donderdag 21 augustus 2008

IT, ER +, TORRENTIUS, Eques Rosae Crucis:
a drama of tolerance & repression in the Dutch "Golden Age".



ER +
Wat buten maat bestaat,
int onmaats qaat verghaat.

"Alwaer de broederschap vergaert van 't roode kruis".


“Wat is Godt, kendt ghy Godt wel, hebt ghy hem gesien, wat voor een dincxken es Godt?” - Torrentius

Men moest tot elken prijs Torrentius onschadelijk maken. - Bredius

Wel mijnheere, alleenelijck het lichaem is wat gemarteliseert... - Torrentius

Years ago, during my first visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, ....I came upon a canvas by a painter unknown to me....How to describe this inner state? A suddenly awakened intense curiosity, sharp concentration with the senses alarmed, hope for an adventure and consent to be dazzled. I experienced an almost physical sensation as if someone called me, summoned me. - Zbigniew Herbert

Ick en schildere op geen esel noch en gebruycke geen pinceel, maar mijn paneelen leggen pladt neder ende Ick en ben niet die schildert, maer Ick heb daar een andere wetenschap toe, daer compt een soet musicael geluyt over het paneel, alsof er een swerm byen recht daerboven sweeffden. - Torrentius

'Ik verga in het onvergankelijke' - IT


Some simple lines in old Dutch from an era long gone. Old Dutch, much more similar btw to Zuidafrikaans (Zuidafrikaans originated from the 17th century Dutch language) than modern day Dutch lingo! Most present day Dutch wouldn't understand these lines very well...

The first line is written on the only known painting of a Dutch painter "Emblematic still life with flagon, glass, jug and bridle".
(T 1614) by Johannes Torrentius (1589-1644), oil on canvas, 52 x 50,5 cm. (old name Matigheid/Temperantia)


Surprisingly since the only known Torrentius painting with the seal of King Charles I on it C(arolus) R(ex) was discovered by J.J. van Deinse in a grocery store (J.F. Sachse - van Essen) in the eastern Dutch town of Enschede, were it had served as the lid on a barrel sultanas!
(Uit het Land van Katoen en Heide, part I (1925) by J.J. van Deinse, article "Een merkwaardige vondst", page 466 - 477.
Well definitely amazing, considering the fact that Enschede almost burned to the ground in 1862!

Jij was de gevreesde, snelstromende.
Uit de grote brand van Enschede gered
je sinistere ‘Stilleven met breidel’,
dienst doend als deksel op een krentenvat.


ER + Wat buten maat bestaat, int onmaats qaat verghaat.
'That which exists out of measure perishes in evil immeasurably'.
ER + means: Eques Rosae Crucis, Knight of the Rose Cross.


The other sentence is written on a rosicrucian caricature by Pieter Nolpe, Dutch etcher, engraver and draughtsman. Most likely figures shown on this engraving are: Joost van den Vondel, Constantijn Huygens, Torrentius, Roemer Visscher, his daughter Maria Tesselschade Visscher, Theodoor Rodenburg and Pieter Cornelisz Hooft. Members of the illustrious Muiderkring.
'Alwaer de broederschap vergaert van 't roode kruis'
Where the brotherhood of the Red Cross meets!
.
The Muiderkring nothing but a bunch of Rosicrucians!?

Most of them were btw also members of the Rhetoricians (Rederijkers). The Chambers of Rhetoric arose out of religious or secular brotherhoods at the beginning of the 15th century in Flanders, under French influence. This particular Chamber was called d'Eglantier "Sweet Briar", but it was also often referred to by its motto In Liefde Bloeyende "Blossoming in Love". In fact Roemer Visscher was the leader of the Dutch rosicrucians and in the year 1614 it was decided that Torrentius would become, upon Visscher's death in 1620, his successor! Roemer Visscher hid the ER+ signature in the "Elck wat Wils +" emblem on the title page of his Sinnepoppen (1614).

Both pieces are now in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.


"There is no country in the world more suitable than Holland for the Brotherhood of the Rose-Croix, and where those who have the secret of the great work have more freedom. Wrote Sorbière"

De rozekruisers, die zijn voortgekomen uit de mengelmoes van anabaptisten, en die vergeefs pronken met hun verschillende kunsten en wetenschappen, de alchemie, de veredeling van goud en soortgelijke dingen om zo de ongelukkigen en de onbedachtzamen te verleiden en degenen die zich tot deze merkwaardige zaken voelen aangetrokken, aan de duivel uit te leveren. – Laurentius Beyerlinck (1578 – 1627)

The Netherlands, however, did not long deserve this praise for the hospitality which the Rosicrucians had initially enjoyed. Protestant orthodoxy simply did not tolerate the freedom of investigation of the Rosicrucians, nor did they accepte their philosophical theories alien to the Bible.
And thus soon an investigation was made in 1623 against the Fraternity of the Rose-Croix by the assembled Councils of Holland, Zealand and Friesland and the Faculty of Theology of Leyden was asked for their opinion. This opinion stated, in sum, that certain persons calling themselves Brothers of the Rose-Croix, who have had their residence in the City of paris, had now come to the United Provinces and that they were occupied in matters very detrimental to the interests of the State, and that their sect is very unorthodox.
Their decision was communicated to Magistrates of Haarlem with a request that a certain Torrentius, as one of the principal adherents of the sect, be particularly watched!

Johannes Symonsz van der Beeck (1589 - 1644) a.k.a. Torrentius,
Dutch painter. Active in Amsterdam, Leiden and Haarlem. In 1627, Torrentius and his friend Coppens were take prisoners. Torrentius was tortured and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for impiety and blasphemy. His paintings were burned. Undoubtedly his membership of the Rosicrucians played a most important role.
A.J. Rehorst in his book on Torrentius (1939) established beyond doubt that he was a Rosicrucian, just like Rehorst himself. Johannes Torrentius, who claimed that his Rosicrucianism gave him magical powers as an artist. He most likely used a camera obscura made by the Dutch physicist, inventor and fellow Rosicrucian Cornelius Drebbel.

This Cornelis Drebbel b.t.w. is a very fascinating figure who seriously deserves further investigation! There's two mesmerizing theories surrounding the Dutch Da Vinci. One is that Julianus de Campis is a Drebbel alias! Where Dr. Carlos Gilly (Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica) rejects this theory, Dr. Govert Snoek in his excellent study "De Rozenkruisers in Nederland" considers this possibility, Susanna Åkerman (Rose Cross over the Baltic) has already accepted this theory!
Karl Wideman tells us that Johann Oswaldus from Montbéliard reveals to him in the presence of Adam Haselmayer (Antwort An die lobwürdige Brüderschafft der Theosophen vom RosenCreutz N. N. ) anno December 1621 at Augsburg, a series of Rosicrucian pseudonyms one of them being: Julianus de Campis, sonsten Cornelius Trebel genanndtt. It's very obvious that this concerns Cornelius Drebbel of Alkmaar!
The second theory perhaps even more mind-blowing is Richard Santa Coloma's assumption that the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript is nothing but Drebbel's lost note book!

(Provided the recent carbon dating's been done correctly, the Drebbel/Voynich theory can be ruled out: University of Arizona researchers have cracked one of the puzzles surrounding what has been called "the world's most mysterious manuscript" – the Voynich manuscript, a book filled with drawings and writings nobody has been able to make sense of to this day.
Using radiocarbon dating, a team led by Greg Hodgins in the UA's department of physics has found the manuscript's parchment pages date back to the early 15th century (1404 - 1438), making the book a century older than scholars had previously thought. This radiocarbon dating also rules out other possible candides like Da Vinci, Roger Bacon and Edward Kelley.

Van Drebbel heb ik slechts een glimp mogen opvangen, de geleerde die oogde als een Hollandse boer, maar spreken kon als de wijzen van Samos en Sicilië tezamen -Constantijn Huygens

Now back to Torrentius. The Dark Forces behind this conspiracy must have been quite powerful, since not even Stadtholder c.q. Prince of Orange Frederik Hendrik's personal intervention could save Torrentius!

The Prince of Orange must have known Torrentius very well, since the Rosicrucians of Holland held their meetings in his own Palace at the Noordeinde Street in The Hague.
"Alwaer de broederschap vergaert van 't roode kruis" .

