THE EXOTERIC AND ESOTERIC MISSION OF THE TEMPLARS
The mission of the Templars was two—fold. Firstly, to
inject a certain spiritual idealism into the world of their time
through a number of concrete actions. Secondly, to ensure the
continuity of the Spiritual Tradition of the Temple by seeking out
the sacred esoteric heritage of mankind wherever it was to be
found, to reunite it, and to present to a certain spiritual elite a
synthesis of the Tradition adapted to the Western mentality of the
Middle Ages. Some of their activities were secret, while others were
carried out publicly. Some actions, although done openly, had
more profound effects on the contemporary world than were appar-
ent. For example, St. Bernard stimulated public awareness of
the Feminine Principle by promoting the adoration of the Mother
of Christ in the Church, and by encouraging the Templars to
dedicate chapels, cathedrals and churches to the Virgin Mary. ln
the harsh, cruel and male dominated world of the Middle Ages,
the activation of the feminine archetype was extremely important.
The esoteric tradition to which the Templars had
access taught them that the universe was conditioned by the laws
of sound, colour, number, weight and measure. They knew how
to apply these 'laws so that symbols could be used to develop a
closer relationship between man and spiritual realities.
NUMBER According to the Templar tradition, number was the principle of being on three levels of manifestation, i.e. Divine, Man and Nature. Number in this sense was the expression of the cosmic design and an element of the mysterious harmony which exists in the universe. This vision of things can be traced back to the priests of ancient Egypt and was developed by Pythagoras in the fifth century BC. In the Middle Ages, the science of numbers played an important part in the spiritual research carried out by the Christian mystics, the jewish Kabalists and the Moslem Sufis. The numbers 3 and 9 had a particular significance for the Templars and these numbers were always present in their buildings and churches. The ancients have always deemed the number 3 to be the most sacred of all numbers. According to- Plato it was the perfect symbol of the Creator because it contained the properties of the first two numbers. Aristotle added the reflection that 3 contains in itself a beginning, a middle and an end. Gold had strong symbolic meaning for the Templars: to them it symbolized the radiance of the spirit after purification. They therefore associated gold with the number 3, the symbol of the perfect manifestation of unity.
THE NUMBERS THREE & NINE For the Templars the number 3 also symbolized the mystery of the Trinity. Here we find the symbol of the triangle which is 3 as well. The triangle appears in most of the patterns and designs left behind by the Order. The number 3 was always present in the daily life of the Templars: their rite of reception was repeated 3 times; the aspirant had to present himself ritually 3 times; the aspirant took 3 vows; the Templar ate meat 3 times a week; a Knight had 3 horses; he had to accept to fight against odds of 3 to 1, etc. ` The number 3 when multiplied by itself gives 9, the number of completion. The number 9 is the only number which when multiplied by any other number always reproduces itself when the digits of the product are added together. (Try it! i.e. 9 x5 = 45; 4+5 = 9). Like 3 the number 9 has always been con- sidered a sacred number in esoteric tradition. lt is not surprising that the founders of the first Templar Order were 9, that the Templars took vows after a waiting period of 9 years, and that the Order was divided into 9 provinces. During their trials they chose 9 members of the Order to defend them, and 9 of them stood before the Council of Vienne when the Order was abolished. Thus the number 9 was with the Templars at the beginning and with them at the end. ‘ · The Templars believed that if certain geometrical forms and mathematical relationships were employed in the construction and design of buildings, these would have important spiritual effects on the people who visited them. Sacred buildings such as chapels, cathedrals and churches were places where man aspired to approach the Divine. lt was not surpri- sing that the Templars were particularly interested in church construction and, as we shall see later, this explains their concern for the welfare of the builders and artisans who could erect and decorate buildings according to their specifications. The Templars also made sure that certain symbols were included in the decoration of buildings in order to pass on esoteric knowledge for future generations of initiates. The Templars applied themselves to the business of cathedral building with such industry that over a thousand chapels and churches were constructed with their support in a little under two hundred years. St. Bernard, the spiritual father of the Order of the Knights Templar, was a passionate believer in the power of specially constructed forms to bring a realization of the Divine to man. He was of course the driving force behind the Templar's monumental building program which even reflected his tastes in architecture. St. Bernard favoured a rather simple and austere style, probably in reaction to the rich and ostentatious one preferred by the Benedictines of Cluny.
THE TEMPLARS & THE ARABS The Templars had negotiated with the Arabs for permission for their church builders to do construction work in the region of Damascus, Jerusalem, St. ]ean d‘Acre and Cyprus. The Arabs promised not to molest them so long as they did not bear arms. The builders were placed under the general authority of a Knight named Guy de Lusignan. These builders, known as Compagnons, were men who had spent many years experimenting in order to develop what later became known as Gothic architecture. ln their day-to—day tasks the builders owed obedience to de Lusignan but in their spiritual life they owed allegiance to the Templars.
