Yuriy Khalturin

Esotericism and Worldview of the Russian Freemasonry of the 18th- 19th Centuries: Toward a Conceptualization

Yuriy Khalturin - Independent Researcher; Member of the Association for the Study of Esotericism and Mysticism (Moscow), ukhalturin@gmail.com

The article provides conceptualization of the worldview of Russian Freemasons of the 18th-19th centuries. Instead of the concept "Christian mysticism", which the author believes to be highly problematic, he uses the theory of "Western esotericism as a form of thought" by Antoine Faivre, applying it to the study of archival materials from the Masonic funds of the Russian State Library's Manuscript Department. This new conceptualization allows, firstly, to explain contradictions in the Masonic worldview; secondly, through reconstructing this worldview as an integral system, provide a key for understanding some enigmatic Masonic texts; thirdly, to evaluate a proper place of the Russian Freemasonry and its role as the "third pillar" of the Russian culture along with Orthodox Christianity and Enlightenment rationalism.

Keywords: Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, esotericism, principle of correspondences, living nature, mediation, transmutation, practice of concordance.

RUSSIAN Freemasonry at the end of the XVIII - first quarter of the XIX century is a very complex and heterogeneous phenomenon: in Russia, there were many Masonic systems, established by the Russian Orthodox Church.-

The research was carried out with the financial support of RGNF within the framework of the research project ("The problem of man in the philosophy of Russian Freemasons of the late XVIII-early XIX centuries"), project N 12 - 03 - 00 140.

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However, the greatest interest for researchers of the religious life of Russian society in this period is represented by the Masonic Order of the Golden and Pink Cross, whose teaching and practice were most focused on religious-mystical, esoteric and occult themes. 2 In fact, when we talk about the Russian Rosicrucians, we will also have in mind the entire esoteric tradition in Russia as a whole (at least for the specified period). In addition, the most significant representatives of Freemasonry - N. I. Novikov, S. I. Gamaleya, I. G. Shvartz, I. V. Lopukhin, A. F. Labzin, I. A. Pozdeev, S. S. Lanskoy and many others who had a direct impact on Russian culture, religious thought and politics-belonged to this Masonic system. Also, it is the materials of the Rosicrucians that are preserved in the archives in the greatest number (primarily in the collections of the Russian National Library and the Russian State Library, on the archival materials of the Research Department of Manuscripts of which we will rely). It should be noted that in this article we will use the terms "Russian Freemasonry" and "Russian Rosicrucianism" as synonyms, since the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross, professing the Rosicrucian ideology, was organized as one of the Masonic systems. The members of this order themselves referred to themselves in manuscripts as "R. K." (Rosicrucians) and "V. K." (freemasons).

When studying the intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Masons of the Order of the Golden and Pink Cross, the researcher faces many problems.

1. Empirical problems: on the one hand, there is an abundance of sources that exceed the capabilities of one researcher, and on the other - their obvious insufficiency, especially on the history of the highest degrees of initiation and esoteric aspects of Masonic teaching.

2. Ideological problems: a long tradition of criticism of the mystical component of the Masonic worldview and its consequences.

1. See, for example: Serkov A. I. Istoriya russkogo masonstva XIX veka [History of Russian Freemasonry in the 19th century]. St. Petersburg: N. I. Novikov Publishing House, 2000; Vernadsky G. V. Russkoe masonstvo v tsarnovanie Ekateriny II [Russian Freemasonry in the Reign of Catherine II]. St. Petersburg: N. I. Novikov Publishing House, 2001; Masonry in the past and Present, Vol. 1, 2./Ed. by S. P. Melgunov and N. P. Sidorov. Repr. vospr. izd. 1914 goda, Moscow: IKPA, 1991.

2. See about him: Kondakov Yu. E. Rosicrucians, Martinists and "inner Christians" in Russia at the end of the XVIII - first quarter of the XIX century. St. Petersburg: Publishing House of the Herzen State Pedagogical University, 2012; Kondakov Yu. E. The Order of the Golden and Pink Cross in Russia. Theoretical Degree of Solomon Sciences, St. Petersburg, 2012.

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Russian culture from liberal pre-revolutionary historians and Soviet researchers, various "conspiracy theories" , etc.

3. Hermeneutical problems: linguistic, historical, and ideological distance that makes many Masonic texts incomprehensible and difficult to read for modern scholars.

4. However, the fourth key problem is methodological. First of all, we are talking about the lack of a conceptual approach to the worldview of Russian Freemasons. Not only are its individual aspects very poorly understood, but there is no clear definition of the Masonic worldview as a whole. As a result, difficulties arise both in the analysis of Masonic texts, and in the reconstruction of Masonic teaching as a system, and in assessing the role of Freemasonry in Russian culture. In this article, I would like to suggest such a conceptual approach.

The concept of Russian Freemasonry as "Christian Mysticism" and its criticism

First, a few words about how the Masonic worldview was defined by its most significant researchers earlier. Virtually all scholars who studied Russian Freemasonry agreed that Rosicrucianism (the most influential, long-standing, and intellectually developed system of Russian Freemasonry) was a form of mysticism. This approach to the Masonic worldview as Christian mysticism goes back to the famous words of N. M. Karamzin about N. I. Novikov:

Around 1785, he became connected in Freemasonry with the Berlin theosophists, and in Moscow became the chief of the so-called Martinists, who were (or are) nothing but Christian mystics: they interpreted nature and man, sought the mysterious meaning of the Old and New Testaments, boasted of ancient traditions, debased the wisdom of the school, and so on.; but they demanded true Christian virtues from their disciples, did not interfere in politics, and made loyalty to the sovereign a law.3
3. Karamzin N. M. Note on Novikov//He is. Selected Works in 2 volumes, vol. 2. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura, 1966, p. 231.

