The forest rite current is a mixed Rite created by Francs-maçons, his birth dates from the 1° November 1993.

Foundation

A few years before a group of researchers in masonry had started a compilation of the remainders of the forest heritages maconnic of the years 1745 to 1789.

The ritual ones selected were oldest (1747) in order not to give according to the ritual ones christianized later on. These first Ritual foresters , as the ritual of the Company of the Splitters of the Knight of Beauchaîne contained initiations sticking to more close with forest mysteries splitters, coalmen and blacksmiths; initiations of trades losing in the mists of time préchrétiens.

A work of back in shape of Ritual old foresters, as the pagan ritual forms of 1747 was undertaken.

In Brittany, the 1° November 1993, freemasons of several obediences met and founded, in accordance with the tradition, a sovereign maconnic Cabin, and chose to work according to the forest rite recently given in form. The founder group initiated members of the Gorsedd of Brittany , of which them “Grand druid”, Gwenc' hlan Scouëzec like Maïsou Robert-Dantec, Grande Druidess of Gorsedd and mother of the rite for the first cabin created with Brasparts , as a representative of the Western pagan thought; the aspect préchrétien of the rite imposed that it is culturally Celtique.

The first Forest Sale of the XX° century was born with Brasparts and took the mythological name of " Foresters of Avallon " symbolisat thus the alliance made with an emanation of Gorsedd, animated per ms Robert-dantec and G Scouezec.

In 1996, confrontation between the ideals maconnic and the options druidic led to a scission. Wanting to maintain the values maconnic of this news Initiatory company , the majority of the founders created a new Sale with the forest rite of Modern the , pointing out the heritages andersonniens of 1717-1740.

Since, several forest Sales were created in Brittany, Paris region, North and the Sologne…. Each Sale is autonomous and applies a particular regulation.

• NB : There does not exist convention between the forest rite and large the maconnic Obédience S.

Referencings

- traditional referencing is Pre-Christian and of type Corporatif while being based on the transmissions Claniques and of trades (Fendeur S, Charbonnier S and Forgeron S).

- referencing maconnic sticks to the generation of Modern English of 1717-1740 of which the principal goal was “ the emancipation of the individuals by the diffusion of sciences ”. Andersonnien, it calls with the freedom of conscience applied to all the fields of the life and the Center of the Union.

- philosophical referencing integrates the theses of the Irish philosopher Panthéiste John Toland (deceased in 1722), one of the pupils of the school of Spinoza, friend of John Aubrey (Antiquarian oxfordien deceased in 1697, friend of Elias Ashmole). Toland left a philosophical will, the Pantheisticon or formulates to celebrate the socratic company of the pantheists , in 1720. He was also the first president of the Druid Order of 1717.

- ethical and social referencing , in accordance with the tradition, is centered on the promotion of any democratic system, on the Freedom of conscience, on the individual rights and against any dogmatic system and/or imperialist, whether this last is political or monk.

Goals

On the traditional level : to give in obviousness the intrinsic spiritual value of the heritages pre-Christians of the European forest areas.

On the plan maconnic : to réanoblir the rural traditions and pre-Christian women of Occident within a masonry very Judeo-Christian and urban and to into force give a side maconnic of the French tradition.

On the social plan: to create convivial groups with initiatory and philosophical tendency centering their work and research personal, or collective, on the republican, democratic ideals and on the human rights, in accordance with the tradition of the Carbonari for example, and being opposed thus pragmatically on the ground to any nodule celtisant or pseudo-druidique tending to emphasize theses xenophobiae racist and/or fascisantes… or even sectarian.

On the initiatory level : to recreate the “marriage” between the man and nature with all human dimensions and natural that includes/understands. “ Know yourself and you will know nature and the gods ” of the old man Socrate… thus thought all holding them of the tradition of wood.

