INTRODUCTION

“The Oriental Masonic Order of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis & Misraïm", or more simply, Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis & Misraïm (APRMM), is a dual Masonic-Illuministic system that contains in itself various forms of the Western Initiatic Tradition. It starts from the basis, which is Craft Freemasonry, and reaches all the way to the Rosicrucian heights of Gnosis, and includes the Hermetic-philosophical-esoteric systems of the ancient Egyptian Hierophants and the Priests of Mithras.

Our Worshipful Rite, because of its reference to Misraïm (deriving from the word 'Mizr' that signifies 'Egypt' in classical Hebrew) is also known as the Egyptian Rite. This has caused some confusion with Cagliostro's Egyptian Masonry that, although related to the APRMM by its study of mystical and theurgical practices, is completely different. The two united Rites of Memphis & Misraïm form in their union an authentic Order and not a simple Rite. The Order was conceived with the purpose of collating in a single organisation, all the wisdom, knowledge and the evolutionary desire of initiates scattered in the numerous Ritual Bodies of higher Masonry and in the Illuministic and Chivalric Orders that were active in the early 18th century.

These notes are only an preliminary presentation, to Freemasons, of the operative ends of our Worshipful Rite; we cannot deepen the historical aspect. However, it is useful to mention that the APRMM is the result of the complex intertwining of the Rite of Misraïm (or Egyptian), risen in Venice in 1801 from the work of Filatele Abraham which immediately spread into Italy and France, and of the Rite of Memphis (or Oriental), founded by Etienne Marconis in 1839 in Paris, on the basis of re-elaborating the degrees of the Misraïm, including the oriental initiation and ritual style. Both our Worshipful Rite, and other Rites, are considered similar, because of a defined number of high Degrees (and originating from the same period), which came to light after the French revolution. It is possible to state that all the Masonic Rites, especially those practised within the Grand Orient of Italy, came to light as Masonic Ritual Bodies, with the purpose of reorganising and centralising the numerous Rites practised in the French and German Lodges prior to the revolution.

Right from its conception, the APRMM differentiated itself from the other Masonic Ritual Bodies, as for instance the Ancient and Accepted Rite and other similar ones, since it was structured to represent, in a single Ritual Body, the twofold Masonic-illuministic system, thus containing in itself the great Western and Oriental initiatic systems. It is essential to clarify that the path offered by the APRMM to Freemasons, through its Ritual Chambers, has, as its primary purpose, the provision of traditional tools for a secure individual spiritual growth. Furthermore, the Masonic work, founded on the universal principle of aware, elective and spiritual cooperation, carried out by the Masons in the ritual Chambers, creates conditions for the generation of positive effects of a spiritual nature, not only within the Masonic structure, but also to the outside, that is, on the whole Universe.

The return of these spiritual values upon all living beings certifies and justifies the goal of our Worshipful Rite. The diffusion of goodness and justice to all the levels of human and social life, the diffusion of true prosperity and happiness for all beings, no longer needs to be a utopia. However, other Ritual forms immediately after their conception, more or less similar to Our Worshipful Rite, suffered re-elaborations and drastic simplifications of their own philosophical ladder (of 33, or less practised Degrees), so much so as to weaken the true purpose for which these ritual Bodies had been created. In fact these Rites have excluded from their ritual articulation the Kabbalistic, Gnostic and Hermetic Degrees, altering the Masonic organisation in its totality, including the first section of Craft Masonry, and transforming it, against its grain, into a philanthropic and political association.

As far as it concerns us, in fact, philanthropy and deep social sensibility, accompanied always by the maximum respect of individual and collective liberties, are values that the initiate should have conquered already before receiving Masonic light and certainly not afterwards. Such values must constitute the input (of the initiatic process) and not the output. They need to be the motivation and the tool and not the final objective. The end of the traditional work and ritual practised in the various degrees of Our Worshipful Rite is exclusively individual spiritual growth. It has never been, and will never be, the development of political or philanthropic activity, directly or indirectly, in relation to the profane world, and any action of this kind, from the members of the APRMM, even if appreciable, must be considered exclusively as a personal / private activity.

Starting from 1881, the fusion of the two Rites (of Misraïm and of Memphis) occurred through the work of the Sovereign Grand Master, Grand Commander, Grand Hierophant General, Bro. Giuseppe Garibaldi, through an organic and harmonic integration. The two Rites were collected in one body under the denomination of "Oriental Masonic Order of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis & Misraïm”; and to the 95 existing Degrees, two others (of administrative character) were added, the 96th and 97th, the former being more specifically for Sovereign Grand Masters, Grand Commanders of National Obediences, and the position is "ad vitam" being transmitted to a successor by investiture; the latter Degree relates, instead, to the Sovereign Grand Master, Grand Commander, Grand Hierophant General.”

Translated by Flinders College N°1 of APRMM Australia from the A.P.R.M.M. website http://www.memphismisraim.it/index.htm