Masons and Masonry

A New Encyclopaedia Of Freemasonry And Of Cognate Instituted Mysteries

2010-11-08T00:31:00.000-08:00

Book: A New Encyclopaedia Of Freemasonry And Of Cognate Instituted Mysteries by Arthur Edward Waite

This book is an astounding collection of Masonic and other Secret Society Information. This book provides a complete view of the history, literature and myths surrounding Freemasonry. Comprehensive explanations of their secret rituals and symbolism. Including alchemy, astrology, Kabbalism, Ceremonial Magic, Animal Magnetism and more. I have owned this book for over one year and every time I see something in another Masonic work that I am unsure-of, I can find a reference to the material in Waite's Encyclopaedia. The only reason people think it is too archaic is because people do not read enough. This book is a must-have for any researcher in the field of Masonry and/or other Secret Societies, including the H.B. of L. I appreciate this work, almost daily. If you can't read this one, forget "The History of Freemasonry," by Albert Mackey. This is a wonderful research book, despite the fact that it needs a thorough index, for quick-reference. I would be willing to Index this work, because of it's value to all Masons and other researchers in the field. I cannot begin to describe how amazed I was, when I cracked the covers of this book for the first time....and the thrill continues, each time I take it off the shelf!

Buy Arthur Edward Waite's book: A New Encyclopaedia Of Freemasonry And Of Cognate Instituted Mysteries

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The Picatrix Selected Translations Edited With Commentary

2010-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Book: The Picatrix Selected Translations Edited With Commentary by Christopher Warnock

This book contains selected translations from Picatrix edited with a commentary by Christopher Warnock, the leading traditional astrological magician. These translations and commentary are also available in hard copy along with the Latin Picatrix. Here is the table of contents for the translation and commentary:

* Arabic Picatrix, Book I Chapters 1-4 & commentary
* The Forms of the Planets Book III, Chapter 3
* Selected Planetary Talisman Translations Book II, Chapter 10
* Adocentyn, the Talismanic City Book IV, Chapter 3 & commentary
* House based talismans Book I, Chapter 5 commentary
* Ritual Preparations Book III, chapter 7 & commentary
* Arabic Picatrix Planetary Invocations Book III, Chapter 8 & commentary
* Operation of Jupiter Book III, Chapter 9 The Jovial Feast & commentary
* Invocation of Perfect Nature Book III Chapter 6 Translated by Nigel Jackson & commentary

Buy Christopher Warnock's book: The Picatrix Selected Translations Edited With Commentary

Born In Blood The Lost Secrets Of Freemasonry

2010-10-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Book: Born In Blood The Lost Secrets Of Freemasonry by John Robinson

In Born In Blood, Robinson examines the origins of Freemasonry as he tackles long held ideas and proposes new ones. Robinson began his work intending to write about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 but then he began to wonder if some kind of organization, such as a secret society was behind this plot all along. This idea led him to research the downfall of the Knights Templar in part of the book and later the rise of Freemasonry in the other half.

Historians are always wary of newcomers who try to reinterpret old events in a new way. Here, Robinson (not a professional historian) takes a fresh look at the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 in England and emerges with something really new. It had been thought that this revolt against feudal landlords and royalty was a spontaneous one led by ad hoc people. Robinson shows, in what seems to be a convincing way, that far from being spontaneous, the revolt was a well-planned and highly organized attempt on the part of remnants of the Knights Templar (disbanded by the Pope 65 years earlier) to get retribution against the Knights Hospitaller. Robinson's hypothesis explains many previously unanswerable facts; for those interested in medieval British history and Freemasonry.

Freemasonry's legendary origins are based on the guilds of stone masons of Europe, however "Born in Blood" tackles these long held ideas and makes counter arguments that Freemasonry may have instead grown out of the Knights Templar.

Robinson draws many highly researched parallels in history, ritual, and practice between the ancient Knights Templar and past and modern Freemasonry which go way beyond the area of mere coincidence. Such as how Masonic dress, oaths, and practices have direct links back to the Knights Templar. While at the same time pointing out obvious facts in history, such as both groups are the only two in the world that claim King Solomon's Temple as their birthplace.

Unlike most of its five million members, including many world leaders, who believe that the Freemasons, the world's largest fraternal organization, evolved from the guilds of medieval stonemasons, historian Robinson persuasively links Freemasonry's origins and goals to the once powerful and wealthy Knights Templar order. Banned and persecuted by a 14th-century papal bull, he claims, the Knights were forced to form an underground society. The author combines scholarly research and entertaining storytelling in tracing Freemasonry as a worldwide political, religious, economic and social body dedicated to self-improvement and charity while governed by secret rituals and symbols

In closing, Robinson deals with a few falsehoods created by Anti-Masonic people and groups such as Jim Shaw and his book "The Brotherhood". Robinson quickly debunks their claims and points out them as being erroneous and clearly false.

Born in Blood is well researched, interesting, and even entertaining. After publishing his work, Robinson went on to become a Freemason himself and was later honored for his Historical contributions to Freemasonry.

Buy John Robinson's book: Born In Blood The Lost Secrets Of Freemasonry

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Was Billy Graham A Freemason

2010-10-03T01:36:00.009-07:00

The Reverend Billy Graham is not a freemason. The following correspondence to a reader of the Cutting Edge Ministry makes this very clear:

Subject: Freemason
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 97 11:23:21 -0500
From: dkinde@graham-assn.org (Don Kinde)
Thank you for your e-mail message. We understand your concern about rumors that Mr. Graham is in some way associated with Freemasonry. The reports are erroneous — though we continue to hear them. Mr. Graham is not, has not been and does not expect ever to be involved in Freemasonry. Your help in keeping the record as accurate as possible would be much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Don Kinde
Christian Guidance Department
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

One possible source of this rumour was Composite Lodge No. 595’s website in Santa Monica, California, USA. The brother maintaining the site reproduced a list of famous freemasons that mistakenly included the Reverend Billy Graham’s name. Once the error was brought to his attention, the list was amended on December 28, 1996. Other masonic websites unwittingly reproduced the list and several years passed before most, if not all of them, were corrected.
The late Jim Shaw claimed that Billy Graham was present when he was made a 33rd Degree freemason. This is only one of Shaw’s many lies exposed in such publications as Is it True What They Say About Freemasonry?
On 13 June, 1997 anti-mason and fundamentalist Christian, Steve Van Nattan went on a syndicated Christian Fundamentalist radio talk show, "The Cutting Edge," to announce his "proof" that Graham was not only a freemason but that the freemasons were trying to hide his membership. The Cutting Edge Ministry subsequentially accepted the denial issued by Billy Graham’s office.

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The Master Masons Handbook

2010-10-03T01:36:00.007-07:00

Book: The Master Masons Handbook by John Sebastian Marlowe Ward

THE third degree in Freemasonry is termed the Sublime Degree and the title is truly justified. Even in its exoteric aspect its simple, yet dramatic, power must leave a lasting impression on the mind of every Candidate its esoteric meaning contains some of the most profound spiritual instruction which it is possible to obtain to-day.

As in my previous books, I freely confess that I have not covered the whole ground. Not only would it be impossible to do so in a book of this size, but in so doing I should have defeated one of my principal objects in writing namely, to
inspire others to study for themselves and endeavor to find in our ceremonies further and deeper meanings.

The success of the earlier books shows clearly that my efforts have not been in vain, and that the brethren are more than anxious to fathom the inner meaning of the ceremonies we all love so well. This book completes the series dealing
with the meaning of the three craft degrees, but their popularity has convinced me that the experiment of producing a small and inexpensive handbook has been completely justified. I have therefore been encouraged to write further
volumes, and the next of the series will be an outline history of Freemasonry " from time Immemorial."

The success of the first edition of this book has necessitated a second wherein I have corrected a few printing errors and added a few points which may help my brother students.

From the number of letters I have received from all parts of the world, thanking me for the light these books throw on the meaning of our ceremonies, it is clear that the new members who are entering our Order are tending to take an
increasing interest in the meaning of our Rites and are no longer content to regard the Ceremonies merely as a pastime for an idle hour.

Download John Sebastian Marlowe Ward's eBook: The Master Masons Handbook

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Compte Saint Germain And Secret Societies

2010-10-03T01:36:00.005-07:00

Secret societies were the fashion in pre-revolutionary France, and some of them recognized Saint-Germain as an 'adept' one who knew the ancient wisdoms hinted at in the rites of the Freemasons, Rosicrucians and Knights Templars.

He influenced Freemasonry and the secret societies, though many modern masons have denied this and have even omitted to mention him as a great source of inspiration.

In Vienna he took part in the foundation of the Society of Asiatic Brothers and of the Knights of Light, who studied alchemy; and it was he who gave Mesmer his fundamental ideas on personal magnetism and hypnotism. It is said that he initiated Cagliostro, who visited him on several occasions in Holstein to receive directions from him, though there is no direct evidence for this. The two men were to be far separated from one another by opposite currents and a different fate.

All over the country secret societies sprang up. The new spirit manifested itself in the form of associations. Neither the nobility nor the clergy escaped what had become a fashion.

There were lodges for women, and the Princesse de Lamballe became grand mistress of one of them.

In Germany there were the Illuminati and the Knights of Strict Observance, and Frederick II, when he came to the throne, founded the sect of the Architects of Africa.

In France, the Order of the Templars was reconstituted, and Freemasonry, whose grand master was the Duke de Chartres, increased the number of its lodges in every town. Martinez de Pasqually taught his philosophy at Marseilles, Bordeaux and Toulouse; and Savalette de Lange, with mystics such as Court de Gebelin and Saint-Martin, founded the lodge of the Friends Assembled.

The initiates of these sects understood that they were the depositories of a heritage that they did not know, but whose boundless value they guessed; it was to be found somewhere, perhaps in traditions, perhaps in a book written by a master, perhaps in themselves. They spoke of this revealing word, this hidden treasure it was said to be in the hands of "unknown superiors of these sects, who would one day disclose the wealth which gives freedom and immortality."

It was this immortality of the spirit that Saint-Germain tried to bring to a small group of chosen initiates. He believed that this minority, once it was developed itself, would, in its turn, help to develop another small number, and that a vast spiritual radiation would gradually descend, in beneficent waves, towards the more ignorant masses. It was a sage's dream, which was never to be realized.

With the co-operation of Savalette de Lange, who was the nominal head, he founded the group of Philalethes, or truth-lovers, which was recruited from the cream of the Friends Assembled. The Prince of Hesse, Condorcet, and Cagliostro were all members of this group. Saint-Germain expounded his philosophy at Ermenonville and in Paris, in the rue Platriere. It was a Platonic Christianity, which combined Swedenborg's visions with Martinez de Pasqually's theory of reintegration. There were to be found in it Plotinus' emanations and the hierarchy of successive planes described by Hermeticists and modem theosophists. He taught that man has in him infinite possibilities and that, from the practical point of view, he must strive unceasingly to free himself of matter in order to enter into communication with the world of higher intelligences.

He was understood by some. In two great successive assemblies, at which every Masonic lodge in France was represented, the Philalethes attempted the reform of Freemasonry. If they had attained their aim, if they had succeeded in directing the great force of Freemasonry by the prestige of their philosophy, which was sublime and disinterested, it may be that the course of events would have been altered, that the old dream of a world guided by philosopher-initiates would have been realized.

But matters were to turn out differently. Old causes, created by accumulated injustices had paved the way for terrible effects. These effects were in their turn to create the causes of future evil. The chain of evil, linked firmly together by men's egoism and hatred, was not to be broken. The light kindled by a few wise visionaries, a few faithful watchers over the well being of their brothers, was extinguished almost as soon as it was kindled.

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Cracking The Freemasons Code The Truth About Solomon Key And The Brotherhood

2010-10-03T01:36:00.003-07:00

Book: Cracking The Freemasons Code The Truth About Solomon Key And The Brotherhood by Robert Cooper

One word to sum up this book. Excellent!!! Freemasons, buy this book! You will not be disappointed. Scottish Freemason, Brother Cooper, offers an easily read education on Freemasonry from a very unique Scottish perspective. It is so darn good and you can sense the author's love and passion for the Craft within it's pages is genuine. Brother Cooper talks about the first Freemasons; the transition from Operative to Speculative Masonry; the differences between Scottish, English, Irish and American Freemasonry; a little known major impact of Scottish Masonry on American Masonry; the future of Freemasonry; Neoplatonism and Freemasonry; the Art of memory and Freemasonry; Greek and Roman influences within Freemasonry; the symbolism of Freemasonry; ETC..., but perhaps the most important is; THE OLDEST ritual OF FREEMASONRY IN THE WORLD TODAY!

In Cracking the Freemasons Code Cooper explains the structure of the Masonic interculture, its connections to covert organizations, the identities of historical Masonic members (who include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), the locations of famous Masonic sites, and much more.

Readers will discover the true role Freemasonry has played throughout history, its purposes, the functions of its many members, and the way in which it has helped shape our modern society. Laying out the symbolism, beliefs, and ethos of a Mason, Cooper addresses the considerable amounts of controversy surrounding those practices. His book includes never-before- published images and seldom-seen documents to give readers a privileged view of this elect brotherhood.

Bob Cooper is a good friend and an excellant writer. There is not to many people more knolegable on the history of Freemasony than Bob Cooper. This is an great book if you want the provable REAL history of the lodge. No matter your level of knowledge or time in the Craft, this book is for you and you will find Brother Cooper's Masonic scholarship is a match for your own! Buy it and read it. Now!!! By doing so you will stay one step ahead of the game regarding Anti-masons and be able to SHARE REAL KNOWLEDGE with your less informed brethren. Bravo to Brother Cooper for a book that is such a Masonic Treasure. Most highly recommended.

Buy Robert Cooper's book: Cracking The Freemasons Code The Truth About Solomon Key And The Brotherhood

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Catholic Freemasonry

2010-10-03T01:36:00.001-07:00

Opus Dei membership is no bar to office, says SNP's Kerr

THE SNP's candidate for the forthcoming Glasgow North-East by-election has confirmed he is a member of the controversial Catholic organisation Opus Dei, but argued that his religious beliefs should not be a factor in the forthcoming poll.

Former BBC journalist David Kerr, chosen as the party's candidate on Friday, said it was "preposterous and deeply prejudiced" to argue that somebody of his religious beliefs should be "debarred" from running for public office. He said his religious views were now an "open book".

Opus Dei, made famous by Dan Brown's best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, has earned a controversial tag over its alleged secretiveness, with critics accusing it of being a form of Catholic Freemasonry.

Translated as "Work of God", members are encouraged to live out the Church's teaching through their professional work, in whatever form that takes. The organisation is a strong advocate of Catholic moral values on issues such as abortion and contraception.

A National Secular Society spokesman said: "The concern for voters would be that such a person would have their allegiance to the Church and not to the SNP. It is one thing to bring your religious beliefs to politics, but it is another to bring the dogmas of a right-wing Catholic organisation. That would be the worry for voters."

Kerr was finally selected as the SNP candidate following a protracted process that saw two other candidates pull out, one following claims over his finances. Kerr faces a huge Labour majority in the seat, left vacant by the decision of former Speaker Michael Martin to stand down.

Kerr said:

"I have always been open about my faith and the fact that I am a practising Catholic. I don't think that should debar somebody from running for public office. It seems a suggestion that is preposterous and deeply prejudiced. The question was never asked about Michael Martin.

"This area has been served by Catholics for generations. Their ability to represent has never been called into question." Asked about his views on abortion, he said: "I'm not here to talk about theology. The Catholic Church's view is well known."

Kerr called on Labour to call the by-election immediately so it could be held at the beginning of August. Labour has indicated that it plans to wait until November to hold the vote.

However, Scotland on Sunday can reveal that senior Labour figures are taking soundings this weekend to call the election immediately.

Deputy leader Harriet Harman and general secretary Ray Collins are holding discussions within the party with a view to calling the by-election later this week.

They believe that with the Nationalist campaign having got off to a rocky start, following the departure of its first two candidates, there is an opportunity to seize the moment. A party spokesman said yesterday that no decision had been taken, but that Labour "had a short campaign in the bag ready to go".

Martin stood down in June, following the MPs' expenses affair. Labour will have to decide the by-election date by Tuesday, when the House of Commons rises for the summer.

If Labour were to press ahead this week, the by-election would have to take place within 21 days. If it were held on a Thursday, that would mean the latest date would be 6 August, when the schools are still on holiday.

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Isaak Newton And The Rosicrucians

2010-09-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the movement which most influenced Isaac Newton was Rosicrucianism. Though the Rosicrucian movement had caused a great deal of excitement within Europe's scholarly community during the early seventeenth century, by the time Newton had reached maturity the movement had become less sensationalized. However, the Rosicrucian movement still would have a profound influence upon Newton, particularly in regard to his alchemical work and Philosophical thought.

The Rosicrucian belief in being specially chosen for the ability to communicate with angels or spirits is echoed in Newton's prophetic beliefs. Additionally, the Rosicrucians proclaimed to have the ability to live forever through the use of the elixir vitae and the ability to produce limitless amounts of gold from the use of The Philosopher's Stone, which they claimed to have in their possession. Like Newton, the Rosicrusians were deeply religious, avowedly Christian, anti-Catholic, and highly politicised. Isaac Newton would have a deep interest in not just their alchemical pursuits, but also their belief in esoteric truths of the ancient past and the belief in enlightened individuals with the ability to gain insight into nature, the physical universe, and the spiritual realm.

At the time of his death, Isaac Newton had 169 books on the topic of alchemy in his personal library, and was believed to have considerably more books on this topic during his Cambridge years, though he may have sold them before moving to London in 1696. For its time, his was considered one of the finest alchemical libraries in the world. In his library, Newton left behind a heavily annotated personal copy of "The Fame and Confession of the Fraternity R.C.", by Thomas Vaughan which represents an English Translation of The Rosicrucian Manifestos. Newton also possessed copies of "Themis Aurea" and "Symbola Aurea Mensae Duodecium" by the learned alchemist Michael Maier, both of which are significant early books about the Rosicrucian movement. These books were also extensively annotated by Newton.

Newton's ownership of these materials by no means denotes membership within any early Rosicrucian order. Furthermore, considering that his personal alchemical investigations were focused upon discovering materials which the Rosicrucians professed to already be in possession of long before he was born, would seem to exclude Newton from their membership. During his own life, Newton was openly accused of being a Rosicrucian, as were many members of The Royal Society.[22] Though it is not known for sure if Isaac Newton was in fact a Rosicrucian, and he never publicly identified himself as one, from his writings it does appear that he may have shared many of their sentiments and beliefs.

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Was Aleister Crowley A Freemason

2010-09-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Crowley was initiated into an irregular lodge in Mexico. He had only four contacts with regular freemasonry, was never active as a freemason, was never recognized as a freemason by any regular body of Freemasonry, and had no impact on Freemasonry.

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Who Discovered Designed Or Invented Masonry

2010-09-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

No one man, any more than any one man discovered, designed or invented democracy, or philosophy, or science, or any one government. Freemasonry is the result of growth. Many Masons had a part in it; it has taken to itself teachings from many religions, philosophies, systems of knowledge, symbols.

The most generally accepted orthodox belief as to those who "began" Freemasonry is that the Craft is a descendant of Operative Masons. These Operatives inherited from unknown beginnings, of which there may have been several and were probably many, practices and some form of ritual. Speculative Masonry, reaching back through Operative Masonry, touches hands with those who followed unknown religions in which, however, many of the Speculative principles must have been taught by the use of symbols as old as mankind and therefore universal, and not the product of any one people or time.

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What Are A Master Wages

2010-09-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

According to the ritual, corn, wine and oil are symbolic of the payment a Freemason earns today by "good work, true work, square work." "A Master's Wages" may be the same, may be different, for every brother. They are the friendships formed through Freemasonry; the consciousness of unselfish work; taking part in movements and actions for the betterment of the condition of neighbors; inherent in learning and in making it possible for other men to learn that men of widely different beliefs, convictions, circumstances, education, skills and character may live and work, play and love together in peace and happiness. A Master's Wages are intangible, but the more real because any brother may earn as much as he will.

"I worked for menial's wages Only to learn, dismayed
Any wage I asked of lodge, Lodge would have paid."

This is a paraphrase indicating that there is no limit to the Master's Wages any brother may receive, except that which he may put upon himself.

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Did Highranking Freemason Albert Pike Found The Ku Klux Klan

2010-09-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

No.

There is no Documentation or record that would suggest that masonic author, Albert Pike, was ever a member of the Ku Klux Klan, much less a founder or leader.
The 19th century Ku Kux Klan was originally organized by six Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the spring of 1866. It obligated members only to "have fun, make mischief and play pranks on the public." It was structured into a vehicle for Southern white resistance to Radical Reconstruction at a convention in Nashville, Tennessee in April of 1867 under the leadership of George Gordon. Several weeks later Nathan Bedford Forrest was offered the position of Grand Wizard.

