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JJ

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MYSTIC MASONRY

I
I

MYSTIC MASONRY
or

i j I

The Sjonbols

of

Freemasonry

and the
Greater Mysteries of Antiquity

abnlt. .AVtU ,i%!iO ^iUoft ,KOioV^ taUaU o

iyl-FWuitk

D.

Supplemental Harmonic
Vol. V.

Series,

First Indo-American Edition

Fifth Regular Edition

I I i

1911

INDO-AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY CHICAGO

MYSTIC MASONRY
or

The Symbols

of

Freemasonry

and the
Greater Mysteries of Antiquity

1 i

By

J. D. Buck,

M. D.

Supplemental Harmonic
Vol. V.

Series,

I
I I

First Indo- American Edition Fifth Regular Edition

1911

INDO-AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY CHICAGO

Copyright 1896, by J. D. Buck.

Copyright 1911, by J. D. Buck.

DEDICATED
TO THE

UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD
OF

HUMANITY
TO ALL

Its

Heroes, Martyrs and Sages in the Past

AND TO

Its

Servants in the Present

CONTENTS
Foreword
to the

Third Edition
-

vii

Preface to

the Second Edition

..-

xv
^^^

Introduction

Chapter
I

P^S^
of of of

Principles

Education and Ethics

41 65

II

The Genius
The Genius

Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Continued

III

80
117

IV

The

Secret Doctrine

V
VI

The

Secret Doctrine

The Secret Doctrine

Science and Religion....l47 The Septenary

of

Nature

Man

168

VII

The

Secret Doctrine

The Sign of the

207 218

Master...

VIII The Great Lodge

IX

An

Outline of Symbolism

239 256

Conclusion

--

Postscript to the Fifth Edition

269

LIST

OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Frontispiece.

The Old Wisdom-Religion.

Descent of Spirit into Matter.

Plate Plate

I.

II.

The Lost Word: The First The

First Differentiation.
Differentiation.

Trinity.

Plate

III.

Plate. IV.

The Second

Plate V.

The Third

Differentiation.

Plate VI.
Plate VII.

The Relation of Spirit to Matter.

Matter and Spirit in Equilibrium.

Plate VIII.

The Greater Tetraktys.

Plate IX. Plate X. Plate XI.

Plate XII. Plate XIII. Plate XIV.

The Stone that the Builders Rejected.

The Trinity of
Trinities.

The Proportion

of

Number

to Form.

The Masonic Apron.

The Cube and the Cross.

Symbolic Stages of Evolution.

THE OLD-

WI5DOM/<r/X^REU6tON

5-

R-

"SCIENCE = REU0I0N

^
/CHRISTIANITY

P-PHIL050PHY

g- CHURCH

MILITANT PR05ELYTI5M- 5W0R&

Frontispiece.

FOREWORD TO THE THIRD

EDITION.

The

spirit of

unrest

is

in the air.

On

the sur-

face of things today,

CommerciaUsm most

often and

most loudly claims attention. Great combinations oi capital and the massing of millions seem the
order of the day.

Within the body

is

politic organi-

zation and cooperation

being tried on a scale

never before recorded in the history of man, and

economic problems are being tested in a way that cannot help adding immensely to the combined experience of mankind.

be, only the wisest could

What the final outcome may now say, and perhaps only
essentially a stable product,
in

the foolish would venture to predict.

But human nature

and can be
heart of
equity,
relied

is

on

any event.

Deep

in the

man

lies

the principle of

justice

and

and no abuse that selfishness and greed can

devise can long have any permanency.

We may
(vii)

be far

from the

universal

reign of Brotherhood,

viii

Foreword
is

to

the Third Edition.

but there

something deep down

in the heart of
it.

man

that continually strives toward

is all

Potent as

this

commercial unrest and ecoequally

nomic

strife,

other

problems are

up for

solution.

Using the term

in its broadest sense, the

Psychic problem keeps

pace with

the

economic.

Ethics and Economics are inseparable.

The con-

duct of the individual, and the use of the resources

of life and the distribution of wealth, always in-

volve both ethics and economics; in short, constitute them.

Outside the churches and religious literature

hear

less

about religion nowadays.

Indeed,

we many

otherwise good people seem to think religion obsolete

it
;

a thing of the past

a survival

is

admitted to have survived at

where, indeed, of the dark

all

ages.

No

greater mistake could possibly be made.

The

surface problems

zations

may have changed; organimay have broken up or disappeared, but

but were never
it

the vital issues not only remain,

more

in evidence

than today.

Nor can

be other-

wise so long as the essential nature of

man remains
really
if

unchanged.

Only the imbecile or the degenerate can

ignore the religious element in his

own

nature

he

tries.

Just as inevitably as water seeks

its level.

Foreword
and ultimately
feel after that

to the

Third Edition.
to the sea, does

ix

finds

its

way

man
in-

Power

called by whatsoever name

him, at rare moments, behis soul

whose divine ray makes him Man, and whose

dwelling presence
lifts

yond sordid

self,

and beckons

toward the

higher, the larger, the better, as by the touch of

wings.

This

is

universal

experience,

equally

known

to the savage

and the

civilized,

and entirely

independent

of
all

theologies

or

ecclesiasticism.

Theologians in

ages have seized hold of this

common human

experience and formulated and enit,

deavored to guide
just as capitalists

and have often exploited

it,

have dealt with economic prob-

lems in the resources of nature and the distribution

of wealth.

This

is,

broadly speaking, the psychic problem,

the
religious

consitituting

element in

the
it

life
is

of

man.
This

It
it

was never more manifest than

that

today.

is

now

runs pari passu with commerit

cialism; and while, as already said,

less noise,
it is

may make

everywhere
in

in evidence.
life

Every problem

the

of
is,

man, and every

in the last analyall

movement
sis,

that affects society,

a psychic problem.
its

One and

they concern

the body and

environments incidentally, and the

soul essentially.

Foreword

to the

Third Edition.

The progress made

half century
find
it.

in physical science in the last

it

is

so remarkable that

is

difficult to

an adjective suitable with which

to designate

Hence

the economic problems already referred

to are necessarily to be revised.

While the psychic problems have come

prominence,

into equal

no

such

organized

results

can

be

pointed out as in economic experiments.

The

race,

as a whole, has been gathering facts and

making

The working hypothesis in psychology has seldom been suggested. At any rate, there
experiments.
is

rems.

no large or general agreement as to any theoThere seem to be no designs on the trestle-

board, and the

fusion.

workmen, the

legions, are in con-

The great majority

of people,

even among the

educated and intelligent, will make haste to deny

that this psychic theorem has ever been

known

to

man.
then'

That
lost,

it

could ever have been discovered and

concealed,
is

or

to

them preposterous;
working
It is the

yet the whole of the traditions and symbolism of

Masonry

cluster

around

this theorem, this

life

hypothesis in the psychical

of man.

one thing needed to bring order out of confusion

in the psychic

problems that interest so many at

the present time.

Foreword
This
Great
to

to

the Third Edition.

xi

Secret,

this

Master's

Word,

was

known
tiquity,

and preserved
is

in

the Mysteries of

An-

and

embodied and preserved

in the tradi-

tions

and symbols of Masonry today.

This fact has

little

been stated repeatedly in the body of this

book, the real purpose of which

was

to set students,

and particularly masonic students,

the real secret.
votion,
It is the

to

searching for

reward of study and de-

and has never been obtained on any other

It

terms.
tic

has never been conferred in the

ritualis-

degrees of the Lodge, and' never will or can

It is

be.

the establishment of understanding in the

that higher self in him, and
self

soul of

man between

the More, and the

his
is

Beyond

from which he draws

life,

and from which his intuitions spring. This

Initiation:
is

real

Becoming: At-one-ment.
both gratified and encouraged
al

The author

the reception accorded and the interest manifested

in this little book,

and the commendations received

from many quarters.

