18th Century Freemasonry

The Larmenius Charter is easily the most controversial artifact of the modern Templar movement. As the only purported line of documented continuation from the historical Order of the Knights Templar, it was supposedly written or commissioned by Jean Marc Larmenius in 1324 as a transfer of his Grandmastership due to age. Interest in its origins and potential authenticity has never been lacking. This paper challenges the accepted narratives of the Charter.

Mozart and his connection with the Freemason have been the subject of a number of studies, most of which aiming at determining if and if so to which extent the Freemasonic milieu influenced Mozart's production. The main aim of this paper is to review critically a recent study on Mozart by two Italian musicologists claiming that Mozart was nothing but a pretty mediocre musician and composer who exploited the Freemasonic net for his own interests. A thesis in no way proved and largely based on very old anti-Masonic prejudicial ideas.

A Quick Guide to Freemasonry was my fourth published book, and was commissioned by Lewis Masonic as part of a proposed quick guide series, aimed at mentors and new members to the fraternity. It was written in an easy-to-understand question and answer format as requested by the publisher and covered a variety of Masonic topics, with many of the questions actually coming from new Masons that were submitted to the author via social media.

The book provides a brief history of Freemasonry, along with a quick guide to many of the English Masonic rituals, Masonic dress and various practices; also covering the roles of the Officers, the Festive Board, toasting and the use of symbols within Masonry. Containing the basic FAQs and more deeper considerations.

George Berkeley, the Anglican bishop and Irish philosopher, did not gain the membership of Irish Freemasonry. However, his lifetime (1685–1753) falls in the very period of its formation. The interaction between Berkeley and contemporary masons in Ireland, England, and Europe should come into greater focus than scholars presume, because people who knew masonry, such as Jonathan Swift and John Arbuthnot, were intellectually close to him; also his niece Elizabeth married a mason Richard Magenis.
My presentation investigates the beginning of Irish Freemasonry in the age of Berkeley or early Enlightenment period. Irish masonic lodges (officially since 1725) were corresponding to the establishment of the United Grand Lodge of England (since 1717), whereas indigenous roots of Speculative Masonry and the Rite in Ireland seem older than the English. In Trinity College Dublin, where Berkeley was a Scholar and Fellow, there is a manuscript (MS 879/1 ‘Trinity Tripos’) recording a (mocking) oration about Freemasons in 1688. Here, examining Berkeley’s letters from the 1700s, one may confirm some ties between him and masons (e.g. Arbuthnot, Alexander Pope). Especially, Berkeley had friendly letters with Samuel Molyneux, whose uncle was a mason Thomas Molyneux. Whilst well versed in Samuel’s father, William Molyneux’s optics, I assume that Berkeley knew of the masonic endorsement of Samuel’s uncle in Trinity College (MS 889 ‘a page respecting Freemasonry 1711’). Scrutinising these muniments, the mere connection and essential disconnection between Berkeley and Freemasonry can be reappraised in early eighteenth-century Irish history

Societatea transilvãneanã a dezvoltat secole de-a rândul forme de organizare care o pregãteau pentru receptarea francmasoneriei în secolul al XVIII-lea. Breslele transilvãnene, care au reprezentat un element definitoriu al vieþii urbane a acestei provincii pânã în secolul al XIX-lea, au oferit francmasoneriei, ºi în Transilvania, o sursã directã de inspiraþie pentru organizarea atelierelor acesteia. Breslele transilvãnene foloseau încã din evul mediu o parte a simbolurilor utilizate mai târziu în francmasonerie, iar masonii au preluat, în mare parte, ºi modul de interpretare a acestora. Organizarea breslelor (denumite, dealtfel, ºi loji) o va inspira pe cea a francmasoneriei, ierarhia acestora fiind constituitã din ucenici, calfe ºi maeºtri. Sistemul de relaþii din cadrul breslelor a inspirat, cu certitudine, organizarea lojilor masonice "speculative". Chiar dacã se aflau la crepusculul existenþei lor, breslele transilvãnene lãsau în urmã o istorie îndelungatã, caracterizatã printr-un rol esenþial în istoria economicã a Transilvaniei ºi, de asemenea, printr-o participare consistentã la administrarea oraºelor ºi prin influenþarea politicii generale a principatului. De asemenea, clasa politicã transilvãneanã a receptat, în evul mediu ºi în epoca modernã, atât influenþe ºi forme organizatorice specifice ordinelor cavalereºti europene, cât ºi ideologii derivate din spiritul Reformei religioase europene ºi a tradiþiei ezoterice occidentale, care i-au facilitat acomodarea cu principiile ºi reperele ideologice ale francmasoneriei, aºa cum se manifestau acestea în secolul al XVIII-lea. Se poate afirma, prin urmare, cã Transilvania oferea, la mijlocul secolului al XVIII-lea, un teren extrem de favorabil pentru începerea activitãþii francmasoneriei.