On August 28, 1868 Forrest granted an interview to a reporter from the Cincinnati Commercial, in which he confirmed the existence of the Klan, declared his sympathy and cooperation with them, but denied his membership. In January 1869 Forrest issued "General Order Number One", the only directive to come from Imperial Headquarters, ordering the group be disbanded. Local branches remained active, prompting the U.S. Congress to pass the Force Act of 1870 and the Ku Klux Act in 1871. By the time the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Klan unconstitutional in 1882, it had practically disappeared as an organization although independent acts of violence were to continue under the banners of the American Protective Association and the Whitecap movement, among others. The growth, decline and Transformation of the 20th century Klan has no connection with the original Klan, other than the name.

Confederate Lieutenant General and the Klan’s first (and only) Grand Wizard, Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877), was an Entered Apprentice of Angorona Lodge No. 168 in Memphis, Tennessee. There is no record of his having progressed further or having been active in Freemasonry. Not having received the Master Mason degree, under the rules of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, he would not have been considered a freemason.

Although 1915 Klan organizer Colonel William Joseph Simmons was a freemason, he was also a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, and eight other lodges. He was never a Grand Lodge or lodge officer in Freemasonry. There is no available documentation that Edward Young Clarke or David Curtis Stephenson were freemasons.

As a counterpoint, note that famous slavery abolitionist, John Brown was at one time an active freemason, while the two major proponents of the Ku Klux Act, Benjamin F. Butler and John Scott were also active freemasons. As always, it should be stressed that regular Freemasonry is not concerned with politics, leaving its members to act as their conscience dictates.

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Is Freemasonry A Religion Or Has It A Religion

2010-09-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

No, to both questions. "A" religion connotes some particular religion. Freemasonry is nonsectarian. Before its Altar Christian, Jew, Mohammedan, Buddist, Gentile, Confucian, may kneel together. If the question be phrased "Is Freemasonry religious" then the obvious answer is that an institution "erected to God" which begins its Ceremonies and ends its meeting with prayer; which has a Holy Book upon its Altar; which preaches the fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man, of course, has a religious character, although, let it be emphasized again, wholly nonsectarian.

All Grand Lodges require their initiates to express a belief and trust in God. No atheist can be made a Mason.

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Founding Fathers Secret Societies Freemasons Illuminati Rosicrucians

2010-09-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Book: Founding Fathers Secret Societies Freemasons Illuminati Rosicrucians by Robert Hieronimus

I loved this book! I've always been curious about the eye in the triangle over the pyramid, but all the books by conspiracy writers who say it's a negative symbol proving our founding fathers were Satanists just didn't ring true to me. I knew I'd seen this symbol in churches and other traditions, but it was not until Robert Hieronimus's book that I finally understood why so many secret societies have used these symbols as talismans to promote growth experiences. This is the only book I've ever read that shows the multi-dimensional levels of Interpretations to these (and all) symbols. By decoding the psychological meanings of our nation's Great Seal, Hieronimus is rejuvenating hope for our country.

An exploration of the influence of secret societies on the formative documents and symbols of the United States

- Reveals the Founding Fathers’ Spiritual Vision for America as encoded in the Great Seal
- Traces the influence of the Iroquois League of Nations upon the Constitution
- Exposes the deep connections the Founding Fathers had with the Freemasons and other secret societies

All children growing up in America learn who the Founding Fathers were. Most, however, never learn of the founders’ connections to the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, and other Esoteric Orders. In Founding Fathers, Secret Societies Robert Hieronimus investigates these important connections and how their influence can be traced throughout our most significant national documents and symbols, especially the Great Seal. He reveals in detail how the reverse of the Great Seal--which appears on the back of the one-dollar bill--is a blueprint that conveys the secret destiny of America. By understanding the kabbalistic meaning of the Great Seal’s reverse, he shows how our current era presents unique opportunities for the fulfillment of our Founding Fathers’ spiritual vision.

This book is a multidimensional discourse on the founding of a Nation whose history is veiled and obscured intentionally in secrecy. The author presents facts about the contributions of indigenous people in the founding of this Nation not told on any level of formal education. The author mentions there were Masonic symbols found in the wilderness of North America where no white man had ever ventured. These symbols were thought to be centuries old. By reading this book one can better figure how America fits into the national & international landscape from the very beginning. I like how the author breaks down the personal charts of the founders Franklin, Washington etc. Not a conspiracy book at all. I found it hard to put down once I started it. The notes and bibliography presents a vast amount of material for further research. I would highly recommend this book to the real seeker of truth, not for those who can not handle the truth. A good companion to this book would be "The Huevolution of Sacred Muur Science Past and Present" by Noble Timothy Myers-El

Buy Robert Hieronimus's book: Founding Fathers Secret Societies Freemasons Illuminati Rosicrucians

Downloadable books (free):

Diane Morgan - Gemlore Ancient Secrets And Modern Myths From The Stone Age To The Rock Age
William Butler Yeats - The Secret Rose And Rosa Alchemica
Anonymous - Rituals Of The Societas Rosicrucianis In Anglia
Hermes Trismegistus - Book Vii His Secret Sermon Of Regeneration

The Real History Of The Rosicrucians

2010-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Book: The Real History Of The Rosicrucians by Arthur Edward Waite

This is Arthur Edward Waite's study of the elusive Rosicrucians, a secret society of which the first public notice was in early 17th century Germany. Was this an actual organization, or just a fantasy? No actual Rosicrucians ever surfaced, but there was plenty of documentation about them. The problem is that these documents are, for the most part, obviously fictional. In time, a mythology grew up around the Rosicrucians. Today there are groups which claim the name. These date at the most to the late 19th century, although they usually claim pro forma to go back as far as Egypt or Atlantis. The Rosicrucians have also been woven by conspiracy theorists into their web alongside the Freemasons, Illuminati, Templars, and so on, even though there is not a shred of evidence for this.

Waite presents complete translations of all of the texts which defined the Rosicrucians, including the Fama Fraternitatis, the Confessio Fraternitatis, and the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz. The longest text, the Chemical Wedding is a fever-dream which is a thinly veiled alchemical allegory. The authorship of these documents is disputed, but it may have been written by Johann Valentin Andreas, a German theologian and writer. Waite also surveys Rosicrucian literature from successive centuries, including extensive quotes from authors who wrote about the Rosicrucians such as Michael Maier, Robert Fludd, Thomas Vaughan and John Heydon. Heydon wrote Voyage to the Land of the Rosicrucians, reminiscent of Thomas More's Utopia, about a voyage to an obscure continent inhabited by Rosicrucians, included here in its entirety.

All in all, this serves both as a survey of the literature about Rosicrucians and an invaluable anthology of that literature. Waite, although he had a solid background in the occult, is in a firmly rationalist mode in this book. The Real History will be of use to both academic and general readers, and makes fascinating reading. --J.B. Hare

Buy Arthur Edward Waite's book: The Real History Of The Rosicrucians

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Arthur Edward Waite - The Real History Of The Rosicrucians Part Iii
Arthur Edward Waite - The Real History Of The Rosicrucians Part Iv
Arthur Edward Waite - The Real History Of The Rosicrucians Part I

The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise Planetary Talismanic Magic

2010-08-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Book: The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise Planetary Talismanic Magic by Steven Ashe

The Planetary Magic of the Picatrix. Very rare teaching volume of the Fraternity of the Sanctum Regnum. A complete grimoire of Planetary Magic from The Picatrix. The elements of the practical planetary magic of The Picatrix are presented here from a new translation. The Nature and theory of the Planetary powers. The Incenses of the Planets and accompanying Invocations The Invocations of the Planetary powers according to the Picatrix. The knowledge and conversation of the heavenly powers. The Planetary aphorisms of Al-Babel The planets and their astral images. This work creates a practical grimoire of planetary magic selected from all four books of the Picatrix.

Each aspect of lore is referenced according to its place within the original text. This version takes into account the colloquialisms of the Arabic original and improves upon extant translations. From the Magical curriculum of the Fraternity of the Sanctum Regnum.

Picatrix is a grimoire (grammar) of the Art of Magic & Astrological Lore written around 1200 A.D. offering talismanic and Astrological guidance. The Picatrix was a primary source for 'alchemic scholars' such as Michael Scot. The book had a major influence on later West European magical thinking from Marsilio Ficino in the 1400s, Cornelius Agrippa, Thomas Campanella, Dr John Dee and Paracelsus in addition to the anonymous authors of magical grammars such as the Key of Solomon. The edition in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman, Richard Napier, Elias Ashmole and William Lilly. Presented in the original Arabic, the talismanic property of this work will be of interest to specialist collectors of seminal grimoires & Golden Dawn source works. Reproduced in the original authentic Arabic.

Buy Steven Ashe's book: The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise Planetary Talismanic Magic

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Eliphas Levi - The Doctrine Of Transcendental Magic
Eliphas Levi - The Ritual Of Transcendental Magic
William Kiesel - Picatrix Ghayat Al Hakim The Goal Of The Wise Vol I
William Kiesel - Picatrix Ghayat Al Hakim The Goal Of The Wise Vol Ii
Steven Ashe - The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise Planetary Talismanic Magic

Is A 33 Freemason More Important Than A 3 Freemason

2010-08-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

No.

There are three degrees in Freemasonry: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. Some jurisdictions recognize a fourth degree as completing the third degree, while the Swedish Rite confers ten degrees.

Individual lodges elect their "Master" for a one or two year term, individual Grand Lodges elect their "Grand Master" for a similar term of office, but these are not degrees. What are called appendant or concordant bodies confer Additional or "side" degrees that have no bearing on or authority over regular Freemasonry. [With the exception of a few jurisdictions such as the Grand East of the Netherlands and the National Grand Lodge of Sweden.] The most important concept to note is that Freemasons meet as equals, "on the level".

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Tobias Johansson - The Crucible And The Reasons For The Salem Witch Hunt
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Aleister Crowley - Freemason Letter On Crowley Status
Anonymous - A True Relation Of The Araignment Of Thirty Witches
Albert Mackey - History Of Freemasonry Vol I Prehistoric Masonry

Women In Freemasonry

2010-08-21T04:24:00.001-07:00

The position of women within Freemasonry is complex. Traditionally, only men could be made Freemasons. In Britain and France, and most other countries, women generally join "co-Masonic" Lodges, such as those under the international jurisdiction Le Droit Humain (LDH), which admit both men and women, or they join Lodges under local jurisdictions that admit only women. In North America, it is more common for women not to become Freemasons per se, but to join an associated body with its own, separate traditions, the Order of the Eastern Star (OES), which admits only male Freemasons and their female relatives. In the Netherlands, there is a completely separate, although allied, sorority for women, the Order of Weavers (OOW), which uses symbols from weaving rather than stonemasonry.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism
Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry
Arthur Edward Waite - The Templar Orders In Freemasonry
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

The Two Great Schisms Of Freemasonry

2010-08-20T04:24:00.003-07:00

The PGLE (Premier Grand Lodge of England), along with those jurisdictions with which it was in amity, later came to be known colloquially as the "Moderns", to distinguish them from a newer, rival group of Freemasonry, known as the "Antients." The Antients broke away and formed their own Grand Lodge in 1753, prompted by the PGLE's making changes to the secret modes of recognition. Tensions between the two groups were very high at times. Benjamin Franklin was a "Modern" and a deist, for instance, but by the time he died, his Lodge had gone "Antient", and would no longer recognize him as one of their own, declining even to give him a Masonic funeral (see "Revolutionary Brotherhood", by Steven C. Bullock, Univ. N. Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1996).

The schism was healed in the years following 1813, when the competing Grand Lodges were amalgamated, by virtue of a delicately worded compromise which left English Masonry clearly not Christian, returned the modes of recognition to their pre-1753 form, kept Freemasonry per se as consisting of three degrees only, but which was ambiguously worded so as to allow the Moderns to think of the Antient Royal Arch degree as an optional higher degree, while still allowing the Antients to view it as the completion of the third degree (see [1] (http://freemasonry.org/psoc/pragmatic.htm)).

Because both the Antients and the Moderns had "daughter" Lodges throughout the world, and because many of those Lodges still exist, there is a great deal of variability in the ritual used today, even between UGLE-recognized jurisdictions. Most Lodges conduct their Work in accordance with an agreed-upon single "Rite," such as the "York Rite" (which is popular in the United States), or the "Canadian Rite" (which is, in some ways, a concordance between the Rites used by the "Antients" and "Moderns").

The second great schism in Freemasonry occurred in the years following 1877, when the GOdF started accepting atheists unreservedly. While the issue of atheism is probably the greatest single factor in the split with the GOdF, the English also point to the French recognition of women's Masonry and co-Masonry, as well as the tendency of French Masons to be more willing to discuss religion and politics in Lodge. While the French curtail such discussion, they do not ban it as outright as do the English (see [2] (http://bessel.org/masrec/france.htm)). The schism between the two branches has occasionally been breached for short periods of time, especially during the First World War when American Masons overseas wanted to be able to visit French Lodges (see [3] (http://www.bessel.org/recfranc.htm)).

Concerning religious requirements, the oldest constitution of Freemasonry (that of Anderson, 1723) says only that a Mason "will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine" if he "rightly understands the Art". The only religion required was "that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves" ([4] (http://www.2be1ask1.com/library/anderson.html)). Masons disagree as to whether "stupid" and "irreligious" are meant as necessary or as accidental modifiers of "atheist" and "libertine". It is possible the ambiguity is intentional. In 1815, the newly amalgamated UGLE changed Anderson's constitutions to include more orthodox overtones: "Let a man's religion or mode of worship be what it may, he is not excluded from the Order, provided he believes in the glorious Architect of heaven and earth, and practices the sacred duties of morality." The English enforce this with a requirement for belief in a Supreme Being, and in his revealed will. While these requirements can still be interpreted in a non-theistic manner, they made it more difficult for unorthodox believers to enter the fraternity.

In 1849, the GOdF followed the English lead by adopting the "Supreme Being" requirement, but there was increasing pressure in Latin countries to openly admit atheists. There was an attempt at a compromise in 1875, by allowing the alternative phrase "Creative Principle" (which was less theistic-sounding than "Supreme Being"), but this was ultimately not enough for the GOdF, and in 1877 they went back to having no religious entrance requirements, adopting the original Anderson document of 1723 as their official Constitutions. They also created a modified ritual that made no direct verbal reference to the G.A.O.T.U. (although, as a symbol, it was arguably still present). This new Rite did not replace the older ones, but was added as an alternative (European jurisdictions in general tend not to restrict themselves to a single Rite, like most North American jurisdictions, but offer a menu of Rites, from which their Lodges can choose.)

Books You Might Enjoy:

Henry Cornelius Agrippa - Of Geomancy
Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

The Morality Argument Of Masonry

2010-08-20T04:24:00.001-07:00

The first conclusion is that Atheists are incapable of following God’s Moral Law, and they are therefore incapable of meeting on the Square. The most often-quoted example of this comes from James Anderson in his Constitutions of Free-Masons (p. 50): “A Ma?on is oblig’d, by his Tenure, to obey the moral Law; and if he rightly under?tands the Art, he will never be a ?tupid Athei?t, nor an irregular Libertine.” Can Atheists follow moral law? Again, from an areligious perspective, an Atheist can hold the same values that a non-Atheist holds, but for different reasons. A religious man may hold moral law to be a sacred or divine teaching, whereas a man without religion may believe that “doing good” is beneficial to himself and all of humanity, though not link it to God. Therefore, Atheists are capable of reaching the same end, that of acting uprightly, though they may have used different means to arrive at their conclusion.

If Atheists can practice brotherly love, relief, and truth, then why deny them admittance to our Order? Paton (p.154) suggests that the Atheist “… acknowledges no relation to God which should lead to fear, or hope, or love, or obedience. To him, as to the most absolute speculative atheist, the moral law is nothing.” Paton suggests that following moral law is but a whim, a fleet of fancy which may be turned upon because a man who does not fear God has no reason to remain moral. Perhaps the best example of this philosophy was given by Albert Pike (ch. 23):

The intellect of the Atheist would find matter everywhere; but no Causing and Providing Mind: his moral sense would find no Equitable Will, no Beauty of Moral Excellence, no Conscience enacting justice into the unchanging law of right, no spiritual Order or spiritual Providence, but only material Fate and Chance. His affections would find only finite things to love; and to them the dead who were loved and who died yesterday, are like the rainbow that yesterday evening lived a moment and then passed away. His soul, flying through the vast Inane, and feeling the darkness with its wings, seeking the Soul of all, which at once is Reason, Conscience, and the Heart of all that is, would find no God, but a universe all disorder; no Infinite, no Reason, no Conscience, no Heart, no Soul of things; nothing to reverence, to esteem, to love, to worship, to trust in; but only an Ugly Force, alien and foreign to us, that strikes down those we love, and makes us mere worms on the hot sand of the world. No voice would speak from the Earth to comfort him.

Paton adds the idea that Masons believe in a “Future State,” which he defines loosely as rewards and punishments to be given in the next life or in the afterlife. In this case, Paton makes the point that without a belief in a Supreme Being or the afterlife, there is no immortal consequence to breaking moral law. This has historically been a key reason for denying Atheists positions in Masonry—they cannot be trusted to maintain morality. Although it is true that Atheists have no belief in immortal consequences, good men tend to be good men; using this as the only argument to keep Atheists out of Masonry is hardly sufficient.

The other perspective often repeated in Masonic literature dealing with the subject of Atheists is that those who do not believe in a Grand Architect are somehow baser than those of us who do believe. The effect of allowing Atheists entry into Masonry

would be to lessen confidence and weaken friendship, and no obligation would be regarded as binding among men … Mankind would give way to the most unrestrained, cruel, and base passions of their worst natures. The very foundations of good order would be subverted, and society would soon degenerate into a state of anarchy. (Ernst, p. 69-70)

This is an even more prejudiced view than the view that Atheists cannot be trusted to uphold moral law, though there are connections between them. Anderson’s reference to Atheists as “stupid” (meaning base, not of lower intelligence), implies the belief that non-believers are less of men. This, in addition to the aforementioned arguments, makes up the bulk of the arguments opposing the Atheist’s admission to the Lodge.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Phil Hine - Aspects Of Tantra
Anonymous - The Emerald Tablet Of Hermes
Henry Cornelius Agrippa - Of Geomancy
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

The Masonic Connection To The Ancient Babylonian Mystery Religion

2010-08-19T04:24:00.003-07:00

There is a direct connection between Freemasonry and the ancient Babylonian mystery religion from which the ancient pagan religions of Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome eventually developed. It all goes back to a man named Nimrod who the Freemasons view as the true originator of their Order. Nimrod was a great Mesopotamian king who founded the city of Babylon and established the first great empire after Noah's flood. He is also traditionally associated with the Tower of Babel. According to tradition, Nimrod sought to turn men away from God by setting up a tyrannical government and setting up a new religion. In fact, the new religion centered around Nimrod and his wife Semiramis eventually evolved into Baal worship from which all the pagan religions of the Middle East and Europe later developed. Not only that, according to the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry: The legend of the Craft in the Old Constitutions, Nimrod is one of the founders of Masonry.

In fact initiates in at least some forms of Freemasonry are still required to take the "Oath of Nimrod" even today. The Spring 2006 issue of Freemasonry Today (a Masonic publication) tells us that the Oath of Nimrod is part of the initiation process for the "indentured apprentice".....

The candidate is led into the Lodge by the Deacons, and after prayer, is investigated prior to taking the initiatory oath called the ‘Oath of Nimrod’. Nimrod, of course, the grandson of Noah, is mentioned in the ‘Old Charges’ as a teacher of the masonic craft and the architect of many great cities in Mesopotamia. The working tools are explained, the Ancient Charges (c.1663) and modes of recognition are communicated, and a pale blue cord is placed around his neck. The ceremony of closing the Assemblage is completed with prayer and a ‘seven-fold salute’ to The Most High.

In his book entitled "The Arcana Of Freemasonry", Freemason scholar Albert Churchwood traces the origins and development of Freemasonry from ancient Egypt to the present day. In the book Churchwood actually includes the text of the "Oath of Nimrod" which new initiates must take.....

Oath of Nimrod

Apprentice Degree (1st).

I, _______, do in the presence of El Shaddai and of this Worshipful Assembly of Free Masons, Rough Masons, Wallers, Slaters, Paviors, Plaisterers and Bricklayers, promise and declare that I will not at any time hereafter, by any act or circumstance whatsoever, directly or indirectly, write, print, cut, mark, publish, discover, reveal, or make known, any part or parts of the Trade secrets, privileges, or counsells of the Worshipful Fraternity or Fellowship of Free Masonry, which I may have known at any time, or at any time hereafter shall be made known unto me.

The penalty for breaking this great oath shall be the loss of my life.

That I shall be branded with the mark of the Traitor and slain according to ancient custom by being throtalled, that my body shall be buried in the rough sands of the sea a cable’s length from the shore where the tide regularly ebbs and flows twice in the twenty-four hours, so that my soul shall have no rest by night or by day–

(Candidate Signs the O.B.)

While some Freemason apologists attempt to play down the influence of Nimrod on modern Masonry, the truth is that it is still very much there. In fact, another Masonic website that we discovered is very open about Nimrod's influence.....

"The universal sentiment of the Freemasons of the present day is to confer upon Solomon, the King of Israel, the honor of being their first Grand Master. But the legend of the Craft had long before, though there was a tradition of the Temple in existence, given, at least by suggestion, that title to Nimrod, the King of Babylonia and Assyria. It had credited the first organization of the fraternity of craftsmen to him, in saying that he gave a charge to the workmen whom he sent to assist the King of Nineveh in building his cities.

