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esotericism

Einführung In Die Westliche Esoterik, Für Freimaurer – Jan Snoek (2011)

This is suprising. This book had been on my wish list for many years. Recently I ran into it while not looking specifically. Happily I read this little book of the eminent Masonic scholar Joannes Augustinus Maria Snoek (1946-) and while writing this review I find out that Salier Verlag has republished the book in June 2024 and it is now quite easy to obtain. (I got a first print.)

Snoek was born in Amsterdam, originally a biologist and chemist, he later studied comparative religion and he was the first professor to tutor Freemasonry in the Netherlands, but he also did the same in Germany.

Initiated in the Netherlands in 1971, Snoek became an avid scholar of Freemasonry both within and without Freemasonry. He is a member of (virtually?) every lodge of investigation in Europe and an active writer, publishing through academic publishing houses, but also Masonic publishers.

The Swiss lodge Modesta Cum Libertate (Alpina) in Zürich, asked Snoek to write an “introduction into Western esotericism, for Freemasons”. Snoek complied and wrote a 270+ page book which is published nicely with a linnen hardcover and with colour plates. A luxury small edition! Since the audience was probably small (members of the lodge?) the book was not easy to find, until recently.

As the title suggests, Snoek wrote an introduction to Western esotericism. After a general introduction, starting with the 2010 problems of the Dutch Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Snoek sets out to shortly introduce astrology, neoplatonism, Gnosticism, Alchemy, Kabbalah, Hermetism, the Astrea cult, Rosicrucianity, stone masons and occultism. As these are no new subjects to me (only Astrea I never really looked at), there is little really new here. Perhaps a bit too little, the author uses ‘the Masonic angle’, details of particular interest to Freemasons. The last chapter “Freemasonry and Western esotericism” is what the reader has been waiting for. Unfortunately Snoek does not really say how some elements found their way into Freemasonry.

All in all the book is exactly what the title promises: an introduction. I am glad that it is now available to a larger audience. An English edition would be even better as the book indeed is a basic introduction into Western esotericism for Freemasons and I think it might benefit a larger audience.

2011 Freimaurerloge Modestia Cum Libertate, republished 2024 Salier Verlag, isbn 3962850686

The Initiatory Ecstasy. From Giordano Bruno to Arturo Reghini – Nicola Bizzi (2024)

This is the title that brought me to Nicola Bizzi, but the third one that I read. It was merely accidental that I read them in chronological order. In his other works, Bizzi also refers to Reghini, but I found the current title first because it has Reghini in the title.

The Initiatory Ecstasy is different from the other two books that I reviewed in that it is less about a specific theme. The book is about philosophy, initiation and ‘wisdom’ and -as we are used to by now- from the perspective of the still existing “Mother Eleusis” current of initiation (see my review of Reflections on the Origin of Freemasonry).

Bizzi shares some ideas with Julius Evola, but is also critical. One time he calls a view of Evola “essentially incomplete and misleading”. Also he is no uncritical follower of Reghini, but as you may guess, there are references here to more than one Italian thinker. Especially interesting are references to authors and titles that I am unfamiliar with.

With a lot of Plato and neo-Platonists, Bizzi sketches a nice picture of “Philo-Sophia”. Of the three books that I read, this one is the most interesting so far. Again, it is but a small book (98 pages), but there are also some larger titles available from Amazon.

Just as in the other two books that I just reviewed, I cannot follow, or even disagree with some things that Bizzi writes, but on the other hand, it is never a bad idea to take note of different opinions. The present title is somewhat less pedantic than the other two. It works better for me when an author just gives a view rather than telling that others are wrong.

2024 Edizioni Aurora Boreale, isbn 979-1255044840

One Single Primordial Tradition? – Nicola Bizzi (2023)

In this little book (59 pages) Bizzi takes a stand against the Traditionalist idea that there is a “transcendent unity of religions; that there is one Source. He bluntly claims that:

the Mystery Traditions of the Eleusinian Mother branch has always vigorously opposed such a view. (Note: “Mother” means the purest and most original branch of the Eleusinian Mysterial tradition and its priesthood. Its derivations (such as, for example, the Orphic branch and the Samothracian branch) were conventionally called “Daughter”.

