(By Gnostic Masonic Author, Hank Kraychir @ Gnosis Masonry) – As I had written in my book Tales From a Masonic Storyteller (2014), Walt Disney was a Mason. In fact, I listed five different sources in the reference section to help bolster my statement. Despite my research and referencing these facts, some people, and even other Masons, still believe he was not a Mason and was never associated with the Craft, or the ancient mysteries. Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps these two related pictures will help solve the debated question. The pictures below shows Walt Disney in a DeMolay uniform.

The Order of DeMolay was founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919; it is an international organization for young men ages 12 to 21. The Order of DeMolay derives its name from Jacques DeMolay(c.1243–18 March 1314), the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

We can see in the first picture (on the left) that Disney was forth from the left, while in the second picture we see him giving a smiling speech when he was much older. Therefore, Walt Disney was clearly associated with the Craft and had knowledge of its teachings. So why is it so hard to believe he advanced further – that he sought out further knowledge (gnosis)?

It should also be mentioned that DeMolay Chapters are not a separate organization from Masonry; rather, they are apart of it. It is the youth organization of the Craft, just like Rainbow girls are associated with the Eastern Star. Here is what their own website said, “DeMolay Chapters are sponsored by the Masons through local Masonic Lodges, Shrine Clubs, Scottish Rite bodies and other Masonic organizations.” Therefore, DeMolay Chapters are run by Masons!!! That means Walt Disney was schooled in the art of Masonic doctrine. He had a basic understanding of Masonry and he more than likely sought out further Masonic knowledge; and he most certainly appreciated his lessons, which guided him throughout his life and his good works.

Now, as seen above in the right hand side picture, Walt Disney was wearing a DeMolay uniform; as such, if he was in a DeMolay uniform as an adult, he had to have been a Mason in order to wear the uniform at the event. Masonry would not allow anyone, not even Walt Disney, to wear a Masonic uniform if he was not a Mason in good standing at a Masonic sponsored event; even a DeMolay uniform. It’s like allowing a non-Mason to wear a Masonic apron at a Masonic event. You see, in the York Rite Order, a Knight Templar does not wear an apron, instead he wears a uniform, like DeMolay.

In fact, it is against the rules of the Order to wear an apron while in a Knight Templar uniform. This important point has been lost by so many people who have looked at the picture, without really knowing the significance of it.

By the way, someone contacted me after this blog was posted and claimed that DeMolay uniforms do not include white jackets or robes; my response was for him to look on the Internet, especially older pictures, like the one pictured above from 1937 in the state of New York; notice the white uniforms. I have seen white, black, and even silver robes being employed by members of DeMolay, as well as white and black jackets; see the picture below, with two young men from California in 1971, who are wearing white jackets under their silver robes, just like Walt Disney wore in the adjacent photograph, as a much older adult. Keep in mind, Walt Disney was initially a member of DeMolay in Kansas City, Missouri, not California; therefore, the picture to the right, when compared to the 1971 picture to the left, would lead me to believe it was taken in California, not in Missouri, and much later than his youthful DeMolay picture, which is shown above on the left hand side.

Now, don’t get caught up in the false belief in that being apart of a Masonic organization meant he dealt in the dark arts (illuminati and so forth). If one understands the basis of gnosis (spiritual knowledge), this is not even possible. In short, if God is good, than good is God, which means everything from God is good, and if you want to please God, you must be good and do good works. If something bad happens, it is not of or directly from God. Walt Disney must have known this, and as a result he spent his life doing good works, which certainly pleased God (gnosis).

Yet, to fully understand the importance of the above picture, and other related information on this blog page, you must have an understanding of Masonic allegory and its relationship to gnosis (spiritual knowledge). To simply state, “there is no actual proof that Walt Disney was a Mason,” means the individual was not schooled in the art of allegorical interpretation and how it was used to communicate within the ancient mysteries. Simply stated, being a Gnostic Christian after Jesus died meant you were a persecuted class.

