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Introduction
Mormonism and The Church of Latter Day Saints
Haile Selassie I and Rastafarianism
Rosicrucianism
Theosophy
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Thelema
Hermetic Qabalah
The Builders of the Adytum (BOTA)
Enochian Magic
Hermeticism
General Comments on Magical Traditions





Introduction:

The following section describes a variety of fringe religions, traditions and magical practices, all of which have a connection to Freemasonry, were created by Freemasons or which were practiced within certain branches of Freemasonry in the historical past or present. Other Gnostic based religions/philosophies are listed on this page in the subsequent section, which may or may not have any direct connection with Freemasonry. Religions associated with other deities are listed in the section after that. Apologies if the order and presentation appears to skip around somewhat.

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Mormonism and the Church of Latter Day Saints:

'Mormonism is a term used to describe the religious, ideological, and cultural elements of certain branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, and specifically, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The term derives from the word Mormon, which was originally used as a pejorative term to describe those who believe in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text that adherents believe to be "another testament of Jesus Christ" and testifies of the Bible as part of the religion's canon. Today, Mormonism is used in reference to the Utah-based LDS Church, including cultural Mormons, several smaller denominations, and sects of Mormon fundamentalism whose adherents embrace the term despite opposition by the LDS Church. Most other Latter Day Saint movement denominations oppose use of the term in reference to their faith, and such usage is now rare even though that is what they have been called until modern usage.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism

www.ontruth.com/ldsatonement.htm

The Book of Mormon can be read on line at the link below.

http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents

Mormonism does not have a concept of the Trinity, but instead has an Arianist view of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, as separate Gods. Mormonism is regarded as Polytheistic by many Christians, which although acknowledged by Mormons, only one God is actually worshipped. Please see the Monotheism page for more information about different versions of the Trinity and Arianism.

'The relationship between Freemasonry and the Latter Day Saint movement began early in the history of Mormonism. Mormonism began during the wave of Anti-Masonry that struck the United States in the 1830s and 1840s. Despite this, Joseph Smith, Jr. and many of the Church founders were Freemasons, and started a lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois in March of 1842. There are some similarities between Mormon temple worship and symbolism and the stories and symbols of Freemasonry, though there are also many unique aspects to both that are also worth considering. In modern times, the LDS Church holds no position for or against the compatibility of Masonry with LDS doctrine.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry_and_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement

Mormonism can be seen as an all American Christianity, compared with other types of Christianity that were imported from Europe. This differs from the imported variants and denominations as it views the (native?) American people as being the lost tribe of Israel, descended from the Prophet Lehi, that migrated to the Americas in 600 B.C. There is no historical record to justify these claims. There is no archeological evidence to back this up. Except for the Book of Mormon, the final section written by Mormon in approximately 400 A.D., which Chronicles the history of this lost tribe of Israel between 600 B.C. and 400 A.D, and the revelation of Jesus Christ to this 'people' after his death and until 400 A.D. As the Old Testament, this book is deemed to have been written directly by 'prophets'. There was only one copy apparently in existence which was scribed onto Gold Plates by Moroni, the son of Mormon, and buried in 421 A.D. on a hill in New York state, to be 'discovered' by the child Joseph Smith in 1827. Joseph Smith claimed to have been informed of their existence in 1823 by the 'angel Moroni', but not permitted to find them until 1827. The Book of Mormon was written in 'reformed Egyptian' and was translated by Joseph Smith reputedly with divine assistance and in record time, verbally giving the translation over to scribes to record. The angel Moroni took back the plates in 1828, as he felt that Joseph had given them over to the hands of the wicked. He gave the plates back to Joseph though, allowing him to complete the translation before 'giving them back to the angel'. There is therefore no evidence of the plates nor of this lost tribe of Israel but for Joseph Smith's dictation. The testimony of a small handful of witnesses to attest that the plates were real does exist, but Jospeh was very secretive and did not wish to show them to many people at all, to keep them from the 'hands of the wicked'. Is this story credible? Or was it an attempt by Joseph Smith to create an all American type of Christianity, that gave America a Biblical significance and ethnic religious identity, and direct lineage to the ancient Israel, which it lacked as a recent European colony and displacement of Native Americans in the New World, with little history or tradition beyond the modern.

www.jefflindsay.com/BOMIntro.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_plates

Where did these people live, how did they live and where are the remnants of their ancient towns and cities? Where are their traditions to be found (pre 1800s)? This would imply that American WASPs are a mixture of European settlers from the last few hundred years, and Jews who had been there concurrently with native Americans since 600 B.C. No record of discovering non-Native Americans in North America by the European immigrants exists. Jesus is deemed to have appeared to both the aspostles in Israel and also to the 'lost tribe of Israel' in America. Jesus is often depicted in Mormon art as looking all American (WASP) in appearance, and very smart. The figure of Jesus is seen to be re-interpreted and appropriated by each culture that adopts Christianity. Is this realistic? Polygyny is a form of Polygamy, whereby a man is allowed to take multiple wives or sexual partners concurrently (as opposed to a woman being allowed to take multiple male partners or husbands).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny

Polygyny was a core practice by the early LSD church. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormonism, himself had 34 wives. This practice continues to this day within Fundamentalist Mormonism. LDS Polygyny is defined and discussed at the links below.

www.religioustolerance.org/lds_poly.htm

www.lds-mormon.com/mormon_polygamy.shtml

www.polygamy-faq.com/history.php

www.polygamy-faq.com/chronology.php

One example of Polygyny is the Mormon fundamentalist hamlet of Centennial Park in Arizona, where most of the 1500 inhabitants live a polygynist lifestyle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_fundamentalism#Centennial_Park_group

A Mormon web site justifying polygyny is found below.

www.mormon-polygamy.org

'Christian' web sites examining polygyny are found below.

www.chick.com/bc/1985/mormonism.asp

www.bible-truth.org/LDSpolygamy.html

www.geocities.com/plygkid

A fringe mormon brewery company outside of Salt Lake City has 'amusingly' created its own Polygamy Porter beer!



Many inverted pentagrams have been carved onto both the exterior and interior of the Mormon temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. Several are located on the perimeter of the temple and as many as 138 inverted stars can be found in the assembly room. Representations of the sun could be compared with contemporary usage of the Sun God and Illuminist representations of Ancient Egyptian Mysticism.



This is discussed at the link below. Mormons state that this symbol has had a positive, non-occult connotation for a long time, and only recently been appropriated by Satanists. However, Mormonism began in the 19th Century, and the occult use of the pentagram in witchcraft long predates this. The inverted pengram as a symbol of Satanism has probably only existed for the last couple of hundred years. Anyone care to clarify?

www.mrm.org/topics/mormon-temple/nauvoo-pentagrams

As can be seen in the section above, the pentagram was in use by both Christians, Jews and pagans prior to the adoption of it by the Mormons. However, the Mormons adopted the inverted pentagram, which was used by the Jews in and around 400 BC, but which was mainly used as a magical symbol from the 16th Century onwards. Christianity never used an inverted pentagram to represent the wounds of Christ.

A common argument used by Mormons is that the Swastika was a symbol of the Sun God or 'good luck' in Tibet and India, but was appropriated by the Nazi Party of German in the 1930s and had a negative connotation ever since. Whilst partially correct, this does not take into account that the Nazis actually changed the Swastika symbol, but turning it through 45 degrees and dispensing with the four dots. Adolf Hitler and other senior Nazis had a fascination with the occult and occult symobls. One could also argue from a Christian perspective that the 'Sun God' is perhaps the same as 'Satan' in any case, although this is of course open to debate by those of other faiths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

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Haile Selassie I and Rastafarianism:



Haile Selassie I lived from 1892 to 1975. Born with the name Tafari Makonnen, he was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He was also head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He was instrumental in the formation of the African Union and was regarded generally as a masterful statesman, within Ethiopia and indeed in Africa. He resisted modernisation and was regarded by some as keeping Ethiopia in the dark ages. His fall from Grace began probably in 1972, when a severe famine broke out, mostly in Wollo, northeastern Ethiopia, as well as in some parts of Tigray, which has been estimated to have killed 40,000 to 80,000 Ethiopians between 1972-74. In 1974 he was deposed in a Soviet-backed Communist revolution and he died in 1975.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie_I_of_Ethiopia

He was seen by Rastafarians as being the God incarnate (as being the return of the Messiah (the Second Coming and part of the trinity), despite having mortal parents and never actually stating that he was God - and there not having been a Final Judgement and the End of the World as prophecised in the Book of Revelation (which was supposed to follow the return of Jesus the Messiah). Rastafarians are the only Christian sect of significance that believe the Second Coming has already taken place, and that we are already in Judgement Time (i.e. the Last Judgement). This is not quite how the New Testament describes the return of Christ and the end of days, as both events happen together. Christians and Moslems on the other hand are still waiting for the return of Jesus from Heaven.

One may perhaps view Rastafarianism from the Judaic perspective, in that God cannot become man, and man cannot become God, and in this sense, Rastafarianism displays elements of Paganism. Until his visit to Jamaica in 1966, he had never confirmed nor denied that he was divine. During his visit he specifically declined to refute the Rastafari belief that he was God. He no doubt liked the veneration and attention. After his return to Ethiopia, he dispatched Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq Mandefro to the Caribbean to help draw Rastafarians and other West Indians to the Ethiopian church and, according to some sources, denied his divinity. Rastafarians by large denied that the bones that were buried at his funeral in 1975 (attended by Rita Marley) were actually his, and some deny that he actually died at all.

Haile Selassie I claimed a lineage from King Solomon and also the House of David.

www.imperialethiopia.org/solomonids.htm

Haile Selassie's wife is reputed to be a descendent of Muhammed.

www.imperialethiopia.org/sharifs.htm

Rastafarians use Biblical names such as "Lord of Lords", "King of Kings" and "Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah" for Haile Selassie I. These terms had been used throughout history to describe Ethiopian Emperors, but with the crowning of Haile Selassie I they were seen as evidence that supported his divine status.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafarianism

The Wollo region had regular famines, but none were as severe as that which struck in 1972-1974. One might argue that someone who is 'God' would have been 'all seeing' and more aware of what was going on in his own country. In addition, one could argue that someone who had luxurious feasts and a high standard of living whilst 80,000 people starved to death cannot really be representative of a caring God or in any sense Divine. This was going on during other famines also. Whilst he enjoyed much success in his earlier career as a politican and leader, he was by no means perfect and perhaps prevented infrastructure development from taking place that might have averted all the aforementioned famines.

Except for the Wollo Famine, he was regarded very highly by 'black' Africans and Jamaicans, as a figure of African unity (the famine is conveniently forgotten by Rastafarians). It is likely that his lineage and role in African politics held him in high regard as figure of 'black'/Afro-Caribbean political and social influence.

Marcus Garvey was also regarded as a key figure in the 'black' struggle, and is regarded by Rastafarianism as being a prophet (along with Bob Marley).



