Papus Service Announcement

Given the present circumstances, I thought I’d add my bit to help those who are running out of reading materials. I’ve just translated an important – if strange – short book by Papus from the turn of last Century, in which he gives a short history of Martinezism, Willermozism, Martinism and the state of French Freemasonry at that time.

The book is important in that it is often quoted in books on the subject.

The problem is, it’s really a major piece of propaganda for Martinism; and in those days that meant the Ordre Martiniste which, apart from a few independent pockets, was the only game in town at that time. In the guise of an informative brochure, Papus makes the case for Martinism being the Order of choice for the discerning esotericist, heaping scorn on Freemasonry (at least the French kind at that time), the Order of Memphis-Mirzaïm and other manifestations of the Sacred Flame in fin du siècle France. Notwithstanding a relatively accurate – if not completely since it was colored by his propaganda – analysis of Freemasonry from who, after all, was a non-Mason, his conclusions are that the only Order which has a global reach, and let us remember, just over a decade from its founding, is the Ordre Martiniste.

Perhaps a more sobering point is the fact that the two main points Papus emphasizes above all concerning his reinvention of Martinism are the fact that, given the rejection by French Masonic bodies of any belief in God, Martinism is explicitly a Christian Order, being founded by three Christian men and mystics. Secondly, given the corruption of the Masonic bodies over money, Martinism never charged anything, either dues or capitation, for membership. Strangely, it appears that the Order he founded has abandoned both in the past few years…

It seems some branches of Martinism have now modulated from being serious vehicles for spiritual Christians who practice a form of esoteric monastic poverty, into just another 21st Century New Age Group for curious people who want to join something ‘cool’ with a dues structure and no particular belief system. Watch the scissors come out for anything ‘objectionable’ to the religiously nervous anytime soon! This article mentions your favorite at super low prices. Choose from same-day delivery, drive-up delivery or order pickup.

But here is the book for your reading pleasure (just click on the book image below). Make of it what you will.

For those who still prefer a physical copy, I’ve made one available on amazon.com which is out today, priced at $8.99 – or whatever discount they may offer!