What is Martinism?
Martinism is a philosophy and a system of Christian mysticism and theurgy. It has its origins with the Order of Elus Cohen and its founder Martinès de Pasqually. Pasqually developed his system upon the Masonic structure. Through a progressive series of degrees, Pasqually's students acquired the knowledge of their state of divine spiritual privation and the means to work toward reconciliation and ultimately reintegration, which consists in the restoration of man into his primitive rights and duties.
Two of Pasqually's most well known and influential students were Jean-Baptiste Willermoz and Louis Claude de Saint-Martin. The former preserved much of the Cohen practices through the German order of Templar Masonry, the Strict Observance, which in France became the Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Citè Sainte or Knights Beneficent of the Holy City.
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, never feeling entirely comfortable with the Masonic and theurgic aspects of the Elus Cohen, and much more drawn to the areas of prayerful contemplation and mystical speculation, became known for his writings which were of a highly elevated spiritual character. Many of the terms and themes found in Saint-Martin's writings come directly from, or are adaptations of, the Elus Cohen teachings. One such concept found in the earlier Cohen teachings is that of the Man of Desire, indicating the human who has set oneself upon the path of spiritual awakening. To this, Saint-Martin added the concepts of the Homme de Torrent - the Man of the Torrent or Stream, who is the one still dragged along with life's ebbs and flows, lost in the forest of errors; the Nouvel Homme - the New Man, a term borrowed from St. Paul that is similar to Pasqually's reconciled, but not yet reintegrated, man; and the Homme-Esprit - Man-Spirit or Spirit-Man, who is a fully awakened spiritual being. Saint-Martin's study of numbers is also based upon the Elus Cohen teachings, though not identical. Saint-Martin's system became known as the "inner way" or "way of the heart"
The principal promoter and organizer of contemporary Martinism was Dr. Gèrard Encausse, known better as Papus, who, with Augustin Chaboseau, formed the Ordre Martiniste to preserve the Martinist Initiation, doctrine, and practices. While preserving the core virtue of Saint-Martin’s "way of the heart," the modern Martinist tradition also preserves the exterior or "operative" way, descended from Willermoz. On this synthesis Papus writes in Martinesism, Willermozism, Martinism, and Freemasonry:
Martinism has had to adapt itself to its environment and to its era, but while preserving the Order in its traditional character and primitive spirit. The adaptation has above all consisted in uniting intimately the work of Saint-Martin with that of Willermoz. Thus, the Free Initiators, directly creating other initiators, and developing the Order by individual action, characterized too much the work of Saint-Martin for it not to be integrally preserved.
But the groups of initiates and initiators ruled by a unique center and constituted hierarchally, also characterized Willermozism, and was to be the object of particular instruction. That is why contemporary Martinism constituted aside from the Free Initiators its Supreme Council assisted by its General Delegates, its Special Delegates, and administering Lodges and Groups spread presently throughout all Europe and the two Americas.
The CKSM, founded by Sar Phosphoros, a Free Initiator exercising the inherent prerogatives thereof, is thus formed much along the same lines as Papus' original Ordre Martiniste. Another of the original principles preserved is to never exact a fee for Martinist initiation or membership in the CKSM or any of its Lodges. In the same work, Papus continues:
Not requiring of its members either subscriptions or entry fees into the Order, nor exacting any more a regular tribute from its Lodges to the Supreme Council, Martinism has remained faithful to its spirit and to its origin in making material poverty its first rule. By this, it has been able to avoid all those irritating questions of money which have caused so many disasters in certain contemporary Masonic rites. Also by this, it has been able to require of its members a sustained intellectual work, created by the schools, distributing their degrees exclusively by examination and opening the doors to all on condition of justifying some intellectual or moral richness, and elsewhere rejecting the idlers and pedants who think that they will attain something with money, Martinism ignores the expulsions for non-payment of subscription fees, it ignores the widow's trunk, and its chiefs alone are called to justify their title by participating according to their grade, in the general development of the Order.
The above declaration from over a century ago matches perfectly the sentiments held today by the CKSM. This philosophy is indicative of two things: First, Martinism will not be beholden to financial influence or motivations; second, it is an indication of its non-democratic government. The traditional occult orders, even those based on Freemasonry, such as the Elus Cohen, have always maintained an aristocratic form of governance. In the mainstream Masonic bodies, the government is from the bottom up. The Lodge Master, etc., are elected from and by the general membership. The schools of esoteric initiation, however, preserve a tradition that can only be contained and transmitted effectively by the hierophants of the tradition. So, it must make a top down approach, otherwise we have the current situation of so-called "regular" Freemasonry, which lost its knowledge of the symbolism with which it was entrusted, and has remained largely in the dark ever since, with some notable exceptions. But this occult aristocracy is not based upon birthright or social standing; it is based solely upon one's merit. Every man and woman entering into the CKSM has an equal opportunity to ascend through its ranks to the very highest initiations offered.
The CKSM is governed over-all by a Sovereign Grand Commander who may not be removed but through voluntary abdication or natural right of succession upon his death or incapacitation by the one previously appointed to succeed him. But aside from this sole governing position, the Supreme Council is composed of all the Free Initiators of the Order. These Free Initiators are also sovereigns in their own right, initiatically speaking; and it is within their right to form a unique and independent Martinist Order, if that is their spiritual calling. But, by voluntarily associating themselves with the CKSM, the Free Initiators agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the CKSM when operating in the capacity of one of its representatives.