Garvey is also highly regarded by the Nation of Islam. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., National Hero of Jamaica (1887-1940), was a publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, Black nationalist, orator, and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. He promoted independent 'black' commerce and industry, and the emigration of 'blacks' to Africa. He also held that 'whites' were an inferior race and that God was 'black'. He was arrested in 1922 for mail fruad and deported to Jamaica.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey

The Nation of Islam (NOI) was founded in 1930 by 'Wallace D. Fard', the synthesis of four movements, Black Nationalism, Black Freemasonry, Islam & Christianity. Malcolm X, a key figure in the NOI, later renounced the NOI's racist ideology and embraced Sunni Islam, and was subsequently murdered by 3 NOI members in 1965. Whilst the Nation of Islam was an inherently racist organisation from the outset, and held its founder 'W.D. Fard' to be Allah (in a similar manner to Rastafarians believing Haile Selassie to be God) and other similar pagan beliefs, it has evolved, and has embraced more mainstream Islam (not regarding Fard as Allah etc.), although still differing from mainstream Islam in certain respects, believing that Elijah Muhammed is a prophet from God etc. and is still somewhat race oriented ('black' was the original race). One may however question the credentials of any organisation that has regarded a 'mere mortal' human being as God, and even an ex-petty criminal (allegedly) to be God. Perhaps this was a case of overcompensating. It is not as if Jesus was a gangster prior to his ministry. Information regarding the NOI can be found at the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam

www.ontruth.com/NationofIslam.htm

www.noi.org

A discussion on 'black' ideology and the use and inspiration of 'black' power amongst 'black' people in the last two centuries in helping to boost the self-image of Afro-Caribbeans and Afro-Americans, and counter many of the negative psychological consequences of the legacy of slavery and a lack of economic power, but also perpetuating racial tension and racism on both sides (i.e. exploring both positive and negative aspects), and how it relates to Anthropological theories on 'race' and 'ethnicity', can be found in the Psychology section under Identity and Difference. Clearly, 'black' consciousness has considerably evolved and there is no arguably no need for such racialist/racist ideologies any longer, with a number of positive 'black' role models in a variety of careers for the youth to aspire to (although arguably not quite enough!)

Whilst many of us may well enjoy Reggae and some aspects of the attitude and spirituality of Rastafarians, BlackSpy finds it personally difficult to take the belief in Haile Selassie I being God seriously and finds the use of marijuana by Rastafarians rather dubious, although in many senses its use is much more psychologically healthy than its use by non-Rastafarians who use it as a drug to 'get high'. BlackSpy also takes issue with the racial exclusivity of Rastafarianism, which is not a sign of a worthwhile religion in his opinion. It could also be argued that Haile Selassie never listened to Reggae music, was an Orthodox Christian and did not smoke marijuana, and liked to drink wine and eat Swedish meatballs in moderation. Why should the religion that was inspired by him preach what he never actually practised himself? Perhaps Rastafarians should just consider becoming Orthodox Christians! Perhaps Rastafarians see their religion as just an 'add on' to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity that does not conflict with this base belief. Or perhaps not.

It should be noted that Jesus never lived in a Palace, and did not live a luxurious lifestyle. Is it befitting for an 'incarnation of God' to live in such a luxurious manner when his fellow citizens are starving? And can religion and politics ever really co-exist comfortably in this sense? Can the 'incarnation of God' really be a stateman, diplomat and husband? If God actually ruled your country, then you would expect perfection in some sense, as God is perfection and all knowing. Perhaps the weakest link might be the civil servants employed by 'God', but then 'God' would not probably need very many, being all knowing, and would know which ones were worth keeping. Being all knowing would surely make being an Emperor much easier and more effective. Does Haile Selassie's performance as an Emperor really suggest his actually being 'God'? Or was he just put on a pedestal as he was down to earth, had 'good breeding', and did a great deal for Africa as a whole (largely), despite his obvious errors, faults and arguably his cowardice (during the Fascist invasion). Black people, especially Afro-Caribbeans, at that time were clearly looking for a spiritual leader and perhaps he fitted the bill.

Haile Selassie was an honorary member of a large number of Orders of Knighthood from a large number of countries around the world. A full list can be found on Wikipedia. These connections did not however bring Ethiopia any assistance from the League of Nations nor from Europe during the Italian Fascist invasion of Ethiopia from 1935-36. Haile Selassie even fled the country for French Somaliland on 2 May 1936, during the Italian invasion, which was resented by many Ethiopians, who were expecting their emperor to be a warrior. It was only when Italy entered WWII on the side of Nazi Germany in 1940 that support from the British arrived. The Fascists were eventually completely driven out in 1941. It should be noted that Haile Selassie fled the country

www.country-studies.com/ethiopia/mussolini's-invasion-and-the-italian-occupation.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Italo-Abyssinian_War

Portuguese Military Order of Christ, formed in 1318, was the heritage of the Knights Templar, after the Knights Templars were suppressed in 1312. The Order of Christ and the Knights Templar had a history in Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Both secret/private societies are said to have been precursors to Freemasonry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Christ_(Portugal)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_templar

The Knights Templar had a base in Ethiopia under Emperor Lalibela, who later expelled them. While in Ethiopia, the Templars were said to have borrowed heavily from the traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. For example, the Templar Cross pattee is that of the Ethiopian Church. Templars also wore a cord around their necks in imitation of the religious cord owrn by Ethiopian Christians, known as the Matab. Ethiopian Christians believe that as St Peter was baptising in the River Jordan, he would cut a string from his prayer shawl to tie around the newly baptised person's neck. Coptic tradition is still to give out such cords at baptisms, and it is also popular in Slavic Orthodox Churches to wear Crosses on string cords, rather than chains. Perhaps their long white robes were reminiscent of the prayer shawls worn by Coptic Ethiopian Christians. The Templars bought back to Europe the riches and traditions from Africa, including chess and various medical practices.

www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/alex_roman/masons.htm

It can thus be said that Ethiopia as a whole had 'pre-masonic' connections to the Knights Templar, the precursor to Freemasonry.

A history of religion in Ethiopia can be found at the links below.

www.bethel.edu/~letnie/EthiopiaHomepage.html

www.imperialethiopia.org/religions.htm

Was Haile Selassie I a Freemason? There is no real evidence to suggest that he was. There is a Masonic Lodge called the House of Haile Selassie. It was reputed to have adopted this name because of the relationship between Haile Selassie and King Solomon. A spokesperson for the lodge has stated that Haile Selassie I was never a member of any Freemason movement with the western concept of a lodge. Does this imply that he was in a African context? Or does it imply that he was never a Freemason of any kind?

According to Gregory Stephens in his book On Racial Frontiers, on page 164, Jospeh N. Hibbert, born in 1894, emigrated from Jamaica to Costa Rica at the age of 17. There was a large contingent of Jamaicans in Central America, and it was here that he became a member of the Masonic Lodge, The Anicent (Mystic) Order of Ethiopia. He returned to Jamaica in 1931 to preach the divinity of Haile Selassie. He was a key figure in the Rastafari movement. Joseph N. Hibbert has his roots in the Ethiopian Baptist Church, which was founded by George Lisle in the 18th Century. Ironically then Hibbert was brought up as an Ethiopian Baptist and not Ethiopian Orthodox, Haile Selassie having been the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lisle_(Baptist)

In his book 'Dread Jesus', William David Spencer proposes that Archibald Dunkley and Joseph Nathaniel Hibbert were among the preachers that inspired the Rastafari movement, and that both were members of the "Ancient Mystic Order of Ethiopia", a fraternal order derived from Prince Hall Freemasonry. Spencer believes that several key elements of the Rastafari movement derive from this practices in this lodge, including the name "Jah", from the word 'Jah-Bul-On'.

www.cesnur.org/testi/rasta.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahbulon

Timothy White, in his book Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley, on page 12, asserts that both Archibald Dunkley and Joseph Hibbert were members of the 'ulta-secret Egyptian Masonic Order known as the Great Ancient Brotherhood of Silence.

Jahbulon or Jabulon is a word which was first used in some of the rituals of Royal Arch Masonry in the 1700s. In addition, according to Francis X. King, the word is used in rituals of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a Thelemic Order created by the Freemason and Occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904.

According to the author Stephen Knight, following Walton Hannah, the word is a compound of three gods worshipped in the ancient Middle East, Jah (= Yahweh), Ba'al and On, a name in Genesis in the Bible (in "Potiphar priest of On"), the Hebrew form of the Ancient Egyptian name of the city of Heliopolis.

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/jabulon.html

Rastafarians claim that 'Jah' is a shortened version of Jahweh, the Latin spelling for the Hebew Yahweh or YHWH. Of course, whether the use of 'Jah' is a shortened version of Jahweh or Jahbulon is a matter of debate, and would could perhaps argue it is a shortened version of other words beginning with 'Jah' based on circumstantial evidence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh

Information relating to racism in Freemasonry and attempts to discourage 'black lodges' can be found on the Freemasonry page. It is likely that certain elements within clandestine 'black' freemasonry lodges wished to 'deify' the 'black' race to some degree, to have a black deity-type figure, to promote black consciousness in opposite to the dominant white economic and social culture of the day.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name of the largest Christian church in Egypt. Egypt is named as the place in the New Testament that the Holy family sought refuge after fleeing from Judea. The Egyptian Church is more than 19 centuries old. Egypt is frequently referenced in the Old Testament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_Orthodox_Church_of_Alexandria

The first Christians in Egypt were mostly Alexandrian Jews (e.g. Theophilus). The church was founded by Saint Mark the Evangelist, believed to be the apostle, the author of the Gospel of Mark, and a companion of Saint Peter. He is believed to have been the first Bishop of Alexandria and the first Pope of Alexandria. He is regarded as the founded of African Christianity and his evangelistic symbol is the lion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mark

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia, that was formerly part of the Coptic Orthodox church until 1959, which it was granted its own Patriarch. It is one of the few pre-colonial churches of Sub-Saharan Africa, and is the largest of all Oriental Orthodox churches. It is thought to have been formed in 346 AD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_church

www.ethiopiantreasures.toucansurf.com/pages/religion.htm

Some have observed that the Ethiopian Church is a shining example of Christianity working with the traditions of Judaism. The Ethiopian Church regards the Old Testament as as sacred as the New Testament, if not more so. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians observe many Jewish customs such as dietary customs and indeed circumcision, and some believe that Jewish practices and culture in the area predate Christ, which is not unfeasible or that unlikely given the history of the Jewish people. Perhaps the Jewish people should take note that it is possible to embrace both Judaism and Christianity together in a number of forms.

'The [Ethiopian Orthodox] Tewahedo Church Canon contains 81 books. This canon contains the books accepted by other Orthodox Christians.

- The Narrower Canon also contains Enoch, Jubilees, and three books of the Meqabyan
- The Broader Canon includes all of the books found in the Narrower Canon, as well as the two Books of the Covenant, four Books of Sinodos, A Book of Clement, and Didascalia.

www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/ethiopican.html

There have been no printings of the Broader Canon since the beginning of the twentieth century. The Haile Selassie Version of the Bible, which was published in 1962, contains the Narrower Canon.'

Many Afro-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans regard Ethiopia and Egyptian churches as an inspiration, as Africans choosing Christianity and not having it thrust upon them; and indeed Ethiopia which was the only nation to stand up to colonial invasion until the 2nd world war.

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Rosicrucianism:



Above is a impressionist drawing of the Temple of the Rosy Cross, by Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618.

The Rosicrucian Order is an Gnostic Christian order practising Hermetic magic (including alchemy and astrology, etc.), of which a number of Rosicrucian masonic orders remain today. It uses the concept of reincarnation and rebirth, in that souls gradually climb up the 'evolutionary' tree groups from mineral to insects, animals, humans etc. and eventually break the cycle of birth and death to become higher beings which may help those in the levels below.