That

it

could become, in any

broad sense, popular, he never for a moment imagined.

It
is

too serious and void of sensational-

ism for
sand,
it

that.

In entering

now on

its

third thou-

has already exceeded any expectation of

the author,

who

will be
it

profoundly gratified
little,

if

he

may

aid.

though

be but a

in increasing the

xii

Foreword

to the

Third Edition.

respect entertained by the

the

community
and

at large for
his

Order

of

Freemasonry,

encourage

brother Masons in seeking

I

More

Light.

beheve that nowhere amongst men today can

there be found so near an approach to an Ideal

Brotherhood of
Perfect
is
it is

Man

as

in

the
till

Masonic Lodges.

not,

and cannot be

human
it

evolution

completed.

Among
one

the hundreds of

thousands

of

Masons today
charity

in the

United States

would be

difficult to find

who

does not strive his best to

particularly

exercise

and

loving-kindness,

toward
sands

his brothers in the Lodge.

There are thourealize

of

Masons,

moreover,
implies

who
far

that

Masonry contains and

There

more than

ap-

pears in the ritual and ceremonies of the Lodge.

is

a very widespread and growing interest

in this direction,

and
is

it

is

this

that

Mystic Ma-

sonry, above
age,

all else,

designed to foster, encour-

and

help.

Indeed, the growth of this feeling

is

in the past decade

remarkable, and the present

to

writer has
result.
It is

not a

shadow of a doubt as

the

the ethical precepts inculcated in the

craft,

Lodge
all

and so largely practiced by the

else,

more than

that open the higher intuitions of man,

and

so enable

him

to grasp

and

finally

comprehend the

Foreword
higher

to the

Third Edition.
in

xiii

problems concealed

the profound symis

bolism of Masonry.

Modern Masonry

thus fast

becoming,

like

its

ancient prototype, a School of

the Mysteries;

the real Mystery being the origin

soul,

and nature of the human

and the transcendent

and immortal destiny of Man.

The Masonic organization

spread, so strong;
its

is

so large, so wide-

spirit so fraternal; its teachit

ing so helpful and inspiring, that

to achieve the

seems destined

most glorious

results in the encourrace.

agement and uplifting of the whole human

The hard and

and dogma have

fast lines that

have heretofore seg-

regated mankind are rapidly disappearing.

Creed

lost their hold since the State

no

longer protects them, and the anathemas of ecclesiastics are

all

no longer feared.

Men and women

of

classes are

coming
of

into closer touch with the

avowed purpose
they

understanding, in order
other.
It
is
is

that

may
The

help each

more and more

the welfare of

recognized that the good of one

all.

"sin of separateness"

is

thus slowly being

the religious, the

undermined.

Hence the

ethical,

economic, and the political problems are seen to be

practically inseparable,

and

all

definitely related in

the one problem of the higher evolution of man.

This recognized unity of knowledge and community

xiv

Foreword
is

to the

Third Edition.

'

of interests

the prelude to the Universal Brotheris

hood of man that

the ideal state and the

dream

of every true philanthropist throughout the ages.

Masonry stands

for just this,

and

all

this,

just as

for ages the Great

Mysteries clearly defined and

promulgated the philosophy which makes such an

ideal state, such a Great Republic of Nations

and

peoples possible.

It

must be founded on a know^l-

edge of man's entire nature, and cemented by lovingkindness toward each and
all,

then only can

it

exist

and endure.

To promote
pose of this
of

this

glorious result

is

the sole pur-

little

book.
it

This

is

indeed the

Work
work

the

Lodge, as

should
till

be of

every Frater
it

throughout the world,

of every individual.

in the

end

is

the

Cincinnati^ January,

1903.

Preface

to the

Second Edition.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

book should

That a second edition of

this

little

issue be called for within six weeks of the date of the in inquiry the to answer best the is, perhaps,

mind of

its

serious a view of

author as to what kind of a reception so modern Freemasonry, and so high

is

an estimate of Ancient Mysteries as

forth,

herein set
at-

might receive.

It

has not only attracted

tention and excited inquiry, but met the unqualified approval of certain high Masons. Sir Albert Pike's
greatest
craft,

work, restricted to the members of

but

the

obtained
If
list

one

hundred

and

fifty

sub-

scribers.

Mystic Masonry quadrupled this subbefore the date of

publication,

scription

the

reason

is

to

be sought, not in the superior quality

of the book, but in the

more popular form

in

which

the subject

is

handled, in the removal of

still

all restric-

tions as to subscribers, and

more, from the fact

rethat a widespread interest has of late arisen in gard to these subjects; offering, as the author believes,

the grandest opportunity presented

to

real

xvi

Preface
for

to the

Second Edition.
years, for pre-

Masonry
senting

more than a thousand

its

sublime philosophy to the world for the

upHfting of humanity.

Mystic Masonry
compilation.
It

is,

to

a considerable extent, a
the

was not

author's

purpose to

become an innovator, but

rather, in a

modest way,
purpose he

an inspirer and renovator, and for

this

but repeated statements that had already been

made

by those high in Masonic authority, statements that

had been overlooked or forgotten, and that needed

to be

remembered.

In his preface to Morals and

declares that about one-half of

Dogma, Mr. Pike

that

work

is

original matter, and half taken from

various sources, and that as he was writing neither

for

fame nor money, but

for the benefit of the craft,

the source of what he had set

down was
often

a matter of

secondary importance.
than quoted, in
authorities.

He
places,

adapted, rather

many

and very seldom gave

He

wrote those things which he evi-

dently believed his Masonic Brotherhood ought to

know, and as he had divested

his

mind

of

all selfish

motive or hope of gain, so must he be exempt from

the charge of plagiarism.

He drew

very largely, in

many
better

places,

from the writings of Abbe Constant,

as Eliphas Levi,

known

whose writings then

existed only in the French language, and which un-

Preface

to the

Second Edition.

xvii

of doubtedly contain the most profound knowledge given the Occult Sciences and the Ancient Mysteries
to the

world since the days of the Old

Initiates.

As

the present author has observed, in the body of this

book,

it

matters far

less

whence these truths have

been derived than what they really mean, although no reader is bound to accept the interpretation put

upon them

by any writer or commentator.

Yet

every intelligent inquirer

may

discern their general

reasonableness, the logical sequence of the whole as

revealing a profound philosophy of Nature and of

Life,
if

and the beneficent influence they must exert

diffused

universally

and

generally

adopted

amongst men.
Liberty and Equality based on Fraternity may have degenerated into a slogan of blood in the days
of the French Revolution, yet in

more peaceful times

as the ideal

must such
state,

Fraternity be interpreted

and made to promote the Universal and UnBrotherhood of Man.

qualified

INTRODUCTION.
The object of
of Antiquity.
title

the author of this book

is

to

show

the relation between Freemasonry and the Mysteries

This much, at

least, is
is

implied by the

of the book.

That there

both a historical

and philosophical thread uniting these departments

of

human thought and

action

is

well

known

to

every intelligent student of Masonry, no less than to

all

students of Symbolism and Mysticism.

One

trav-

eler, in the

wilds of South America, records the fact

that he

found there an ancient roadbed running

miles.

over mountain an(J valley for hundreds of

By whom

this ancient structure

It
is

was

built

is

a mat-

ter of conjecture.

now broken by

time, with

great gaps here and there, and forest trees obliterating

its

pathway, but

14;

everywhere shows the de-

signing hand of man.

