Benjamin Franklin: How a British Spy Brought Hell Fire to America

Benjamin Franklin: How a British Spy Brought Hell Fire to America

“The great affairs of the world, wars, revolutions, etc. were conducted by those who, while maintaining the public interest, acted from selfish interests, whatever they may pretend.” – Benjamin Franklin

In 1976, peace negotiations had begun during the civil war and America’s founding Fathers were debating on how to resolve the conflict.

One of the most outspoken members of the group was John Adams who believed that Benjamin Franklin’s ideas of how the country should operate were not only at odds, Adams believed that Franklin’s policies would divide the country rather than unite it.

Adams wrote:

“Franklin’s cunning will be to divide us; to this end, he will provoke, he will insinuate, he will intrigue, he will maneuver.”

This is an image of Benjamin Franklin, statesman, philosopher, scientist, and framer of our Declaration of Independence. As portrayed on the Broadway stage in the inspired musical drama, “1776,” he wins ovations at every performance and sends the audience home feeling warmed and re-Americanized.”

Why would John Adams make such a claim about one of the most renowned figures in American history?

Most Americans know Benjamin Franklin as one of the Founding Fathers of our country. He was a genius polymath who dabbled in many different fields, including science, politics, writing, and invention. Franklin is best known for his work as an inventor, creating such devices as the lightning rod and bifocals, as for his roles in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

What many people do not know about one of the greatest Founding Fathers was that he was also a British Spy.

According to the famous British Historian, Richard Deacon (Donal McCormick), author of “A History of the British Secret Service, “Franklin was a member in good standing known to the British Secret Service as “Agent No. 72.”

During the formation of the American Colonies and throughout his career, Franklin maintained a close relationship with several British officials, including Lord North, the Prime Minister at the time, and regularly corresponded with British Army officer John Burgoyne. He would also spend a significant amount of time in London during the early stages of the American Revolution.

In 1776, at the height of the Revolutionary War, Burgoyne wrote a letter to Franklin asking for intelligence about American troop movements. While there is no definitive proof that Franklin complied with this request, some historians believe he may have passed along information that led to Burgoyne’s eventual defeat at the Battle of Saratoga—a turning point in the war.

He then became close friends with Edward Bancroft in 1768 who was also working as a spy for Britain. The two men exchanged information with each other about their respective countries for many years. It is not known for sure how much information Bancroft gave to Franklin or vice versa, but it is certain that they were both spying on their respective countries during a time of war.

Bancroft also introduced Franklin to several members of British intelligence, including John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and Sir Joseph Yorke. It is possible that Yorke used Franklin as a conduit to pass information about American military plans to the British government during the Revolutionary War.

In addition, when Franklin returned to America after the war, he was given a very generous pension by the British government. It is worth mentioning that pensions were actually quite common at the time, and many other Americans who played key roles in the Revolution were also given pensions by the British government.

This pension given to Franklin and other key players in the Revolution has been cited as further evidence of his alleged spying activities.

According to the CIA publication, Studies in Intelligence, the British knew almost everything that was going on in America:

“The British had a complete picture of American-French activities supporting the war in America and of American intentions regarding an alliance with France. The British used this intelligence effectively against the American cause.”

One of Franklin’s fellow commissioners, Arthur Lee, was outraged over this lack of security.

“[Lee] wrote that a French official “had complained that everything we did was known to the English ambassador, who was always plaguing him with the details. No one will be surprised at this who knows that we have no time or place appropriate to our consultation, but that servants, strangers, and everyone else was at liberty to enter and did constantly enter the room while we were talking about public business and that the papers relating to it lay open in rooms of common and continual resort.”

While employed as a spy, it appears Franklin was involved in various projects for the British government.

First and foremost, he was tasked with spying on the American elite on behalf of the British government, while maintaining his public display as a diplomat that was directly opposed to British interests.

For instance, he negotiated an alliance with France— Britain’s arch-rival at the time—that ultimately helped lead to America’s victory in the Revolutionary War.

Once Franklin had gained the confidence of the American elite, Franklin’s second task was to infiltrate, recruit, and corrupt them with some of the oldest indulgences known to humankind such as power, money, food, alcohol, and free sex. By doing so, they could be more easily manipulated and controlled.