After having been notified by Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador in The Hague, Charles I of England also intervened and brought about Torrentius's release in 1629 again with the strong support of the Prince. Torrentius went into exile in England.

His life there, we have not the means of following accurately. He appears to have resumed his former profession of a painter...though without his former success. According to Walpole in his "Painters in the Reign of Charles I: "giving more scandal than satisfaction".
Twelve years later he saw Holland again just to die there, as a broken man…

In the year 1615 the Dutch translation of the Fama Fraternitatis by Abraham von Hoberweschel was published (though some mention the name of Roemer Visscher). The early translation clearly demonstrates that Rosicrucianism struck a cord in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

In the 17th century the Dutch Republic developed into a world colonial empire far out of proportion to its resources, emerging as a centre of international finance, trade and a cultural capital of Europe.

The Netherlands are and always have been known because of their liberal, tolerant and openminded character. But liberal and tolerant in comparison to what?
Where some of its above mentioned leaders and scientists, were indeed very liberal and tolerant the majority of its people simple were not and were indeed rather calvinist.

In the beginning of this anti-rosicrucian movement, the persecution only expressed itself in humbling criticism. In 1622 a booklet was published "Spieghel der Broeders van den roose kruysse", by a lover of the truth or "liefhebber der waerheyt", telling us that in the town of Warmond there were a bunch of people calling themselves Rosicrucians and Torrentius "die geseit wort wel eenen van de principaelsten ten wesen der voorsz. secte." And of which Torrentius allegedly was one or perhaps the most important member. They were of course, blasphemers, heretics and worshipers of Satan. Similar criticism was found in 1624 in Nicolaes Van Wassenaer's "Historisch Verhael".

Torrentius who it must be said, was a libertine, blasphemer and womanizer. A more prudent approach c.q. behaviour might have prevented this predicament. In his haydays he behaved much like a modern-day pop star or guru, always and everywhere showing up with his own entourage:

“hy wist hem selven te insinueeren in de gunst van voorname burgers, die veel van hem hielden, alle mans vrient, die het vrouvolck wonderbaerlick wist te believen en lief-locken, die dagelycx sijn huis frequenteerden, en konden daar niet van daan blijven al spleten en barsten haar mans" .

As an artist Torentius was very highly praised for his still lifes by such high sources as the secretary to the prince of Orange, Constantijn Huygens (who rated him even better than Rembrandt!). As to his art, I find it difficult to restrain my use of words in asserting that he is, in my opinion, a miracle-worker in the depiction of lifeless objects and that no one is likely to equal him in portraying accurately and beautifully glasses, thing of pewter, earthenware, and iron so that, through the power of his art, they seem almost transparent, in a way that would have been impossible until now… Torrentius exasperates skeptics as they look in vain for any clues as to how he uses, in some bold manner, colors, oil, and if the gods desire it, his brushes.

But Huygens also mentions his atheism and how he ridiculed the Bible, but he says as far as his life and morals are concerned: "I will not like Cato judge him". However, wasn't Torrentius' so-called "atheism" and the mystery mongering he liked so much, not just his grossly misunderstood and weird sense of humour!?
Or to quote just another admirer the German goldsmith and engraver Michel Le Blon:
“… so en weet ik ter wereld niets dat hierbij vergeleken mach worden, en niet ‘t onrechte bij eenige van de voornaamste schilders voor Toverije geoordeelt … so en siet men nergend eenighe verheventheyt van verwen, begintsel noch eynde aent heel werck en schijnt meer gewassen off als eenen waesem daerop geschildert”

Conclusion:
Upon assessment of the entire Torrentius Case, of all the parties involved, the places and the time in which this took place, one’s left with an unsatisfactory and unsettled feeling that an enigma still remains and that the case has not been fully resolved.

Picture the situation: a highly successful and very popular painter with friends in very high places, some of them his followers and members of the same fraternity is sentenced in an almost inquisitorial Process. The verdict was excessive, even by 17th century standards.

Yes he was a libertine, a “radical Rosicrucian preacher” as Susanna Akerman referred to them (o.a. Adam Haslmayer, Philip Ziegler, Matthias Pfennig and Torrentius ), but considering the situation in Holland anno 1627 with a reasonable amount of freedom (Synodus van der conscientien vryheydt 1582) this doesn’t fully explain this conspiracy.

In his process no attention was given to witnesses for the defense. No possibility for an appeal was offered.

Though it should be the subject of further investigation one’s left with the feeling that Torrentius was crucified and sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition and Dutch political factions in the young Republic and of which as an imprudent libertine he was just an easy victim. Wer sich zu grün macht, den fressen die Ziegen!


The reason to post this article is twofold. My very personal interest in Torrentius and 17th century Dutch Rosicrucianism of which he was the leader ("Keizer" c.q. Imperator), but now perhaps even more so the unanticipated links between the English and Dutch Rosicrucians. Cornelis Drebbel knew King Charles. Prince of Orange Frederik Hendrik, the Dutch Stadholder was Holland's elected head of state. Prince Frederik Hendrik’s son William II married Mary Stewart, daughter of the English King Charles I. Constantijn Huygens who was Frederik Hendrik’s First Secretary knew Francis Bacon (Bacon used Drebbel's inventions for his New Atlantis, not surprising of course considering the fact that they shared rooms at Eltham Palace) and Descartes. Huygens's father warned his son against Drebbel, suggesting that Drebbel probably had dealings with the devil...


Ik ben naar de Nieuwe Kerk gegaan om de blauwe zerk te zien waaronder Torrentius of wat er van hem over was begraven ligt. Mijn vriend, ik heb daar gestaan, op die ijskoude dag, in die ijskoude kerk, met de kou van de dood in mijn hart. En ik heb getwijfeld en bijna vertwijfeld. Wat is de zin van alles wat ons wedervaart, of proberen we zelf er een zin in te leggen? Wat moet al het lachen en het schreien, het liefhebben en het haten? Leven we door een noodwendigheid of alleen door puur toeval? Waarom begaan wij, mensen, zoveel onmenselijkheid? Als ik nog ergens om bidden moet, dan om gerechtigheid op aarde en voor mijzelf een standvastig gemoed. Reinout Schoorel, doct.jur. - AD 1644

vrijdag 1 augustus 2008

Jesus of Nazareth; the City that Never Was!
TruthAMORC: the Mystical Life of Jesus & his Secret Doctrines...

Jezus, gans en claer - Fama

Als je oog helder is, is je hele lichaam verlicht - Lucas 11:32

"Historia docuit quantum nos iuvasse illa de Cristo fabula".
Pope Leo X to Cardinal Bembo

Jesus, son of Mary (on whom be peace) said:
"The world is a bridge; pass over it, but build no houses upon it".

"Jezus is op aarde gekomen om te laten zien dat we allemaal zonen en dochters van God zijn." - Sir Isaac Newton

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” - Mahatma Gandhi

"Jesus said to them, When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the female one and the same, so that the male be not male, nor the female female... then you will enter the kingdom."

We are guilty of believing that Jesus Christ chose only those of His own race to be his 12 disciples, and that he did not go out and choose two Chinese, two blacks, two Indians, two Arabs, two women or two homosexuals, therefore he would be called a Supremacist, Racist and Bigot by today’s worldly standards.

All of the secret schools today which are classified as initiatic (because the students within them must first be prepared and made ready, and then spiritually and esoterically initiated before receiving the Truth) are associated in one secret organization or federation for the exchange of helpful suggestions and ideas relating to the ways and means not only of perpetuating the secret doctrines which Jesus taught but the manner of selecting the final Disciples and Apostles who shall go forth, not to destroy the faith and religions of the world, but to carry out the great mission for which Jesus was preordained and predestined to become a Son of God incarnate.
- H. Spencer Lewis, "The Secret Doctrines of Jesus", 1937


Tot al degenen die, in orthodoxe oprechtheid, veel van wat dit boek biedt zullen verwerpen, kan ik alleen maar zeggen: "Houd vast aan het goede". Als uw geloof, uw kenns en uw overtuiging omtrent christelijke zaken u voldoen en u hebt geen innerlijke drang om acher de sluier te kijken, doe het dan niet! Sta niets toe uw aanbidding en verering voor hem die uw redder en heer is te verzwakken of te verminderen! - H. Spencer Lewis

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, for he was a performer of wonderful deeds, a teacher of such men as are happy to accept the truth. He won over many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. When Pilate, at the suggestion of the leading men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him at the first did not forsake him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day. - Flavius Josephus: Antiquitates Judaicae


Jesus the Nazorean, rather than Jesus of Nazareth!?
The beginning of the Lie!
And it came to pass that in those days Jesus came from the Nazarenes of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. - Mark 1:9

Of all the books and numerous articles written by H. Spencer Lewis two are my all time favourites:

The Mystical life of Jesus (1929)
ISBN-10: 0912057467 ISBN-13: 978-0912057460
The Secret Doctrines of Jesus (1939)
ISBN-10: 0912057912 ISBN-13: 978-0912057910

It may be that you'll be quite surprised at what you'll read in these books, since it does not exactly reflect the doctrine propagated by the Christian church. You remain however, in line with the open and tolerant character of our Order, as always, completely free in your opinions in this area. In that respect our role will be limited to transferring the ancient knowledge which the Rosicrucian tradition has been passing on this subject.