In like manner

when we unwe must

(xix)

dertake to follow the landmarks than connect the

ancient

wisdom with modern

times,

not

XX

Introduction.

look for uninterrupted threads, yet nevertheless will

the careful student find the lines of transmission un-

mistakable,

and the interruptions no bar

to

the

proof of transmission from age to age.

Masonry

deals largely with the ethics

and symwriter be-

bolism of the Ancient Mysteries.

lieves that

The

through the well-timed efforts of Masons

today the grandest achievements in knowledge ever

gained by man, which were originally concealed in

the Greater Mysteries of Antiquity, and in time be-

came
been

lost to the

world,

may

be again recovered.

In

the strictest sense this knowledge has never really

lost,

as there have always existed those

Secret.
it

who
orig-

were possessed of the Great

and written

It

was

inally veiled in order to conceal

from the pro-

fane,

in a universal

language of Sym-

bolism that the wise

out
all

among
it,

all

nations and through-

time might read

It

as it^were, in their

own
alle-

language.
gory, so

was

also written in parable

and

that the

unlettered and
its

common

people

might not be deprived of

its

wise precepts, and of

ignois

force

in

shaping character, dissipating

rance, and inspiring hope.

This Ancient

Wisdom
its

the fountain from which

Masonry takes
in

rise.

The
lost;

true

Science of

Symbolism

time

became

the Temples of Initiation

fell

into decay, or

Introduction.

J'xi

were destroyed by priests and potentates, jealous of

their

influence.

have been trying to recover the

store the ancient

For many weary centuries men lost key and to rethe parables and alle-

wisdom from
it

gories

in

which

had

been
is

concealed.

But

progress in this inverse order

not only necessarily

slow and uncertain, but

or
less,

all

such attempts have, more

given rise to fantastic flights of the imaginain confusion, rather than in enresult has

tion,

and resulted

lightenment.
subject

The

been to bring the whole

to

under contempt, and

make

the

name
its

"mysticism" mean something vague and uncertain,

if

not altogether foolish, to those ignorant of

true meaning.

"Remember," says Bro. Albert Pike, "that

lessons and ceremonies of these degrees

the

(those of

the

Blue-Lodge)

have been for ages more and

themselves,

more accommodating

by

curtailment

and sinking into common-place, to the often limited memory and capacity of the Master and Instructor,
and to the
Initiate;
intellect

and needs of the Pupil and

that they have

come

to us

from an age

when symbols were used, not to reveal but to conwhen the commonest learning was confined ceal
:

to a select few,
ity

and the simplest principles of moralseemed newly discovered truths: and that these

xxii

Introduction.

antique and

simple degrees

now
many

stand

like

the
in

broken columns of a

roofless,
:

Druidic temple

their mutilated greatness

in

parts also cor-

rupted by time, and disfigured by modern additions

and absurd interpretations."

p.
1

Morals and Dogma,

06.

Here, then, are two causes that have operated

render the old wisdom
difficult

to

of

recovery,

viz.,

concealment, and ignorant alteration or misinterpretation.

To

these must be added a third source of

obliteration, viz., the direct efforts of interested parties

to utterly destroy all records.

"Let one only

think of

the thousands, and

perhaps millions, of

MSS.

burnt; of monuments with their too indiscreet

inscriptions and pictorial symbols pulverized to dust

of the bands of early hermits and ascetics roaming

about

among

the ruined cities of

Upper and Lower

Egypt, in desert and mountain, valley and highlands, seeking for

lisk

and ready

to destroy every obe-

and

pillar,

scroll or
if
it

parchment they could lay

their

hands upon,

only bore the symbol of the

tau or any other sign borrowed and appropriated by the

is

new

faith:

and

he will then see plainly

how

it

that so

little

has remained of the records of the

p.
xl.,

Past."

Secret Doctrine,
intelligent

vol. I.
is

Every

and unbiased Mason

more

or

Introduction.

xxiii

less

aware of these

facts,

and of the great

difficulty

attending
to

all efforts to

recover the Lost Word, and

rebuild the

City and Temple of the

Lord,

glyph that
this

has

many meanings.
to aid all that

The

author of

book desires

he can

in this noble

and glorious undertaking.

In the effort to bring about such a result
it

is

not

contemplated that any innovations whatever should

be introduced into Masonry as
the

now
is

organized.

If

sublime philosophy which

shall

the heritage

of

Masonry
dered

become universally diffused and renapprehension by

all

capable of

intelligent

among Masons, but everywhere, its beneficent influence may thus become universal among men. In this way may be hastened the rise
persons, not only
of that Great "Republic of

which every Nation

is

a family, and every individual a child."

It will

be very naturally questioned whether any

the

thing

can be definitely ascertained regarding

Greater Mysteries of Antiquity, inasmuch as they

were always concealed, never revealed

fane,

to the pro-

never published to the world, and only reIt

corded in glyph, parable and allegory.

ready been shown that
real secret
all

has

al-

attempts to discover the

by running backward from parable and

allegory have resulted in confusion and discourage-

xxiv

Introduction.

ment.

The

interpretations resulting

have been as

fantastic

and varied

as the genius of each investi-

gator; had any of these been possessed of a universal key to symbolism, or a complete philosophy

of the Secret Doctrine, the result might have been

very different.

The

solution of this question

is

not

only greatly simplified,

when

investigation

is

guided
in-

by such a philosophy, or a complete key, but the

vestigator has the positive assurance at every step

that he
is

on firm ground.

But a

far

more important consideration remains

is

to

be noted.
to

There

a tradition in the far East,

and

be often traced more or less vaguely in the West,

that the Great

Lodge of the Magi, the Adepts, the

knov^n and
designated also by

Perfect

Masters,

many
this

other names, has never ceased to exist; that

often,

Lodge has

though secret and unknown,

shaped the course of Empire and controlled the fate

of Nations.
sistance,

Knowing always

the line of least react,

and when and how to

view only one object,

and having

al-

ways

in

viz.,

the Progress of

Humanity and
fame and

the Brotherhood of

Man;

despising

worldly honors, and working "without

they have concealed

the hope of fee or reward,"

their labors,

and either influenced those who knew

Introduction.

xxv

them not

to

do their work, or worked through

agents pledged to conceal their very existence.

To

the public generally, this

may

be a matter of

the little interest or importance, as the character of

work done must be

work
is

the sole criterion by which that

to be measured.

But

to

Masons

it

should
a

be of interest, as showing what

it is

to be indeed

Master Builder.

It will reveal to

them the meaning

being

and goal of human evolution, and give them the

unqualified assurance that that evolution
is

now aided by those who know, as it has not been for many centuries. Such work has now become possible,

because of a cycle of liberality and enlighten-

ment,
ficed

when
to the

the workers are not likely to be sacri-

Moloch

of

bigotry and
exist,

superstition.

Granting that such Masters

and that they are

possessed of profound knowledge, that they are ready

to help the world, the world

must be ready and

willit,

ing to receive such help,

instead of destroying
its

if it is

to be benefited by

agents.

Guided, then, by a

complete philosophy; armed with a key to symbolism,

and aided by these Grand Masters, the Lost

Mysteries of Antiquity
to
tell

may

be restored and

made
the

their hoary

secrets

for the benefit of

coming

age.

The

object of this book

is

to give

an outline of

xxvi

Introduction.

such work;

it

is

introductory, and, to

some

extent,

explanatory, but by no means exhaustive.