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In the same passage, the positive and negative aspects of Freemasonry are identified, from Karamzin's point of view, which were also evaluated by all subsequent researchers: respectively, the development of the moral consciousness of Russian society and at the same time the rejection of the role of science and reason in favor of faith, tradition, revelation and Holy Scripture.

The greatest researcher of Russian Freemasonry, A. N. Pypin, wrote:: "Mysticism was generally one of the most important features of our Freemasonry, as it was very widespread in European society of the XVIII century"4. Calling the worldview of Russian Freemasons nothing but "dreamy mysticism" 5, "mysticism and pietism"6, Pypin assessed it extremely negatively, in his eyes Freemasonry is "a strange, dark, fantastic, finally, even ridiculous thing"7. However, much more important is not the assessment, but the definition of mysticism that Pypin gives:

The name mysticism is applied, in general, to that moral and religious view which accepts that a clear conception of deity, nature, and man is impossible for ordinary human knowledge, that this conception is not given even by positive religions, and that it is achieved by a direct approach to the deity, by a miraculous union with the higher divine world, which takes place without any activities of the dry mind 8.

The neglect of reason and thinking, the priority of inner contemplation, feeling, fantasy, and faith were the main characteristics of mysticism for Pypin. In his view, "mysticism leads to obscurantism very naturally" 9. Mysticism is the opposite of exact knowledge and science, and therefore is either a delusion or a quackery resulting from ignorance or personal self-interest. In the case of Russia, it was, according to Pypin, precisely about delusion and ignorance: Russian Freemasons were looking for true ideals and values, but due to lack of development-

4. Pypin A. N. Masonry in Russia. XVIII and the first quarter of the XIX century. Petrograd: "Lights", 1916. P. 204

5. Ibid., p. 80

6. Ibid., p. 84

7. Ibid., p. 85.

8. Ibid., p. 204

9. Ibid., p. 206

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The tendencies of the enlightenment and dogmatism of the Church deviated into a vague mysticism. In the case of Germany, where the Russian Freemasons borrowed the Rosicrucian system, it was quackery, deception, and deliberate intrigue. But, one way or another, mysticism for Pypin is a superstition, only not for the masses of the people, but for the educated strata, for the intelligentsia, caused by the helplessness of the latter due to its lack of education.10
The assessments of Pypin and Karamzin were repeated by many other researchers. For example, N. N. Bulich, a historian of Russian literature and professor at Kazan University, repeated many of Pypin's clichés in relation to Russian Freemasonry: "mysticism", "pietism", "nonsense", "absurdities", "fog"11. However, S. V. Eshevsky, a historian and professor at the same University, who has preserved a large number of Masonic manuscripts for future researchers (now fund 147 in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library), while agreeing with the definition of Freemasonry as a "mystical science", spoke more favorably about mysticism, considering that it was the appeal of mysticism to the feelings and imagination of people that allowed have a more beneficial moral influence on them than the skepticism and cold rationalism of enlightenment ideology and science.12 Similar assessments were shared by P. N. Milyukov13; public figure, publicist, amateur historian, leader of the nobility N. P. Kolyupanov14; historian of Russian literature, later professor at Leningrad University and corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences V. V. Sipovsky15.

In other words, among the majority of pre-revolutionary researchers, an unspoken agreement was established that the worldview of Russian Freemasons was nothing more than mysticism, which point of view was held by a few other people.-

10. See: Pypin A. N. Novikov as a Mason // Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov: his life and writings/Edited by V. I. Pokrovsky, Moscow, 2010, pp. 202-216

11. Bulich N. N. Historical significance of Freemasonry. // Ibid., pp. 107-117.

12. Eshevsky S. V. Mysticism in its influence on social life / / Ibid., pp. 117-122.

13. Milyukov P. N. The significance of Freemasonry in the history of social development in Russia// Ibid., pp. 130-131

14. Kolyupanov N. P. Cultural significance of Freemasonry//Ibid., pp. 136-140.

15. Sipovsky V. V. Idealism of Freemasonry as a reason for its rapid and brilliant spread//Ibid., pp. 140-145.

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Numerous Soviet historians of Masonic philosophy 16. Only their assessments differed: some researchers saw mysticism as something better than materialism, but most condemned mysticism from the standpoint of either liberal enlightenment ideology or materialism, and assessed it as a regressive and reactionary phenomenon compared to the philosophy of the enlightenment. A. I. Nezelenov, a historian of Russian literature at St. Petersburg University, put this situation very well: "Our researchers of Freemasonry agree that mysticism was one of its main characteristics."17 However, there were scholars who tried to overcome such a simplified and schematic vision of Masonic ideology.

One of the first people who noticed the ideas of Russian Freemasons that did not fit into the concept of mysticism was G. V. Vernadsky. In his book "Russian Freemasonry in the Reign of Catherine II", he defines the Masonic worldview not only by the term "mysticism", but also by a number of others: pietism, quietism, Hermeticism, mystical philosophy, Hermetic science, religious philosophy, mystical-Hermetic literature 18. Unfortunately, while offering a more complex picture of Masonic thought, Vernadsky did not attempt to give clear definitions of the concepts he used and identify their interrelations in order to reconstruct Masonic philosophy as a single integral system. However, it is very important that he drew attention to facts that contradict the definition of Russian Rosicrucianism as mysticism, namely, the important role that Russian Freemasons attached to reason, reason, and science as varieties of God-given abilities and even as forms of divine revelation.19 It turns out that mysticism was somehow combined among Russian Freemasons with rationalism, but Vernadsky did not say how exactly-

16. See: Boldyrev A. I. Problema cheloveka v russkoi filosofii XVIII v. Problema cheloveka v russkoi filosofii XVIII v. [The human problem in Russian Philosophy of the 18th century]. University, 1986, pp. 155-174; Kurdyukov V. B. Osobennosti razvitiya russkoy filosofskoy mysli poslednoi treti XVIII veka [Features of the development of Russian philosophical thought in the last third of the XVIII century]. Kuibyshev: Publishing House of Kuibyshev State University, 1968. p. 7-12; Russian Thought in the age of Enlightenment / ed. by N. Utkina and A. Sukhov. Moscow: Nauka, 1991. p. 157-172; Plimak E. G. Masonic reaction against materialism in Russia//Questions of philosophy. 1957. N 2. pp. 50-62.; Shchipanoe I. Ya. Filosofiya russkogo Prosveshcheniya: Vtoraya polova XIX veka [Philosophy of the Russian Enlightenment: The second half of the XIX century]. un-ta. 1971-p. 80-89.