They are a fascinating, non-sectarian treatment of the unknown life of Jesus, based on records preserved in the archives of ancient monasteries of the Essenes and the Rosicrucian Order.

Of all the books I’ve ever read about Jesus, and I’ve seen one or two in my life such as the weird but fascinating “Jésus ou le Mortel Secret des Templiers” by fellow martinist Robert Ambelain, these two are still by far the very best and will give you a credible insight in what really happened 2000 years ago.

Ever heard of the Essenes? Well, back in 1929 Lewis did.
He wrote at length of the Essene sect and in great detail.
And consider this: The Dead Sea Scrolls that mentioned the Essenes for the first time in modern history were not discovered until 1945! This is easily verified and cannot simply be summarily dismissed by even the most obstinately entrenched of scoffers or dogmatists.

These books will either thrill you or completely shock you!
(Dr. Lewis himself issued a warning to his orthodox readers,
NOT to read the books!), but when you do read them, and which I recommend, you will never think of Jesus the same way again!

So read the books, “THINK”, and then decide for yourself.


The evidence for a 1st century town of Nazareth does not exist – not literary, not archaeologically, and not historically.

Deze dingen verklaar Ik u, die deel uitmaakt van de innerlijke cirkel; maar tot hen van de voorhof spreek Ik in gelijkenissen. Dat zij horen, die oren hebben om te horen. – Het evangelie van de heilige twaalfen.

woensdag 30 juli 2008

A tribute to Harvey Spencer Lewis by Frater E.D.C. (Eduard) van Drenthem Soesman, past Grand Master of the Netherlands Jurisdiction of AMORC.






Als het getij verloopt, moet men de bakens verzetten!

"Young man, some day you will be a member of this Order".

Met het hoofd in de wolken en de beide benen stevig op de grond.

De grootst mogelijke verdraagzaamheid binnen de meest strikte onafhankelijkheid

"Geloof, Hoop en Liefde, doch de meeste van deze is de Liefde".

"De boodschap van de Rozekruisers Orde A.M.O.R.C. is een boodschap die de wereld oproept tot meer humanisme en spiritualiteit".

Wij hebben het beste voor met allen, met onze geliefde fratres en sorores, of zij gefaald hebben of niet. “Alles sal rech kom”. Wij bouwen verder, wij bouwen beter en hechter dan ooit tevoren. Wij bouwen op goede fundamenten: Op het Leven, op het Licht en op de Liefde!

Onderstaande voordracht verscheen voor het eerst in 1982 in het boekje "Mijn Eerste Elftal".

Dr. Spencer Lewis was een gedreven mens. Uit persoonlijke ontmoetingen en vooral uit zijn correspondentie met ons, leden, bleek dit zonneklaar.
Er stond iets achter hem dat groter is dan de mens zelf kan zijn.
Dat iets was het kosmische, waarover hij ons geleerd heeft, waarover hij ons geleerd heeft hoe het te kontakten, waardoor wij Rozekruisers werden en leerlingen van deze grote Meester. Het is interessant om iets over zijn jeugd te weten in verband met the Methodistenkerk.

Zoals het vaak gaat met Rozekruisers brengt de prille jeugd de aanraking met de kerk, een kerk, terwijl het Licht doorbreekt nadat we voor het allereerst over de Orde vernomen hebben.
Dan komt er iets blijvends over ons. Zo was het ook met Dr. Spencer Lewis, de eerste Imperator van de nieuwe cyclus van de Rozekruisers Orde op het Noord Amerikaanse continent.
Hij was lid van de zondagsschool, die zoveel als een instituut is in de Verenigde Staten. Hij werd zeer toegewijd en hoe kan dat ook anders als men voor het eerst met de Christusfiguur in aanraking komt. Deze figuur heeft hem zijn leven lang vastgehouden, mede tot voldoening van alle leden die door hem een verdiepte kennis van Jezus mochten verkrijgen. Vele Rozekruisers zijn door het Kruis van Christus, door hun verering voor Jezus, tot de Orde gekomen. Het is immers deze toewijding die altijd leidt tot iets majestueus in ons leven.

Een ieder van u zal enige verwantschap voelen met deze grote figuur, die Jezus, met wie het in ons leven waarschijnlijk óók begonnen is. Begonnen met de tocht naar het licht. Om tot de Rozekruisers Orde te kunnen komen moeten we psychische aanleg hebben, iets dat anderen, misschien zelfs onze ouders, vreemd vinden.
Wij zullen ons allemaal dingen uit onze jeugd of zelfs onze prille jeugd herinneren die steeds wijzen op een zoeken naar het Pad, onze taak op aarde, een gevoeligheid voor dingen des geestes, begrip voor onzienlijke dingen, een begin van universele liefde, die nooit slap en decadent maar in de meeste gevallen krachtig is, normaal en fris. Dàt is wat mij zo bijzonder in Dr. Spencer Lewis heeft aangetrokken: zijn frisheid als mysticus.
Ik ken ze ook die graag erg gevoelig doen, willen lijken op een mysticus, vergetend dat AMORC een ander bordje heeft buitenhangen, waardoor de leden meer voldoening hebben, want op dat bordje prijken de woorden “Weest duidelijk, weest fris in uw beschouwing en laat uw mystieke gevoelens en uitingen op gewone wijze tot uw leden doorklinken”.

Dr. Spencer Lewis, en wij mogen gerust zo nu en dan over Professor Lewis spreken want hij was tenslotte ook nog Rector Magnificus van de Rozekruisers Universiteit, kreeg langzamerhand meer belangstelling voor kunsten en wetenschappen, voor mystiek en filosofie. Hij interesseerde zich voor alles wat op deze aarde interessant kan zijn, de faculteiten van universiteiten in zijn woonoord, kunt, theater, muziek.
Totdat hij door zijn kontakten met vele gelijkgestemden in aanraking kwam met mannen en vrouwen die gelezen hadden over de Egyptische Rozekruisers. Deze aanraking met wat in het begin niet meer dan een woord was biologeerde hem en vanaf die tijd, in het begin van 1908, begon zijn zoeken naar de Orde.

Nu even een grote sprong vooruit en een eigen waardering van onze Imperator, die zo enorm veel goeds voor de wereld heeft gedaan. Persoonlijk geloof ik niet dat er in deze eeuw iemand is geweest die onze Imperator kan evenaren. We kennen de namen van grote figuren in deze wereld, zoals Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Albert Schweitzer en talloze anderen, maar ik geloof niet dat ze in de schaduw kunnen staan van wat deze man vrijwel alleen tot stand heeft gebracht in het domein van de opvoeding, waarin alle menselijke terreinen hun aanvang vinden. Wèl eclatanter, maar zeker niet van de diepte die Lewis ging in zijn kennis van de esoterie, van de eeuwigheidsvragen, de kosmische wensen, welke door het mensdom worden veronachtzaamd.
Immers, onze gehele wereld zucht onder de leugen, de destructie, de corruptie, de foutieve instelling van het mensdom juist t.o.v. deze eeuwigheidsvoorwaarden. Dr. Lewis heeft ons op het pad geplaatst dat onherroepelijk leidt tot verlichting, tot inzicht, ook in de verdorvenheid van deze wereld. In Canada noemden wij deze vaderlijke vriend “Papa Lewis”.