It is

not
sin-

based upon any authority beyond the author's

cere convictions and capacity to apprehend the subject.

fill

The Mason who

if

is

ready to dig deeper and

is

in the outline here furnished

recommended
so,

to

read carefully,

he has not already done

Albert

Pike's great book. Morals and

Dogma.
is

The

historical

method of research

not followed

in the compilation or writing of this book, although

historical facts are herein recorded.

It is of far less

importance to determine whence Masonry has been derived, than what it really teaches. In answering
this question,
it

thor has put his

may be justly charged that the own interpretation forward,

au-

not

against facts or history, but in the face of what

be regarded as insufficient historical proof.

a charge he would reply,
cated history of
first,

may To such

that

no well-authentito exist; there

Masonry
facts, or

is

known

being only isolated

fragments, recording the

existence of certain organizations or

different times,

movements

at

and their disappearance on account

of inward dissension or outward persecution.

Then

another movement would spring up, at another time

and place, and perhaps under a different name, lines. though evidently working on the same general

Introduction.

xxvii

only to meet with a similar

fate.

One

writer makes

the statement that fully eight hundred different de-

grees have thus, from time to time, been introduced

to the Craft as Masonic.

In no case does there exist

these

any

reliable

consecutive history of

various
it

movements.

But even
little

if

such history existed,

would but

serve the purpose of the present

work, as will be readily seen from what has heretofore been said regarding
all

these attempts to dis-

cover the Lost Word, by reading backward from the

outer form of Symbolism.

Such a history would be

proneness to regard

curious and interesting, as showing the fertility of

the

human
it

imagination, and

its

as valuable that

which

is

curious and fantastic, becuriosity

cause

is

concealed.

Mere vulgar

and

secrecy alone have never yet been the pass-words to

the

Adytum

of real Initiation.
it

On

the other hand,

such a history, did

really exist,

would be tinged

with a touch of pathos, on account of the

many

sor-

rowful disappointments

it

would have

to record, in

the case of earnest souls seeking, with sincerity and

in truth, for the

"Lost

Word

of the Master," only to

be overwhelmed at last by disappointment, or to be

publicly executed
as

malefactors

and enemies of

State or Church.
serve, in

Such

histories as exist well de-

many

cases, the designation of "organized

xxviii

Introduction.

fiction,"

and almost

invariably record

merely the

opinions of those
to

who were

friendly or unfriendly

such movements, with a corresponding dearth of

facts.

For these reasons, no

is

specially historical character

attempted to be given to this work.

is

One

of the

strong points urged by the writer

ferences
exist,

the logical in-

drawn from such

facts

as are

known

to

and the general

spirit

everywhere admitted

as pervading the Ancient Mysteries in their original purity.

That such organizations should

exist

through
at
first

all

time and yet be without a history seems

a strange paradox.

The enemies

of

Ma-

sonry will urge this fact as a reason for rejecting

all

that

is

herein contained, ignorant of the fact

that few histories of any people or any epoch are

better founded.

Foremost among these detractors

or deniers will be found the bigoted sectarian and

the

modern

materialist.

With each
is

of

these

the

real genius of

Masonry

in perpetual conflict.

For

the of

first,

the universal and unqualified Brotherhood

is

Man,

a dead letter, for he believes that only

himself and his chosen associates can be saved. For

the second, the materialist, the recognition of the

Divine Architect of the Universe, in Masonry, as

the "Principle of Principles," and belief in the im-

Introduction.

xxix

mortality of the Soul, will prove an equal stumbling

block.

Fortunately, the

number

of

bigoted
is

sectarians

and the out-and-out materialists

is

few.

The

historical deficiency referred to

by no means

without a parallel.
Christianity has,
of
it

That superstructure known as

is

true,

many

historical phases

dogmas the most contradictory;

ot doctrines pro-

mulgated in one age, and enforced with vice-regal

authority,
belief,

and severe penalties for denial and

dis-

only to be denied and repudiated as "damn-

able heresy" in another age.

In the meantime, the

origin of these doctrines and the personality of the

Alan of Sorrows around which these traditions cluster receive

tory.

no adequate support from authentic

then, shall

his-

What,

we conclude regarding
?

the

real genius of Christianity

Is

it

all

a fable, put

forth and kept alive by designing men, to support

their pretensions to authority
?

Are

historical facts
to

and

personal

biography alone entitled

principles.

credit?

While everlasting
no account?

Divine

Beneficence,

and the laying down of one's

Is that

life

for another are of

which has inspired the hope

the down-trodden and

and brightened the

lives of

despairing for ages a mere fancy, a designing lie?

Tear every shred of history from the

Christ today, and prove beyond
all

life

of

the

controversy that

XXX

Introduction.

he never existed, and Humanity, from

hearts,

its

heart-ofjus-

would create him again tomorrow and

by every intuition of the
life

tify the creation

human

soul

and by every need of the daily

historical

of man.

The

contention might be given up, ignored,

and the whole character, genius, and mission of

Jesus, the Christ, be none the less leal, beneficent,

and

eternal,

with

all
it

of
as

its

human and dramatic

will,
it

episodes.

Explain
;

you

can never be
;

explained away

the character remains

it

and whether

Historical or Ideal,

is

real

and

eternal.

This digression serves

interpretation.

to illustrate a principle of

The Traditions and Symbols

their real value

of
his-

Masonry do not derive

torical

from

data,

but

from the universal and

cyclic revolutions

eternal

truths

which they embody. Were they

its

historical epi-

sodes only, the world in

would
and

long ago have swept by them and buried them in

eternal oblivion.
lost in
rise,

These great

truths, obscured

one age by misinterpretation or persecution,

rejuvenated in the next.

Phoenix-like,

They

are Immortal
death.

Ideals,

knowing

neither decay nor

in

They are

like a

Divine Image concealed

a block of stone
artists

(the rough ashler),

which many
square
a

assail

with

mallet

and

chisel,

and

compass, only, perchance, to

release

distorted

Introduction.

xxxi

idol.

Only the Perfect Master can so chip away the

all its
it

stone as to reveal in

grandeur and beauty the

with the breath of
life.

Divine Ideal, and endow

Such

is

the building of character.

is,

The
more

fable

of

Pygmalion and Galatea

history.
facts,

after

all,

real than

The thread

of history

is

not in isolated

joined by conjecture, and warped to the ig-

norant, bigoted, and time-serving opinions of men.

The

real thread

is

to be sought in the
;

theme that
in the lofty

runs through the symphony of creation

Ideals that inspire the
life

of man, and that lead

him

from the clod and the lowlands, where hover the

ghosts of superstition and fear, to the mountains of
light,

where dwell forever inspiration and peace.

ideals are the Christ,

Such

Hiram, and the Perfect

Master.
It is

doubtful whether any portion of the present

organization of

Masonry, as such, can be traced

further back than the middle of the 17th century.

The

great

Masonic revolution of

1717,

and the

Constitutions of 1723 and 1738, seem to have brought

into existence the present organizations
;

which, by

no means

uniform

throughout
in

the

world, have,

nevertheless, very

much

common.

There were

indeed earlier organizations, often

suspected,

unknown and unnames,

and

operating

under different

xxxii

Introduction.

while using the same glyphs and symboHsm; but

no direct
exist

connection has

been clearly shown to

between these organizations and those of the

present time.
rather

But as our pursuit

is

philosophical

than historical, and

our appeal

rather

to

reason than to authority,

matters
further than

we need not go may be necessary

is

into these as

land-

marks

in following

our philosophical thread.

A
to

distinctively Christian character

now

given

some of

the Masonic degrees

slightest
it

in

Europe and

America.

