Many of the Russian esotericists and occultists joined the Bolshevik revolution. However, this did not save them from repression.
On the contrary, having dealt with the obvious enemies in the person of competing political parties, the Bolsheviks set about "ideological saboteurs" who tried to push "priesthood" (that is, idealism in various forms) into the worldview of the new man.
Leningrad case
In the 1920s, at least eight secret Masonic or semi-Masonic organizations operated in the USSR: The Martinist Order, The Holy Grail Order, Russian Autonomous Freemasonry, Sunday, The Brotherhood of True Service, The Order of Light "," Order of the Spirit "," Order of the Templars and Rosicrucians."
Some of them settled in Leningrad. The largest was the Martinist Order - a branch of the French society of the same name. One of the most erudite and consistent adherents of Martinism in Soviet Russia was considered a native of Livonia, Baron Grigory Mebes.
Since 1906, Mebes taught mathematics at the Page Corps and the Nikolaev Cadet Corps. This did not prevent him from heading the St. Petersburg branch of the Martinist Order at the end of 1910.
After the revolution, practically nothing changed, the Order grew. Mebes gave lectures to neophytes on the basics of the occult sciences. And his wife, Maria Nesterova (Erlanger), on the history of religion. They also developed the students' abilities for telepathy and psychometry …
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In total, the names of 43 people are known who passed into the Mebes Order from 1918 to 1925. Among them are the famous military historian Gabaev and the poet Piast. However, in general, the composition of the order was quite ordinary: students, accountants, lawyers, housewives, little-known artists and journalists.
A fatal role in the fate of the Leningrad Martinists was played by a certain Boris Astromov (his real name was Kirichenko).
He was born in 1883 in the city of Boguchar, Voronezh province, into an impoverished noble family. In 1905 he left for Italy, where he entered the law faculty of the University of Turin. There he met the famous criminologist and freemason Cesare Lombroso.
In 1910 Astromov returned to Russia. In 1918 he was initiated into the Martinist Order. However, already in 1921, due to internal disagreements, the ambitious and adventurous Astromov was excommunicated from the order.
He was not too worried and soon formed his own lodge called the Three North Stars.
In parallel, Astromov made vigorous efforts to unite under his leadership other Masonic lodges of Leningrad - "The Burning Lion", "Dolphin", "Golden Ear". These lodges were few in number, existed mainly on paper, but this gave Astromov a reason to announce the creation of a new organization independent of the Martinists - "Autonomous Russian Freemasonry", headed by the "General Lodge of Astrea".
And suddenly, in May 1925, Astromov appears in the reception room of the OGPU in Moscow and offers his services in covering the activities of Soviet Freemasonry in exchange for permission to leave the USSR.
Five-pointed star, equality, brotherhood
To motivate his decision to become a secret informant for the OGPU, Astromov prepared a special report for the KGB, dedicated to possible cooperation between the Bolsheviks and the Freemasons:
“There is absolutely no need to regard Freemasonry as an enemy of communism in general and Soviet power in particular. What brings the "Autonomous Russian Freemasonry" closer to communism?
First of all - the five-pointed star, which is the small emblem of the USSR and adopted by the Red Army. This star is highly revered in Freemasonry as a symbol of a harmoniously developed human personality, who conquered his passions and neutralized the extremes of good and evil.
Farther. Communism inscribed on its banner: "Universal self-determination and brotherhood of oppressed peoples." Russian Masons also call for such a brotherhood, calling themselves citizens of the world, and this is a new similarity between these two directions.
Finally, striving to establish equality of upbringing and living conditions, Freemasonry is no different from communism, which sets itself the same tasks. Moreover, the slogan of communism about the destruction of private property meets a full response in Freemasonry, which is also against private property, which develops excessive selfishness and other instincts that bind people to life.
So, pursuing the same goals, recognizing the same views as just and subject to implementation, communism and Russian Freemasonry should not at all look suspiciously at each other. On the contrary, their paths are parallel and lead to the same peak …"
The proposal of the Chekists interested me. Astromov began to work under the control of the OGPU …
The provocative activities of Boris Astromov continued for seven months, until, finally, the Chekists realized that their ward was clearly not the figure with whom one could have a serious relationship. The fact is that Astromov enjoyed an unenviable reputation among the Masons as an unbalanced, deceitful and morally unscrupulous person. There was no question of any respect for him. Especially a lot of criticism was caused by Astromov's practice of forcing his students to have sexual intercourse with him in perverted forms - the so-called "threefold initiation", allegedly widespread in some esoteric lodges of Western Europe.
However, the moral character of Astromov was of little interest to the investigation. Another thing is the secrets of the order, the political views of individual Martinists and their foreign connections …
The brothers soon guessed about Astromov's contacts with the OGPU, and on November 16, 1925, his box was closed. This meant the end of Astromov, since as a private person he was completely uninteresting to the Chekists.