That is to say, he framed for them a Constitution, and, in the words of the legend, this was the first time that ever Masons had any charge of his science. It was the first time that the Craft was organized into a fraternity working under a Constitution of body of laws. As Nimrod was the autocratic maker of these laws, it necessarily resulted that their first legislator, creating laws with his unlimited and absolute governing power, was also their first Grand Master."

The truth is that Freemasonry has always very closely identified itself with the first great post-flood rebel against God. Nimrod was a tyrant and a purveyor of false religion. Elements of the religious system which Nimrod helped establish can be found in virtually every major world religion. Some of our most cherished "holiday traditions" can be directly traced back to ancient Babylon and to Nimrod. Once you learn to identify the elements of the ancient Babylonian mystery religion, you quickly recognize that they are virtually everywhere in the modern world.

From the very moment that initiates take the "Oath of Nimrod", Masons are plunged into a very powerful dark world based on the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. The truth is that Freemasonry does not have anything to do with the God of the Bible.

Instead, it has everything to do with the "New World Order" that Nimrod originally wanted and that Lucifer is still attempting to bring into existence today. Labels: New World Order

Your bases belong to us..

Books You Might Enjoy:

Solomonic Grimoires - The Testament Of Solomon
Robert Mathiesen - Magic In Slavia Orthodoxa The Written Tradition
Anonymous - Introduction To The Old Religion Lesson 8

The Egyptian Masonic Satanic Connection

2010-08-19T04:24:00.001-07:00

It probably all started with the women's movement, which gave society the message that victims of oppression need not be silent. They should be able to talk about what happened to them without being blamed for their perpetrators' transgressions. Many of the early feminists were focused on women's rights in society. Simultaneously, women all over the States also started remembering another form of violence.

In the 1970s and 80s, American women who were incest survivors started speaking out. No, they didn't seduce their fathers; they were raped. No, they didn't like it. Yes, they wish it had never happened. It scarred their lives. No, they didn't fantasize it. Their lucidity set the stage for our present decade of uncovering the hidden and naming abuses. In united voice, they contradicted the experts whose opinions joined with common "wisdom" over the centuries to sabotage truth and justice and blame innocent victims. They held self-support meetings so that survivors could share and validate one another. They wrote books on incest and produced art exhibits and theatre performances. They held "Take Back the Night" marches. National and local television talk shows started featuring incest survivors, or as they were called, incest victims. These shows reached millions of American homes and gave other silent or repressed survivors permission to remember and speak out.

At the same time, some, not all by any means, survivors of severe repressed trauma observed that they had divided parts within themselves, that different personas had different interests, manners, outlooks, personalities, functions. Professionals gave these survivors the diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder. As their treatment progressed, inevitably they discovered that some of the personas recalled severe sexual abuse at home, sometimes by multiple perpetrators.

As time went on, though this all happened very fast, some survivors remembered fathers and mothers raping and violating them, their brothers and sisters. Moreover, the rapes were not so secret as in families where there is incest by one parent only. Here there was open collusion. Sometimes known community members, including high up politicians and professionals, were remembered violating together. Survivors remembered that this violence occurred during rituals and ceremonies. Some, again not all, remembered religious overtones. They recalled that covens held these rituals, and that spiritual warring occurred during them. As soon as Satan was named, some churches became involved in the recovery process. Many churches continue to disbelieve this abuse exists.

Many survivors whom I have worked or spoken with observed that they had terrible reactions to their breakthrough memories, that after they had a memory, some became suicidal, felt that they were losing their minds or had other strange responses. Why should they suddenly feel so negative at the very moment of a leap into freedom? These reactions helped them and their therapists understand that this was not solely a phenomenon of physical and spiritual torture. An advanced scientific system of mind control was the main ingredient in satanic cult abuse.

People's recovery process deepened, and survivors and their therapists discovered more about imposed and natural disassociation and repression. Some survivors remembered that Masonic abuse also occurred. As each month goes on, more and more therapists and survivors are reporting this connection. Some remember their fathers taking them to Masonic meetings and rituals occurring on the characteristic black and white checkered floors. Other survivors have done art work describing their abuse, in which Masonic and satanic symbols are interwoven. Some of Ann-Marie Germain's conversations with her father, which support her memories of having been Masonically and satanically abused, were recently published in Margaret Smith's book ritual Abuse (HarperSanFrancisco, 1993).

David L. Carrico's The Egyptian - Masonic - Satanic Connection presents the characteristics of Masonic abuse. With Rick Doninger, he describes the characteristics of satanic abuse and demonstrates how they correspond. In addition, some of what he describes as Masonic practices are also reported by satanic cult survivors, such as the kissing of certain parts of the body described on page 126. The double subterranean level shown in the illustration on page 64 matches what some survivors have described as hidden ritual sites. The demonic presences described on page 137 reflects some satanic cult survivors' experiences. Another similarity is the extensive and exact use of hand signals and motions to communicate messages.

There's no precedent in history for understanding satanic cult abuse. It's not exposed like incest, alcoholism, the Holocaust, the mafia, what's happening in Bosnia or our ghettoes. We don't know about groups of people being mind controlled and living with no free will, but they have been with us for centuries. The Bible describes satanic practices but not mind control or the high tech electroshock programming that satanic cult survivors suffer. One of the many reasons people are so reluctant to believe Satanism exists is because they're not aware of a model for it in modern Western civilization. It's no accident that the Masonic connection to satanic cult abuse is slow to be revealed in survivors' memory process. The Masonic link brings survivors into the realm of the political world view that satanic cults have and how some world leaders may be involved in this exploitation.

David Carrico's work is one of the first attempts to set the foundation for understanding the interconnectedness of Satanism and Egyptian-Masonic abuse. This kind of historical exploration is needed to put today's world in perspective and help people understand the roots of current violence, conspiracy and destruction. The combination of personal testimonies and research has got to make a strong impact even on a sleepy, negligent society that is prone to denial. The information in this book is important.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Nathaniel Harris - Liber Satangelica
Vovim Baghie - The Grand Satanic Ritual
John Dee - The Hieroglyphic Monad Latin Version
Ea Wallis Budge - The Egyptian Heaven And Hell
John Dee - Enochian Magic Spanish Translation

The Connection Between Freemasonry And The Mystery Religions

2010-08-18T04:24:00.003-07:00

Excerpt from The Egyptian-Masonic-Satanic Connection by David L. Carrico

There is certainly no shortage of testimonies by Masonic authorities as to the relationship of Freemasonry and the Mystery Religions. According to Joseph Fort Newton, Masonry is the "spiritual descendant" of the Mysteries. Joseph Fort Newton was a 33" Mason who served as Past Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Iowa and Past Grand Prelate of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States. In his book, The Builders, he states:

Masonry stands in this tradition; and if we may not say that it is historically related to the great ancient orders, it is their spiritual descendant, and renders much the same ministry to our age which the Mysteries rendered to the olden world.

In his book, The Meaning of Masonry, W.L. Wilmshurst, the Past Provincial Grand Registrar (West Yorks) makes the following statement:

It remains with the Craft itself whether it shall enter upon its own heritage as a lineal successor of the ancient Mysteries and Wisdom--teaching, or whether, by failing so to do, it will undergo the inevitable fate of everything that is but a form from which its native spirit has departed.

The book, Freemasonry Its Hidden Meaning, by George H. Steinmetz, published by Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, calls the "teaching of the Mysteries, the true parent of Freemasonry" and states that Freemasonry is a descendent or reincarnation of the Mysteries.

It is entirely out of harmony with the profound teaching of the Mysteries, the true parent of Freemasonry.

If Freemasonry is the actual descendant or, if one prefers the term, reincarnation of the Mysteries, back of its "veil of allegory," then must be concealed a deeper truth than expounded in the various lectures of the degrees.

It is from this book, The Spirit of Masonry, by Foster Bailey, that we will take a quote concerning Masonry and the Mystery Religions. Bailey plainly says that Masonry is carrying on the work of the ancient Mystery schools.

Study of spiritual realities found in Masonry reveals that we have perpetuated and increasingly activated the essential principals of the ancient Mystery Schools which have existed from the very earliest times.

The Masonic authority, Albert Pike, also testifies to the relation of Freemasonry to the Mystery Religions.

The Mysteries, like the symbols of Masonry, were but an image of the eloquent analogies of Nature;......

Masonry, successor of the Mysteries, still follows the ancient manner of teaching. Her ceremonies are like the ancient mystic shows,--not the reading of an essay, but the opening of a problem, requiring research, and constituting philosophy the arch-expounder.

Freemason Albert Churchwood writes in his book about the connection between Freemasonry and the religion of Babylon:

But the secrets these operative Masons had were received from the Chaldean Magicians.

The next documentation, a Masonic oath, the OATH OF NIMROD, is also from Churchwood's book.

Oath of Nimrod

Apprentice Degree (1st).

I,...............................do , in the presence of El Shaddai and of this Worshipful Assembly of Free Masons, Rough Masons, Wallers, Slaters, Paviors, Plaisterers and Bricklayers, promise and declare that I will not at any time hereafter, by any act or circumstance whatsoever, directly or indirectly, write, print, cut, mark, publish, discover, reveal, or make known, any part or parts of the Trade secrets, privileges, or counsells of the Worshipful Fraternity or Fellowship of Free Masonry, which I may have known at any time, or at any time hereafter shall be made known unto me.

The penalty for breaking this great oath shall be the loss of my life.

That I shall be branded with the mark of the Traitor and slain according to ancient custom by being throtalled, that my body shall be buried in the rough sands of the sea a cable's length from the shore where the tide regularly ebbs and flows twice in the twenty-four hours, so that my soul shall have no rest by night or by day--

(Candidate Signs the O.B.)

Given under my hand and sealed with my lips, this day of 1913.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Robert Ellwood - The Encyclopedia Of World Religions
Wouter Hanegraaff - Dictionary Of Gnosis And Western Esotericism
Michael Ford - Luciferian Witchcraft The Mystery Revealed
Anonymous - Introduction To The Old Religion Lesson 7a
Anonymous - Introduction To The Old Religion Lesson 8

The Rosicrucian Order

2010-08-18T04:24:00.001-07:00

LAW ANNOUNCEMENT.
"THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER."
Curious Explanations In The Witness-Box.
Kings Bench Division. - Mr. Justice Scrutton and a Common Jury.

The hearing, begun on Tuesday, was concluded yesterday of an action for damages for alleged libel brought by Mr. George Cecil Jones, consulting chemist, of Great Tower Street, E.C., against the proprietors, editor, and printers of The Looking Glass, a weekly journal.
Counsel: For the plaintiff, Mr. Simmons; for the publishing company, Mr. Schiller; for the printers (Messrs. Love and Malcolmson), Mr. Rowlands. The editor, Mr. West de Wend Fenton, appeared in person.
The statements complained of were contained in a series of Articles which dealt chiefly with one Aleister Crowley and a connection with a sect styled the Rosicrucians Order. There was the statement, "By their friends ye shall know them." and a passage which stated that two of Crowley’s friends and introducers were still associated with him - "one the rascal sham Buddhist monk Allan Bennett . . . ; the other a person of the name George Cecil Jones."
The defendants said that the words complained of were not capable of bearing a defamatory meaning, and also pleaded fair comment.
The plaintiff in his evidence said he became acquainted with Crowley in 1898. He had never known or seen anything wrong in connection with him.

"MACGREGOR."

One of the witnesses called by the defense styled himself MacGregor, and his full name being desired he recited a list of Christian names and the surname Mathers. Crowley, he said, was expelled from the Rosicrucian Order in 1905 because he had circulated libel against the witness, who was head of the Order, and because he was working against the interests of the Order. Mr. Simmons, cross-examining, asked the witness whether his original name was not Samuel Liddell Mathers ?
The Witness : Undoubtedly.
Did you subsequently assume the name of MacGregor? - The name Mathers dates from 1603. At the time the name of MacGregor was forbidden on pain of death, and there is no single person of the name MacGregor at the present day who has not had another name in the interval.
Your name was MacGregor in 1603 ? (Laughter.) - Yes, if you like to put it in that way.
You have called yourself Count MacGregor of Glenstrae ? - Oh, yes.
The witness denied that he had asserted he was Cagliostro.
Have you ever suggested that you had any connection with King James IV of Scotland ? - Every Scotsman who dates from an ancient family must have had some connection with King James IV , as well as with the other Kings.
Have you ever asserted that King James IV of Scotland never died ? - That is a matter of common tradition. The old tradition of that nature in Scotland forms the basis of one of Allan Cunningham’s novels.
Do you assert that James IV of Scotland is in existence today ? - I refuse to answer your question.
And that his existence today is embodied in yourself ? - Certainly not. You are confusing me with Crowley’s aliases.
Do you believe that the Count de St.Germain is living ? - The witness referred counsel to traditions in the St.Germain family. Then we have two people who are supposed to be dead, and who are not dead ? - I am not responsible for traditions.
Mr. Justice Scrutton (to counsel) : The "Flying Dutchman" is a third, if you want to pursue this subject. (Laughter.)
The Witness : And "The Wandering Jew". (Laughter.)
Mr. Simmons (to the witness) : Have you any occupation ?
The Witness : This is as you like to take it. For a man of no occupation I am probably the most industrious man living. (Laughter.) The witness, further questioned, refused to say how many members the Order had; a great many; there were more than 200 with whom he was actually in touch. He was lead of the Order. There were secret chiefs. Counsel asked for the names of these chiefs.
The Witness : I am sworn not to give them. He added that he exercised the power of expulsion. He refused to say how many people he had expelled : he had expelled as many as fifteen at one time.
Mr. Justice Scrutton : This trial is getting very much like the trial in "Alice In Wonderland." (Laughter.) Mr. William Migge, a City merchant, said he attended the first of a series of performances given by Crowley. It was described in the Looking Glass as the proceedings of "the Amazing Sect." He paid £5 5s. for the series. He did not like the performances, and asked for the return of his money. The performances were supposed to be rites and rituals based on the mysticism and of the planetary spirits. The first performance had something to do with the planet Saturn. During part of the time the room was in darkness. Mr. Shiller : Was one of the characters taken by a lady called "The Mother Of Heaven" ? The Witness : Yes.
And another taken by a small girl called "The Daughter Of Heaven"? - I don’t recollect that. There was so much incense I couldn’t see much.
Cross-examined by Mr. Simmons, the witness said he was induced by a lady clairvoyant to attend the performance. What did you expect to get for your money? - Clairvoyant manifestations of some character. The witness said he did not expect to see - nor did he see - any improprieties.
MEMBER OF THE ORDER.

Dr. Berridge, practicing at Glouscester-terrace, Hyde Park, said he was a member of the Order. He heard rumours as to Crowley, which he did not want to state specifically, as there were ladies in the court. Mr. Justice Scrutton : Any ladies remaining here are probably beyond scruples of that sort.
After some further evidence, four questions were left to the jury, who by their answers, found that the words complained of as deflamatory statements were in fact substantially true, and that the statements so far as they consisted of opinions were fair comments on the facts; further, that the publication caused no damage to the plaintiff.
On these findings judgment was entered for the defendants. Solicitors : Bullock and Co., for the plaintiff; Mr. Gottlieb, for the defendant publishing company; White and Leonard, for the printers.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Arthur Edward Waite - The Hermetic And Rosicrucian Mystery
Hargrave Jennings - The Rosicrucians Their Rites And Mysteries
Max Heindel - The Rosicrucian Mysteries
John Dee - The Rosie Crucian Secrets

Secrets Of A Mystic Society

2010-08-18T00:03:00.003-07:00

Daily Express, 23rd March 1910.
DAILY EXPRESS
23rd March 1910.
SECRETS OF A MYSTIC SOCIETY.
ROSICRUCIAN ritual TO BE REVEALED.

In consequence of a decision of the Court of Appeal yesterday, the secrets, rituals, and ceremonies of the mystic "Rosicrucian Order of A.O." are to be disclosed today to an expectant public.
The order is a modern revival of the famous Rosicrucian Order, which is believed to have been founded in the thirteenth century, and which possessed so much influence in Germany. The present order was instituted in 1888 by Comte Liddell MacGregor, of The Avenue, Beckenham, who is it’s head; Dr. Wynn Westcott; and the late Dr. W. B. Woodman.
At the time of the breach of promise case, brought by Mrs. Eliza Dinah Shetheld - the daughter of a ship’s steward, who became a West-End hostess - in 1903 against the Marquis Townshend, it was stated that Mrs. Shetheld was the high priestess of the order.
The appeal yesterday was brought by Mr. Aleister Crowley, an expelled member of the order and editor of the "Equinox" magazine, who was recently ordered by Mr. Justice Buckmill not to publish the secrets of the order in a number of the "Equinox" to be issued today. Mr. Crowley contended that Comte MacGregor also obtained the injunction from Mr justice Buckmill, had no cause of action, and the view was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
JUDGES AMUSED.

Comte MacGregor is a man of remarkable appearance, with long grey hair. He showed signs of displeasure at the evident amusement of the judges when counsel read the following extracts from an affidavit made by him - I am the chief of the Rosicrucian Order. It is an order instituted in it’s modern form no less for the study of mystical philosophy and the mysteries of antiquity. The order is upon the lines of a well-known institution of Freemasonary.
The exclusive copyright of the rituals, ceremonies, and manuscripts of the order are vested in me. I being founder and chief of them and I claim such an interest in the same as will entitle me to restrain any enfringement of my rights therein.
On November 18 1888, Aleister Crowley, having duly qualified himself, signed the preliminary pledge form, to {unclear} required intending candidates for their signatures. {some words missing due to clarity of original document}. After compliance with the necessary signatures he became a member, and further ratified the obligation of his signed pledge form by a solemn obligation in open Temple of the Order.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Greg Wotton - Suffering A Thelemic Perspective
Phil Hine - Aspects Of Evocation
Aleister Crowley - Cocaine
Gerald Cremonensis - Astrological Geomancy
Aleister Crowley - One Star In Sight

Ritual And Symbols Of Freemasons

2010-08-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

The Freemasons rely heavily on the architectural symbolism of the Medieval "operative" Masons who actually worked in Rock stone. One of their principal symbols is the "square and compasses", tools of the trade, so arranged as to form a quadrilateral. The square is sometimes said to represent matter, and the compasses spirit or mind. Alternatively, the square might be said to represent the world of the concrete, or the measure of objective reality, while the compasses represent abstraction, or subjective judgment, and so forth (Freemasonry being non-dogmatic, there is no written-in-stone interpretation for any of these symbols). The compasses straddle the square, representing the interdependence between the two. In the space between the two, there is optionally placed a symbol of metaphysical significance. Sometimes, this is a blazing star or other symbol of Light, representing Truth or knowledge. Alternatively, there is often a letter "G" placed there, usually said to represent "God and/or Geometry".

The square and compasses are displayed at all Masonic meetings, along with the open "Volume of the Sacred Law (or Lore)" (VSL). In English-speaking countries, this is usually a Bible, but it can be whatever book of inspiration or scripture that the members of a particular Lodge or jurisdiction feel they draw on--whether the Bible, the Koran, or other Volumes. In many French Lodges, the Masonic Constitutions are used. In a few cases, a blank book has been used, where the religious makeup of a Lodge was too diverse to permit an easy choice of VSL. In addition to its role as a symbol of written wisdom, inspiration, and sometimes as the revealed will of the Deity, the VSL is what Masonic obligations are taken upon.

Much of Masonic symbolism is mathematical in nature, and in particular geometrical, which is probably a reason Freemasonry has attracted so many rationalists (such as Voltaire, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain and many others). No particular metaphysical theory is advanced by Freemasonry, however, although there seems to be some influence from the Pythagoreans, from Neo-Platonism, and from early modern Rationalism.

In keeping with the geometrical and architectural theme of Freemasonry, the Supreme Being (or God, or Creative Principle) is sometimes also referred to in Masonic ritual as "the Grand Geometrician", or the "Great Architect of the Universe". Freemasons use a variety of labels for this concept, often abbreviated "G.A.O.T.U.", in order to avoid the idea that they are talking about any one religion's particular God or God-like concept.

There are three initial "degrees" of Freemasonry: (1) Entered Apprentice, (2) Fellow Craft and (3) Master Mason. One works through each degree by taking part in a ritual, essentially a medieval mortality Play, in which one plays a role, along with members of the Lodge that one is joining. The setting is Biblical--the building of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem--although the stories themselves are not directly from the Bible, and not intended to be necessarily Jewish or Christian in nature. Nothing supernatural happens in these stories. The Temple can be taken to represent the "temple" of the individual human being, that of the human community, or of the entire universe.