Without the

opposition to the

Christian religion, as such,

that a sectarian bias of

can readily be shown

is

any kind

an innovation,

wholly unwarranted, and entirely contrary to the

genius of Masonry.
ciple

Masonry, on the broad prin-

of

toleration

and

brotherhood, can exclude

neither
its

Jew nor
fold.

Gentile, Parsee nor Buddhist

from

ample

Masonry

is

chiefly indebted to the

French Jesuits for the

acter of

distinctively Christian char-

some of

its

degrees.

The templar degrees

are purely sectarian, and can in no sense claim that

universal character which recognizes the fraternity
of
all religions,

and

finds fellowship

with

all

men, as
genuine
will

brothers of

one

common

humanity.
spirit

No

Mason, imbued with the

treat

of

liberality,

any religion with derision or contempt, or ex-

Introduction.

xxxiu

elude from membership any Brother

who beUeves

in

the existence of God, the Brotherhood of

Man, and
spirit

the ImmortaHty of the Soul.

is

This Catholic

the very foundation of Masonry, and any deit

parture from
the ancient

is

un-Masonic, and subversive of

of Masonry.
If

Landmarks and Genius

the Catholic Priests have the right to Christianize

Masonry, so have Jews, Buddhists, or

dans, an equal right to transform
it

to

fit

Mohammetheir own
While
is

creeds; and such transformation in every case deprives

it

Masonry

of

its

universal character.

cannot
to

benefit

the
it

creed to which Masonry

will,

made
sonry

conform,

in the end, destroy

Maheld

itself.

True

Masonry

has,

for

ages,

aloft the torch-light of Toleration,

ternity.

Equity and Frabe,

The bigoted
faith,

sectarian,

whoever he may

divides the world into two classes: those who, with

zeal

and blind
not.

accept his dogmas, and those

who do
ond

The

first

he

calls "brothers," the sec-

class

he regards as

aliens,

if

not enemies.

Masonry, while adopting no religion and no form

of doctrine or creed, as such, or as formulated by
religion, recognizes certain basic principles

any one

embodying the

ethics taught in all religions.

Every
and
to

Mason may formulate

his creed to suit himself,

may

institute such

forms of worship as

may seem

xxxiv

Introduction.

him

desirable

or

beneficent.

Now,

that

the old

creeds are everywhere losing their hold and falling

in pieces,
it is

more than ever necessary

to

show

that

none of these have ever been a legitimate part of Masonry; that while Masonry antagonizes none, it
can adopt none as Masonic.
is

This impartial

spirit

the basis of that impartial justice illustrated in

more than one Masonic degree. "The distinction between the

esoteric

and

ex-

oteric doctrines (a distinction purely

Masonic) was

always and from the very earliest times preserved

among
ander

the Greeks.
. .

It
.

remounted

to the

fabulous

time of Orpheus.

And

after the time of Alex-

they resorted for instruction, dogmas,

all

and

mysteries, to

the schools; to those of

Egypt and
Sicily,

Asia, as well as those of ancient Thrace,

Etruria, and Attica."

The

real source

from whence the Ancient Wis-

dom came was

Persia and old India, the Mother of

Civilizations and Religions, and of the esoteric or

concealed wisdom.
In this book
it

is

not attempted to explain

all

of

the symbols of Freemasonry, or to completely unfold the philosophy of the Secret Doctrine.

Such

an undertaking would transcend both the time and

ability of the author.

The aim

is

rather to

show

Introduction.

xxxv

few points of contact,

to outline

methods of

inter-

pretation, to convince the unbiased reader that in

the ancient mysteries

lies

a mine of

wisdom

far be-

yond

all

modern achievement, and

to invite the co-

operation of
Truths.

Masons

in

upholding these Ancient

To

recover the Lost

Word

is

to revive the

Ancient Wisdom, and

Fraternity

this will facilitate

Universal
all

and Universal Progress

more than

other agencies

now

in our possession.

In

its

ritualism and monitorial lessons

Masonry
or

teaches nothing in morals, in science, in religion, or

in

any other department of

interest,

human knowledge
past.

human

not taught 'elsewhere in current

forms of thought, or by the sages of the

these directions
it

In
It is

has no secrets of any kind.

in the ancient symbols of

Freemasonry that

its

real

secrets
to the

lie

concealed, and these are as densely veiled

as to

Mason

any other, unless he has studied

the science of symbolism in general, and masonic

symbols in particular.

In place of the term Mystic

Masonry, the term Symbolic Masonry might have

been used alone, but just here
a profound
lies

the whole secret,

to

mystery, and

few Masons up
This

the

present time have had the interest or the patience

necessary to such investigation.

is

a fact, and
If

not intended as either a criticism or a reproach.

xxxvi

Introduction.

lacking a knowledge of the profound meaning of

masonic symbolism, and

its

transcendent interest

and importance, Masons have allowed the whole organization not only to
degenerate, that
is

fail in all real

progress, but to

indeed a reproach.

The number

of individuals admitted to fellowship in the various

degrees can not atone for such degeneracy, but on

the contrary
this
it

rather emphasizes

it.

The author

of

book

is

perfectly well

aware that such a

treatise

will not be

popular with a certain class of Masons.

it

They
and

are almost certain to regard

to

with contempt

undertake to frown
is

it

down.

They

will

make

the statement, which

perfectly true, that

no

such meaning has before been explained to them,

and that no such philosophy

torial

is

found

in the

moni-

instructions of the Lodge.

The author can

The most
in the

not, therefore, be justly

accused of revealing any of

the

secrets

of

the

Lodge unlawfully.

profound secrets of Masonry are not revealed

Lodge
again,

at
if

all.

They belong only

fact, will

to the few.

This

admitted as a

seem an

injustice.

But these secrets must be sought by the individual

himself, and the candidate
is

debarred from possessinattention to the hints

ing them solely by his

own

everywhere given in the

his

ritual of the
If

Lodge, or by
he prefers to

indifference to the subject.

Introduction.

xxxvii

treat the

that any such real knowledge exists,

whole subject with contempt, and to deny it becomes evi-

dent that he not only closes the door against the

possibility of

himself

possessing such knowledge,

but he also becomes impervious to any evidence of

its

existence that might

come

to

him
if

at

any time.
is

He

has no one but himself to blame

he

left in

darkness.

On
more

the other hand, there

is

a large and increasing

really desire

number

of persons

among Masons who

are satisfied

light;

who

that there

must be

other and

profounder meanings behind

the ritual

and ceremonies of the Lodge.

Some

of these have

taken the hint and "Journeyed Eastward" in search

of Light.

The

play

made upon

the

word

"light,"

in

the

Royal Arch, and

in almost every other degree; the

three greater lights, and the three lesser, ought to teach every intelligent

Mason

that Light, and the

trinity, or triangle of lights,

have a profound meanritual is a

ing, or else that the

whole
all

meaningless

farce.

Aside from

interest that

any individual

Mason may
enment,
it

find in the subject for his

is

own

enlight-

obviously his duty, while preserving

unaltered the usages and landmarks of the Order,

to

advance the interests and fame of Masonry

itself

xxxviii

Introduction.

by every just and benevolent means in his power.

The names
Lodge and
those

that are honored in the traditions of the

in the history of the

Order, belong to

who have
all

thus achieved enduring fame, and

they are held aloft in the ritual of the Lodge as

worthy of

emulation.

But

shall

neither the
roll of

present nor the future add anything to this

honor?

or, if

need

be, to the list of

martyrs?

Are

the days of noble deeds past with

Masonry forever?

and the need of

self-sacrifice

and devotion altogether

a thing of the past?

