Martinism is a form of mystical or esoteric Christianity, which envisions the figure of Christ as "The Repairer" who enables individuals to attain an idealised state such as that in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. As an informal practice, Martinism dates back to late 18th Century France. In the late 19th Century it was established in France and elsewhere as a formal order meeting in lodges. During the 20th century there has also been a revival of some of the practices which pre-date Martinism proper and which directly inspired it.

Today, there are three separate concepts which come under the umbrella of the general term "Martinism":

Martinism itself - which is a Mystical tradition in which emphasis is placed on Meditation. This was founded in the 18th Century by Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, and was formalised in 1888 by Augustin Chaboseau and Gerard Encausse (aka Papus).

The Elus-Cohens. This relies on Theurgy (i.e. Ritual Magic) to attain the same ends as Martinism. The Elus-Cohens were founded by Martinez De Pasqually, who was Saint-Martin's teacher. The original Elus Cohens ceased to exist sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, but it was revived in the 20th century by Robert Ambelain, and lives on today in various Martinist Orders, including the branch reinstigated by Ambelain himself.

The Scottish Rectified Rite or Chevaliers Bienfaisants De La Cité-Sainte (CBCS). This was originally a Masonic rite, a reformed variant of the Rite of Strict Observance which, in its highest degrees, uses Masonic-type rituals to demonstrate the philosophy which underlies both Martinism and the practices of the Elus-Cohens. The CBCS was founded in the late 18th Century by Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, who was a pupil of Martinez de Pasqually and a contemporary of Saint-Martin. The CBCS has managed to survive as a continually practiced rite from its founding until the present day, both as a purely masonic rite, and as a detached rite which is also open for women.

Pre-Martinism: Martinez de Pasqually and the Elus Cohens

Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually was born in c. 1727 in Grenoble, France, and died in 1774 in Saint-Domingue while dealing with profane business. Martinez de Pasqually was active in Masonic organisations throughout France from the age of 28 onwards. In 1765 he established the Ordre des Chevelier Maçons Élus Cohen de L’Univers (Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe), which functioned as a regular Masonic obedience in France.

This order had three sets of degrees: the first were analogous to the symbolic degrees of conventional Freemasonry. The second were generally Masonic, though hinting at Pasqually's own secret doctrine. The third set were blatantly magical: for example by using exorcisms against evil in the world generally and in the individual specifically. In the highest degree, the Reaux-Croix, the initiate was taught to use Theurgy to contact spiritual realms beyond the physical.[1]

De Pasqually put forth the philosophy underlying the work of the Elus Cohens in his only book, Treatise on the Reintegration of Human Beings which first uses the analogy of the Garden of Eden, and refers to Christ as "The Repairer". The ultimate aim of the Elus Cohen was to attain - whilst living - the Beatific Vision, through a series of magical invocations and complex theurgic operations.

After Martinez de Pasqually's death, the Elus Cohens continued to operate for some time: however divisions started to occur between various temples, which became dormant during the first half of the nineteenth century. The last-known surviving Elu-Cohen from the original incarnation of the order, Destigny, died in 1868.

Papus and Chaboseau: the founding of the Martinist Order

The disciples of Saint-Martin spread the Doctrine of the Unknown Philosopher in France, Germany, Denmark and above all in Russia. It was through one of them, Henri Delaage, that in 1880 a brilliant young Parisian doctor, Gerard Encausse (Later to be known as Papus), became acquainted with the doctrines of Saint-Martin and decided to become their champion. For this purpose, in 1884, together with some of his associates, he established a Mystical Order which he called the Ordre Martiniste or the Martinist Order.[8]

The founding of the Order came about when Encausse met August Chaboseau in 1884. They discovered that they had both apparently received Martinist initiation through two different chains of succession which linked back to Saint-Martin and his original disciples. Papus claimed to have come into the possession of the original papers of de Pasqually and to have been given authority in the Rite of Saint-Martin by his friend Henri Viscount Delaage.[9] However, Encausse realised that there was a "missing link" in his own chain of succession: he and Chaboseau therefore "swapped initiations" in order to consolidate their lineages.