Yet, I find his reasoning unconvincing. It seems that Bizzi is of the opinion that long ago a rift occurred between “Titanic” and “Olympian” traditions. The “Olympian” version prevailed and Traditionalists talk about that “Olympian” source. Bizzi’s own Eleusinian organisation can be traced back to the “pre-Olympian, and therefor pre-Hellenic, Titanic” branch.

So yes, for us Eleusinians there is a Primordial and original Tradition.

Just not the same as that of the Traditionalists… They are talking about an “Olympian” tradition and Eleusinians are talking about a “Titanic” tradition.

In my opinion the entire discussion is flawed. When -with Traditionalists- you say that there is one Divinity (how can there be multiple?), then there is the one Source, is there not? Does it really matter if one or more traditions sprang from that Source, if these traditions split and split again or if at some point, there was a new, but direct link to the Source? So Bizzi’s Tradition is another (older) one than that of initiatic organisations or religious traditions of today, that does not really answer the question that is asked in the title.

That said, Bizzi’s approach to the subject is somewhat different and therefor ‘refreshing’. Even though I do not agree with everything he writes, the book is somewhat interesting.

2023 Edizioni Aurora Boreale, isbn 979-1255044178

The de Grainville Manuscripts – M.R. Osborne (2024)

With some excitement I ran into a “Élu Coën Library” on Amazon. Four Élu Coën source books that were recently (re)translated. One of them, I proved to already have in a Dutch translation.

The current volume is a massive 680 page book which presents the notes collected by Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre André de Grainville (1728-1794), that he gathered as a student of Martinez de Pasqually. Interestingly, the documents are from the same “Fonds Maçonnique” that is kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (and available online!) as the massive pile of ritual texts that form the basis of the Rite de France of Freemasonry. I suppose the documents are from the library of the Grand Orient de France.

the folios are not a complete Coen grimoire, but an incomplete and fragmentary snapshot of the original rituals in a state of rapid development.

Indeed. What you can find in this book are images of the pages of the notes, handwritten, hard to read and printed very small. On the opposite pages you will find English translations of these hand written texts. Thus, you have access to the original material and you do not even have to decipher the handwritten French.

“Élus Coëns Ritual and Instruction From the Eighteenth Century” does perhaps fit the bill, but I had some hope that there would be Masonic-like rituals here. Rather, there is a wild array of Theurgical and magical operations and invocations and only towards the end there are some Masonic-type questions-and-answers. Not really what I had hoped for.

It is great that this kind of material is more and more becoming available more easily, but I suppose this is a sourcebook for people with a more serious interest in the Élu Coën than myself. But, it was easier to read than De Pasqually’s text. The library contains two more books. I do not think I am going to try to read them.

2024 Rose Circle Books, isbn 9798892171977

Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings – Martinez de Pasqually (2023)

Book 2 of 4 of the “Élu Coën Library” is most likely the most famous one. As a matter of fact, I also proved to have read a Dutch translation! After ordering the English translation I wondered: “Did I not already have a book of Martinez de Paqually?” Well, I did not, but my girlfriend did and it is a 2012 version of the Dutch Martinist Order of this very book…
We both got stranded in the book too! I does not happen often that I do not manage to finish a book, but this is one of them and now I have two copies of it.

The new English translation claims to correct omissions of earlier versions. I suppose that includes the fact that the Dutch version has added headers in the text, which are included in the table of contents, while the English book is a massive wall of text. A few images were added to the English version to brighten things up a bit.

“Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually (1727?–1774) was a theurgist and theosopher of uncertain origin”, according to Wikipedia. He not only forms the cradle of Martinism, but in his own time he was the founder of the Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l’Univers, better known as the Élus Coëns, or -as it is called in the book- the order of the Réaux-Croix. That is actually a hard term to translate. It means something like “true cross”, but De Pasqually also uses the word “Réaux” to refer to Adam for example.