THE RULE OF HOLY DUTY According to Raoul Vergez, a Frenchman and modern Compagnon, some time around 1100 AD the Templars and the leaders of the Compagnons formalized the Rule known as the "Saint Devoir" or the Rule of the Holy Duty, which governed the manner and spirit in which the latter practised the art of construction, and established the relationship between Templars and Compagnons. Under this arrangement the Templars committed themselves to protect the Compagnons, while the latter agreed to place their skills at the disposal of the Templars. There was probably also an undertaking by the Compagnons to keep secret, such teachings about the esoteric aspects of con- struction as the Templars would pass on to them. This was a good arrangement for the Compagnons - without the protection of the Templars, they would have been obliged to place themselves under vassalage to some ruler who would not particularly respect their customs. (These included the traditional working journey around France which every builder had to perform before he was recognized as a Compagnon). Under the Templars they enjoyed a better status than the serfs and could travel freely under Templar protection.
THE COMPAGNONS in a way, the Compagnons de Saint Devoir were the first organized movement in the world of the working man. During the period of Templar ascendancy, there were also other craftsmen and artisans who did not belong to the Saint Devoir, but, wishing to escape from the rigid structure of their feudal lords, pledged oaths of vassalage to the Templars. One of the techniques which the Compagnons learned from the Templars was the art of choosing the place where a church should be located. The fathers of the Church had long suspected that certain earth currents were useful in enabling contact to be made with cosmic currents, and that the junction of these two types of forces created conditions which were propitious to prayer and mystical contemplation. There is a story that this knowledge was acquired by the Church from a man called Stan- islas, who had inherited a family gift which enabled him to identify telluric currents. lt is said that Stanislas established that sacred buildings should always be placed so that they could benefit from telluric or earth currents which flow from north to south. lt seems that it is also helpful to place a church altar- above an underground stream.
MASTER BUILDERS The Compagnons developed a particular approach to their trade. Their art was dedicated not only to the creation of beautiful buildings, but to the construction of forms which were also functional, by glorifying the Creator and forging a living link with Him. The trade of constructing sacred buil- dings was initiatic in the sense that the master builders kept secret their art and passed on their secret skills only by word of mouth. Certain instructions, especially those associated with the application of spiritual laws in the craft, were transmitted only after theapprentice. had passed certain ordeals to test aspects of his character. lt was these masteribuilders, the Compagnons, inspired by their Templar masters, who worked certain hermetic keys into the geometry and forms they created to decorate cath- edrals and churches.The island of Cyprus has important associations with the Compagnons. It was here that the results of their research into building techniques were first tested. ln 1195 Guy de Lusignan was recognized as King of Cyprus. lt was natural, because of his earlier associations with these master builders of the Saint Devoir, that he became their champion on the island. ·He actively helped those who had survived expulsion from the Holy Land or could not make a living in France. lt was here lin Cyprus under the protection of de Lusignan that the followers of the Saint Devoir probably lived their most exciting days in an atmosphere where manual work was elevated by spiritual discipline and Templar ideas of chivalry. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few esoteric circles, the influence of Compagnonage in the spiritual odyssey of Western civilization has virtually disappeared.
NUMBER According to the Templar tradition, number was the principle of being on three levels of manifestation, i.e. Divine, Man and Nature. Number in this sense was the expression of the cosmic design and an element of the mysterious harmony which exists in the universe. This vision of things can be traced back to the priests of ancient Egypt and was developed by Pythagoras in the fifth century BC. In the Middle Ages, the science of numbers played an important part in the spiritual research carried out by the Christian mystics, the jewish Kabalists and the Moslem Sufis. The numbers 3 and 9 had a particular significance for the Templars and these numbers were always present in their buildings and churches. The ancients have always deemed the number 3 to be the most sacred of all numbers. According to- Plato it was the perfect symbol of the Creator because it contained the properties of the first two numbers. Aristotle added the reflection that 3 contains in itself a beginning, a middle and an end. Gold had strong symbolic meaning for the Templars: to them it symbolized the radiance of the spirit after purification. They therefore associated gold with the number 3, the symbol of the perfect manifestation of unity.
