FREEMASONRY and THE 20TH CENTURY OCCULT REVIVAL
By David Carrico
Followers of Jesus Christ Ministries
5220 Ashley Drive
Evansville, IN 47711
Freemasonry is an occult secret society and all Freemasons have aligned themselves with the occult. This is the obvious conclusion that people with just a casual knowledge of the lodge are forced to realize. The word occult means deliberately kept hidden: not revealed to others. (1) How can Freemasonry avoid being classified as occult when the Mason is forbidden by oath not to reveal what goes on behind the closed doors of the lodge even to his wife or his fellow church members. All Freemasons have definitely participated in occult activities. This is an opinion that the Masonic book, The Royal Arch: Its Hidden Meaning, published by the Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company heartily agrees with.
"Many Freemasons shudder at the word occult which comes from the Latin, meaning to cover, to conceal from public scrutiny and the profane. But anyone studying Freemasonry cannot avoid classifying Freemasonry among occult teachings." (2)
We will be studying some of the powerful people and organizations that have played a part in the modern occult revival and we will find as we study their teachings that they all have one common denominator: Freemasonry.
Freemasonry: The Devil's Playground
Anton LaVey, the High Priest of the Church of Satan states:
"...Masonic orders have contained the most influential men in many governments, and virtually every occult order has many Masonic roots. (3)
Freemasonry is not just an occult secret society. Freemasonry has served for over two hundred years as a fertile recruiting ground for other occult orders. Men who have come together to practice Masonry have many times down through the years formed other organizations to plunge even deeper into the occult.
The Illuminati
According to our research, the first group that used the Masonic lodge for their evil designs was the infamous Bavarian Illuminati. This secret society was officially formed by Adam Weishaupt, professor of Canon Law at Ingolstadt University, on May 1, 1776. As the evil plans of the Illuminati began to leak out, brave men took a stand and raised their voices in protest.
One such man was John Robinson, a professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University, and General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In his book, Proofs of a Conspiracy, which was originally published in 1798, Robinson documented how Masonry served as the nursery school for the Illuminati. It was then discovered that this group and several associated Lodges were the preparation-school for another Order of Masons, who called themselves THE ILLUMINATED, and that the express aim of this Order was to abolish Christianity and overturn all civil government. (4)
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
The leaders of the New Age Movement have also found a friend in the friendly confines of the Masonic lodges. In the last two centuries Freemasonry and the New Age Movement have been intricately entwined. The Scottish Rite Journal of the Southern Jurisdiction was previously called The New Age Magazine between 1903-1990. Freemason Lynn F. Perkins wrote a book in 1972 titled, New Age Youth and Masonry: What Every High School and College Graduate Should Know About Masonry.
This book was dedicated to those of oncoming generations of youth who would build and operate the New Order of the Ages. (5) He also wrote another book called Masonry in The New Age. Both of these books are listed for sale in the 1991 Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Inc. catalog. The woman heralded as the 'Mother' of the modern New Age Movement is Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, 1831-1891. Blavatsky was born in Russia and was known for her violent temper and her ability to swear in several languages. This behavior was no doubt intensified as a result of her drug addiction to Hashish. She traveled all over the world lecturing and practicing the occult but her greatest impact by far was through her writings.
Her most famous book, The Secret Doctrine, is one of the foundational occult works of all time. Her preeminently wicked book made no distinction between the serpent and the God of the Bible and taught that Satan was the one that made man into a god:
"Once that the key to Genesis is in our hands, the scientific and symbolical Kabalah unveils the secret. The Great Serpent of the garden of Eden and the Lord God are identical, . . .(6)
"Thus Satan, once he ceases to be viewed in the superstitious, dogmatic, unphilosophical spirit of the Churches, grows into the grandiose image of one who makes of a terrestrial, a divine Man; (7)
The Theosophical Society
Blavatsky's 'Secret Doctrine' and the organization she helped to found, the Theosophical Society, has certainly had an impact on our culture. 'Secret Doctrine' was the first book that Sirhan Sirhan requested after he was jailed for the murder of Robert Kennedy. Adolph Hitler kept a copy of The Secret Doctrine at his beside and was profoundly influenced by it. Adolf Hitler was a disciple of Madame Blavatsky, and was initiated into the meaning of her secret doctrines.
He was tutored by men who were formerly theosophists themselves, and had theosophists at his side until the very end of the war. (8) This favorite book of Adolph Hitler's was also a favorite of 'Freemasonry's greatest Philosopher,' 33rd degree Mason Manly P. Hall. Hall spoke with unrestrained praise for Blavatsky's writings:
"The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled are Madame Blavatsky's gifts to humanity, and to those whose vision can pierce the menacing clouds of imminent disaster it is no exaggeration to affirm that these writings are the most vital literary contribution to the modern world. No more can they be compared with other books than can the light of the sun be compared with the lamp of the glowworm. The Secret Doctrine assumes the dignity of a scripture, . . .(9)
Blavatsky's organization, The Theosophical Society, was founded in 1875. Freemason, Henry Steel Olcott was the president, with Freemason, George H. Felt as vice president, and high ranking American Mason, Charles Sothern as a member. Also among the early members was the most powerful American Mason of all time, Albert Pike, Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite. Madame Blavatsky was such a favorite of Freemasons that she was issued a Masonic certificate in the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Masonry in 1877.
