Cercle International de Recherches
Culturelles et Spirituelles
Cercle International de Recherches Culturelles et Spirituelles
(International Circle for Cultural and Spiritual Research)
is a French initiatic association founded early in the twentieth
century, one of a number of magical esoteric orders inspired
by the Templar tradition. In the years following the French
Revolution of 1789, several groups arose claiming a lineage
Centro di Ricerca Psichica del Convivio Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology 5th Ed.
264
from a secret surviving Templar order. Over the succeeding
decades the number of such groups claiming Templar roots
has multiplied.
Cercle International is grounded in the idea that each era
(defined by astrological ages) is unique in the way that the cosmos
impact human consciousness. The previous Piscean era
was keynoted by Jesus and his admonition to love one another.
The keynote for the present era, the Aquarian, is the search for
personal integration, in a manner previously modeled by mystics
and sages. In this era, mysticism will become common.
In attempting to assist people in finding personal integration,
Cercle International emphasizes that each individual
must find hisher own path (rather than following a predetermined
course) and that the discovery and following of the path
can be enhanced by the insights of modern psychology. Thus,
rather than presenting a single course for its members to follow,
Cercle International offers a variety of techniques among
which a member can pick and choose. The following of the
spiritual path is placed within the overall acceptance of several
ideals chivalry, world peace, and the reduction of human suffering.
Each member is encouraged to find the best way to bind
these values into reality in hisher daily life.
The organization has several levels at which members may
become involved. At the innermost level are several colleges,
structures to focus research on the arcane sciences, the mundane
sciences, and the creative sciences. There is also an inner
Order of Sovereign Templar Initiates that focuses upon what
are understood to be the traditional teachings of the Templars.
Cercle International is headed by the Grand Master, currently
Fr. Raymond Bernard. There are national organizations
in various countries and an English-speaking division, CIRCLES
International, headquartered in Plainfield, Indiana.
Sources
Bernard, Raymond. The Secret Houses of the Rose-Croix. London
Francis Bacon Lodge, 1981.
