The Martinism of Louis-Claude de Saint Martin

Le martinisme de Saint-Martin s’inscrit dans l’histoire et le parcours de l’homme.

The art of knowing yourself

To fully grasp the thought of the Unknown Philosopher, it is necessary to discover its genesis and its evolution through the encounters of flesh and mind that he had throughout his life. Here we will only mention the main names that history has retained.

Excerpt from the Amboise Cemetery

It was at the surprisingly early age of 22, during his brief military career, that Saint-Martin met his "visible" master, Joachim Martinès de Pasqually. Drawing on his background in Freemasonry, the latter taught the singular doctrine of reintegration as the true goal of human evolution. This instruction was recognized as being of the highest knowledge by our theosophist, who never abandoned it... which was not the case with the practical application proposed by Pasqually through operative theurgy, which he quickly considered both dangerous and too elitist.
Finally, in 1789, in Strasbourg, at the home of his friends Charlotte de Boëcklin and Rodolphe de Salzmann, he met his "posthumous" master, "his first master in the Spirit," Jacob Boehme (1575-1624), "his beloved Boehme," as he called him. The writings of the mystic from Görlitz left a lasting mark on Saint-Martin, both for their echo of the doctrine of reintegration and their confirmation of the necessary primacy of the inner path, and for their numerous contributions to his thought. Particularly noteworthy are the physical laws of attraction and repulsion, the distinction between eternal nature and created nature, the theory of divine mirrors and Sophia, and finally the problem of human and divine hermaphroditism.

On the abandonment of magical practices

Saint Martin, upon the dissolution of the Order of the Elus Coëns, readily abandoned magical operations (external theurgy). In fact, from the beginning, Saint Martin seemed to have doubts, not so much about their effectiveness, but about their danger in relation to the intended goal.
A now-famous exchange, reported by Franz von Baader in his book, "Secret Teachings of Pasqually," between him and Pasqually, reveals his first doubts, while his master was in the midst of preparing for a theurgy ceremony:
"Master, do we really need all this?"
"We must be content with what we have..."
But these practices, and we will never cease to repeat this, are not without danger. Traces of this can be found in some of his correspondence, in the evocation of conclusive but clearly frightening operations. This is not the only thing that makes Saint Martin doubt the value of these external practices:
"At the age of eighteen, I happened to say to myself, in the midst of the philosophical confusions that books offered me: there is a God, I have a soul, nothing more is needed to be wise, and it is on this basis that my entire edifice was subsequently erected." (My Historical and Philosophical Portrait, §28)

The internal route

Thus, having experienced theurgical practices in all their depths (it is worth noting that Saint Martin always insists on the necessity of total dedication to the spiritual path, whatever it may be), Saint Martin will now develop and nurture his own path, the Internal Way. The internal way is based on the following premise: everything that is found outside is also found within.
The internal way is in no way inferior to the external way. It is not an "easy" path content with vague sentimentality. It is a discipline of life, with its own requirements, its own modus operandi, and its own effects on the Conscience.
Some believers consider the Truth to be outside themselves; the Martinist considers this Truth to be contained within himself. The essential and sufficient tool advocated by Saint Martin is prayer, which he calls "the breathing of the soul."

The place of the heart

This interior, the channel of the inner path, is the "place of the heart," which is in reality a certain state of being.
Internal operations are carried out, without exception, in the place of the Heart, which is the Center of all being.
This center is discovered in Silence, which excludes parasitic thoughts; and in Isolation, which prevents Consciousness from exteriorizing itself into the world. Within each human being, therefore, exists what can be called "the inner temple," a place of junction between the earthly and celestial natures, a place of profound transformation through contact with the divine.
"The one God has chosen His unique sanctuary in the heart of man, and in that beloved son of the spirit whom we must all bring forth within ourselves [...]." (The New Man, § 27)

The inner path in action

According to Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, humanity is made for action, being, at bottom, a divine action in the manifest world.
"If you extinguish the human soul, or if you let it freeze through inaction, there is no longer any God for it, there is no longer any God for the universe." (The Man of Desire, § 12)