Annie Besant and The Theosophical Society
In 1907, Annie Besant became the head of the Theosophical Society. Besant continued Blavatsky's love for Masonry by becoming a leader and earning the 33rd degree in Co-Masonry, an order with rites that admitted women as well as men.
On February 19, 1922, an alliance between Mrs. Besant's Co-masonry and the Grand Orient of France was celebrated at the Grand Temple of the DroiteHumain in Paris. (10)
C.W. Leadbeater and The Theosophical Society
During the time Annie Besant was head of the Theosophical Society she labored to promote a young man from India, Jiddu Krishnamurti, as the Messiah. Her right hand man in this endeavor was 33rd degree Mason, C.W. Leadbeater. This Freemason had a passionate desire for the deeper workings of the occult. Some sources claim Leadbeater was a pedophile homosexual. (11)
When the dark side of Freemasonry begins to be revealed and discussed, the question invariably arises: Does participation in Masonic rituals lead to demon invasion and control? C.W. Leadbeater answers that question for us most decisively from an insiders point of view. Leadbeater does more than give an affirmative answer to our question. He proceeds to describe the demon spirits he received in the various degrees of Freemasonry:
"The 30th degree brings its Angel also, of appropriate character - a great blue Deva of the First Ray, who lends his strength to the Knight K.H., somewhat as the crimson Angel assists the Ex. and perf. Bro. of the Rose-Croix. The 33rd degree gives two such splendid fellow-workers - spirits of gigantic size as compared to humanity, and radiantly white in colour. (12)
"The 33rd degree links the Sovereign Grand Inspector General with the Spiritual King of the World Himself, That Mightiest of Adepts who stands at the head of the Great White Lodge, in whose strong hands lie the destinies of earth . . .(13)
"Yet when one of these bright Spirits is attached to us by a Masonic ceremony we must not think of him either as a director or as an attendant, but simply as a co-worker and a brother.(14)
Alice A. and Foster Bailey
Alice A. Bailey was the reigning 'queen' of The New Age movement until her death in the 1970's. She wrote over twenty books with the help of her spirit guide, the Tibetan master Dwjhal Khul. Mrs. Bailey spoke plainly and truthfully about the fact that the Masonic lodge was the training school for the leaders of the occult world. Alice A. Bailey said of Freemasonry:
"It is a far more occult organization than can be realized, and is intended to be the training school for the coming advanced occultists. (15)
Together with her husband, 32nd degree Mason Foster Bailey, Alice Bailey labored to bring in the reign of the New Age Christ. Foster states:
"The most important re-orientation in the Hierarchy is the united focus on preparation for the reappearance of the Christ among men. (16)
"The Christ is a living man today. He is a great world executive and is actively working to help humanity to grow up spiritually, but not seeking or wanting to control us. (17)
"The Christ and the hierarchy are focused on new age actions and when externalized will use new age techniques. (18)
Foster Bailey ridiculed the Christ of the Bible and heralded the false gospel of the New Age Christ:
"The Christian doctrine that he comes as a Christian to save us from hell and for some distant judgment date is a hangover from humanity's childhood days. He does not come to save us but to help us save ourselves, . . .(19)
Foster Bailey wrote articles for Masonic magazines and lectured at Masonic lodge halls. His book, The Spirit of Masonry, is still sold in the Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co. Catalog. It is sobering to read in his book how this powerful New Age leader spoke of Masonry as the universal religion.
"Is it not possible from a contemplation of this side of Masonic teaching that it may provide all that is necessary for the formulation of a universal religion? May it not be true, as has been said, that if all religions and Scriptures were blotted out and only Masonry were left in the world we could still recover the great plan of salvation? Most earnestly should all true Masons consider this point. . . .
"A revitalized Masonry, made up of Masons true to their obligations and realising the Mystic Tie that binds them all together in one true brotherhood, would also provide a platform so universal that it would meet the need of thinkers of all kinds and of every school of thought. It would thus not only meet a religious need by providing a universal religion, but would also satisfy the mental need felt by all broad-minded thinkers at this time. (20)
Aleister Crowley: Father of Modern Satanism
The most disturbing example of someone being recruited out of Freemasonry into more bizarre occult orders is that of 33rd degree Mason, Aleister Crowley. During his lifetime, Crowley was proclaimed by the press as the most wicked man alive. Crowley's perverted life left a string of casualties among those who were foolish enough to get close to this evil man. Crowley's first wife, Rose entered an insane asylum in 1911; his second wife, Maria entered an asylum in 1931, two years after her marriage to Crowley.