The Martinist Order which Papus founded was organised as a Lodge system, which worked four degrees:

1. Associate

2. Mystic

3. Unknown Superior (S::I::/Supèrieur Inconnu)

4. Unknown Superior Initiator (S::I::I::/Supèrieur Inconnu Initiateur)(Lodge/Heptad Master).

Of these, the first two introduce the Candidate to key Martinist concepts, whilst the third supposedly confers the actual Initiation which Saint-Martin gave to his original disciples. Martinists generally believe that to be an authentic initiate, one must be able to show a chain of Initiatic Succession which goes back to Saint-Martin himself. However from Restivo: Martinist authenticity is not contingent upon acceptance or initiation into a filiation or succession of other Martinists as no personal initiation chain from Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin exists in the sacramental manner of ordination as culmination of mastery in an Initiatic order.

About the rituals themselves, the following general points may be made:

The mystical Christianity aspect of Martinism is emphasised by the fact that all lodges are opened by invoking Yeheshuah (Hebrew: ?????) i.e. the Tetragrammaton with the addition of the Hebrew letter Shin, which was first suggested by Reuchlin as a Qabalistic way of spelling Jesus.

Despite the Lodge structure of Martinism, the rituals themselves do not bear any resemblance to any of the symbolic degrees of Freemasonry. The rituals have their own milieu of dramatic and esoteric content: however it has been claimed that some of the rituals are derived from the Egyptian Freemasonry of Cagliostro, and indeed the Scottish Rectified Rite of Willermoz.[10]

The rituals contain elements of Martinez De Pasqually's philosophy, and passing references to the Qabalah, in addition to principles derived from Saint-Martin's own teachings.

The candidate at key points throughout the rituals is expected to answer on his or her own initiative. He or she is constantly encouraged to meditate on the symbolism presented.

The rituals often rely on the element of surprise to reinforce the points they make. It is thus inappropriate to go into further detail about the content thereof.

From Restivo: During the period up to the Second World War, the I::L:: or S::I::IV degree was exceptionally added as an endorsement or rank of distinction to the S::I::I:: degree for legates in new Martinist jurisdictions to be Grand Masters eventually. Later branches of the Martinist Order worked a fifth degree, I::L:: (Free Initiator/Initiateur Libre), which conferred on the candidate the power to initiate into all four degrees in person, not requiring lodge/heptad group form, and to establish a new and independent Martinist Order or act as legate/representative or Grand Master of same. For example, the Rose†Croix Martinist Order (Ontario,Canada):

1. Associate

2. Mystic

3. Unknown Superior (S::I::/Supèrieur Inconnu)

4. Unknown Superior Initiator (S::I::I::/Supèrieur Inconnu Initiateur)(Lodge/Heptad Master)

5. Free Initiator (I::L::/Initiateur Libre/S.I.IV) (Grand Officer/Grand Initiator).

Modern Martinism

In 1905, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia invited Papus to Tsarskoïe Selo to ask for advice on domestic difficulties he was facing with revolutionaries. The First World War was disastrous for the Order. Papus died on the battlefield while fulfilling his duties as a doctor and many other leaders of the Order died too.

After the war, the Order was almost extinct and the surviving members splintered into competing factions.

Many French Martinists gave credence to Karl Wilhelm Naundorff's claims to the French throne. They joined the Synarchy movement and formed the Ordre Martiniste et Synarchie (OM&S). In 1931 Augustin Chaboseau got together with Victor-Emile Michelet and Lucien Chamuel (the other two surviving members of the original Supreme Council of 1891) to bring new life to the Order that they had founded with Papus. In order to emphasise the difference they felt between the traditional Martinism they had to offer as founders of the original Martinist Order and the many new groups that had sprung up, they gave the name Ordre Martiniste Traditionnel (OMT) to their movement. Victor-Emile Michelet was elected Grand Master and Augustin Chaboseau succeeded him in 1939 until his death in 1946. Though he had received his Martinist initiations in the OMS, AMORC Imperator Ralph Maxwell Lewis was asked by the OMT in 1939 to bring Martinism to the U.S.A. and was given the necessary charters and other documents.

The second World War was as disastrous for the Order in Europe as the first. The Nazi regime suppressed all 'occult' groups and many Martinists died in concentration camps. The OMT in Europe and its American branch, the Traditional Martinist Order (TMO) still exists, but are reserved exclusively for members of AMORC. Martinism is now fast growing in popularity and with the advent of Internet many new orders have grown worldwide.