Het ogenblik breekt nu aan dat Dr. Lewis omstreeks 1909 in aanraking komt met de Rose Croix de France. Zijn benoeming tot gedelegeerde in Amerika volgt en enige jaren later mag hij zich Imperator noemen. Dan begint zijn ongelooflijke arbeid voor de toekomst der volkeren, middels de leden die zijn onderwijs volgen, een onderwijs dat weer is samengesteld uit de oudste archieven der Orde. Wat weinigen beseffen die vragen naar de oorsprong der Orde komt nu als een lichtstraal in de duisternis van het heden, namelijk dat Lewis en vele zijner medewerkers ditzelfde werk reeds hadden volbracht in vroeger eeuwen, zij het dan op veel kleinere schaal.

Onze hogeregraadsleden, die zijn ingewijd in onze Tempels of in het geheime Sanctum zullen dan ook nooit vragen naar de historische feiten onzer Ordo Rosae Crucis eenvoudig omdat zij deze historie zelf hebben meegemaakt, deze hebben gemaakt.
De profane wereld natuurlijk des te meer. Die begrijpt niet hoe het mogelijk is dat Dr. Lewis met zoveel overredingskracht kan spreken over bijvoorbeeld Francis Bacon, alsof hij in die tijd geleefd had, sterker nog, in een vorige incarnatie deze hoge Bewaarder van de Schatkist zelf geweest was! Alle Rozekruisers weten hoe wij steeds in het defensief staan t.o.v. de profane wereld, die altijd klaarstaat om te kritiseren. Dr. Lewis zei dan wel: “Och, wat hebben zij dan wel van deze wereld gemaakt? Kijk eens naar ons en de diepe vrede die er bij ons heerst”. Hij heeft zeer veel te lijden gehad van oppositionele krachten, zeer veel. Die machten der duisternis, die wij nooit mogen onderschatten want zij liggen altijd op de loer om ons te bespringen, hebben het bestaan om hem in Amerika verdacht te maken, met modder te smijten om zijn levenswerk te vernietigen. Natuurlijk heeft hij gewonnen maar tegen welke prijs? Tenslotte heeft hij de booswichten voor het gerecht in Californië gedaagd, waar de overwinning werd bevochten. Lewis, een duidelijk trekje van de Imperator, vroeg niet meer dan één dollar schadevergoeding, die hij dan ook kreeg. Voor hem was de strijd voorbij.
In de twintiger jaren dezer eeuw werd er veel van de Imperator gevergd. Hij liet gebouwen bouwen, ging wekelijks op tournee om “zijn” orde te verbreiden, redeneerde dat leden die zelfs maar drie maanden lid van de Orde waren geweest en hun lidmaatschap dan opzegden tòch onnoemelijk veel psychische hulp bij de Orde hadden verkregen. Op dat gezegde bouwde Ralp Lewis, zijn zoon, de orde uit tot in meer dan 80 landen. Ik weet wel dat de opbouw momenteel overal revolutionair is, maar wij weten ook dat niet alle nieuwe leden blijvertjes zijn, maar voor deze nieuwe leden is het van onschatbare waarde dat zij, al is het maar voor drie maanden, lid zijn. Incarnaties later werkt die tijd nog door. Spencer Lewis heeft ervoor gezorgd dat er altijd weer iets nieuws voor ons klaar ligt in onze monografieën. Wat een Auteur, wat een architect, wat een redenaar was hij, wat een cello-speler, wat een kenner van de muziek, natuurkunde, chemie en journalistiek!
Zo ooit gezegd mag worden dat iemand een universeel genie was, en met dat woord speelt de profane wereld nogal eens, dan was dat Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis! Ik wil onze huidige Imperator Ralph Lewis op dit punt in één lijn met zijn vader noemen.

Eén van de meest indringende ervaring welke ik ooit met Dr. Spencer Lewis heb meegemaakt was niet in een persoonlijk gesprek of tijdens een korte ontmoeting, waarbij men dikwijls werd afgeleid door de telefoon, een secretaresse, doch in een projectie. Ik woonde omstreeks 1930 in Toronto en op een donderdagavond zat ik te studeren in mijn Sanctum. Ik las toen voor de afwisseling “Hamlet” van Shakespeare. Enige dagen tevoren had ik de Imperator geschreven en hem een paar vragen voorgelegd. Plotseling die avond had ik het gevoel dat ik niet alleen was in mijn Sanctum. En warempel, ik zag de Imperator die mij een kort berichtje doorgaf met zijn prettig in het gehoor liggende stem, dat ik duidelijk kon verstaan. Hij gaf het antwoord op mijn vragen! Toen zag ik een hand vlak bij mij. “Shake hands”, hoorde ik duidelijk. Ik maakte een manuaal van handdrukken, maar vond het toch een beetje vreemd. Maar het wàs een handdruk. Ik wees op het boek van Shakespeare dat ik aan het lezen was. Vluchtig zij hij toen nog: “Good literature” en toen was hij weer verdwenen. Later hoorde ik dat hij met leden van zijn klaas veelvuldig dergelijke kontakten had, die even indringend waren als die wij heden van hem mogen ontvangen.

De grootste uibreidingen van de Orde staan nu voor de deur. Hij begint met de bouw van het Egyptische Museum en reist om inspiratie op te doen naar Egypte, was in die tijd een wereldreis was. Hij leidde een inwijding in de grote Pyramide. In de dertiger jaren liet de orde veel van zich horen in de Verenigde Staten, Canada, Frankrijk, Duitsland en Nederland. Bij ons vond de oprichting plaats in januari 1934 in “Villa Elisabeth” in Den Haag.
Op last van de Imperator werd de Kommissie van Oprichting als volgt samengesteld: Frater Coops, Grootsecretaris en de leden Soror van Drenthem Soesman, geboren Middelaer, Frater van Drenthem Soesman, Soror Van Rijn van Alkemade en Frater Corbière. Sedert 1926 was de Imperator niet meer in Nederland geweest. Wèl in Brussel voor de vergaderingen der FUDOSI, waar ook mijn grote vriend Frans Wittemans uit Antwerpen aanwezig was.

Persoonsverheerlijking dat wilde Dr. Spencer Lewis niet. Maar als men hem beter leerde kennen, hetzij uit zijn boeken, leringen, gebouwen of persoonlijke gesprekken, dan kon men het niet helpen deze persoon ter vereren. Dat deden wij dan ook en dat was waarschijnlijk het enige waarin we ongehoorzaam aan hem waren.
Hij stond op een “pied de stalle”, een voetstuk. Gelukkig dat de mens hem heeft gekend voor wat hij was. Gelukkig!
Mijn moeder vertelde mij na haar bezoek aan hem:
“Ik heb iets van de grandeur van deze man mogen zien!”
Zo wàs het en zo is het! Hij is voor de meesten van ons niet gestorven.

Ikzelf tracht steeds weer waar te maken dat ene grote dat ik van de Imperator heb mogen leren: LIEFDE IS DE WET.
Dat is o zo moeilijk in deze verdorven maatschappij. Om alles wat op je afkomt te verwerken is dikwijls ontzettend moeilijk, maar ik geloof dat datzelfde Kosmische dat hem in zo grote mate heeft geholpen ons ook helpt, gezien de grote uitbreiding van de Orde en het succes dat wij hebben.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDEKx16W8ss&feature=related

Als je geen antwoord meer weet op de vragen,
die een knotsgekke wereld je dagelijks stelt,
Als je niet meer weet of je moet lachen of huilen,
Als je hoort wat de jeugd je vertelt…

Dan is het tijd dat je rustig gaat zitten,
je ogen sluit en een taf’reeltje ziet
van blauwe luchten, een enkele vogel
en spierwitte wolkjes in ’t verschiet.

Dan komt de rust voor wie haar kan grijpen,
een meditatieve, prettige rust.
En dat is in dit knotsgekke leven
HET medicijn, word je daarvan bewust!