In a locked room with only Crowley and his son present, Crowley performed a ritual in which his son died. . . . On a London street in 1934, a nineteen-year-old girl rushed up to him and declared that she wanted to have his baby. Crowley took her to bed. She, too, later entered an asylum. (21)
Just a brief autobiographic sketch of Crowley's life is like an evening swim in a sewer. Crowley called himself the 'Beast 666' and Leila Waddell, his mistress, displayed the mark of the beast that was tattooed between her breasts. If there ever was a man that was more wicked than Crowley, it would be hard to imagine. Crowley was a homosexual and a drug addict that opposed Christianity with a hatred that was frightening. He said:
"To me, every dirty act was simply a sacrament of sin, a passionately religious protest against Christianity, which was for me the symbol of all vileness, meanness, treachery, falsehood and oppression. (22)
O.T.O.: Ordo Templi Orientis and Freemason, Theodor Reuss
One of the most alarming things about Crowley's life was the way that he went from Freemasonry into the cult of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis). Crowley tells in his own words how Freemason Theodor Reuss recruited him into the O.T.O.:
"Although I was admitted to the thirty-third and last degree of Freemasonry so long ago as 1900, it was not until the summer of 1912 that my suspicion was confirmed. I speak of my belief that behind the frivolities and convivialities of our greatest institution lay in truth a secret ineffable and miraculous, potent to control the forces of Nature, and not only to make men brethren, but to make them divine. But at the time I speak of a man came to me, a man of those mysterious masters of esoteric Freemasonry who are alike its Eyes and its Brains, and who exist in its midst unknown, often, even to its acknowledged chiefs . . . This man had been watching my occult career for some years, and deemed me now worthy to partake in the Greater Mysteries. (23)
This certainly shows that members of other occult orders can work within Freemasonry often times without the knowledge of the actual leaders of the lodge. The O.T.O. was founded in 1895 by the Austrian Freemason, Karl Kellner. Freemason, Theodor Reuss became its leader after Kellner's death. Reuss started a magazine called The Oriflame in 1902 with the help of Freemason ,Franz Hartman. A 1912 jubilee edition of the magazine revealed information about what the O.T.O. activities really were.
"Our order possesses the KEY which opens up all Masonic and Hermetic secrets, namely, the teaching of sexual magic, and this teaching explains, without exception, all the secrets of Nature, all the symbolism of Freemasonry and all systems of religion. (24)
Aleister Crowley and The O.T.O.
In 1912, while holding the rank of 33rd degree Mason, Aleister Crowley became the head of the British O.T.O. The teachings and the practices of the O.T.O. were amazingly disgusting. A very brief description of their degrees is as follows:
"Today's literature about sex magic relies heavily on practices which were already common in the O.T.O. or in its later development b y Aleister Crowley . . . The division is as follows: VIII degree O.T.O. = autoerotic practice IX degree O.T.O. = heteroerotic practice XI degree O.T.O. = homoerotic practice This is the traditional sex-magic practice as performed under Crowley. 25 Thirty-third degree Aleister Crowley proudly called his cult of the O.T.O. 'true freemasonry.' I claim for my system that it satisfies all possible requirements of true freemasonry. It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal religion. (26)
How close is the connection between Freemasonry and the O.T.O.? Masonic Historian Francis King reveals a closer connection than most Freemasons would ever dare to admit.
"For the O.T.O. not only had, as we shall see, connections with spurious and clandestine Masonic groups but functioned as a recruiting office for one of these for in the 'Classification of Members by Degrees' appended to Ruess's document is clearly stated that 'candidates are made Freemasons by the Directing Members (Fratres Superiores) of the O.T.O. (27)
The fact that Crowley was the head of the O.T.O. while holding the rank of 33rd degree Mason should forever explode the myth that Freemasonry is a Christian organization. Crowley spoke openly and candidly about his Masonic honors.
"This view was confirmed when The Arcane Schools of John Yarker came to me for review. I wrote to the author, who recognized my title to the 33rd degree and conferred on me the grades of 95 degree Memphis and the 90 degree Mizraim. It seemed as if I had some how turned a tap. From this time on I lived in a perfect shower of diplomas, from Bucharest to Salt Lake City. I possess more exalted titles than I have ever been able to count. I am supposed to know more secret signs, tokens, passwords, grandwords, grips, and so on, than I could actually learn in a dozen lives. An elephant would break down under the insignia I am entitled to wear. (28)
In Aleister Crowley's book, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, he spoke with great admiration about the Royal Arch degree.
"I supposed myself to have reached the summit of success when I restored the Secret Word of the Royal Arch. In this case, tradition had preserved the Word almost intact. (29)
It is perfectly understandable that this hater of Christianity would love the Royal Arch degree of Freemasonry. In this degree, Freemasons blaspheme the God of the Bible by uniting God's name with pagan gods. The secret word of the Royal Arch that Crowley is referring to is :Jah-Bul-On. The Jah represents Jehovah, Bul represents the pagan god Ba'al, and On represents the Egyptian sun god. It is no wonder Crowley's Satanic heart jumped for joy when he was able to blaspheme the God of the Bible by uniting the true God with the pagan god, Baal to whom human children were sacrificed.
"they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind" (Jeremiah 19:5 NKJV)
The meaning of the secret word in the Royal Arch degree is confirmed by an excellent authority: the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey. Baal signifies Lord or Master and occurs several times in the Bible as a part of the names of various gods. Alone, the word applies to the sun-god, the supreme male deity of the Syro-Phoenician nations. For an account of his worship read First Kings xviii. With Jah and On, it has been introduced into the Royal Arch system as a representative of the Tetragrammation. . . .(30)
The O.T.O. describes itself as an organization that is dedicated to follow the doctrine of Crowley. THE ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS (O.T.O.) is an Initiatic Body composed of men and women who have accepted the principles of The Book of the Law, which was transmitted through Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). . . .