The early Orthodox Christian church, and before it the Roman Empire, did an incredible job of publicly destroying that part of the Christian faith.

Yet, Gnosticism simply went underground and held their meetings in secret – thus, it became a secret society, like others who were also being persecuted by official authorities of ruling governments and the Orthodox Church. The remnant of this persecution still remains today (i.e. that the Masons are part of the occult or Illuminati and so forth).

The general ignorance of the public today is no different than it was two thousand years ago – it is easier to believe a lie than it is to seek the truth. And not unlike the Orthodox Church, religious groups and the uninformed masses continue in this tradition. Therefore, I will try my best to help people better understand Masonic allegory and how it is used to convey a moral message to other informed men of gnosis.

Albert Pike, author of Morals and Dogma (1871), wrote on pages 104 and 105, “Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.

Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it. So God Himself incapacitates many men, by color-blindness, to distinguish colors, and leads the masses away from the highest Truth, giving them the power to attain only so much of it as it is profitable to them to know.”

Moreover, Pike cited Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemais, who wrote, ‘The people will always mock at things easy to be misunderstood; it must needs have impostures.’ ‘A Spirit,’ he said, ‘that loves wisdom and contemplates the Truth close at hand, is forced to disguise it, to induce the multitudes to accept it….. Fictions are necessary to the people, and the Truth becomes deadly to those who are not strong enough to contemplate it in all its brilliance.

If the sacerdotal laws allowed the reservation of judgments and the allegory of words, I would accept the proposed dignity on condition that I might be a philosopher at home, and abroad a narrator of apologues and parables… In fact, what can there be in common between the vile multitude and sublime wisdom? The truth must be kept secret, and the masses need a teaching proportioned to their imperfect reason.’

By the way, the word “apologues,” which is mentioned in the above quoted paragraph, denotes “A fable that is intended to teach a moral lesson, especially one that has animals as characters.” And, of course, Walt Disney used Fables (and short stories, or parables, that conveyed a moral message) that contained moral allegorical lessons from gnosis (spiritual knowledge).

Here are but a few related allegorical facts worth considering about Walt Disney and how his company still teaches and teases people with the concept and mysteries of gnosis:

* “More recently (2006), Walt Disney (company) produced National Treasure, a film that introduces Freemasonry to the younger generation. Freemasonry is a prime example of Gnosticism; in fact, the g in the Masonic symbol does not stand for God, but for gnosis—that is, knowledge. Freemasons are initiated into secret knowledge and various mysteries through the teaching of more advanced Masons. Its symbolism and esoteric knowledge draws its adherents in, modifying their worldview. The Freemasonry in National Treasure is presented as exciting but harmless, with the “secret knowledge” dealing with various clues that would lead to an old and immense treasure.”

* Here is a video from the Walt Disney DeMolay Chapter in Michigan:

* Here is another video of the Walt Disney Chapter Order of DeMolay in Southern California playing in a flag football tournament:

It would appear from these two videos that the DeMolay organization celebrates the Disney name and his association with the Craft, which is run by Masons (I will prove this a little later in this blog).

* Here is a picture from the entrance to Club 33 at Disneyland. Notice the pillars Boaz and Jachin, similar in design to the pillars found in a Masonic Lodge.

* “Another explanation is that Walt was a 33rd Degree Mason. I met a Mason named John Glick who worked in Hollywood and stated he had seen Walt attend meetings from time to time but due to his busy schedule, he was not there on a regular basis.”

Here we see a second hand account, or a first hand account by John Glick, that Walt Disney was a Mason.

* “Disneyland-Masons connection: Recently I was doing some research on the Masons and wondered if I had uncovered masonic disneyland connection. 33 is an important number to the Masons for many reasons, some having to do with the bible (god’s name is mentioned 33 times in genesis). Also 33 is the highest degree a Mason can attain. Now I would say Club 33’s name is just a coincidence except that Walt was rumored to be a 33rd degree freemason. (From what I’ve read, Disney’s status as a 33rd degree Mason of the Scottish Rite is a point of contention although most agree Disney was a DeMolay, a masonic youth group member). I also came upon these photos ostensibly being from a Masonic club established for disneyland employees in the 50’s and organized by the Disneyland Recreation Club.”