Indeed, on January 30, 1926, Boris Astromov was arrested. Soon it was the turn of other members of the "Russian Autonomous Freemasonry" and the "Martinist Order".
On the night of April 16-17, 1926, the OGPU conducted searches on the apartments of the most active members of these lodges. A huge number of books, Masonic badges, swords, swords, cloaks and other ritual items were seized. The situation was more complicated with the altar and chapel found in the apartment near Mebes. We decided to leave them in place against the owner's receipt.
After that, the Leningrad occultists were summoned one by one to testify at the OGPU.
Mebes and his wife stood firm. Not hiding their own attitude to the occult, they refused to disclose the pseudonyms of their students. However, this could no longer save the Order …
On June 18, 1926, the case was considered by a Special Meeting of the Presidium of the OGPU Collegium. The heaviest punishment - three years in the camps - was received by Boris Astromov. The rest were subject to administrative exile in remote areas of the USSR for the same three years.
Roerichs in search of Shambhala
Followers of the theosophical teachings of Helena Blavatsky at first felt good in Soviet Russia, and some of them enjoyed the support of Bolshevik leaders.
The main patron of theosophists was the People's Commissar of Education Anatoly Lunacharsky, who, portraying an atheist in public, was in fact a fan of various mystical teachings, was fond of Satanism and the occult. When the time came, it was to him that Nicholas Roerich, a scientist, artist, traveler, turned for help.
It should be noted here that Roerich was the most valuable acquisition of Theosophists in their entire history. As a representative of the elite of Russian society, the most famous figure of the era, who entered many offices, he promoted theosophical ideas to the masses better than anyone else. Respect for this doctrine in Russia was preserved only thanks to respect for the creativity of the Roerich family.
However, Roerich was too large-scale figure to remain just someone's follower. He himself, his wife Helena Roerich (Shaposhnikova) and his sons developed the teaching of Living Ethics all their lives, in which Theosophy merged with Russian cosmism, and Hinduism with Orthodoxy.
According to the basic principles of Living Ethics, our planet has entered the Age of Fire, where the role of psychic energies is increasing. Mastering these energies presupposes a moral transformation of nature. It is necessary to unite hearts and, accordingly, psychic energies "in a round dance of consent." Therefore, the spiritual transformation of a person is carried out not alone, but in the community.
Being an active person, Roerich was not going to wait for the era of Fire to come. He advocated the transformation of the world at all its levels.
“The state and social system can apply cosmic laws to improve their forms. On the path to the Fiery World one must be imbued with the power of unity in Cosmos."
As emigrants, the Roerichs stayed away from the events taking place in the USSR and avoided repressions.
Red theosophy
An unenviable fate awaited other Russian theosophists.
The branches of the Theosophical Society, which had existed in Moscow and St. Petersburg since 1908, were closed in 1923.
Theosophists went illegal - they gathered in small groups as a club of interests, exchanged books and magazines, played music, read poetry and discussed the news.
There was such a circle, for example, in Kiev. It was led by the medium Sofia Slobodinskaya.
Her brother, Alexander Usov, a children's writer who published several stories about animals under the pseudonym Cheglok, traveled a lot, was familiar with Lunacharsky and in 1914 founded a small theosophical ashram in the Caucasus in Lazarevskaya, near Sochi.
In the evenings, Theosophists made a fire on the seashore, sang hymns, meditated, and discussed problems. Among those who visited that ashram was the poet Maximilian Voloshin.
Among the other members of this circle are the Obnorskys, a couple of nobles, who created in Leningrad another underground branch of the Theosophical Society, which existed right up to the early 1950s.
Alexey Obnorsky was a highly educated person, knew six languages, was interested in philosophy. He collected a good library on Theosophy, he himself translated the works of Jiddu Krishna-murti.
Olga Obnorskaya was considered, like Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich, an unusually strong medium. Received information through telepathic communication with the Teachers of the East, formalized in the poetic manuscript "Teacher's Garden".
General of the sanitary service Pavel Timofeevsky, a friend of the famous academician Bekhterev, and the poetess Katerina Timofeevskaya went to the Leningrad club of the Obnorskys …
The Moscow circle of theosophists was organized by the animal painter Ariadna Arendt. She was friendly with Voloshin, imbued with the ideas and teachings of the Living Ethics of the Roerichs. Her house was always open to young people, and the library was at the service of anyone interested. Here one could find books by Blavatsky, Roerichs, translations of Krishnamurti, Ramacharaki, occult works, novels by Kryzhanovskaya (Rochester).
On September 20, 1908, all theosophical circles scattered throughout the Russian Empire united into the Russian Theosophical Society. Elena Pisareva (Ragozina), a philosopher and translator, became its vice-president.
From a young age, Pisareva was carried away by the ideas of Blavatsky, read her "Secret Doctrine" and became an ardent propagandist of Theosophy. Pisareva translated a huge amount of mystical literature, published several of her own works, the most famous of which is "The Power of Thought and Thought Images."