17. Nezelenov N. I. Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov, publisher of magazines of 1769-1789, St. Petersburg: Printing House of V. S. Balashov, 1875, p. 80.

18. Vernadsky G. V. Russian Freemasonry in the reign of Catherine II. pp. 76, 78, 131-133.

19. Ibid., pp. 111-114.

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It clarifies this by considering rationalism as a stage passed and rejected by Russian Freemasons in search of higher mystical knowledge.

The contradictory unity of rationalism and mysticism in the philosophy of Russian Freemasons was noted by V. N. Tukalevsky, author of the book "The Search for Russian Masons"20, from the point of view of which the contradiction between rationalism and mysticism was precisely the driving rod of these very searches. Explaining the strange combination of these two opposing currents of thought, Tukalevsky emphasized individual differences in the worldview of different authors, as well as differences in the historical stages of the development of Freemasonry. However, this is not enough, since often both trends are present in the same text by the same author or in different texts of the same historical period.

The historian of Russian Freemasonry A.V. Semeka also noted the presence of two tendencies in the worldview of Freemasons: the Rosicrucian doctrine "is sharply divided into two parts: one of them can be called spiritual and moral, the other-scientific, philosophical"21. The historian of Russian philosophy V. V. Zenkovsky used other epithets to define the Masonic worldview: gnostic, occult, and esoteric. He claimed that in Freemasonry, "in addition to the religious and mystical direction, the natural philosophical direction was very persistently breaking through"22. At the same time, he emphasized that "Freemasonry called for the unity of faith and knowledge."23 Thus, from Zenkovsky's point of view, the Masonic worldview was not at all contrary to rationalism and the enlightenment, but rather was one of the variants of the enlightenment ideology and, more broadly, the processes of Westernization and secularization. In addition, Freemasonry, from Zenkovsky's point of view, turned out to be not a marginal and erroneous phenomenon of Russian culture, but, on the contrary, typical and anticipating the further development of Russian religious philosophy. Such a concept already represents the Masonic

20. See: Tukalevsky V. N. Iskaniya russkikh masonov [Search for Russian Masons], St. Petersburg: Senatskaya tipografiya, 1911.

21. Semyonov A.V. Russian Rosicrucians and the writings of Empress Catherine against Freemasons. St. Petersburg: Printing house of M. M. Stasyulevich, 1902. P. 7.

22. Zenkovsky V. V. Istoriya russkoy filosofii [History of Russian Philosophy], Vol. 1, Part 1. Leningrad: Ego, 1991, p. 100.

23. Ibid., p. 109.

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thought as something complex and multifaceted, but, unfortunately, the worldview of Russian Freemasons was not the main subject of Zenkovsky's research.

A. I. Nezelenov put forward the most radically divergent concept from the image of Freemasonry as "Christian mysticism". In his work on N. I. Novikov, on the one hand, he calls Russian Freemasonry "a secular monastic order", "an assembly of people with a mystical mood of the soul"24. On the other hand, he wrote that " at the heart of Freemasonry was a lofty idealism... but it fell in... in the crudest materialism " 25. By materialism, Nezelenov meant the Masons 'fascination with alchemy, making gold, deifying nature and "mixing" the deity, communicating with spirits, magic, etc. Noting the Masonic understanding of nature, God and man as entities consisting of masculine and feminine principles, Nezelenov concluded that the Masons believed in the Mother of the world, in the "pagan goddess, Khlystovskaya virgin", and concluded that "Freemasonry here passes into paganism" 26. Pagan materialism saw Non-Greensmen in Masonic rites that reminded it of echoes of pagan mysteries and sacrifices, in Masonic symbols with their baroque imagery that defied rational interpretation, in the desire of Masons to command nature and spirits, in charging initiation fees and much more. In other words, from Nezelenov's point of view, Freemasonry only seemed to be Christian mysticism and idealism, but in reality it was pagan materialism, not a "secular monastery" at all, but rather a "khlystovsky sect" for the intelligentsia.

If we summarize the results of criticism of the approach to the worldview of Russian Freemasonry as Christian mysticism, we can formulate several problems or questions:

1. If Russian Freemasons really considered themselves "true Christians", their order "the inner church", and Jesus Christ himself as the head of it, how can we explain the presence of pagan motives in their worldview, their fascination with Egyptian Hermeticism and Jewish Kabbalah and many other non-Christian mythologies

24. Nezelenov N. I. Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov, publisher of magazines of 1769-1789, St. Petersburg: Printing House of V. S. Balashov, 1875, p. 79.

25. Ibid., p. 105.

26. Ibid., p. 115.

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and exercises? How did they connect "true Christianity" with the teachings of J. Boehme, E. Swedenborg, Mesmerism and other occult theories? 2. How does the mysticism of Russian Freemasons (i.e., the renunciation of personal will and reason in favor of tradition, revelation, and faith) combine with their belief in the power of human reason and will, with the rationalistic and gnostic aspects of their teachings, and with their struggle against fanaticism and fideism? How does mysticism, which presupposes the passivity of man when he is directly united with the deity, a kind of dissolution in the deity, combine among Russian Freemasons with magism and occultism, which presupposes the active influence of man on nature and the deity through the influence of intermediaries (spirits, angels, demons)?