As one works through the degrees, one studies the lessons and interprets them for oneself. There are as many ways to interpret the rituals as there are Masons, and no Mason may dictate to any other Mason how he is to interpret them. No particular truths are espoused, but a common structure--speaking symbolically to universal human archetypes--provides for each Mason a means to come to his own answers to life's important questions. Freemasons working through the degrees are often (especially in Continental Europe) asked to prepare papers on related philosophical topics, and present lectures.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a Freemason, and his opera, The magic Flute, makes extensive use of Masonic symbolism. Two books that give a general feel for the symbolism and its interpretation are:

1. "Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol" by W.K. MacNulty, Thames & Hudson, London, 1991.
2. "Symbols of Freemasonry" by D. Beresniak and L. Hamani, Assouline, Paris, 2000.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Phil Hine - Aspects Of Evocation
Anonymous - The Mysticism Of Masonry
Ralph Blum - The New Book Of Runes
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry
James Anderson - The Constitutions Of The Freemasons 1734

President Obama Not A Mason

2010-08-16T04:24:00.003-07:00

Here's the story that's being passed all around the internet. You'll find it on the websites maintained by rabid Masonophobes (those who have an unnatural fear of Freemasonry) but, curiously, nowhere else - except, perhaps, on the blog of an overly-eager but gullible Mason. READ BELOW FOR THE FACTS!!!

Obama criticizes opponents' Iraq votes
By JASON CLAYWORTH
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

"One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."

December 28, 2007

Holly McQueen/The Register
Barack Obama, speaking at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Des Moines on Thursday, criticized other Democrats’ votes to authorize the war in Iraq.

Written by Dzenan Causevic

Prince Hall is a first black masonic lodge in the US, named by its founder and master who was the most famous black individual in the Boston area during the American Revolution and through the turn of the nineteenth century.

Prince Hall was the slave of a Boston leather-dresser named William Hall in the late 1740s, who earned his freedom on April 9, 1770, as reward for 21 years of steadfast service. Prince Hall and 14 other free black men, in and around Boston area, approached a British army lodge of Freemasons attached to the 38th Foot Regiment, stationed near Boston. Hall and the others were initiated into the lodge on March 6, 1775. The regiment withdrew from the area a short time later, and Sergeant John Batt, who had been in charge of the initiation, issued a limited permit on March 17 allowing the group certain Masonic privileges as well as permission to meet as a lodge.

On July 3, 1775, the group formed African Lodge No. 1, the first lodge of black Free and Accepted Masons in the world, and Hall was made master. Provincial Grand Master of North America John Rowe granted the lodge a second limited permit to continue their activities.

However, black masonry remained separate from white masonry in the United States, because white masons did not freely accept their black counterparts, despite their claims to fraternity. Hall spread his organization to other cities, but since he was confined to the black population, those newly emerged lodges were called black lodges.

On June 24, 1797, a second black lodge was chartered in Providence, Rhode Island. A year later, a third one was started in Philadelphia, with Absalom Jones as worshipful master. Prince Hall died in Boston on December 4, 1807. Funeral rites, in accord with masonic rites, were performed at his home in Lendell's Lane one week later. He was buried in the 59th Street Mathews Cemetery, Boston, in late March, 1808. Within a year of his death, Hall's followers renamed their order for their former leader.

This highly secretive society continued to grow in the United States, but remained separate from white masonry until the present days.

Today, Prince Hall is a masonic fraternal order whose buildings are clearly marked, members readily identify themselves with rings, bumper stickers, and lapel pins. One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.

Sources

Foner, Philip S., ed. The Voice of Black America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972.

Kaplan, Sidney. The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 1770--1800. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society, 1973.

Logan, Rayford W., and Michael R. Winston, eds. Dictionary of American Negro Biography. New York: Norton, 1982.

Salzman, Jack, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West, eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA/Simon and Schuster Macmillan, 1996.

http://www.sarajevo-x.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36907

NOT A MASON!

Here's the story that's being passed all around the internet. You'll find it on the websites maintained by rabid Masonophobes (those who have an unnatural fear of Freemasonry) but, curiously, nowhere else - except, perhaps, on the blog of an overly-eager but gullible Mason. READ BELOW FOR THE FACTS!!!

Obama criticizes opponents' Iraq votes
By JASON CLAYWORTH
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

"One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."

December 28, 2007

Holly McQueen/The Register
Barack Obama, speaking at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Des Moines on Thursday, criticized other Democrats’ votes to authorize the war in Iraq.

Written by Dzenan Causevic

Prince Hall is a first black masonic lodge in the US, named by its founder and master who was the most famous black individual in the Boston area during the American Revolution and through the turn of the nineteenth century.

Prince Hall was the slave of a Boston leather-dresser named William Hall in the late 1740s, who earned his freedom on April 9, 1770, as reward for 21 years of steadfast service. Prince Hall and 14 other free black men, in and around Boston area, approached a British army lodge of Freemasons attached to the 38th Foot Regiment, stationed near Boston. Hall and the others were initiated into the lodge on March 6, 1775. The regiment withdrew from the area a short time later, and Sergeant John Batt, who had been in charge of the initiation, issued a limited permit on March 17 allowing the group certain Masonic privileges as well as permission to meet as a lodge.

On July 3, 1775, the group formed African Lodge No. 1, the first lodge of black Free and Accepted Masons in the world, and Hall was made master. Provincial Grand Master of North America John Rowe granted the lodge a second limited permit to continue their activities.

However, black masonry remained separate from white masonry in the United States, because white masons did not freely accept their black counterparts, despite their claims to fraternity. Hall spread his organization to other cities, but since he was confined to the black population, those newly emerged lodges were called black lodges.

On June 24, 1797, a second black lodge was chartered in Providence, Rhode Island. A year later, a third one was started in Philadelphia, with Absalom Jones as worshipful master. Prince Hall died in Boston on December 4, 1807. Funeral rites, in accord with masonic rites, were performed at his home in Lendell's Lane one week later. He was buried in the 59th Street Mathews Cemetery, Boston, in late March, 1808. Within a year of his death, Hall's followers renamed their order for their former leader.

This highly secretive society continued to grow in the United States, but remained separate from white masonry until the present days.

Today, Prince Hall is a masonic fraternal order whose buildings are clearly marked, members readily identify themselves with rings, bumper stickers, and lapel pins. One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.

Sources

Foner, Philip S., ed. The Voice of Black America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972.

Kaplan, Sidney. The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 1770--1800. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society, 1973.

Logan, Rayford W., and Michael R. Winston, eds. Dictionary of American Negro Biography. New York: Norton, 1982.

Salzman, Jack, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West, eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA/Simon and Schuster Macmillan, 1996.

http://www.sarajevo-x.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36907

The Fabricated News Story

The ostensible news story ostensibly involving the Des Moines Register, Iowa, USA, makes NO mention whatsoever of Mr. Obama being a Mason. NONE. NADA. ZIP. You, like me, can - for only $2.95 USD chargeable to your credit card - get the actual copy of the REAL article, not the one being passed around in e-mails (albeit without the photo taken by their photographer, Holly McQueen since none of their Articles are stored with the photos which they sell separately) by simply clicking this search link we created for the Des Moines Register web site. In fact, NONE of that article written by the Register's reporter Jayson Clayworth appears above. None of it!!!!! The CAPTION that appeared with the photo taken by Ms. McQueen for that article is what's cited as "Holly McQueen/The Register Barack Obama, speaking at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Des Moines on Thursday, criticized other Democrats’ votes to authorize the war in Iraq." Neither Mr. Clayworth nor Ms. McQueen wrote the line about Mr. Obama being a Mason. That was simply a repetition of the line that's explained later in this farce and comes from, of all things, an online forum about Sarajevo, Serbia.

The Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Des Moines, Iowa, was rented as a public facility for a political rally for presidential candidate Obama. The building is regularly rented for numerous functions including political announcements, weddings, balls, Christmas events etc. It is one of the ways they pay their bills. Nothing more, nothing less. You don't have to have any connection with Freemasonry whatsoever to rent the Center: there is no 'litmus' test of any kind. Pay your money, sign the appropriate forms certifying insurance coverage and away you go. The use of this facility for an Obama campaign stop had NOTHING to do with a contrived membership in Freemasonry any more than Mr. Obama talking to a group in a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall would make him (and all of those attending) a foreign war vet and member of their organization or that his talking to people at a state fair would make him a member of the Fair Committee (although most presidential candidates can get to go sample the apple pie which we think is certainly a big plus!)
From Bosnia with love....

On May 6, 2007, a post was made - in English (activated link appears in the story above) - to a discussion forum centered around Sarajevo, the capital city and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's that part above starting with the words "Written by Dzenan Causevic". There were only four replies to that post: three of them were made in Bosnian that day and one the next, a simple link. It pointed to a web page which was translated into English with a story about Mr. Obama's name and the difficulties it had presented for him in his attempt to become President of the United States. There have been NO subsequent posts in over a year.

Who is Dzenan Causevic, the ostensible author? Hard to tell and - since there are no facts to support the claim - likely irrelevant. The most common Google hits point to a 'software web developer' in Syracuse, New York. E-mail sent to him has bounced but searching for the poster's identity is simply a diversion.

What does the post say? Well, if you read it starting BELOW Mr. Causevic's name, you'll note that it is a lengthy discourse (with some poor English, unlike the other postings found on the web from the literate Mr. Causevic from Syracuse). The very last line adds "One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama." Then, below that, there are four source books, NONE of which contain Mr. Obama's name. In fact, two were written when he was 12 years old or under (hardly a 'voice of Black America' or a 'Black Presence' back then). Mr. Obama was born in August, 1961. A third reference was written when he was 20 years old and had not even graduated from college - and would have been ineligible for Masonic membership in any Prince Hall jurisdiction due to his age. The fourth book, one might be tempted to conclude, was where things were found about Mr. Obama, right? Not so! Published in 1998, it is actually a compendium of items published in an earlier 5 volume set - and no, he's not mentioned in it regardless. Thus, the so-called 'sources' are not sources after all - except insofar as they provided information about Prince Hall - irrelevant to this claim involving Mr. Obama.
If he's Black, he must be a Prince Hall Mason, right?

WRONG! Take a look - critically - at the story once again. Like all urban myths, it blends facts (that Mr. Obama spoke at a building owned by Masons and a history of Prince Hall Freemasonry) in a jumble of unrelated things: a news story that makes no mention of Mr. Obama being a Mason along with a post in English on a Bosnian-language forum. Not realizing that there just might be one or two Prince Hall Masons from Chicago who would know about such things as well-known (then, locally) figures who were members, the story continues around. However, a LONG-time friend and Brother who has been active online for many years and who is a past Grand Lodge officer for the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F&AM, State of Illinois was asked - in 2008 - whether Mr. Obama was or might have been a member of their organization. His answer? "No."
Deja Vu all over again

Just as has been done with all United States Presidents during at least the past 30 years, assertions are made that the man elected is a Mason - always without ANY evidence whatsoever. Masonophobes (people who have an irrational fear of Freemasonry) - especially those whose political ideologies differ from the person elected - roll out whatever thin thread of evidence they can to make the gullible believe that Freemasonry is at the root of all evil. It was done with Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton, Bush (43), and now President Obama. This time, though, it's being accepted unquestioningly by many Masons including at least one Canadian Grand Master who has - sadly - been stating this publicly. We hope that someone will correct him in the very near future but frankly, the damage is done and the story will continue to spread.

Seriously: do you think that the 51 Prince Hall Grand Lodges and all of their members would completely ignore this if it were true? Do you think they could HIDE it?

Do you really think that someone posting to a Bosnian website is the ONLY person in the world who knew this - if it were true? Or that every Mason who knew was so very sure that Mr. Obama - while he was a US Senator or before - would some day become the first Black President of the United States and so had to keep his membership a secret for some nefarious purpose?

Folks, if you believe that Mr. Obama IS a Mason - Prince Hall or otherwise, can you PLEASE provide ONE SINGLE SHRED OF EVIDENCE?

Please: STOP THE STUPIDITY and either provide a factual affirmation of membership or tell your friends that 'it just ain't so!'

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Doctor From Lhasa
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Rampa Story

Put Another Masonic Way

2010-08-16T04:24:00.001-07:00

The following was found on an application form from the Grand Lodge of California and appears here thanks to Bro. William Maddox who transcribed it.

Having expressed a desire to become a Freemason, we presume you are willing to consider thoroughly the step you propose to take. The exact nature of our Institution being unknown to you, we deem it advisable that you should be informed on certain points, the knowledge of which may affect your decision to apply for membership.

Freemasonry interferes neither with religion nor politics, but has for its foundation the great basic principles of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. No Atheist can be a Freemason.

Freemasonry strives to teach a man the duty he owes to God, his neighbor, and himself. It inculcates the practice of virtue, and makes an extensive use of symbolism in its teachings.

It cannot be too strongly emphasized that Freemasonry is not to be entered in the hope of personal gain or advancement. Admission must not be sought from mercenary or other unworthy motives. Any one so actuated will be bitterly disappointed. The aim of the true Freemason is to cultivate a brotherly feeling among men, and to help whomsoever he can.

Freemasonry is not a Benefit Society. This fact cannot be too strongly emphasized. We do not subscribe so much a year to entitle us to draw sick pay or other benefits, or to make provision for those who survive us. There are other excellent Societies founded for this purpose. No man should enter the ranks of Freemasonry in hope or expectation that he will derive any financial benefit from it. Masonic Charity is directed towards those who, from unforeseen circumstances and through no fault of their own, have met with misfortune.

Loyalty to one's country is an essential qualification in Freemasonry, and only those are acceptable who cheerfully render obedience to every lawful authority. Disloyalty in any form is abhorrent to a Freemason, and is regarded as a serious Masonic offense.

Freemasonry has in all ages insisted that men should come to its doors entirely of their own free will, and not as a result of solicitations, or from feelings of curiosity, but simply from a favorable opinion of the Institution, and a desire to be ranked among its members.

We have no authority at the present time to give you further information regarding the Brotherhood you propose to join, but we have imparted sufficient to enable you to conclude that Freemasonry is not contrary to the principles which mark a man of upright heart and mind, and has in it nothing inconsistent with one's civil, moral or religious duties.

We think it advisable to inform you that your admission to our Craft will entail certain financial obligations which you should be able to discharge without detriment to yourself or those dependent on you. In addition to the fees and contributions payable on your entrance, there will be an annual subscription for the support of your Lodge, and from time to time you may be called upon to contribute for the relief work connected with the Craft.

In the event that you are elected to receive the Degrees of Masonry, and this fact becomes known, you may be called upon by someone seeking to take advantage of that fact by attempting to sell you insurance in some form, a Bible with some Masonic information in it, or other books or items related to the Craft. Any and all such solicitations are completely without authorization and are in violation of our rules and regulations. We strongly urge you to decline to talk with any persons offering such items for sale.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - The Mysticism Of Masonry
Anonymous - The Mystical Qabbalah
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot
Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism

Origin Of The Word Freemasons

2010-08-15T04:24:00.003-07:00

The first-known use of the word Freemasons - in the form Free Masons - occurs in City of London Letter-book H of 9 August 1376, though the word is in fact deleted in favour of Mason. Masons and Freemasons were interchangeable during the 15th and 16th centuries and Freemasons were generally meant to denote hewers or setters of freestone, Masons being used to embrace all stoneworkers. Ashmole in his diary wrote that he was made a Free Mason and referred in 1686 to the "Fellowship of Free Masons". James Anderson when writing his 1723 Constitutions did not use the single word - Freemasons - once. Whatever the reasons, the 1723 Constitutions contain approximately 126 references to Masons, 12 to Free Masons, 10 to Free and Accepted Masons, 9 to Free-Masons, one to Accepted Free Masons and none to Freemasons. And such is the tenacity of tradition that to this day the most of the Constitutions are addressed to Free and Accepted Masons and not to Accepted Freemasons. The earliest-known anti-masonic leaflet, of 1698, warns the public against "those called Free Masons" - almost certainly what we now know as speculative Freemasons.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry
Arthur Edward Waite - The Templar Orders In Freemasonry
James Anderson - The Constitutions Of The Freemasons 1734

Masonry From The Historical Perspective

2010-08-15T04:24:00.001-07:00

In the time since most of the above-cited works were written, we as a secular, Western society have moved beyond the name-calling and prejudices that plagued our forefathers. Indeed, the forbearers of our Craft did not always require religion in their ritual. Prior to the establishment of modern Freemasonry, when our predecessors still hewed stone and built magnificent cathedrals, religion may not have always played a part in meetings.

There is no denying that Masons as early as c.1430 were required to be Christian. Surviving fifteenth century records indicate that there were religious overtones in Masonry this early as c.1430, when the document now known as the Regius MS was written (Waite, p. 3-4). And though there was a requirement that Masons at this time “lift up their hearts to Christ” (Waite, p. 4), it was not until three centuries later that there was an absolute requirement that Christianity had to be professed (Coil, p. 515). Early on, therefore, it was certainly preferred that members of the Craft be Christian and God-fearing.

From a historical standpoint, however, how much was the Christian requirement simply based on the power and control exercised by the Church during the late Middle Ages? Given the nature of European feudal society, especially on the British Isles and in France, Church officials held most power in most places, and they held in their hands the “only” way to worship. In the Regius MS, Masons were required to “assist at Holy Mass with becoming reverence.” Since the primary buildings constructed by stone masons at the time were cathedrals, or places of Christian worship, there was likely some degree of religious oversight of the process by a Church official. Though they may not have been given the operative secrets of the guild (therefore making the Catholic Church distrust the Masons as an organization in later centuries), it is not an unreasonable assumption that the edicts requiring Christian faith may have come—either directly or indirectly—from the clergy.

Indeed, in the era of the Masonic Guild, it is clear historically that there was often a blurring of lines between Church and Lodge. The Comacine order, the early forbearer of later guilds of masonry, for example, was known to admit priests as members.

Masonic Monks were not uncommon, and there were such monks associated with the Comacine body; so that qualified architects were easily found in the ranks of religious orders. (Scott, p. 160)

Belief in God has clearly been at the core of Masonry since its inception. Given the obvious historic influence of the Church on what was to become Speculative Freemasonry, ritual and belief system within the Lodge was “erected to God.” No room for Atheists was left; this was likely done on purpose, at least early on, through the influence of the monk-architects. This, however, was likely not a sinister act. After all, “A Freemason in the year 1200 A.D. … thought of himself as a Catholic, [but] it did not occur to him to think of his art or craft as having anything to do with Catholicism” (Haywood, p. 122). Nonetheless, the required belief in Deity became a core tenet of the fledgling guild during that era.

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Compatibility Of Freemasonry And Christianity

2010-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity because it promotes indifferentism. Indifferentism is the heretical belief that all religions are equally legitimate attempts to explain the truth about God which, but for the truth of His existence, are unexplainable. Such a view makes all truths relative and holds that God can be equally pleased with truth and error. Because Christians believe that God has definitively revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, and desires that all men come to the knowledge of this truth, indifferentism is incompatible with Christian faith. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).

Freemasonry's teachings and practices also result in syncretism which is the blending of different religious beliefs into a unified whole. This is evidenced most especially by Masonry's religious rituals which gather men of all faiths around a common altar, and place all religious writings along side the Bible on the Masonic altar. This is also demonstrated by the Lodge's prayers and its unique names and symbols for God and heaven. Syncretism is the logical consequence of indifferentism.

The Lodge's practice of requiring its members to swear immoral oaths is also incompatible with Christianity. These oaths require a Christian to swear on the Holy Bible that he will uphold a code of moral conduct that prefers Masons over non-Masons, and to preserve secret passwords and handshakes. Such oaths are gravely immoral because their subject matter is trivial or does not give rise to the necessity of an oath. These oaths are also sworn under symbolic, blood-curdling penalties of physical torture and death called self-curses (e.g., having my throat cut across, and my tongue torn out by its roots). These penalties show a lack of respect for God and amount to blasphemy which is a serious sin.

Grady Mcmurtry

2010-08-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

During the Second World War, two Californian O.T.O. members, Grady Louis McMurtry (Oct. 18, 1918 - July 12, 1985) and Frederick Mellinger (Merlinus, 1890-1970) (Mellinger was originally a refugee from Nazi Germany), traveled to Europe on military assignments. McMurtry went earlier and visited Crowley on several occasions while on leave. Mellinger visited Crowley after McMurtry was rotated back to the United States.

There was a good rapport between Crowley and McMurtry, and Crowley respected McMurtry's military experience. In 1943, Crowley personally conferred the IX° of O.T.O. upon McMurtry and made him a Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Order, and gave him the Magical Name he was to use from then on, Hymenaeus Alpha, 777.

In 1944, Crowley began discussing with McMurtry the possibility of assuming the "Caliphate." Crowley wrote to McMurtry on Sept. 28, 1944: "I hope you will prefer my plan for your career as my Fides Achates, alter ego, Caliph, & so on." On November 21, 1944, he wrote to McMurtry again:

`The Caliphate.' You must realize that no matter how closely we see eye-to-eye on any objective subject, I have to think on totally different premises where the Order is concerned. One of the (startling few) commands given to me was this: `Trust not a stranger: fail not of an heir.' This has been the very devil for me. Fr? [Saturnus] is, of course, the natural Caliph; but there are many details concerning the actual policy or working which hit his blind spots. In any case, he can only be a stopgap, because of his age; I have to look for _his_ successor. It has been Hell; so many have come up with amazing promise, only to go on the rocks. ... But — now here is where you have missed my point altogether — I do not think of you as lying on a grassy hillside with a lot of dear sweet lovely woolly lambs, capering to your flute! On the contrary. Your actual life, or `blooding,' is the sort of initiation which I regard as the first essential for a Caliph. For — say 20 years hence the Outer Head of the Order must, among other things, have had the experience of war as it is in actual fact to-day.

