MESMERISM AND MASONRY - EARLY HISTORICAL INTERACTIONS

During the early years of animal magnetism, the Mesmeric and Masonic m ovements in France frequently shared membership, philosophical positio ns, ambience, and ritualistic style. There was even a proposal to esta blish a blend of the two to be called Mesmeric Masonry, although nothi ng came of that. This article documents such interactions and notes th at important Mesmeric figures including Mesmer, the Puysegur brothers, Lafayette, and Gebelin, were also active Masons. Both movements were suppressed in France during the revolution, because they were consider ed to be threats to revolutionary goals.