Recently our Facebook fanpage announced that the Hellfire Club had published the original Elus Cohens material by our friend Stewart Clelland. Not many in the public community realize, but Stewart is one of the Elders of Pansophers, a ruling board which helps make decisions for this website. We have therefore followed the launch of this publication closely and asked Stewart for an interview on the background story. Stewart spent a whole three years painstakingly translating the original handwritten material into English. Therefore we are appreciative of not only this interview but also his monumental effort to serve the Rosicrucian community.
We put the following questions to Stewart:
What is your goal for the book?
For me, it is important that the traditions of the Elus Coën be understood as a true living revelation, as a theosophy that must be understood on its own terms. We must, however, be honest with ourselves – the Coën line is dead, and has been since 1825. The reconstructions, reawakenings, and reenactments are all just that, and at times, even less. With The Green Book, my aim was to look for myself honestly at the historical realities of the Coën tradition and perhaps in the process help others to do the same. Pasqually claimed that the cult practiced by the Élus Coëns was the primitive cult entrusted by God to Adam and secretly transmitted through the generations. The Élus Coëns’ raison d’ être was to perform this cult in its fullest sense as a form of gnosis for the betterment of all mankind and the eventual transformation of the entire universe. However, the cult is dead, and the original transmission now lost. The modern Coëns’ raison d’ être, therefore, can only be a scholarly one – one in which the cultivation and reintegration of the cult is found within oneself, by oneself through personal access to the original documents. Today, the true historical Coën legacy lies in the hands of the public libraries, not initiatic orders. I hope that this book helps encourage others to seek them out and cultivate within themselves a transmission of their own. I hope that in time it will come to act as a catalyst of sorts for others to help in the process of breaking down the monopoly over these manuscripts, making them more accessible to the wider English speaking audience.
Did Ambelain access this material for his Cohens. How did his revived Cohens Order differ from the original Rite of Pasqually?
Ambelain actually owned this document. The manuscript itself, the basis of the book, NF, Ms. FM4 1282 is better known as ‘Manuscript d’Alger’, but also carries the name ‘The Green Book of the Elus Coëns’. This title comes from the physical manuscript itself – the colour of the original binding. It was written sometime between 1770 to 1772, by André Pierre de Grainville (1728-1793). It was found and bought on the market of Saint-Ouen by an antique dealer in Algiers during the Second World War. Dominique Clairembault states it was sold to Marguerite Benama, friend of Robert Ambelain, in 1955. For years, Ambelain jealously guarded it, preventing anyone from studying it. Having reconstructed a Coen order in 1943, it appears he was unwilling to do so again in the years following his acquisition of the manuscript – his initiates were not to be enlightened in the historical realities of the Order, but rather in the complexities of completely unrelated strands of Neo-Gnosticism, Kabbalah and the Memphis-Misraïm. In May 1993, a few years before his death, Ambelain finally donated it to the BnF, with a clause that prohibited anyone from obtaining a reproduction. This has finally been lifted, and is now publicly available, as, indeed, are all important primary sources regarding the Coëns. For those interested in the specific differences between Ambelain’s system and Pasqually’s original should check out Mathieu Ravignat’s excellent book The Original High Degrees and Theurgical System of the Masonic Elect Cohen Knights of the Universe.
In the second volume of The Green Book we present a photographic facsimile of a document known as the ‘Prunelle fonds de Lière’ It appears something of a tradition amongst Martinist circles to confuse the ‘Manuscript d’Alger’ with a selection of other documents found in the public library of Grenoble. Dominique Clairembault notes that Auguste Viatte, in 1928, and Alice Joly, in 1938, were the first to emphasise the Prunelle collection’s importance. Since 1962, Robert Amadou had studied that collection. In 1969, the magazine ‘l’Initiation’ announced a project to publish the ‘Fonds Prunelle de Lière’ by Jacques Baradat, a collaborator of Robert Amadou. This never happened. Strangely, original reproductions have been sold in the form of a CD-ROM since 1999. However, the public library of Grenoble stamps were removed on these copies, making it impossible to guess the source. The publisher of the CD, Les Gouttelettes de Rosée, wrongly presented them as coming from the ‘Manuscript d’Alger’. In the introductory text of this CD, Philippe Pissier and Matthieu Léon specify that they obtained these documents during the second half of the 1980s, from Joël Duez, who had received them himself from Marcel Jirousek, Belgian disciple of Robert Ambelain. These documents were wrongly transmitted to them under the name of ‘Manuscript d’Alger’. This new book presents for the first time in English the true ‘Manuscript d’Alger’ to the public
Is the original Cohens Rite and its methods something that is completely possible to operate today, or is it something that belongs to another era and is no longer achievable?