How did the mystical worldview get along in Russian Freemasonry with educational practice (publishing, creating translation and pedagogical seminaries, pharmacies, charity and philanthropy)? 3. As an example of the inconsistency of the Masonic worldview, which requires a special interpretation, we will cite various formulations of the goals of Freemasonry. How did Russian Freemasonry combine such various goals as: a)" to make people more virtuous, to unite them in a common union"; b)" testing the nature of things and through this acquisition of strength and power to correct other people, medical science, renewal of the body, transformation of metals"; c) " union with the deity... a message with spirits"?27 Proponents of the concept of mysticism do not notice these contradictions or try to ignore them, and their critics, although they do, do not explain the nature of these contradictions and their relationship. In both cases, the Masonic worldview breaks down into separate pieces and fragments (mysticism, occultism, Hermeticism, Gnosticism, enlightenment, rationalism, magic, alchemy, Kabbalah, theosophy, natural philosophy), turning into a kind of chaos and confusion of ideas, images and symbols. Almost all researchers speak about the eclecticism of Masonic thought, which serves as a basis for the development of Masonic culture.

27. Ibid., p. 88.

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for them, another argument in favor of the marginality and insignificance of Freemasonry for Russian culture.

However, as early as 1916, N. A. Berdyaev, in his critical article on Pypin's book, pointed out the need to revise the key concepts describing the Masonic worldview, to penetrate into the" meaning "and" spirit "of Freemasonry, to reevaluate its role in the "history of the Russian spirit" and to give Masonic mysticism an independent meaning as a phenomenon of spiritual culture. this task requires a new approach, a new concept, a new definition of the Masonic worldview, which can change the attitude towards Freemasonry as a cultural phenomenon. In my opinion, such an approach already exists in Western science and it is simply necessary to apply it to Russian Freemasonry. We are talking about the academic concept of "Western esotericism".

Esotericism as the basis of the worldview of Russian Freemasons: six key characteristics

I would like to emphasize once again: there is no doubt that mysticism, especially Christian mysticism, played an important role in the spiritual life of Russian Freemasons. The topic of Masonic mysticism is also being studied by some modern researchers using new and interesting material 29. However, in my opinion, the more accurate term applied to the Masonic worldview is "esotericism". This is not about terminological subtleties, but about what opportunities for understanding Russian Freemasonry open up to us this or that concept and concept.

It should be noted that the concepts of "esotericism"," esotericism"," esotericism " have many meanings 30. In addition, there are several different approaches to defining the concept of "esotericism" .31 Very problematic and uncertain are-

28. Berdyaev N. A. About the new book on Freemasonry// Berdyaev N. A. Muddy Faces, Moscow: Kanon Publ., 2004, pp. 128-131.

29. See, for example: Kuchurin V. V. Mysticism and Western European esotericism in the religious life of the Russian nobility in the last third of the XVIII - first half of the XIX century: experience of interdisciplinary research//Word and Thought in the interdisciplinary space of education and culture/Edited by M. S. Uvarov and V. Ya. Fetisov, St. Petersburg, 2005, pp. 142-160.

30. См., например: Hanegraaf, W. (2006) "Esotericism", in W. Hanegraaf (ed.) Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, pp. 336 - 340. Leiden: Brill.

31. See about it: Zhdanov V. V. Study of esotericism in Western Europe: institutes, concepts, methods//Mystical and esoteric movements in theory and practice.

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The relationship between esotericism and Freemasonry is also changing 32. Because of these circumstances, I will limit myself to studying the esoteric foundations of thought of only one branch of Russian Freemasonry - Rosicrucianism, and in my understanding of esotericism I will rely on the concept of Antoine Faivre, which has become a classic and has been the basis of the entire science of Western esotericism as an academic discipline for more than twenty years.33
Fevr defines esotericism as follows: "Esotericism is a form of thought defined by six fundamental characteristics or components distributed in different proportions within a broad, concrete historical context." 34 In other words, esotericism is not a certain tradition hidden within the exoteric forms of a particular religion or all religions in general, but a certain picture of the world, a worldview that can be found in a wide variety of traditions and texts, such as alchemy, magic, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Rosicrucianism, and Freemasonry. Below, we will take a look at the characteristics of esotericism identified by Favre in turn and trace how they manifested themselves in the Masonic worldview.

1. Matching thinking

The first characteristic of this type of worldview is "thinking in correspondences". Fevr explains this characteristic as follows:: "Symbolic and real correspondences... they exist between all parts of the universe, both visible and invisible ... " 35. Everything in the world is interconnected, the universe is a system of mirrors, reflections, analogies and references, a collection of signs, symbols and hieroglyphs. There are at least two types of correspondences: 1) between different parts of the universe (heaven and earth, visible world and invisible, microcosm and macrocosm); 2) between the universe and the Holy Scriptures (Sacred Texts).

Edited by S. V. Pakhomov, St. Petersburg: Publishing House of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy, 2009, pp. 5-28.

32. См., например: Dachez, R. (2007) "Freemasonry", in Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, pp. 382 - 388; Bogdan, H. (2007) Western Esotericism and the Rituals of Initiation. N. Y.: SUNY-Press.

33. См.: Faivre, A. (1994) Access to Western Esotericism. N. Y.: SUNY-Press.

34. Ibid, p. 10.

35. Ibid, p. 10.

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Books contain the secrets of the universe, and the universe is a kind of Book).

This characteristic of esoteric thinking is expressed in the worldview of Russian Freemasons. The idea of correspondences is even the initial and basic principle of this worldview. In one of the Masonic texts, this idea is formulated as follows:"The lower world is an image of the highest; and as here the element is above the element, so there: and each has its own inhabitants" 36.