On reconciliation and reintegration

The separation of humankind from the Creator leads to inner disorder, a loss of the hierarchy of human values, the foundation of the personality of each of us. When man delves within himself, into the heart, and becomes aware of this profound disorder, the definitively acquired impulse is born within him, which drives him toward the conquest of unity: this is Desire.
The path, nourished by Desire, for a fusion without confusion, which assimilates man to the divine: individual reconciliation. "Path of reconciliation, path of the spirit, lead man to the harbor of life; and the precious ones themselves will thrill with joy to see that, despite the extent of the offense, the names of reparation and reintegration are fulfilled.
... Because, once you have reached the path of reconciliation or of the spirit, you will have nothing more to fear for yourself. You will only have a continuous increase in virtues to receive." (The Man of Desire, §170) Man, as Genesis evokes, was created in the image and likeness of God.
On the other hand, by simplifying a person, let us envisage the reconciliation of persons according to the birth of God within ourselves, by "re-cognizing" the divine image that is always present. It is the responsibility of the workforce, again and again, to achieve this goal.
And it is through the combined action of the visible and the invisible that "reconciled man" will help and enable his fellow men to regain the lost unity, the divine likeness: it is the Reintegration of the human race.

The spiritual evolution of man according to Saint-Martin

If we examine certain key elements of Saint-Martin's thought, we find an outline of what resembles the path or spiritual evolution of man. Schematically, it consists of four phases, four stages, four levels, which mark and outline man's progression, from his fallen earthly condition to his reconquest of divine unity:

• The Man of the Torrent: Or the "old man," is the initial condition of man, after the second fall (the prevarication of Adam). By "torrent," we mean this flow that is agitation but not action. It is the earthly condition in its reductive, degrading dimension. "River of the centuries, you seem to roll in your troubled waters only error, lies, and misery. Amid these muddy torrents, there is barely a trickle of pure water; and that is all that remains to quench the thirst of the nations. » (The Man of Desire, §102)

• The Man of Desire: When the internal pierces the shell of the external, a permeability is created, definitively, between the world of high (or spiritual) aspirations and the world of everyday life. "What does the spirit ask of men of desire? It is that they compete with it in its work." (The Man of Desire, §250),

• The New Man: In the work of the same name, Saint Martin explains that God seeks to make an alliance with Man. This is man "made" in his image, in his original purity. The Man of Desire must therefore carry out a work of constant purification. To help him, the Repairer (Christ) has traced a path to follow. "Blessed are those who have purified their hearts enough to serve as a mirror to the divinity, because the divinity itself will be a mirror for them! The new man has no doubt that by this means he will come to see God inwardly..." (The New Man, §36),

• The Ministry of the Spirit-Man: Title of the last work by Saint-Martin, who would later devote his pen and energy to translating the works of Jacob Boehme. We clearly see the strong influence of the German theosophist, whom he considered his "second master." The emphasis is placed on the responsibility of the "reconciled man," the New Man, who must henceforth work for the progression of all creation. By fulfilling this divine mission, the spirit man (becoming the equivalent of the original Adam, of Christ) fulfills the duties of his ministry.

"Indeed, God, having destined man to be the improver of nature, had not given him this destination without giving him the order to accomplish it; he had not given him the order to accomplish it without giving him the means; he had not given him the means without giving him an ordination; he had not given him an ordination without giving him a consecration; he had not given him a consecration without promising him glorification; and he had promised him glorification only because he was to serve as the organ and propagator of divine admiration, by taking the place of the enemy whose throne had been overthrown, and by developing the mysteries of eternal wisdom." (Ministry of the Spirit Man)

The Martinist Order, a direct legacy of Saint Martin

The symbols, bequeathed by Papus, manifest, express, and connect both to the doctrine of Martinez de Pasqually and to the practice of Louis Claude de Saint Martin. In this way, these symbols initiate Martinism.

It was Papus who gave Martinism the name "the heart path." He distinguished the mental path, that of ceremonial magic, from the heart path, the path of the magician, the theurgist. The heart, the center of being, is considered the alchemical athanor, in which the Martinist carries out his Great Work.

But the heart is also considered the mystical organ, as in hesychasm, the prayer of the heart.

Join us

In a constantly changing world, where individualism and rationality often take precedence over the quest for meaning, the Martinist Order offers a path to personal and spiritual fulfillment. Joining our community means engaging in an initiatory process based on the wisdom of Saint Martin and Papus, combining philosophical reflection, mystical practice, and fraternal exchanges.

Here, everyone progresses at their own pace, according to their aspirations and abilities, in a caring environment where learning takes place both individually and collectively. If you feel the need to explore universal values and deepen your relationship with the world, you will find support and a path to inner peace with us.