To accomplish this simple task The British government created a special “secret society” for these devilish activities called the “Hellfire Club.”

The Hellfire Club was founded in London, England in 1746 by Sir Francis Dashwood and originally included 15 members. Dashwood was a wealthy man who also held important positions in the British government. He used his influence to recruit other wealthy and powerful men to join the club.

Under the auspices of their motto, Fais ce que to voudras (Do what thou wilt), the club engaged in neoliberal acts that were distinctly immoral and some would call Satanic rituals.

According to Author and Political Philosopher, Dr. Nicolas Laos:

Francis of Wycombe, and its motto was “Fais ce que tu voudras” (“Do what thou wilt”), indicating a way of life inspired by François Rabelais’s fictional abbey of Thélème, which later also inspired the influential British occultist and spy Aleister Crowley. In general, those clubs served as the meeting places of members of the elites who wanted to indulge in what were socially perceived as immoral acts.

Both at that time and later, such clubs provide the opportunity for spies to manipulate target persons through the manipulation of the central nervous system (e.g., through psychotropic drugs and heavy drinking and eating) and through the manipulation of the reproductive instinct (through various sexual practices, including sexual magic and paraphilias).”

The name “Hellfire Club” is thought to be derived from one of Dashwood’s residences known as Medmenham Abbey, which was adorned with satanic imagery. The club members referred to themselves as “Devils,” “Knights of Bad Luck,” or “Children of Ill Fortune.”

The club met in a building that was once an old monastery, and periodically at various locations, including underground caves, an old monastery and Dashwood’s country estate. At these meetings, the members would engage in drinking, gambling, and sexual promiscuity. The members practiced black magic and would dress up as monks and celebrate “the Black Mass” which featured nude women as “priestesses.”

They would also take part in sexual orgies that were accompanied by mock religious ceremonies with the rites of Satan worship in which they indulged. This included sacrilegious readings from the Bible, praying to devils, and netherworld orgies involving simulated sacrifice rituals.

Other popular activities included smoking tobacco from human skull pipes while sitting atop coffins and dressing up like monks or nuns for nun-themed dinners. Live animals were reportedly sacrificed during some rituals and it had been rumored that some members engaged in necrophilia, bestiality, and pedophilia. The club’s library reportedly had the largest collection of pornography in England at the time.

Seemingly no taboo was considered off-limits for this club of human debauchery.

Hell, that was the whole point of this secret British intelligence operation.

The activities of the Hellfire Club scandalized polite society but Dashwood and his friends were largely immune from criticism because of their wealth and power.

The list of high-ranking British and American officials who were members of the society is impressive. It included the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Paymaster-General, a former Prime Minister, three members of Parliament, and the former Chancellor of the Exchequer le Despencer. Even Frederick, the Prince of Wales, was reputed to be a member.

According to Dr. Nicolas Laos:

“Some of the members of Dashwood’s Hell-Fire Club, or Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe, who were involved in British politics and intelligence was John Wilkes (a British radical journalist and politician), the Chevalier D’Eon de Beaumont (a French diplomat and spy, who joined English Freemasonry, enjoyed dressing like a woman, and, much to the delight of his British hosts, disclosed French government secrets);

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (who held various military and political offices, including Postmaster General, First Lord of Admiralty, and Secretary of State for the Northern Department), Thomas Potter (who sat in the House of Commons between 1747 and 1759), Paul Whitehead (who was a British satirist, spent a number of years in Feet Prison, became a secretary of Dashwood’s Hell-Fire Club, and, was appointed, though Sir Francis Dashwood, to a Deputy Treasurership of the Chamber), and Robert Vansittart (an English jurist, antiquarian, and notorious rake) An occasional participant of Dashwood’s Hell-Fire Club, or Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe, was Benjamin Franklin, especially during 1758, when he spent a long period of time in England.

Moreover, during the period that he was serving as the United States Ambassador to France (1779–85), Benjamin Franklin allowed his friend and chief assistant Edward Bancroft to organize a British secret service cell within the U.S. Embassy in Paris. In fact, Edward Bancroft was a Massachusetts-born physician and chemist, spying for both the United States of America and Great Britain while serving as secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Paris during the American Revolution .