At the same time, Pisareva headed the Kaluga Theosophical Society, turning it into one of the most powerful and authoritative branches and publishing centers in Russia.
The Kaluga Theosophical Society existed for 20 years, with a break from 1918 to 1922. Then Pisareva left Russia for Italy. Her last letter to her homeland to her students and followers dates back to 1926, after which her traces are lost …
After Stalin came to power, theosophy was to be completely eradicated. The arrests began in 1927, and the repression reached its peak in 1931. Most of the supporters of this doctrine ended up in exile and camps. Only a few were lucky enough to return home …
Kremlin masons
The Soviet government so zealously pursued any idealistic doctrines and philosophies that it prompted outside observers to think: something is unclean here, very much like how some religious fanatics cut out others.
Among the White emigres, no one doubted at all: followers of the Masonic mystical traditions came to power in Russia. This opinion was voiced in his book "From Peter to the Present Day (Russian Intelligentsia and Freemasonry)" by the emigrant Vasily Ivanov, who used sources close to French political Freemasonry.
“In 1918 a five-pointed star rises over Russia - the emblem of world Freemasonry. Power passed to the most vicious and destructive Freemasonry - Red, led by Masons of high dedication - Lenin, Trotsky and their henchmen, Masons of lower dedication - Rosenfeld, Zinoviev, Parvus, Radek, Litvinov.
The program of the struggle of the "builders" is reduced to the destruction of the Orthodox faith, the eradication of nationalism, mainly Great Russian chauvinism, the destruction of everyday life, the Russian Orthodox family and the great spiritual heritage of our ancestors …"
According to Ivanov, at the beginning of the 1930s, Russia turns into "the purest and most consistent Masonic state, which implements the Masonic principles in their entirety and consistency."
The statement is more than bold. But did it really happen that way? And how strong was the influence of Masonic ideas on the ideology of the first communist state?
The leader of the Bolshevik revolution, Leon Trotsky, was fond of studying Masonic associations. He wrote voluminous notes on the history of this mystical trend, which, unfortunately, have not survived. On this basis, some modern researchers even speak of Trotsky's own Freemasonry, although there is no documentary evidence of this. Nevertheless, the Communist leader's interest in Masonic mysticism is indicative.
Another prominent Bolshevik, Nikolai Bukharin, admitted that in childhood, in all seriousness, he considered himself the Antichrist and tormented his mother with the question: was she not a whore?
There are other pieces of evidence from this series. So, the publicist Nikolai Volsky reported that the Bolshevik Sereda, the future People's Commissar of Agriculture, was a Freemason.
The secretary of the Russian Masonic Supreme Council since 1916, the Menshevik Halpern pointed to the famous Bolshevik Mason Skvortsov-Stepanov, the future People's Commissar of Finance.
In addition, Halpern testified that the proletarian writer Maxim Gorky often attended Masonic meetings. We also learn that Gorky was close to the Masons through his wife and adopted son from Nina Berberova's book "People and Lodges".
There is also a testimony that Nikolai Bukharin, speaking in 1936 in front of emigrants in Prague, made a Masonic sign - "he let the audience know that there was a connection between her and him, that the past closeness had not died."
Karl Radek is included in one of the Masonic biographical dictionaries - though with the proviso that "his membership in Freemasonry, often mentioned, has never been proven."
Vladimir Lenin provides the least factual material on the topic of interest to us. Nevertheless, European occultists were delighted with him and considered the leader "their own man."
They also talk about the Belleville Union Masonic lodge, of which Lenin was allegedly a member until 1914. And although this information also did not receive documentary confirmation, there were no obstacles for the entry of the Bolsheviks into foreign Masonic lodges.
However, Ivanov's hypothesis that not only individual Freemasons joined the revolution, but the revolution itself was their act, does not stand up to serious criticism. With all the similarity of goals and programs, the Bolsheviks and Masons were irreconcilable enemies.
Professor Nikolai Pervushin reports that even in the 1950s, émigré Freemasons refused to publish the list of Freemasons, “since members of this group remained in the Soviet Union and, in particular, in the highest party circles, and we have no right to put their lives on under threat …
It turns out that the Freemasons who remained in the Soviet Union carefully concealed their past, and did not rule the country, otherwise no foreign "revelations" would pose a threat to them. And after Stalin destroyed the old Leninist guard, the chances that at least one Freemason remained at the party leadership was reduced to zero.
As for the cooperation of Freemasons and Communists abroad, the researchers of the history of secret societies indicate that the Communists did not support the lodges when they were in power, but made contact with the Freemasons in those countries where the lodges were in opposition, apparently hoping to use them. in the fight against existing governments …
Author: A. Pervushin
Source: “Interesting newspaper. Magic and mysticism №14