Page 26 - Amo Amass A-muse is some of the fruit of a lifetimes love of Freemasonry - the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235

26 Amo Amass A-Muse - Lodge of the Nine Muses

During this period in Germany, as you may imagine, charlatans abounded. Sweedenborg,
Mesmerism, Spiritualism and the Philosopher’s Stone were used by mysterious Professors
claiming occult knowledge. Starck himself was a well known authority on the Kabala
System uniting numbers with meanful ideas, but he was a strong opponent of Cagliostro,
of the Queen’s necklace fame, and his Egyptian Mysteries.
Between 1782 and the French Revolution, attempts were made to co-ordinate
continental Masonry and it is said, without any proof, that in 1786, Frederick the Great, as
constitutional head of the higher degrees, signed a
General Constitution for what is now the Ancient and Accepter Rite and that Starck’s
name appeared upon it. Starck’s writings became prolific and included explanations of why
he had left the Strict Observance. Whilst defending Masonry in general he exposed the
pretentious of the Templars. In 1784, a literary controversy started regarding his teachings
and attacked his Masonic ideas. Although he replied, Starck withdrew more and more to
become a recluse amongst a small circle of friends. However, his views were thought very
highly of and many journeyed to consult him. For many years he had been the Court
Chaplain at Darmstadt and he now became a member of the Constitutional Council of
the Lutheran persuasion.
It was at this time that he joined our English Lodge of the Nine Muses and he wrote
in strong praise of the British approach to Masonry. From our work he understood
that English Masonry was only intended to serve as a sanctuary, undisturbed by
religious or political divergencies, binding Brethren together in the closest possible
manner whilst their Charity helped those in need. He wrote that it was seldom that
an English Mason looked upon it as a great mystery and he pointed out how happy
German Masons would be if only they did not think otherwise. How very German
this way of thinking sounds. One has only to remember Wagner’s Parsifal and the
Holy Grail.
Starck’s later writings were considered by the experts as most versatile and scholarly.
They have been compared with those of Dr. Oliver 25 years later. He breathed true
Masonic tolerance and tact and identified himself with the ideals of English Masonry
whilst retaining the hope of unity of all Christian denominations on a quasi-Masonic
basis. His last book was published in Frankfurt in 1809 and, after his death was
translated into English in 1819, going through six editions by 1821.