I’m going to go out on a limb and claim that many who end up on an esoteric path go through a process that looks something like the following.
After an experience of awakening they move away from more common religious groups to study the wide array of esoteric pursuits available. They dive into Tarot, path-working, Yoga asanas, and gain an encyclopedic knowledge of Sephirot. Their homes begin to saturate with the smell of incense, and they start earnestly working the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and the Middle Pillar every day while thoughts of the Abramelin whisper at the edge of their consciousness.
But as they proceed along this path, they are growing spiritually, and as they do so they begin to feel less of a need for some of the ritual items. Perhaps the first to go is some of the complex arrangements of their altar. Or maybe anxiety over precise performance of the ritual relaxes. Over time things fall away, but not with a sense that they are lost. More with a realisation that they were crutches that are no longer needed.
For some this process is almost total, leaving them with a beautifully spartan prayer ritual.
Upside down
If you listen to some descriptions of Martinism you may get the sense that it turns this pattern on its head. A relatively closed and quiet initiatory system known as, “The Way of the Heart” is followed by an explosion of activity that seems to go against the usual trend.
There is the stunning complexity of the ceremonies of the Élus Coëns, requiring hours of work, ritual clothing, a dizzying array of floor markings, and enough candles to terrify anyone with a basic education in fire-safety. The Gnostic revival of Jules Doinel with its High Church emphasis on properly performed liturgy and sacramental work. The magical system of Eliphas Lévi and the “Golden Dawn-esque” curriculum of Papus. Each of these sounds like a regression to the clutter of the neophyte after the simple silent contemplation of the Way of the Heart.
Why is this?
In this article I want to try to view the process from a different perspective.
Branches
As can be seen in my descriptions above Martinism can be viewed, somewhat inaccurately, as a variety of different systems. Each of these descends from one of the key characters who played a role in developing the philosophical systems that form its bedrock.
Martinez de Pasqually
First, historically speaking, was Martinez de Pasqually. A towering figure who gifted two treasures to Martinist spirituality:
- His monumental and wide-ranging cosmological myth, “Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings”.
- His magical order of “Elect Priests of the Universe”, otherwise known as the Élus Coëns.
The Order was derived from the cosmology, and involved a degree system of highly ornate rituals that moved the candidate through various stages of the mythological history outlined in the treatise.
Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin
The second figure, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, who has since become the archetype of the modern Martinist, was a student of Pasqually and a member of the Élus Coëns. Over time he lost interest in the complexity of the “Martinezist” system, even going so far as to ask, “Master, do we really need all this?”, in a manner that echoes the neophyte journey I opened this essay with.
Inspired by Jacob Böhme, Saint-Martin went on to develop a practise of quiet contemplation of his own soul and its relation to the Divine. A path referred to today as the “Way of the Heart”.
Jean-Baptiste Willermoz
Meanwhile, another student of Pasqually and a friend of Saint-Martin, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, was also developing his own system. Fascinated by high-grade Freemasonry, Willermoz developed the Rectified Scottish Rite. From this came the knightly order of Beneficent Knights of the Holy City, otherwise known as the CBCS.
Who defines Martinism?
These three giants – Pasqually, Saint-Martin, and Willermoz – dominate Martinist thinking, but there are other currents that cannot be ignored. The Gnostic Revival of Jules Doinel was associated so closely with Papus’ Martinist Order that the Venn diagram of the memberships of these organisations was almost a perfect circle. Eliphas Lévi’s influence on Martinism is also undeniable.
Last but not least is the already-mentioned Papus. The organisational genius responsible for modern Martinism.
So which of these is Martinism?
Definitions
Well, as clichéd as it sounds, it depends.
If you are asking which of these show the spiritual Truth of Martinism, the answer is that all of them do. Each of them express the Mystery, just in their own way.
On the other hand, if you are asking what would you see as a neophyte first entering a Martinist Temple, then the answer is clearer. Over-simplifying slightly, you will see the practise of the Way of the Heart.
Men & Women of Desire
In my experience, candidates who knock at the door of a Martinist Temple have already taken significant steps along their spiritual journey. They have exorcised the wild energy of their esoteric youth, and have realised that they feel a pull towards something grander. In Martinist terminology, they are a woman or man of desire.
They are already at the stage of focus that I described earlier, and have come to a point where they seek the rigour of a spiritual path.
The next several years of their practise, assuming they find the path rewarding, will be one of relative simplicity. Many Orders add a taste of Élus Coën and CBCS work to each of the degrees. This isn’t just a hint of what is to come, but consists of practises that the Order believes will strengthen the message of that degree. But aside from this, the core is consistently the quiet, Way of the Heart, advocated by Saint-Martin and encoded into a degree structure by Papus.
Once a candidate has advanced to the S∴I∵degree – the final and, some would say, the only degree of Martinism — orders will often offer Élus Coëns, etc., as paths forward, but here is the key:
This is not a regression to the unfocused exuberance of esoteric youth. Rather it is an offer of a path that you are now better equipped to understand.
Armed with the insights of the S∴I∵, the Élus Coëns degrees spring to life in a way that just isn’t possible without the unveiling of the Mystery allowed by the Way of the Heart. The sacraments of the Gnostic Church physically enact experiences that you had previously only encountered as flashes of insight. The lectures and lessons of the knightly system of CBCS suddenly shine with ideas that would have slipped past unnoticed beforehand.
Continuing the path
Not all of these paths will be attractive to everyone. Many are content with the silence of the Way of the Heart. But for others who happen to be more liturgically-minded, attracted to ceremonial magic, thrive in a Masonic environment, etc., there are paths available that match well with the lessons of the first three degrees.
Martinism is a broad and rich system of systems. Its only request is that you are content to pass through a narrow passage along the way.
