Is it possible for men to live forever?
Throughout the eighteenth century, there was an unusual character who carried with him
an air of mystique which none during his lifetime had arguably ever matched or neared.
He was a man of apparent wealth, influence and prosperity, who was known to have come
and gone in various royal courts in Europe.
He was considered as a person of great interest and influence, and whose heritage was often
attributed to Transylvanian royalty.
This man is known as the Count of Saint Germain.
And some have said that apart from advising the elite governing bodies by day, and dining
with the rich aristocracies by night, he was also an immortal who had somehow managed to
uncover the secrets to eternal youth.
Aside from allegations that he could live forever, Saint Germain was also known to be
a man of obvious wealth.
This led some people to believe that he also mastered alchemy and learned the secrets of
transmutation, which gave him unlimited access to untold wealth.
Throughout his life, he was also lauded for his many abilities and praised for his seemingly
endless amounts of knowledge.
His involvement with secret organizations further prompted his reputation as some sort
of almost-divine esotericist.
Who was this mysterious man?
Are the stories that speak of his immortality mere legend?
Or could it be possible that he really did discover the path to perpetually evading aging
and death?
The Count of Saint Germain was a mysterious gentleman who appeared among the European
royal families in the eighteenth century, and was known as “Der Wundermann” or “The
Miracle Man.”
He was reportedly a man of many talent and skills, particularly in fields like chemistry,
music, alchemy and magic.
While he had no visible means of support, he did not lack in resources either.
Depending on which historical and personal accounts you refer to, he has been considered,
at one point or another, as a prophet, a charlatan, a healer, a spy and a visionary.
Myths and speculations about the Count of Saint Germain started to become more widespread
around the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
He is often referenced in Theosophy – which is a collection of mystical and occultist
philosophies concerning the presumed mysteries of life and nature, particularly the nature
of divinity as well as the origin and purpose of the universe.
There are also those who claim that he is the founder of Freemasonry and inspired several
of the American Founding Fathers.
Some also believe that he had once hid behind the identity and scientific genius of Francis
Bacon, and that he was the real writer of most literary works attributed to Shakespeare.
However, in several New Age movements, the Count of Saint Germain is heralded as the
Avatar of the Age of Aquarius, and is deemed to be an Ascended Master that is on the same
level as history’s greatest spiritual leaders.
There are a variety of versions regarding the origin, lineage and life of the Count
of Saint Germain.
His exact date of birth is also unknown but most accounts claim that he was born in the
1690s.
One version regarding his origin and lineage describes him as the son of Francis II Rákóczi,
the Prince of Transylvania, by Rákóczi's first wife.
There are also claims that he was the illegitimate son of Maria Anna of Pfalz-Neuburg, who was
the widow of Charles II of Spain.
Another version alleges that he is the illegitimate son of the king of Portugal – presumed to
be John V - by a Jewish mother.
According to some sources, especially those who believe that he is of Transylvanian nobility,
Saint Germain was not his real last name.
It was reportedly invented by him as a French version of the Latin term “Sanctus Germanus,”
which translates to “Holy Brother.”
Saint Germain first came into prominence in the high society of Europe in 1742, when he
would have been a man in his forties.
Little is known about his life before this time.
A dossier on the mysterious Count was created by order of French Emperor Napoleon III in
the 19th century but all the documents about Saint Germain were destroyed in a fire, resulting
to the loss of irreplaceable information about him.
Also, the Count’s own secretiveness has not helped in uncovering the mystery surrounding
his life either.
From 1737 until 1742, the Count of Saint Germain was supposedly in Persia studying alchemy.
He arrived in Versailles in 1742 before reaching England in 1743 for the Jacobite Revolution.
He also went to Vienne to visit Frederick the Great before heading to Edinburgh in 1745.
The Count also went to India in the 1750s and when he returned, he earned the favor
of King Louis XV and was invited to stay in the Royal Chateau of Chambord in Touraine.
He also supposedly spent some time in Russia, Germany and Bavaria.
The Count of Saint Germain reportedly rubbed elbows with the likes of Voltaire, Marie Antoinette,
Casanova, Madame de Pampadour, and Catherine the Great.