Though the above article of past Grand Master E.D.C. van Drenthem Soesman, taken from his booklet “Mijn eerste Elftal” was posted just as the title implies, to honour Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, I later realized that it was also an interesting talk on AMORC's history in The Netherlands, which officially started in 1934. So next year we celebrate it’s 75th anniversary! On this occasion I'd like to share parts of a letter from former Grand Master I.L.M. (Irène) Beusekamp-Fabert about the genesis of the Netherlands Grand Lodge.

quote

Onze Nederlandstalige Jurisdictie is op 1 februari 1934 opgericht. Vóór die tijd had Frater Jan Coops jaren in Canada gewoond, waarheen hij was geëmigreerd en waar hij in aanraking kwam met Frater Spencer Lewis en de AMORC. Hij werd lid van de AMORC en Spencer Lewis vroeg hem terug te keren naar Nederland en aldaar de Nederlandse Jurisdictie op te bouwen, en dat deed Jan Coops in 1934, nadat hij het Charter voor de Nederlandstalige Jurisdictie van Spencer Lewis had ontvangen.

Jan Coops begon de monografiën te vertalen in het Nederlands en na verloop van tijd had hij drie leden in Nederland, één dame, die trouwens 104 jaar geworden is, en twee heren. Een van deze twee heren was Frater L. van Gastel, die toen student scheikunde was. Langzamerhand kon in Amsterdam in de woning van Jan Coops een Pronaos worden opgericht. De dame en heren brachten de monografiën ’s nachts per fiets naar de eerste leden. Dat was dus het begin van onze Jurisdictie, die helaas door de oorlog tijdelijk aan haar activiteiten een einde moest maken. Wel hadden in het verborgene nog enige ontmoetingen plaats, maar pas na de oorlog kon Jan Coops de activiteiten van de AMORC en van de TMO goed ontplooien. Onze Jurisdictie werd dan ook een Grootloge en Jan Coops werd tot Grootmeester benoemd.


unquote

Van vrijdag 13 t/m 15 november 2009 zal t.g.v. het 75-jarig bestaan van de Grootloge van de Nederlandstalige Jurisdictie een Jubileumconvent worden gehouden. "De Rozekruiser nu", 75-jaar AMORC in de Nederlandstalige gebieden.
Dit nationale convent wordt gehouden in het conferentiecentrum "De Leeuwenhorst" in Noordwijkerhout.

On August 12, 2009 we’re also commemorating the 100th anniversary of H. Spencer Lewis’s initiation into the Rosicrucian Tradition in France!

Watch DVD: Dr. H. Spencer Lewis Restorer of Rosicrucianism

http://www.youtube.com/user/RosicrucianTV

vrijdag 23 mei 2008

Saunière & Martinism # 3: The Illuminati Protocols. Hiérarchie, Fraternité et Liberté! ou Liberté, Egalité et Charité?



Nein - Die Illuminaten gibt es nicht!
Ja - Die Illuminaten sind mitten unter us!


"Wer war der Thor, wer Weiser, Bettler oder Kaiser?
Ob Arm, ob Reich, im Tode gleich."


"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a bit longer." - Henry Kissinger

"In politics nothing is accidental. If something happens, be assured it was planned this way." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws." - Mayer Amschel Bauer a.k.a. Rothschild

"Of all the means I know to lead men, the most effectual is a concealed mystery. The hankering of the mind is irresistible." - Adam Weishaupt

"Wij vormen een vereniging van broeders op alle punten van de aarde… Maar toch is er één die onzichtbaar is, en nauwelijks gevoeld wordt. Waar vandaan komt het? Waar is het? Niemand weet het, of niemand verteld het. Deze vereniging is zelfs voor ons, de veteranen van de geheime genootschappen, geheim." - Guiseppe Mazzini.

Capital must protect itself in every way... Debts must be collected and loans and mortgages foreclosed as soon as possible. When through a process of law the common people have lost their homes, they will be more tractable and more easily governed by the strong arm of the law applied by the central power of leading financiers. People without homes will not quarrel with their leaders. This is well known among our principle men now engaged in forming an imperialism of capitalism to govern the world. By dividing the people we can get them to expend their energies in fighting over questions of no importance to us except as teachers of the common herd. - J.P. Morgan

"We decide on something, leave it lying around and wait and see what happens. If no one kicks up a fuss, because most people don't know what has been decided, we continue step by step until there is no turning back." - Jean-Claude Juncker
(describing the way the EU works)


The Martinists...admired by the wise...feared by the tyrant...persecuted by the dictator...respected by the mystic...sought by the Seeker. Since the XVIIIth century, the Martinists have been found at the very heart and center of esotericism and mystical belief in all its various expressions. While the Martinist Order is not a secret society, rarely do individual Martinists allow themselves to be seen directly; generally, only a hint of their presence is noted. Yet always, their influence is great, and their charisma is felt by those who know. Frequently are they discussed by the uninitiated who have little knowledge or understanding of the Martinists or their abilities. Today, Martinism flourishes, and its portals are still open to the Men and Women of Desire who wish to exit the Forest of Errors and enter the Light to be found at the Gates of Mercy.

When talking about synarchy another subject almost invariably and automatically comes to mind: the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. Is there a connection between the two or is this purely accidental? Is it simple a mix up of names Zion and Sion? We shall soon see.

The origins of the infamous Protocols are just as obscure as the mystery of Rennes-le-Château itself, the genesis of Freemasonry and or the sources of the Nile for that matter. They range from the obscure and bizar to the downright insane and ludicrous.

The true origin of the protocols, according to novelist and scholar Umberto Eco, who has researched the subject, goes back to the adventure stories featuring long dialogues and convoluted plots that appeared in parts in popular French newspapers. In these stories, brave heroes rescued beautiful maidens from the clutches of evil rich men and scheming Jesuit priests. Even famous authors like Alexander Dumas and Eugene Sue wrote such stories (Le Juif errant)

Contrary to popular belief, they are not a forgery, nor a fiction; but neither are they of Zionist origin. In fact they formed the basis of a Martinist plan for Synarchic government. Papus himself wrote of such a plan as a necessary counter to what he saw as creeping anarchy. Aware of their political potential, they were used by a faction of dissident Russian exiles to discredit Russian noblemen involved in Freemasonry who were believed to be involved in a conspiracy to influence the Tsar. -Guy Patton.

This Martinist document was then seen by Sergei Nilus; who confused the Martinist symbol - a six-pointed star - with the Zionist Star of David. He immediately interpreted the document as being a Zionist plan and part of a Zionist conspiracy. The Martinists were duly attacked as belonging to this illusory Judeo-masonic plot. Anti-Semitic tendencies of the time greatly helped to fuel this confusion and added to its propaganda value that continues even until today. – Guy Patton.

I must stongly disagree with Patton’s interpretation except his first line: Contrary to popular belief, they are not a forgery, nor a fiction; but neither are they of Zionist origin.

Plus the fact that Sergei Nilus mistook the Martinist symbol for the zionist star of David. (Tsar Nicholas II and his court were members of a Martinist lodge - the "Cross and Star", and he (Tsar Nicholas) was initiated into the Martinist Order by Papus (Gerard Encausse).

A more or less generally accepted point of view was the authorship of Maurice Joly author of the political satire entitled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu (Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu), attacking the political ambitions of Napoleon III. Subsequent research points out that Joly appears to have plagiarised a good amount of the material from a popular novel by Eugene Sue.

One of the few copies to survive the confiscation of Napoleon III’s secret police found its way to Switzerland, where it was picked up by the Okhrana, the Russian secret police, and served as the basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Then Hermann Goedsche's 1868 novel, Biarritz (in English as To Sedan) who contributed another idea that may have inspired the scribe behind the Protocols. In the chapter, “The Jewish Cemetery in Prague and the Council of Representatives of the Twelve Tribes of Israel”, Goedsche wrote about a nocturnal meeting between members of a mysterious rabbinical cabal, describing how at midnight, the Devil appears before those who have gathered on behalf of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to plan a “Jewish conspiracy”.

Now, my own opinion. Is it any better than the above mentioned ones? Perhaps yes, maybe it isn’t. So why would I do this. Perhaps if not someone less qualified might decide doing so!?

Thus, by adding one and one kabbalisticly, using my experience, intuition and common sense I can only come to one conclusion: it was the Illuminati.

Well didn’t even Sherlock Holmes aver: "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

So I am of the opinion that the Ordo Illuminati Bavarensis (Gesellschaft der Perfectibilisten) founded 1 May 1776 by Adam Wieshaupt and his friends and heavily sponsored by Mayer Amschel Rothschild (Bauer), though parts of the documents may have pre-existed, were responsible for genesis of this unholy document. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion so closely resemble the game plan of the New World Order, that they could easily be called the "Illuminati Protocols".