The idea of correspondences is expressed not only in analogies between the higher and lower worlds, but also in the interrelation of the micro-and macrocosm: "For man, as the last creation of all things is an extraction from all that is visible and invisible, and therefore, as a small world, must have in himself what the greater world has. 37. Moreover, man reflects in himself not only the universe, but also the God who created it, turning out to be not only a microcosm, but also a "microtheos": "So, man, this Pure Extract and almost the quintessence of all worlds, can justly be He was called not only a small world, but also a small God. " 38 In other words, God, nature, and man were closely connected for Russian Freemasons through a system of correspondences.

It should be noted that the principle of conformity was not just an abstract idea for Russian Freemasons, but was directly related to the goals of the Order in their view. Indeed, "the office and end of this degree is the knowledge of God and of oneself through the consideration of nature."39 The knowledge of God, nature, and man, in turn, was not only an abstract, speculative task of Freemasonry, but had to lead to higher, mystical goals. What are these goals?

First, the acquisition of the "inner man" in oneself, that is, a certain higher, eternal, divine principle, the image and likeness of God: "The invisible is known through the visible....-

36. R & D RSL. f. 147 (S. S. Lanskoy and S. V. Yeshevsky). D. 97 (Selected speeches on Theoretical degree). L. 25.

37. R & D Department of the Russian State Library. f. 14. (V. S. Arsenyev). D. 682 (Shvartz I. E. Lectures on philosophy in 1782). l. 4.

38. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 52 (Some concepts drawn from the instructive 4th degree). L. 8.

39. R & D Institute of the Russian State Library, f. 14. D. 227 (Theoretical degree of Solomon Sciences), l. 64.

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we enter into ourselves through the senses, into the mind, and from there into the heart, in which our eternal man is located. " 40
Secondly, the comprehension of God's will, providence, and providence for man and the world: "He who obeys without hypocrisy, simply, and sincerely the teaching of St. John the Baptist. Through the light of this visible Creation, he receives the hope of learning in it the contemplation of the invisible; he learns what is the good and perfect will of God, and what is not the will of the Almighty Father."41
Third, the acquisition of the Kingdom of God: "Moreover, the knowledge of Nature is most useful, which shows through the exterior the interior, that is, the Kingdom of God." 42
Finally, the correction of fallen man, the restoration of his original perfect state, salvation and rebirth: "Freemasonry is a form of school of the ancients, the elect, and the prophets, where true Wisdom was cultivated: its lofty aim is to lead the worthy to the knowledge of God, nature,and man, in order to restore here the threefold edifice of human perfection." 43
In addition to the correspondences between different parts of the universe, Russian Freemasons also wrote about the correspondence of the universe and the Holy Scriptures. The universe itself was understood by them as a Book consisting of symbols or hieroglyphs: "Therefore, dear Brothers, the visible is for us only a book in which we can read the laws of the invisible, with which we must also conform the invisible inner man." 44 The understanding and reading of this book is, of course, not accessible to everyone, but only to initiates. Only after being initiated into the Order did a person, from the Masonic point of view, receive the keys to read the correspondences between different levels of reality and the Holy Scriptures: "for the acquisition of the light of truth, three books were given to a person: the Bible, Nature and Man, which are so closely connected with each other that what one says is the other They confirm it, and the Order's Brothers are also given the fourth secret book, that is, acts, which serves them as the key to the knowledge of those three books mentioned above. " 45
40. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 615 (Theses from the conversations of I. A. Pozdeyev. Part one). L 88.

41. R & D RSL. F. 147. D. 97. L. 9-10.

42. Ibid., l. 11.

43. R & D RSL. f. 14. d. 434. (Stepanov R. S. The highest mystery of true Freemasonry. 1780). l. 2.

44. Ibid., l. 13.

45. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 616 (Theses from the conversations of I. A. Pozdeyev. Part two). L. 14.

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The principle of correspondences, analogies and likenesses is also the basis of Masonic self-consciousness, their perception of the order and lodge. Thus, of the Temple of Solomon, with which the Masons identified their lodges, it is said: "The Temple of Solomon and all that was in it represented the forces of Nature." 46 On the other hand, the lodge also reflects the higher, invisible world: "What do you think the mysteries and all Masonic lodges mean? For this is the likeness of the upper Circles of heaven, which the wisdom of God has established in this world in order to adapt man to that habitation. " 47
The relationship between the visible and invisible worlds is also reflected in the central element of the lodge's decoration - the Masonic carpet: "The carpet is a book describing the process of rebirth of the spiritual and corporeal, that is, Spirit and substance, that is, Macrocosm and Microcosm." 48
2. Wildlife

The previous sign of esotericism as a form of thought - thinking in correspondences-suggests that the world is a complexly organized, multi - level, hierarchically ordered whole, that is, a kind of organism. Since everything in the world is interconnected ("all in one" and "one in all"), there must also be a certain principle of this relationship - the Soul or Spirit of the world, Archaea, Hidden Fire or Light, etc. Moreover, such a living, animate, sentient universe suffers just like a person. Nature, which has fallen with man, languishes and longs for salvation 49. Indeed, such a vision of the world was also inherent in Russian Freemasonry, moreover, the concept of nature as a living being was prescribed to masons by the order's instructions: "The Instructions say: Nature is an invisible subtle spirit, yet apparently active in bodies and having its place in the will of God." 50 This spirit can take on different forms: "And it is this very Light that is the universal active fire, which-

46. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 617 (Theses from the conversations of I. A. Pozdeyev. Part three). L. 1.

47. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 671 (Notes from the conversations of R. S. S., who died on January 11, 1828). L. 1.

48. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 616. L. 163.

49. См.: Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism, p. 11.