The title "Caliph," while perhaps appealing somewhat to the sense of humor of both men as a pun on the abbreviation for California (the State of McMurtry's residence and the location of Agape Lodge), is from the Arabic word Khalifa, meaning "deputy." It was historically used in early Islam to designate the successor to the Prophet, the worldwide Commander of the Islamic Faithful. Crowley's use of the term as applied to Germer and McMurtry was parallel for O.T.O.

In 1946, Crowley entrusted McMurtry with documents of emergency authorization to take charge of the entire work of the Order in California, which included the only functional O.T.O. Body at the time. Crowley additionally appointed McMurtry his personal representative in the U.S.A., whose authority was to be considered as Crowley's own. These two charters, dated respectively March 22, 1946 and April 11, 1946, were subject only to Karl Germer's approval, veto or revision. Germer was well informed of McMurtry's charters from Crowley, as he had attended the Agape Lodge meeting at which McMurtry had presented them. In addition, in a letter to Germer dated June 19, 1946, Crowley informed Germer that "The only limitation on his [McMurtry's] power in California is that any decision which he takes is subject to revision or veto by yourself," thus removing the requirement for prior approval by Germer.

On June 6, 1947, Crowley wrote to Germer:

You seem in doubt too about the succession. There has never been any question about this. Since your re-appearance you are the only successor of whom I have ever thought since that moment. I have, however, had the idea that in view of the dispersion of so many members, you might find it useful to appoint a triumvirate to work under you. My idea was Mellinger, McMurtry, and, I suppose, Roy [Leffingwell], though I have always been a little doubtful about the trustworthiness of the last.

On June 17, 1947, six months before his death, Crowley wrote to McMurtry and informed him that while Germer was to be Crowley's successor as Head of O.T.O., McMurtry should hold himself prepared to succeed Germer.

Crowley, while trusting in Karl Germer's ability to govern the Order as his successor, evidently did not trust in Germer's ability to find and designate an appropriate successor for himself. In what appears to have been an additional contingency measure in the event that McMurtry died or became incapacitated, Crowley also advised Mellinger to hold himself ready as a possible successor to Germer, in a letter dated July 15, 1947. However, Mellinger did not receive any assignments of the kind given to McMurtry, and Crowley never used the term "Caliph" in reference to Mellinger.

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Masonry Beyond The Historical Perspective

2010-08-08T04:24:00.003-07:00

Until this point, this paper has dealt with Masonry from a historical perspective. Various opinions of prominent Masonic Authors from the last three centuries were discussed, and a brief history of the inclusion of God as a part of Masonic teaching has been laid out. However, none of the theory or philosophy thus far presented has gotten to the heart of the issue: why can’t Atheists be admitted to Lodges today? Answers of “that’s the way it has always been” have been proffered (see, for example, Lippincott & Johnson, p. 84). However, this excuse is on its surface weak. There was a time when only men of sound body were admitted; several Grand Lodges, including the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, have begun admitting men with physical deformities (see, for example, Hoenes, p. 6-7). Other changes have been made over time; admitting Atheists would only be a modernizing adaptation. Other answers to this question have been dealt with above. Though some may find solace in these answers, others may find them to be excuses based on prejudice and fear. The remainder of this paper will attempt to discuss, why, in the culturally accepting 21st century, there is still no room for Atheists in Masonry.

In the end, the origins of religiosity in Masonry are not as important today to the argument of admitting Atheists as the role of the Mystic Tye. The prime reason for continuing to deny Atheists admittance into our Brotherhood is the presence of God and religion throughout Masonic beliefs, as noted before. By itself, the ritual we practice has overtones of the Grand Architect. These rituals would make Atheists (a) uncomfortable given their individual beliefs and (b) unable to understand the nuances of Masonry, given the absolute importance Masons put on their faith to God. Beyond ritual, the myths and legends that make Masonry what it is today are inherently religious.

Was Freemasonry only a society of fraternity, with no religious component, such as a Moose Club, or a charity-only organization, such as Rotary International, these stringent requirements regarding an individual’s beliefs would not be as important. Our Fraternity, however, is one with religious components. One needs look no further than the Ritual presented to a Candidate during the First Degree. A candidate is asked in whom he puts his trust and is required to give an answer which acknowledges a belief in Deity. He is told that since his trust is in God, he is sound in faith in the Great Architect. In other words, to proceed past the first moments in the Lodge, one must affirm his faith in Deity.

Naturally, such a display would be difficult for someone who does not hold a belief in the Supreme Architect of the Universe. One might assume that an Atheist, not being tied to his morality, would lie (as has been suggested by some); but to what end? What would an Atheist see in an open lodge that would interest him?

As the ritual stands, an incredible number of references are made to the Volume of Sacred Law, to God, and of our submission to Him. An Atheist in such surroundings would likely feel uncomfortable.

Nor should we change our Craft and the beliefs of our Order; to do so would be to destroy the heart and soul of the Fraternity. The foundation of Masonry, that which supports us and holds us together, is the shared belief in the existence of Deity:

Other foundation there is none; upon God Masonry builds its temple of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth … God is the first Fact and the final Reality—the Truth that makes all other truth true; the corner stone of faith, the keystone of thought, the capstone of home … Everything in Masonry has reference to God, implies God, speaks of God, points and leads to God. Not a degree, not a symbol, not an obligation, not a lecture, not a charge but finds its meaning and derives its beauty from God, the Great Architect, in whose Temple all Masons are workmen. (Newton, p. 58-60)

In reality, therefore, Masonry is necessarily theistic. There is no part of Masonry which does not call upon the Great Architect, in whose presence we conduct our meetings.

If an Atheist were to join the Craft, he would find that he would be not be able to fully understand even part of the esoteric mysteries which bind Masons together. Looking no farther than the lecture and charge given to new brethren upon being initiated into our Craft, it is clear that the firm belief in God is required to understand the nuances of these lessons.[ii] Take, for example, the significance of something as simple as the white leather apron: as an “emblem of innocence,” the white leather apron’s purpose is to symbolize right and proper behavior is the path to the Celestial Temple above (Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia [hereafter GLDC], p. 179-180). Furthermore, the significance of Jacob’s Ladder, key instruments thereof being Faith, Hope, and Charity, shows that proper reverence must be given to Deity. Finally, an Atheist would likely be put off by the discussion of the perfect Ashlar and Trestle Board:

By the rough Ashlar we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature; by the perfect ashlar, of that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive by a virtuous education, our own endeavors and the blessing of God; and by the Trestle Board we are also reminded that as the operative workman erects his temporal building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the Master on his Trestle Board, so should we, both operative and speculative, endeavor to erect our spiritual building in accordance with the rules laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe in the Great Books of nature and revelation, which are our spiritual, moral and Masonic Trestle Board. (p. 183)

What does it mean to “erect our spiritual building in accordance with the rules laid down by the Supreme Architect”? One interpretation is that our “spiritual buildings” are our individual souls—the essential parts of ourselves, which will inevitably be brought to the World Hereafter (what Paton called the “Future State”). We therefore instruct our new initiates to stand tall before God, marking our lives against those laws He has set down for us, in our Volumes of Sacred Law and in our hearts as Brothers formed in His image. To “erect” our souls is to stand upright and to act nobly in our lives, especially in service to Deity.

It is therefore impossible to allow Atheists to join order because they are incapable of measuring themselves against the will of God, to whom Masons all must show reverence. Though an Atheist may be a good man in the traditional sense of the word, as someone who acts nobly and charitably towards his fellow man, he is missing a vital component of Masonry: reverence to God. It is only through God that a man may be a Mason, for it is only through appropriate “reverential awe which is due from a creature to his Creator” (GLDC, p. 187) that a man can be an appropriate candidate.

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Masonic Papers By W Bro Julian Rees

2010-08-08T04:24:00.001-07:00

Julian Rees was initiated in the Kirby Lodge No. 2818 in London in 1968, was Master in 1976/77 and again at the centenary of the Lodge in 1999/2000.

He is a holder of the silver matchbox*** award of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, and has also served there on the Precepting Committee.

He was Master of the German-speaking Pilgrim Lodge No. 238 in 1978/79.

He was a regular contributor to the quarterly magazine Freemasonry Today since its founding in 1997 and from 2003 to 2007 he was Deputy and News Editor.

In 2003 he delivered the prestigious Wendel K Walker Memorial Lecture in New York, entitled Through ritual to Enlightenment.

He was one of the founding members of The Cornerstone Society, serving as Secretary for a number of years, and has lectured to lodges in this country, in USA and continental Europe.

He has been honoured by the Institut Maconnique de France with the Ordre Maconnique de Lafayette.

He is a Past Junior Grand Deacon of the United Grand Lodge of England.

He is the author of Making Light – a Handbook for Freemasons, and The Stairway of Freemasonry – 30 Short Talks and Questions.

His two latest works So You Want To Be a Freemason? and The Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees in Craft Freemasonry Explained will be published in 2009.

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Link Between The Egyptian Mystery Religion And The Masonic Lodge

2010-08-07T04:24:00.003-07:00

As the Mystery Religions spread all over the world from Babylon, they found expression in all countries of the ancient world with only a change in the names of the gods and slight variations in the rituals. While the mystery religions were practiced in all of the countries of the ancient world, it was in Egypt where centuries of devotion developed them to their highest degree.

According to Mason Manly P. Hall's book Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians:

It is now generally acknowledged that the Egyptians, of all the ancient peoples, were the most learned in the Occult sciences of Nature. The wisest of philosophers from other nations visited Egypt to be initiated in the sacred Mysteries by the priests of Thebes, Memphis, and Hermopolis.

There is indeed, as we have established, a very definite link between the Egyptian Mystery Religion and the Masonic Lodge. This link can be readily established from the words of Masonic Authors and testimony can be provided to remove all reasonable doubt. In the book, The Meaning of Masonry, by Past Provincial Grand Registrar, W.L. Wilmshurst, we find the statement:

I am acquainted, for instance, with an Egyptian ceremonial system, some 5,000 years old, which taught precisely the same things as Masonry does,...

In the book, Freemasonry Its Hidden Meaning, by George H. Steinmetz, we find the statement:

Regardless of the origin of the modern lodge, or of the name "Freemason," we can, after freeing the symbolism of modern adaptations, discern in Freemasonry the outline of the teachings of the ancient mysteries of Egypt.

In the same book Mr. Steinmetz makes the statement connecting Freemasonry and the Egyptian mysteries.

If the symbols can be consistently interpreted in this manner, throughout the three degrees we have confirmed Freemasonry to be the reincarnation of the Ancient Mysteries of Egypt".

33" Mason Manly P. Hall relates the efforts of early Masonic historians to link Hiram Abiff to the Egyptian Mystery Religion.

Early Masonic historians such as Albert Mackey, Robert Freke Gould and Albert Pike were of a single purpose in their efforts to establish a definite correspondence between the Hiramic legend of Freemasonry and the Osiris myth as expounded in the initiatory rituals of the Egyptians.

From The Lost Keys of Freemasonry by 33° Manly P. Hall:

Man is a god in the making, and as in the mystic myths of Egypt on the potter's wheel he is being molded.

UNAS EATS MAGICAL CHARMS

Behold, Unas eateth of that which the red crown "sendeth forth, he increaseth, and the magical charms of the gods are in his belly;

The following quote is a comment on the Texts about King Unas by the translator of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, E.A. Wallis Budge:

The notion that, by eating the flesh, or particularly by drinking the blood, of another living being, a man absorbs his nature or life into his own, is one which appears among primitive peoples in many forms.

It is indeed an accurate accessment that these murders in the Unas texts were performed in a ritual and religious manner for the purpose of obtaining the life-force or energy force of the victim. Not only was this the purpose of these ancient Egyptian texts, but it is also the purpose behind modern Satanism. This common underlying purpose can be seen by comparing these texts and their accessment with the words of Master Satanist Aleister Crowley.

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If The Usa President Candidates Are Freemasons

2010-08-07T04:24:00.001-07:00

As seems to happen every time there's a US presidential election, our site is regularly searched to find out if the candidates are Freemasons. OK. For the record:

John McCain is NOT a Mason. His father, Admiral John Sidney McCain, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet during the Vietnam War and who died in 1981, was.

Bush is NOT a Mason - Sorry!Barack Obama is NOT a Mason.

Hillary Clinton is NOT a Mason. Her husband (former President Bill Clinton) was a member of a Masonic-sponsored youth organization. You can read more about that here.

Ron Paul is not a Mason although his father is.

George Bush is not a Mason. His father (former President George Bush) is not a Mason. And the Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale University has NO connection to Freemasonry whatsoever, despite what the person with the tin-foil hat wants you to believe!

So whatever the motive for your curiosity, the answer is - NO! OK? And despite the frenzied rants that have appeared on some websites, there's NO SUCH THING in the United States as being a 'secret Mason' or hiding one's membership. They'll usually tell you it's because the person is a 33rd Degree that makes it a secret which is total crap: see our page on 33rds RULE! for more information. The simple facts are that when a man becomes a Freemason, he doesn't hide his identity. (There are a couple of bogus groups - primarily internet fantasies - that aren't at all part of Freemasonry despite their ridiculous attempts at pretending to be. At least one of those phony groups has listed a large number of far-right Republicans as members in their group, surely none of whom are the least interested in being part of the creator's fantasies.) The fact is, though, that when one joins Freemasonry in the United States, it's done openly and without secrets. Thus, if a website tries to convince you that any of the above are actually Masons but that it's somehow a secret, ask them how they know. You'll get a LOT of double-talk and obfuscation which, in the final analysis, will be nothing more than plain and simple manure!

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How To Become A Freemason

2010-08-04T04:24:00.003-07:00

Do you want to know how to become a Freemason? Here is some basic information which should address the question: "How do I become a Mason?"

Freemasonry has its lodges throughout the free world. You'll find Masons meeting in almost every town and village and - except where repressive governments make their existence difficult - they're readily found. None of these lodges was ever organized as a result of any type of 'missionary' work: they came into existence because a group of Masons wanted to share the friendship and fraternity with others in the area.

What is SO often misunderstood is a simple fact: there are few but important requirements to become a Freemason!

While they are stated in slightly different words in various jurisdictions (and a few jurisdictions may have one or two requirements beyond these), they basically are as follows:

1. Being a man, freeborn, of good repute and well-recommended;
2. A belief in a Supreme Being;
3. Ability to support one's self and family;
4. Of lawful age; and
5. Come to Freemasonry of their "own free will and accord".

Let's examine the requirements for becoming a Mason individually:

- Being a man, freeborn, of good repute and well-recommended bullet
- Masonry began as a male organization. There are women's groups and groups of mixed male-female membership who use rituals similar to that of the major body of Freemasons throughout the world. Some of these groups receive acknowledgement (but not 'recognition') due to their adherence to high moral principles etc. while others are frowned upon. It is, after all, quite easy for anyone to claim that they are the head of a Masonic group and begin to obtain members. (Check our list of regular/recognized Grand Lodges here and you may wish to browse our section on Fake Masonry here.)
- The requirement of being "freeborn" harkens back to the earliest days of Freemasonry. It became a requirement since only those free from indentured service as an apprentice or bondsman (as many were in 17th century England, for example), could truly make decisions for themselves.
- Being of good repute is another essential requirement. Masons do not wish to encourage membership by those whose actions would stain the reputation of the fraternity. In some jurisdictions this is specifically stated but in all, it is practiced!
- A well-recommended person is one for whom another is willing to vouch. Those who become Freemasons have been recommended by a proposer and then examined by lodge members to ensure that the candidate will benefit from his membership.

Freemasonry is an initiatic experience. You can't become a Mason by reading a book or by hanging out on the internet.

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History Of Freemasonry

2010-08-04T04:24:00.001-07:00

Freemasonry has been said to be an institutional outgrowth of the medieval guilds of stonemasons (1), a direct descendant of the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" (the Knights Templar)(2), an offshoot of the ancient Mystery schools(1), an administrative arm of the Priory of Sion(3), the Roman Collegia(1), the Comacine masters(1), intellectual descendants of Noah(1), and to have many other various and sundry origins. Others will claim that it dates back only to the late 17th century, and has no real connections at all to earlier organizations. These theories are noted in numerous different texts, and the following are but examples pulled from a sea of books:

1. In "A History of Freemasonry" by H.L. Haywood and James E. Craig, pub. circa 1927
2. In "The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, pub. 1982
3. In "Born in Blood" By John Robinson, pub. 1989

Much of this is highly speculative, and the precise origins of Freemasonry may be lost in history. It is likely that Freemasonry is not a straightforward outgrowth of medieval guilds of stonemasons, for numerous reasons well documented in "Born in Blood" by John Robinson. Amongst the reasons for this conclusion are the fact that Stonemason's guilds do not appear to predate reasonable estimates for the time of Freemasonry's origin, that stonemasons lived near their worksite and thus had no need for secret signs to identify themselves, and that the "Ancient Charges" of Freemasonry are nonsensical when thought of as being rules for a Stonemason's guild.

Freemasonry is said by some, especially amongst Masons practising the York Rite, to have existed even at the time of King Athelstan of England, in the 10th century C.E. Athelstan is said by some to have been converted to Christianity in York, and to have issued the first Charter to the Masonic Lodges there. This story is not currently substantiated (the dynasty had already been Christian for centuries).

Some critics and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) consider the ordinances performed in LDS temples (believed by adherents to be revelation from God to Joseph Smith) similar to elements in the masonic rituals. Mormon apologists say this similarity may be because the Masonic rituals are descended from those given by God at the Temple of Solomon, and still contain many of the original truths.

A more historically reliable (although still not unassailable) source asserting the antiquity of Freemasonry is the Halliwell Manuscript or Regius Poem, which is believed to date from ca. 1390, and which makes reference to several concepts and phrases similar to those found in Freemasonry. The manuscript itself refers to an earlier document, of which it seems to be an elaboration.

It seems reasonable to suppose that, whatever its precise origins, Freemasonry provided a haven for the unorthodox and their sympathizers during a time when such activity could result in one's death, and that this has something to do with the tradition of secret meetings and handshakes. As the Middle Ages gave way to the Modern Age, the need for secrecy subsided, and Freemasons began to openly declare their association with the fraternity, which began to organize itself more formally. In 1717, four Lodges which met at the "Apple-Tree Tavern, the Crown Ale-House near Drury Lane, the Goose and Gridiron in St. Paul's Churchyard, and the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Westminster" in London, England (as recounted in (2)) combined together and formed the first public Grand Lodge, the Premier Grand Lodge of England (PGLE). The years following saw Grand Lodges open throughout Europe, as the new Freemasonry spread rapidly. How much of this was the spreading of Freemasonry itself, and how much was the public organization of pre-existing secret lodges, is not possible to say with certainty. The PGLE in the beginning did not have the current three degrees, but only the first two. The third degree appeared, so far as we know, around 1725.

Opinions about the origins, objectives and future of Freemasonry remain controversial from the times of its inception to our times. For example, Shoko Asahara, founder of the controversial Japanese religious group Aum Shinrikyo, has prophesized in some of his sermons that "in the future, Freemasonry will merge into united stream" with Aum Shinrikyo.

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Are The Freemasons Parodying Judaism

2010-08-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

No.

While Christian fundamentalists and antisemites have their own reasons for condemning masonic ritual or beliefs as being Enochian or Zadokite, Jewish fundamentalists will make similar accusations for different reasons.

The accusation is not that Freemasonry is a religion, but that it is a pseudo-religion; that it is a parody of Judaism. While, superficially, aspects of the rituals of masonic concordant bodies may possibly be viewed as aping Judaism, within regular Craft Freemasonry there is nothing in the ritual or practices that would support this accusation. In the defence of the concordant bodies, it should be stressed that the intent is certainly not to belittle Judaism, nor do they consider the use of Judaic or Hebrew titles to mean that they are engaged in Religious practices. The ritual pertains to the history of King Solomon’s Temple and the second Temple of Herod. It would not be possible to represent or re-enact this history without reference to the Historical and legendary personages, many of whom were priests.

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Get Masonic Membership

2010-08-01T04:24:00.003-07:00

If you've read this far and are now interested in Masonic membership for yourself, simply visit your local Masonic lodge or call the Grand Lodge for your area. Masons, except in countries where persecution may require it, don't hide: our buildings (unlike most of our detractors) are clearly found in virtually every city and town throughout the inhabitable planet! Click HERE for a list of Grand Lodges. Nearly all of them have locator lists on their site to assist you in finding your local lodge.

If you know a man who is a Mason, ask him how you can join: we suspect that you'll both be glad you did! In many parts of the world, Masons wear jewelry which makes them easily identifiable. We further elaborate on this here. Hope it helps!
Remember that not all of Freemasonry is '"web empowered". As a result, phone calls, letters, and personal contacts might work far faster than using electronic means. Also, during summer months, many lodges close so that Masons can enjoy some rest and relaxation. As a result, requests for information during that time might languish while members are off enjoying summertime activities with their friends and family.