In my book The Genesis of Freemasonry I proposed how natural philosopher and Freemason Dr Jean Theophilus Desaguliers was responsible for creating the third degree by the mid-1720s. Before this, there were two 'parts' being performed; the Entered Apprentice and the Fellow Craft. The new three degree style ritual soon spread. It seemed that Freemasons soon wanted to explore deeper pathways within Masonry, leading to new ideas being developed. Chevalier Ramsey was a Jacobite Mason who had gone to France to tutor the sons of aristocrats, and in his Masonic address in 1737, he famously outlined that Freemasonry was linked to the Crusaders and Chivalric Orders. His Oration put forward that after being preserved in the British Isles, it was transported to France, and though there is no evidence that Masonry was associated in any way to the Crusaders or Chivalry, it does show that at this time there was a developing interest in Chivalric Orders in relation to Freemasonry. Though Ramsey did not set out any plans for new Chivalric Masonic Orders in his 'Oration', his address certainly assisted to inspire them.

This study investigates the transitional phases of English Freemasonry from the mid-seventeenth century into what can be described as a Masonic Enlightenment during the eighteenth century.  This movement was part of a wider enterprising evolution led by the Newtonian experimental natural philosopher Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers and James Anderson, both members of the London based Grand Lodge founded in 1717 and both staunch Hanoverians.  The ritual, along with the accompanying Masonic symbolism, quickly became adopted into what would become known as ‘Modern’ Freemasonry, which spread its influence around England.
One of the aims of this thesis is to assess why it was embraced by some areas, yet rejected by others, such as York.  Scholarship to date has avoided analysis of the Masonic ritual, with Freemasonry being seen as a secret society, and many of the original documentation relating to Masonic lodges being held in private collections.  The United Grand Lodge of England has only recently opened its archive and library to the public, though this has only revealed how much documentary material has either been lost or destroyed.  An example of this is the absence of personal correspondence relating to Desaguliers’ Masonic ritual changes, despite the evidence that changes where made by him.  An objective of this dissertation is to examine why the development of ‘Modern’ Freemasonry was so successful, and why Desaguliers, and other members of the Royal Society were attracted to the Craft.
The study will also assess the fermentation of Freemasonry as it transmuted from the ‘operative’ society into a more ‘speculative’ one during the seventeenth century.  Precious little academic work has been published on this aspect of the society, and this study will analyse the contributions of Christopher Wren and Isaac Newton on the development of the Craft, concentrating on their emphasis upon the search for the divine measurement of Solomon’s Temple.  The later changes to the Masonic ritual reflected their work, displaying themes for the search of lost ancient knowledge set against the backdrop of the construction of Solomon’s Temple.  In this Masonic quest the ethos of Freemasonry became shaped by fashionable and attractive concepts of the ‘New Science’ merging with the ‘Old Science’ of magic and alchemy.  These concepts which became appealing in the light of the social and political atmosphere of the Whig Oligarchy of early eighteenth century England, will also be discussed, the study concluding with an examination of the overall contribution of the Masonic Enlightenment on English society.

[The Second DAILY Invocation: To the Superior agents in Merai nicknamed Mercury; for the spiritual Monday, and not for the temporal Monday. SUNDAY is the true day Monday, given to Mercury.] O you M.10., O you M.93., O you M.21. I CALL you and invoke you by the triple and quadruple-increased power that the Eternal creator has upon his minor creature by his own power— being however, a major Superior temporal one! I am that powerful creature the Lord dedicated to be the most perfect agent to those that are temporally spiritual. Your power is bounded in its faculty of action and operation, of which the God-man of the earth was the point before his prevarication. So that you remember the truth of what I am saying to you, I reiterate to you the first commandment which was made to you by the first man, who subjected your power to his own by the power of his word! I am that first man who was presented to all of you dressed in his first virtue and spiritual power. Warning, fear and trembling are given to you, by the triple and quadruple power of the word controlling you and commanding you to obey promptly the contents of my invocation set before you in the tableau of my operation. I conjure you through all I have that is most sacred, by everything most holy, and the formidable power of O M.52. and O M.47., who preside over all of you from the angles of East and West up to your visual region; I conjure you again by the very name, Holy action of the Eternal O M.68., who presides over you from the angle of the North in your region, so that the most powerful intelligence that is innate in you now joins to my spiritual and temporal wellbeing. I compel you with all your superior powers joining you to do that commanded of you by the Eternal, his actions and operation, and to be in all the circumstances of this temporal life intimately subjected to Him