* “There was also a Masonic club at Disney Land for the employees who were Freemasons.”

* Moreover, I was personally told by a prominent Scottish Rite Mason that when Walt Disney was alive he gave instructions that all 33 Degree Masons were to be given free admission into Disneyland and Club 33, which was conducted through gate 12; and this practice continued well into the 1990’s.

When asked if the park still adhered to the original Walt Disney policy, he told me that he had no knowledge if they did or not today still practice it. And when asked about the man who told him this story, he said he was told this in private and without the man’s permission he could not release his name. He did, however, go on to say that the Mason who told him this had free entry into the park and Club 33 since its inception, but he seldom ever used it or ever took advantage of it!

* A picture from the original Trophy Room (1967). Notice the Archway (lower left and large picture on the right). This is a called a Royal Arch, which is identical to the archway used in the Royal Arch and Cryptic Degrees of the York Rite Masonic Body. The stone in the middle is called the Keystone, another Masonic symbol. Moreover, the Owl in the 1967 pictures is symbolic of spiritual wisdom or gnosis. We also know that Walt Disney, and his company since his death, used the symbol of the Owl in countless cartoon productions. And the Owl is sometimes used by Masonic orders (1, 2, 3).

Here is a more current picture showing the Royal Arch and Keystone with the Owl removed:

Here is a photo of a Medieval Knight from inside Club 33; another clear reference to his days as a DeMolay – notice the DeMolay Pledge Button, DeMolay Cross, or Knight Templar Cross on the shield.

* “Never underestimate the power of an outward endorsement of an organization. The fact that Bro. Disney wore a DeMolay ring for such a long period of time shows that he had more than just a passing interest in our group. ‘In the 1930s another DeMolay member, Fred Spencer of the Walt Disney Studios, began sending an original Mickey Mouse comic strip entitled “Mickey Mouse Chapter” for DeMolay’s national newsletter. (break) It was a two-tier black and white comic strip and the first installment has Mickey Mouse creating a poster to get all his barnyard friends to join him in the barn so they can vote on establishing their own chapter of DeMolay, a Mickey Mouse Chapter.’ So, even Mickey Mouse was a DeMolay! While our fraternity has changed greatly since the involvement of the likes of Bro. Disney and Bro. Spencer, our mission and values have not. What are you going to do with the rest of your life and what part will DeMolay play in it?“

* Here is a comic strip of Mickey Mouse leading a DeMolay Chapter. Notice the Knights Templar Cross on one podium, while the other podium has an acacia tree – both are Masonic symbols. This would lead me to believe that he (Walt Disney) was in fact a York Rite Mason during the creation of the comic strip. Which would make sense, especially since he was a member of DeMolay as a young man.

This belief is further supported by the fact that the Order of DeMolay originally had nine members, which is demonstrated by the nine comic characters in the comic strip. This was done in memory of the original Knights Templar that “began when a group of nine ‘French’ knights came to Jerusalem in the year 1118 A.D. These knights petitioned the king of Jerusalem to allow them to live in the ancient Temple of Solomon, then partly a mosque and partly in ruins.”

Also, behind Mickey (in the East) is what looks like a Horse Collar with a Hames, or a Livery Collar. As well, in Masonry “A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards.” Therefore, Mickey Mouse is standing in the East, with a Livery Collar shown hanging behind him, which would lead me to believe that he was also affiliated with another branch of Masonry, like being a member of a Blue Lodge. which wears Livery Collars, or jewels. And this is confirmed by the pitch fork on the floor, which has only three tines or spikes; dung forks normally have four or five tines. There are three degrees in a Blue Lodge.