Thus, the information that Benjamin Franklin received from Washington, together with a great deal of intelligence passed by French authorities, found their way to London. While relations between Great Britain and its rebellious American colonies were deteriorating, Benjamin Franklin passed on information to London regarding the sailing dates and cargoes of ships bound for Washington’s army,” Dr. Laos wrote.

The club continued to operate until 1766 when it disbanded after Dashwood’s death.

However, the age-old secret intelligence business of corrupting the corruptible and using power, money, sex, and drugs continues to this very day.

Whether if it is done through debauched secret societies like the Hell Fire Club that have been created by intelligence agencies to corrupt and control their targets or simply using paid hookers and drug pushers on the government payroll.

It is the oldest and simplest method of human mind control and corruption making people say and do stupid things they would not normally do when like when they are sober, healthy, and mentally fit.

That is why the Hell Fire Club exists with their motto Fais ce que tu voudras” (“Do what thou wilt”) and as you will see, why this exact same blueprint was copied 100 years later by the British Spy and most famous Satanist ever, Aleister Crowley.

The British Secret Agent 666 who brought Satanism to the world.

SOURCES:

Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin By James Parton

A History of the British Secret Service

Famous British Historian Claims Benjamin Franklin Was A British Spy By Richard Deacon, author of “A History of the British Secret Service,” as told to Tom McMorrow

The Worlds of Secrets: Espionage, Intelligence Services, and Ideological Warfare By Dr. Nicolas Laos

Dr. Nicolas Laos Research see: Eric Evans Rafalko, American Revolution to World War II, U.S. National Counterintelligence Center, online: https://irp.fas.org/ops/ci/docs/ci1/ch1c.htm; George D. K. McCormick, A History of the British Secret Service, London: Frederick Muller, 1969, reprinted in paperback, London: Grafton, 1991; Richard Deacon, “Famous British Historian Claims Benjamin Franklin Was a British Spy,” Argosy, July 1970, online:https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/fc/deacononfranklin.html).

Church of Satan Founder Anton LaVey’s Last Interview

Here is the last interview of the founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey. I find him to be very honest in his statements, except for the fact that he says he is a happy man; because personally, he doesn’t look too happy to me.

Title Page

THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

by Manly P. Hall

[1928, copyright not renewed]


Start Reading


For once, a book which really lives up to its title. Hall self-published this massive tome in 1928, consisting of about 200 legal-sized pages in 8 point type; it is literally his magnum opus. Each of the nearly 50 chapters is so dense with information that it is the equivalent of an entire short book. If you read this book in its entirety you will be in a good position to dive into subjects such as the Qabbala, Alchemy, Tarot, Ceremonial Magic, Neo-Platonic Philosophy, Mystery Religions, and the theory of Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Although there are some questionable and controversial parts of the book, such as the outdated material on Islam, the portion on the Bacon-Shakespeare hypothesis, and Hall’s conspiracy theory of history as driven by an elite cabal of roving immortals, they are far out-weighed by the comprehensive information here on other subjects.

For many years this book was only available in a large format edition which was hard to obtain and very expensive. However, an affordable paperback version has finally been released.

PRODUCTION NOTES: I worked on this huge project episodically from 2001 to June 2004. This because of the poor OCR quality, which was due to the miniscule type and large blocks of italics; this necessitated retyping many parts of the text manually. To give an idea of how massive this project was, the proof file for this is 2 megabytes, about 8 times the size of a normal 200 page book. The raw graphics files are 63 megabytes, which I’ve processed down to about 11 megabytes. The thumbnails alone are 1 megabyte, which is about my graphics budget for a regular book.

While the book itself is not covered by copyright in the US due to lack of formal renewal, many of the large color illustrations that front each chapter in the paper edition did have registrations and renewals entered for them. So these are omitted from this etext. However, all of the black and white illustrations are included here. Note that many of the graphics had to be quite large because of the amount of detail, so I have thumbnailed every image in the book. In the book all of the illustration captions are in italics; I have reversed this in the etext for legibility.