A recent visit to Kosovo in the Balkans gave me a glimpse into three Islamic Sufi Orders; the Bektashi, Saadi and Halveti. It was interesting to talk to the Masters of these Orders, and to learn how they use initiation and a culture of secrecy, while also providing a journey of spiritual discovery and development for the initiate in a learning environment of signs and symbols, achieving levels of spiritual knowledge—a journey that is perceived by some nineteenth century writers, such as John Yarker, as being reminiscent of the spiritual journey some may experience within Freemasonry. Indeed, Bektashi, Saadi and Halveti are but three of the twelve Sufi Orders that can be found in Kosovo, other examples being Bajrami and Mevlevi. This short paper attempts to explore and examine the perceived Masonic similarities to the Islamic Mystical Movements that can be found in the Balkan region, and will also discuss how the views of nineteenth century Orientalist writers assisted in popularising this view.

This book will examine the deeply esoteric eighteenth century Rite of Seven Degrees, a Masonic rite that was based in London, but was led by French engraver Pierre Lambert de Lintot. The work will not only present the story of de Lintot and his rite, but for the first time will display the translated ritual and the minute book from the late eighteenth century French, which not only reveals the workings of the lost rite, but adds to our historical understanding of the development of the rituals in a wider context. This is the third book in Harrison's Lost Rites series and follows on from his last work Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry.

In 1728, a year after the death of Sir Isaac Newton, his protégé and ardent supporter, Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers (1683–1744), published a poem in celebration of Newton’s mechanical Universe, titled The Newtonian System of the World, The Best Model of Government: An Allegorical Poem. The poem—reproduced on the beginning on page 99—celebrated Newtonian Experimental Natural Philosophy, Desaguliers applying Newtonian mechanics to a poetical formula that at times, struggled under the sheer weight of Newton’s immense achievements. The poem also praised the Hanoverian Monarchy of the time, and as we shall see, the ordered Universe of Newton was applied by Desaguliers in his praise of this new system of British government.

The "OMS – Threshold of Initiation" PDF contains all the relevant information on the Ordre Martinistes Souverains (OMS), its means, purposes, and how to apply.

Included is the:
-OMS Public Manifesto,
-Pre-Associate Operation,
-Rule of the Ordre in 9 Points,
-Application.

The Application, which is purely confidential, helps us to start to understand your esoteric history so that we can better serve you, and helps us both to ensure that we are a good fit for each other.

The Pre-Associate Operation is required in order to be considered for initiation so that you may test some preliminary exercises, and we can both evaluate if you are a good fit for the Ordre, and if the Ordre is a good fit for you.

Please direct further questions to the email [email protected] as instructed in the document.

Thomas De Quincey is best remembered for his work The Confessions of an Opium Eater, a nineteenth century exploration into an aspect of the Romantic movement. However, De Quincey also explored Freemasonry for one particular work, his Origin of the Rosicrucians and the Free-Masons being published in 1824, examining a history of the two secret societies. This paper discusses his background and the interests that led to this work being published.

This publication contains, for the first time in English, the totality of Martinez de Pasqually’s l’Ordre des Chevaliers Macons Élus Coëns de l’Univers, manuscript B.M.G. MS. 4123 Extrait de ce qui est contenu dans les Grades de l’Ordre des E.C., or Extract of what is contained in the Grades of the Ordre of the E.C. This manuscript, the original of which is kept at the Bibliothèque Municipal de Grenoble, is part of a series of seven notebooks (Mss. 4123–4129) containing key catechisms, rituals and instructions of Pasqually’s order. Each of these Mss. have been privately released by the O.·.M.·.S.·. since 2018, and beginning in 2020, we gradually started releasing them as free digital publications online and in our usual hardcover books. Many Martinist publications are of great quality, whereas others are released by armchairs without practical magical experience and initiation in these highly complex systems. The O.·.M.·.S.·. feels it is time to release original manuscripts with initiatory notes for the greater Martinist community and esoteric community in general.

The other manuscripts of this collection include:

• B.M.G. MS. 4124 – Secret Explanation of the Catechisms of Apprentice, Companion, and Master Coën
• B.M.G. MS. 4125 – Catechisms of the Philosophers Élus Coëns of the Universe 1770
• B.M.G. MS. 4126 – Secret Instruction
• B.M.G. MS. 4128 – Prayers and Work for Reconciliation
• B.M.G. MS. 4129 – On the Circles and its Composition.

MS. 4123 contains extracts and notes on the floorwork of the Coën initiations from I° Symbolic Apprentice to X° Commander of the Orient. In the form of a catechism, this MS. exposes the physical content of the grades, its doctrine and teachings, forms of the Temples, and an overall summary of the initiations. It describes the colors and symbols of the grades, the consecrations, batteries, steps, and signs. It thus illustrates the general form, but still cannot convey the inner esoteric meanings of its skeletal presentation of the rites, a gnosis which can only be gained by being initiated through the grades, achieving the necessary Passes of the personal grade work, and earning the ranks of which it speaks.