"The Book is conceived to be a perfect transmission of the divine, freed from any defects of human interference. As such, it is a luminous vehicle of Truth that can serve as an infallible guide to human conduct . . . Aleister Crowley will at least be remembered as the greatest occult genius of the twentieth century . . . His influence on modern occultism is incalculable, penetrating every Western school. (31)
Any cult that follows the teachings of Crowley must be taken very seriously. The following quotes are from The Book of Law that the O .T.O. endorsed as a perfect transmission of the divine and a luminous vehicle of Truth that can serve as an infallible guide to human conduct.
"11. Worship me with fire & blood; worship me with swords & with spears. Let the woman be girt with a sword before me: let blood flow to my name. Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give y Petrovnaou of their flesh to eat 12. Sacrifice cattle, little and big: after a child . . . 24. The best blood is of the moon, monthly: then the fresh blood of a child, or dropping from the host of heaven: then of enemies; t hen of priest or of the worshippers: last of some beast, no matter what. . . . 51. With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.... 60. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt. (32 )
The following quotes from Crowley's Magick in Theory and Practice will further prove our concern.
"For the highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence (f.2) is the most satisfactory and suitable victim. . . .' But the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious; and for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is the best. (f.2. ....In the Sacrifice during Invocation, however, it may be said without fear of contradiction that the death of the victim should coincide with the supreme invocation.) (33)
Rosicrucian Society
As we continue our study of Freemasonry and the occult, we need to look at another secret order that has networked with Freemasonry for many years, the Rosicrucian Society. Much could be written about the various Rosicrucian orders and their relationship to the lodge, but for the purpose of our study we will be mentioning only one; the Rosicruciana in Anglia. One had to be at least a Master Mason to belong to this organization and it is of particular interest because the members of this secret order gave birth to yet another secret society, THE GOLDEN DAWN.
In some respects Westcott's Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a by-product of his connection with a Masonic 'Rosicrucian' fraternity called the Rosicrucian Society of England, also known as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, or more familiarly as the Soc. Ros. Membership was confined to Master Masons. It was not a Masonic Lodge but an esoteric society of Freemasons who were interested in occultism, the Kabbalah in particular, and Masonic symbolism. (34)
All three of the original founders of the Golden Dawn were Freemasons: Dr. William Wynn Westcott, Dr. William Woodman, and S.L. MacGregor Mathers. As we shall see, the ties between the Golden Dawn and the Masonic lodge go much deeper than the fact that all were Freemasons. Dr. William Wynn Westcott's interests were occultism and Freemasonry. In order to practice ritual magic he established an occult secret society called the Golden Dawn in London in 1888. Since its founding it has been one of the most secretive and influential of all occult orders.
Madam Blavatsky was so excited about the existence of the Golden Dawn that she made an intriguing announcement calling the order 'The Hermetic Students of the G.D. in the Outer' in the June 1889 issue of her Theosophical periodical, Lucifer. (35)
World renown witches, Janet and Stewart Farrar, authors of A Witches Bible Compleat, give credit to the Freemasons of the Golden Dawn for the modern cult explosion that we are experiencing today. They state:
"It is generally agreed that the biggest single influence in the modern expansion of ritual magic, and the occult explosion in genera l, in the Western world, was the Golden Dawn. This magical fraternity, founded by Freemasons at the end of the 19th century, developed a complex ritual system with ten degrees of initiation relating to the Cabalistic Sephiroth. (36)
As our study progresses, we will see that these witches were extremely correct with those statements. Dr. William Robert Woodman, an eminent Freemason, was also one of the original founders that worked very hard to establish the Golden Dawn. He was a member of the Ros. Anglia, a Hebrew scholar and student of the Kabalah, and also wrote many occult manuscripts.
Dr. William Wynn Westcott
William Wynn Westcott was a London coroner who was forced to choose between his job and the Golden Dawn when the public became aware of his occult activities. Westcott chose to resign as head of the Golden Dawn (at least visibly.) Westcott translated the Sepher Yetzirah, a Cabalistic text, and also wrote a book titled, The Magical Mason.. This Golden Dawn founder belonged to a truly impressive list of occult organizations which gives us an idea of how these occult organizations network.
Wm. Wynn Westcott, an English Mason, appointed Junior Grand Deacon to the Grand Lodge of England in 1902 and the head of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and Golden Dawn, was also the Secretary of the Rite of Swedenborg, Knight Kadosch in Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites, Grand Standard Bearer, Royal Arch, Grand Lodge of England, and Regent of the Illuminati and on intimate terms with one of its founders, the German Theodore Reuss 33rd, 90th, 96th, degrees. (37)
Westcott also worked closely with Theodor Reuss, the head of the O.T.O.. Since their early existence, the O.T.O. and the Golden Dawn have maintained close ties. The father of modern Satanism, Aleister Crowley, was a member of both organizations.