THE NUMBERS THREE & NINE For the Templars the number 3 also symbolized the mystery of the Trinity. Here we find the symbol of the triangle which is 3 as well. The triangle appears in most of the patterns and designs left behind by the Order. The number 3 was always present in the daily life of the Templars: their rite of reception was repeated 3 times; the aspirant had to present himself ritually 3 times; the aspirant took 3 vows; the Templar ate meat 3 times a week; a Knight had 3 horses; he had to accept to fight against odds of 3 to 1, etc. ` The number 3 when multiplied by itself gives 9, the number of completion. The number 9 is the only number which when multiplied by any other number always reproduces itself when the digits of the product are added together. (Try it! i.e. 9 x5 = 45; 4+5 = 9). Like 3 the number 9 has always been con- sidered a sacred number in esoteric tradition. lt is not surprising that the founders of the first Templar Order were 9, that the Templars took vows after a waiting period of 9 years, and that the Order was divided into 9 provinces. During their trials they chose 9 members of the Order to defend them, and 9 of them stood before the Council of Vienne when the Order was abolished. Thus the number 9 was with the Templars at the beginning and with them at the end. ‘ · The Templars believed that if certain geometrical forms and mathematical relationships were employed in the construction and design of buildings, these would have important spiritual effects on the people who visited them. Sacred buildings such as chapels, cathedrals and churches were places where man aspired to approach the Divine. lt was not surpri- sing that the Templars were particularly interested in church construction and, as we shall see later, this explains their concern for the welfare of the builders and artisans who could erect and decorate buildings according to their specifications. The Templars also made sure that certain symbols were included in the decoration of buildings in order to pass on esoteric knowledge for future generations of initiates. The Templars applied themselves to the business of cathedral building with such industry that over a thousand chapels and churches were constructed with their support in a little under two hundred years. St. Bernard, the spiritual father of the Order of the Knights Templar, was a passionate believer in the power of specially constructed forms to bring a realization of the Divine to man. He was of course the driving force behind the Templar's monumental building program which even reflected his tastes in architecture. St. Bernard favoured a rather simple and austere style, probably in reaction to the rich and ostentatious one preferred by the Benedictines of Cluny.
THE TEMPLARS & THE ARABS The Templars had negotiated with the Arabs for permission for their church builders to do construction work in the region of Damascus, Jerusalem, St. ]ean d‘Acre and Cyprus. The Arabs promised not to molest them so long as they did not bear arms. The builders were placed under the general authority of a Knight named Guy de Lusignan. These builders, known as Compagnons, were men who had spent many years experimenting in order to develop what later became known as Gothic architecture. ln their day-to—day tasks the builders owed obedience to de Lusignan but in their spiritual life they owed allegiance to the Templars.
THE RULE OF HOLY DUTY According to Raoul Vergez, a Frenchman and modern Compagnon, some time around 1100 AD the Templars and the leaders of the Compagnons formalized the Rule known as the "Saint Devoir" or the Rule of the Holy Duty, which governed the manner and spirit in which the latter practised the art of construction, and established the relationship between Templars and Compagnons. Under this arrangement the Templars committed themselves to protect the Compagnons, while the latter agreed to place their skills at the disposal of the Templars. There was probably also an undertaking by the Compagnons to keep secret, such teachings about the esoteric aspects of con- struction as the Templars would pass on to them. This was a good arrangement for the Compagnons - without the protection of the Templars, they would have been obliged to place themselves under vassalage to some ruler who would not particularly respect their customs. (These included the traditional working journey around France which every builder had to perform before he was recognized as a Compagnon). Under the Templars they enjoyed a better status than the serfs and could travel freely under Templar protection.
THE COMPAGNONS in a way, the Compagnons de Saint Devoir were the first organized movement in the world of the working man. During the period of Templar ascendancy, there were also other craftsmen and artisans who did not belong to the Saint Devoir, but, wishing to escape from the rigid structure of their feudal lords, pledged oaths of vassalage to the Templars. One of the techniques which the Compagnons learned from the Templars was the art of choosing the place where a church should be located. The fathers of the Church had long suspected that certain earth currents were useful in enabling contact to be made with cosmic currents, and that the junction of these two types of forces created conditions which were propitious to prayer and mystical contemplation. There is a story that this knowledge was acquired by the Church from a man called Stan- islas, who had inherited a family gift which enabled him to identify telluric currents. lt is said that Stanislas established that sacred buildings should always be placed so that they could benefit from telluric or earth currents which flow from north to south. lt seems that it is also helpful to place a church altar- above an underground stream.
MASTER BUILDERS The Compagnons developed a particular approach to their trade. Their art was dedicated not only to the creation of beautiful buildings, but to the construction of forms which were also functional, by glorifying the Creator and forging a living link with Him. The trade of constructing sacred buil- dings was initiatic in the sense that the master builders kept secret their art and passed on their secret skills only by word of mouth. Certain instructions, especially those associated with the application of spiritual laws in the craft, were transmitted only after theapprentice. had passed certain ordeals to test aspects of his character. lt was these masteribuilders, the Compagnons, inspired by their Templar masters, who worked certain hermetic keys into the geometry and forms they created to decorate cath- edrals and churches.The island of Cyprus has important associations with the Compagnons. It was here that the results of their research into building techniques were first tested. ln 1195 Guy de Lusignan was recognized as King of Cyprus. lt was natural, because of his earlier associations with these master builders of the Saint Devoir, that he became their champion on the island. ·He actively helped those who had survived expulsion from the Holy Land or could not make a living in France. lt was here lin Cyprus under the protection of de Lusignan that the followers of the Saint Devoir probably lived their most exciting days in an atmosphere where manual work was elevated by spiritual discipline and Templar ideas of chivalry. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few esoteric circles, the influence of Compagnonage in the spiritual odyssey of Western civilization has virtually disappeared.
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