The Picatrix Selected Translations Edited With Commentary

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

Recommended reading (pdf e-books):

Aleister Crowley - Liber Al Vel Legis Dutch Translation
Aleister Crowley - Liber 011 Nu With Commentary
Aleister Crowley - Liber 016 Turris Vel Domus Dei With Commentary

Is Freemasonry A Religion Or Has It A Religion

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.

Downloadable books (free):

Anonymous - Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age
Albert Mackey - History Of Freemasonry Vol I Prehistoric Masonry
John Arnott Macculloch - The Religion Of The Ancient Celts
Chantepie De La Saussaye - The Religion Of The Teutons

The Real History Of The Rosicrucians

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 Two Great Schisms Of Freemasonry

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

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

Ritual And Symbols Of Freemasons

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

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

Origin Of The Word Freemasons

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

How To Become A Freemason

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.

Books You Might Enjoy:

John Dee - Compendium Magicae Angelorum French Version
John Dee - Table From Liber Loagaeth French Version
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

Fremasons Organizational Structure

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

Does Freemasonry Have A Secret Political Agenda

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.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Muhammad Ibn Arabi - Tarjuman Al Ashwaq A Collection Of Mystical Odes
Elizabeth Reis - Confess Or Deny What A Witch To Do
Irmin Vinson - Prophecy Of The Seeress Poetic Edda
Albert Mackey - History Of Freemasonry Vol I Prehistoric Masonry

Was Vladimir Lenin A Freemason

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.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

John Dee - Les 48 Appels Enochiens French Version
Aleister Crowley - Liber Al Vel Legis Greek Translation
Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry

The Mysticism Of Masonry

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.

Download Anonymous's eBook: The Mysticism Of Masonry

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry
Franz Cumont - The Mysteries Of Mithra
Reynold Nicholson - The Mystics Of Islam
Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry
Anonymous - The Mysticism Of Masonry

The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

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."

Download Castells's eBook: The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

Downloadable books (free):

Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry
Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry

Mysteries Of The Freemasons

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

Downloadable books (free):

Bernard King - Meanings Of The Runes
James Anderson - The Constitutions Of The Freemasons 1734
Franz Cumont - The Mysteries Of Mithra
Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry

Was Walt Disney A Freemason

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.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Solomonic Grimoires - Ars Notoria The Notary Art Of Solomon
Marcus Cordey - Magical Theory And Tradition
John Dee - La Grande Table De La Terre French Version
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry
Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry

Abbe Barruel

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.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes
Ona - The Dark Forces
Israel Regardie - The Art Of True Healing

Higher Degrees In Freemasonry

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.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

John Sebastian Marlowe Ward - The Higher Degrees Handbook
Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry
Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry
Arthur Edward Waite - The Templar Orders In Freemasonry

The Knights Templar The History And Myths Of The Legendary Military Order

Book: The Knights Templar The History And Myths Of The Legendary Military Order by Sean Martin

This is an excellent, sober and balanced primer on what has been the subject of hysterical writing in the last few years, especially since the release of The Da Vinci Code. Sean Martin has written a very well structured book. It's divided into four main sections: the origins, activities, and fall of the Templars, as well as an additional section on the current mythology surrounding The Order. Sean Martin has an elegant, simple writing style, making the book a very easy read (which is bad news, because you finish it too quickly).

This book is an essential exploration into the history of a legendary group of Crusaders, which are prominently featured in Dan Brown’s recent best seller, The Da Vinci Code. The Knights Templar rose from humble beginnings to become the Most Powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, they participated in the Crusades and rapidly gained wealth, lands, and influence. Seemingly untouchable for nearly two centuries, they fell from grace spectacularly after the loss of the Holy Land. In the ensuing centuries the Templars have exerted a unique influence over European history; orthodox historians see them as nothing more than soldier-monks whose arrogance was their ultimate undoing, while others see them as occultists of the first order. With clarity and ease, Martin navigates between the orthodox and the speculative, the historical and the myth, to bring alive the story of the Templars. Like those other legends of the Middle Ages—the characters of the Arthurian tales—The Knights Templar holds captive the imagination of all those intrigued by conspiracy and how history and myth intertwine to become the stuff of legend.

It lays out the whole history of The Order, from Hughes de Payen's offer to the King of Jerusalem, to Bernard of Clairvaux's lobbying to the Council of Clermont, the first crusade and then on to the eventual downfall of the Templars with Jacques de Molay's execution in 1314. I won't enumerate all the details because if you're reading this review, you are probably a Templar buff, in which case you know all this. For those looking for an Introduction to this subject, this is THE book to get.

Too many history books are written in too scholarly a tone, resulting in a very tedious read-you only need to check some of the weightier volumes on the Crusades. The writing style of this book makes you feel part of the events unfolding page by page. Occasional dry humor that comes out in the writing adds to the enjoyment.

A bonus is that the storyline of the Templars in this book is weaved faultlessly with that of the Crusades, so that it also de facto becomes a primer on the latter. Not too many books on the Templars do this well-Gordon Napier's "The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar" is one of a few that comes to mind.

Some maps, a chronology of Templar history, the list of Grand Masters (for you conspiracy theorists, this list ends with Jacques de Molay and not someone living today) and the list of formal charges against The Order rounds out what is a great little book.

This book is smaller than most works on this subject, but in my opinion, it is one of the best and if you are interested in the Templars or the Crusades, this is one book you should definitely have in your library. Buy the Pocket Essentials hardcover if you can spend the extra dough, this is one of those books that deserves such a binding.

Buy Sean Martin's book: The Knights Templar The History And Myths Of The Legendary Military Order

Downloadable books (free):

Paracelsus - The Book Concerning The Tincture Of The Philosophers
Mg Clarke - Sidelights On Teutonic History During The Migration Period
Joseph Fort Newton - The Builders A Story And Study Of Masonary

Did Adolf Hitler Praise Freemasonry

No.

Adolf Hitler (1889/04/20 - 1945/04/30) is recorded in referring to his Perception of Freemasonry as an example of how he wanted the Nazi party to develop, specifically with an hierarchical organization and Initiation through symbolic rites. A full record of his actions and writings though, clearly demonstrate that he despised Freemasonry.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Captain William Morgan - The Mysteries Of Freemasonry
Charles Webster Leadbeater - The Hidden Life In Freemasonry
Castells - The Apocalypse Of Freemasonry