50. R & D RSL. f. 14. d. 247 (Selection from the conversations of T. G. S. K). l. 5 vol.

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which magicians collectively call nature, for the subject of all miracles is the spirit-speram, archaea, or universal spirit. " 51
Hence the purpose of the order becomes clear - to penetrate precisely into the spiritual, living, inner, secret side of nature: "It is not necessary to deal with the world, but to notice with attention to the study of what lies inwardly hidden in the world" 52. At the same time, the ability to comprehend the living essence of the universe is attributed only to initiates, who are opposed to the profane: "Our wise masters are only legitimate testers of nature... ponezhe science delves into their inner her... On the contrary, profane physicists, the so-called nature testers... they always jump around on the surface of all the three realms of nature. " 53
The idea of the world as a living and spiritualized organism leads to the formulation of the basic law of nature - the law of universal sympathy: "The invincible law of Nature, the universality of the matter of creatures, is depicted on the entire host of its mysterious multitude of children:" like seeks like, like strives for like "" 54.

The law of world sympathy and magnetism lies at the foundation of the world as a single whole, in which all things are interconnected. The unity of the world is the basic principle of Masonic philosophy, which in the self-consciousness of Masons distinguishes them from "worldly scientists": "Worldly scientists, not knowing that the cause of all phenomena is the same universal spirit of the world, often take these phenomena for special forces, and therefore get confused in the diversity of their hypotheses or assumptions"55.

So, nature is a single, living, animate organism. But this organism is damaged by sin and vice, and nature, following Faivre's thesis, suffers from this and longs for salvation: "If only we could sigh as much as the nature that yearns for freedom! O that the outer man may smoulder daily in us, that the inner man may be renewed!"56. In this process of liberation and recovery

51. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 690 (Shvartz I. G. O Naturei). L. 5 vol.

52. R & D RSL. f. 147. d. 97. l. 8 vol.

53.Cit. by: Pekarsky L. L. Additions to the history of Freemasonry in Russia of the XVIII century / / Collection of articles read in the Department of Russian Language and Literature, vol. 7. SPb., 1870. p. 68.

54. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 301 (Speech belonging to the Scottish degree). L. 2.

55. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 247. L. 34.

56. R & D RSL. f. 237 (D. I. Popov). d. 2 (Conversations with Theoretical Brothers). l. 14.

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nature should be promoted by the order and its initiates, whose goal is not just to know nature, but to save it:"the goal of the order's work is the liberation of the Spirit of Nature." 57
3. Imagination and Mediation

Since the world is a living, animate system of correspondences, analogies, similarities, and relationships, intermediaries are needed to implement and maintain these relationships. These intermediaries can be, for example, messengers of the higher world in the lower - angels, demons, spirits. On the other hand, as Favre notes, we can talk about symbols, images, magical talismans, mandalas that represent the invisible through the visible and allow you to influence the higher world through the lower. Contact with intermediaries is possible through imagination, which is understood as a kind of creative and cognitive force, magical in nature (the word imaginatio itself is associated with magia), capable of detecting hidden secret correspondences in the esoteric universe. The intermediary can also be a guru, mentor, master, who initiates a person in secret knowledge, guides him through the steps of the cosmic hierarchy, being his guide from one world to another, from the highest to the lowest. Mediation and imagination distinguish esotericism from mysticism. The mystic seeks unity with the deity, a unity that transcends all forms of expression - verbal, symbolic, figurative, ritual. The mystical experience is inexpressible and immediate. The esoteric, on the other hand, tends more towards contact with intermediate entities and beings, conjuring them up in his imagination through meditation, prayer, magic ritual, etc.58 This feature of the esoteric worldview also finds its correspondence in the worldview of Russian Freemasons. So, for example, from the point of view of Freemasons, they received their knowledge from angels: "The seven so-called liberal sciences descended or were sent down through Angels into this world, and they are supported by them now" 59. Alchemy, as one of the "ordained sciences", also originated from angels: "Some claim that this useful science of the Academy of Sciences-

57. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 616. L. 146.

58. См.: Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism, pp. 12 - 13.

59. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 616. L. 91.

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the Angels taught our ancestors that it was passed down to us from them. " 60 Angels are created to help man on the path of knowledge, salvation, and initiation:"and therefore not only sublunary, but also superlunar and heavenly, and even angelic spirits themselves, since those who serve and are sent to salvation are placed in the service of man" 61. In turn, a person has the opportunity to turn to angels, but only after purifying his will, feelings and mind:"if the will is turned to God, he is a child of God, accompanied and having companions of the Angels of God" 62.

The knowledge of the system of correspondences necessary for the acquisition of true wisdom also presupposes the knowledge of intermediaries: "And so if anyone knows what grass, what stone, what animal, what human member, and what creature in the sublunar world, in what star in the starry world, and to what mind in the angelic world has a relation, he must be considered as one of the most important things in the one who has found the key to the perfect knowledge of all things, and the way to the bliss of this life. " 63 In Masonic archives, texts can be found detailing these correspondences, the names and signs needed to address angels.64
In addition to angels, Russian Freemasons often speak of Sophia,the Wisdom of God, as an intermediary: "But wisdom, being the intermediary between man and God, opening to us the gates to the inner Temple of Nature through the revelation of the first three principles and the four elements, leads us up this weekly ladder to the contemplation of the inscrutable power of the Almighty Creator."65
As noted above, contact with intermediaries is established through active imagination. For example, contact and even marriage with Sophia, as one of the goals of the Rosicrucian initiation, was achieved through meditation on the symbolism of the Masonic carpet: "The gaze is strong; it is said: as soon as you look at your wife, you are already committing fornication. Therefore, on the contrary, if you are with a pure, hot love-

60. R & D RSL. f. 14. d. 681 (Lectures by G. Schwartz). L. 51.

61. R & D RSL. F. 147. D. 204 (On the oral tradition of the Jews). l. 16.

62. R & D Department of the Russian State Library, f. 14. d. 247. L. 35.

63. R & D Department of the Russian State Library. F. 147. D. 204. L. 17.

64. See, for example: R & D Rsl. F. 14. D. 169 (On Kabbalah); R & D Rsl. F. 147. D. 204; R & D Rsl. F. 14. D. 1642 (Mixture); R & D Rsl. F. 147. D. 98 (Materials for the History of Freemasonry). L. 164-190, 207-215.

65. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 301. L. 14.

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if you look at the carpet, it is already invisible and you are combined with Wisdom. " 66
Briefly, the role of mediation and imagination in Freemasonry is formulated in the following thesis:"The Order's teaching is also a preparation for dealing with spiritual beings, so that it does not seem wild and painful to us, as to others." 67
4. Experience of transmutation

By transmutation, Fevr understands the transition of a person from one existential mode to another, his inner transformation, "rebirth", the stages of which can be, for example, three stages of the mystical path: "purification", "enlightenment", "unity", which can be identified with the three stages of the alchemical Great Work: nigredo, albedo, rubedo68. Transmutation is a "Gnostic" element of esotericism, which presupposes the transformation and salvation of a person in the process of cognition as a unity of experience, intellectual knowledge, active imagination and revelation. Without this element, esotericism could be identified simply with spiritualistic philosophy and metaphysics, just as without the element of mediation and imagination, esotericism could merge with mysticism, and without the idea of living nature, with certain forms of poetry (say, symbolism) or simply practices of witchcraft and divination. Again, the need for transmutation is closely related to other characteristics of esotericism: it is necessary to move along the path of initiation in a multi-level, hierarchical universe and to establish contact with the higher world, which requires purification, transformation and rebirth of a person.

In the worldview of Russian Freemasons, the concept of transmutation occupied not the least place, as did alchemical ideas and practices in general.69 It is found, for example, in the letter of N. N. Trubetskoy

66. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 616. L. 165.

67. Ibid., l. 159.

68. Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism, pp. 13 - 14.

69. See: Khalturin Yu. L. Christianity and alchemy in the teaching of Russian Rosicrucians of the XVIII-XIX centuries//The phenomenon of alchemy in the history of science, philosophy, and culture./Edited by Yu. F. Rodichenkov. Smolensk: "Print-Express", 2013. pp. 181-193.; Khalturin Yu. L. Alchemy and Freemasonry in the interpretations of the Moscow Rosicrucians of the late XVIII-early XIX century//Mystical and esoteric movements in theory and practice. "History and Discourse": historical and philosophical aspects of the study-

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to A. A. Rzhevsky, where he writes that the deeds of a freemason should "serve as a tincture for the transmutation of them (people) from carnal astral bestial people into spiritual angelic divine people." Trubetskoy goes on to say that this is "the goal of a true follower of the Pink Cross of our Divine Master Brother and Savior." 70 In this passage, exactly what Faivre writes is happening: the alchemical term used to describe the process of metal transformation (tincture) takes on an inner, spiritual, mystical dimension associated with the idea of an "inner man" (borrowed from the Apostle Paul). Thus, the alchemical process of transformation of nature is likened to the process of human regeneration: "The actions of Nature do not stop at the transformation and ennobling of Metals, but show through this the path to rebirth"71. Freemasons were characterized, on the one hand, by the opposition of the spiritual and the carnal, and on the other - the idea of the possibility of their mutual transformation and unification into a kind of "spiritual body". Thus, the Masonic worldview was closer to the Hermetic idea of similarity than to the radical dualism of the Gnostics.

The rebirth of fallen man, being the goal of Freemasonry and alchemy, leads to the acquisition of the Kingdom of God and thus coincides with the goals of Christianity: "So, the acquisition of the Kingdom of God is the only object and the main thing for which we must seek entry into the connection of the holy Order, and, having entered it, our only desire should be turned to to the mortification of the old Adam, a worldly man. " 72
5-6. Practice of concordance and transmission by tradition

The four signs of esotericism analyzed above are necessary and essential, from the point of view of Faivre, without their presence it is impossible to call any current of thought "esoteric". However, in addition to them, Feuer identified two more relative, additional characteristics that are inherent not in all, but in many esoteric teachings, practices, and movements.

a combination of mysticism and esotericism./Edited by S. V. Pakhomov, St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Arts, 2012, pp. 50-64.

70. Barskov Ya. L. Correspondence of Russian Masons of the XVIII century. Petrograd, 1915-P. 264.

71. R & D Department of the Russian State Library. F. 147. D. 97. L. 4.

72. Ibid., l. 11 vol.

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First, it is the idea of concordance, that is, the search for a common denominator and source of all religious, scientific, and philosophical traditions, which will allow the adept to rise to a higher level of comprehension of reality. In a sense, this idea follows from the principle of correspondences: a multi-level, complex reality cannot be fully comprehended and comprehended within a single discourse, and different teachings can and should complement each other.

Russian Freemasons often turned to this "practice of concordance". For example, the founder of the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross in Russia, I. G. Shvartz, reconstructed "eternal philosophy" or "ancient theology" as follows: "1) The philosophy of magicians from Zoroaster is Chaldean; 2) Jewish from Moses is Biblical; 3) Pythagorean Greek in Italy; 4) Socratic, Platonic, Aristotelian in Greece; 5) Kabbalistic Rabbinic is a mixture of all" 73. All aspects of this tradition are connected by a common idea, which, according to Schwartz, passed from them to Christianity: "the Egyptian Hermetic = Indian Zoroastrian = Pythagorean = Platonic = Kabbalistic = philosophers = Christians, Gnostics claim that man was created completely spiritual, and this gross body is the result of sin" 74.

