Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage

263 Pages·2005·3.433 MB·English

by  Rene Guenon

STUDIES IN FREEMASONRY
AND THE COMPAGNONNAGE

RENE GUENON
STUDIES IN
FREEMASONRY
AND THE
COMPAGNONNAGE
Translators
Henry D. Fohr
Cecil Bethell
Michael Allen
SOPHIA PERENNIS
HILLSDALE NY
Originally published in French as
Et11dess1 1lrn Fra11c-Mnro1meerti lee Compagnonnag[e2 vols]
© Editions Traditionnelles 1964
English translation © Sophia Perennis 2004
First English Edition 2004
All rights reserved
Series editor: James R. Wetmore
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without permission
For information, address:
Sophia Perennis, P.O. Box 611
Hillsdale NY 12529
sophiaperennis.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Guenon, Rene
[Etudes sur la franc-mai;onnerie et le compagnonnage. English]
Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage I Rene Guenon;
translators Henry D. Fohr, Cecil Bethell, Michael Allen.- ist english ed.
p. cm.
"Originally published in French as Etudes sur la Franc-Ma<;onnerie
et le Compagnonnage. Editions Traditionnelles, 1964."
ISBN o 900588 88 8 (pbk: alk. paper)
ISBN o 900588 519 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Freemasonry- France-History.
2. Guilds- France- History I. Title.
HS 603. G8513 2004
366' .1' 09440902-dc22 2004019338
CONTENTS
Editorial Note xr
1 Scientific Ideas and the Masonic Ideal 1
2 The Great Architect of the Universe 9
3 Lost Word and Substituted Words 19
4 The Builders of the Middle Ages 35
5 Masons and Carpenters 39
6 Masonic Orthodoxy 43
7 Gnosis and Freemasonry 47
8 The Masonic High Grades 51
9 Feminine Initiation and Craft Initiations 54
10 Pilgrimages 59
11 The Compagnonnage and the Bohemians 65
12 Heredom 69
13 The Monogram of Christ and the Heart
in Ancient Trade Marks 73
14 Corporate Signs and their Original Meaning 86
15 The Enigma of Martines de Pasqually 93
16 On the 'Lyonnais Rose-Croix' 112
17 A New Book on the Order of the Elect Cohens 116
18 A Project of Joseph de Maistre for the
Union of Peoples 122
19 The Strict Observance and the Unknown Superiors 130
20 Concerning the Unknown Superiors and the Astral 146
21 Some Unpublished Documents on the Order
of the Elect Cohens 160
22 Cologne or Strasbourg? 184
23 Review of By-Ways of Freemasonry 186
24 Reviews 190
Index 253
EDITORIAL NOTE
THE PASTC ENTURYH AS WITNESSEDa n erosion of earlier cultural
values as well as a blurring of the distinctive characteristics of the
world's traditional civilizations, giving rise to philosophic and moral
relativism, multiculturalism, and dangerous fundamentalist reac
tions. As early as the 1920s, the French metaphysician Rene Guenon
(1886-1951)h ad diagnosed these tendencies and presented what he
believed to be the only possible reconciliation of the legitimate, al
though apparently conflicting, demands of outward religious forms,
'exoterisms', with their essential core, '.esoterism'.H is works are char
acterized by a foundational critique of the modern world coupled
with a call for intellectual reform; a renewed examination of meta
physics, the traditional sciences, and symbolism, with special refer
ence to the ultimate unanimity of all spiritual traditions; and finally,
a call to the work of spiritual realization. Despite their wide influ
ence, translation of Guenon's works into English has so far been
piecemeal. The SophiaP erennise dition is intended to fill the urgent
need to present them in a more authoritative and systematic form. A
complete list of Guenon's works, given in the order of their original
publication in French, follows this note.
Rene Guenon had a lifelong preoccupation with Freemasonry.
In his search for an operative initiatic path in the Western world,
he explored many groups-occult, neo-Gnostic, Theosophical
claiming to be initiatory, ultimately rejecting them all, with the sin
gle exception of the Craft. His relation to Freemasonry, however,
was far from simple; mostly before World War I, for example, he
contributed articles to both Masonic and anti-Masonic publica
tions, though he continued to review books on Masonry and refer
to Masonic lore in his own works until the end of his life. Recogniz
ing that the symbolism and ritual employed by Masonry was for the
most part both traditional and esoteric, he labored to discover,
define, or create a Freemasonic initiation that would be compatible
XII STUDIES IN FREEMASONRY AND THE COMPAGNONNAGE
with Catholic Christianity, as it supposedly was when the Masonic
guilds designed and built the great cathedrals of Europe. However,
the thick overgrowth of pseudo-esoterism obscuring that 'original'
Freemasonry, not to mention the various rationalist, anti-clerical,
illuminist, and even revolutionary strands to be found within the
Masonic tradition, ultimately forced him to abandon his project.
Nonetheless, this record of Guenon's struggle to come to terms with
an initiatory lineage fallen on hard times is of real relevance to all
now seeking a spiritual affiliation in the darkness prevailing in our
time.
For this edition, the chapters and articles contained in the two
volumes of the French original have been rearranged in accordance
with their content, and book and article reviews have been selected
with the anglophone reader in mind.
Guenon often uses words or expressions set off in 'scare quotes'.
To avoid clutter, single quotation marks have been used throughout.
As for transliterations, Guenon was more concerned with phonetic
fidelity than academic usage. The system adopted here reflects the
views of scholars familiar both with the languages and Guenon's
writings. Brackets indicate editorial insertions, or, within citations,
Guenon's additions. Wherever possible, references have been up
dated, and English editions substituted.
The translation is based on the work of Henry Fohr ( edited by his
son Samuel Fohr), Cecil Bethell, and Michael Allen. The text was
checked for accuracy and further revised by Marie Hansen. A special
debt of thanks is owed to Cecil Bethell, who revised and proofread
the text at several stages and provided the index. Cover design by
Michael Buchino and Gray Henry, based on a drawing of Sagittarius
from the Denderah Zodiac ceiling, Upper Egypt, now in the Louvre,
by Guenon's friend and collaborator Ananda K. Coomaraswamy.
THE WORKS
; ;
OF RENE GUENON
Introductiont o the Study Perspectiveos n Initiation (1946)
of the Hindu Doctrines( 1921)
The GreatT riad (1946)
TheosophyH: istoryo f
a Pseudo-Religion(1 921) The MetaphysicaPl rincipleso f
the InfinitesimalC alculus( 1946)
The SpiritistF allacy( 1923)
Initiation and Spiritual
East and West (1924) Realization( 1952)
Man and His Becoming Insightsi nto Christian
accordingt o the Vedanta( 1925) Esoterism( 1954)
The Esoterismo f Dante (1925) Symbolso f SacredS cience( 1962)
The Crisiso f the Modern World Studies in Freemasonry
(1927) and the Compagnonnage(1 964)
The King of the World( 1927) Studies in Hinduism (1966)
SpiritualA uthority and TraditionalF ormsa nd Cosmic
TemporalP ower( 1929) Cycles( 1970)
The Symbolismo f the Cross(1931) Insightsi nto IslamicE soterism
and Taoism( 1973)
The Multiple Stateso f the Being
(1932) Reviews (1973)
The Reign of Quantity and Miscellanea( 1976)
the Signso f the Times (1945)