There was never greater need

;

than at the present time

nity as

never so great an opportuto

now

for

Masonry

assume

its

true place

among
tion

the institutions of

man and

to force recogni-

by the simple power of Brotherly Love, Relief,

and Truth, based upon philosophy such as nowhere

else exists

outside of

its

ancient symbols.

If the
signili-

majority of Masons do not realize the true

cance and value of their possessions, there

is all

the

more need

for those

who do

to speak out, even in

the face of discouragement and detraction, and do

their utmost to demonstrate the truth.
telligent

Does any

in-

Mason imagine

that the guilds of practical

Masons of a century and a half ago originated the

Order of Freemasons?
tects

There were indeed Archi-

and Master Builders among them, but the

Introduction.

xxxix

great majority of
as

Masons were
than

far

more ignorant,
of

manual

servants,

the majority
is

such

builders are today.

Freemasonry

modeled on the

plan of

the Ancient Mysteries, with their glyphs

and

allegories,

and

this is

no mere comcidence; the

Bro. Pike came to

parallels are too closely

drawn.

the conclusion, after long

and patient investigation,

in

that certain

Hermetic Philosophers had a hand

the construction of the organization of Free

and Acsymbolfar

cepted Masons, and

if

they embodied in

its

ism more

than appears on

the surface, and

deeper truths
discerns,
it

than the superficial

student readily
that future gen-

was evidently designed

erations should discern and

secrets.

use these

profounder

The evidence
but

in this direction is not only

conclusive

overwhelming, though

only

frag-

ments of
In
lie

it

can be here adduced.

real secrets of

brief, then, the

Freemasonry

in its

Symbols, and the meaning of the symbols

a

reveals

profound

philosophy, and

a universal

science, that

have never been transcended by man.

of this book
is

The author
to

not presumptive enough

claim that he has exhausted, or altogether appreits

hended, in

entirety,

this

old

philosophy.

He
and

has, however, found such interest in its study,

it

has opened to him such a mine of wealth, with

xl

Introduction.

such treasures revealed at every step, that he desires

to share these precious jewels

with his fellow craftsfurther,

men, that they may also go

and from the

secret vaults bring forth for inspection other

and

greater discoveries.

These jewels have not been

concealed by accident, but by design, in order that

they might, in some future age, be restored.
the stone that

Even

was

rejected,

and became

lost in the

rubbish, not only bears an emblem, and contains a

mark, but

is

itself,

from

first to

last,

with

its

sur-

roundings, method of restoration, and final use, a

symbol.

It

is

the

center

of

a five-pointed

star,

which
tion, it

is

the kabalistic sign of man.

In one direc-

symbolizes the five senses, lost in the rubbish

of passion and selfish gratification. jected or lost stone

is

When

this re-

recovered, and sent to the

is

King of
the

the temple

(man's Higher-Self), and

is

recognized and restored, the arch

complete, and
to

gateway of the senses gives entrance

the King."

the
il-

"Palace of
lumination.

The

result

is

light or

Such are the Illuminati.

of this book has been altogether a laIt is

The writing
bor of love.
to the

designed to be no

less a tribute

Heroes and Martyrs of Masonry

in the Past,

than an humble offering to the Fraternity of the

Present.
J.
9,

D. B.

Cincinnati, November

1896.

MYSTIC MASONRY.
CHAPTER
I.

PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION AND ETHICS.

"And this to fill us with regard for man With apprehension of his passing worth,
Desire to work his proper nature out,

And
For

ascertain his rank and final place.

tlhese

things tend
of life;

still
is

upward, progress

is

The Law Nor

man

not

Man

as yet.

shall I

deem

his object served, his end

Attained, his genuine strength put fairly forth,

While only here and there a star

dispels

The darkness; here and there a towering mind

O'erlooks its prostrate fellows;
Is

when the host

out at once to the despair of night;

all

When

mankind

alike

is

perfected.
till

Equal in full-blown powers, then, not

I say, begins

then,

men's general infancy."

Bbowning's
for

Paracelsus.

So long
volves, as

as
it

the struggle

bare existence in-

does today, the greater part of the en-

(40

42

Mystic Masonry,

ergy,^time, and opportunities of man, he will never

discover the real meaning of manhood, or the pur-

pose of

human

existence.

Even

this

much may
is

be

discerned from physical evolution alone; from the

study of the

human

brain, in

which there

a con-

tinually increasing portion of gray substance set free

from the functions incident

to the preservation of

the physical structure, and evidently designed to be

appropriated to separate and higher uses.

tellectual activities alone, connected
ical plane,
life,

Mere

in-

with the phys-

with the maintenance and enjoyment of

will not explain the philosophy of cerebral deIt

is

velopment.
ofifices

largely for

this reason that the

little

of the encephalon are so

known

today.

There are latent powers and almost infinite capabilities in man, the meaning of which he has hardly yet

dreamed of possessing.

Nor

will leisure

and

intelIt
is

lectual cultivation alone reveal these powers.

only through a complete philosophy of the entire

nature of

man and man

the capacities and destiny of the

human

soul,

supplemented by the use of such knowlwill eventually

edge, that

come

into the posthis

session of his birthright;

and from

"general

infancy" as Browning puts it begin the journey

from
real

manhood

to perfection.

Two

conditions at the present time stand squarely

Principles of Education and Ethics.

43

in the

way

of such achievements

first,

anarchy and
all

confusion, the resuh of selfishness in

lations.
v^^ay,

social re-

This condition can be overcome in but one

by the
recognition of
the
unqualified

viz.,

Brotherhood of Man; not as a theory, a religious

duty, or a
in

mere matter

of sentiment; but as a fact

Nature; a universal and Divine Law; the penalty

for the violation of

which

is

precisely the conditions

suffers. rise

under which humanity

now

The second
social temple
is

condition,

which has given

to

"Confusion among the

Workmen"

in building the

and the individual habitation of man,

;

false ideals

inefficient

methods of education

and

almost total ignorance of the existence and the nature of the soul.

The
fact,

result of this ignorance

may
in a

be seen in the
million

that

not one individual

who
or

has both leisure and opportunity, makes

in the evolution of the

any

real
;

advancement
is

higher
is

powers

even cognizant of the fact that he

a LIVING SOUL.
firmities,

Old age

is

filled,

not only with in-

but with miseries without number.

Not

one in a million can say with the poet:

"Tis the sunset
of
life,

gives

me

mystical lore;

As coming events

east their

shadows before."

In the great majority of cases with the aged, death

44
is

Mystic Masonry.

looked upon with uncertainty or fear, or as a

Life
is

blessed release from suffering and sorrow.

thus endured as a necessary

evil,

and

is

more often

voted by the individual to be a failure than a success.

What

life

ought

to be

is
it

often conceived
is

from our many

failures;

what

might be

dimly

perceived from the intuitions of the soul which the

struggles and selfishness of existence have failed to
entirely obliterate.

These things ought not so

longer be,
if

to be,

nor need they

seek
sec-

earnest

men and women would

our
ills,

diligently, first for the cause of all

and
is

ondly, for a sufficient remedy.

This remedy

to be

found,

first,

in

Knowledge;

second, in Service of

the Truth.
tail

Let us

now examine

little

more

in desuffer.

some of the conditions under which we

is

The present
Science.

proudly designated as the

Age

of

The

art of printing, the

power of Steam
Conservation

and Electricity

in applied science; the

and Correlation of Energy, and the Theory of Evolution

in

speculative

science,

with

the

resulting
dis-

details, constitute the greater part of

our real

coveries.