William Huntington btw, an American who had studied in Germany, founded the "Skull and Bones" at Yale University in 1832. (Which is actually nothing else but Chapter 322 of the Bavarian Illuminati!).

"Those on the inside know it as The Order. Others have known it for more than 150 years as Chapter 322 of a German secret society. More formally, and for legal purposes, The Order was incorporated as The Russell Trust Association in 1856 (New Haven, Connecticut based). Since 1961 also known as RTA. It was also once known as the "Brotherhood of Death". Those who make light of it, or want to make fun of it, call it 'Skull & Bones', or just plain 'Bones'.
- Prof.Dr. Antony C. Sutton


When asked what it meant that he and Bush were both Bonesmen, former Presidential candidate John Kerry said, "Not much because it's a secret".

Many people think "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is anti Semitic "hate literature" and a fraud. But Nobel Prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote that the book exhibits "the mind of genius." This is pretty unusual for a fraud. He said it exhibits "great strength of thought and insight. Its design is well above the abilities of an ordinary mind...It is more complicated than a nuclear bomb."
Illuminati is a name that refers to several groups, both real and fictitious.

Historically, it refers specifically to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment era secret society founded in the late eighteenth century. However, in modern times it refers to a purported conspiratorial organisation which acts as a shadowy power behind the throne, allegedly controlling world affairs through present day governments and corporations, usually as a modern incarnation or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati. In this context, Illuminati is often used in reference to a New World Order (NWO). Many conspiracy theorists believe the Illuminati, or the "Illuminated ones", are the masterminds behind events that will lead to the establishment of such a New World Order.

In rarer cases, the Illuminati refers to an elite set of enlightened individuals who may not co-operate but are uniquely empowered by their enlightenment, much like the intelligentsia classes of today are empowered by their education and intelligence. These are people who have become illuminated and have achieved a higher mystical understanding of the universe. Many secret societies and mystical traditions are concerned with this kind of illumination or enlightenment, such as the Afghan Roshaniya, Ismailis, Alumbrados, Guerinets, Rosicrucians, Martinists, Illuminés d'Avignon, Fratres Lucis etc.

P.S.: the article series Saunière & Martinism is far from being complete, it is under constant construction and will be updated soon as any new evidence appears or information is somehow made available to me. So for the time being it should be merely considered as a personal notebook. - "Your Humble Narrator".

zaterdag 17 mei 2008

Saunière & Martinism # 2: “It’s only politics, so what’s that got to do with us?”



"Money will find a way"

"Wer war der Thor, wer Weiser, Bettler oder Kaiser?
Ob Arm, ob Reich, im Tode gleich."


"What luck for rulers, that men do not think." - Adolf Hitler

If the American people knew what we have done,
they would string us up from the lamp posts. - George H.W. Bush


"Nothing is straight forward when it comes to story of Rennes-Le-Château"

"It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes." - Josef Stalin

Il y a deux histoires: L'histoire officielle, mensongère, qui nous est enseignée, et l'histoire secrète où se trouvent les vraies causes des évènements, une histoire honteuse." - Honoré de Balzac

"The great nations have always acted like gangsters, and the small nations like prostitutes." - Stanley Kubrick

The Martinists...admired by the wise...feared by the tyrant...persecuted by the dictator...respected by the mystic...sought by the Seeker. Since the XVIIIth century, the Martinists have been found at the very heart and center of esotericism and mystical belief in all its various expressions. While the Martinist Order is not a secret society, rarely do individual Martinists allow themselves to be seen directly; generally, only a hint of their presence is noted. Yet always, their influence is great, and their charisma is felt by those who know. Frequently are they discussed by the uninitiated who have little knowledge or understanding of the Martinists or their abilities. Today, Martinism flourishes, and its portals are still open to the Men and Women of Desire who wish to exit the Forest of Errors and enter the Light to be found at the Gates of Mercy.

At Wilhelmsbad, near the city of Hanau in Hesse-Cassel, was held the most important Masonic Congress of the eighteenth century. It was convoked by Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, Grand Master of the Order of Strict Observance ... there were delegates from Upper and Lower Germany, from Holland, Russia, Italy, France, and Austria; and the order of the Illuminati was represented by the Baron Von Knigge. It is not therefore surprising that the most heterogeneous opinions were expressed. A meeting was convened at Mayer Amschel Rothschild's castle in Wilhelmsbad on the 16th July 1782, where the freemasons and Illuminati forged a complete alliance.

Comte Henri de Virieu (Eques a Circulis) a Mason from the Martinist lodge at Lyon after the 1782 Masonic Congress of Wilhelmsbad and attendee at this conference, comes away visibly shaken. When questioned about the "tragic secrets" he brought back with him, he replies: "I will not confide them to you. I can only tell you that all this is very much more serious than you think. The conspiracy which is being woven is so well thought out, that it will be, so to speak, impossible for the Monarchy and the Church to escape it."

Il y a deux histoires: L'histoire officielle, mensongère, qui nous est enseignée, et l'histoire secrète où se trouvent les vraies causes des évènements, une histoire honteuse." - Honoré de Balzac

TRIA SUNT MIRABILIA, DEUS ET HOMO, MATER ET VIRGO, TRINUS ET UNUS

Synarchy is Greek for joint/harmonious rule (1+1=3), as opposed to Anarchy.

The earliest recorded use of the term "Synarchy" is attributed to an English theologian Thomas Stackhouse (1677-1752). But the most common use of the word "Synarchy" though stems from the writings of Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre (1842-1909), who used the term in his books to describe what he believed was the ideal form of government.

Synarchy as devised by St-Yves was not a purely political movement. Being a friend of kindred spirits such as Victor Hugo and Lord Bulwer-Lytton, he incorporated several specific mystical and occult ideas into the system. Saint-Yves envisioned a European synarchist empire; a government composed of three councils, representing economic power, judicial power, and scientific community of which the metaphysical chamber bound the whole structure together.

Essentially, Synarchy advocates government by secret society or, in its own terms, by an elite of enlightened initiates who rule from behind the scenes. It therefore doesn’t matter therefore much which political party holds power in a state or even what political system that state has since Synarchy can rule in any kind of state, though for obvious reasons it finds itself more at home among totalitarian regimes.

St-Yves believed in the existence of spiritually superior beings that could be contacted telepathically. His elite would be made up of people who were in communication with them. He himself claimed that he was in touch with these beings, and that they actually gave him the principles of Synarchy.

New as this all may seem at the time, Synarchy basically is very much old wine in a new bottle. Something we've all seen before: read Adam Weishaupt and the Order of Illuminati. Though Synarchy may have looked more advanced and mature, when you carefully study the aims of the Illuminati there's a lot of correspondence. It comes therefore as no surprise that St-Yves regarded the medieval Knights Templar as the ultimate Synarchists of their day.

It's crucial to consider the whole issue of Synarchism whithin the proper historial context and the time frame of St-Yves' time. Democracy wasn't really mature yet, and communism was still to be invented. It's soooo easy to be politically correct with hindsight...

Despite his continuous efforts he didn’t manage to draw much attention for his ideas from the French public at first. However, gradually St. Yves d'Alveydre became more and more influential when several occult groups and currents became interested in his beliefs. The concept of Agartha and its Masters had a big influence on the teachings of Madame Blavatsky founder of the Theosophical Society .

Then there is Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) who used Synarchy as a major influence when he developed his own ideas for his own organisation, the "Antroposofische Gesellschaft"

Another important movement which became closely associated with Synarchy was Martinism. Papus (real name Gérard Encausse), (1865-1916) who in 1884, drafted the constitution of and revived the Martinist Order “Ordre Martiniste” (1887-1891). Papus called Saint- Yves his “intellectual master” where as his "spiritual master" he claimed the mysterious magician and healer known as "le Maître Philippe de Lyon" (Philippe Nizier). It is surprising therefore, that neither of the two have ever been members of the Martinist Order themselves!

Papus had an enormous influence over the world of esoteric secret societies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Not so long after his death in 1916, Victor Blanchard, became the leader of the Martinists. In order to express his appreciation for the work of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, he renamed the Martinist Order into Ordre Martiniste et Synarchique (1920).

So where the Martinist Order at no time was meant to be a political current, it’s undeniable that many Martinists once were drawn to the ideas of Synarchy. Nowadays the Synarchist Utopia has lost much its appeal or at least I know of no Martinists who’re still drawn to these ideas (or they simply don’t want to speak out…).