A group of heretical German Lutherans published two anonymous manifestos, between 1607 and 1616, first in Germany and later throughout Europe. These were Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (The Fame of the Brotherhood of Rosy Cross) and Confessio Fraternitatis (The Confession of the Brotherhood of Rosy Cross). The influence of these documents, presenting a "most laudable Order" of mystic-philosopher-doctors and promoting a "Universal Reformation of Mankind", gave rise to an enthusiasm called by its historian Dame Frances Yates the "Rosicrucian Enlightenment". The term 'Rosicrucianism' or 'Rosi-Cruci-anism' literally means 'Rosy Cross'-ism'.

According to Jean-Pierre Bayard, two Rosicrucian-inspired Masonic rites emerged from the end of 18th century. One was the Rectified Scottish Rite, which was widespread in Central Europe where there was a strong presence of the "Golden and Rosy Cross". The other was the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, first practiced in France, in which the 18th degree is called Knight of the Rose Croix. Modern groups that associate themselves with Rosicrucianism are Esoteric Christian Rosicrucian groups, which profess Christ (as well as the aforementioned Hermetic magical practices), Masonic Groups, and Initiatic Groups (e.g. Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn), which may or may not be related to Christianity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism#Rosicrucianism

'The Rosicrucian Order consisted of a graded system (similar to The Order of Freemasons) in which members moved up in rank and gained access to more knowledge, for which there was no fee. Once a member was deemed able to understand the knowledge, they moved on to the next grade. There were three steps to their spiritual path: philosophy, qabbalah, and divine magic. In turn, there were three goals to the order: 1) the abolition of monarchy and the institution of rule by a philosophical elect, 2) reformation of science, philosophy, and ethics, and 3) discovery of the Panacea.'

Was the goal of instituting rule by a philosophical elect of the Rosicrucian Order similar to the revolutionary goal of the Bavarian Illuminati?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucian

www.canonbury.ac.uk/lectures/rcvault.htm

Christopher McIntosh's book The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology and Rituals of an Esoteric Order, can be read on google for free by clicking here.

The most common symbols of Rosicrucianism can be found below. These include the Rose and Cross (sometimes as the Rosy Cross or Rose Cross), the Circle/Triangle/Square, and the Pentagram.

http://canada.golden-rosycross.org/symbolism.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_Cross

http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefsrosecross.htm

http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2006/11/secret-rosicrucian-symbols.html

The Rosicrucian Fellowship's Mount Ecclesia's Healing Temple (1920) facade, depicting the All-Seeing Eye facing east, is shown in the picture below. The Rosicrucian Fellowship is a school founded by Max Heindel, author of The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception. Whilst the All Seeing-Eye is sometimes associated with Luciferianism, in this context it is a subtly different meaning for 'God', being the Gnostic one true God in the Hermetic magical tradition, arguably quite similar in some respects to the Gnostic Lucifer.



Rosicrucianism holds that the Great Architect of the Universe, the creator, is the same as the Supreme Being. This is perhaps in slight opposition to the Gnostic concept of the 'evil' or 'ignorant' Demiurge, the creator. However some forms of Gnosticism hold that Demiurge was 'benevolent' but perhaps a little 'ignorant'. Rosicrucianism is however loosely Gnostic, but regards God as the Supreme God and creator of the Universe. There is no Gnostic concept of an evil creator God, although there are Gnostic concepts of attaining Gnosis and Rebirth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Architect_of_the_Universe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rosicrucian_Cosmo-Conception

Jesus is not viewed in the same way as in Christianity. Salvation is a personal salvation (attained through rebirth (a form of reincarnation) and ascension) and is not granted through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and simple faith in Jesus (i.e. the simple formulaic salvation of much of Christianity). When humanity has reached perfection, there will come a time when they will not be tied to the wheel of births and deaths, but will remain in the invisible worlds to work thence for the upliftment of other beings (a similar concept to Gnosticism).

Jesus is not considered to be Jesus Christ or God, but the most highly spiritually evolved of human beings, the highest initiate of the Sun Period. God is not considered to be a Person, of the Trinity, but a form of Supreme Intelligence, or an energy. Rosicrucianism has its roots in Ancient Egyptian Alchemy and has appropriated some concepts from Christianity and reinterpreted them (in a slightly different way to Gnostic Christianity has).

The Rosicrucian Cross is a Sun symbol, of the male element, and not a representation of the Crufixion of Jesus. The four branches of the cross correspond to the four elements of fire, air water and earth.

The symbol of Rosicrucians is a Christian cross with a rose in the center, but it is a symbol of alchemy and is not a representation of the Crufixion of Jesus. One may say 'so what'! The symbol of the cross predates Christianity, and is likely one of many icons or concepts appropriated by Christianity in its first few hundred years.

- The "Cross", is the symbol of the sun, the tree of life, the generator force, the male element.

- The "Rose", is the female element, symbol of beauty and delicacy. Marriage, as the union of male and female, is regarded as a metaphor of the alchemic elemental fusion that the soul undergoes in its ascent to spiritual illumination.

The "cross" represents "the body of man", with the "rose" symbolizing "man's soul unfolding and evolving". The fundamental elements of the two spheres of Rosicrucianism, earthly and heavenly, are not only visible but are thereby fused in the symbols of the rose superimposed on the cross.

"Number 7" is the perfect one: At birth, or on the initiation, a human being possesses a "dense body"; at age 7, he attains a "vital body"; at 14, the "desire body"; and at 21, "mind" is formed.

www.byzant.com/Mystical/Symbols/RoseCross.aspx

www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/magen211.htm

www.zyworld.com/jamus/RC-CW.htm

A critical view of Rosicrucianism from a Christian perspective can be found at the links below.

www.religion-cults.com/Secret/Rosicrucianism/Rosicrucianism.htm

www.newadvent.org/cathen/13193b.htm

www.geocities.com/newworldorder_themovie/rosicrucianism.html

Rosicrucianism is believed by some to have direct links with the Knights Templars (who themselves had a great influence on LaVey Satanism).

www.biblebelievers.org.au/masonic.htm

Some Rosicrucian groups contain Theistic Satanists or adherents of other Left Hand Path philosophies. The syncretic nature of many of these philosophies mean that individuals may float in and out of other fringe religious/occult groups and fraternities. However, for the large part, it is more associated with Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity, more so than say the Golden Dawn movements that have more of a focus of Hermetic magic devoid of the Christian context (in general). A friend of BlackSpy's commented that there is little Hermetic knowledge remaining in most of the modern, big Rosicrucian groups, like AMORC, although the majority of the resources can be found on line for free.

There is some overlap between Rosicrucianism and Luciferianism in the sense that both are about developing the self. However Rosicrucianism is concerned with 'white magic'. This doesn't stop some members being total idiots, or some orders attracting racists and sexists however. For every great person there is likely to be an insane or obnoxious one. White magic does not preclude hiding from one's destructive shadow or the excesses of the ego. It is likely to be similar in other occultist groups.

Examples of modern Rosicrucian orders are listed below.

The Rose Cross Order's web site is listed below.

www.rosicrucian-order.com/saludo.html

The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC)' web site is shown below.

www.amorc.org

www.rosicrucian.org/about/index.html

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Theosophy:

'Theosophy is a doctrine of religious philosophy and metaphysics originating with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (seen below). In this context, theosophy holds that all religions are attempts by the "Spiritual Hierarchy" to help humanity in evolving to greater perfection, and that each religion therefore has a portion of the truth. Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others, Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in 1875.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Blavatsky



The Seal of the Theosophical Society is shown below. The Society's seal incorporated the following symbols: Swastika (Hindu usage), Star of David (or perhaps occult Hexagram), Ankh (the Eyptian cross or hieroglyphic character meaning 'life') and Ouroboros (snake eating its tail - often symbolising reincarnation).



The Emblem of the Theosophical Society is shown below.



Theosophy literally means 'God wisdom'. Theosophy draws much of its ideas from Platonism, and also 3rd Century AD Alexandrian Neoplatonism (and perhaps Gnosticism).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoplatonism

The three declared goals of the original Theosophical Society, as established by Blavatsky, Judge and Olcott were:

- To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
- To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.
- To investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man, i.e. spiritualism and the occult

'According to Theosophy, nature does not operate by chance. Every event, past or present, happens because of laws which are part of a universal paradigm. Theosophists hold that everything, living or not, is put together from basic building blocks evolving towards consciousness.'

The Akashic Record is an imagined spiritual realm, supposedly holding a record of all events, actions, thoughts and feelings that have ever occurred or will ever occur, including the history of the cosmos (the physical cosmos itself being considered to be an sentient entity or entities). The concept originated in the Theosophical movements of the 19th Century, and remains prevalent in New Age discourse, and is also used by trained psychics, mystics, Yogis and even Reiki practitioners. Theosophists believe that the akasha is an "astral light" containing occult records which spiritual beings can perceive by their special "astral senses" and "astral bodies". Clairvoyance, psychic abilities, spiritual insight, prophecy and many other untestable metaphysical and religious notions are made possible by tapping into the akasha. The akashic record is seen as a 'universal computer', the 'Mind of God', 'collective unconscious', 'collective subconscious', the 'cosmic mind' or the 'universal mind'. Descriptions of the records assert that they are constantly updated - however, if they contained the sum of everything that will ever happen, then surely they would not need to be updated? The akashic record is claimed to be accessed through certain states of consciousness, induced by certain stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drugs, trance and/or meditation (e.g. astral projection) . In Hindu mysticism this akasha is thought to be the primary principle of nature from which the other four natural principles, fire, air, earth, and water, are created. These five principles also represent the five senses of the human being.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_records

Edgar Cayce claimed to be able to successfully read the akashic records. Cayce was a Christian, American mystic, and holistic health writer of the 1920s and 30s. Cayce claimed to perform readings in his sleep or trance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce

Apparently Cayce was interpreting the collective subconscious mind long before the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung postulated his concept of the collective unconscious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious

Theosophy also held the concept of reincarnation and karma. Together with other esoteric groups and occult societies, believed in the Septenary, i.e. the universe being ordered by the number seven. The reincarnating consciousness of the monad is said to utilise spirit/matter forms in seven bodies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy

'Theosophists believe that religion, philosophy, science, the arts, commerce, and philanthropy, among other "virtues," lead people ever closer to "the Absolute." Planets, solar systems, galaxies, and the cosmos itself are regarded as conscious entities, fulfilling their own evolutionary paths. The spiritual units of consciousness in the universe are the Monads, which may manifest as angels, human beings or in various other forms. According to Blavatsky, the Monad is the reincarnating unit of the human soul, consisting of the two highest of the seven constituent parts of the human soul. All beings, regardless of stature or complexity, are informed by such a Monad.'

Such an interpretation of Gnosticism is not in keeping with that held by most modern Gnostics or indeed those of a scientific disposition. Some 'diehard' Theosophists may still hold such views. Theosophy was perhaps an attempt given the knowledge of the late 19th Century to unify the sciences in a spiritual context, but one which seems somewhat outmoded in the 21st Century, even in occultism circles which has moved on since then and embraced many of the findings of modern science including physics.

'Theosophists also believe that human civilization, like all other parts of the universe, develops through cycles of seven stages. Thus in the first age, humans were pure spirit; in the second age, they are known as Hyperboreans; in the third as Lemurians; and in the fourth, Atlanteans. Since Atlantis was the nadir of the cycle, the present fifth age is a time of reawakening humanity's psychic gifts. The term psychic here really means the realization of the permeability of consciousness as it had not been known earlier in evolution, although sensed by some more sensitive individuals of our culture.'