The grades overviewed in this MS. include:

• I° Symbolic Apprentice
• II° Symbolic Companion
• III° Symbolic Master
• IV° Master Élu/Perfect Master Élu
• V° Apprentice Coën or Strongly Marked
• VI° Companion Coën or Double Strongly Marked
• VII° Master Coën or Triple Strongly Marked
• VIII° Grand Architect or Grand Master Coën
• IX° Knight of the East/Chevalier d’Orient
• X° Commander of the Orient

For each grade, we have included our own English translation, a faithful transcription of the original French, and a facsimilé of the original French manuscript. In this manner, the resources of the Tradition may be carefully preserved for the English-speaking world so that the next generation may begin where we have left off. Note that the original MS. often uses fragmented, incomplete sentences as these are essentially stage notes on the initiations intended for Officer training. We have not corrected or expanded on these except for clarifying notes in [brackets] and footnotes at the bottom of the page. Like the other E.C. MS., the reconstructionist must utilise all available sources in order to piece together a full and complete picture of the E.C., its initiations, and operations. Together with out other MS., other English-speaking Martinist and E.C. organizations now have the materials and keys to do this work for themselves.

Great thanks are due to Br.·. Ignoscentia, Master of O.·.M.·.S.·. Temple No. 11 in Sacramento, California for his assistance transcribing and translating the II°–VI° of this MS. Many thanks as well to Sr.·. Petra of O.·.M.·.S.·. Temple No. 1 in Austin, Texas for her labor in editing and proofreading our translations. You have both done a great service for the Ordre, your brethren, and the Martinist community.

One of Freemasonry's most overlooked traditions is also among its oldest: the fundamental responsibility of the Master of the Lodge to educate his fellows. This article traces that role and shows how Masonic legend and tradition reinforces the educational mandate of the station through symbolism and ceremony. The full text of Wellins Calcott's 1767 Masonic charge for installation of a lodge Master, which became absorbed into standard installation ceremonies in most English-speaking Masonic jurisdictions, is included and analyzed.

CHICAGO CITATION: Shawn Eyer, "Light and Instruction: The Educational Duties of the Worshipful Master." Philalethes: The Journal of Masonic Research & Letters 72(2019): 138-46.

Focusing on the charitable aspects of Freemasonry at the local level in the north-west of England, this article discusses ways in which Freemasons became involved in local education and charitable organisations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Combination Acts of 1799, introduced by Pitt the Younger amid the fears created by the French Revolution, changed Freemasonry. In certain industrial areas, such as Warrington, the Craft became open to the working classes, as the upper classes began to distance themselves from Freemasonry because of the radical image it had gained. Working men found within the Craft a traditional benevolent club, which had aspects of a Friendly Society and enabled them to claim relief for themselves and their families.

The background of this research has emerged from a lack of studies on Freemasonry in small towns or district areas in the Dutch East Indies, because research on Freemasonry in Indonesia is limited to its development in large cities or provincial regions. Freemasonry is the largest secret society in the New Age Movement which was founded in 1717 in England, spread throughout the world and many world leaders, politicians and professionals were members. In 1756 the Great Loge of Netherlands was established as the beginning of the formation of Freemasonry in the Netherlands. Freemasonry was established in the Dutch East Indies when two lodges were established in 1767 and 1769. The Great Loge of Nederland was recirded that the number of lodges in the Dutch East Indies in the golden period reached 25 lodges and 1,500 members. Methods used for this research is historical methods, that consists of heuristics, critics, interpretation and historiography. The main problem of this research is “What is the activity of Freemasonry at Karawang and who are the influential figures in the Krawangsche Kring?” The results of this research show that Freemasonry in addition to exist in large cities also developed in small town areas such as Karawang and even some local figures became members. This local-branch of Freemasonry is called "De Krawangsche Kring" or "Vrijmetselaarkring Krawang" which carried out various activities from 1926 until Japanese occupation (1942). De Krawangsche Kring held regular meetings since it was founded and had been vacuumed in 1930-1933 until new officials were appointed to succeed in reactivating organizational activities. Various annual or monthly routine meetings are held with several objectives, namely developing and evaluating organizations, holding discussions with themes such as science, occultism, magic, mysterious, supernatural and spiritual.

This paper will be the first to comprehensively cover the little known Liverpool Masonic Rebellion of 1823, a rebellion which went on to become the Wigan Grand Lodge.  This was the last Masonic rebellion - taking place after the union of English Freemasonry in 1813, and the independent Grand Lodge lasted until 1913.  The paper will cover the themes of the continuation of the Antients and of both Masonic and social rebellion in the early nineteenth century.

