René Guénon and Martinism Which part of the thinking of Louis-Claudet de Saint Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz is influenced by Martines de Pasqually? For René Guénon, it is that part characterised by a certain tendency towards dualism and Manichaeism. This repeated assertion about them by the critics also unavoidably leads to a critique of the thinkers’ conception of matter, which regards matter as unacceptable and reprehensible.
Martinès de Pasqually defines the earthly dimension as a “place of hardship”, a “land of exile” and even a ‘dark prison’, in which we must endure a difficult and painful sojourn. Does it follow that this vision is wrong, a deviation from official doctrine? If the dominant theological discourse has distilled our vision of reality into something overly saccharin, does not the course of history until now show there has been some kind of heavenly rupture, fracturing us from Paradise or the celestial boundlessness, demonstrating how our minds have turned away from their place of wholeness to revolt against the celestial order? Has not man himself become, in turn, a creature of rebellion, corrupt and murderous, and who by his own fault, is now lost to his intimate inheritance of the Divine? Given this, have Martinès de Pasqually, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz and Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin really erred in their interpretation or does it not demonstrate their innovative and accurate conviction. Jean-Marc Vivenza addresses this question in this 40-minute talk.
René Guénon and Martinism Which part of the thinking of Louis-Claudet de Saint Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz is influenced by Martines de Pasqually? For René Guénon, it is that part characterised by a certain tendency towards dualism and Manichaeism. This repeated assertion about them by the critics also unavoidably leads to a critique of the thinkers’ conception of matter, which regards matter as unacceptable and reprehensible.
Martinès de Pasqually defines the earthly dimension as a “place of hardship”, a “land of exile” and even a ‘dark prison’, in which we must endure a difficult and painful sojourn. Does it follow that this vision is wrong, a deviation from official doctrine? If the dominant theological discourse has distilled our vision of reality into something overly saccharin, does not the course of history until now show there has been some kind of heavenly rupture, fracturing us from Paradise or the celestial boundlessness, demonstrating how our minds have turned away from their place of wholeness to revolt against the celestial order? Has not man himself become, in turn, a creature of rebellion, corrupt and murderous, and who by his own fault, is now lost to his intimate inheritance of the Divine? Given this, have Martinès de Pasqually, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz and Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin really erred in their interpretation or does it not demonstrate their innovative and accurate conviction. Jean-Marc Vivenza addresses this question in this 40-minute talk.