S.L. MacGregor Mathers
The last of the original founders of the Golden Dawn that we will be discussing is S.L. MacGregor Mathers, who was heralded at the turn of the last century as the most powerful and gifted occult practitioner in the world. Mathers was initiated into Freemasonry on Oct. 4, 1877 and became a Master Mason on January 30, 1878.
Mathers took Aleister Crowley and taught him what he needed to know to go on to become the father of modern Satanism. All did not remain peaceful between Mathers and Crowley and as the rivalry increased they actually engaged in a war of Black Magic. Mathers would receive instructions from 'Secret Chiefs' whom Mathers claimed were human beings with superhuman powers.
Mathers wrote what was called Mathers Manifesto , a pledge of blind obedience to these 'Secret Chiefs'. The Manifesto stated:
"It was requisite that such a member should be one who, while having the necessary and peculiar educational basis of critical and profound occult archaeological knowledge, should at the same time be not only ready but willing to devote himself in every sense to a blind and unreasoning obedience to those Secret Chiefs;..(38)
"he must further pledge himself to obey in everything the commands of the aforesaid Secret Chief's 'perinde ac cadaver', body and soul, without question and without argument whether their commands related to magical action in the external world, or to psychic world, military action in the external world, or to psychic action in other worlds and planes, whether Angelic, spiritual or demonic . . .(39)
Mathers still influences the occult world today through his writings. Mathers wrote one of the classic books on the Kabbalah called, Kabbalah Unveiled. Mathers also translated two of the most influential books of magical spells, The Key of Solomon The King, and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin, The Maji.
While Crowley was working the rituals of the Book of Abramelin he became possessed with his lifelong spirit guide (demon), Aiwass. The demon Aiwass dictated the truly satanic book, The Book of Law, to Crowley. We have previously studied some parts of that book in the information on the O.T.O.
Arthur Edward Waite
Another man who was initiated into the Golden Dawn at Mathers' home was Arthur Edward Waite. Waite proceeded to become a major force, not only in the occult world, but also in Freemasonry. Waite was praised by one of the greatest Masonic authorities of all time in one of the most popular Masonic books ever written, The Builders, by Joseph Fort Newton. The following is an excerpt of the tribute to A.E. Waite in The Builders:
"Perhaps the greatest student in this field of esoteric teaching and method, certainly the greatest now living, is Arthur Edward Waite, to whom it is a pleasure to pay tribute. (40)
Waite was more than a Freemason; he was an authority on Freemasonry and was the author of A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Waite is also the author of such occult titles as, The Book of Black Magic, and Devil Worship in France. The Book of Black Magic by Waite contains terrible conjurations given in the name of Satan and has spells to conjure Lucifer.
Another of Waite's book is called, The Holy Kabbalah, which states in its introduction, "For the Kabbalist the ultimate sacrament is the sexual act, carefully organized and sustained as the most perfect mystical trance. (41)
Perhaps you are beginning to realize the connections between the Golden Dawn and Freemasonry are many. The Golden Dawn was not only founded by Freemasons, but we can also document that in the early stages of the Golden Dawn it had a helping hand from the lodge. The fact can be established that the original Golden Dawn was allowed to use the Mark Masons' Hall to conduct rituals. They were given assistance by Masonic officials, but the lodge was careful that this knowledge didn't become public.
From the beginning, the ceremonies of Isis-Urania were conducted at Mark Masons' Hall in the Great Queen Street (now demolished), but members were careful not to embarrass the Masonic authorities, being told that they 'must not enter Mark Masons; Hall by the front door, but go under archway and down passage, entering by a door on the right'. (42)
One of the early members of the Golden Dawn, Maud Gonne MacBride, left the organization after finding out about the Masonic Connections of the order.
"Usually the G.D. held their ceremonies in the drawing-room of some member of the Order, but on one occasion I was summoned to an initiation ceremony of the Order in the Mark Masons' Hall in Euston Road. it set me thinking. If they met in a Free-Mason Hall, perhaps the G.D. was an esoteric side of Masonry. (43)
The Rituals of the Golden Dawn involved ritual magic and to be precise, they summoned and conversed with Demons! Nothing could be made any clearer than from reading an official account of their rituals by Israel Regardie.
"Yet, if there may arise an absolute necessity for working or conversing with a Spirit of evil nature, and that to retain him before thee without tormenting him, thou hast to employ the symbol of the Pentagram reversed . . .(44)
It is indeed hard to disagree with the conclusion of our witch experts, Janet and Stewart Farrar, when they stated that the biggest influence in the modern occult explosion has been the Freemasons of the Golden Dawn. The foundational works for Ritual Magic and Satanism are found in the writings of the men involved in the Golden Dawn. Anton Szandor LaVey, high priest of the Church of Satan gives credit to the Golden Dawn as the source of his satanic invocations found in the Satanic Bible. LaVey tells about his translations:
"I have presented my translation of the following calls with an archaic but Satanically correct unvarnishing of the translation employed by the Order of the Golden Dawn in the late Nineteenth Century....the Enochian Calls are the Satanic paeans of faith. (45)
What about the Farrars' own special field of expertise witchcraft? By now you can probably guess the answer. They definitely give credit to Freemasonry as one of the sources for the rituals of witchcraft. Doreen Valiente, in particular contributed much to the final version of Gardner's Book of Shadows, the unpublished body of rituals and Craft lore traditionally copied out by hand by every new Witch from his or her initiator's version.