Theosophy clearly held various non-scientific Platonic beliefs regarding race and evolution. In The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky states that Semitic peoples were an offshoot of the initial Aryan Race (from Atlantis) which through a natural process of differentiation, had branched off from the Parent Aryan Race, along with its core beliefs, and became the basis for the Semitic peoples, as they are known in the Mid-east and from which ultimately sprung the Judeo-Christian perspective upon the Wisdom Religion of the Aryans. Blavatsky subscribed to the concept of the evolution of spirituality and spiritual awareness represented through 'Darwinian' principles. This view of the evolution of man through 7 distinct races and the ideas of sequential evolution of the races is not in keeping with modern Darwinist scientific thinking.

Theosophy influenced other similar movements in the 20th Century, such as Anthroposophy and Ariosophy, the latter movement. Ariosophy was a type of Theosophy with a Nationalist Aryan slant (i.e. Nationalist distortion or interpretation), adopted by the Thule Society and which would go on to influence Nazi thinking.

Blavatsky was also one of the first to coin the term The Left-Hand Path, to describe Sex Magic, and its subsequent usage in modern western occultism. The Left-Hand Path is the term currently used to describe religions/philosophies such as Satanism and Luciferianism etc.

Of the three founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (in approximately 1886-1887), all were Freemasons and members of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.), an appendant body to Freemasonry, but William Wynn Westcott, also a member of the Theosophical Society, and appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wynn_Westcott
The Theosophical Society fragmented and a number of Lodges cropped up, similar in organisation to Masonic Lodges. Many Freemasonry Lodges adopted Theosophy ideas.

Below is an on line version of the book 'The Hidden Life in Freemasonry' by C. W. Leadbeater 33rd Degree Freemason, published by The Theosophical Publishing House in India in 1926.

www.anandgholap.net/Hidden_Life_In_Freemasonry-CWL.htm

Below is an on line version of the book 'The Right Angle: H.P. Blavatsky on Masonry in her Theosophical Writings' by Geoffrey Farth. This book contains extracts of Blavatsky's writings. It cross references a number of topics including mason connections, Kabbalah, the Knights Templar and Solomon's Temple.

www.theosophical.ca/TheRightAngle.htm

Farth writes: 'Some Masonic members of the Theosophical Society have concluded that H.P.B. was herself a Mason because she received in 1877 a certificate of membership of the Ancient and Primitive Rite conferring degrees and titles of the Rite of Adoption. These, however, were not recognized as being Masonry by the Masonic bodies of France, Great Britain or America.'

Click here to read an on line version of Rene Guenon's book 'Theosophy: History of a Pseudo-Religion'.

Helena Blavatsky established an occult magazine entitled 'Lucifer' in London in 1887.

http://blavatskyarchives.com/luciferreprints.htm

www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/prophetsindex.htm

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Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn:



Above is the 'Rosy Cross' or Rose Cross symbol of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is described below. The quotes in speech marks are taken from Wikipedia.

"The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (or, more commonly, the Golden Dawn) was a magical order of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, practicing a form of theurgy and spiritual development. It was possibly the single greatest influence on twentieth century western occultism. Concepts of magic and ritual that became core elements of many other traditions, including Wicca [a modern version of European paganism], Thelema and other forms of magical spirituality popular today, are drawn from the Golden Dawn tradition."

The Golden Dawn is also a major influence on modern Theistic Satanism and LaVey Satanism. In LaVey's Satanic Bible (see below) there are twelve calls or "keys" that are known as "The Enochian Keys". LaVey says that the Enochian calls are "the Satanic paens of faith" and that his source for the "keys" was the Golden Dawn. The use of the Golden Dawn magic in LaVey Satanism is explored in the section below about LaVey Satanism.

"The three founders, Dr. William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers were Freemasons and members of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.),[3] an appendant body to Freemasonry. Westcott, also a member of the Theosophical Society, appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn

www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/index.shtml

"The Golden Dawn system is based on an initiated hierarchal order similar to that of a Masonic Lodge, however women were admitted on an equal basis with men. The "Golden Dawn" is properly only the first or "outer" of three Orders, although all three are often collectively described as the "Golden Dawn". The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on the Hermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the four Classical Elements. They also taught the basics of astrology, tarot and geomancy. The Second or "Inner" Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Ruby Rose and Cross of Gold), taught magic proper, including scrying, astral travel and Alchemy. The fabled Third Order was that of the "Secret Chiefs", who were said to be great adepts no longer in incarnate form, but who directed the activities of the lower two orders by spirit communication with the Chiefs of the Second Order."

"Influences on Golden Dawn concepts and work include: Christian mysticism, Qabalah, Hermeticism, the religion of Ancient Egypt, Theurgy, Freemasonry, Alchemy, Theosophy [based on Neo-Platonism], Eliphas Levi, Papus, Enochian magic, and Renaissance grimoires."

Ancient Eyptian mythology is explained at the links below.

www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was as stated above closely tied to Rosicrucianism and Helena Blavatsky's Theosophical Society. It used principles of Hermeticism and Rosicrucian Hermetic magic, and incorporated them into other occult practices. The Golden Dawn was perhaps more progressive than most similar masonic groups in that it admitted both men and women.

The Golden Dawn was formerly dissolved in 1903, although changing its name to Stella Matutina.

Following a rebellion of Adepts in London and an ensuing public scandal brought upon the order by imposters using their the name of the Temple, which had brought the name of the Golden Dawn into disrepute, the Golden Dawn split into 2 branches, Hermetic Society of Morgenrothe, and the (Rosicrucian Order of) Alpha et Omega (or simply A.O.). This occurred in 1906. The Hermetic Society of the Morgenrothe was shortlived before it schismed into two groups, one more interested in Christian mysticism (lead by A.E. Waite) taking over the remnants of Isis-Urania and formed the Independent and Rectified Rite of the Golden Dawn and later the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. Those from the HS of Morgenrothe more interested in occultism, lead by Dr Robert Felkin, formed the group 'Stella Matutina'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Matutina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_et_Omega

The A.O. Temples subsequently opened in the UK and US were loyal to Mathers. Israel Regardie went on to document the A.O. and Stella Matutina rituals and majority of manuscripts in a series of volumes entitled 'Golden Dawn', in 1934, believing it to be every person's birthright to see these documents. This had the effect of inspiring those A.O. to cease to exist, their secrets becoming public knowledge. SM fragmented and dissolved many years later.

Israel Regardie, the occult author, is regarded by many as of the of the last original proponents of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He joined the Hermes Temple in Bristol in 1933 (which remained open until 1970). He left the main Stella Matutina 'Amoun Temple' in 1934. He wrote a number of books describing the magic ritual of the Golden Dawn and was a keen follower of the books of Aleister Crowley, although he claimed not to be a Thelemist.

A number of explicitly Golden Dawn masonic temples exist today. None of these have a direct lineage to the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and are recreationist groups and organisations, using what remains today of the original Golden Dawn and later A.O. and S.M. teachings and practices.

'The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn' is now the official trademark of a Florida-based non-profit corporation since 1988. It was founded in 1977 in Columbus, Georgia. It is led by Chic and S. Tabatha Cicero.

www.hermeticgoldendawn.org

The Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn is headed up by Robert Zink. It's main areas of study and practice are the Christian mysteries (i.e. Gnosticism), Kabalah, Tarot, Egyptian Mysteries, Enochian Magic, Alchemy (Hermeticism) and the 4 elements of western magical tradition.

www.esotericgoldendawn.com/

'Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - Outer order of the Rosicrucian order of A.O.' is the name of the order founded by David Griffin in 1999. It lost a legal battle with Cicero's HOGD for exclusive use of the GD name. Griffin's organisation is alleged by some in the GD community to be steep with institutional racism, sexism and even sexual harrassment. Perhaps in the spirit of some of the original racism of the colonialist members of the original GD!
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Thelema:



The symbol of Thelema, the unicursal hexagram, is shown above. This symbol is examined at the link below.

www.byzant.com/Mystical/Symbols/UnicursalHexagram.aspx

Thelema is a philosophy of life based on the rule or law, "Do what thou wilt." The ideal of "Do what thou wilt" and its association with the word Theleme goes back to François Rabelais, the 16th Century French Renaissance writer and ex-monk. He wrote a connected series of five fictional novels, known as The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel. The Abbey of Theleme particularly promoted this concept, e.g. the idea of getting up when you wanted, and doing exactly what you wanted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Rabelais

Sir Francis Dashwood adopted some of the ideas of Rabelais, in particular the central concept of Do What Thou Wilt, i.e. Theleme, and inscribed the word on the doorway of his Medmenham Abbey. Dashwood founded a group called the Monks of Medmenham, or better known as The Hellfire Club, which existed from 1746 to 1760. It was an exclusive English club, demanding 4% per annum of members' salaries. Many Hellfire Club members have been linked to Freemasonry, for example, the Duke of Wharton, who after disbanding the Club became the Grandmaster of England. Benjamin Franklin, Master Mason, inventor, and key figure in the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence, also occasioned the club during 1758 as a non-member. Another member was the policitian John Wilkes, politician, journalist, prankster and radical (fighting for the rights of the individual and open democracy). Wilkes' pranks are reputed to have hastened the club's demise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Dashwood

'According to Horace Walpole, the members' "practice was rigorously pagan: Bacchus and Venus were the deities to whom they almost publicly sacrificed; and the nymphs and the hogsheads that were laid in against the festivals of this new church, sufficiently informed the neighborhood of the complexion of those hermits." Dashwood's garden at West Wycombe contained numerous statues and shrines to different gods; Daphne and Flora, Priapus and the previously mentioned Venus and Dionysus.'

One could assume the involvement of Freemasons, experienced in Egyptian Mysteries, might possibly have practised some form of sex magic at some of these meetings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellfire_club

A number of other clubs were associated with being the 'Hellfire Club' during the 18th and 19th Centuries. The first of these clubs, which preceded Dashwood's club, was founded by Philip, the Duke of Wharton in 1719 and ran until 1721.

Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947), the Englishman, author, chess fan, drug addict, racist, bisexual, mountaineer, intellectual, occultist, Freemason and even alleged 'secret agent' was a famous advocate of the modern Thelema philosophy, also referred to as Thelema religion. A photograph of Aleister Crowley can be seen below.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley

http://newfleshpalladium.blogspot.com/2007/03/secret-of-aleister-crowley.html

http://psychicinvestigator.com/Occult/Crowley.htm

In 1904, Crowley claimed to have received Liber AL vel Legis, the Book of the Law from an entity named Aiwass, which was to serve as the foundation of the religious and philosophical system he called Thelema. He believed Aiwass to be his own Holy Guardian Angel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema

According to Crowley, every individual has a True Will, to be distinguished from the ordinary wants and desires of the ego (allegedly). The True Will is essentially one's "calling" or "purpose" in life. Crowley's concept assumes that this includes the goal of attaining self-realization by one's own efforts, without the aid of God or other divine authority. Crowley was more specific about the True Will of women which he regarded as bearing children. Crowley believed that to discover the True Will, one had to free the desires of the subconscious mind from the control of the conscious mind, especially the restrictions placed on sexual expression, which he associated with the power of divine creation. "Love is the law, love under will" - love was used in the sense of sexual love, and sex magic was an important part of achieving 'enlightenment'. The True Will of each individual was identified with the Holy Guardian Angel, a 'daimon' unique to each individual (an idea taken from Greek mythology).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28mythology%29

Ancient Greek mythology is explained at the links below.

www.mythweb.com/gods/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology

Critics might argue that by trying to connect with one's daimon using spiritualism, in order to connect with one's True Will in the unconscious mind, then one has to also accept the consequences of this type of activity, both good and bad (in spiritual terms), as applicable; and indeed knowing that who one is trying to connect with is in fact one's 'daimon' and not just another spirit. However, this is clearly a matter of interpretation and subjective perception. In addition, if you know yourself on a deep level, you don't necessarily need a 'spirit guide' or Holy Guardian Angel to tell you what is in your subconscious or who you are and what your will is. It just comes naturally. Is the Holy Guardian Angel then a literal daimon, or just a metaphor for the True Will or the Subconscious Mind, or indeed the psychological mechanism for connecting with certain parts/aspects of the subconscious mind? Is it just another way of describing yourself?