He beguiled royalty and the wealthy with his vast knowledge of science and history, his
musical ability, his charm and his quick wit.
He was a renowned conversationalist who could flawlessly converse in Swedish, Portuguese,
French, Italian, German, Spanish and Russian, and was even familiar with Chinese, Latin,
Arabic, ancient Greek and Sanskrit.
Because of his talents, he was said to have served as a backchannel diplomat between England
and France, and is thought to have played some role in Freemasonry.
Despite his many merits, the Count was also said to possess several habits that most people
would find odd.
According to some accounts, he never ate in public, but he would often be seen drinking
a special tea frequently.
He also reportedly dropped hints that he was centuries old and that he often made unusual
comments about his age.
He also spoke of times which have long passed as if he had been there.
There were also claims that he could grow diamonds and fix flawed ones.
In 1779, he travelled to Hamburg, Germany, where he befriended Prince Charles of Hesse-Cassel.
For the next five years, he lived as a guest in the prince's castle at Eckernförde, and,
according to local records, that is where Saint Germain died on February 27, 1784.
For any ordinary mortal, death would be the end of their life’s story.
However, that was not the case for the Count of Saint Germain.
Reports arose suggesting that he was an immortal who had discovered the “Elixir of Life”
through alchemy, and a prophet who possessed mystical powers.
It is also believed by many that the Count of Saint Germain was an Ascended Master of
Ancient Wisdom, making him the head of a theosophical belief system which believes that the wisdom
required to eventually unify the spiritual and material aspects of the universe can be
acquired through reincarnation.
The Count of Saint Germain, along with other Masters, supposedly have achieved the same
kind of ascension as Jesus of Nazareth in the Holy Bible.
His followers think that the enigmatic man was actually reincarnated over and over again
prior to his birth as Saint Germain as various prominent figures in the historical timeline.
These figures were all people of great importance, and all of them left a resounding and lasting
effect on the history of the world.
The Count of Saint Germaine is believed to have adopted numerous incarnations as well
as “alter egos,” which include some of history’s most brilliant minds.
The first supposed incarnation of the Count is that of a High Priest of the Violet Flame
temple, over fifty thousand years ago.
He is recorded next as the prophet Samuel from the Old Testament, and then as Joseph,
Mary’s husband and Jesus of Nazareth’s earthly father.
One of his most intriguing alleged incarnations, however, is that of Merlin – a counselor
in the court of King Arthur and a possible wizard.
He is also considered to have been Saint Alban, the first British martyr for the Christian
faith, who existed sometime during the 3rd or 4th century.
He is also said to have lived as Roger Bacon, Franciscan and philosopher born in the 13th
century.
Roger Bacon believed in both the Philosopher Stone and in the Elixir of Life.
He also amassed a large group of followers because of his passion and intellect.
His final and most powerful form was said to be that of Sir Francis Bacon, a member
of Queen Elizabeth I’s court.
However, to many ascension followers, the life of the Count of Saint Germain does not
end with his incarnation as Francis Bacon.
They believe that he continues to be reincarnated, and is currently still alive and living in
Tibet with the same youthful physical body she possessed in the medieval period.
The most recent appearance of a man claiming to be the Count was in 1972 in Paris, France.
A man named Richard Chanfray appeared on French television to prove his claim that he was
Saint Germain, and he apparently turned lead into gold on a camp stove before the cameras.
Chanfray later committed suicide in 1983.
So, who was the Count of Saint Germain?
Was he a successful alchemist who found the key to achieving eternal life?
Was he a time traveler?
Or was he just a highly intelligent individual whose impressive reputation eventually morphed
into a fantastic legend?
At this point, it is quite impossible to tell.
We may never know the truth behind his story as it has been told so many times, in so many
ways, that the truth got lost along the way.
Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the legacy of The Count of Saint Germain endures
because of the mystical and esoteric appeal of his life.
And his supposed goal or vision of enshrining the "violet flame" or fleur-de-lis as
the threefold flame of God-identity in the hearts of people continues until now to inspire
millions of adherents of the New Age religion.