People are rather wary of politics these days and rightly so, but they are not so wary of an appeal to the romantic, spiritual and mystical. And therein lies the danger. Since the combination of occultism and politics is highly questionable in my humble opinion and has often proved being downright dangerous.

According to French Martinist expert Robert Ambelain (one of the very few genuine experts imho, considering all of the self-proclaimed journalists and researchers on the internet!) the whole idea of Martinist Synarchy had been grossly misunderstood and deliberately misinterpreted. In his "Martinism, History and Doctrine", he states the following:

Quote
These anti-masonic reviews designated Martinism being identical with this same "Synarchy"!

In reality "Synarchy", a secret organization in the pay of trusts and high-finance, most certainly existed. But it had nothing to do with the synarchic principle of state government, which had been preached by a Martinist of the Saint-Martin line, Saint-Yves d'Alveydre!

The Martinist Order had knowingly been confused with a purely political and capitalist movement, confusing Martinists with business venturers.
Unquote



Post Scriptum:

it was long assumed that the B + S on the Saunière Bookplate stood for his initials though his full name was François Béranger Saunière.

The Ex-Libris was taken though from an early Rosicrucian book by Adrian von Mynsicht (1603-1638) a German rosicrucian alchemist (Dei Gratia Aureae Crucis Frater) known for his allegorical work Aureum Saeculum Redivivum, and published under the pseudonym Henricus Madathanus around 1625.

It is a rosicrucian rebus having a double meaning, one alchemical and the other astrological, (2 X B + S) together forming the classical fifth element or Quintessence.
The first meaning = Blut & Stein and the latter being...

Thus it’s not suprising that Saunière used this bookplate btw, but it’s highly amazing though that he knew about its existence…

Soon to follow: Novus Ordo Seclorum & Illuminati Protocols of Zion

woensdag 7 mei 2008

Saunière & Martinism # 1: La Société des Indépendants ou des Intimes?



"Wer war der Thor, wer Weiser, Bettler oder Kaiser?
Ob Arm, ob Reich, im Tode gleich."


History, for a creative Martinist, then, can be almost like a plaything: a Game, in fact with a serious inner meaning. You can play with the history to reveal a greater truth. - Tobias Churton Invisibles

Of all the hoaxes, mysteries and conspiracies going around in this world, the Rennes-le-Château secret could very well be designated to be the Mother of all Mysteries.

The Martinists...admired by the wise...feared by the tyrant...persecuted by the dictator...respected by the mystic...sought by the Seeker. Since the XVIIIth century, the Martinists have been found at the very heart and center of esotericism and mystical belief in all its various expressions. While the Martinist Order is not a secret society, rarely do individual Martinists allow themselves to be seen directly; generally, only a hint of their presence is noted. Yet always, their influence is great, and their charisma is felt by those who know. Frequently are they discussed by the uninitiated who have little knowledge or understanding of the Martinists or their abilities. Today, Martinism flourishes, and its portals are still open to the Men and Women of Desire who wish to exit the Forest of Errors and enter the Light to be found at the Gates of Mercy.

Der Martinismus ist ein Resultat der Aufklärung und proklamierte, dass der göttliche Ursprung nur durch den Weg des Herzens wieder gefunden werden könne. Es ist die Suche nach dem "göttlichen Ich". Seine Anhänger wollten eine neue Weltordnung basierend auf Jesus Christus vorantreiben, die verschiedene Glaubenssysteme nicht nur tangiert, sondern auch integriert – inklusive der jüdischen Kaballa. - André Douzet - Das Grab des Christus


It’s the well known story of the Abbé Francois Béranger Saunière, who discovered “certain things” and which made him a very wealthy man.

Where one hand there’s the ones like Paul Smith who simply dismiss the whole affair as a hoax, I belong the the critical believers, who feel that there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye.

After a long study of this mystery I've found that the only constant thing of it, is that those involved invariably had something to do with rosicrucianism and or martinism. For the rest I could very well quote Goethe: "Da steh ich nun, ich armer Tor, und bin so klug als wie zuvor."

The first ones who described this phenomenon i.m.o. (links with martinism and rosicrucianism i.e.) were Guy Patton and Robin Mackness in Web of Gold. Soon to be followed by Picknett & Prince.

More specific details have been given by French author André Douzet (The tomb of Christ and Saunière’s model).

However what these authors have in common though is that they, to my best knowledge, are not Martinists themselves and therefore see these things only from a hearsay perspective (their given information as such being quite accurate nonetheless).

In the pages of the Lodge Minutes book of the Martinist Order of Lyon it says: Dans La registre de la Très Révérente Loge à l’Orient de Lyon “La Haute Philosophie”…sur la liste le présent d’honneur l’Abbé Saunière.

Where Douzet quotes the minute book of a Martinist meeting(s) which Sauniere allegedly a.o. attended on 11 May 1900, he all together avoids to produce the relevant paper and which I’d like to see for verification. Certain details which I can't reveal here, would probably give me a fairly accurate impression of its authenticity. So, if the Douzet document is authentic, it proves that Saunière was a Martinist and a very important one (présent d’honneur) at that...

His interest in Martinism b.t.w. isn't surprising since others in his cercle of friends were Martinists such as Emma Calvé. In a document made in Paris on November 11th, 1892, at the cabaret "Chat Noir", we can see the signature of Emma Calve just before the sign of S:.I:., Supérieur Inconnu; the third degree of the Martinist Order.

Ignorami sometimes claim that his adherence is without any evidence whatsoever. Still subscribing to the romantic but completely false idea that if you’re just interested, you could simply go to and attend a Martinist meeting, by stating that it would interest you. Well: No Way!

No one, not him/her self duly initiated, will ever find his way into a Martinist heptad!I can guarantee that!

Where Saunière's Martinist adherence doesn't necessarily solve the mystery, it at least points us somewhat in the right direction.

Where even as a martinist myself, I find it rather difficult to properly define martinism so that no doubt is left to the intended meaning. Therefore in a previous post: Dialogues avec un Serviteur Inconnu... I've made an attempt by quoting several people/scholars who've shone their light on this mysterious subject. Since the romantic perception that it's simply Christian Mysticism, well I just don't find this view satisfactory. I rather support the idea of Charles Barlet who once stated that martinism was "a circle whose circumference was everywhere and the centre nowhere." This much better expresses the apparent discrepancies that seem to exist in martinism.

Dear gentle readers, soon I'll be returning to the Rennes-le-Château story, discussing some of the seemingly incongruent ideas which you'll find within martinism, such as synarchy, monarchy, and the bizarre movement of Naundorffism... or to quote Prof. Karl R. H. Frick: Man könnte ebenso die Quadratur des Kreises versuchen, um die widersprüchlichen Lehren des Martinismus im 19. Und 20. Jahrhundert in völlige Kongruenz zu überführen.

NAUNDORF: The lost King of France or just an other Imposter?

Where Louis Claude de Saint-Martin could hardly be called a royalist himself, only read his works “Lettre à un ami, ou Considérations philosophiques et religieuses sur la révolution française” & Le crocodile (1799) or the excellent paper The Crocodile Strikes Back: Saint-Martin's Interpretation of the French Revolution by Dr. Fabienne Moore, many of his followers were! They were monarchist or even worse Naundorffist.

Many French martinists believed Karl Wilhelm Naundorff's claims to the French throne. They joined the Synarchy movement and formed the Ordre Martiniste et Synarchie (OMS).

Karl Wilhelm Naundorff, was buried in 1845 in the Dutch town of Delft with the epitaph: "Here lies Louis XVII, King of France." DNA analysis later disproved his claim though.

Lot’s of indications show us that Saunière supported Naundorff from 1891 as did two Popes, Leon XIII and Benoit XV. However there was no real proof of the identity of Naundorff, only assumptions. (Well hell, as a martinist, you ought to know that one should NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING)

By the time of his death, Naundorff was recognized by many including the Dutch government as Louis XVII and, thus, the heir to the French throne – but, alas, not by his own country of France.

Naundorffism has always flabbergasted me. I’ve always found it very difficult to believe, that this German watch- and clockmaker who hardly knew any French could possibly have been Prince Louis Charles (Louis XVII).