The book is presented as a source book for Martinism and -more generally- Western esotericism, including Masonic symbolism, but in fact it is a massive explanation of Biblical stories. To me, the book is rather a theological book, than an esoteric one. Only here and there is an interesting passage, but overall the book is so try and distant, that I again did not manage to get through it.

2023 Rose Circle Publications, isbn 9798394604799

The Archetypal Temple – Jaime Paul Lamb (2011)

It is a bit ironic. I am always looking for a contemporary esoteric approach to Freemasonry, but the few books that appear, are not too interesting to me. All Tria Prima books so far are alright, but not great. Unfortunately also the second book by Lamb is no exception.

The Archetypal Temple: and Other Writings On Masonic Esotericism contains mostly short essays that have mostly been published before. The book covers a variety of esoteric and occult topics combined with Freemasonry. Lamb obviously has a preference for astrology and Tarot. You will also get a bit of Hermeticism, ceremonial magic and more typical Masonic subjects such as the lost word and virtues.

Lamb speaks not only of “craft” degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason) by the way and even an organisation such as Societas Rosicruciana is written about.

The texts are alright to read, there are some interesting thoughts here and there, but I was not exactly ‘blown away’.

Best order your book from Lulu.com. Amazon said they do not ship to my country, Lulu had no problems with that.

2021 Lulu.com, isbn 1716319307

The Secret Pillars Of The OTO – Isaac Pendragon (2024)

I happened to stumble upon a recent publication of and about the Ordo Templi Orientis. Apparently the OTO decided to do something about transparency and communication and published this 128 page booklet.

The book reads like the OTO hired some communication, management guru. There are six chapters, each introduced with an advertising text, like on the back:

Discover the hidden pillars of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a journey into the mystical paths of one of history’s most fascinating esoteric societies. Isaac Pendragon unveils the profound mysteries and teachings defining the OTO in this groundbreaking work

Terms such as “analysis”, “delving deep”, “comprehensive evaluation” are abound, but the information remains short and shallow. A chapter introduction promises either of the quoted phrases and the subject gets five lines. On top of that, there is a lot of repetition. Almost every page explains that the phrase “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”: “is not a call for hedonism, but a directive to align one’s actions with their true will”. Also the importance of Reuss and Crowley is stated again and again, often in similar sentences, but without much real information. It is like some communication agency actually wrote the texts for a website.

I would really have liked to learn about the history in more detail, the philosophy, the rituals, the organisation (how many groups, where, how many members, etc.), but The Secret Pillars Of The OTO mostly seems to be more of an advertisement aimed at prospective members, than a guide for researchers. Sure, you will learn a thing or two about the organisation, but I hope that this is the first book in a series and that after this introduction, the ‘information density’ becomes a bit higher.

2024 Tredition, isbn 3384152859

The Hermetic Physician – Daffi / Pantano (2022)

The story of this book is actually more interesting than the book itself. Pantano I knew from his Numen book The Magic Door, an introduction into the Italian occult scene. I now know that he borrowed the title from a book of Giuliano Kremmerz (1861–1930 born Ciro Formisano). Pantano announced a new book which is going to include Kremmerz and that is what led me to this title from 2022.

Kremmerz had some followers in his day and he founded several “Fraternity of Myriam” groups. Marco Daffi (1900-1969 born Ricciardo Ricciardelli) knew Kremmerz, but was not a Myriam member. In 1981 he published a critical history of Kremmerz’ groups and the different Myriam groups that came or continued after Kremmerz’ death (Giuliano Kremmerz e la Fr+Tm+ di Miriam 1981). Many Kremmerz followers were not pleased with that publication.

Pantano has translated the book of Daffi and added some more material. In the book you will mostly learn about the Myrian groups, not too much about Kremmerz and his ideas. Also, as the title suggests, there is more focus on Kremmerz as an esoteric physician, than as an esotericist proper. The book gives an idea of the Italian occult scene around the year 1900 and Daffi tries to show that even when ‘the master’ is of high calibre, his followers not necessarily are as well.