Since the practice of concordance presupposes the idea of a hidden tradition that underlies all religious and philosophical teachings, it becomes very important how this tradition is transmitted and transmitted, to what extent this transmission is authentic, authentic and"regular". This last, sixth characteristic of esotericism, Favre called "transmission" 75. It also played an important role in Russian Freemasonry. In fact, the Masonic order was declared the bearer of this tradition: "The original notes of the Order assure that Freemasonry is a Science inspired by God to the first man... that it is a tradition that makes a person happy"76. The Masons declare the translation of this tradition to be the main goal of their order: "The main goal and true foundation of the order on which it is established... there is the preservation and transmission to posterity of some important sacrament

73. R & D RSL. f. 14. D. 992 (Brief concept of Kabbalah). L. 8.

74. Ibid. l. 7 _ 7 vol.

75. Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism, pp. 14 - 15.

76. R & D RSL. f. 147. D. 138 (Materials for freemasons). l. 25.

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the fate of the whole human race depends on the most ancient ages, and even on the first person who has come down to us, on whom the sacrament can be given. " 77
The content of this tradition, which is the foundation of the Masonic order, is, in fact, the same "eternal philosophy" as the knowledge of the trinity of God, nature and man. Thus ,in "A Strong Exhortation drawn from the true writings of the highly sanctified Order of the Golden-Pink Cross" , this tradition is traced back to Adam: "That Adam, our universal Father, received directly from his creator the highest Wisdom in the knowledge of God and of all Nature, no one who believes in God and his holy Word will ever doubt." 78
The bearers of this tradition include a variety of characters, which again brings us back to the practice of concordance:"... We know for certain that Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isak, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon, Hiram Apiphas, and Hermes Trismegistus, and even in our times countless enlightened wise men from God, shone with this true light and the highest science ... " 79.

Concluding remarks

So, an analysis of the worldview of Russian Masons of the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross showed that according to all six features highlighted by Antoine Favre, this worldview can be qualified as "esotericism". What does this qualification give us to understand Russian Freemasonry?

First, the concept of esotericism helps to resolve the contradictions that arise when understanding the Masonic worldview as "Christian mysticism". For example, the practice of concordance explains the fascination of Russian Freemasons with non-Christian teachings. The idea of living nature and mediation explains their appeal to magic and the occult, to the study of the spirit world and the practice of influencing them. The idea of living nature and correspondences helps to understand that the application of the concepts of "idealism" and "materialism" to the Masonic worldview is equally illegitimate, rather it should be about hylozoism. The concept

77. R & D RSL. F. 14. D. 227. L. 15.

78. NIOR RSL. f. 14. D. 195 (A strong exhortation extracted from the true writings of the highly consecrated Order of the Golden-Pink Cross). L. 3.

79. Ibid., l. 4.

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transmutations and the principle of correspondences combine such different goals of Freemasons as the" rebirth "of man, the transformation of society, the" salvation "and" restoration " of nature through magical power over it. The idea of living nature, the" spirit " of which can only be grasped by the enlightened and transformed mind of the transmuted initiate in the act of gnosis, explains the Masonic respect for the mind, intelligence, reason, and intellect, which, guided by faith, revelation, and tradition, can penetrate the surface of the visible world with the help of "true chemistry" and "order physics", "true", "higher", "secret" sciences.

Secondly, the concept of " esotericism "is the most general and includes such characteristics of the Masonic worldview given to it by various researchers as" gnosis"," occultism"," Hermeticism"," natural philosophy","mysticism". All these concepts, according to Faivre, are different aspects of esotericism 80, which we have already partially shown above. In particular, Masonic mysticism, built around the concepts of "inner man", "rebirth", "salvation", "restoration", "rebirth", is clearly associated with such an aspect of esotericism as the experience of transmutation. It is not for nothing that Russian Freemasons used esoteric, namely alchemical imagery to describe the events of Christ's life that are central to Christian mysticism (birth, baptism, transfiguration, resurrection, ascension), as well as the most important Christian rituals (communion, anointing).

Third, the concept of esotericism helps to present the Masonic worldview as an integral system of interrelated principles, which, in turn, facilitates the analysis of Masonic texts that are fragmentary and written in a complex esoteric language. Although this system is to some extent an "ideal type", a controversial research construct, the hypothesis of its existence comes from two grounds: first, from the methodological need to link together the fragments of the Masonic tradition that have come down to us, and secondly, from the fact that Masons themselves considered integrity to be the main criterion of "true". philosophy", "true religion" and esoteric tradition.

Finally, fourthly, the approach to Russian Freemasonry as one of the manifestations of esotericism makes it possible to include it in a broader context.-

80. Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism, pp. 19 - 35.

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to provide an appropriate research context and provide an adequate assessment of this phenomenon. According to Henrik Bogdan, a well-known scholar of Western esotericism and Freemasonry, "Western esotericism can be seen as the third pillar of Western culture, a form of thought that occupies a middle position between doctrinal faith and rationality."81 Thus, it is necessary to recognize the independent significance of this phenomenon. It is incorrect to consider Russian Freemasonry as a reaction to the dogmatism of the Orthodox Church and the skepticism of the philosophy of enlightenment encyclopedists, giving it a positive or negative assessment, respectively, as a progressive or regressive phenomenon. Russian Freemasonry is one of the variants of the" third way " of Russian culture, along with the religious philosophy of the XIX-XX centuries, as well as Gnostic searches in the culture of the Silver Age. Thus, it is not a marginal, but, on the contrary, an integral part of Russian culture, which in turn is closely connected with European culture. At the same time, the esotericism of Russian Freemasons had its own peculiarities: a close connection with the Orthodox tradition (asceticism, ritualism, dogmatics, symbolism); an emphasis on the spiritual dimensions of esotericism (as opposed to occult practices); the secondary organizational aspects of the esoteric community in comparison with ideological ones. However, the study of this specificity requires a separate study.

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