–John Bruno Hare, June 11, 2004. Preface

Table of  Contents

Introduction

The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism

The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies, Part Two

The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies, Part Three

Atlantis and the Gods of Antiquity

The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus

The Initiation of the Pyramid

Isis, the Virgin of the World

The Sun, A Universal Deity

The Zodiac and Its Signs

The Bembine Table of Isis

Wonders of Antiquity

The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras

Pythagorean Mathematics

The Human Body in Symbolism

The Hiramic Legend

The Pythagorean Theory of Music and Color

Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds (Part One)

Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds (Part Two)

Flowers, Plants, Fruits, and Trees

Stones, Metals and Gems

Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery

The Elements and Their Inhabitants

Hermetic Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Therapeutics

The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israel

Fundamentals of Qabbalistic Cosmogony

The Tree of the Sephiroth

Qabbalistic Keys to the Creation of Man

An Analysis of Tarot Cards

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness

The Fraternity of the Rose Cross

Rosicrucian Doctrines and Tenets

Fifteen Rosicrucian and Qabbalistic Diagrams

Alchemy and Its Exponents

The Theory and Practice of Alchemy: Part One

The Theory and Practice of Alchemy: Part Two

The Hermetic And Alchemical Figures of Claudius De Dominico Celentano Vallis Novi

The Chemical Marriage

Bacon, Shakespeare, and the Rosicrucians

The Cryptogram as a factor in Symbolic Philosophy

Freemasonic Symbolism

Mystic Christianity

The Cross and the Crucifixion

The Mystery of the Apocalypse

The Faith of Islam

American Indian Symbolism

The Mysteries and Their Emissaries

Conclusion

Dedication

THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

AN ENCYCLOPEDIC OUTLINE OF

MASONIC, HERMETIC,

QABBALISTIC AND ROSICRUCIAN

SYMBOLICAL PHILOSOPHY

Being an Interpretation of the
Secret Teachings concealed within the Rituals, Allegories,
and Mysteries of all Ages
By

Manly P. Hall

SAN FRANCISCO
PRINTED FOR MANLY P. HALL
BY H.S. CROCKER COMPANY, INCORPORATED
MCMXXVIII

[1928, no renewal]

Scanned at sacred-texts.com, November, 2001. J. B. Hare, Redactor. This text is in the public domain because it was not renewed at the US Copyright Office in a timely fashion. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact.
Note: all page numbers in the original were given as Roman numerals; these have been converted to Arabic numerals in this e-text.

p. 3

This Book is dedicated to the Rational Soul of the World


 

Next: Preface

Index

 

 

Preface

p. 5

NUMEROUS volumes have been written as commentaries upon the secret systems of philosophy existing in the ancient world, but the ageless truths of life, like many of the earth’s greatest thinkers, have usually been clothed in shabby garments. The present work is an attempt to supply a tome worthy of those seers and sages whose thoughts are the substance of its pages. To bring about this coalescence of Beauty and Truth has proved most costly, but I believe that the result will produce an effect upon the mind of the reader which will more than justify the expenditure.

Work upon the text of this volume was begun the first day of January, 1926, and has continued almost uninterruptedly for over two years. The greater part of the research work, however, was carried on prior to the writing of the manuscript. The collection of reference material was begun in 1921, and three years later the plans for the book took definite form. For the sake of clarity, all footnotes were eliminated, the various quotations and references to other authors being embodied in the text in their logical order. The bibliography is appended primarily to assist those interested in selecting for future study the most authoritative and important items dealing with philosophy and symbolism. To make readily accessible the abstruse information contained in the book, an elaborate topical cross index is included.

I make no claim for either the infallibility or the originality of any statement herein contained. I have studied the fragmentary writings of the ancients sufficiently to realize that dogmatic utterances concerning their tenets are worse than foolhardy. Traditionalism is the curse of modern philosophy, particularly that of the European schools. While many of the statements contained in this treatise may appear at first wildly fantastic, I have sincerely endeavored to refrain from haphazard metaphysical speculation, presenting the material as far as possible in the spirit rather than the letter of the original authors. By assuming responsibility only for the mistakes which may’ appear herein, I hope to escape the accusation of plagiarism which has been directed against nearly every writer on the subject of mystical philosophy.

