THE SCHOOL OF MARTINISM (Annotated) (Waite Series)

Martinists study the natural relationships that exist between the Divine, the Universe, and Humanity. The universe and humanity form a whole, two progressions linked one to the other and evolving together. If we wish to understand our true nature we must look toward the Divine, says Saint-Martin, for "we can only read ourselves in the Divine, only understand ourselves in the Divine splendor." If we are no longer in a position today to reach this understanding it is because we have made the error of separating ourselves from the Divine and losing ourselves in the world of appearances, the temporal world. We have, to some degree, fallen asleep to the spiritual world. Our inner Temple is in ruins. To become a Martinist is to undertake the reconstruction of the Inner Temple. The Martinist relies on two pillars to build this everlasting Temple—that of initiation and that of the Martinist teachings. Initiation denotes the beginning of this great work, for it is at this moment that we receive the seed of light that constitutes the foundation of our work. It is then up to us to work to bring into being this light and make it shine. Worldly initiations are a necessary preliminary to Martinists, though we see them as earthly representations of a greater transformation. They only become meaningful when we receive the “central initiation.” Saint-Martin tells us that this initiation is that by which “we can enter into the heart of the Divine, and make the Divine’s heart enter into us, there to form an indissoluble marriage which will make us the spouse of our Divine Redeemer. There is no other mystery in arriving at this holy initiation than to delve further and further into the depths of our being, and not let go until we can bring forth the living, vivifying root, because then, all the fruit which we ought to bear, according to our kind, will be produced within and without ourselves naturally." The Martinist Teachings The teachings represent to a Martinist the nourishment necessary for the growth of the seed received during initiation. The foundations of the teachings are the writings of Louis Claude de Saint-Martin and his teacher, Martinès de Pasqually.