Thelema philosophy taught the sceptical examination of the results of one's practice of meditation or 'magick'. He believed that marijuana is an aid to meditation. BlackSpy and his contemporaries once compared meditation exercises performed whilst 'straight' and whilst 'stoned', based on the teachings of Crowley. We did not take Crowley's ideas very seriously in this respect as they sounded arrogant and ridiculous, but wanted to try it in any case. The results of meditation were always found to be far superior when 'straight'!

Thelema draws its principle gods and goddesses from Ancient Egyptian religion. The highest deity is the goddess, Nuit, the night sky arched over the Earth symbolized in the form of a naked woman. She is conceived as the Great Mother, the ultimate source of all things (similar to certain Wiccan ideas of Mother Earth). The 2nd main god is Hadit. Hadit symbolizes manifestation, motion, and time, the 'flame that burns inside the heart of every man'. The third deity is Ra-Hoor-Khuit, a manifestation of Horus. He is symbolized as a throned man with the head of a hawk who carries a wand, and is associated with the sun and the active energies of Thelemic magick. Other deities within the cosmology of Thelema include Hoor-paar-kraat (or Harpocrates), god of silence and inner strength, the brother of Ra-Hoor-Khuit; Babalon, the goddess of pleasure, the Virgin Whore; and Therion, the beast that Babalon rides, representing the wild animal within man, a force of nature. Crowley incorporated the 19th Century image of the deity Baphomet into Thelema, who he personally associated with the Greek deity Harpocrates (based on the Egyptian deity Horus). It appears he made up the deities as he went along to a large extent, picking whatever he felt like at the time, without necessarily any historical congruity. Clearly not all, if any, of all this was revelation from 'Aiwass' but merely regurgitation and amalgamation of other philosophies, influences (i.e. Theleme and the Golden Dawn), even stealing the name 'Theleme'.

Theistic Satanists regard Thelema as a "secondary theistic Satanism," that is, a religion or spirituality in which Satan is part of the pantheon and is worshipped, revered, or at least propitiated in some way and to some extent, but is not the primary object of worship, veneration, reverence or emulation. Aleister Crowley did include Satan in his personal pantheon and in some of his rituals, e.g. Liber Samekh, but only as one of many gods. Crowley was a major influence in the occult world, and particularly influenced LaVey Satanism, (Poly)Theistic Satanism and other Left-Hand Paths. Aleister Crowley popularized the term 'Left-Hand Path', referring to a "Brother of the Left-Hand Path," or a "Black Brother," meaning one who failed to attain the grade of Magister Templi with the AA (through fear and/or not letting go of the ego).

www.angelfire.com/ny5/dvera/varieties/index.html#secondary

The purpose of magic (spelt 'magick' as it sounds cooler) within Thelema is to find and manifest one's True Will, but also involving certain celebratory rituals as well. The Thelema philosophy was based on ancient Egyptian and Greek pagan religion, and incorporates elements of the Golden Dawn, Gnosticism, Buddhism. Crowley did not recognise a universal God, clearly in opposition with the official criteria for Freemasonry. Aleister Crowley was a follower of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and restructured its system, documenting many of its rituals in his books. Thelema from the Koine Greek literally means 'will', 'wish' or 'purpose'. Practices include yoga, sex magic (hetero-, homo- and masturbatory), Golden Dawn banishing and invocation rituals (using Pentagram), and invoking one's Holy Guardian Angel, etc.

The concept of Will is unique to each person so there is no moral or ethical framework as such. However, there a number of duties described in the Book of Law, which seem somewhat syncretic in nature. These include:

1) Your Duty to Self (the self as the center of the universe, with a call to learn about one's inner nature. Admonishes to develop every faculty in a balanced way, establish one's autonomy, and to devote to the service of one's own True Will.)
2) Your Duty to Others: admonishes to eliminate the illusion of separateness between oneself and all others, to fight when necessary, to avoid interfering with the Wills of others, to enlighten others when needed, and to worship the divine nature of all other beings.
3) Your Duty to Mankind: admonishes that the Law of Thelema should be the sole basis of conduct. That the laws of the land should have the aim of securing the greatest liberty for all individuals. Crime is described as being a violation of one's True Will.
4) Your Duty to All Other Beings and Things: admonishes the application of the Law of Thelema to all problems and states that "It is a violation of the Law of Thelema to abuse the natural qualities of any animal or object by diverting it from its proper function" and "The Law of Thelema is to be applied unflinchingly to decide every question of conduct."

The core concept of Thelema is to do thy 'Will'. Thus, contemporary Thelemites may well practice more than one religion, besides Thelema and its Ancient Egyptian and Greek pagan deities, including Discordianism, Wicca, Gnosticism, Satanism, Setianism, and Luciferianism. Many adherents of Thelema, none more so than Crowley, recognize correlations between Thelemic and other systems of spiritual thought - indeed Thelema being a mixture of religions and philosophies in the first place; most borrow freely from the methods and practices of other traditions, including alchemy, astrology, qabalah, tantra, tarot, and yoga. For example, Nu and Had are thought to correspond with the Tao and Teh of Taoism, Shakti and Shiva of the Hindu Tantras, Shunyata and Bodhicitta of Buddhism, Ain Soph and Kether in the Hermetic Qabalah. Thelema, the focus being on Will, is thus argued to not necessarily contradict the teachings of Jesus or a belief in Christianity, although the syncretic combination of Greek and Egyptian deities within a non-Gnostic framework of Christianity might be a little difficult. A Gnostic view of Jesus, e.g. Gnostic Luciferianism, might be more compatible.

Thelema is clearly based on 'Theleme', but was more fully developed and proselytized by Aleister Crowley, who founded the 'religion' named Thelema based on this ideal. An analysis by Dan Evans has shown similarities not only with Rabelais, but also to The Beloved of Hathor and Shrine of the Golden Hawk, a play by Florence Farr. Farr was initiated into the Isis-Urania Temple of the Order of the Golden Dawn in London by Yeats in July 1890.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Farr

Did Crowley receive his ideas entirely from an 'entity' or did he just get inspiration from Rabelais? Or did the 'entity' expand on the ideas of Rabelais? Rather a big, fat claim if you ask BlackSpy. Early Christian writings use the word to refer to the will of God, the human will, and even the will of the Devil. However, in the Lord's Prayer it refers to the Will of God (Our Father Who Art in Heaven): "Thy Will (Thelema) Be Done..." However, some might argue that one's 'will' is not necessarily the same as the 'will' of God, and that in Christianity one does not discover one's true 'will' through the practice of Hermetic magic of the Golden Dawn, through spiritualism, homosexual magical acts and the veneration of ancient Egyptian pagan deities; and neither are these things part of the Lord's prayer!



Aleister Crowley and Samuel Mathers translated The Lesser Key of Solomon in 1904, released as 'The Goeta: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis Regis)'. It is a manual that purports to provide instructions for summoning 72 different spirits. An image of the circle and triangle, used in the evocation of the seventy-two spirits of the Goetia, is shown above. The magician would stand within the circle and the spirit was believed to appear within the triangle. The Goeta can can be read on line at the link below.

http://sacred-texts.com/grim/lks/index.htm

'The Lesser Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis (the Clavis Salomonis, or Key of Solomon is an earlier book on the subject), is an anonymous 17th century grimoire, and one of the most popular books of demonology. It has also long been widely known as the Lemegeton.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lesser_Key_of_Solomon

'The book claims that it was originally written by King Solomon, although this is certainly incorrect. The titles of nobility assigned to the demons were unknown in his time, as were the prayers to Jesus and the Christian Trinity included in the text.'



Crowley left the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and in the same year of writing The Book of Law founded the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), aka the Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars. It was an international fraternal and religious organization. Originally it was intended to be tied to and modelled on Freemasonry, but as leader, Aleister Crowley reorganized it based on The Book of Law as its central religious and organizational principle, expressed as Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", and "Love is the law, love under will". Similar to many secret societies, O.T.O. membership is based on an initiatory system with a series of degree ceremonies that use ritual drama to establish fraternal bonds and impart spiritual and philosophical teachings. O.T.O. also includes the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) or Gnostic Catholic Church, which is the ecclesiastical arm of the Order. Its central rite, which is public, is called Liber XV, or the Gnostic Mass. O.T.O. today has over 3000 members in 58 countries, approximately 50% of these are in the United States. The Lamen of the O.T.O. is shown above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordo_Templi_Orientis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_Gnostica_Catholica

The EGC hieromed is shown below.



The Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis is the unofficial name of the O.T.O. in the UK. It is a 'breakaway' O.T.O. organisation. Crowley bequeathed command of OTO in the UK to Kenneth Grant. In 1951, Grant declared, "I am authorized to operate the O.T.O. in England", assuming the X for Ireland, Iona, and All the Britains, a title previously held by Crowley. Grant wrote a new manifesto for O.T.O. and had 5000 copies printed. Membership is limited to a few hundred and there are adherents in the UK, USA and Brazil. The TOTO consider themselves to be Left-Hand Path, focussing more on extra-terrestrial deities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordo_Templi_Orientis_%28Typhonian%29

http://user.cyberlink.ch/~koenig/k_grant.htm

'While the group still promotes the Law of Thelema, it appears to focus more on exploration of foreign intelligence such as extraterrestrial life and demons, and on the darker aspects of occult existence. The organisation has shifted from a formal hierarchy to a loose hierarchical framework.'

Perhaps 'foreign intelligence' and 'extraterrestrial life and demons' is a reference to the fictional Lovecraft Cthulu mythos, which many Satanists seem to be obsessed with (see the CoS page for more info). The group claims to work with Typhonian concepts as well as the Law of Thelema. In Greek mythology, Typhon is the last son of Gaia and together with Tartarus is the God of Wind. Typhon was described as the largest and most grotesque of all creatures that have ever lived, having a hundred serpent heads.

The Typhonian O.T.O. has particularly influenced Setianism and Dragon Rouge and was instrumental in the creation of Nema's Maat Magick movement. The Typhonian O.T.O. associates itself with the Left-Hand Path.

In 1907, Crowley went on to form the magical order 'AA'. While the AA was not part of Ordo Templi Orientis, the O.T.O. did consider the AA to be a close ally. The AA had the following possible meanings. Latin: Argenteum Astrum or Greek: Astron Argon, both meaning "Silver star"; or alternately, Latin: Arcanum Arcanorum, meaning "secret of secrets," or Hebrew: Arikh Anpin, "vast countenance" or Kether. It is a Thelemic magical fraternity, the goals of which are the pursuit of light and knowledge, again following The Book of Law. Its motto was: "The method of science, the aim of religion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%E2%88%B4A%E2%88%B4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adept

Various lineages of the AA survive today that can be traced back to the founders Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones. The nature of the secrecy or the order makes it difficult to establish a direct link to the original society. Perhaps members would like to come forwards and confirm this? (joke).