Finally, if none of these work, drop us a note: we'll be glad to try and provide contact information for you! As we said before, there are no membership contests and we don't earn "brownie points" for connecting folks with the right place but we do know from our online activities that the Internet makes knowledge of Freemasonry far more available than at any time in the past. As a result, serious men of high caliber are seeking membership in ways totally unimaginable just twenty years ago. It would be an honor to know that we've helped in your decision making. If your years in Masonry prove to be only one-fifth as pleasurable as ours, you'll consider yourself richly rewarded!

Books You Might Enjoy:

Vovim Baghie - The Grand Satanic Ritual
Gerald Massey - Gerald Massey Lectures
Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism
Giuseppe Bezza - The Astrological Metaphors
Robert Anton Wilson - Prometheus Rising

Fremasons Organizational Structure

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There are a great many different "jurisdictions" of Freemasonry, each sovereign and independent of the others, and usually defined according to a geographic territory. There is thus no central Masonic authority, although each jurisdiction maintains a list of other jurisdictions that it formally "recognizes". If the other jurisdiction reciprocates the recognition, the two jurisdictions are said to be "in amity", which permits the members of the one jurisdiction to attend closed meetings of the other jurisdiction's Lodges, and vice-versa. Generally speaking, to be recognized by another jurisdiction, one must (at least) meet that jurisdiction's requirements for "regularity". This generally means that one must have in place, at least, the "ancient landmarks" of Freemasonry... the essential characteristics considered to be universal to Freemasonry in any culture. In keeping with the decentralized and non-dogmatic nature of Freemasonry, however, there is no universally accepted list of landmarks, and even jurisdictions in amity with each other often have completely different ideas as to what those landmarks are. Many jurisdictions take no official position at all as to what the landmarks are.

There is no tidy way to split jurisdictions into separate camps. For instance, jurisdiction A might recognize B, which recognizes C, which does not recognize A. In addition, the geographical territory of one jurisdiction may overlap with another's, which may affect their relations, for purely territorial reasons. In other cases, one jurisdiction may overlook irregularities in another due simply to a desire to maintain friendly relations. Also, a jurisdiction may be formally affiliated with one tradition, while maintaining informal ties with the other. For all these reasons, labels like "Anglo" and "Continental" must be taken only as rough indicators, not as any kind of clear designation.

The ruling authority of a Masonic jurisdiction is usually called a "Grand Lodge", or sometimes a "Grand Orient". These normally correspond to a single country, although their territory can be broader or narrower than that (in North America, each state and province has its own Grand Lodge). The oldest jurisdiction in the Anglo branch of Freemasonry is the United Grand Lodge of England (http://www.grand-lodge.org/) (UGLE), founded in 1717. Its headquarters are at Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, London. The oldest in the Continental branch is the Grand Orient de France (http://www.godf.org/) (GOdF), founded in 1728. At one time, these branches recognized each other, but most jurisdictions cut off formal relations with the GOdF sometime after it started accepting atheists in 1877. In most Latin countries, as well as in Belgium, the French style of Freemasonry predominates. The rest of the world, accounting for the bulk of Freemasonry, tends to follow the English lead.

Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

The following is the structure of Freemasonic degrees for the Scottish Rite:

Note. group titles apply to degrees above.

33° Inspector General

* Supreme Council

32° Master of the Royal Secret
31° Inspector Inquisitor

* Consistory

30° Knight Kadosh
29° Scottish Knight of Saint Andrew
28° Knight of the Sun (Prince Adept)
27° Knight Commander of the Temple
26° Prince of Mercy
25° Knight of the Brazen Serpent
24° Prince of the Tabernacle
23° Chief of the Tabernacle
22° Knight of the Royal Axe (Prince of Libanus)
21° Noachite, or Prussian Knight
20° Master of the Symbolic Lodge
19° Grand Pontiff

* Council of Kadosh

18° Knight of the Rose Croix
17° Knight of the East and West
16° Prince of Jerusalem
15° Knight of the East, of the Sword or the Eagle

* Rose Croix

14° Perfect Elu (Grand Elect, Perfect and Sublime Mason)
13° Royal Arch of Solomon (Knight of the Ninth Arch)
12° Grand Master Architect
11° Elu of the Twelve
10° Elu of the Fifteen
9° Elu of the Nine
8° Intendant of the Building
7° Provost and Judge
6° Intimate Secretary
5° Perfect Master
4° Secret Master

* Lodge of Perfection

3° Master Mason
2° FellowCraft
1° Entered Apprentice

* Blue Lodge or Craft Lodge

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - Protection Of Space
Gerald Massey - Gerald Massey Lectures
Anonymous - Divination Spreads

Fremasons Lodges

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Contrary to popular belief, Freemasons meet as a Lodge, and not in a lodge. (This is similar to the distinction made by Christians who meet as a church, with the church building associated with the meeting of the faithful.)

The operative lodges constructed a lodge building adjacent to the work site where the masons could meet for instruction and social contact. Normally, this was on the southern side of the site (in Europe, the side with the sun warming the stones during the day.) The social part of the building was on the southern side, hence the social gathering of the lodge is still called the South.

Early speculative lodges met in taverns and other convenient public meeting places, and employed a Tyler to guard the door from both malicious and simply curious people.

Lodge buildings have for many years been known as a temple. In many countries this term has now been replaced by Masonic Centre. (See also reference to the Shriners and their Temples. Until 2003-4, the Oscars were held at the Shriners temple/auditorium in Los Angeles.)
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Freemasonry in the language

An expression often used in Masonic circles is "to be on the square", meaning to be a reliable sort of person, and this has entered common usage. Other phrases from Freemasonry in common use include "meeting on the level" (without regard to social, economic, religious or cultural differences). The practice of Freemasonry is referred to amongst its members as "The Craft".

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - Pagan Holidays
Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism
Franceska De Grandis - Be A Goddess

Fremason Lodge Membership

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Freemasons are expected to exhibit the utmost tolerance both in "Lodge" (the meeting place of a group of Freemasons) and in their daily lives. Freemasonry will thus accept members from almost any religion, including all denominations of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and so forth. Exactly how far this goes depends on the particular branch or "jurisdiction" of Freemasonry one is dealing with. Deists have traditionally been accepted. In Lodges derived from the Grand Orient of France and in certain other groups of Lodges, atheists and agnostics are also accepted, without qualification. Most other branches currently require a belief in a Supreme Being. But even there, one finds a high degree of non-dogmatism, and the phrase "Supreme Being" is often given a very broad interpretation, usually allowing Deism and often even allowing naturalistic views of "God/Nature" in the tradition of Baruch Spinoza and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (himself a Freemason), or non-theistic views of Ultimate Reality or Cosmic Oneness, such as found in some Eastern religions and in Western idealism (or for that matter, in modern cosmology). In some other (mostly English-speaking) jurisdictions, Freemasonry is not as tolerant of naturalism as it was in the 18th century, and specific religious requirements with more theistic and orthodox overtones have been added since the early 19th century, including (mostly in North America) belief in the immortality of the soul. The Freemasonry that predominates in Scandinavia, known as the Swedish Rite, accepts only Christians.

Generally, to be a Freemason, one must:

1. be a man
2. believe in a "Supreme Being"
3. be at least the minimum age (18-21 years depending on the jurisdiction),
4. be of sound mind, body and of good morals, and
5. be free (or "born free", i.e. not born a slave or bondsman).

The "sound body" requirement is today generally taken to mean physically capable of taking part in Lodge rituals, and most Lodges today are quite flexible in accommodating disabled candidates.

Freemasonry upholds the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth". It teaches moral lessons through rituals. Members working through the rituals are taught by "degrees". Freemasons are also commonly involved in public service and charity work, as well as providing a social outlet for their members. There is considerable variance in the emphasis on these different aspects of Masonry around the world. In Continental Europe, the philosophical side of Freemasonry is more emphasized, while in Britain, North America, and the English-speaking parts of the world, the charity, service and social club aspects are more emphasized.

While Freemasonry as an organization does not directly involve itself in politics, its members have tended over the years to support certain kinds of political causes with which they have become associated in the public eye: the separation of Church and State, the establishment of secular public schools, and democratic revolutions (in the American United States and French France on a smaller scale, but on a larger scale in other places such as Mexico, Brazil, and repeatedly in Italy).

Many organizations with various religious and political purposes have been inspired by Freemasonry, and are sometimes confused with it, such as the Protestant Loyal Orange Association and the 19th century Italian Carbonari, which pursued Liberalism and Italian Unity. Many other purely fraternal organizations, too numerous to mention, have also been inspired by Masonry to a greater or lesser extent.

Freemasonry is often called a "secret society", and in fact is considered by many to be the very prototype for such societies. Many Masons say that it is more accurately described as a "society with secrets". The degree of secrecy varies widely around the world. In English-speaking countries, most Masons are completely public with their affiliation, Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and meeting times are generally a matter of public record. In other countries, where Freemasonry has been more recently, or is even currently, suppressed by the government, secrecy may be practiced more in earnest (again, depending greatly on the particular country). Even in the English-speaking world, the precise details of the rituals are not made public, and Freemasons have a system of secret modes of recognition, such as the Masonic secret grip, by which Masons can recognize each other "in the dark as well as in the light," and which are universally kept strictly secret. (Although these "secrets" have been available in printed exposes and anti-Masonic literature for many years.)

Books You Might Enjoy:

Aristotle - On Dreams
Frater Alastor - Quinti Libri Mysteriorum Appendix
Franz Cumont - The Mysteries Of Mithra
Robert Anton Wilson - Prometheus Rising

Freemasonry Has Apparently Thrived On Obfuscation And Obscurantism

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Writing with the use of the term “supreme being” does invite some interesting intervention, varying from version to version, from Microsoft’s spelling and grammar check. It seems to be happy with “a supreme being” but with “the supreme being” it requires upper case “S” and “B”. Indeed, what does an affirmative answer to the question; “Do you believe in a supreme being” or “Do you believe in a Supreme Being” objectively convey? If the question is not, “Do you believe in that there is a Supreme Being” or “Do you believe in the existence of aSupreme Being” then what on earth is being asked? Dare it be suggested that Freemasonry has, apparently, thrived on obfuscation and obscurantism?

Perhaps it is time for freemasonry to come out of the cloisters. It does not require a belief in the super-natural to accept that Old Testament narratives can be a basis for moral and ethical lessons. What more is required? If a person wants to please a supernatural entity then perhaps a worshiping priest would be more appropriate than a worshipful master. Freemasonry provides a moral compass, derived from the workplace and applied to the rest of life on this earth; it was never intended for the acquisition of favours beyond space and time.

The ritual is fine as long as it is understood as secular ritual and not religious liturgy. For Freemasonry to have contemporary and future relevance it must explicitly and demonstrably cut the apron strings that bind it to religion, grow up and stand on its own secular feet. In so doing it can be open and visible for the cause of humanity; in modern definition, transparency is honesty.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Rosemary Ellen Guiley - The Encyclopedia Of Witches Witchcraft And Wicca
Marcus Cordey - Magical Theory And Tradition
Hermes Trismegistus - Book Xiv Of Operation And Sense
Eliphas Levi - The Conjuration Of The Four Elements

Freemasonry And Satanic Ritual Abuse

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Excerpt from The Egyptian-Masonic-Satanic Connection by David L. Carrico

My name is Neil and I experienced at least 18 years of Satanic ritual abuse by several groups of Masons. The Masons all over the country are an organization - a secret order - and part of what they do is ritually abuse children, adults, and animals. The people in my family are to blame, as well as the Masons and our society for allowing it to happen. The Masons are an organized part of society, including politicians, judges, lawyers, policemen, rabbis, priests, doctors, etc. The Masons are all are over the country, including the female chapters, which are called Eastern Star.

This testimony by a SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) survivor should give us reason for concern about the possibility of a connection between Freemasonry and Satanic ritual abuse. What is even more compelling is the fact that this testimony is not unique. All over the United States victims are disclosing that Satanic ritual abuse is being perpetrated by Freemasons and that this type of abuse is taking place on Masonic properties.

There is now a rapidly growing awareness among therapists and Christian counter-cult ministries that high percentages of their victims have a connection with Freemasonry.

A Christian minister has worked with about 100 SRA MPD victims and reports that 90% of his victims claim that they were abused by Masonic perpetrators and that over 50% of the actual abuse took place on Masonic properties.

A practicing psychotherapist gives the following report:

I am a psychotherapist in private practice and treat mainly survivors of Satanic cult abuse. About half of the clients I treat report that their fathers were Masons. About half of the others report that a very close friend of the family's was a Mason. They recall going to parties and gatherings at the homes of Masons.

For some time now our ministry has been involved with warning the church about the cancerous anti-Christian menace of Freemasonry. We have also been compiling a record of statements from therapists and of victims like Neil who have testified to a direct connection between FREEMASONRY and SRA (SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE). These testimonies are becoming too numerous to ignore and the study of the Masonic connection in SRA could open up new areas of understanding and prevention.

Our suspicions were first aroused that there could be a connection between Freemasonry and SRA during our involvement in the "Blue House SRA case" in Evansville, Indiana. The children in Evansville alleged that they were taken from school and subjected to Satanic abuse in a blue house. According to Rick Doninger, the leading children's advocate for the 'blue house children', all of the 'blue house children' claimed that they were abused by Masonic perpetrators. Mr. Doninger also informed us that the police who investigated the 'blue house case' also were Freemasons. No arrests resulted from the investigation.

Some people say there is no reason for unusual concern when Freemasons are accused of SRA because many ministers, teachers, day care workers, and policemen have also been accused. On the surface this argument seems to make sense but the logic is faulty. What has often come out upon closer examination is that those ministers, teachers, etc., accused of SRA have a common denominator - Freemasonry.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love
Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism
Vovim Baghie - The Grand Satanic Ritual
Anton Szandor Lavey - The Satanic Rituals

Criticism And Repression Of Freemasons

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Freemasonry has been a long-time favorite target of conspiracy conspiracy theorists, who see it as an occult and evil power, often associated with Judaism, and usually either bent on world domination, or already secretly in control of world politics.

Freemasonry is almost universally banned in totalitarian states. In 1925, it was outlawed in Fascist Italy. Allegedly in Nazi Germany, Freemasons were sent to concentration camps and all Masonic Lodges were ordered shut down. German Masons used the blue forget-me-not as a secret means of recognition and as a substitute for the traditional (and too-easily-recognized) square and compasses. According to some interpretations of canon law, Roman Catholics are forbidden to become Freemasons by their church, though Freemasons do not bar Roman Catholics from becoming members. Freemasonry is also discouraged by some religious denominations of Protestantism.

In modern democracies, Freemasonry is occasionally accused of being a sort of club, or network, where a lot of influence peddling, and perhaps illegal dealings, take place. In the early 1800s, William Morgan disappeared after threatening to expose Freemasonry's secrets, causing some to claim that he had been murdered by Masons. In Italy, in the 1970s, the P2 lodge was investigated in the wake of a financial scandal and a suspicious death. As a result, the lodge was expelled from Italian Masonry (although it continued to function independently). In Nice, France, the head prosecutor accused some judges and other judicial personnel of deliberately stalling or refusing to elucidate cases involving Masons. In the 1990s in Britain, the Labour Party government tried unsuccessfully to pass a law requiring all public officials who were Masons to make their affiliation public.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Israel Regardie - The Art Of True Healing
Richard Weiss - Recipes For Immortality
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry
James Anderson - The Constitutions Of The Freemasons 1734

Black Masonry Devoted To The Knowledge Of Evil

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In this chapter we are documenting the doctrine of Black Masonry as it was taught by 33? Mason, C.W. Leadbeater. Not only was Leadbeater a prominent Mason, he also was an influential Theosophist and worked closely on many projects with the head of Theosophy, Annie Bessant. Leadbeater, according to some sources was a homosexual pedophile. According to Leadbeater, Black Masonry is degrees 19 through 30 in the Scottish Rite and are known as the Council of KADOSH. In the following quotes, "Knight K. H." is the Masonic abbreviation for Knight Kadosh. In the following quote from Leadbeater's book, Ancient Mystic Rites, he defines the scope of Black Masonry and talks about its relationship to evil, suffering and vengeance.

Few indeed of our Egyptian brethren appear to have passed beyond the Rose-Croix, for only the few needed anything further than the splendid revelation of the indwelling Love of God which they received in what we call the Eighteenth Degree. But for those few who felt that there was yet more to learn of the nature of God, and who eagerly wished to understand the meaning of evil and suffering and its relation to the divine plan, the prototype of our Black Masonry existed, the teaching and progress comprised in our degrees from the nineteenth to the thirtieth. This section of the Mysteries was especially concerned with the working out o f Karma in its different aspects, studied as a low of retribution, from one point of view dark and terrible. This is the inner kernel of truth lying behind the vengeance-elements in the degree of Knight K.H.

Albert Mackey in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry gives the doctrine of the Masonic Kadosh system. Kadosh doctrine centers around the story of the execution of Jacques de Molay by the Pope and the King of France for satanic crimes. Jacques de Molay was the last head of the Knights Templar and Mackey contends that the Templars continue on in Freemasonry.

The doctrines of the Kadosh system is that the persecutions of the Knights Templar by Philip the Fair of France and Pope Clement V, however cruel and sanguinary in its results, did not extinguish the Order, but it continued to exist under the forms of Freemasonry. That the ancient Templars are the modern Kadoshes and that the Builder at the Temple of Solomon is now replaced by Jacques de Molay, the martyred Grand Master of the Templars, the assassins being represented by the King of France, the Pope, and Naffodei, the informer against the Order.

In his book, The Occult Conspiracy, Michael Howard lists the charges against the Knights templar that stemmed from the October raid on their headquarters in Paris in the year, 1307 A.D.

Specifically the Templars were accused of denying the tenets of the Christian faith, spitting or urinating on the crucifix during secret rites of initiation, worshipping a skull or head called Baphomet in a dark cave, anointing it with blood or fat of unbaptized babies, worshipping the Devil in the shape of a black cat and committing acts of sodomy and bestiality..

Candidates entering the Order also had to kiss their initiator on the mouth, the navel, the penis, and at "the base of the spine." These kisses were regarded by critics of the Order as proof of their perverted sexual activities, but in the occult tradition, the navel, sexual organs and the perineum are the physical locations of the psychic centres of the human body, known in the East as chakras.

Freemasons today will argue that de Molay was not a Satanist and will rigorously defend his character, mainly because the Masonic organization for young boys is named after de Molay. This Masonic argument contradicts the facts and de Molay stand in history as a man executed for satanic crimes. British historian Nesta H. Webster talks about the convincing evidence against the Knights Templar:

Moreover, do the confessions of the Knights appear to be the outcome of pure imagination such as men under the influence of torture might devise? It is certainly difficult to believe that the accounts of the ceremony of initiation given in detail by men in different countries, all closely resembling each other, yet related in different phraseology, could be pure inventions. Had the victims been driven to invent they would surely have contradicted each other, have cried out in their agony that all kinds of wild and fantastic rites had taken place in order to satisfy the demands of their interlocutors. But no, each appears to be describing the same ceremony more or less completely, with characteristic touches that indicate the personality of the speaker, and in the main all the stories tally.

The Masonic defense that the confessions of the Knights Templar were extracted under torture is false. While it is true that torture was used in France, torture was not used in Italy and England and the confessions were identical. Leadbeater explains how the Templars went to Scotland and mingled their doctrine with other occult sources and the Egyptian mysteries to create the Black Masonry of the Scottish Rite.

Certain of the French Knights Templar took refuge with their brethren of the Temple in Scotland, and in that country their traditions became mingled to some extend with the ancient Celtic rites of Heredom, thus forming one of the sources from which the Scottish Rite was later to be evolved. Traditions of vengeance upon the execrable King and Pope and the Traitor passed down throughout the ages, and were interwoven with the Egyptian tradition corresponding to our Black Masonry, culminating in what we now call the 30?.

This is confirmed by Masonic authority, Albert Pike, who honors Jacques de Molay as the founder of the Scottish Rite.

The end of the drama is well known, and how Jacques de Molai and his fellows perished in the flames. But before his execution, the Chief of the doomed Order organized and instituted what afterward came to be called the Occult, Hermetic, or Scottish Masonry." In the gloom of his prison, the Grand Master created four Metropolitan Lodges, at Naples for the East, at Edinburgh for the West, at Stockholm for the North, and at Paris for the South. (The initials of his name, J.B.M., found in the same order in the first three degrees are but one of the many internal and cogent proofs that such was the origin of modern Free Masonry.") The legend of Osiris was revised and adopted as the central theme of the third degree ritual, to symbolize the destruction of the Order, and the resurrection of Khurum, slain in the body of the Temple.

Once again Leadbeater stresses that Karma or revenge is the main element of Black Masonry.

The whole of what we now call Black Masonry led up to an explanation of karma as divine justice, this having been preserved for us in shadow in what is now called the 31?, that of the Grand Inspector Inquisitor commander, whose symbol is a pair of scales. In Egypt this pair of scales was taken as an emblem of the perfect balance of d divine justice, the aspirant learnt that all the evil and horror associated with the working out of karma was indeed based on perfect justice, although it had appeared as evil to the lesser vision of the profane.

What was the revenge that was taken in the death of convicted Satanist Jacques Molay? According to former Grand Commander Albert Pike, it was the death of the Pope, the King and the informer against the Order.

