefore, we must not be surprised to see that this number is relatively low, even though the research being done by various [Martinist] groups has intensified at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Initiatic paths are closed paths and narrow pathsî (Martinism Today).
Although from the time of Papus at least until 1968, many Martinists luminaries, including Jules Doinel, RenÈ GuÈnon, Papus, Jean Bricaud, Victor Blanchard, Constant Chevillon, Robert Ambelain and Phillippe Encausse, held episcopal offices in Gnostic independent sacramental churches, Martinist orders are no longer officially aligned with specific churches or ecclesiastical bodies. There seems to be little direct influence of the Martinist movement on contemporary autocephalous sacramental churches, although individual esotericists often belong to more than one occult or esoteric order, and there is some overlap and cross-fertilization between Martinism and the independent sacramental movement in that sense.
Caillet poses an interesting query:
ì. . .[C]an one link an initiatic path together with a religious--not to say an ecclesiastical--practice? Martines de Pasqually prescribed and recommended the Mass to his disciples. There was even an oath which required that the Elus CoÎns belong to the Roman Catholic Church . . . Today, I think that we must still ask ourselves whether initiatic paths, all by themselves, are enough for the seekers, or whether it is necessary to belong to the Church, whatever form it may take--or to a Church, let's say. That is another question, but it must at least be asked.î
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He lauds the Orthodox Church as the repository of the gnosis of which Clement of Alexandria spoke, the church ìwhose providential return in the West allows Martinists today to once again find an authentic ecclesiastical practice, in parallel with those who follow the practice of the few rare Gnostic Churches worthy of this nameî (Martinism Today).
For other modern adherents, the connection between sacramental Christianity and Martinism is not so straightforward and Saint-Martin did not advise specific practices or meditations to his readers. Restivo maintains, ìMartinism makes no advocacy of one religion over another and requires only a belief in a Supreme Being for Initiationî (Correspondence). This approach correlates with the notion that Martinism is not a rigid path; it becomes a venue for personal mystical work and spiritual growth with the aim being the reintegration of all beings, the glorious apokatastasis spoken of by early Christians and reiterated in the modern age by the eminent theosophists Martinez de Pasqually and Louis-Claude Saint-Martin.[7]
[1] ìMartinezistî is used to describe those who follow Martinez de Pasquallyís theurgical path, to differentiate them from Martinists who follow Saint-Martinís more contemplative way.
[2] Antoine Faivre defines theosophy generally as ìa gnosis that has a bearing not only on the salvific relations the individual maintains with the divine world, but also on the nature of God Himself, or of divine persons, and on the natural universe, the origin of that universe, the hidden structur
es that constitute it in its actual state, its relationship to mankind, and its final ends.î Access 23.
[3] Jesus Christ is also known as the Active and Intelligent Cause or the Redeemer in Pasquallyís and Saint-Martinís philosophy.
[4] Generally understood to refer to Jesus Christ in the doctrine of Pasqually and Saint-Martin.
[5] ìSarî is a title of Assyrian royalty. Rudorff 188.
[6] Nicholas Novikov (1744-1818), a Russian writer and publisher, who was active in Masonry, Rosicrucianism and Martinism in Russia.
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