If one wants to summarize in one brief sentence three centuries of Egyptian radiation throughout the Middle East and Northeastern Africa, the following is quite sufficient:

A permanent strife between two priesthoods for prevalence and authenticity.

The two opposite priesthoods permeated the temples' personnel, the court, the administration, the army and the society. They viewed their rightful rejection of one another in terms of human authenticity and orientation. Their views were diametrically opposed, and each of them considered their perception of the world as the only reflecting the purpose of the Creation, and of the existence of the Mankind.

This spiritual – religious – intellectual – ideological clash did characterize other countries as well; Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Canaan and other parts of the Middle East and the world have become the theater of similar debates and strives. In Egypt and Kush / Ethiopia, we identify the beginning of the opposition in the 4th millennium BCE.

It all reflects an opposition between a monotheistic approach to the perception and description of the Divine and a polytheistic system that highly personalizes the aspects of the Divine, and favours the use of pictorial representation of the Divine. The monotheists are virtually aniconic, which means they reject / oppose the use of icons, idols, statues and bas-reliefs. Polytheism and idolatry are identical.
First published on 19th March 2010 in AfroArticles, Buzzle and American Chronicle
Republished in the portal of Oromo parliamentarians:
https://www.oromoparliamentarians.org/English/Facts%20about%20Oromo/Oromo%20Kushatic%20nation-Egypt.htm

Abstract

Resistance to women's freemasonry is slowly dissolving in Hungary. It was only after the change of regime (1990) that women's and mixed lodges of foreign origin were established in Hungary. In the history of Hungarian freemasonry there have been only three Hungarian women were initiated in the 18th century, two were admitted to lodges in the 19th century. The only female masonic-like organisation in Hungary, the Eastern Star, died shortly after its foundation. Despite the lack of tradition, today we can speak of a well-functioning mixed and a women's lodge.

Keywords: Freemasonry, Hungary, Hungarian Freemasonry, Women freemasons, Gender

Resumen

La resistencia a la masonería femenina se está disolviendo lentamente en Hungría. Sólo después de 1990 se establecieron en Hungría logias femeninas y mixtas de origen extranjero. En la histo-ria de la masonería húngara sólo ha habido tres mujeres húngaras iniciadas en el siglo XVIII, dos fueron admitidas en las logias en el siglo XIX. La única organización femenina de tipo masónico en Hungría, la Estrella Oriental, murió poco después de su fundación. A pesar de la falta de tradición, hoy en día podemos hablar de una logia mixta y una logia femenina que funcionan bien.

Francmasonería; Hungría; Francmasonería húngara; Mujeres masonas; Género.

This paper examines the Grand Lodge of All England held at York, otherwise referred to as the York Grand Lodge, which was an independent body of Freemasons that existed during the eighteenth century. The paper explores the origins of this Grand Lodge and how it came into conflict with the dynamic of the Premier Grand Lodge of London. The leading figure of York Masonry Dr Francis Drake will be discussed, and how this concept of independent Masonry survived up until the closing years of the eighteenth century, leaving behind remnants of a Masonic culture that still inspires Masonic researchers to this day.

Restoring classical tuning to the classical musical repertoire of the Fortepiano and 19th century piano reveals dimension of emotion unheard in 150 years.

There was a legend that music conveyed different emotions granted by the use of particular keys. Einstein was not the first to notice Mozart's specialised use of keys, and likewise Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and Liszt were all careful in their choice of key to match different moods. This paper examines that legend and shows with musical examples how the 18th and 19th century solutions to the scale problem gave rise to those experiences, only to be swept away in the 20th century.

The paper examines works by Bach, presenting them in a manner unthinkable for 150 years, and how the purity of scales with pure thirds in Meantone, or perfect fifths in other systems, leads to different playing and pedalling techniques through Beethoven to Chopin. The paper examines the Piano Sonatas by Haydn and Mozart in the tuning known to be used in the 18th century, and find surprising revelations relevant capable of bringing rebirth of interest in both Music and Religion in the 21st century, even their survival in the light of possible cultural collapse.

Works examined include Mozart Fantasias K594 and K608 for Mechanical Clock, Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, Beethoven Prelude 2 Op. 39, Mozart Piano Sonatas - in particular No 2 K280 F major and F minor, No 12 K322 F major, and Fantasia K475 C minor

In several previous articles, I examined the parallel characteristics of the fake colonial states of Sudan (real Ethiopia) and Abyssinia (fake Ethiopia) that have been the end result of the Freemasonic Orientalist fallacies of Pan-Arabism and Ethiopianism.