Crowley's Thelema orders can be viewed as somewhere in the middle of his early Hermetic Theurgy ('white magic') based disciplines of his early esoteric career, his interest in sex magick, and his later fixation with goetia (demonology). Ironically the majority of OTO orders today are populated with 'hippies' or 'ex-punks' according to an insider friend of BlackSpy, with little emphasis on learning Egyptian mysticism (only a small minority of experienced ceremonial magicians is really interested in pursuing this side, which is neglected, often to their frustration). According to a friend of BlackSpy's, there is no screening process as such for OTO members, and anyone can reputedly gain the first four degrees, no matter how emotionally unbalanced they are. This results in certain Lodges of the OTO being populated with 'misfits', alcoholics, drug addicts, narcissists, pathological liars, neurotics and sociopaths. It can result in a large amount of internal conflict, drama, bickering and insane behaviour or situations and arguments. Infiltration into such groups to merely cause disruption is probably quite easy. It also means those who are serious about contributing, learning, and self-actualisation, and mingling with other educated and self-actualised members, may find such groups ultimately frustrating. The Rosicrucian groups that Thelema was born out of are quite different and much more rigorous in terms of a screening process, according to BlackSpy's friend, and this allows for much better congruence within the group and bonding of members. Perhaps the OTO was trying to attain a 'more free' atmosphere, but there is a price to pay for this. There is little actual sex magic practiced in OTO gatherings by members, as far as BlackSpy has heard, with the majority of this taking place with their partners in the privacy of their own homes, and also at annual conventions (with a minority of attendies taking part in 'swinging'-style magickal orgies.)

Another friend of BlackSpy described the OTO as a 'den of vipers'.

T. Allen Greenfield, is an ex-OTO member kicked out for going against the leader of the US OTO mother organisation. He has some negative comments about the OTO including that the leader relies on the small number of members, perhaps numbering 3000, to live on, perhaps explaining why local bodies do not expel troublesome members as they are really need their membership fees.

www.mindspring.com/~hellfire/bishop/index.htm

The Order of Thelemic Knights, a.k.a. The Thelemic Gnostic Church of Alexandria, is a Portland, Oregon based order. It appeals to the imagery of Medieval Chivalric Knights (perhaps a Templar reference or notion) - perhaps these are the positive attributes of knights, interpreted in a sense of being a knight to a more open non-Christian philosophy and being a warrior spirit or knight unto oneself, and bravery (psychological); rather than for the service of God and for protection of the King, as was the nature of knights in the medieval period. Perhaps this also represents the hedonistic interests of Thelemites, with the Medieval knights commitment to feasting and women; but perhaps not so much the pledge to terrorise and oppress the serfs so that they might fear them, the love of conquest and battle and slicing off heads of opponents (although to some extent this could be a Left-Hand Path metaphor) and to acquire more wealth and lands! And indeed knight in the sense of being a fixed elite caste (although a closed semi-LHP society such as this may well have elitist pretensions) and of noble blood, better than the commoners. If there is a connection to Alexandria it is hard to say, other than the Thelemic usage of ancient Egyptian mysticism and penchant perhaps for Alexandrian Gnosticism. Certainly Oregon has no chivalric knight history! It is an architype with a particular spin on historical meaning, to create something 'new'. Or a gratuitous boyhood fantasy. But why not! It would not be the first Gnostic group with a gratuitously fancy name.

www.thelemicknights.org

Information relating to the personal life of Aleister Crowley and various racist quotes can be found in the Freemasonry section under Racism and Sexism within/connected to Freemasonry.

Some interesting articles about Crowley, his belief that he was the 666 Destroyer of Christianity (the 'antichrist'), his influence on Hitler and alleged admiration of Hitler and his connections to the promotion of drug use are examined in some of the links below. BlackSpy has spotted a few factual errors in the first article, including the fact that Crowley did not found the 'Temple of Satan', which was a branch of Anton LaVey's 1960s organisation (Church of Satan) and indeed was not alive in the 1960s (bad structuring and copying and pasting!), but otherwise it makes a few valid points.

www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Wicca%20&%20Witchcraft/aleister_crowley2.htm

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/06/341573.shtml

www.illuminati-news.com/crowley_hitler.htm

Crowley was married twice, and both his wives went insane. Five of his mistresses committed suicide.

According to the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Crowley filed down his teeth into 'canine' teeth, perhaps inspired by the legend of Nosferatu. No photographs exist of this however as far as BlackSpy knows.

www.rickross.com/reference/general/general268.html

Aleister Crowley's daughter, Candy Crowley, works for CNN. BlackSpy is not aware is she has any occult involvement or not, and perhaps she wishes to distance herself from her father's rather 'mixed bag' public image (having being referred to as the 'most evil in the world' and many a rock star's and occultist's hero).

http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/crowley.candy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Crowley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yf3AHQhIdk



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Hermetic Qabalah:

     

Hermetic Qabalah, a.k.a. Qabalah, is a variant of the Hebrew Kabbalah. Although the Hebrew Kabbalah is Judaic in origin, it can be viewed by some as being gnostic, albeit a positive gnostic interpretation of the divine. Above is an image of the Sephirotic Tree, or Qabalistic Tree of Life, common to both Kabbalah and Qabalah. The image on the right shows the Sephirotic placement of the tarot trumps on the paths.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qabalah

'Hermetic Qabalah ( from the Hebrew 'reception'), is a Western esoteric and mystical tradition. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders [c/f Aleister Crowley], mystical societies such as the Builders of the Adytum and the [Rosicrucian] Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, and is a precursor to the Neopagan, Wiccan and New Age movements. Hermetic Qabalah draws on a great many influences, most notably: Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, tarot, alchemy, pagan religions (especially Egyptian and Greco-Roman), Neoplatonism, Gnosticism, the Enochian system of angelic magic of John Dee and Edward Kelly, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and Tantra.'

The Roman mythology is explained at the links below.

www.roman-empire.net/children/gods.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_gods

'It [Qabalah] differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly syncretic system, however it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah. It is most often transliterated with a 'Q' rather than a 'K' or a 'C', distinguishing it from Jewish Kabbalah (and Christian Cabbalah). Hermetic Qabalah reached its peak in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a 19th century organization that was arguably the pinnacle of ceremonial magic. Within the Golden Dawn the syncretic fusing of Qabalistic principles such as the ten Sephiroth with Greek and Egyptian deities was made more cohesive and was extended to encompass other systems such as the Enochian system of angelic magic of John Dee and certain Eastern (particularly Hindu and Buddhist) concepts, all within the structure of a Masonic- or Rosicrucian-style esoteric order.'

www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Qabalah



Another prolific writer and lecturer on Hermeticism and Qabbalah was the Canadian-born Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990). He was the author of the book 'The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabblistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy' (1928) and the founder of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS).

www.manlyphall.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Palmer_Hall

Qlippoth, (a.k.a. Qlipphoth) represents the evil forces in the mystical teachings of Judaic Kabbalah. They are the shells around the Sephirot. Writers such as the (arguably Satanic) Luciferian Michael W. Ford tend to focus on the Qlippoth, perhaps basing his work on Crowley and Regardie's, using the Qlippoth as a means of self-actualisation to explore the psyche and the shadow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qliphoth

A commentator Teth has noted the Qabalah whilst making use of Hebrew script and language to a certain extent, is far more than a Judaic mystic phenomenon. The Platonic, Neo-Platonic and Gnostic influences are the most striking. He goes on to state that the Sephirah and Qlippoth (Negative Veil) are not duotheistic or dualistic per se unless one wants to embrace a dualistic world-view when applying it. Qabalah is Optimist Gnostic in nature where all things are reflections of the divine.

The hexagram is a very similar symbol to the Star of David, or Seal of Solomon, used by Judaism. The Hexagram is however a symbol used in Hermetic Qabalah - it is said to represent The Tree of Life - and also in Hermetic Magic Rites.

www.byzant.com/Mystical/Symbols/StarOfDavid.aspx

www.byzant.com/Mystical/Symbols/Hexagram.aspx

'The astro-kabbalistic form of the hexagram shown above is particularly powerful because of esoteric resonance. Each point shows not only a Kabbalistic sefira and its relationship to the other sefirot, but also the astrological planet that has the same sphere of influence. For example, the red point of the hexagram corresponds to the aggressive, judgmental sefira Geburah ("Severity"), and also to the violent, willful planet, Mars.'



www.bob-wonderland.supanet.com/conspiracy_7c.htm



A variant of the magical Hexagram can also be found in Gnostic Luciferianism.

Sean Sellars, former Satanist, writes in his book Web of Darkness that the hexagram is: '...the most powerful and evil sign in Satanism and of all the occult world. The hexagram is used mainly in witchcraft to summon demons from the world. The word "hex" which means to place a curse on someone, originated from this sign."

A web site entitled 'The Hermetic Library' can be found at the link below. It contains links to external web sites and also texts of the Hermetic magickal tradition, mainly Thelema and Enochian inspired from the 19th and 20th Centuries.

www.hermetic.com

A number of Esoteric books and Grimoires can be found on Twilit Grotto's web site below.

www.esotericarchives.com

The Alchemy Web Site contains a number of 16 to 18th Century books on Alchemy (i.e. Hermetic religion and philosophy).

www.levity.com/alchemy/texts.html

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The Builders of the Adytum (BOTA):



The BOTA is a worldwide religious organisation and mystery school of the Western mystery tradition based in LA, California. BOTA members are instructed in subjects such as self-awareness, esoteric psychology, Tarot, Hermetic Qabalah, Astrology, and meditation techniques. These symbolic systems are defined as representing parts of the Self, rather than the traditional use of Tarot and astrology for predicting the future. BOTA was founded by Dr. Paul Foster Case, a Freemason. Whilst in NYC in 1920, Case was initiated into the Second Order of the Thoth-Hermes Temple of the Golden Dawn (Alpha et Omega). BOTA was further evolved and extended by Dr Ann Davies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builders_of_the_Adytum


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Foster_Case

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Davies

www.bota.org

www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/case_p/case_p.html

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Enochian Magic:



Enochian magic, an influence on the Golden Dawn, is based on the control of spirits. The spirits of Enochian magic consist broadly of Watchtower Deities (Air, Water, Earth and Fire), Angel Kings, Ruling Governors and Governors, and Sigillum Dei Deities (7 Great Names of God, Angles, Elemental Kings, etc.) It includes the use of magic ritual as well as tarot and divination. These are generally considered to be 'angels' and Enochian magic is a part of modern Rosicrucianism. It has also influenced modern Satanism. The Sigillum Dei Heptagram is shown above.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian_magic

Enochian magical rituals and associated deities are described at the link below.

www.schuelers.com/enochian

Quoted from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon's web site:

www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/anti-masonry08.html#enoch

"Enochian" is yet another one of those terms which seems to mean whatever the user wants it to mean. The Enochian literature of early Judaism has no relevence to Freemasonry. The Enochian magick of John Dee has nothing to do with either the Enochian literature or Freemasonry. The Pillars of EnochÑwhich has nothing to do with the Enochian literature or Enochian MagickÑare only of historical interest to freemasons due to their confusion with the pillars at the entrance to King SolomonÕs Temple.