And as a side note, the hay shown above is symbolic of God, or God dwells here. While the carpet on the floor, which has a hole in it, denotes worship and spiritual devotion – or something that is Holy.

This allegorical symbology would lead me to believe that Walt Disney was well aware of gnosis and the ancient mysteries. He used outward symbolism from not only DeMolay, but also demonstrated hidden symbology from Blue Lodge, as well as the York Rite Masonic body in the comic drawing above. Only a man who had been schooled in the ancient mysterieswould know to do this.

And upon a further discussion with a Scottish Rite Masonic friend, we talked about the traditional differences between Scottish Rite and York Rite Masonic bodies. Yes, they are very similar, however, there are many differences as well. Simply stated, I look upon the Scottish Rite organization as the cheerleaders of Masonry; whereas, the York Rite order are the quiet Masons. Traditionally, the Scottish Rite body is outwardly proud of it’s members and often openly talk about a man’s membership. This is not so with the York Rite body.

I will not go into details why this is so, but I will give one example to make my point. Most Masons, and even the public at large, do not know that Albert Pike was a York Rite Mason before becoming a Scottish Rite Mason. Why may you ask? Well, I believe that York Rite principles teach its members to follow the life of Jesus; thus, a York Rite, or Knight Templar, should not let his left hand know what his right hand is doing, but to do things in secret. If you don’t know the meaning of this statement, I can’t help you – you need to look it up yourself (Sermon on the Mount by Jesus).

Therefore, it is entirely plausible that Walt Disney was a York Rite Mason, which promotes Christian values within Masonry. Moreover, as a York Rite Mason, he would have had an appreciation of the Scottish Rite order and their teachings of gnosis, but never actually became a member; and the use of the number 33 was meant to convey his appreciation of the other side of the Craft. You see, even though I am not a member of the Scottish Rite order, I do read its writings and have come to appreciate what it stands for. I now firmly believe Walt Disney was a York Rite Mason and read many Scottish Rite teachings, but never joined the order – this would explain why there are no records of his membership in the Scottish Rite order today.

Moreover, it is a common fact that Blue Lodges and York Rite Chapters come and go; this would explain why no record of Walt Disney’s membership can be found in several different orders. The idea that all Lodges and Chapters keep accurate records is a misnomer. In fact, the further back one goes, the harder it is to find an actual record of a man’s membership. A very sad fact must be revealed here in order to make my point. Masonry often places men in positions because of popularity rather than skill, or out of necessity – often because a shortage of men who want to serve as officers. This fact was mentioned only to convey the message that not every man who serves as a secretary or a recorder is worthy of the position, and sometimes he may fall short in his duties.

And one might also say that “well, a Grand Lodge of the state in which he became a member would have a record of his membership, right?” If one was talking about the modern era, say in the last 30 to 40 years, I would say yes. But again, there could be countless reasons why the record of a man’s membership is not available today; among them would be fire, flood, bad record keeping or they were simply misplaced.

Also, it was not uncommon for Lodges or Chapters to be mobile, which means they did not have a permanent home. This was and is particularly popular within the military, or in areas surrounding a military base or camp. There are countless reasons why a man’s membership in the Craft cannot be found. So, don’t get caught up in the lie that just because no record of Walt Disney’s membership is available, it must mean he was never a member of the Craft, or another branch of the ancient mysteries, like Rosicrucians and so forth. All I can say is his understanding and incorporation of Masonic allegory, gnosis and symbolism cannot be demised – he obviously learned it somewhere!!!

Here is a horse wearing a collar with a hames shown on the top; followed by another picture of a Masonic Livery Collar; followed again by a Disney horse wearing Livery Collar.

The DeMolay Cross of Honor is similar, but there is a difference. Here is a picture of the DeMolay Cross of Honor:

Here is a picture of a Knights Templar Cross, can you see the resemblance to the Mickey Mouse Comic shown above:

* In hoc signo vinces is a Latin phrase meaning “In this sign you will conquer.”

* Here is a drawing of Mickey Mouse wearing a DeMolay Badge.