In this article, I will examine a bogus-historical term that has been constructed by the Freemasonic Orientalist ateliers and academia of France and England to further spread confusion in the wider region, and – more importantly – consolidate the two fallacies in the area, namely the pseudo-doctrines of Pan-Arabism and Ethiopianism: Nubia.
First published in:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/143394

Republished here:
http://www.oromoparliamentarians.org/English/Facts%20about%20Oromo/Ethiopia%20Kushati%20land.htm
and
http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=006830;p=1

A short essay on the importance of lectures, education and research on masonic topics in early Freemasonry (post 1717). Published under "The need for Masonic education, and the use of lectures" in my book "Short Masonic Lectures" available on Amazon,

This essay should be considered as part of a larger question: how were Continental millenarian, mystic and hermetic texts received and adapted in contexts for which they had not been intended?  Its purpose is twofold – specifically to assess the extent of Jacob Boehme’s and Emanuel Swedenborg’s influence by comparing the responses of English-speaking readers to their works.  More generally, by focussing on continuities between early modern religious ideas and the Romantic imagination it explores some of the routes through which certain beliefs traversed the Enlightenment.  It will suggest that while the evidence for Swedenborg’s detailed knowledge of Boehme and his interpreters is largely inconclusive, these writings nonetheless form an important context for appreciating the initial reception of Swedenborg’s teachings.  Mapping this readership also enables us to go beyond the boundaries of traditional Swedenborgian studies which have tended to emphasize denominational developments at the expense of wider contexts.

The Fellowcraft degree, or second degree of Freemasonry, is often underestimated; its secrets sometimes unintentionally dismissed as ho-hum, or over laden with redundant Biblical tales concerning commonplace morality. This study examines the Legend of the Winding Stair, an intriguing and exciting element of Freemasonry, and a central theme of not only the second degree, but the entire masonic system. It suggests the Winding Stair is an esoteric link to the geometric principles of the Golden Ratio and the Phi Spiral, both early mathematical concepts and examples of ancient and sacred geometry. Following this trail, the article explores the involvement and contributions of natural philosophers and scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton, Elias Ashmole, Chistopher Wren and Newton’s secretary and British Grand Master John Theophilus Desaguliers, in the development and transmission of modern Freemasonry and its hidden mathematical allegories.

The following paper examines the little known story of the Columbian Illuminati and has been edited from my recent publication Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry. The book is an in-depth examination of the Masonic work of the early nineteenth century English radical Richard Carlile, a work known as The Manual of Freemasonry. This book became popular with English Freemasons, and is not just an exposé of the Craft rituals, but also of the further or higher degrees. His exposé was first published in his journal The Republican in 1825, but later emerged in book form, combining his thoughts on Freemasonry with the presented rituals. There were many influences on this work, including Thomas Paine, who had also had a work published on Freemasonry, William Finch, who had published a variety of Masonic exposés, Freemason Godfrey Higgins, and Elihu Palmer.

There is no denying the fact that slavery has played an unfortunate but central role in the formation of modern cultures. It is necessary to trace the development of the African slave trade from Arab incursions to European trade routes to ascertain the truth. Focus on the treatment and justification for the African Diaspora and the participation of African slave traders. Slavery is a very old business. In Exodus in the Bible, we read that the Hebrews, or the Children of God, were enslaved in the land of Goshen, Egypt. Ancient Egypt acquired a million slaves over a four-hundred-year period as Pharaohs came to suppress the Hebrews, having apparently forgotten the fact that God had used Joseph, a former slave, to save Egypt from seven years of famine. The Mayans and Aztecs in the Americas and the Sumerians and Babylonians in the Middle East all made slaves out of the people they conquered and subjugated. The Egyptians not only enslaved Hebrews, but also Europeans and Ethiopians. The Africans, meanwhile, were also enslaved, first by their own people, then by the Arabs, then by the Europeans. The slavery of African people in the last millennium was not only one of the greatest tragedies in human history, it is also known as the African diaspora, which literally means " A dispersion of a people from their original homeland ". Not only did millions of people die due to squalor, neglect and in inhuman treatment, but were forced to endure culture shock on an unimaginable level of horror by being shipped off to foreign climes where the ignorance level was so severe that they were not even granted the dignity of being considered human let alone being treated as such. What was the really behind this tragedy? To answer this required a deeper look into the history of African slavery. Before the Arabs arrived, the Africans had enslaved their own people. When African farmers needed more laborers, they bought slaves. This increased production, at a reduced cost. The triangle trade routes would not have been possible without the cooperation of African slave traders who raided villages to capture the commodity in demand. The slaves were cut off from their kin. It was common that when slaves were kept close to their homes, they might escape. Therefore, they were often sold and transported to distant lands. Some sources claim that Arab slave traders enslaved Africans from about the ninth to the nineteenth century, primarily before traders from Europe arrived. Some researchers have alleged that the Arabian enslavement was widespread and cruel, as many of the male slaves were castrated and made into eunuchs so they could not reproduce. This was despite the fact that castrating went against the Qu'ran and other Islamic laws. The Arab slave trade is thought be some sources to have involved approximately fourteen million black Africans from the time of the Muslim conquest. The Qu'ran elevates virgins and polygamy to such a status that thousands of African virgins came to serve in Arab harems. According to the Quran, it was forbidden to keep slaves, and people who adhered to foreign religions could live under some protection. The Arabs employed many Africans as bodyguards and soldiers as they competed against African slave traders who supplied European ships. Slavery appears to have been spawned in sub-Saharan Africa as the result of the misuse of war captives. Although the Portuguese initially appear to have sought to recruit their African laborers for hire, they were later sold slaves as part of the African labour system. Trading for slaves was accepted in 1444 by Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal. Some European slavers threatened that, if the Africans refused to engage in this trade in slaves, they would be taken by force.