Thus the first stage of the higher instruction, that of the Rose-Croix or Red Masonry, was devoted to the knowledge of good, while the second stage, that of K.H. or Black Masonry, was devoted to the knowledge of evil.

The frightening thing about Freemasonry is that any interpretation can be given to Masonic ritual and symbols that does not violate basic Masonic landmarks. As the Mason is encouraged to seek the deeper understanding of the Masonic symbols, this leaves a huge door open to plunge deeper into the occult. This has been used for hundreds of years to develop their own system of satanic teaching.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Yacki Raizizun - The Secret Of Dreams
Leonardo Da Vinci - The Notebooks Of Leonardo Da Vinci
Gerald Massey - Ancient Egypt The Light Of The World Vol Ii
John Dee - The Calls Of Enoch
Anonymous - Steps To Knowledge From 1 To 49

Basic Principles Of Masons

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These basic principles have been the means of attracting the most highly respected persons to Masonry for over three centuries. Their simplicity confounds and confuses those who see a conspiracy lurking behind every bush; those who want 'religious purity' and those whose own motives are constantly self-oriented. As a result, this quiet fraternity continues - as do its detractors.

- Being a man, freeborn, of good repute and well-recommended
- Masonry began as a male organization. There are women's groups and groups of mixed male-female membership who use rituals similar to that of the major body of Freemasons throughout the world. Some of these groups receive acknowledgement (but not 'recognition') due to their adherence to high moral principles etc. while others are frowned upon. It is, after all, quite easy for anyone to claim that they are the head of a Masonic group and begin to obtain members. (Check our list of regular/recognized Grand Lodges here and you may wish to browse our section on Fake Masonry here.)
- The requirement of being "freeborn" harkens back to the earliest days of Freemasonry. It became a requirement since only those free from indentured service as an apprentice or bondsman (as many were in 17th century England, for example), could truly make decisions for themselves.
- Being of good repute is another essential requirement. Masons do not wish to encourage membership by those whose actions would stain the reputation of the fraternity. In some jurisdictions this is specifically stated but in all, it is practiced!
- A well-recommended person is one for whom another is willing to vouch. Those who become Freemasons have been recommended by a proposer and then examined by lodge members to ensure that the candidate will benefit from his membership.

Belief in a Supreme Being

- The major 'bone of contention' for some detractors, Masonry does not attempt to define or delineate how a person should pray or to whom worship should be addressed.
- The term "Great Architect of the Universe" (or "Grand Architect of the Universe") is used to permit offerings of prayer in a non-offensive manner regardless of the varied religious beliefs of those present. All Masons understand this concept and when a prayer is said in lodge (a blessing before a meal, a word of prayer for the sick, for example), they understand that regardless of the person speaking the words or the usual form of prayer of others present, the prayer is addressed to their Supreme Being.
- Once a candidate professes such belief, no further investigation or interrogation is made. This fact stymies Freemasonry's detractors who seem to be constantly engaged in wars of 'religious correctness' and who consequently wind up in contradiction with each other as a result.

Ability to support one's self and family

- Although not specifically stated by all jurisdictions, this 'requirement' comes from a time when many would join fraternal organizations in the hope there would be financial and other benefits available for them in their old age. Masonry did want to become a benevolent association and thus the requirement appeared. Now, this is important to ensure that those who seek membership understand the priority of Freemasonry is secondary to religious and family obligations!

Of Lawful Age

- It's a simply understood concept: if you are not old enough to make legal commitments, then the concepts and precepts of Freemasonry might be a bit too much for you to comprehend. Although this isn't always true, there is a conceptual basis for separating 'adults' from 'children'.
- In most US jurisdictions, this age is now 18. There are, however, some jurisdictions where the age might be 19 or 21. Canadian and other jurisdictions vary as well. Check with your local Grand Lodge. A quick summary of US/Canada ages can be found here.

"Own Free Will and Accord"

- You won't find recruiting posters or 'membership bars' on a medal although one jurisdiction has put 'advertisements' on various web locations including search engines like Google. Masons simply don't get awards for bringing in new members. It's a voluntary organization, sought out by those with a positive impression of the organization.
- Masonic membership has always been an intensely personal experience and in times when "feelings" weren't discussed publicly by men, the need for a person to ask for membership was often not communicated to those who might otherwise be interested in the fraternity. Accordingly, there are many who became Masons much later in life than necessary: they had thought the proper thing to do was to wait to be asked to join!
- Some grand jurisdictions, recognizing the problem arising from false perceptions ("I must be asked to join such a good organization."), have begun to loosen prior strict prohibitions. They may now have a provision for Masons to let those who they may feel would be appropriate candidates know that they are 'welcomed' to join. This does not, however, in any way mitigate or diminish the requirement that a man make the choice to join under his 'own free will and accord' not actuated by unworthy motives!

Books You Might Enjoy:

Richard Weiss - Recipes For Immortality
Solomonic Grimoires - The Testament Of Solomon
Pansophic Freemasons - Masonic Symbolism
Anonymous - Basic Principles Of The Craft

Are You A Mason

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Lord Justice Moulton : Anybody who knows anything about these societies knows that the ritual of most of them has been published.
Lord Justice Vaughan Williams : I have not observed any indication that you are, either of you, Masons. (Laughter.)
Sir F. Law.: I don’t propose to give your lordship any either. (Laughter.) The society is in no way a Masonic society.
Lord Justice Farwell said he could understand the publication of a trade secret doing a person irreparable injury, but he could not see how any damage, irreparable or otherwise could be done by this publication.
Sir. F. Law : If it is done it will be irreparable because the cat will be out of the bag.
Lord Justice Vaughan Williams : But so much of the cat came out the bag in September. (Laughter.)
Lord Justice Farwell : And I think it is a dead cat. (Laughter.)
Sir. F. Law : Perhaps there is a second cat in the bag, my lord. (Renewed Laughter.) The defendant is publishing the article as an act of revenge for having been expelled.
Lord Justice Vaughan Williams : I see the plaintiff says he is "the earthly chief" of the order, and subject to the guidance of the "Spiritual Order"? (Laughter.)
Lord Justice Farwell : What is the "Spiritual Order"? (Laughter.)
Sir. F. Law.: I cannot go into it, my lord. It is clear the spiritual head would not be answerable for costs. (Laughter.)
Lord Justice Vaughan Williams thought the appeal ought to succeed, and the injunction be discharged. The plaintiff had delayed his action until just before the publication of the new number of the magazine, whereas he might have proceeded a month or six weeks ago, before printing began. He did not decide, however, on that ground alone, but he also thought that the publication could do the plaintiff no harm, in view of what appeared in the last number of "The Equinox".
Lord Justice Moulton agreed. He was satisfied that if there was any reality in the plaintiff’s case, there was in the second number of the magazine such a breach and such a threat of continued breach that the plaintiff was in a position to assert his rights. He was of the opinion, however, that the plaintiff knew Mr. Crowley was the editor in November last, and that he would have had no difficulty then in brining his action in respect of breach and threatened breach. As a matter of fact, he let it go on till just before the third number had been issued, and then came and asked the court, before he had established any right, but merely on the possibility of having some right, which had been infringed, to give him the very serious remedy of an interim injunction to prevent publication. In his lordship’s opinion he had not shown such promptitude in asserting his rights at a time when they could be effectively asserted as to justify the granting of an injunction now.
Lord Justice Farwell also thought the plaintiff had dis-entitled himself by his delay, and added that, having regard to what had appeared in the second number of "The Equinox" he did not think there was any possibility of irreparable damage being done to him if the third number was allowed to come out.
The appeal was accordingly allowed, with costs.
KINGS BENCH DIVISION.

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John Robison

2010-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

John Robison (1739-1805)1 was Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh, Secretary of the Royal Society in that city, and author of "Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe carried on in the Secret Meetings of the freemasons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies, collected from Good Authorities."2 Due to the anti-Jacobin sentiments of the day it was received with some excitement but the Encyclopaedia Britannica says that this book, "betrays a degree of credulity extremely remarkable in a person used to calm reasoning and philosophical demonstration." Robison had been initiated into Freemasonry at Liege.

The Lessons Of Freemasonry

2010-07-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

The quotation by John Ruskin at the beginning of this chapter summarizes the lesson that Freemasonry would like to give to the world. It is often said that the purpose of Freemasonry is "to take a good man and help him to become a better man." It does so by offering a man who becomes a Mason opportunities to improve himself.

If you are to profit from Freemasonry to the fullest extent, you must work at applying the lessons in your daily life. The lessons of Freemasonry are timeless, but we learn from them by doing . Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without effort.

It takes effort to understand the teachings of Freemasonry, because they are illustrated by symbols and taught by allegory. What are the lessons taught by a "flight of winding stairs," or the importance of "the point within a circle?" Why were you the central character in the play set around events connected with the building of King Solomon's Temple? What do the ruffians represent and why were you blindfolded when you met them?

When you teach by symbols and by allegory, you are talking to each man as an individual, because he interprets the symbols and the allegory according to his own experiences. That is the strength of the method, and it provides ample opportunity for men to share their interpretations with each other thereby broadening the perspectives of everyone. We call our form of Freemasonry "Speculative", because we are encouraged to ponder the meanings of the lessons taught in terms of our own experiences.

Whenever you teach by symbols or allegory, it is possible that your message may be misunderstood. There is the apocryphal story of the elementary school teacher who brought two jars of worms to school one day. In one, she poured some water and the worms continued to wriggle and squiggle like all healthy worms do. In the other, she poured some alcohol and the worms shriveled up and died. She then asked the class, "Did you all see what happened?" "Yes, teacher!" "Did you all learn from this?" "Yes, teacher!" "Well, what did you learn?" One little boy waved his hand. "Johnny, what did you learn?" "I learned that if you drink gin, you won't get worms!" Now, that probably was not the lesson that the teacher intended with this demonstration, but such are the dangers of free interpretation. To prevent such misunderstandings, it is necessary to ask questions of those men whom you respect for their interpretations or explain yours and ask for comments. Open discussions in Lodge are necessary and a useful part of our education.

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Freemason Jailed For Cheating Masonic Friends

2010-07-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Freemasons protect each other don't they...

A former senior Freemason from Northampton has been jailed for fraud after conning his Masonic colleagues into letting him draw up their wills.

David Bell, of Ecton Brook, pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court to defrauding four of his friends in 2007, by creating wills after leading them to believe he still worked for The Will Writing Company, based in Nottingham.

But the court heard the 59-year-old, who was secretary of a Masonic Lodge in Northampton at the time, had resigned from the firm after an investigation into his conduct and was pocketing the cash himself.

The victims, whom he knew through his freemasons' lodge, were led to believe through emails and company notepaper that they were insured and the wills had been examined by a team of expert solicitors.

The court heard experts later declared the wills "not fit for purpose" and said family members may have needed to sue each other over the estate, had any of the victims died before the con was discovered.

Neena Crimion, prosecuting, added: "In terms of potential loss, had the wills not been checked, there could have been very serious financial consequences for the four victims."

The court was told that all of the victims now had new wills drawn up, but they were still owed about ?2,500 for will-writing services and about ?2,000 loaned to Bell by one of the victims.

Mrs Crimion said The Will Writing Company held an internal investigation into Bell in 2006.

He was paid commission for handling customers' cash, over alleged "mismanaged payments", but he did not attend the disciplinary hearings and resigned in January 2007.

However, managers became suspicious that he was still continuing his work under the company name after one of the victims contacted The Will Writing Company about his will, of which it had no record.

After similar calls, police were called and officers arrested Bell in September 2007 and raided his home in Woburn Gate, Ecton Brook.

Mr Kirk said his client had been motivated by money problems, which he had kept secret from his family but he had now been thrown out of the Freemasons after 25 years as a member and was facing shame and disgrace.

Judge Michael Pert sentenced Bell to nine months in prison for the offences.

He said: "These are dishonest offences, committed against people who were your friends. "I cannot treat you any differently because you were up until now an upstanding member of society."

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Was Karl Marx A Freemason

2010-07-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

An avowed atheist, Heinrich Karl Marx (1818/05/05 - 1883/03/14) would not have qualified for membership. There is no record of his having joined a regular lodge. Marx’s alleged masonic link stems from his involvement with the League of the Just.

Friederich Engels (1820-1895) helped Marx transform this socialist secret society of emigre German workers into the Communist League when they held their first congress in London in June 1847. In 1848 he and Karl Marx were authorized to draft their statement of principles, "The Communist Manifesto."

Claims, such as that in None Dare Call it Conspiracy [p. 30], that this society was associated in any form with any Illuminati—or by extension, Freemasonry—are unfounded.

The fact that almost forty years later Karl Marx’s daughter, Eleanor Morris, co-founded the Socialist League, and that the masonic fraud Theodor Reuss joined soon after [AQC Vol 91], does not prove that the earlier Communist League had anything to do with any Illuminati. Eleanor’s marriage to Theosophist lecturer and friend of Annie Besant, Edward Aveling, is also cited by Richard Wurmbrand as "proof" that Marx was a satanist.

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Compatibility Of Freemasonry And Christianity

2010-07-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity because it promotes indifferentism. Indifferentism is the heretical belief that all religions are equally legitimate attempts to explain the truth about God which, but for the truth of His existence, are unexplainable. Such a view makes all truths relative and holds that God can be equally pleased with truth and error. Because Christians believe that God has definitively revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, and desires that all men come to the knowledge of this truth, indifferentism is incompatible with Christian faith. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).

Freemasonry's Teachings and practices also result in syncretism which is the blending of different religious beliefs into a unified whole. This is evidenced most especially by Masonry's religious rituals which gather men of all faiths around a common altar, and place all religious writings along side the Bible on the Masonic altar. This is also demonstrated by the Lodge's prayers and its unique names and symbols for God and heaven. Syncretism is the logical consequence of indifferentism.

The Lodge's practice of requiring its members to swear immoral oaths is also incompatible with Christianity. These oaths require a Christian to swear on the Holy Bible that he will uphold a code of moral conduct that prefers Masons over non-Masons, and to preserve secret passwords and handshakes. Such oaths are gravely immoral because their subject matter is trivial or does not give rise to the necessity of an oath. These oaths are also sworn under symbolic, blood-curdling penalties of physical torture and death called self-curses (e.g., having my throat cut across, and my tongue torn out by its roots). These penalties show a lack of respect for God and amount to blasphemy which is a serious sin.

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What Are Freemasonry Teachings And Practices

2010-07-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Freemasonry is governed by certain fundamental and unalterable precepts that the organization calls "Landmarks." Landmarks have been handed down from one Masonic generation to the next through secret rituals and oral tradition. While there is no consensus on all the Landmarks, most Masons agree that the Landmarks include a belief in God as the Grand Architect of the Universe, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body.

The Landmarks also include the conferral of the death and resurrection rite of the third degree (also called the Hiramic legend), the teaching of moral and religious truths through symbolism, the requirement for secrecy, the necessity for candidates to have full use of their mental faculties and limbs (no physically or mentally handicapped men can become Masons) and the requirement of swearing covenant oaths with self-curses as a condition for membership.

Freemasonry also reverences all religious writings and places these writings on par with God’s written Word found in the Bible. Thus, Masonry places all religious writings on its altar (Book of Mormon, the Vedas, Zend Avesta, the Sohar, the Kabalah, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads or any other religious writing). This is because, unlike Christianity, Freemasonry does not believe that the Bible is the revealed written Word of God. Instead, Freemasonry views all religions as equally plausible attempts to explain the truth about God which, in the end, cannot be known.

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Rituals Of The Societas Rosicrucianis In Anglia

2010-07-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Book: Rituals Of The Societas Rosicrucianis In Anglia by Anonymous

THE Societas Rosicrucianis in Anglia (or "SRIA") i.e. The Rosicrucian Society of England, was founded in 1866 by Robert Wentworth Little, who had apparently previously attained high rank in a Scottish Rosicrucian order: it was this Order which he claimed granted him a charter to open an English version.

The SRIA attracted the membership of a number of talented men in Rosicrucian circles of the 19th Century, including: Frederick Hockley, the crystal?gazer; Kenneth Mackenzie, compiler of "The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia" - and the three founder members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, William Woodman, W. Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers. Lord Lytton (Sir Edward Bulwher?Lytton, author of "Zanoni") and Eliphas Levi were both awarded
Honorary membership, but there is no evidence they ever attended SRIA meetings.

The SRIA worked nine grades in total: four learning grades,
· Zelator
· Theoricus
· Practicus
· Philosophus
three Teaching grades,
· Adeptus Minor
· Adeptus Major
· Adeptus Exemptus
and two Ruling Grades,
· Magister Templi
· Magus.

Of these, the first seven were the only ones that could usually be attained: however, unlike the Golden Dawn, the SRIA made no pretence that Magistri Templi and Magi were mysterious praeterhuman "Secret Chiefs".

The SRIA proved to be popular enough that Masons in America wanted to set up their own branch. This they did - getting a charter from the English order, to found the "Societas Rosicrucianis in Civitatibus Federatis" i.e. the Rosicrucian Society in the United States. It is from this "SRICF" that the following Rituals derive - they date from around the year 1880. As for these first four rituals themselves - one can make the following observations. They are
strikingly different from the Golden Dawn ceremonies for the equivalent grades. Clearly whoever wrote the Golden Dawn Cipher Manuscripts was not deriving them on the SRIA. The ceremonies tell a four part story concerning a member of the original order, Frater Gualdi. Hard at work trying to find the Elixir Vitae, he rang the ceremonial bell in the middle of the night - which announced his success. However, when the other Brethren reached him, he was lying on the floor, apparently dead. The Brethren tried to discover his last secret by consulting the working papers that lay on the bench... The Initiate is therefore put into the role of a Brother trying to piece together Gualdi’s discovery, by investigating Alchemy, Astrology and Astronomy, etc. At the climax of the Philosophus ceremony, the Initiate sees Gualdi return to life - the hymn which is sung at this point giving some telling clues Rituals of the Societas Rosicrucianis in Anglia as to the real nature of the "Elixir Vitae"

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Does Freemasonry Have A Secret Political Agenda

2010-06-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

No. But of course we'd say that, wouldn't we?

A long-standing rule within regular Freemasonry is a prohibition on the discussion of politics in a lodge and the participation of lodges or masonic bodies in political pursuits. Freemasonry has no politics, but it teaches its members to be active in civic concerns.

The accusation that Freemasonry has a hidden agenda to establish a masonic government ignores several facts. While agreeing on certain Landmarks, the many independent and sovereign Grand Lodges act as such, and do not agree on many other points of belief and practice. Also, as can be seen from our list of famous freemasons, and the next section, individual freemasons hold beliefs that span the spectrum of politics. The term "masonic government" has no meaning since individual freemasons hold many different opinions on what constitutes a good government, and Freemasonry as a body has no opinion on the topic.

A curious accusation is that freemasons are, or Freemasonry is, synarchist. Properly speaking, the word synarchy is derived from a Greek root meaning "to rule jointly" and denotes a government in which the people had a share together with the rulers, or several groups jointly ruled. The earliest usage noted in the Oxford English Dictionary is in a Bible commentary published in 1732.

The Marquis Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre (1842-1909) redefined synarchy as a "utopian" socio-political alternative to anarchy: "government by an elite of enlightened initiates." Author of a number of occult and socio-political books,1 Saint-Yves popularized the myth of the secret world of "Agartha" and believed in the existence of spiritually superior beings whom he believed he could contact telepathically.
Saint-Yves’s philosophy was encapsuled by Umberto Ecco in Foucault’s Pendulum, where he described Saint-Yves:

"He was determined to find a political formula that could lead to a more harmonious society. Synarchy in opposition to Anarchy. A European society ruled by three councils representing the economical power, the executive power and the spiritual power, that is, the churches and the scientists. An enlightened oligarchy through which class struggle could be eliminated."

Other popularizers of the term "synarchy" have been Guy Patton and Milko Bogaard.

While conspiracy theorists and anti-masons will use the term "synarchy" and claim it is masonic, they fail to provide any factual proof but rely on logical fallacy and verbal sleight-of-hand to use the terms of their accusation as the proof of their accusation. Saint-Yves is not known to have been a freemason, but even if he had been, he did not speak for Freemasonry.

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The Freemasons Key A Study Of Masonic Symbolism

2010-06-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

Book: The Freemasons Key A Study Of Masonic Symbolism by Michael Poll

Mike Poll has developed a keen sense of 'what's needed' in the publishing of Masonic books. In this work, he's filled a HUGE gap that has existed practically forever.

Symbolism is the language of Freemasonry. But what is symbolism? Why does Masonry use it? Who else has used symbolism? Some of the great minds in Masonic history (Albert Mackey, Joseph Fort Newton, Oliver Day Street, H. L. Haywood and more) answer these and other questions concerning the Masonic method of teaching as well as explain the symbolism of the Masonic degrees. This is an indispensable work for anyone seeking to better understand Freemasonry and its practices.