On the spiritual level : The forest Rite of Modern the takes again on its account the proposals Panthéistes of John Toland and, for this reason, is satisfied with the immanence of the “ God to the thousand facets which is in all and of the Whole which is in this multiple God ”, but also of the “ the Sky is my Father, the Earth is my mother, the World is my fatherland and all the men are my parents ”.

the pantheism tolandien is an extremely peaceful median proposal preventing all the dogmatic confrontations, and thus all radicalisms or integrisms, that the latter are pagan, Jewish, Islamic, Christian… or far too laic in the direction of an atheism proselyte as dogmatic as could not the being the Holy Enquiry .

Practices

This “masonry of wood”, if particular, carries all the marks of a corporative transmission late and, by there, more limpid than of others. It was put under the high protection of a heritage of François Ier which one tells the following legend: “The king of France, François Ier, driving out in forest of Val-de-Loire, falls furtively on a rituelic meeting from the Coalmen. He asks to undergo the tests, which is immediately granted to him. The king, by inadvertency having sitting itself on the block being used as throne to the Father-Master, this one dislodges about it by pronouncing the sentence passed to the state of proverb: " Coalman is Master at lui". ”

It is often known as that it is as from this moment that François Ier took the practice to call his close relations “my Good Cousin” or “my Good Cousin”.

Installation of a Sale

A Sale (cabin) forest is located in a clearing; it is delimited by a large circle of wood blocks where the good cousins and the good cousins assoient themselves, and smaller, in front of them to plant their axe there. The Main Cousin is placed at the East: it has behind him a houx in foot, and in front of him an anvil on a large wood block. Four huts , symbolically consisted three large branches in beam and dependant on their top are also in place on this circle and shelter the Hermit , the Cousin Vine grower , the Mother Catault and the Bear . In the center of the Sale is an active fire and many tools of wood thrown shovel-mixes.

Ritual clothes

The clothes of the cousins and cousins are rustic clothes of peasants (blouse with hood, belt, and shoes). They carry a large apron of skin decorated with the ribbon of the color of their rank. They do not wear gloves. The Cousin-Master is the only one to carry a cord decorated with sheets of oak and houx, having in saltire a miniature axe. The cousins and cousins must have a true hatchet and two pieces of wood for to beat the Diane .

Officers

- Cousin (E) - Main ( Worthy ): He is held with the East.

- Cousin Duchêne : 1° Guard of the Building site ( 2°surveillant ). It is held in the Occident, on the left of the entry of the circle. It ensures also the role of godfather for the lighters, future initiates.

- Cousin Delorme : 2° Guard of the Building site ( 1° supervisor ). He is held in the Occident on the right of the entry of the circle. He ensures the role of introducer of the lighters.

- Cousin Ducormier ( Secretary ). He sat with the left of the Cousin-Master. He ensures also the guard of the bread.

- Cousin Ducharme ( Speaker ). He sat with the right-hand side of the Cousin-Master. He ensures also the guard of the wine.

- Cousin Delérable ( Treasurer ).

- Cousin Dufrêne ( terrible the ).

- The hut of the Cousin Vine grower : after the Ducormier cousin.

- The hut of the Hermit : before the Duchêne cousin.

- The hut of the Mother Catault : after the Ducharme Cousin.

- The hut of the Bear : before the Delorme Cousin.

- Cousin Duhêtre ( Master of ceremony ). It is between the two Guards of the Building site. He is the guard of wood

- Cousin Stitcher . It is that which will seek the lighters mislaid in forest.

Ranks or Degrees

The system of the forest rite is with four degrees:

- 1. Splitter ( apprentice ).

- 2. Coal ( companion ).

- 3. Blacksmith ( Main ).

- 4. Main of the passages .

The ribbon of color, carried on the dress of the foresters, allows the distinction of the ranks. This distinction is resulting from the trade of coalmen.

- Black for the Splitter : it is cold coal.

- Red for the Coal : it is incandescent coal.

- Blue for the Blacksmith : in repeat of color of the smoke of a successful carbonization.

- Braid of the three colors for the Main of passage . This 4° degree is not inevitably used by all the current Sales.

Work having been used for the drafting of the article

• the resurgence of the forest rites , Governed Strainer, the Garden of the Dragons n°20, editions of the Priory (1997).

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