Enochian Magick has its roots in Elizabethan England with the work of astronomer and English court advisor Dr. John Dee (1527-1608) and his associate Sir Edward Kelley. Dee wanted to recover the wisdom he believed to be in the lost books of earlier times, including the then-fabled Book of Enoch, which he believed described a system of magic. During the years from 1581 to 1585, Dee, and later Kelley, performed "magical operations" involving fervent prayers to God and the archangels, and the use of a scrying stone. Kelly described what appeared on the stone while Dee made extensive notes.

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Hermeticism:

Hermeticism is the symbolic and ceremonial use of magic, the height of which is arguable the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the 19th Century. The Rosicrucian Order is also another example of a modern Hermetic Order. Hermeticism was traditionally opposed by the Church and practices were underground and intermingled with various occult traditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism

'Hermeticism is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus [depicted below], who is put forth as a wise sage and Egyptian priest, and who is commonly seen as synonymous with the Egyptian god [of wisdom] Thoth [and later the Greek god Hermes]. These beliefs have influenced Western magic traditions and held great influence during the Renaissance. In Islam, the Hermetic cult was accepted in 830 CE as being the Sabians mentioned in the Qur'an.'



In Late Antiquity, Hermetism emerged in parallel with Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and Early Christianity, "characterized by a resistance to the dominance of either pure rationality or doctrinal faith". The books now known as the Corpus Hermeticum were part of a renaissance of syncretistic and intellectualized pagan thought that took place around the 2nd century. Other examples of this cultural movement would include Neoplatonist philosophy, the Chaldaean Oracles, late Orphic and Pythagorean literature, as well as much of Gnosticism. The extant Greek texts dwell upon the oneness and goodness of God, urge purification of the soul, and defend pagan religious practices, such as the veneration of images. Many lost Greek texts, and many of the surviving vulgate books, contained discussions of alchemy clothed in philosophical metaphor.

After centuries of falling out of favor, Hermeticism was reintroduced to the West when, in 1460 CE, a man named Leonardo[8] brought the Corpus Hermeticum to Pistoia. He was one of many agents sent out by Pistoia's ruler, Cosimo de'Medici, to scour European monasteries for lost ancient writings.

In 1614 CE Isaac Casaubon, a Swiss philologist, analyzed the Hermetic texts for linguistic style and claimed that the Hermetic writings attributed to Trismegistus were not the work of an ancient Egyptian priest but in fact dated to the Christian Era. Walter Scott places their date shortly after 200 CE, while Sir W. Flinders Petrie places them between 200 and 500 BCE. Plutarch's mention of Hermes Trismegistus dates back to the first century CE, and Tertullian, Iamblichus, and Porphyry are all familiar with Hermetic writings.

In 1945 CE, Hermetic writings were among those found near Nag Hammadi, in the form of one of the conversations between Hermes and Asclepius from the Corpus Hermeticum, and a text about the Hermetic mystery schools, On the Ogdoad and Ennead, written in the Coptic language, the last form in which the Egyptian language was written.'

This is in keeping with the understanding that the Hermetic texts were written in the post-Christian Gnostic era (2nd to 5th centuries). Their content also shows influence from Neo-Platonism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetica

'Hermetica is a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, "thrice-great Hermes", a syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth. A collection of several such Greek texts from the second and third centuries, survivors from a more extensive literature, were compiled into a Corpus Hermeticum by Italian scholars during the Renaissance. Other Hermetic works, however, existed in Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, and other languages.

Unlike some Gnostic writings, the Hermetica contain no explicit allusions to Jewish or Christian texts - and this choice seems deliberate. They do, however, contain some unconscious echoes of Biblical themes, underscoring the close if uneasy intermingling of Jewish, Greek and Egyptian currents in Hellenistic Alexandria. Unlike Orphic literature, the works of the Hermetica are unconcerned with the genealogical tedia of Greek mythology. And compared with Chaldaean Oracles and Neoplatonist philosophy, the Hermetic texts dwell far less on the technical minutiae of metaphysical philosophy: their concerns are practical in nature, their ends a spiritual rebirth through the enlightenment of the mind.'

www.hermetica.org

'Throughout history a body of knowledge has existed providing a philosophy of life that is attuned to the true nature of things with clear instructions and methods for self-realization and transformation. Hermeticism, Hermetism and Hermetics is one name for this body of knowledge. Essentially, Hermeticism is the ancient philosophy, theory and practice of the inner secrets of man, nature and spirit. It's origins are lost in the mists of prehistory. Its revivals in the Hellenistic, Renaissance and modern times have often been pale reflections of its real nature. Though much of its records are lost, it has re-risen from the flames like the Phoenix under many different guises. Fragments of this great primal teaching are distributed throughout the world. The ancients have called Hermes Trismegistus, its legendary founder, the originator of writing, the sciences and arts, as well as the patron of esoteric teachings, alchemy, astrology and theurgy. He has been equated as one and the same as Tehuti, Thoth, Enoch and Idris, among many other spiritual teachers at the dawn of human history. Hermetic teachings have been transmitted through a long line of masters and teachers throughout the ages. Its survival throughout the ages has been accomplished by means of guardians of the holy mysteries. These guardians have emerged from time to time to disclose precious fragments of these timeless teachings.'

A list of articles and books on Hermeticism can be read at the Hermetica.org web site below.

www.hermetics.org/articles.html

www.hermetics.org/library.html

'The Book of Thoth is a legendary book containing powerful spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the Prince Neferkaptah (meaning perfect ka of Ptah in Egyptian) in the City of the Dead. The reader of the rolls would know the language of the animals, be able to cast great spells, and be able to enchant the sky and earth themselves. Anyone who read the book was punished by the gods (who would cause the reader's loved ones to die until the book was returned). The Book of Thoth is said to be hidden inside a golden box, which is contained in a silver box inside a box of ivory and ebony encased in a sycamore box which is found in a bronze box contained in an iron box. The keys of each box, if the myth is taken into context, were hidden across the Egyptian Empire by either the Gods, the son of Neferkaptah or Neferkaptah himself, depending on the version of the legend, and the keys were either put under the charge of trusted friends, hidden in hard-to-reach places or placed under guard of beasts or enchantments and curses, as prevention to the curses that the Book placed upon the reader.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Thoth

Aleister Crowley wrote a book called 'The Book of Thoth' which is not related to the above, but outlined his astrological tarot system using a 'Thoth' deck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Thoth_(Crowley)

The main three texts of Hermeticism are The Corpus Hermeticum, The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus and The Kybalion. A translation of the Corpus Hermeticum is available at the link below.

www.gnosis.org/library/hermet.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Hermeticum

A translation of the Emerald Tablet by Georgio Beato from the Aurelium Occultae Philosophorum is shown below. Another translation by the part time alchemist (and bully) Isaac Newton exists but used older English.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Tablet

1) This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood.

2) Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.

3) Also, as all things are made from one, by the consideration of one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.

4) The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon.

5) The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.

6) Its power is perfected.

7) If it is turned into earth,

7) Separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and coarse, prudently, with modesty and wisdom.

8) This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.

9) By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.

10) For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.

11) By this means the world was founded

12) And hence the marvelous cojunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way by which these marvels may be brought about.

13) And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and Philosophy of the whole universe.

14) My speech is finished which I have spoken concerning the solar work. This doesn't work!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism

'One account of how Hermes Trismegistus received the name "Trismegistus," meaning "Thrice Great," is because, as he claims in The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, he knows the three parts of the wisdom of the whole universe. The three parts of the wisdom are alchemy, astrology, and theurgy. Marsilio Ficino's opinion was that "they called him Trismegistos because he was the greatest philosopher and the greatest priest and the greatest king." Another explanation, in the Suda (10th century), is that "He was called Trismegistos on account of his praise of the trinity, saying there is one divine nature in the trinity." This last is an example of how Hermes Trismegistus was adopted by Christianity to serve its own particular purposes.

Alchemy - The Operation of the Sun - is not simply the changing of physical lead into physical gold. It is an investigation into the spiritual constitution, or life of matter and material existence through an application of the mysteries of birth, death and resurrection. The various stages of chemical distillation and fermentation, among them, are aspects of these mysteries, that, when applied quicken Nature's processes in order to bring a natural body to perfection. This perfection is the accomplishment of the Magnum opus (Latin for Great Work).

Astrology - The Operation of the Moon - Hermes claims that Zoroaster discovered this part of the wisdom of the whole universe, astrology, and taught it to man. In Hermetic thought, it is likely that the movements of the planets have meaning beyond the laws of physics and actually holding metaphorical value as symbols in the mind of The All, or God. Astrology has influences upon the Earth, but does not dictate our actions, and wisdom is gained when we know what these influences are and how to deal with them.

Theurgy - The Operation of the Stars - There are two different types of magic, according to Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's Apology, completely opposite of one another. The first is Goetia, 'blac'k magic reliant upon an alliance with chaotic or 'evil' spirits (i.e. demons). The second is Theurgy, divine magic reliant upon an alliance with divine spirits (i.e. angels, archangels, gods - referred to by some as a form of 'white' magic). Theurgy translates to "The Science or art of Divine Works" and is the practical aspect of the Hermetic art of alchemy. Furthermore, alchemy is seen as the "key" to theurgy, the ultimate goal of which is to become united with higher counterparts, leading to the attainment of Divine Consciousness.

Hermeticism encompasses both Panentheism and Monistic-polytheism within its belief system, which teaches that there is The All, or one "Cause", of which we, and the entire universe, are all a part. Also it subscribes to the notion that other beings such as gods and angels, ascended masters and elementals exist in the Universe.

These words circulate throughout occult and magical circles, and they come from Hermetic texts. The concept was first laid out in The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, in the words "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing."

In accordance with the various levels of reality: physical, mental, and spiritual, this relates that what happens on any level happens on every other. This is however more often used in the sense of the microcosm and the macrocosm. The microcosm is oneself, and the macrocosm is the universe. The macrocosm is as the microcosm, and vice versa; within each lies the other, and through understanding one (usually the microcosm) you can understand the other.

There are mentions in Hermeticism about reincarnation. As Hermes states:

"O son, how many bodies we have to pass through, how many bands of demons, through how many series of repetitions and cycles of the stars, before we hasten to the One alone?"

Some say this refers to the various rebirths in one's spiritual nature, rather than the physical body.

Hermes explains in Book 9 of the Corpus Hermeticum that Nous brings forth both good and evil, depending on if he receives input from God or from the demons. God brings good, while the demons bring evil. Among those things brought by demons are:

"adultery, murder, violence to one's father, sacrilege, ungodliness, strangling, suicide from a cliff and all such other demonic actions."

This provides a clearcut view that Hermeticism does indeed include a sense of morality. However, the word good is used very strictly, to be restricted to use to the Supreme Good, God. It is only God (in the sense of the Supreme Good, not The All) who is completely free of evil to be considered good. Men are exempt of having the chance of being good, for they have a body, consumed in the physical nature, ignorant of the Supreme Good. Among those things which are considered extremely sinful, is the focus on the material life, said to be the only thing that offends God:

"As processions passing in the road cannot achieve anything themselves yet still obstruct others, so these men merely process through the universe, led by the pleasures of the body."

It is troublesome to oneself to have no "children". This is a symbolic description, not to mean physical, biological children, but rather creations. Immediately before this claim, it is explained that God is "the Father" because it has authored all things, it creates. Whether father or mother, one must create, do something positive in their life, as the Supreme Good is a "generative power". The curse for not having "children" is to be imprisoned to a body, neither male (active) nor female (thoughtful), leaving that person with a type of sterility, that of being unable to accomplish anything.