This MS. is generally referred to under the following names:
Manuscrit de Saint Domingue, 1764/1770
Manuscrit Côte Baylot FM4. 15
BnF, Department of Manuscripts, Baylot FM4 (15), f. 76
or simply as the Manuscrit de Jean Baylot, or the Baylot MS.
It is a part of the Fonds Maçonnique du Cabinet kept at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF).

This manuscript is a key document to the origins of the Rite d’Hérédom, the Rite de perfection or the Royal Secret. A note stuck inside the manuscript says:

“This manuscript […] was very probably copied by an officer of the Foix Regiment, from 1760 to 1770, who had to go to be stationed with his garrison regiment at Saint-Domingue […].”

Could this perhaps have been copied by Maugeir, Captain in the Legion of Saint-Domingue? His name and title appear in the Addresses and Names near the end of the MS.

This is probably the earliest known document on the Rite of Perfection grades, and the BnF says that this manuscript probably comes from the entourage of its founder, Étienne Morin. The image of the encampment of the Princes of the Royal Secret probably dates from the very beginning of the practice of the degree, around 1764. This manuscript is one of the first manifestations of the haute-grades in the New World, and predates the Franken Manuscript, an essential document of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (AASR) by at least 20 years.

As Martinezists, our primary interest in the Baylot MS. is in the final pages which consist of Élus Coën material. Included is:

• An introductory speech on the Élus Coëns titled Au nom du Grand Architecte de l’Univers,
• Apprentice Catechism, appended by an overview of the Classes of the E.C. described through the 5 colored Bands or Sashes of Election,
• Companion Catechism, appended by Fumigations (instructions on required magical tools including an incense formula, holy water, a Pantacle of goat skin, and magical names for the Circle – these instructions are appended to the Companion Catechism in the MS.),
• Addresses & Names of the Principal Officers for Addressing them in Letters or Packets for the Tribunal,
• An example of a Magical Circle,
• (Probably) the earliest drawing of the Camp of the Princes of the Royal Secret of the Ancient and Accepted Rite.

The two Catechisms in this manuscript provide information similar to that of the Extract of the Apprentice Catechism and the Companion Catechism from MS. Cote 190 D 39 / La Haye MS. also published by Antoine Faivre, however both provide additional information not presented in the other. Together with BMG MS. 4125: Catechisms of the Philosophers Élus Coëns, a complete set of Catechisms for the original E.C. system can be reconstructed. See the O.M.S. translations, transcriptions and facsimilés of these, as part of the O.M.S. Élus Coëns Source Series for more information.

It should be noted that the preliminary Élus Coëns information is given in the Baylot MS. after the 25 high degrees presented within and can therefore be seen as the capstone of that system, and beginning of the next steps.

For each section, we have included our own English translation, a faithful transcription of the original French, and a facsimilé of the original French manuscript when possible. In this manner, the resources of the Tradition may be carefully preserved for the English-speaking world so that the next generation may begin where we have left off.

Lastly, we have done our best in these new translations to render the Catechisms intelligible for practical use and have included footnotes in an attempt to point out irregularities, inaccuracies and provide contextual relevance for comprehension. Capitalization is highly irregular in the ancient Martinezist documents, even names were not consistently capitalized. We have attempted here to standardize capitalization of all key and proper Martinezist terms in order to allow for clear comprehension of what can at first seem unintelligible.

It is the hope of the G.·.C.·.S.·.I·.· of the Ordre Martinistes Souverains that this present volume, combined with the Initiations and Operations of Le Collège S.·.I·.· will assist Martinists of today and the future in further combining, reforming and refining of the various streams of Martinism.

