Just curious as I have been told conflicting reports.

What is the evidence either way?

Hi Anna,
This is what I know of the topic and is taken from David Little's course. www.similimum.com
Around 1778, Hahnemann was introduced to Baron Von Brukenthal, the Governor of Transylvania, (now modern Hungary). He worked for him as a doctor and had the additional task of arranging the Baron's large and valuable collection of books and ancient coins. He also had the chance to learn some of the Magyar, Rumanian and Slavonic languages of that area. The Baron introduced Hahnemann to the Freemasons lodge in Hermanstadt and he was accepted as a member of the Brotherhood to which he remained a faithful member in his later life. The Masons studied esoteric doctrines based on the ancient mysteries of Egypt and Greece and carried on a tradition of initiation, meditation and prayer. It was in the Masonic Temple that Hahnemann developed his deep views of life as a spiritual process of transformation which helped him to see through the blind materialism and atheism that was dominating the fields of science during the beginning of the scientific revolution.

The Masons were one of the groups within the Deist movement (i.e. one true and universal God) which was very active for change in the late 18th and early 19th century. The American Revolution was inspired by an inner group of Masons centered around Benjamin Franklin. That's why the motif on the US. dollar is the capstone of the great pyramid with the eye of wisdom and the words "In God We Trust". In Europe the free thinkers who wished to keep these classical lineages going met secretly and discussed philosophy and human rights. This was the time that Mozart wrote his opera The Magic Flute, which was full of occult symbols and teachings. Mozart wrote this work to spearhead a successful campaign for the entry of women into the Masonic Temple.

These were men and women of vision who wanted to merge modern science and ancient religion into a modern synthesis of the eternal truths.

But, as for the secret handshake.... don't know anything about that.

chrisg

[ 23 April 2001: Message edited by: chrisg ]

[ 25 April 2001: Message edited by: chrisg ]

Thanks Chris.

There is so much speculation about Masonic activity that it concerns me that Hahnemann was part of it all.

Power plus secrecy tends to lead to corruption on a grand scale.

And that the US was founded by Masons is not an especially good recommendation is it? [No offence intended but the US abuses its power in the world appallingly in my opinion, to the extent that the ecology of the whole planet is under threat largely due to its power.]
Certainly this is a testament to the political power of masononry.

As for women being permitted into the lodges, that is the first I heard of it - the Lodges that I know of are all-male from the little I know.

The Freemasonry FAQ lists C.F.S. Hahnemann as a famous member. http://thelonious.mit.edu/Masonry/Misc/FAQ.html

And yes you are talking about corruption on an extremely grand scale, Hahnemann obviously did not realise what he was into.

While secret societies such as the Masons, Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, etc. were rooted in secrecy because of the fear of being misunderstood (as well as for political power play reasons as well), these societies have broken down the walls of secrecy in the past century and allowed free flow of so called esoteric or occult wisdom to any person intersted in furthering the so called "Great Work" of personal & global transformation. (Ironically, the best way to hide is out in bright daylight ) From my understanding of the Great Work, I don't have a problem if Hahnemann were somehow implicated, or that the US was founded on Masonic principles. There are a lot of worse moral codes out there, as far as I'm concerned (Crusades, anyone??)

RF

I maybe entirely mistaken but I thought that Freemasonry grew out of one of the Christian Knight movements from the Crusades?



Dave

PS. Are there any moral codes that are worse than US Globalisation?

British imperialism for one???
(I'm afraid we're headed down a slippery slope with this one; while US history has it's share of dark & shameful moments, I'm sure we can dig up plenty of trash on any country, empire, race, etc. Why don't we stick to the topic?)

Rf

To get back to the topic!!!!
I remember reading in Alan Crook's book 'A Christian's guide to Homeopathy' that Hahnemann was a freemason. Crook suggests that this was common for intellectuals of the time and doesn't mean Hahnemann had 'occult' beliefs. I don't know anything about the freemasons (except the alleged funny handshake) but I imagine that the organisation must have been very different at the time of Hahnmann. And how involved was Hahnemann? I can't remember seeing anything else written about this.

Hahnemann's beliefs, as expressed in the organon, are expressed in a very broad way and have been interpreted by later authors. For example, Kent who was a Swedenborgian.
Hope this helps
Therese

Hahnemann heavily relied on his studies of the historical roots of Western medicine to develop his own system of healing. He began with the works of Hippocrates and used the temperaments choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine and melancholic to expand the study of constitution in homoeopathy. Another great influence from the Greek school was the Pythagoreans. They studied astronomy, astrology, mathematics, medicine and metaphysics, philosophy, music, healing and were vegetarians. They were vitalists.

The Masons draw from this wealth of ancient wisdom. A number of public buildings in the U.S. are designed according to Masonic mathematical designs. (Maybe they could benefit from a feng shui expert.)

To me, none of this is 'occult'. Mozart disguised his intent because otherwise the opera would never have had a public airing. Any grouping of people will have its good eggs and its bad eggs. Human nature.

Kent was a adherent to Swedenborgian beliefs. That is, every form of matter, of energy, can be reduced to 'a simple substance'. At this level there was only 'quality' not 'quantity'.

What the hell does any of this matter to us?? Well, Kent believed it made no difference whether you give one pill or twenty pills of one potency in one dose to a patient. They would only get the one potency of the remedy.
Hahnemann's final legacy to us, the 6th edition of the Organon, gives explicit guides to avoiding aggravations in treatment. He says the phenomenon of aggravation is not only linked to the potency, but also to the number of pills used when giving the dose. (Similar to quantum physics of the 20th century.)

If a child was to swallow a bottle of remedies and they are unhomoeopathic to him it doesn't necessarily pose a danger. The real danger in an excessive dose is when the remedy is perfectly homoeopathic and the patient is sensitive, has advanced chronic diseases, or hidden tissue pathology.

Got off the track, I know, but this is a discussion board...

Good post Chris. There is truly nothing "occult" about systems of thought such as Fremasonry (& other such related groups), esp. in this day and age. They are merely vehicles some have used to glean a little bit of order out of the chaos that surrounds us. They are not absolutes, but rather non-sectarian, inclusive, and very socially conscious. Just an attempt to make some sense of it all. Not surprised someone like Hahnemann was part of this school of thought.

RF