Having no particular ism of my own to promulgate, I have not attempted to twist the original writings to substantiate preconceived notions, nor have I distorted doctrines in any effort to reconcile the irreconcilable differences present in the various systems of religio-philosophic thought.

The entire theory of the book is diametrically opposed to the modern method of thinking, for it is concerned with subjects openly ridiculed by the sophists of the twentieth century. Its true purpose is to introduce the mind of the reader to a hypothesis of living wholly beyond the pale of materialistic theology, philosophy, or science. The mass of abstruse material between its covers is not susceptible to perfect organization, but so far as possible related topics have been grouped together.

Rich as the English language is in media of expression, it is curiously lacking in terms suitable to the conveyance of abstract philosophical premises. A certain intuitive grasp of the subtler meanings concealed within groups of inadequate words is necessary therefore to an understanding of the ancient Mystery Teachings.

Although the majority of the items in the bibliography are in my own library, I wish to acknowledge gratefully the assistance rendered by the Public Libraries of San Francisco and Los Angeles, the libraries of the Scottish Rite in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the libraries of the University of California in Berkeley and Los Angeles, the Mechanics’ Library in San Francisco, and the Krotona Theosophical Library at Ojai, California. Special recognition for their help is also due to the following persons: Mrs. Max Heindel, Mrs. Alice Palmer Henderson, Mr. Ernest Dawson and staff, Mr. John Howell, Mr. Paul Elder, Mr. Phillip Watson Hackett, and Mr. John R. Ruckstell. Single books were lent by other persons and organizations, to whom thanks are also given.

The matter of translation was the greatest single task in the research work incident to the preparation of this volume. The necessary

p. 6

German translations, which required nearly three years, were generously undertaken by Mr. Alfred Beri, who declined all remuneration for his labor. The Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish translations were made by Prof. Homer P. Earle. The Hebrew text was edited by Rabbi Jacob M. Alkow. Miscellaneous short translations and checking also were done by various individuals.

