Templar Skills Training Program

The materials in the Templar Skills Training program have been restored as the original knowledge base of the Order of the Temple of Solomon, teaching the Templar way of life of Chivalry, preparing all members to qualify to effectively participate in active service on real-world missions and projects of the Order.

 

Practical Knowledge for Real-World Chivalry 

The backbone of true Chivalry is a commitment to principles of traditional values, which must be developed through knowledge. As most concisely expressed by the psychologist Doctor Gordon A. Eadie in 1945 AD:

“If you don't stand for something, then you'll fall for anything.” 

This folk wisdom originates from Templar heritage, in the inspiring quote attributed to Saint Joan of Arc:

“Every man gives his life for what he believes. ... Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to little or nothing.” (Maxwell Anderson, Play: Joan of Lorraine, 1946 AD)

In world history and literature, Knights and Dames are most famous for being highly skilled warriors and professionals, through advanced skills training in an Order of Chivalry, making them part of a world-class force for positive change.

Those knightly skills, requiring educational training, which continued primarily through the knowledge base of the Knights Templar, effectively carried civilization out of the brutality of the Middle Ages into the uplifting spirit of the Renaissance.

The essence of Templar Skills Training is perhaps best expressed by the Zen proverb of the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694 AD): "Seek not to follow in the footsteps of the wise masters of old; Seek what they sought."

Thus, it is not sufficient to merely imitate what the Knights Templar appeared to do. Rather, it is necessary to know what they knew, to continue their original missions, by living the authentic Life of Chivalry in the modern world.

 

All "Secret" Knowledge Freely Shared

Authentic Templar Chivalry is based on Round Table principles, and thus does not have any artificial ranks or levels of initiatory “degrees”. The Order is not a “secret society”, and thus does not artificially withhold any “higher” levels of “secret” knowledge from its general membership.

It is a founding principle of the Order that Templars are Guardians of the Sacred Knowledge, which was given by God as the collective heritage of humanity. All supposed Templar “secrets” were never intended to be hidden, but only appear to be “secret” because they were suppressed and forgotten.

It is a core Templar mission to restore and return all of the Sacred Knowledge to humanity, as the keys to protecting God-given human rights and freedoms, to uphold the pillars of civilization. As the essential means to accomplish this historical mission, it is necessary for all Templars to fully learn and master these bodies of knowledge.

For this purpose, the Templar Skills Training program was developed to ensure that all modern Templars will know everything that the original Knights Templar knew, and everything that real Knights and Dames of a legitimate Order of Chivalry must know, to serve as Defenders of All Faith and Guardians of Justice, to once again lead the world into a new Renaissance period.

Therefore, the Templar Order gives all members access to more top-level knowledge in the first few weeks, than fraternities or societies eventually give to their few members of their highest degrees by the end of their lifetimes.

 

Skills for Historical Solutions to Modern Problems 

Templar knowledge is not about just things from the past – it is about restoring the heritage of humanity in the present; It is not about merely history – it is about applying the time-tested proven solutions to the problems of the modern world; It is not about tradition for its own sake – it is about living Chivalry as a way of life to advance civilization for humanity.

As most famously expressed by the Victorian era British playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 AD: “The pen is mightier than the sword. ... Take away the sword - States can be saved without it!” (Play: Richelieu, Act II, Scene II) The same concept is found in the New Testament: “Take... the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), and “The Word of God is... sharper than any two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12) As with most cornerstones of civilization, this traces back to the Templar sacred knowledge from the Ancient Magi Priesthood, originating from the Assyrian Teachings of Ahikar ca. 650 BC: “The word is mightier than the sword.”

As the 16th century Sir Francis Bacon famously stated: “Knowledge is power” (Meditationes Sacrae, 1597 AD). The 19th century American politician Horace Mann confirmed: “Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human power.”  The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan elaborated: “Knowledge is power.  Information is liberating.  Eduation is the premise of progress, in every society.” 

For these reasons, the Temple Rule of 1129 AD defines the essential qualifications and merits of a Templar as “studious purification”  by learning (Rule 1), as “lovers of Truth” seeking purification through scholarship “by refined and studious hearts” (Rule 6). It commands to all Templars, “during periods of time, [to] study universally”, “that you forego the deceiving world and despise it” (Rule 9), and that “to serve God, each must apply all one's study and understanding” (Rule 279).

Accordingly, the Temple Rule mandates that before a new member can begin active chivalric service, “the Rule shall be read to him” (Rule 11), meaning Templar educational training, and requires that new members “shall be put to the test according to the wisdom of the Master”, meaning skills training studies in Templar Chivalry (Rule 14).

 

Overview of Skills Training Program

Size of Training Collection – The total collection of training materials (including the official website) consists of approximately 1,370 pages of proprietary academic educational works (which would be over 2,740 pages in standard printed book size).

Convenient Download Format – The Order plans to eventually publish all materials as hardcover “collector's edition” university textbooks, for the general public. However, only registered Templar members will have access to electronic PDF file versions, text searchable, extensively bookmarked for easy reference, to keep with them at all times on computers and mobile devices. This gives Templar members private access to preview copies of all works, in the most current updated versions, long before they are published for bookstore distribution.

Updates and New Releases – The Templar Skills Training program is an ongoing restoration project of the Order. All materials which are sufficiently restored and packaged are provided to all new members when they join. Continued restoration of additional materials is supported by the monthly membership subscription donations. All registered Templar members are notified of all updates and new releases, as and when they become available.

On each page presenting the Stages of training, the brief descriptions of the Books prominently indicate whether each is “Current & Available” (in active use) or “Under Restoration” (mostly developed, to be available soon).

Focus on the Life of Chivalry – The Order of the Temple of Solomon, first and foremost, is an Order of Chivalry, dedicated to chivalric humanitarian missions. Members join primarily to learn to live the Life of Chivalry, so all training materials necessarily focus on practical knowledge with real-world applications to active Templar missions.

Templar Spirituality Included – While Templars are Defenders of Religion, the Order itself is not a “religion”, so it does not teach any specific spiritual beliefs or practices, which can be learned elsewhere. Nonetheless, as spirituality is an essential aspect of Templarism, principles of authentic Templar Spirituality are included throughout most of the training materials, often within seemingly unrelated topics.

Accordingly, spirituality from the Temple of Solomon is not taught directly, but is learned indirectly, through studying all aspects of Templar Chivalry: Most of the training materials either (A) reveal how certain traditions of Chivalry originated from the Ancient Priesthood of the Temple Solomon, or (B) show how spirituality of the Ancient Priesthood continued and is reflected through the medieval Templar traditions of Chivalry.

All of the sections on Templar spirituality are firmly rooted in archaeology, presenting direct primary sources and evidence of historical beliefs and practices.

On each page presenting the Stages of training, the brief descriptions of the Books give some basic indication of the spiritual aspects addressed in each work.

 

 

Buttons to Private Pages Will Appear on Menu Bar

“Service Level” Materials – When you are registered as an active Subscribing Member, the “Service Level” button will automatically be activated on the Navigation Menu (under the “TRAINING” button) when you sign in, giving access to the primary materials (and updates) preparing you for service in Chivalry.

“Advanced Level” Materials – Once the Grand Mastery has registered your first Letters Patent certificate, the “Advanced Level” button will automatically be activated on the Navigation Menu (under the “TRAINING” button) when you sign in, giving access to more materials preparing you to earn elevation to Knight or Dame.

The private pages for each Stage provide direct Download Links to all of the restored historical and legal documents, books and materials, necessary for you to know everything one must know to be a Templar.