Papus
1865 – 1916 French physician, occultist, founder of the Martinist Order
French occultist who organized the modern Martinist Order and popularized the tarot.
- Religion
- An occult Christianity drawing on Martinism, Kabbalah, tarot, and Rosicrucian ideas.
- Affiliations
- Founded the modern Martinist Order in 1888. Member of the Theosophical Society, the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross, and other groups.
Papus, the pen name of the physician Gerard Encausse, was a leading figure in the French occult revival who founded the modern Martinist Order in 1888. He wrote widely on the tarot, Kabbalah, and practical occultism and belonged to many overlapping esoteric bodies, including the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross. He briefly joined the Theosophical Society before pursuing his own Western esoteric path.
Connections
- associate of Helena Blavatsky — Was briefly a member of the Theosophical Society.
- influenced Louis Claude de Saint-Martin — Built his Martinist Order on Saint-Martin's tradition.
- influenced Louis Claude de Saint-Martin — Papus built the modern Martinist Order on Saint-Martin's legacy.