Table of Contents

p. 7

DEDICATION 3
PREFACE 5
COLOR PLATES 9
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT 11
INTRODUCTION 12
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES WHICH HAVE INFLUENCED MODERN MASONIC SYMBOLISM Ancient systems of education–Celsus concerning the Christians–Knowledge necessary to right living–The Druidic Mysteries of Britain and Gaul–The Rites of Mithras–The Mithraic and Christian Mysteries contrasted. 21
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES, PART II The Gnostic Mysteries–Simon Magus and Basilides–Abraxas, the Gnostic concept of Deity–The Mysteries of Serapis–Labyrinth symbolism–The Odinic, or Gothic, Mysteries. 25
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES, PART III The Eleusinian Mysteries–The Lesser Rites–The Greater Rites–The Orphic Mysteries–The Bacchic Mysteries–The Dionysiac Mysteries. 29
ATLANTIS AND THE GODS OF ANTIQUITY Plato’s Atlantis in the light of modern science-The Myth of the Dying God-The Rite of Tammuz and Ishtar–The Mysteries of Atys and Adonis-The Rites of Sabazius–The Cabiric Mysteries of Samothrace. 33
THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THOTH HERMES TRISMEGISTUS Suppositions concerning identity of Hermes–The mutilated Hermetic fragments–The Book of Thoth–Poimandres, the Vision of Hermes–The Mystery of Universal Mind–The Seven Governors of the World. 37
THE INITIATION OF THE PYRAMID The opening of the Great Pyramid by Caliph at Mamoun–The passageways and chambers of the Great Pyramid–The riddle of the Sphinx–The Pyramid Mysteries–The secret of the Pyramid coffer-The dwelling place of the Hidden God. 41
ISIS, THE VIRGIN OF THE WORLD The birthdays of the gods–The murder of Osiris–The Hermetic Isis–The symbols peculiar to Isis–The Troubadours–The mummification of the dead. 45
THE SUN, A UNIVERSAL DEITY The Solar Trinity-Christianity and the Sun–The birthday of the Sun–The three Suns–The celestial inhabitants of the Sun–The midnight Sun. 49
THE ZODIAC AND ITS SIGNS Primitive astronomical instruments–The equinoxes and solstices–The astrological ages of the world–The circular zodiac of Tentyra–An interpretation of the zodiacal signs–The horoscope of the world. 53
THE BEMBINE TABLE OF ISIS Plato’s initiation in the Great Pyramid–The history of the Bembine Table–Platonic theory of ideas–The interplay of the three philosophical zodiacs–The Chaldean philosophy of triads–The Orphic Egg. 57
WONDERS OF ANTIQUITY The ever-burning lamps–The oracle of Delphi–The Dodonean oracle–The oracle of Trophonius–The initiated architects–The Seven Wonders of the world. 61
THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF PYTHAGORAS Pythagoras and the School of Crotona–Pythagoric fundamentals–The symmetrical solids–The symbolic aphorisms of Pythagoras–Pythagorean astronomy–Kepler’s theory of the universe. 65
PYTHAGOREAN MATHEMATICS The theory of numbers–The numerical values of letters–Method of securing the numerical Power of words–An introduction to the Pythagorean theory of numbers–The sieve of Eratosthenes–The meanings of the ten numbers. 69
THE HUMAN BODY IN SYMBOLISM The philosophical manikin–The three universal centers–The temples of initiation–The hand in symbolism–The greater and lesser man–The Anthropos, or Oversoul. 73
THE HIRAMIC LEGEND The building of Solomon’s Temple–The murder of CHiram Abiff–The martyrdom of Jacques de Molay–The spirit fire and the pineal gland–The wanderings of the astronomical CHiram–Cleopatra’s Needle and Masons’ marks. 77
THE PYTHAGOREAN THEORY OF MUSIC AND COLOR Pythagoras and the diatonic scale–Therapeutic music–The music of the spheres–The use of color in symbolism–The colors of the spectrum and the musical scale–Zodiacal and planetary colors. 81
FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS Jonah and the whale–The fish the symbol of Christ–The Egyptian scarab–Jupiter’s fly–The serpent of wisdom–The sacred crocodile. 85
FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS, PART II The dove, the yonic emblem–The self-renewing phœnix–The Great Seal of the United States of America–Bast, the cat goddess of the Ptolemies–Apis, the sacred bull–The monoceros, or unicorn. 89
FLOWERS, PLANTS, FRUITS, AND TREES The flower, a phallic symbol–The lotus blossom–The Scandinavian World Tree, Yggdrasil–The sprig of acacia–The juice of the grape–The magical powers of the mandrake. 93
STONES, METALS, AND GEMS Prehistoric monuments–The tablets of the Law–The Holy Grail–The ages of the world–Talismanic jewels–Zodiacal and planetary stones and gems. 97
CEREMONIAL MAGIC AND SORCERY The black magic of Egypt–Doctor Johannes Faustus–The Mephistopheles of the Grimores–The invocation of spirits–Pacts with demons–The symbolism of the pentagram. 101
p.8
THE ELEMENTS AND THEIR INHABITANTS. The Paracelsian theory of submundanes–The orders of elemental beings–The Gnomes, Undines, Salamanders, and Sylphs–Demonology–The incubus and succubus–Vampirism. 105