There is no doubt that the New Forest coven's inherited rituals were fragmentary, and Gardner had set about making them into a workable whole by filling the gaps with material he regarded as suitable from other sources, such as Freemasonry, the writings of Aleister Crowley, and the odd Kipling poem. (46)
Witchcraft and Freemasonry
Many researchers of the occult have pointed out the similarities between the initiation ritual in Witchcraft and the Masonic initiation ritual. There are many other similarities between the two crafts that could be documented and compared. One reason for these similarities is the fact that both evolved from an obvious common source, the Ancient Mystery Religions. Another reason is the fact that some of the most powerful and influential witches of Modern times have been Freemasons.
Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders
According to the writings of a Shamani witch, Gwyn Gwynallen, even the very name Wicca, the name often given to modern Witchcraft, originated from the writings of the two Freemasonic witches Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders.
GWYN GWYNALLEN: Wicca, the name often given to modern Witchcraft, grew out of Great Britain from the writings of two people, Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders.
Gardner was a Freemason and also a Lodge Master of the O.T.O. He enlisted help from his fellow O.T.O. member Aleister Crowley in the writing of his rituals. Gardner was known as a sado-masochist and the Gardenian school of Witchcraft is named after him. When Gardner revealed his involvement with witch cults in his 1954 publication, Witchcraft Today, he received a torrent of letters and within a few years covens were in operation all over England.
Alex Sanders was a Freemason and a black magickian and is also known as the founder of the Alexandrian school of Witchcraft which is noted for its use of sexual intercourse in the initiation rituals. These two branches of Witchcraft or paganism, [Gardenian and Alexandrian], to our minds, are Wiccan.(47)
Alex Sanders said he was initiated as a witch when he was seven years old by his grandmother who was a witch . . . she had him stand
nude in a circle with his head down. She took a sharp razor, cut his scrotum to make it bleed slightly, and declared him a witch . . . a third degree, and . . . a black magickian. (48)
Eliphas Levi
Any survey of the history of the relationship between Freemasonry and other occult orders would be incomplete without making mention of the master Freemason, occultist Eliphas Levi. Professor Carl Raschke of the University of Denver does an excellent job of expressing the importance of Eliphas Levi to the occult explosion.
Nearly a century before Crowley, around the middle of the nineteenth century, there rose to fame in France a renegade Catholic rector called Alphonse Constant, who changed his name to Eliphas Levi. Levi was considered the Michelangelo of the suppressed traditions of black magic in the Christian West. (49)
The French occultist Alphonse-Louis Constant (a.k.a. Eliphas Levi), who influenced twentieth-century Satanism considerably, bought almost completely into the thesis that Templars were diabolists. And his engraving of the Templar idol Baphomet has become a classic article of iconography for today's black magicians, a sort of Satanist Mona Lisa. (50)
Levi's engraving of the Baphomet which was called the 'Satanist Mona Lisa' by professor Raschke.
Illustration of Baphomet.(51)
Eliphas Levi, translated by A.E. Waite, Transcendental MAGIC, Samuel Weiser, Inc., p. 186.
The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey explains how important this picture is to Satanists.
The symbol of Baphomet was used by the Knights Templar to represent Satan. Through the ages this symbol has been called by many different names. Among these are: The Goat of Mendes, The Goat of a Thousand Young. The Black goat, The Judas Goat, and perhaps most appropriately, The Scapegoat . Baphomet represents the Powers of Darkness combined with the generative fertility of the goat...The symbol of Baphomet is placed on the wall above the altar. (52)
The occult researcher, Michael Howard, comments on the symbolism of Levi's pantheistic idol, Baphomet, in his book, The Occult Conspiracy.
"In Levi's illustration, Baphomet is a goat-headed figure with androgynous features who sits on a cube. A torch blazes between the goat's horns which represents cosmic intelligence and spiritual illumination. In occult tradition, Lucifer, who is regarded by the Church as the devil is called the light-bringer because he grants his disciples spiritual illumination through incarnation on the physical plane. (53)
Albert Pike and Eliphas Levi
Eliphas Levi became a Freemason on March 14, 1861, and authored many books that have become classics in occult literature. Many more things than we have already shared could be said about Eliphas Levi, but the information we are dwelling on here is the Luciferian doctrine that Levi passed on to another Freemason of great repute, Albert Pike.
Pike was the Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite from 1859-1891 and is called by many the most powerful and influential American Mason of all time. His book, Morals and Dogma, which was published by the Supreme Council is still a Masonic classic of great impact. Levi thought of Lucifer not as a person, but as a force; the pantheistic god of the New Age movement, the great magical agent that could be used for good or evil. He explains:
"They have said that the Great Magical Agent - accurately termed Lucifer because it is the vehicle of light and the receptacle of all forms is a mediating force diffused throughout creation; (54)
In the Luciferian doctrine of Eliphas Levi, Satan and Lucifer were not evil in the craft sense, they were just another side of Levi's pantheistic god.
