Raimon Arola explains to us the context of the PRESENTATION TO THE READER of the MESSAGE REDISCOVERED (1956) by Emmanuel and Charles d’Hooghvorst
Louis Cattiaux left this world on July 16, 1953. The d’Hooghvorst family immediately undertook the steps necessary for the publication of the complete edition of The Message Rediscovered, which was released on April 30, 1956, by Denoël, a prestigious Parisian publishing house.
Emmanuel and Charles d’Hooghvorst took on the task of writing the presentation, in accordance with the author’s request. Their text is measured and austere, presenting only the essential ideas they deemed necessary for the reader. The style is discreet and concise, perfectly aligning with Cattiaux’s verses. This presentation thus added to the preface written by Lanza del Vasto for the 1946 edition.
The text opens with an epigraph: «Many wish to heare and do not know how to listen», taken from the Pimander of Hermes Trismegistus by François de Foix. The latter, Count of Candalle and Bishop of Ayre (1502 – 1594), is the author of an extensive commentary on the Pimander attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, which is the result of a confrontation with the New Testament, primarily with the Epistles of Saint Paul. This connection between the Pimander and the New Testament somewhat reveals the spirit that animates Cattiaux’s work and the thought of the d’Hooghvorst brothers, associating all three with the sages of the Renaissance. These geniuses of Humanism were indeed passionate about the rediscovery of the texts of Hermes Trismegistus, considering them as the manifestation of a single primordial and universal message, which they called philosophia perennis, and which allowed them to authenticate the divinity of Jesus Christ.
The first part of the presentation is based on a letter from Cattiaux to an old painter friend. In this letter, Louis Cattiaux explains the different levels of reading of his work. This section serves as a faithful transcription of Cattiaux’s explanations, reflecting the respect with which the Hooghvorst brothers approached the book of their late friend.
The second part relates to the prophetic nature of The Message Rediscovered. The question is extremely delicate, and we agree, but it is unavoidable: who is capable of understanding, without being scandalized, that in the midst of the 20th century, a «new» prophetic book could manifest itself? The Hooghvorst brothers tackled this question firmly, with subtlety and not without a certain tension, which nonetheless overflows with love and friendship, so that it may go unnoticed at first reading. In a note, the reader is invited to read a verse from Cattiaux:
« Do we not have in us the Spirit of Elijah, and are we not the precursor of the Lord resurrected in his glory, who comes into the darkened world for the judgement so dreaded by some and so hoped for by others? »
This text discusses the prophetic message of Louis Cattiaux and highlights the importance of a particular article by Emmanuel d’Hooghvorst titled «The Prophetic Message of Louis Cattiaux». The interested reader was thus led to discover a nearly unknown journal (Revue «Inconnues», Lausanne, 1951) at the time, in which the elder of the brothers sheds some light on the prophetic function of Elijah.
It is not surprising that the authors of the presentation chose the only verse from The Message Rediscovered where the biblical prophet is mentioned. It emphasizes the role of the biblical prophet Elijah in preparing the way for the triumphant Messiah, who will end the tribulations of the world and spread the reign of God on Earth.
The authors of the 1956 presentation urge readers to set aside prejudices and appearances to focus solely on the text of The Message Rediscovered before forming judgments, regardless of any unsettling cultural implications. Emmanuel and Charles d’Hooghvorst believed that a careful examination of Cattiaux’s work would lead readers to the same conclusion they reached: that Cattiaux actualizes the philosophia perennis or universal tradition in the present day.
They encourage readers to engage deeply with the text, suggesting that it is a work of meditation that requires reading, re-reading, and study. The authors reference a hermetic saying from the Mutus Liber, which encapsulates the alchemical process: «ora, lege,lege, relege, labora et invenies», pray, read, read, re-read, work, and you will find. They conclude by echoing Cattiaux’s words, assuring readers: «If you have faith and patience, it will gradually become clear to you, and everything that seems obscure will then appear obvious».
The presentation of The Message Rediscovered was written at the beginning of the year 1956. It would take until 1978, during the reissue of «Le Message Retrouvé», before the Hooghvorst brothers took up their pen again to write about this book.
