Books of Different Known Authors Related to Order of Martinists (Society of Initiates)

'Martinism' is the Christian Mystical philosophy based upon the books and letters of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. The definition of 'Christian Mystical' is itself worthy of a lengthy book such as Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill, a classic in the literature of religious studies. Evelyn Underhill was at one time a member of an authentic Golden Dawn Temple under the author A. E. Waite, in England and supposedly not unfamiliar with the practical application of her subject. The Golden Dawn was, and still is, an organization dedicated to the study of Magic and other Occult practice. In general, a Christian mystic is someone who is deliberately performing the virtues expressed by the life of Jesus Christ to the best of his or her ability. This is a pretty expansive definition.

There are many pious Christians who are mystics and don't know it. Generally however, the Christian mystic, indeed the mystic of whatever religion, engages in a spiritual discipline over and above the everyday religious observances. These spiritual disciplines are similar to what monks and nuns would perform, that is, deep prayerful communion with God, in other words, meditation. This gives rise to another suitable definition of a mystic: A mystic is one who seeks to raise his or her consciousness for the purposes of greater attunement with God. Doing this within a Christian environment makes one a Christian mystic. Definitions more specific than these are beyond that suggested by Saint-Martin in his published writings.

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.'Martinist study includes: Mystical symbols; Free will and Destiny; Dreams and Initiation; Science of numbers; Prayer; Cycles of humanity; Art, Music, and Language; and the Kabbalah.