As appendices you will get some texts of Kremmerz. Some purely organisational for the Myriam groups, but also his introduction to magic. For more about that side of Kremmerz, I refer the recently reviewed The Hermetic Science of Transformation.

Das Lehrsystem des Ordens der Gold- und Rosenkreuzer – Bernhard Beyer (1923/2008)

I was curious if I could find any material of the German ‘extra-Masonic’ order of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer (1757-1787). Just like when I was doing the same for Fraternitas Saturni I found my way to the Austrian publisher Geheimes Wissen (‘secret knowledge’). I thought that Pansophia was perhaps a publication of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer and that the publisher republished it. That is not the case though.

It appears that in the 1920’ies in Germany there was a “neo Rosicrucian” movement (according to the German Wikipedia) called “Pansophische Gesellschaft”. Between 1923 and 1925 they published six volumes of a periodical called Pansophia, Urquellen Inneren Lebens (‘Pansophia, primal sources of inner life’). The third volume of which contains material of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer.

The author / compiler of this work went to different Masonic archives to gather material of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer. This material is ordered by the nine degrees that the order had. Beyer did not manage to gather a complete archive. Of some degrees he found ritual texts, of other degrees only secondary material. He was not able to consult the famous Kloss archive in Den Haag which also contains Gold- und Rosenkreuzer material.

Beyer starts with giving some background to the material. Even though the order was not founded by Freemasons, it was initially intended to be a system for ‘higher degrees’, so only Master Masons could apply. Later the “Juniores” degree was added which is basically a summery of the three “craft” degrees of Freemasonry. Of the first degrees you get (snippets of) the rituals with educational texts and Beyer’s elucidations. It is not always clear what text is of Beyer and what of the material that he gathered.

The Gold- und Rosenkreuzer different substantially from ‘Freemasonry proper’. The first degree has three tracing boards for example. Several of the rituals need more rooms than what is common in Freemasonry. Almost needless to say, but the texts are much more esoteric than your ‘average’ Masonic ritual. There are interesting alchemical texts, also what appear to be instructions for practical Alchemy. There is a bit of Kabbalah. But mostly, many texts are mostly procedural and rather dull. Detailed descriptions of what and how a table should be set, requirements, etc.

The book contains several images, some in colour and all the way at the back, there is a fold-out page. Oddly enough none of the images are anything as elaborate as the famous Geheime Figuren which are also supposed to be from the same group and published around the same time. Perhaps the present title was internal material and for the Geheime Figuren they set out to make a better looking publication for a larger audience.

All in all the publication gives a fair insight into the working of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer. In the German language by the way.

2008 Geheimes Wissen, isbn 3902705027

The Hermetic Science of Transformation- Giuliano Kremmerz (2019)

Kremmerz is a name that I sometimes run into, especially when it comes to Italian occultism. I did not know that one of his books is available in English.

Kremmerz (1861–1930) was born Ciro Formisano. He is a generation older than Julius Evola (1898-1978). Kremmerz’ thinking is not unlike that of the (KR)UR group. It seems he was involved in this group in his last years. If he knew Evola from that group, the latter must still have been pretty young. Reghini (1878-1946) was more a contemporary of his. Perhaps I should reread the introductions to the first two Introduction to Magic books again for more context.

Kremmerz had a (somewhat) scientific approach to magic, but Kremmerz had a more Christian approach than Reghini or Evola.

The book was originally published in 1897. It seems that he and his Confraternita Terapeutica e Magica di Myriam (Therapeutic and Magic Brotherhood of Myriam) have published more, but if that is correct, this material is not yet available in English.

The present title is not written in name of the Myriam group. Kremmerz claims to write as clearly as he could about magic, but do not expect a manual with practices. The book has more a philosophical and theoretically esoteric approach to the subject, but of course, I may not have the ‘ears to hear’. The book is somewhat interesting and Kremmerz has some things to think about, but overall the book is not more interesting to me than the works published in (KR)UR (and yet I just started the third part of the books with these texts). The Hermetic Science of Transformation mostly gives a step in recent Italian occultism with Reghini before and Evola and (KR)UR after.

2019 Inner Traditions, isbn 1620559080