"Thus Satan is not the ruler of the realm of shadow, he is the agent of light behind a veil. He is of service to God, he performs God 's work: God has not rejected him, for he holds him still in his hand. . . . What is the Devil, then, in the final analysis? The Devil is God working evil. (55 )
This is the God of Star Wars, not a personal God, but just a force that can be used for good like Luke Skywalker, or can also be used for evil, like Darth Vader. Albert Pike teaches the same Luciferian doctrine in what is probably the most widely used and honored Masonic book of all time, Morals and Dogma.
"The true name of Satan, the Kabalists say, is that of Yahveh reversed; for Satan is not a black god, but the negation of God. The Devil is the personification of Atheism or Idolatry. For the Initiates, this is not a Person, but a Force, created for good, but which may serve for evil. It is the instrument of Liberty or Free Will. They represent this Force, which presides over the physical generation, under the mythologic and horned form of the God Pan; thence came the he-goat of the Sabbat, brother of the Ancient Serpent, and the Light-bearer or Phosphor, of which the poets have made the false Lucifer of the legend. (56)
Most Freemasons don't know the passage above is a direct quote from page 161 of The History of Magic, by the master occultist Eliphas Levi. Albert Pike speaks once again about Lucifer the light-bearer in Morals and Dogma.
"Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not! (57)
Once again, few Freemasons realize that Albert Pike is quoting directly from page 36 of The History of Magic by Eliphas Levi. The fact that Albert Pike takes his Luciferian doctrine directly from the occultist Freemason Eliphas Levi can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Another one of Eliphas Levi's occult drawings is called 'the great symbol of Solomon.' This drawing from Eliphas Levi's book, Transcendental Magic, also portrayed the false idea that God has an evil side to him as well as a good side. It was explained as:
"The great Symbol of Solomon. The Double Triangle of Solomon, represented by the two Ancients of the Kabalah; the Macroprosopus and t he Microprosopus; the God of Light and the God of Reflections; of mercy and vengeance; the white Jehovah and the black Jehovah. (58)
Illustration of Great Symbol, of Solomon.
Eliphas Levi, translated by A.E. Waite,
Transcendental MAGIC, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1896, p.xii. (59)
The same drawing also appears in a recent book called, A Bridge to Light, published by the Supreme Council, 33rd degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction. Across from the drawing in that book is an explanation of who the snake represents that is surrounding the symbol. Speaking of the snake's true identity:
"It is the body of the Holy Spirit, the universal Agent, the Serpent devouring his own tail. (60)
What a blasphemy! What arrogance! Jesus said:
"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost s hall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Matthew 12:31-32 KJV )
We have read the explanation from A Bridge to Light concerning the snake around Levi's drawing of the white Jehovah and the black Jehovah, and the fact that the book claims the snake represents the Holy Spirit. We have told how the book is published by the Supreme
Council. How can any man that is a Christian support the distribution of such blasphemy? Such an idea is unthinkable!
Summary
Freemasonry is truly an organization that deceives good men. Many honorable men who are in the lodge actually believe that they belong to a Christian fraternal organization and nothing could be farther from the truth. As we have shown, All Freemasons are in the occult and down through the years, time after time, Masons have come together to organize other occult groups. There is most assuredly more to Freemasonry than most Freemasons realize. Thirty-third degree, Manly P. Hall, Masonry's greatest philosopher, gives us a true picture of Freemasonry:
"Freemasonry is a fraternity within a fraternity, an outer organization concealing an inner brotherhood of the elect. . . . The visible society is a splendid camaraderie of free and accepted men enjoined to devote themselves to ethical, educational, fraternal, patriotic, and humanitarian concerns. The invisible society is a secret and most august fraternity whose members are dedicated to the service of a mysterious arcanum arcanorum. . . . In each generation only a few are accepted into the inner sanctuary of the work, but these are veritable princes of truth, and their sainted names shall be remembered in future age together with the seers and prophets of the elder world. . . . They are dwellers upon the threshold of the innermost, masters of that secret doctrine which forms the invisible foundation of every great theological and rational institution. (61)
We have presented in a few brief pages a general review of the relationship between Freemasonry and the dark side of the occult world. We have documented the connections between Freemasons and the Illuminati, the New Age movement, the Theosophical Society, Satanism, the O.T.O., the Rosicrucian Society, the Golden Dawn, Witchcraft, the Egyptian Mystery Religions, many history making key people, and many famous Freemasons who were involved with these groups. Much more could have been said on this subject, but we believe what has been presented is sufficient enough to show the fact that Freemasons have played the leading roles in the 20th Century occult explosion.
This is a side of the Lodge that Masons don't like to talk about. However, it is a side that exists nonetheless. The Scripture admonishes us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers; and when a man can bow the knee at the Masonic altar and make the Freemasons that we have discussed in this chapter their lodge brothers, they have taken upon themselves the most unequal yoke that could ever be imagined.
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what path he that believeth with an infidel? And What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (II Corinthians 6:14-18 KJV)
Endnotes
1. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1976 G.& C. Merriam Co., p. 1560.
2. George H. Steinmetz, The Royal Arch Its Hidden Meaning, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Inc. 1946, p. 147.
3. Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Rituals, Avon Books 1972, p. 78.