One machine

is

made

to

do the work of

a score or more of men, while the laborers

who have
in

been thus displaced have no adequate share

profits of

the

mechanical invention.

Those who work

Principles of Education and Ethics.

45

with their hands are no longer artisans, but generally

machines, a necessity as to different details for

which no machine has yet been invented.

of the laboring classes
is

The work

thus reduced to the routine

of drudgery without the hope of advancement; and,

therefore, with no other incentive than to keep the

wolf from the door.

manufactured

article which,

when

completed, serves more often to foster ex-

travagance and luxury than to supply a necessity,

passes through

many hands

before

it

is

completed.

The

laborer

is

glad even thus to serve, because idlestill

ness means starvation, and

the

Army

of the

Un-

employed

is

an ever-increasing
laborer
is

host.

The occupaIs

tion of the

common

even more precarious

it

than that of the mechanic or the artisan.

any

wonder, then, that in times of financial uncertainty,

when thousands

of laborers are out of

employment
to

and threatened with starvation, unable

apprehend

the real causes of their suffering, naturally envious

of those
life,

who
to

are supplied with

all
is

the luxuries of
radically

and knowing that something

produce
all

wrong

somewhere
justice,

of this inequality and in-

band together

to secure
?

what they conceive

to be their rights

by force

But

all

this

concerns mere physical

existence,
life.

though the

effects are seen

on every plane of

46

Mystic Masonry.
to the

With regard
or

Science of Man, and

all

that

concerns his origin, nature and destiny, individually

collectively,

neither

science

nor religion
has
given
us

has
the

taught slogan
tific

"the

us

anything.

Science

survival of the

fittest,"

a mere

scien-

phrasing of the motto of the Robber Barons,

that "he

may

hold

result

may seize v^^ho hath the power, and he who can." In the industries of life the may be reduced to one word, Competition.
all

In manufacture, in trade, in
the

professions

even

Clerical

profession
Strife,

in

schools,

everywhere.
fittest."

Competition^

and "the survival of the

us with regard for

"And

this to

fill

man;

With apprehension

of his passing worth.

Desire to work his proper nature out.

And
So

ascertain his rank and tinal place."

is,

far our boasted civilization

it

on a gigantic

scale,

a Car of Jagannatha, and

as relentlessly as the

crushes heads and hearts

idol of

wooden

our heathen
the killing by

brothers, only, American-like,

we do

wholesale.

Are not nearly

the whole of

the energies and

activities of life directed to

and expended upon the

has not the struggle for

physical plane alone?

And

existence increased with the great majority, in spite

Principles of Education and Ethics.

of

47

all

our boasted progress, our boasted science, and

our Christian Civilization?

We

have neither the

time, the energy, nor the disposition to discover the

real

meaning and aim of

life,

because

all

our ener-

gies are absorbed in the bare maintenance of existence.

"Ah! small

is

the pleasure

existence

can give,

When

the fear

we

shall die only proves that

we

live."

If real

knowledge of the nature of the soul and the

destiny of
dition
it is

man had

never existed, our present con-

would be

pitiable in the

extreme

but

when
lost

demonstrated that this knowledge once existed,

it

that

was

first

degraded by selfishness and then

by design, and that for centuries designing Priests,

many of whom would have disgraced a scaffold, but who have been canonized as saints, have done their
utmost to deprive humanity of this knowledge, what
shall the

humanitarian say?

Shall he preach Uniyet seek

!

versal Brotherhood

and Toleration, and

revenge on the priesthood ?

thousand times, no

but rather leave priest and proletariat to settle their

own

affairs

and go their own way, and go

to

work

ourselves to recover the lost knowledge, and

when

recovered devote

it

absolutely to Humanity.
sign of the times
is

The most hopeful

the humani-

48
tarian

Mystic Masonry.

work being done by thousands

of well-disposed

persons

who

appreciate existing evils, and desire to

get rid of them. the the

results

In very few instances, however,

are

attained
or
tlie

commensurate
employed,
for

with
self-

energy
is

sacrifice

sacrifice

a virtue not

altogether

unknown

to

Christendom.

But

in very

many

instances these

humanitarian efforts resemble an attempt to destroy

a

Upas

tree,

which being cut down every day grows

again before morning.

criminals,

We
the

imprison and execute

and crime nowhere decreases.

and "doctor"
insane,

We

se-

questrate

and

insanity

continually increases.

We

build

hospitals for or-

phans, the sick and the aged, and

we do

well; but

orphanage, sickness and

of age

the distress and poverty

less.

grow

in

no wise

It

ought sometime

to

occur to us that society

thing
is

is

all

wrong, or that someall

radically
all

wrong with

our methods.

In

the aggregate

the profits derived from scientific

discoveries and from labor-saving machines has to

be returned to the criminal or indigent classes.

The
in-

only thing that

crease in the

we can

boast of as a result
;

is

an

number

of milHonaires

and

these, as a

class, instead of

being the fruition of a higher evo-

lution are almost without exception the very flower

of

a Civilization of

Competition and Selfishness.

Principles of Education ana Ethics.

49

They have created an

criterion of

aristocracy of wealth, very

often by gambling or stealing, and determine the

what

is

called

"good society,"

viz.: ex-

travagant display and vulgar pretentiousness. What then is really the matter with our boasted
civilization?

The answer
is

is,

ignorance and sel-

fishness;
ness."
If in

it

the result of the "Sin of Separate-

our social and political affairs the foregoing

all scientific

are the results in spite of

progress, and

in the face of our boasted "Christian Civilization," in the intellectual realm, or in educational matters,

are

we any
of
is

better off?

Let us

see.
is

One
school
child at

the

first

lessons the child

It
is

taught in
into

Competition.

instilled

every

an early age that he should aim

class,

to be at the

head of his

incited to get ahead of his fellows.

and his exertions are continually Many a young

graduating
off

man

or

young

woman

from

literary
profi-

institutions

and carrying

the prizes

for
all

ciency or scholarship are mental ivrecks

of their lives.

the rest

Nor

are the subjects taught, or the

branches of learning mastered, such, in a great majority of instances,

as are of any great practical

life.

value to the student in after

The amount of

technical information acquired is often useful in the

50

Mystic Masonry.
in

so-called learned professions; but

the ordinary

walks of

life

more often

fall into disuse,

and seldom

serve the purpose of opening the higher avenues of

knowledge, or putting the individual in possession

of a real knowledge of himself.

Herbert Spencer mentions

five objects to be
:

at-

tained in the education of children

That education
that

which prepares

for direct self-preservation;

which prepares for indirect self-preservation; that which prepares for parenthood; that which prepares
for citizenship;

and that which prepares for the

Hfe.

miscellaneous refinements of
set forth

These objects

by one of the most profound writers of the

present time,

may

be seen to pertain to self-preslife,

ervation and "getting on" in

the last object may,

by implication, have a

Social

bearing;

but any
in posses-

higher knowledge, designed to put

man

sion of his real powers and to promote the evolution of the soul, are not even mentioned.

In

all

our religious instruction, from childhood,

all

and through
life,

the ministrations of religion in after

to

we

are taught

look very sharp after the

;

salvation of our

own

souls

and

this in the face of

the statement that a very large proportion of the

human
damned,

race

will

eventually
!

be

utterly

lost,

or

for all eternity

Science completes the pic-

Principles of Education and Ethics.

5^

struggle for ture by trying to demonstrate that the

existence

is

a necessary condition of all improve-

ment and
;

that only the sharpest tooth and the long-

est

claw can survive.

religion
is is

The

ideal thus held aloft

is

by

both

and

science

selfishness.