* “The meaning is quite recognizable. In fact, some of the worlds most successful symbols, Coca Cola or the Mickey Mouse head are so universally known that they could be distorted, sawn in half and recoloured and still be recognizable. For us in freemasonry, our symbols must be seen as a graphic representation of an abstract idea – one that has no direct visual equivalent. Our symbols can take on many meanings depending on the context.”

* Here is an example of how Disney (the company) still teases the public about Walt Disney’s relationship with the ancient mysteries. The TV program is called Gravity Falls.

Points of interest:

1. Notice the sign Mystery Shack – .08

2. The Uncle wearing a Fez, which is a Shriners hat – .06 -.08, .12-.14, .23-.24

3. Rainbow Girl (Mabel); Rainbow Girls are a Masonic youth organization for young girls -.22-.23

4. Eyes in a Mason Jar; a double reference to the All-Seeing eye of God and Masonry – the Craft .28

5. A Masonic map that has several references to the Craft – a pyramid man with one eye – secret decoder -.29

6. A George Washington (a well known Mason) stamp – .36

7. Another Masonic decoder is flashed between .37 and .38; it contains various Masonic symbols. Here it is,

Here is a “classic donald duck cartoon teaching the fundamentals of pythagorean mathematics and sacred geometry.”

Here is a picture of a Skull and Crossbones at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride; followed by three pictures of its use in graveyards, catacombs and crypts and the ancient world; all of which is a Masonic symbol of mortality.

Here is a picture of an old Knights Templar apron with the Skull and Crossbones on it. The practice of using aprons within the Order was discontinued in the mid 1800’s – perhaps for obvious reasons, like the public did not understand what it meant and put a more sinister spin on it:

And again, a Masonic drawing of a Coffin with a Skull and Bones on it:

It should also be mentioned that some have claimed that Walt Disney was a member of AMORC – Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, also called the Rosicrucian Order, which maybe possible and would explain some things. Even though this order is not part of mainstream Masonry, it is still apart of the broader Craft and is also a carrier of many ancient mysteries. As well, it is also acceptable for mainstream Masons to join the Rosicrucian Order.

In fact, I know of several men who are members of both orders, especially those who desire to learn more than mainstream Masonry teaches. This is why, at least in part, why so many mainstream Masons dismiss the meanings and interpretations of others who fully understand the relationship between all these orders and the ancient mysteries. In fact, with just a little research, you will find that different orders, at different time periods, carried the secrets because of the persecution by governments and the Orthodox Church.

The Rosicrucian Order (Rose Croix) is one such organization, just like the original Knights Templar were before their destruction by the Orthodox Church!!! This is why I have chosen to use the term Mason, as opposed to Freemason; Freemasons are most commonly referred to as mainstream Masons, whereas other orders refer to themselves as Masons.

There is more data to come in the future!

So Mote It Be!

Hank Kraychir

PS: Want some more proof, here is a picture taken at Disneyland’s Jungle River Cruise in 2015; it reads, “H. Abiff’s Working Tools,” which is an obvious Disney tease towards those who follow Disneyland’s link to the Craft. For those people who don’t know, Hiram Abiff is the central figure in Blue Lodge Masonry.

Here is a video Walt Disney had done about the ancient mysteries:

Author Credit

This article is by Freemason, Gnostic and author, Hank Kraychir. The original article can be found on his blog, Gnosis Masonry.

Hank is an accomplished writer of 13 books, a historian, lecturer, Master Mason, York Rite Mason, and a Knight Mason. He typicality writes historical stories about Athletic Legends; although he has also written on the topics of American Education, the American Civil War, and California History. Moreover, he has also written one Masonic themed book, which is called Tales from a Masonic Storyteller (2014). His second Masonic book, Masonry and the Three Little Pigs (2016), will be published next year.

Moe

Moe is the founder of GnosticWarrior.com. He is a father, husband, author, martial arts black belt, and an expert in Gnosticism, the occult, and esotericism.