HERMETIC PHARMACOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND THERAPEUTICS The healing methods of Paracelsus–Palingenesis–Hermetic theories concerning the cause of disease–Medicinal properties of herbs–The use of drugs in the Mysteries–The sect of the Assassins. 109
THE QABBALAH, THE SECRET DOCTRINE OF ISRAEL The written and unwritten laws–The origin of the Qabbalistic writings–Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai–The great Qabbalistic books–The divisions of the Qabbalistic system–The Sepher Yetzirah. 113
FUNDAMENTALS OF QABBALISTIC COSMOGONY AIN SOPH and the Cosmic Egg–The Qabbalistic system of worlds–The Qabbalistic interpretation of Ezekiel’s vision–The great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream–The Grand Man of the universe–The fifty gates of life. 117
THE TREE OF THE SEPHIROTH The thirty-two paths of wisdom–The Greater and the Lesser Face–Kircher’s Sephirothic Tree–The mystery of Daath–The three pillars supporting the Sephirothic Tree–The four letters of the Sacred Name. 121
QABBALISTIC KEYS TO THE CREATION OF MAN Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah–The Elohim–The four Adams–Arabian traditions concerning Adam–Adam as the archetype of mankind–The early Christian Church on the subject of marriage. 125
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TAROT CARDS The origin of playing cards–The rota mundi of the Rosicrucians–The problem of Tarot symbolism–The unnumbered card–The symbolism of the twenty-one major trumps–The suit cards. 129
THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS Moses, the Egyptian initiate–The building of the Tabernacle–The furnishings of the Tabernacle–The Ark of the Covenant–The Robes of Glory–The Urim and Thummim. 133
THE FRATERNITY OF THE ROSE CROSS The life of Father C.R.C.–Johann Valentin Andreæ–The alchemical teachings of the Rosicrucians–Significance of the Rose Cross–The Rosicrucian Temple–The adepts of the Rose Cross. 137
ROSICRUCIAN DOCTRINES AND TENETS The Confessio FraternitatisThe Anatomy of Melancholy–John Heydon on Rosicrucianism–The three mountains of the wise–The philosophical egg–The objects of the Rosicrucian Order. 141
FIFTEEN ROSICRUCIAN AND QABBALISTIC DIAGRAMS Schamayim, the Ocean of Spirit–The Seven Days of Creation–The symbolic tomb of Christian Rosencreutz–The regions of the elements–The New Jerusalem–The grand secret of Nature. 145
ALCHEMY AND ITS EXPONENTS The multiplication of metals–The medal of Emperor Leopold I–Paracelsus of Hohenheim–Raymond Lully–Nicholas Flarnmel–Count Bernard of Treviso. 149
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ALCHEMY The origin of alchemical philosophy–Alexander the Great and the talking trees–Nature and art–Alchemical symbolism–The Song of Solomon–The Philosopher’s Gold. 153
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ALCHEMY, PART II The alchemical prayer–The Emerald Tablet of Hermes–A letter from the Brothers of R.C.–The magical Mountain of the Moon–An alchemical formula–The dew of the sages. 157
THE CHEMICAL MARRIAGE Christian Rosencreutz is invited to the Chemical Wedding–The Virgo Lucifera–The philosophical Inquisition–The Tower of Olympus–The homunculi–The Knights of the Golden Stone. 161
BACON, SHAKESPEARE, AND THE ROSICRUCIANS The Rosicrucian mask–Life of William Shakspere–Sir Francis Bacon–The acrostic signatures–The significant number thirty-three–The philosophic death. 165
THE CRYPTOGRAM AS A FACTOR IN SYMBOLIC PHILOSOPHY Secret alphabets–The biliteral cipher–Pictorial ciphers–Acroamatic ciphers–Numerical and musical ciphers–Code ciphers. 169
FREEMASONIC SYMBOLISM The pillars raised by the sons of Seth–Enoch and the Royal Arches–The Dionysiac Architects–The Roman Collegia–Solomon, the personification of Universal Wisdom–Freemasonry’s priceless heritage. 173
MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY St. Iranæus on the life of Christ–The original name of Jesus–The Christened man–The Essenes–The Arthurian cycle–Merlin the Mage. 177
THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION The Aurea Legenda–The lost libraries of Alexandria–The cross in pagan symbolism–The crucifixion, a cosmic allegory–The crucifixion of Quetzalcoatl–The nails of the Passion. 181
THE MYSTERY OF THE APOCALYPSE The sacred city of Ephesus–The authorship of the Apocalypse–The Alpha and Omega–The Lamb of God-The Four Horsemen-The number of the beast. 185
THE FAITH OF ISLAM The life of Mohammed–The revelation of the Koran–The valedictory pilgrimage–The tomb of the Prophet–The Caaba at Mecca–The secret doctrine of Islam. 189
AMERICAN INDIAN SYMBOLISM The ceremony of the peace pipe–The historical Hiawatha–The Popol Vuh–American Indian sorcery–The Mysteries of Xibalba–The Midewiwin. 193
THE MYSTERIES AND THEIR EMISSARIES The Golden Chain of Homer–Hypatia, the Alexandrian Neo-Platonist–The “divine” Cagliostro–The Comte de St.-Germain–The designing of the American flag–The Declaration of Independence. 197
CONCLUSION 201
BIBLIOGRAPHY 205
INDEX 207

Pin It on Pinterest