It all depends on the person – if you have the means and the will anything is possible. However, the Coën rite is a regime. The discipline and devotion involved exclude the average person today. The Coën order was a form of monasticism. Pasqually’s system undoubtedly worked, and might still, for the independently wealthy, the aristocratic, those that don’t have to worry about the baser things in life – it gives the bourgeois meaning, which was exactly its appeal in eighteenth-century France. Most of us, however, need to make money and look after families – the original Coën system precludes this, there simply isn’t enough time in the day for all the prayers and offices the aspirant needs to complete when you have other responsibilities. That for me makes an authentic attempt at the original rite unworkable today. In effect, the Coën takes Holy Orders, they are ordained, not initiated. The Elus Coëns were rich and idle, they were people who could fund a monastic lifestyle entirely devoted to the system – this is why I believe it is so important people have access to these documents, before believing any false claims. Modern Neo-Coëns often ignore these requirements, and rightly so; we must cultivate our own transmission as I mentioned, but people should be made aware that whatever they are getting involved in is not historically, spiritually or mystically authentic to the original rite. Pasqually placed specific and harsh restrictions on diet, sex, and sleep. The original rituals involve the physical mutilation of dead animals – it is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a monastic way of life, for those that can afford it. The strict adherence to Catholicism might be difficult for some also. This is another aspect that modern-day adherents completely ignore. To operate this system, you have to be attending Mass every day and be an active part of the Catholic Church, – including, everything that comes with it in the modern world. No compromise. People just don’t acknowledge this – which I find strange, as it is fundamental to the entire rite. Pasqually himself was described as a bigot and sectarian in these matters. The average working person during the eighteenth-century couldn’t operate within this system – the price of the candles alone would exclude him. So, I don’t believe an authentic original Coën working is possible today, or even desirable. Perhaps, this is why Ambelain so jealously guarded the Manuscript d’Alger’?
I can imagine for some parties there might have been some controversy over publishing this book. The Cohens material is largely considered secret by most Martinist fraternities. It’s clearly coveted material. What is your goal in terms of making it publicly accessible?
The material is already publicly accessible, anyone with a library card can study it. This myth of inaccessible secrecy has been cultivated for all the usual reasons occultists do these things. Withholding knowledge that is publicly available, is an abuse of trust, aimed at personal aggrandisement. Knowing French should not make you a Secret Chief. I believe Pasqually’s theosophy has a great deal to teach us today, and maintaining this charade that only a select few are in the know is damaging the tradition as a whole. Pasqually was an exile; exiled from the Grand Lodge of France, and from the Enlightenment; a mason’s who dubious masonic legitimacy is founded in the authority of an exiled illegitimate King. Wandering France, Pasqually taught a doctrine of exile from the lore of an exiled people. Such is the existential cry of the Coëns – this sense of exile, however, and existential alienation has rapidly become the hallmark of our generation – people are seeking reconciliation within their true self, a way out of their alienated lives. My goal is to help those people seeking it through Pasqually to find it via its only true source – the original primary documents.
There has been some hesitancy to order your book from Hellfire Books. Are your books going to be delivered?
I completely understand that, but all orders have been received or are currently in the mail system. You will receive this book. When Joe Wages, Steve Adams, and myself were putting this book together, it took just over three years – we had already made an agreement with the publisher when during this period people started to have complaints. Regardless, we were not prepared to go against our word; we had made an agreement with Hellfire. They were extremely patient with us as the book continued to take longer than expected, and what they produced is a beautiful example of craftsmanship. Our goal has always been to make the material more accessible, but it was important for us to treat the text with respect. It would have been easy enough to send out a PDF or something self-published, but we wanted something that was low run and high production, academic and scholarly. I am well aware for some, this is a devotional text, something to be treasured and keep, talismanic even – I wasn’t interested in a PDF. Hellfire had the skills to make it happen.
Here are a few comments from people that have received their books:
‘Released publicly for the first time, this important translation of key Elus Coën documents is sure to be the catalyst that inspires a new generation of esoteric students, with the added bonus that it resides in the most sumptuous binding, I heartily recommend this to all!’
A.J. Prado-Marin -Kent, UK
A true delight for anyone who wishes to get a better understanding of the “Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l’Univers”. The volumes offer a deep insight into the rituals and ceremonies of the Élus Coëns and the information found between the covers is valuable to both the initiate and the profane. The English translation of “Le manuscrit d’Alger” facilitates the study of its content for non-French speakers and it is a must-have for any fervent seeker of esoteric knowledge.
Gabriel Anghelescu – Bucharest, Romania
Well done to Stewart Clelland and all involved in bringing this to fruition. The books feel real good quality and will keep me busy for sure.
Roy Stuart Ingram – Dundee, Scotland, UK
Received these in the mail today. Beautifully done. They look fantastic! Looking forward to reading through them so much, I moved them to the top of my reading list.
Billy Hamilton, Fort Worth, Texas
For those interested in the primary documents, they can be consulted at Bibliothèque municipale de Grenoble, see:
The Prunelle de Lière collection in Grenoble
Ms 4120 – From the life and death of the late Jacob Boehme, the true author of theosophical books
Ms 4121 – From the origin and spirit of form
Ms 4122 – Extract from sessions of C **, a mystical society whose members are called “Élus coëns”, 1775-1776
Ms 4123 – Extract from what is contained in the ranks of the order of ECs
Ms 4124 – Secret explanation of the catechism of app. comp, m.coen
Ms 4125 – Catechisms
T 4188 – Hebrew alphabet, names, numeric and kabbalistic numbers (518 f.)
Ms 4130 Copy of Correspondence from MM. Kirchberguer, baron of Liebistof [ sic ], member of the sovereign council of the Republic of Berne, with Saint-Martin, author of the book of Errors and Truth, May 22, 1792 – February 7, 1799 (407 pages)
R 8018 – The treaty on the reintegration of beings … and some manuscripts exiled in the Flandrin collection (435 pages)
On behalf of the Pansophers community, thank you Stewart for this great interview! It’s not every day someone translates such a rare treasure and we truly are excited about your book.