When one becomes a Mason, the very first thing they want to learn about is 'symbolism'. What does it all mean? What's behind it all? For several decades, the standard work to address these emergent questions has been Allen Roberts' The Craft and Its Symbols. This book will not take its place but it should easily become the SECOND reference for a new or inquiring Masonic mind. While Roberts has addressed the basics, relating them to each degree in a logical, patterned order, this work expands FAR beyond that and joins together essays from the best and brightest minds from the history of Freemasonry into a book which expands the richness of our symbolism in detail. Having these all in one easily handled volume makes it just SO much easier!

This is not to say that these essays themselves are easy: they are, for the most part, ones to which you will return again and again over the years, each time finding new gems of thought-provoking stimulation. They approach the subject of Masonic Symbolism from varying angles, allowing the rich prism to shine and glow in your mind.

Within the pages of "The Freemasons Key", Our good Brother, Poll, has edited an excellent collection of essays on Masonic Symbolism by past Masonic scholars and thinkers. Throughout my world travels within the Masonic circles of the U.S.A., Asia, and Europe, Masonic Initiates of all levels (including Initiates of Non-Masonic traditions) often ask me; "What makes Freemasonry so special and unique?" My answer: IT'S SYMBOLISM!! This book explains in detail why Brother Albert Pike felt: "It is in its ancient symbols and in the knowledge of their true meanings that the preeminence of Freemasonry over all other orders consists." Also, Brothers who are members of appendent Masonic organizations such as The Order of Secret Monitor, The Worshipful Society of Freemasons, ETC... or follow the religious traditions of Islam, Christianity, Jewidism, ETC.. will find much Masonic light in this book because of the UNIVERSAL nature of it's subject matter. Freemasons, buy this book, Now! You will not be disappointed. Enuff said. This is a book that has long been needed: I urge ANY student of Masonic symbolism to add it to their 'read this now' list and to their library immediately.

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Was Vladimir Lenin A Freemason

2010-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Lenin was not a recognized freemason. Although claims have been made that he was a member of the Grand Orient of Russian Peoples, there is no proof of this. The Grand Orient of Russian Peoples was an irregular and clandestine body, having no relations with regular Freemasonry. The Revue internationale des Societes Secretes (Vol. VIII, 1919. p. 702) claimed, without citation, that Lenin was a member of a secret masonic lodge in Switzerland. Prince Dr. Otto zu Salm-Horstmar said in a speech in the upper house of the Prussian Diet, in August 1918, that Lenin was a Jew and belonged to a masonic lodge in Paris with Trotsky, but his sources are also uncited.

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The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise In Sorcery

2010-04-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Book: The Picatrix The Goal Of The Wise In Sorcery by Steven Ashe

The Picatrix or Gayat al-Hakim [fi l-siHr] 'The Goal of the Wise [in sorcery]' is a grimoire of uncertain origins, probably written circa 1200 AD. Offering talismanic and astrological guidance. Presented in the original Arabic, the talismanic property of this work will be of interest to specialist collectors of seminal grimoires. The book had a major influence on West European magical thinking from Marsilio Ficino in the 1400s, Cornelius Agrippa, Thomas Campanella, Dr John Dee and Paracelsus in addition to the anonymous authors of magical grammars such as the Key of Solomon. The edition in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman, Richard Napier, Elias Ashmole and William Lilly.

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The Mysticism Of Masonry

2010-04-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Book: The Mysticism Of Masonry by Anonymous

In placing this volume, which is the revised edition of the book first issued under the title, Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry, I do so without the thought of an apology, owing to the fact that the first edition was received by the earnest students of Masonry and the Occult not because it was an expose, but because it was an Interpretation of Masonic Symbolism as handed down to us through the ages from the Mysteries of the Ancients.

As a Masonic work, the book must stand unchallenged for the reason that the basis of its symbolism is from the highest and universally accepted Masonic writers. The Interpretation is also Masonic, with an additional Mystic interpretation appearing within brackets. For this I am personally responsible, though these explanations are based on and entirely harmonious with the inculcations of the Ancient Mysteries as received by myself through my various journeys in the realm of the mystic. It is therefore entirely lawful for me to offer them to the aspiring neophyte.

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The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

2010-04-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Book: The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry by Castells

THE early expositors of Freemasonry regarded the Latin word LVX, " Light," as synonymous with their science, and they dwelt on the fact that by dividing the Circle into four equal parts they produced a Cross from which they got the outline of the three Roman letters needed to spell this word - LVX.

The Circle thus divided contained four right angles, that is, angles of 90°, the angles which we call "squares," as corresponding to the tool by which the operative Mason tries and adjusts rectangular corners of buildings. The lines drawn to do this is a cross, indicating the four directions, the four quarters of the globe, N.E.S.W. And this figure was actually used as a cryptogram for the mystic light which was imparted to the Candidate in Masonic Lodges.

Mosheim, writing some 200 years ago, confirmed this fact by the most interesting statement that in the secret writing of the Alchemists and Rosicrucians the said sign
stood for the word " Light." For we should bear in mind that the Rosicrucians had drunk deep in Masonic fountains, and they, like the Masons, understood by the term light, " the knowledge of their science."

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The Freemasons A History Of The World Most Powerful Secret Society

2010-03-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Book: The Freemasons A History Of The World Most Powerful Secret Society by Jasper Ridley

Ridley takes a critical look at Freemasonry and its place and members in history. To date this has been the best, most honest, and accurate look at Freemasonry throughout history up to the year 2000.

Many books about the Freemasons are hysterical polemics based on ludicrous conspiracy theories. British historian Jasper Ridley offers a welcome antidote to these half-witted tomes with The Freemasons, a sober-minded account of a secret society that has survived for centuries. Most important, Ridley provides the one thing missing from many discussions of the masons: facts. For instance, after noting the "well-established legend in the United States that the Freemasons made the American Revolution," Ridley shows that "of the 55 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, only nine were certainly masons." (Prominent members of the founding generation who were not masons include Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton.) This shows that masons have played a meaningful role in history, though not the domineering one their critics have alleged. Even though Ridley (who is not a mason) defends the masons against the overblown charges made against them, he doesn't quite buy the explanation that "they are no different from a golf club. ...Members of golf clubs do not take oaths not to reveal the secrets of the club." For a level- headed account of how a medieval guild of stone masons developed over time into an offbeat social organization with a powerful membership, Ridley's book is tough to beat.

Instead of looking at just the internal history of Freemasonry, Ridley writes about its influence (and it's members) on the world and how the world has influence it throughout history. The books places the craft in a historical context in the fact that the book explains what historical events were occurring and how it effect Freemasonry. Such as the American and French Revolutions.

As Masonic halls throughout America shut their doors because of declining membership Ridley provides an extended history of the group that was in its prime a couple of generations ago. Although its origins can be traced to stonemasons of the Middle Ages, the Masonic movement as we know it today took root in 18th-century England, where the first Grand Lodge was established in 1717. The movement thrived thanks to its ability to attract aristocratic and influential members of society among them Sir Walter Scott, Frederick the Great and George Washington who joined to socialize, dine and exchange views with like-minded and similarly influential men, and get a frisson from engaging in secret rituals in an exclusive club. Despite the catalogue of powerful members, the book's subtitle is misleading. The Masonic movement, as a sympathetic Ridley himself shows, has generally been benign, and tried to steer clear of political controversy, particularly in the two countries Britain and the United States where it has most firmly taken root. Of course, any secret society that boasts influential members is bound to cause suspicion, and Ridley details the waves of anti-Masonic sentiment that arose throughout the centuries, as well as assorted scandals involving fraud and murder allegations. Yes, its members swear to preserve its secrets on pain of death. But the main reason that Freemasonry's mysteries remain hidden appears largely to be a general lack of interest by society at large. Because of the sweeping scope of his study, Ridley often oversimplifies an age or historical figure. Thus, this is less a book for the serious reader of history than for the simply inquisitive or prospective members of the movement who have no inkling how the Masons differ from Rotarians.

Meanwhile, Ridley sheds light on the Masons and sweeps away the lies and half truths of others that have come before him and takes an honest look at the craft.
Ridley makes a solid case that in his work that instead of being some secret world wide conspiracy to control events or the world, Masons are often divided on the great issues of the day. However, English and American Masons forbid any political discussion within their lodges. Ridley points out that in every war, Masons supported and fought for their respective countries, which pitted Masons of different sides against each other. Ridley also documents how Freemasons were often the target of oppression and witch hunts started by dictators who have banned the craft and the formation of lodges.

The Freemasons is a great book for it's historical look at the craft and the history surrounding it both inside and outside. It takes a look at who were some of history's most famous Masons. While at the same time, not all Masons were angels.. but in the end showing that Freemasonry has always stood for the ideals of morality and freedom.

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A Pilgrim Path Freemasonry And The Religious Right

2010-03-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Book: A Pilgrim Path Freemasonry And The Religious Right by John Robinson

John Robinson writes in a style that not only can be understood by someone who has never been exposed to Masonry but it also holds the total interest of someone who has not only been a Mason for years but who grew up going to Lodge functions.

Robinson spends the first section of the book taking on the Pat Robertson's and other Anti-Masons of the world. He has without a doubt spent a lot of time making a study of Anti-Masonic writings for he is able to take their arguments one at a time and expose the deception and outright lies they make a living on. For example, Pat Robertson, James Holly and others like them take a document credited to Albert Pike which makes it look like Pike if not all Masons do indeed worship Lucifer. This document was in fact written by a man named Leo Taxil who would later freely admit he made the whole thing up and that Pike had nothing to do with it. Taxil in fact took great delight in telling people how he had pulled the wool over their eyes and had made a fortune in so doing. Robertson in his book "A New World Order" attributes this document to Pike. Either he didn't research his work too well or he simply didn't care about the truth. Maybe lies are more profitable.

I recommend this book to Everyone interested in Masonry or Anti-Masonry--esp., to those joining The Craft (see the Dedication of the book) & their loved ones. John J Robinson gives a well-written appraisal of Freemasonry and the Anti-Masonic Propagandists, who slander the organization. Everything he says can easily be backed-up with a little research & this book is a concise, sensible, articulate piece of research material that sums-up most of the important aspects of Freemasonry.... and the unfortunate, ridiculous attacks by the Uninitiated. A Great "coffee table" book for Freemasons. Buy one for your Church and loan it to those who are confused by the evangelists and other money-mongers. My Credentials? : I made my decision to join The Freemasons long-ago, not knowing if I would be found worthy... and not knowing anyone of my generation who had joined this organization, that I admired so-much. As I sought methods of joining the fraternal order, I stumbled-across a cornucopia of information about Freemasonry.

I was distressed to discover that Anti-Masonic propaganda was being used by various groups to further the ignorance of various causes. I read everything I could get my hands on about The Masons, for many years, because of my great respect for them. I know many Masons, in other states, and my family--The Lincolns--have been affiliated with Masonic orders for generations, but my Grandfather kept all of his secrets.... My Grandmother was in The Order of the Eastern Star, and so was my Great-Grandmother (a VERY religious, Christian woman). I am also a member of a Humanitarian organization that has always attracted Freemasons and is based on Masonic Principles. My experience with Masonry has made me a better man and I have seen nothing (Despite the Propaganda) that would make me think any less of Freemasonry. -- "A Pilgrim's Path" is a book that could have saved me ten years of research and helped me to teach others, along the way, without saying a word..... However, my research has led me to the conclusion that Mr. Robinson is very knowledgeable and I recommend his book, because I admire his work and his writing skills. I believe this book will be adopted as a Masonic Handbook for those joining or interested in the Freemasons. Women want to know more about The Masons and this book is for them, as well!

Finally, Robinson delivers several great ideas to help Masonry not only survive but grow. Several of the mistaken ideas he mentions that he has heard from Masons themselves I have heard also. As he points out, to exclude your family from your Masonic life is to invite problems. Masons everywhere should listen to his advice and Masonry can't help but benefit.

In short, if you are curious about Masonry or already have a bad impression of Masonry but still have an open mind, read this book. If you are a Mason this book can make your Masonic life much more rich.

Buy John Robinson's book: A Pilgrim Path Freemasonry And The Religious Right

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Mysteries Of The Freemasons

2010-03-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Book: Mysteries Of The Freemasons by Michael Hall

Generally a good balanced view of Freemasonry, with plenty of opinions from several angles and well-known writers, both masonic and non-Masonic, on the Craft.. Libraries will find this outstanding DVD a popular pick, offering a fine historical and Biographical review. MYSTERIES OF THE FREEMASONS provides a fine survey of the world's oldest secret society, reviewing codes, murder, and offering a blend of reenactments and expert interviews to survey Freemason history. Great Information. Highly Recommended.

Buy Michael Hall's book: Mysteries Of The Freemasons

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Was Walt Disney A Freemason

2010-02-26T03:27:00.000-08:00

USA motion picture and television producer, Walter Elias Disney (1901/12/05 - 1966/12/15), was a member of the appendent organization for boys, DeMolay International. He was not a freemason. For Reasons of their own, a few anti-masons, detractors of American pop culture and conspiracy theorists have referred to Disney as a 33? Freemason but this claim is unfounded.

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Abbe Barruel

2010-02-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

Augustin Barruel (1741/10/02 - 1820/10/05) published Memoires pour servir a l'Histoire du Jacobinisme, in four volumes octavo, in London in 1797. He charged the Freemasons with revolutionary Principles in politics and infidelity in religion.1 Equally unsubstantiated were his claims that Freemasonry was derived, by way of the Templars, from the Manicheans. Often quoted by modern anti-masonic writers, his claims and accusations were widely denounced and discredited by his contemporaries.

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Why Do Masons Wear Aprons

2010-01-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

The use of the apron is extremely old, not, as with the operative Masons, as a protector of clothing and body against tools and stone, but as a badge of honor. It was so used by the priests of Israel, by candidates for the mysteries of Mithras in Persia, by the ancient Japanese in religious worship. Ethiopia knew aprons as did Egypt. In all times and climes, it has been a badge of distinction. It is as such that a Mason wears it.

The material of the Masonic apron-lambskin-is a symbol of innocence, as the lamb has always been.

Color and material are important in its symbolism but Masonry admits the "symbol of the symbol"--as, for instance, an electric light in place of a candle. Hence a Mason has more than once been "properly clothed" when the lambskin aprons of the lodge were all in use and he came through the tiled door clad in a white handkerchief!

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Duncan Ritual Of Freemasonry

2010-01-18T06:22:00.000-08:00

Book: Duncan Ritual Of Freemasonry by Malcolm Duncan

This book is a classic, and a treasure. Reading about the rituals of Freemasonry is fascinating, but to see illustrations of the gestures that are described is to take the study up to the next level. Many Masonic symbols are illustrated and codes for reading certain Masonic Texts are revealed. This is a handbook for Masons, but those who study without the lodge will gain some insight, from previous reading. This book will not give you a free pass into the lodge...but, it may inspire you to petition one!

This is a book a Mason would not want you to have! After reading so much negative garbage about Freemasonry, I bought this book out of curiosity. And when I opened it, boy was I shocked. This book contains all the duegard signs, the illusions, secret hand shakes, and passwords for the first three degrees. It gives the entire initiation process for the first three degrees, from the begining to the ending. It also contains the lectures and the story behind each degree. This book also has the opening of the lodge.

This is a must book for anybody who wants to get a peep inside the lodge. Even though this book is packed with a lot of good information, and give you a lot of insight on the craft and if you study it and somehow be able to master it, you still would not truly be a mason until you come into the Lodge the right way.

This book also contains additional degrees on the York rite side of masonry. The degrees are Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and The Royal Arch. As for me I'm on the Scottish Rite side of masonry, so the additional information is of no use to me, but it's still good information to read.

If you want to try and fool somebody by saying you are a mason, with this book you might can pull it off. All you have to master is the first three degrees. But be aware, a true mason will throw some stuff at you that will make your head spin. Don't read this book and then go buy masonic gear or vehicle emblems, because if you cain't protect it, might get taken from you. Their's more to freemasonry than reading a book.

I highly recommend this book for anybody who is curious about the craft or anyone who looking to join the Lodge.

Buy Malcolm Duncan's book: Duncan Ritual Of Freemasonry

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Higher Degrees In Freemasonry

2010-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

While there are many numerically higher degrees, the third degree (or Master Mason degree) is considered the highest degree in Freemasonry. This is because the Master Mason degree, in an extensive allegorical drama in which the candidate participates, teaches Masonry's sublime belief in the resurrection of the body. This drama is also called the Hiramic legend or the legend of the third degree.

In the third degree, the candidate participates in a drama where he plays a biblical character named “Hiram Abif,” a stonemason who worked on King Solomon’s Temple. In the lodge drama, Hiram is accosted in the Temple by renegade Masons who are trying to extort from him the secret Masonic word. When Hiram refuses to divulge the secret Masonic word, the Masons kill him (the candidate is symbolically murdered by being hit over the head with a padded setting maul, knocked off his feet, and caught in a large sack by his Masonic brothers). The Masons then bury the body of Hiram Abif (the candidate is instructed to remain lying down and materials are spread over his body).

As the drama unfolds, Hiram’s body is later discovered by other Masons who work in King Solomon’s Temple. When he is discovered, King Solomon and the other Masons make a procession to the gravesite and then pray for Hiram’s salvation. After the prayer, King Solomon raises Hiram (the candidate) up by the Strong Grip of a Master Mason. The candidate is then told that he has been raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular in the Masonic faith of the resurrection of the body and the Immortality of the soul.

After a Mason reaches the third degree, he may advance in his Masonic journey to either the Scottish Rite or the York Rite. The Scottish Rite confers the fourth through thirty-second (and honorary thirty-third) degree. The York Rite also confers advanced degrees and is known as Original or Ancient Craft Masonry. These bodies are not under the authority of the Grand Lodges but have friendly Relationships with them. The purpose of these Higher Degrees is to amplify what the Mason learned in his Blue lodge. These degrees, like those of the Blue lodge, require oath-bound secrecy. When a man becomes either a thirty-second degree or York Rite Mason, he is eligible to join the Shriners.

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Further Masonic Reading

2010-01-04T04:11:00.000-08:00

MASONIC BOOKS

BEHA, Ernest, A Comprehensive Dictionary of Freemasonry (Arco Publications, 1962).
BOX, Hubert S., The Nature of Freemasonry (Augustine Press, 1952)
CAHILL, E., Freemasonry and the Anti-Christian Movement (Gill and Son, Dublin, 1952).
CARLILE, Richard, Manual of Freemasonry (Wm Reeves,
London, 1845).
CARR, Harry, The Freemason at Work (Lewis Masonic, 1976).
COVEY-CRUMP, Rev, The Hiramic Tradition, (London,1937).
COX, Barry, SHIRLEY , John and SHORT, Martin, The Fall of Scotland Yard (Penguin, 1977).
DEWAR, james, The Unlocked Secret (William Kimber, 1966).
FITZWALTER, Raymond and TAYLOR, David, Web of Corruption (Granada, 1981)
GOULD, R. F., history of Freemasonry (Caxton, 1951).
HANNAH, Walton, Darkness Visible (Augustine Press,1952); Christian by Degrees (Britons Publishing Co 1954).
JONES, Bernard E., Freemasons' Book of the Royal Arch (Harrap, 1957); Freemasons's Guide and Compendium (Harrap, 1950).
'JUBELUM', Freemasonry and the Church of England Reconciled (Britons Publishing Co 1951).
KNIGHT, Stephen, Jack the Ripper.. The Final Solution (Harrap, 1976).
LAWRENCE, Rev John, Freemasonry - A Way of Salvation? (Grove Books, 1982).
LAWRENCE, Rev John T., Masonicjurispradence (A. Lewis,1923).
LENNHOFF, Eugen, The Freemasons (A. Lewis, 1934).
LEPPER, J. Herron, The Traditioners (Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol 56, Quatuor Coronati Lodge, no 2076).
LEO XIII, POPE, Humanum Genus, 1884 (Britons Publishing Co, 1952).
MACKENZIE, Norman (Editor), Secret Societies (Aldus, 1967).
MACKEY, Albert G., Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (3 vols) (Macoy Publishing and Supply Co, Richmond, Virginia, 1946).
MORGAN, William, Freemasonry Exposed (Glasgow,1836).
NEWTON, Joseph Fort, The Builders.. A Story and Study of Freemasonry (Hogg, 1917; Allen and Unwin, 1918).
PICK, Fred L. and KNIGHT, G. Norman, The Pocket history of Freemasonry (Frederick Muller, 1953).
PINCHER, Chapman, Tbei'r Trade is Treachery (Sidgwick and jackson, 1981).
RAINSBURY, Rev A. W., Freemasonry - of God or the Devil? (substance of a sermon preached in Emmanuel Church, South Croydon, 1959).
RUMBLE, Dr L., Catholics and Freemasonry (Catholic Truth Society pamphlet).
THURSTON, H., Freemasonry (CTS pamphlet).
'VINDEX', Light Invisible, A Freemason's Answer to Darkness Visible (Britons Publishing Co, 1952).
VOORHISS. H. V. B., Factsfor Freemasons (Macoy Publishing Co, 1951, revised 1979).
WHALEN, William j., Christianity and American Freemasonry (Bruce Publishing Co, Milwaukee, 1958).

MASONIC PERIODICALS

Freemasons' Magazine and Masonic Mirror
Freemasons' Montbly Remembrancer
Freemasons' Quarterly Review
Masonic Square

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