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Martinism is one of the currents of the Western esoteric tradition, and the purpose of the Martinist Order is to transmit the initiations and teachings that will help the sincere aspirant to grow spiritually and to promote the spiritual reintegration of humanity with the Divine. Martinism is based on the teachings of the European schools of classical theosophy and the works of Christian mystics such as Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (after whom the Order is named), Jakob Boehme (called the “Teutonic Theosopher”), Johan Georg Gichtel (the “theosopher of Amsterdam”), Emmanuel Swedenborg (the “Swedish theosopher”), Martinez de Pasqually, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, and others.
The word “Martinism” derives from the name of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803), a French theosophist, mystic, and author. Trained initially as a lawyer, he became an army officer and there met and studied with Martinez de Pasqually, who founded the Elect Coëns, a theurgically-based Masonic order. Later, Saint-Martin encountered the writings of German mystic Jakob Boehme, which influenced him profoundly. Saint-Martin continued to share his insights with students throughout the remainder of his life. In the late 19th century, the Martinist Order was reorganized by Gérard Encausse (Papus) and Augustin Chaboseau. There is more about the fascinating figures in the history of Martinism on the History and Origins links on this page above.
Considered by many authorities of the 19th and the 20th century to be one of the purest extant branches of the Western mystery tradition, Martinism has attracted prominent members of fraternal, spiritual, and initiatic movements such as Augustin Chaboseau, Dr. Gerard Encausse, known as “Papus,” Eliphas Levi, A.E. Waite, Robert Ambelain, and many other Masons, Rosicrucians, and theosophists in England, Germany, Belgium, France, and the United States of America.
The Martinist Order was established in the Netherlands on September 26, 1968, at the request of Philippe Encausse, President of the Federation of Martinist Orders of Paris and the son of Gérard Encausse. A member of the Supreme Council of the French Martinist Order was designated as the “Sovereign National Delegate” for the Netherlands on April 15, 1969, and was given the mission of spreading Martinist ideas, ideals, and initiations in that country. From the beginning of the lodges in the Netherlands, Encausse realized that the Old Catholic, Liberal Catholic, and Protestant members generally opposed the Order’s agreement with the Gnostic Apostolic Church, so he proposed the founding of an independent Martinist Order of the Netherlands, free from any specific religious tradition. The decision to accept independence was made on September 12, 1975.
The Martinist Order of the Netherlands also obtained contact with authentic Martinist currents in Central and Northern Europe, and our lineage thus became the repository of extinct affiliations in France and Belgium. We have a lineage first from Augustin Chaboseau, through Émile Dantine, Émile Ehlers and Gustave-Lambert Brahy for its lower degrees (up to the fourth), then from a Russian lineage linked to Prince Kourakine who was in direct contact with Saint-Martin, the lineage of the Princes of Hesse and the house of Princes Rakoczy, through the Polish general Michad Tokarevsky, and finally from a German lineage, through Dr. Franz Hartmann, going back, through Professor Molitor, to Franz Von Baader, a direct disciple of Martinez de Pasqually.
The Martinist Order of the Netherlands is present in Atlanta, Georgia and elsewhere in the United States and in the world. A distinct feature of our lineage is our principle of religious freedom for members, not requiring any specific religious affiliation or doctrine. In its search for Divine Wisdom, its teachings are more theosophical than theological and are not restricted to any exclusive or dogmatic theosophy or theology. Thus, according to article 4 of our statutes and regulations: “Grafted onto this theosophical stock, the Martinist Order must admit all means of investigation in the search for truth, from the most academic and scientific, to the most metaphysical, mystical, and esoteric.”
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