Three letters between Jean-Baptiste Willermoz (reviser of the Strict Observance, and founder of the Régime/Rite Écossais Rectifié (R.E.R. or Rectified Scottish Rite) and Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Cité Sainte (C.B.C.S. or Beneficent Knights of the Holy City) and Prince Charles of Hesse-Cassel.

These letters concern the transition from the old Strict Observance to Willermoz' R.E.R., the 1782 Convent of Wilhelmsbad, the formation of the C.B.C.S. and Ordre du Grands Profès degrees, as well as the effects of the French Revolution on French Freemasonry and the eventual resurrection of the Order post-Revolution. They also clearly show the influence that Pasqually's Élus Coëns had upon the R.E.R./CB.C.S. and Willermoz' vision for the future of Pasqually's teachings.

One of the most signifcant gaps in the chronologies regarding the continuation of the
Ordre du Temple and the modern Templar movement lies in dim period that exists from
the waning days of the late 1800s until 1932. From there we see the emergence of the
Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem under Theodore Covias.
In most retellings, the time of the Grandmastership of Josephin Peladan in 1892 until
the registration of name of OSMTJ are left with little comment, and yet, this period of
time is crucial to establish a legitimate continuance. Even the historicity of the
Grandmastership of Peladan is a matter of question. Peladan, famous for his voluminous
wrtings, paintings, and his fervent Catholic mysticism, has scholars devoted to his study,
and yet even they cannot verify a connection beyond doubt.
Nevertheless, in this treatise the subject of the continuation from Peladan to the 1932
registration will be attempted with every source available to the author, and will be
dealt with honestly.

This paper examines the issues that are involved in the study of Jacobite drinking glasses to gain an understanding of the esoteric nature of the Jacobite movement, and points out the difficulties that are involved in the study of a subject that has little documentary evidence for illuminating contemporary understanding. The specially crafted drinking glasses used by the Jacobites during eighteenth-century Britain are useful for illuminating the movement’s esoteric nature in three ways. Firstly, the significance of the glasses’ survival to the present day will be considered in relation to their secretive nature. Secondly, the symbolic design of the glasses will be examined in terms of the esoteric nature of the movement and to gain an understanding of the ideals and modes of recognition that were being communicated. Thirdly, the glasses’ contribution to the range of Jacobite cultural remains will be explored to gain a greater understanding of the workings of their society. In contrast to the usefulness the glasses may provide, the secrecy involved in the designs hinders interpretation. Other contemporary sources will be examined to cross reference interpretations, which, together will further illuminate the esoteric nature of the Jacobite movement.

The Moderns and the Antients had finally come together in union in 1813, the rift between the two Grand Lodges being healed. One of the main problems had been the Royal Arch ritual, seen by the Antients as a fourth degree but practiced by the Moderns as the completion of the third degree. When both sides finally came together, it was settled that the Royal Arch was the completion of the third degree, though was to be practiced in separate ‘Chapters,’ the Chapter room set out differently than the craft Lodge room. Despite this, the Royal Arch was still referred to as a fourth degree by some stubborn lodges until around 1850, and the rebel Grand Lodge of Wigan still practised the Royal Arch as a separate degree. In fact during the Liverpool Masonic Rebellion, the Royal Arch became a point of debate. In my book, The Genesis of Freemasonry, I put forward how Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers had reconstructed the Masonic ritual in the 1720s, creating the three degree structure set within Solomon’s Temple, describing its initial construction by chief architect Hiram Abiff, disclosing his murder and the attempt at raising him from the dead to regain his lost knowledge. The Royal Arch ritual continues this theme with the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple under Zerubbabel and the search for lost knowledge within the temple ruins, the ritual revealing a number of lost artefacts set within the keystones of three arches in the temple. These artefacts were lost in the destruction of the original temple, but with their discovery, the temple could be reconstructed, the divine measurements of God being found to recreate the most sacred holy place on Earth. This paper will discuss certain theories and ideas behind the creation of the Royal Arch and will examine how the ceremony was viewed within the context of the Masonic story.

The Warrington Dissenting Academy, situated in the north-west of England, existed from 1757-1786, and as an independent centre of learning, it became a paradigm of dissent against the backdrop of the British Enlightenment, a time of fermenting radical views and a reaction to exclusion. Importantly, it also exemplifies self-help amongst the Non-Conformist community and indeed, the local community of Warrington, a community that also included the local lodge; the Lodge of Lights. Two members of the lodge were Academy tutors, a founder of the lodge had also assisted in founding the local circulating library, and a number of other Freemasons were linked to the Academy and its community. This paper will discuss how certain Freemasons promoted education within a culture of self-help, and helped to leave a legacy of civic philanthropy that promoted education and charity on a wider social scale.