Portrait of Dr. Auguste-Edouard Chauvet, a.k.a. ‘Dr Saïr‘

A picture in Robert Amadou’s publication,

‘Le Graal en Compagnie au XXe siècle.’ Cariscript 1987.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA is the first of a planned few in memory of Doctor Auguste-Edouard Chauvet, a.k.a. Dr ‘Saïr’ (1863-1946). He was a French physician and esotericist, deeply involved in various mystical and initiatory movements of his time and who authored a multi-volume work (4+1), ‘L’Esotérisme de la Genèse’, privately published in 1946 and 1947 by the ‘Société des Journaux et Publications du Centre‘ in Limoges, and finally by ‘SIPUCO’ (Signaler-Publier-Communiquer) in Paris in 1948.

This remarkable study of many years of meditation and intense work offers an esoteric interpretation of the first ten chapters of the Sepher Bereshith (Book of Genesis). After the below contextual introduction which set the frame and program of Dr. Chauvet’s lengthy visionary endeavor, we will share, in forthcoming samplers, excerpts of volume I-II-III and IV and of the appendiceal 5th volume.

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What follows is a Contextual

Introduction in 2 Parts

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Part 1-‘The Friends of  Saint-Yves’

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Involvement with the Martinist Order

Dr. Chauvet was a member of the supreme Council of the the Martinist Order, a Christian initiatory society rooted in the mystical teachings of Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, ‘revitalized‘ (or created) in 1891 with the formation of a Supreme Council. This Council was led by prominent figures such as Gérard Encausse (Papus) its founder, and included members like Augustin Chaboseau, Stanislas de Guaita, Lucien Chamuel,  Yvon Le Loup-a.k.a. ‘Paul Sédir‘, Paul Adam, Maurice Barrès, Julien Lejay, Georges Montière, Albert Faucheux-a.k.a. ‘François-Charles Barlet‘, Jacques Burget. and Joséphin Péladan. It should be noted that Barrès and Péladan resigned fairly quickly, replaced by ‘Marc Haven‘ (Doctor Emmanuel Lalande, Monsieur Philippe’s son-in-law) and Victor-Émile Michelet.

‘Le Voile d’Isis’ Magazine

‘Le Voile d’Isis’ was a significant esoteric magazine associated with the Martinist tradition. It underwent several series and fortunately still exist today. The magazine served as a platform for discussions on esoteric traditions and teachings. Dr. Chauvet’s contributions to ‘Le Voile d’Isis’, as an active member of the Martinist community played an invaluable role.

Preservation of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre’s Legacy

Dr. Chauvet was a close associate and personal physician of the French occultist Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre. He played a crucial role in preserving Saint-Yves’s legacy, particularly concerning the unfinished work “L’Archéomètre.” After Saint-Yves’s death in 1909, a group known as the ‘ Les Amis de Saint-Yves‘  (Friends of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre) was formed to publish and disseminate his esoteric teachings. This group, under the direction of Papus (Gérard Encausse), published ‘l’Archéomètre’ in 1913 with Parisian renown esoteric publisher, Librairie Dorbon-aîné, presenting it as a comprehensive synthesis of ancient religious and scientific knowledge. Through Dr. Chauvet’s dedication with his friends, the teachings and works of influential figures like Saint-Yves d’Alveydre were preserved and propagated for future generations.

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Part 2- Robert Amadou’s Teacher.

Around Dr. SAÏR, Homage to
Dr. Auguste-Edouard Chauvet

He was my master; he never ceased to be. We owe him — though this may hardly be known — for having revealed the hidden and true meaning, no less real than the literal one, of the first ten chapters of Genesis.

Man, his life, and his work are the subject of a forthcoming book; reprints are also planned. At the heart of it, unquestionably, is the Word of God and the Hebrew language finally and truly restored, through the providential and reverent use of grammar.

Esotericism of Genesis: a theogony, a cosmogony, an anthropogony, with its politics — all unveiled through the means of a sacred philology: in short, the entirety of Tradition.

Particular themes emerge along with other aspects of Chauvet’s thought and work: Martinism (in which he bore the nomen Saïr), Neoplatonism, Synarchy, and he knew better than anyone this very singular instrument of a universal science: the Archéomètre.

His heart kept watch, Saint-Yves d’Alveydre awakened his intelligence, his spirit walked with Christ; a friend of mankind and, in the sense of Alain (1), the true man, he rose and made the future; like the Christian according to the Gospel, he walked toward the Kingdom of God, cultivating its mysteries. It is my duty, and my joy, to work in service of his memory and above all to make his efforts fruitful, according to his wish, and with the collaboration of my friend Franck Villard (2), his grandson.

For a year, Dr. Auguste-Édouard Chauvet dedicated himself to the idea of a society of initiation-‘The Grail Society‘, formed by his most worthy friend, Dr. Octave Béliard (3); he adhered to it with all his heart, with wisdom and without doggedness. The episode in which he played his part deserves to be recounted—especially as it involves other remarkable figures—and it ideally connects with other analogous efforts, particularly that of an orthodox gnostic and that of the theosophical poet. It is an unknown episode of Christian esotericism in the 20th century. Unknown — and higher.

(Source: From ‘Le Graal en Compagnie au XXe siècle.’ Cariscript 1987, pages 81 and 82).

Notes 

Note 1: Alain was the pseudonym of Émile-Auguste Chartier (1868–1951), a French philosopher, essayist, and teacher renowned for his clear, concise prose and moral rigor. Deeply influenced by classical philosophy and the French Enlightenment, Alain emphasized individual responsibility, civic virtue, and inner freedom. Though not a mystic, he had a profound sense of ethical idealism and spiritual dignity. In calling Chauvet ‘a true man according to Alain‘ Robert Amadou evokes this ideal of a morally upright, intellectually disciplined individual—one who thinks freely, acts justly, and remains inwardly sovereign regardless of circumstance.

Note 2: Franck Villard was the grandson of Dr. Auguste-Édouard Chauvet and, according to Robert Amadou, a key collaborator in preserving and continuing his grandfather’s legacy. Villard was a devoted inheritor of the esoteric and philological mission that Chauvet undertook, particularly concerning the hidden meanings of the Hebrew language and sacred texts. His contribution, even if more familial and supportive than doctrinal, represents the faithful transmission of a spiritual lineage—one that honors both memory and mystery.

Note 3: Octave Béliard (1858–1936) was a French writer, journalist, and esoteric thinker with strong ties to the Martinist movement and the wider Symbolist and occultist circles of his time. A friend of Dr. Chauvet, he was deeply engaged in spiritual and initiatory endeavors, including the conception of esoteric societies aimed at the inner regeneration of individuals. His work often blended mysticism, literature, and Christian esotericism, echoing the currents of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre and Louis Claude de Saint-Martin. Béliard’s discreet yet impactful role in early 20th-century esotericism makes him a quietly important figure in the hidden history of the French spiritual revival.

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Robert Amadou, authored ‘De la Langue Hébraïque Restituée à l’Esotérisme de la Genèse‘, which discusses in depth Dr. Chauvet’s work in relation to Antoine Fabre d’Olivet’s earlier studies on the Hebrew language and Genesis altogether with Saint-Yves d’Alveydre’s endeavors, as a faithful duty of memory to set the records straight for posterity about these remarkable visionary men.

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Coming soon

A Little Dr. Auguste-Edouard Chauvet Sampler – Part 2:

From ‘L’Esotérisme de la Genèse’-Chapter 1-

‘Revelation and Primitive Traditions’ (The Opening Part)

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