Nevertheless the Naundorffists did and even now some still believe this. So where Naundorffism, was never ever a part of martinism, a considerable number of martinists were staunch Naundorffists. "Il nous a été révélé que le destin de la renaissance européenne était attaché à la restauration de la monarchie française et que la branche directe des descendants de Louis XVI appelée Naundorff était élue par Dieu.”

In 1998 Belgian genetics professor J.J. Cassiman of the Leuven University) conclusively proved by means of DNA testing that Karl Wilhelm Naundorff was not a descendent of the Bourbons and therefore most definitely not Louis XVII. Dr. Cassiman and his associates compared DNA material taken from Mr. Naundorff's body with hair of the queen and two of her sisters that was found in lockets that had belonged to their mother. They found no matches.

But Naundorff's descendants do not give up though. Website for Naundorff, whose family is still trying to press through his claims that he’s the Lost king of France: http://www.louis-XVII.com

In 2004 Cassiman announced that tests conducted on the heart of the boy who died in prison proved once and for all that he was, in fact, Marie Antoinette’s son and Prince Louis Charles (Louis XVII).

donderdag 10 januari 2008

Rose+Croix Martiniste
dialogues avec un Serviteur Inconnu...

n



"Der Weg ist das Ziel"

“Brother why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?
Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking!
Live in silence.” - Jalal ad-Din Rumi


La mobilisation est le ressort du Vénérable Maître.

"A simple gift consisting of 2 letters and some dots".

"He smiled and said that Martinism was "a circle whose circumference was everywhere and the centre nowhere."

"Tout homme doit traverser une fois la grande solitude,
pour y développer son industrie, son courage et sa patience."


My sect is Providence, my proselytes are me, my cult is justice! - Saint-Martin

Un martiniste est martiniste à vie : il n'y a aucun pouvoir sur terre qui puisse défaire ce lien!

Martinism is a system of mystical Christian Illuminist philosophy and esoteric practice based upon the secret instruction & public writings of French philosopher Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803).

"Ik ben tot het besef gekomen dat al het zichtbare voortkomt uit het onzichtbare en dat het wezenlijke voor ons als mens verborgen is." - Pim van Lommel

"Het was mijn taak in deze wereld de geest van de mens via een natuurlijke weg te leiden naar de bovennatuurlijke dingen die hem rechtens toekomen, maar waarvan hij absoluut geen voorstelling meer heeft, hetzij door zijn val, hetzij door het verkeerde onderricht van zijn leraren ..." - L.C. de Saint-Martin


:::Ad Magnum Architecti Universi Gloriam Sub Auspiciis Philosophi Incogniti Verabili Magistri Nostri:::

MARTINISM
is a system of mystical Christian Illuminist philosophy and esoteric practice based upon the secret instruction and public writings of French philosopher Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803). The practical application of the instructions and writings is empowered by the personal transmission of an Initiation called by Martinists The Initiation. Both men and women are welcomed as Martinist Initiates.

Of all the Mystical groups that flowered in France during the 18th century none has had an influence comparable to that which entered into history under the name of MARTINISM…
shrouded in a perennial aura of mystery, which surrounds the famous “Supérieurs Inconnus”; the keepers of the rosicrucian secrets.

The Martinist philosophy is based on the “Treatise on the reintegration of beings” by Martinez de Pasqually and the writings of two of his students: Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and Jean Baptiste Willermoz. The teachings focus on Christian mysticism, Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah.
Thus the objective of the Martinist Order is the Reintegration of beings: the aim is to reconstitute the "Man-Spirit" by the evolution of the "Man of Desire", through the state of "New Man".

After the death of his mentor Martinez de Pasqually, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin discovered the writings of Jacob Boehme, whom he called his 'second master'. Slowly but gradually he turned away from the theurgy of the Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l'Univers in favour of the Way of the Heart.

The Martinists...admired by the wise...feared by the tyrant...persecuted by the dictator...respected by the mystic...sought by the Seeker. Since the XVIIIth century, the Martinists have been found at the very heart and center of esotericism and mystical belief in all its various expressions. While the Martinist Order is not a secret society, rarely do individual Martinists allow themselves to be seen directly; generally, only a hint of their presence is noted. Yet always, their influence is great, and their charisma is felt by those who know. Frequently are they discussed by the uninitiated who have little knowledge or understanding of the Martinists or their abilities. Today, Martinism flourishes, and its portals are still open to the Men and Women of Desire who wish to exit the Forest of Errors and enter the Light to be found at the Gates of Mercy.

Dr. Karl R. H. Frick :
Von beginn an gab es für den Martinisten zwei Wege, um das gesteckte Ziel zu erreichen:
es war dies einmal der operative (magische) Weg und der des "Herzens" oder mystische, der im cercle intérieur oder in einem cercle extérieur vollzogen wurde oder noch wird.
Neben diesen beiden recht unterschiedlichen Wegen des modernen Martinisten zur Vervollkommnung des Menschen sind auch die Lehren recht verschieden von den einzelnen Ideologen under den Martinisten interpretiert worden. Während z.B. einer der "Ahnherren", Jacob Böhme, die Frage einer Reinkarnation der menschlichen Seele, ignorierte, Pasqually vernachlässigte und Saint Martin ablehnte, ist sie doch von vielen Martinisten positiv beantwortet worden.
Man könnte ebenso die Quadratur des Kreises versuchen, um die widersprüchlichen Lehren des Martinismus im 19. Und 20. Jahrhundert in völlige Kongruenz zu überführen. Im Januarheft versuchte man in der L’Initiation die princpes fondamentaux du martinisme zu fixieren. Doch auch dieses Bemühen blieb ein Fragment. Am 13. Oktober 1968 unternahm man wohl den letzten Versuch, ein einheitliches Obergebäude der Lehre zu verkünden.
Fassen wir einige Lehrsätze zusammen, um wenigstens einen Überblick der lehre zu erhalten:
Freiheit, Menschlichkeit, Brüderlichtkeit und Gleichberechtigung von Mann und Frau sind die Leitideen.


The cosmology of Martinism from Beyond Enlightenment Author: Harvey, David Allen :
The cosmology of Martinism, or the body of doctrines elaborated by Louis Claude de Saint-Martin in the late eighteenth century and revived by Encausse and his followers in the late nineteenth, exemplifies this creative religious syncretism; in fact, Faivre described Martinism as a "movement which brought together ... the heritage of almost all of the Hermetic and analogical mysticism of the West."

While the Martinists considered themselves Christians, believing in the Trinity, the prophets of the Old Testament, and in the existence of Heaven (though not in that of Hell), they also believed in reincarnation and multiple existences, and integrated these elements into a compelling vision much in keeping with the philosophical optimism of the eighteenth century. They rejected the doctrines of original sin and the eternal damnation of sinners as logically inconsistent with the concept of a benevolent, omnipotent deity, arguing instead that individuals would have a potentially infinite number of chances to gain salvation, or as they put it, to find reintegration to the divine unity. While this concept seems closer to the Buddhist idea of Nirvana than to traditional Christian notions of the afterlife, it was in fact inspired by the seventeenth-century German mystic Jakob Boehme, who placed the fall and ultimate reintegration of mankind at the center of an elaborate cosmology.

While Catholics and Protestants argued over who would be saved, and how salvation would be obtained, the Martinists maintained that all of us would get there, sooner or later...

Christus heeft de mensheid verlost, niet door zijn dood maar door zijn leven, en de zaligheid van de mens berust niet op zijn geloof in een Zoon van God, die heeft geleden en is gestorven voor de zonden van de mensheid, maar op zijn bereidheid zijn leven in te richten naar een goddelijk voorbeeld.

For myself I feel Martinism is what I had hoped Freemasonry would be, I have travelled a very long path and I have found that which I consider to be my home. Martinism contains the most beautiful and more importantly practical symbolism I have ever encountered, the philosophy of Louis Claude, Pasqualez and Willermoz is simply sublime and most importantly the whole system is as pure as it was when Papus set the whole thing in motion. It also encourages philisophical discussion of the highest order where no ones opinion is wrong, just different.

"The laws of your life are within you: in that light that shines forth from your Being, as an Image of God, not in written books, which are mere idols of men." Guard this Light, and never let it spill into empty words. - Those who firmly guards his words, he guards his thoughts, he guards his feelings, and those who guards thus, he rules himself well." - Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin




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