4. John Robinson, A.M., Proofs of a Conspiracy, The Americanist Classics, Western Islands, 1798, p. 60.
5. Lynn F. Perkins, New Age Youth and Masonry, CSA Press, Publisher 1972, p. Dedication page.
6. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, The Theosophical Publishing House 1893, p. 446.
7. Ibid., 220
8. Joseph J. Carr, The Twisted Cross, Huntington House Inc. 1985, p. 282.
9. Manly P. Hall, The Phoenix, An Illustrated Review of Occultism and Philosophy, 1960 The Philosophical Research Society, p. 122.
10. Lady Queenborough, Occult Theocracy, The Christian Book Club of america 1933, p. 533.
11. Jerry Johnston, The Edge of Evil, Word Publishing, 1989, p. 136. (in interview with Joseph Carr, author of The Twisted Cross).
12. C. W. Leadbeater 33rd degree, The Hidden Life in Freemasonry, The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Madras India 1928, p. 336.
13. Ibid., p. 326.
14. Ibid., p. 334.
15. Alice A. Bailey, The Externalisation of the Hierarchy, Lucis Publishing Company, New York 1957, p. 511.
16. Foster Bailey, Things To Come, Lucis Publishing Company, New York 1974, p. 108.
17. Ibid., p. 110.
18. Ibid., p. 122.
19. Ibid., p. 116.
20. Foster Bailey, The Spirit of Masonry, Lucis Press Ltd., London 1957, p. 109.
21. Aleister Crowley, Ancient Wisdom and Secret Sects, Time-Life Books 1989, p. 118.
22. Aleister Crowley, Satanic Extracts, Black Lodge Publishing 1991, 4 Pledge, 5.
23. Kenneth Grant, Aleister Crowley & The Hidden God, Samuel Weiser): 174. (A footnote in this section says that the man the reference to is Theodor Reuss.)
24. Francis King, The Rites of Modern Occult Magic, The MacMillan Company 1970): 119.
25. Frater U. .D. ., Secrets of the German Sex Magicians, Llewellyn Publications 1991): 138.
26. Edited by Hymenaeus Beta X degree, The Equinox, Samuel Weiser 1990, Volume 3, No. 10, 205.
27. Frances King, The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O., Samuel Weiser 1973): 13.
28. John Symonds and Kenneth Grant, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, Bantam Books): 684.
29. Ibid., 771.
30. Albert G. Mackey, Mackey's Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, The Masonic History Company, 1946): 130.
31. Edited by Hymenaeus Beta X degree, [Aleister Crowley TheMaster Therion], The Equinox, Samuel Weiser 1990, Volume 3, No. 10, p. 87.
32. Ibid., p. 39.40,42,43.
33. Aleister Crowley, Magick In Theory and Practice, Magickal childe Publishing, Inc. 1990, p. 95-96.
34. Ellic Howe, The Magicians of The Golden Dawn, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1972, p. 8.
35. Ibid., p. 47.
36. Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Life and Times of A Modern Witch, Phoenix Publishing Company, p. 121.
37. Lady Queenborough (Edith Starr Miller), Occult Theocracy, The Christian Book Club of America 1933, p. 298.
38. Israel Regardie, What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn, 1987 Falcon Press, p. 181.
39. Ibid., p. 182.
40. Joseph Fort Newton, The Builders, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, 1979, p. 57.
41. A.E. Waite, The Holy Kabbalah, University Books, Citadel Press introduction by Kenneth Rexroth, p. ix.
42. R. A. Gilbert, The Golden Dawn Companion, The Aquarian Press, p. 31.
43. Ellic Howe, The Magicians of The Golden Dawn, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1972, p.70.
44. Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, 1990 Llewellyn Publications, p. 280.
45. Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, Avon Books 1969, p. 155-156.
46. Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Life and Times of A Modern Witch, Phoenix Publishing Company, p. 23.
47. Larry Kahaner, Cults That Kill, Probing the Underworld of Occult Crime, Warner Books 1988, p. 98.
48. Ibid., p. 99.
49. Carl A. Raschke, Painted Black, Harper and Row 1990, p.37.
50. Ibid., p. 91.
51. Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, Avon Books 1969, p. 139
52. Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, Avon Books 1969, p. 136
53. Michael Howard, The Occult Conspiracy, Secret Societies: Their Influence and Power in World History, Destiny Books 1989, p. 38.
54. Eliphas Levi, The History of Magic, Samuel Weiser 1913, p. 159.
55. Eliphas Levi, The Book of Splendours, The Inner Mysteries of Qabalism - Its relation ship to Freemasonry, Numerology & Tarot, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1973, p. 72.
56. Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, 1871 L. H. Jenkins Inc., p. 102.
57. Ibid., p. 321.
58. Eliphas Levi, translated by A.E. Waite, Transcendental MAGIC, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1896, p. 161.
59. Illustration of Great Symbol of Solomon. Eliphas Levi, translated by A.E. Waite, Transcendental MAGIC, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1896, p. xii.
60. Rex R. Hutchens, A Bridge To Light, The Supreme Council, 33degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Juris diction United States of America 1988, p.253.
61. Manly P. Hall, Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, Philosophical Research Society, Inc. 1984, p. 433
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 
