The question of freemasonry and occultism in Napoleonic Egypt came up in class last week (I like a class where this topic can 'come up' in the course of things), so I've done a bit of delving into it and found the tantalizing sources below. I've been wanting to buy the book on the Sophisians for over a year, but it goes for between $40 and $600 used (yeah, that's right). Freemasonry had been simmering closer and closer to the surface throughout the 18th Century, a kind of anti-Enlightenment, and when Napoleon took Egypt for France it was an opportunity for occultists to go crazy with both research and speculation!
The Masonic High Council of Egypt--Like many masonic lodges, this seems to have been 'officially' founded five years ago, but it's history apparently goes back to the eighteenth century... decide for yourself...
A book I cannot afford at present on the Sophisians, an Isis-worshipping, quasi-feminist heretic-freemason group composed of Napoleonic soldiers and egyptologists. They look fascinating... you can get some glimpses here on google books.
A review of the book above, with an abbreviated account.
For more on 18th Century occultism, check out Germseed's post of Sept. 7, La Tres Sainte-Trinosophie, and my comment to it.
Voltaire was apparently a member of the Masonic group that the Sophisians indirectly sprang from, as was Cagliostro. And a lot of writing on the Tarot has its roots in this period as well. I've got too many research threads going on at once to follow everything up myself. These are just some starting-points for research--there's a whole lot more to be found on this subject!
The Masonic High Council of Egypt--Like many masonic lodges, this seems to have been 'officially' founded five years ago, but it's history apparently goes back to the eighteenth century... decide for yourself...
A book I cannot afford at present on the Sophisians, an Isis-worshipping, quasi-feminist heretic-freemason group composed of Napoleonic soldiers and egyptologists. They look fascinating... you can get some glimpses here on google books.
A review of the book above, with an abbreviated account.
For more on 18th Century occultism, check out Germseed's post of Sept. 7, La Tres Sainte-Trinosophie, and my comment to it.
Voltaire was apparently a member of the Masonic group that the Sophisians indirectly sprang from, as was Cagliostro. And a lot of writing on the Tarot has its roots in this period as well. I've got too many research threads going on at once to follow everything up myself. These are just some starting-points for research--there's a whole lot more to be found on this subject!
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