A BISHOP WILKINS COLLEGE JOURNEY

In this self-focussed 21st Century we have become obsessed with the concept of the personal Journey be it celebrities on Strictly come ancin!" leaders of political parties" or contestants on #he $pprentice and %i! %rother& So why not an S'I$ or %ishop (il)ins Colle!e Celebrant*s +ourney, I was initiated into -reemasonry in 1./0 and found it fascinatin! as a social institution in which to participate which also happened to have a most remar)able history& In particular I was to discover the close connections between the history of science and the 1n!lish 1nli!htenment before" durin! and after the Civil (ar" 'estoration and 2lorious 'evolution& 3avin! spent most of my career doin! and4or mana!in! e5perimental '6 pro+ects and technical consultancy" I was fascinated to find that not only had the 17 th century produced the mainstream disciplines of maths" physics" chemistry" biolo!y etc&" but that a small merry band of people 8includin! Christopher (ren" Seth (ard" %en -ran)lin" Isaac 9ewton and our own John (il)ins: had driven it alon! in a strate!ic multi-disciplinary fashion& #hese and other leadin! worthies were much en!a!ed with reli!ion" increasin!ly from a ;rotestant perspective& #he 9atural Sciences and metaphysics were how one mi!ht hope to understand how *2ods <niverse wor)ed in practice*& =y =asonic interests in Speculative masonic history" and a need for white !loves" lead me to C---- =--- ---- 8C= :" the ;olymath of Chester*s 2odstall >ane and then on to the ------ 8-red to we Shell 'esearch friends: ------ of =asonic >ibrary fame& 3ere I met those other masonic scholars ?---- =---- 6 2----- ;----- and dipped into the splendid boo) collection& I even came to harbour an ambition to synthesise a rational and ri!orous theory of the ori!ins of Speculative -reemasonry& Sadly after #--- S--- delivered the ;restonian >ecture in 2@@A 6 the associated definitive $BC paper I realised I was much too late 8'ef&1:& I li)e to thin) I )now class research when I see it and also when to retire from the fieldC

$lthou!h fascinated by all those *%eyond the Craft* masonic orders outlined by ?eith %& Jac)son" 8'ef& 2: I have come to realise" by trial and error" that I am not a collector and performer of ritual outside the basic orders of *$ntient -reemasonry*& #he one notable e5ception is the Societas 'osicruciana in $n!lia 8S'I$: which fascinated me by its difference" modernity and philosophical outloo)" particularly in re!ard to its active discourse and research bias& C= as CelebrantC Joinin! %ishop (il)ins Colle!e of course led me to the Duestion of *who he,* and an on!oin! interest in the whole Civil (ar4'estoration 'oyal Society 1n!lish 1nli!htenment period 8'ef*s 80 6 A:& $ !reat *networ)er* as well as a rational and tolerant thin)er and or!aniser" (il)ins remains a !reat personal hero& Ether freDuent Duestions arisin! durin! my S'I$ so+ourn have been (ho were the 'osicrucians 6 their theolo!y4philosophy, (ere they children of the Counter 'eformation, (hat has been their influence on later societies, $re there hints of Socialism - e&!& free medical care in their thin)in!, (hy such a selective membership-cell structure" with only ei!ht members, -inally the need to find your own successor" struc) a particular chord in this former >od!e secretaryC $nother on!oin! fascination is the very worthy ame -rances $melia Fates" )indly proposed me and" seven !rades later" here I am

8'ef& G: distin!uished cultural historian of the 'enaissance and 'eformation" also introduced to me by C= & 3er masterpieces such asH #he 'osicrucian 1nli!htenment 8'ef& I:" 2iordano %runo 8'ef& 7: and #he $rt of =emory 8'ef& /: reveal the variety and stran!eness of 'enaissance and 'eformation mindsets to the modern world& $fter her death in 1./1 ;rofessor 3u!h #revor'oper in the #imes obituary described her *as the most life-enhancin! historian he had )nown*& Fates e5plored the interwoven strands of ame Christianity both before" durin! and after the reformation and the endurin! influences of ancient 3ermeticism" 2nosticism and 9eo-;latonism& Fates was educated durin! ((II at %ir)enhead 3i!h School li)e my twin dau!hters" was a !raduate in -rench" li)e my wife" and spent most of her life livin! near 2uildford" where our dau!hters were also at 3i!h School& 3er

!reat insi!hts into 'enaissance culture and mindset have been a continuin! revelation to me and a stimulus to my studies of metaphysics and its history& #hese areas continue to be mined e5tensively followin! the pioneerin! wor) of Fates& 1ven !iants of 9atural ;hilosophy such as 9ewton and %oyle" predominantly viewed by us throu!h a modern lens" studied alchemy and the occultJ for e5ample datin! the *Creation* and the desi!n of ?in! Solomon*s temple& (e are poor at !raspin! the mindset of the 1.th century let alone escapin! from our lar!ely analytical and secular 21st century to the 1Gth or 1Ith centuries say& Social historians such as #homas and accessible research into ma!ic and the occult& ebus 8'efs& . 6 1@: are fortunately revealin! this to us via their academic yet hi!hly

References
1& 2& 0& *1n!lish Speculative -reemasonryH Some ;ossible Eri!ins" #hemes 6 developments*& $& #revor Stewart" $BC vol& 117" pp 11I-1/2" 2@@A& *%eyond #he Craft* >ewis =asonic %oo)s" 1../& *%ishop John (il)ins 1I1A - 1I72* ;aper !iven to %ishop (il)ins Colle!e 9o& G/" Societas 'osicruciana in $n!lia" Christleton" Chester" ecember 2@@0& -rater r& &C& Strachan" III *%ishop John (il)ins 1I1A - 1I72 - $n Intellectual %io!raphy*" %arbara Shapiro" <niversity of California ;ress" 1.I.& *-rances Fates 6 #he 3ermetic #radition*" =ar!ery& 2& Jones" Ibis ;ress" 2@@/& *#he 'osicrucian 1nli!htenment*" -rances& $& Fates" 'outled!e 6 ?e!an ;aul" 1.72& *2iordano %runo 6 #he 3ermetic #radition*" -rances $& Fates" 'outled!e 6 ?e!an ;aul" 1.IA& *#he $rt of =emory* -rances $& Fates" 'outled!e 6 ?e!an ;aul" 1.II& *'eli!ion 6 #he 1..1& ecline of =a!ic*" ?eith #homas" ;en!uin %oo)s" ebus" Cambrid!e

A& G& I& 7& /& .& 1@&

*=an 6 9ature In #he 'enaissance*" $llen& 2& <niversity ;ress" 1.7/&