The tale is given in the first book of the Corpus Hermeticum by God's Nous to Hermes Trismegistus after much meditation. It begins as the ALL creates the elements after seeing the Cosmos and creating one just like it (our Cosmos) from its own constituent elements and souls. From there, the ALL, being both male (Divine Father) and female (Universal Mother), holding the Word (the logos), gave birth to a second Nous, creator of the world. This second Nous created seven powers, or deities, (often seen as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and the Moon) to travel in circles and govern destiny. The Word then leaps forth from the materializing elements, which made them unintelligent. Nous then made the governors spin, and from their matter sprang forth creatures without speech. Earth then was separated from Water and the animals (other than Man) were brought forth from the Earth.

The Supreme Nous then created Man, androgynous, in his own image and handed over his creation. Man carefully observed the creation of his brother, the lesser Nous, and received his and his Father's authority over it all. Man then rose up above the spheres' paths to better view the creation, and then showed the form of the ALL to Nature. Nature fell in love with it, and Man, seeing a similar form to his own reflecting in the water fell in love with Nature and wished to dwell in it. Immediately Man became one with Nature and became a slave to its limitations such as gender and sleep. Man thus became speechless (for it lost the Word) and became double, being mortal in body but immortal in spirit, having authority of all but subject to destiny.

The tale does not specifically contradict the theory of evolution, other than for Man, but most Hermeticists fully accept evolutionary theory as a solid grounding for the creation of everything from base matter to Man.'



The Kybalion: The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece is a book written anonymously by 'The Three Initiates' claims to describe the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, but appears to draw heavily on the philosophies of the New Thought Movement and also the Indian Yogic Tradition. It was published some time between 1908 and 1912, by The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois. Some credit the book to William Walter Atkinson, a New Thought movement writer of a number of books on Yoga and Indian mysticism. Perhaps it was a response to the publication by Aleister Crowley, the ex-Golden Dawn member, of his book 'The Book of Law' in 1904. Crowley's books described the Golden Dawn's Hermetic Magic system (contrary to the order's strict instructions for elitist secrecy) but Crowley had developed it into his Thelema religion/philosophy and combined its Theurgy (divine magic) with Tantra (sex magic), Hedonism and Goetia (demonology), and it was not a fair representation of pure Hermeticism. Perhaps this inspired Israel Regardie to publish his books in 1940 onwards on the practices and belief of the Golden Dawn.

The Kybalion tends to focus on the philosophy of Hermeticism and does not draw so much on the religious side of Hermeticism, but alludes to the fact that Hermeticism was originally a pure philosophy with no literal belief in alchemy in the physical sense (or accompanying religious system) but as a system to changing/transforming the emotions (alchemy being used as a metaphor); and that pure Hermeticism was philosophy only which was later perverted and amalgamated into various pagan religions; it was deemed to have only been passed down to those who 'deserved it' or were intellectually capable of understanding it, and as such it was kept out of the hands of the common 'swine'. This seems to be a rather New Thought interpretation of Hermeticism, taking the philosophical and religious parts that were compatible with New Thought and leaving it to the reader as to whether to pursue the religious aspects and the Theurgy (divine magic), Astrology and Alchemy.

Many Hermeticists and occults (including Gnostic Luciferians) highly rate this book as an introductory text to occult philosophy and practice, but which does not actually contain any Hermetic practices or magical instruction in it. Some such individuals do genuinely believe in literal Alchemy, or rather mind over matter (in curing disease (the power of positive thinking on the immune system or genuine thought creating matter? Or creating a virtually indestructible body (see the Left-Hand Path) - which some achieve by Qi Gong or Kung Fu practices). Some regard it as empty 'mind candy', full of promises of the secrets of the universe and compliments but with little actual content or hermetic exercises that can be applied. BlackSpy regards the Kybalion as a distillation of the essence of Hermetic philosophy into an acceptable format, but which strictly speaking, is only a small subset of the actual philosophy and religion of Hermeticism as that can be seen from the actual texts and historical facts. It tends to paint a rather rose-tinted view of Hermeticism. This is not to say that considerable benefit cannot be gained from studying the purely philosophical aspects of Hermeticism and applying them to one's atheistic or religious beliefs. Indeed, some of the content of this web site can be seen to be derived in some form from the some of philosophical principles of Hermeticism and also the New Thought movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kybalion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus

www.kybalion.org

The Kybalion can be read on line at the link below or on google.

www.kybalion.org/kybalion.asp

It can also be downloaded in pdf format here.

www.hermetics.org/pdf/kybalion.pdf

Reviews of The Kybalion can be found on amazon.

Some of the main principles outlined in the Kybalion are outlined below.

The Seven Hermetic Principles are:

1) The Principle of Mentalism

"All is mind" - relating to the universal, infinite, living mind in which we are all considered to live within.

2) The Principle of Correspondence

"As above, so below; as below, so above' - there is always a correspondence between the laws and phenomemna of the various planes of Being and Life.

3) The Principle of Vibration

"Everything is in motion; everything vibrates; nothing is at rest" - the principle that the different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind and even Spirit result largely from varying rates of Vibration. It is the recognition of the level of vibration of others around us, and the way one can raise the level of vibration of those around us and indeed our own level of vibration.

4) The Principle of Polarity

"Everything is dual; everything has two poles; everything has its pair of opposites" - Thesis and antithesis are identical in nature, but different in degree; opposites are the same, differing only in degree; the pairs of opposites must be reconciled; extremes must be reconciled; everything is and isn't, at the same time; all truths are but half-truths; every truth is half-false; there are two sides to everything, etc. As stated on the Belief page in the Psychology section, hot and cold are not opposites but just descriptions of different levels of vibration on different points on a sliding scale. 'Black' people are not the opposite of 'white' people! Dark is not the opposite of light but the relative absence of light. Go far enough 'right wing' in politics and you meet 'extreme left wing' in a form of socialist/populist totalitarianism that are virtually indistinguishable in practice (and often equally nationalistic and racist). If you go far enough north you end up south. Language often causes mental confusion and creates polarity where it does not in reality exist. The principle of polarity enables one to turn around one's mental state and recognising one state as mere a lower level of vibration to another. Like can only become like. For example, hate can be turned to love, fear can be turned to courage; they are not opposites. But fear cannot be turned into love; nor can hot be turned into dark. Such principles are important in regulating one's own emotions and achieving higher mental states and levels of vibration. One could however view 'more of' a specific quality (rather than viewing more of as a polar position) being a good thing and conducive to a higher level of vibration, and so the idea that more of is a polar position is not strictly valid. It probably depends on the specific quality in question and the context. BlackSpy believes that if all truths are half-truths, then so is Hermeticism, which is why he is only really interested in some of the philosophical aspects of Hermeticism (rather than occult practice and religion) and balances these against his other philsophical and religious beliefs. Each are only a part description of the whole. Indeed, some of these principles may be true but at the same time only a part description of reality and thus partially false. Perhaps Hermeticists are half right in this regard. Einstein's Law of Relativity held that time was a continuuum, that has always existed (after the big bang) and always will exist, but that both past and future are part of a 4th dimension of time/space...time; i.e. points on an axis, and that the past and future are already plotted and exist all at once, much like different points on a graph exist and can be seen by one outside this dimension of the paper. We are deemed to travel through this time dimension at the speed of light. However, quantum physics seems to suggest that time is not like this, not a continuum, but more granular in nature, i.e. grains of time, one grain influencing how the next grain is formed and what is contained there in and its nature. Thus there is a continuum in a sense but it is also perhaps granular and can be broken down into absolutes (locally). It is perhaps a little like arguing whether light is a particle or a wave. Both are true and both are false.

5) The Principle of Rhythm

"Everything flows, out and in; everything has tides [e.g. stock market, housing market]; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates" - mental states swing in a pendulum-like manner, and one can halt the swing of the pendulum (through Polarity) where they want it using the Mental Law of Neutralisation. To use the principle of rhythm rather than be used by it, through use of the Will.

6) The Principle of Cause and Effect

"Every cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognised; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law" - the art of rising above the normal plane of Cause and Effect, to a degree, and by rising to a higher mental plane and level of vibration, one can become a Causer instead of Effects. The majority of a population are being carried along. Hermeticists not so (apparently). Play the game of life rather than being played by it. Obey the law of causation but rule (or just not be led) on their own plane.

7) The Principle of Gender

"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes" - on the physical plane, the principle manifests itself as SEX , but on higher planes it is reputed to take higher forms. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual is deemed to be possible without this principle. Every male element has its female element, and vice versa. This principle has no reference to the many 'base, pernicious and degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and are a prostitution of the great natural principle of Gender. Such base revivals of the ancient infamous forms of Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has ever sounded the warning note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and the perversion of Nature's principles. If you seek such teachingsgs, you must go elsewhere for them - Hermeticism contains nothing for you along these lines. To the pure, all things are pure; to the base, all things are base.'

The view of the Universe is more religious/esoteric than philosophical and is described below.

Hermetic philosophy considers that the Universe can be divided into three great classes of phenomena, The Three Great Planes:

1) The Great Physical Plane

2) The Great Mental Plane

3) The Great Spiritual Plane

The Seven Minor Physical Planes are:

1-3) The Plane of Matter (A, B and C)

4) The Plane of Ethereal Substance

5-7) The Plane of Energy (A, B and C)

The Great Mental Plane comprises those form of 'living things' known to us in ordinary life:

1) The Plane of Mineral Mind

2) The Plane of Elemental Mind

3) The Plane of Planet Mind

4) The Plane of Elemental Mind

5) The Plane of Animal Mind

6) The Plane of Elemental Mind

7) The Plane of Human Mind

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General Comments on Magical Traditions:

The Golden Dawn, and in particular, the writings of Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie, have clearly been an influence on modern 'Wicca' paganism as well as both Theistic and LaVey Satanism. It has also been a major influence on modern occult magical practice, for example, black/dark magic (i.e. that practised by dark pagans and Satanists, using 'malevolent powers' often to cause 'malevolent' acts to other people), chaos magic (sometimes linked with black magic, Satanism and Gnostic Luciferianism, but not universally so) and white magic (magical ritual that is never performed to 'attack' others). White magic is sometimes associated with Wicca witchcraft. It is clear that modern occult and magical practices would not exist in the same way without the influence of the Golden Dawn and Freemasonry as a whole. Some of these schools of magic are described at the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_%28paranormal%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_magic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_magic Below is the symbol of Chaos Magic.



It should be noted that many people associate the practice of the occult and magic as being in the realm of either pagans (of varying flavours) or Theistic Satanists. As can be seen in the Section below, supposed 'atheists', i.e. LaVey Satanists also practice magic, whilst purporting not to believe in any kind of literal God or Gods. Indeed, as BlackSpy has learnt over the years, the occult and magic is practiced to significant degree by monotheists (and ditheists), or rather those that worship only God or Deity (of one or more deities recognised in their cosmology). These monotheistic Gods are not necessary 'the devil' but in many cases can actually be the a Gnostic God, Hebrew God or even Jesus, or an Ecumenical or Universal Concept of God (as in Freemasonry or Theosophy etc.). It is just that the worship of this God is accompanied with other additional rituals, such as Qabalah or Hermetic magic which may be considered to be the 'secret knowledge' from that God or to be completely out of kilter with that God, depending on which way you look at it. BlackSpy many years ago wished to embark on a career in the occult, and it was the idea of having to be a pagan that really sapped his motivation, as as much as he intellectually tried to convince himself he believed in Gods, he really didn't and couldn't give the belief system any serious credibility. That was BlackSpy's personal experience.

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