Self-

preservation

regarded as the "first

law

of life."

The

result

materialism

in

the strictest and

it

broadest sense, and this has paralyzed, where

not utterly destroyed,
Is
it

has

all

higher

ideals.
if

not reasonable to suppose that

we were

possessed of real knowledge

actions,
falls of

we might

so govern our

and so shape our

lives as to avoid the pit-

ignorance, and set our feet on the line of

the higher evolution?

Religion offers Faith, with a

system of rewards and punishments, and inculcates

Charity,

which
;

is

more often interpreted

as

the

giving of alms
edge.

but religion does not give us Knowl-

Science offers a theory, or a working hystill

pothesis, but

does not give us Knowledge.

all

So

long as

It

requires

of our energies to barely

maintain existence on the physical plane, and to

help those

who can

not do even that, unaided,

we
are

have

little

opportunity to seek for higher things.

The complicated
working
is

system

under which

we

the result of

and superstition,

many centuries of ignorance and of many generations of evil-

52

Mystic Masonry.

doing, and these results cannot be changed in a day.

Many
less,

of our

modern

institutions,

covered over, as

they are, with abuses and injustice, are, nevertheso

deep-rooted

that they will

have to work

themselves out to the bitter end of pain, sorrow,

and, probably, through lawlessness and bloodshed.

This need not

be, yet it

would be impossible

to con-

vince, all at once, a sufficient

number

of individuals

who

are involved in these institutions, of the real

all

cause of

our misery, and, at the same

'time, to

induce them to co-operate at once to remove the

cause.

Such a thing

is

not to be expected, because

of universal unbelief as to the existence of the rem-

edy proposed; hence, retributive Justice will have

to

work out
Is
it

its

own

results.

really necessary that

in

mankind should forever

remain
follies,

ignorance, and forever repeat the same

invite the retribution that

and

we have

in-

voked

In the following pages, two sources of knowledge

have been pointed

out, viz..

Masonry and Philosoto take their rise,

phy, and these have been

shown

either directly or indirectly,

from the Mysteries of

of

Antiquity.
is

The Unqualified Brotherhood

all

Man
is

the basis of

Ethics, and the Great

If

Repubhc

the Ideal State.

these concepts were accepted

Principles of Education and Ethics.

53

nity,

opportuand acted upon, there would result time, and the power to apprehend the deeper probof man. of the origin, nature, and destiny

lems

"Man

is

not

man

as yet."

What he may
of.

be,

and
is

what he might
yond our
ideals.

do,

under favorable conditions,

very seldom even dreamed

We

never build be-

We

habitually fall below them.

in nearly every

There are a few persons

munity with
duced
to the

comis

whom

the struggle for existence

re-

jority of

minimum; and, undoubtedly, the mathese are women. Having a competency

amply provided
for,

against
really

want, or being

they

have leisure for study and self-improvement; of these engage more or less in charitable many and the work. But possessing no high ideal beyond
meritoriousness of charity and the self-approbation

which

it

brings,

and having no

real

knowledge as
its

to

the nature of the soul and the laws of

evolution, they fritter

higher

away

their

opportunity in
is

luxury and self-indulgence, which they feel

tified
ity.

jus-

charby the tribute they have already paid to

The

result

is,

that

they are habitually con-

sumed with ennui;

water
excitement.
If the

and

they are as unstable as

in the search for a

new

sensation or a

new

majority of these are

women who

deter-

'

54

Mystic Masonry.
in

mine the standards and usages

"society," the ideals of their

what

is

called

male associates are far

are saved from ennui

lower than theirs, and the

men

by the diversity of Club Life or the necessities of

business.

The common
is

laborer

who

finds

continued

employment

really less miserable oftentimes than

these sons and daughters of fortune,

lose all zest in life,

who

generally

whose old age

is filled

with mis-

ery over their vanished youth, and whose lives are

frequently cut short by paresis, where they do not

degenerate into imbecility.

It

is

one of the most

this

hopeful signs of the time that

class

among
are

favored

an increasing number

found devoting

themselves, their time, energy, and money, to the

betterment of

the condition of

the

masses.

Re-

incarnation being true, these servants of humanity

are laying by a store of good
erally "treasure in heaven,"

Karma, which

is

lit-

and which must

inevit-

ably secure for them

still

broader opportunities and

life;

greater power for good in another

all,

and best of

they are unfolding the higher spiritual percep-

tions.

Nothing so shrouds the Higher Self

is

in

man
that

as selfishness, and this

the reason the

direct

why

so

few per-

sons

are
is

possessed

of

perception
is false, is

what

true, is True,

and that what

False.

There has been for a long time a very widespread

Principles of Education and Ethics.

55

cma increasing conviction that

prove a panacea for
all

Education

would
if

our evils; and that

we

could begin with the young, and have the training

of children,

we

could

eventually reform

society,

even though these children might be the offspring of

vicious parentage.

That "we must educate or we

must perish" contains, no doubt, a great truth; but cannot it is offset by another saying: "Education
repair the defects of birth."
is,

What

real education

how and when

it

should begin, and what, under

circumstances,
it

the most favorable

may

be ex-

pected to accomplish,

we do

not yet perceive.

The
the

saying that

it

takes at least three generations to

make a Gentleman
criterion as to

contains a truth, even

constitutes a real

if

what

gentleman

may

be uncertain or defective.

And

again, the say-

at ing, that the education of a child should begin

least nine

months before
But

it is

born, shows that pre-

natal conditions and influences are at least recog-

nized as existing.
to the

in this last direction, viz., as

environment of the Mother during gestation, the Ancient Greeks knew far more than we, and enacted laws to prevent physical deformity from
being propagated or even seen.
physical
seen.

The

result

was

symmetry such

as

the world

has seldom

56

Mystic Masonry.

Now when

all

these problems are studied in the

all

Hght of re-incarnation the greater part of

scurity disappears.

ob-

Such study teaches us what the

is

Ego

is,

and exactly what

determined by heredity,

and what are the individual and inalienable possessions of the

Ego

itself.

It

teaches how, by a law as

it is

blind as that of gravitation, because

solutely just,

always ab-

and as

inflexible as Fate, the

it

Karma
vice.

of the child, associates

rents,

with the

Karma
Ego
as

of the paIf

whether on the score of virtue or of

both vice and virtue adhere to the

of
all

me

result ten-

former

living,

and are manifest

in the

dencies of the individual, one

the

way

or the other, then

the

parentage, in any case, can only furnish

;

necessary conditions of expression

to

the opportunity

work out

the innate tendencies.

Now
change,

the thing that education can and ought to

is

these innate tendencies. This

;

is

the only
this

genuine reformation
is

and a great step toward

in individual

gained
If,
is

by improvement

environall

ment.

however,

it

be considered that

envi-

ronment
It

the result of

Karma under

natural law.

will be seen that the

most unfortunate and hope-

less

environment might sometimes afford the very

It

conditions of reformation.
'd

can be imagined that

really

intelligent

and aspiring Ego, brought by

Principles of Education and Ethics.

57

Karma

into these unfavorable conditions as the re-

sult of its

own
all

acts in a
its

former

life,

would not only

but would be

put forth

of

energies to

rise,

forevermore repelled by such degrading influences

as

now surround
Here we come

him, and

flee

from them

as

from a

pestilence.

face to face with the real problem

shall

of education.

How

we

educate?

With the
of those

children of the poor, and even with

many

of the middle classes, the ordinary curriculum of

School and College often serves to inculcate ideas

of luxury and contempt for labor, and results, in

many

instances, in idleness

and

dissipation.

Many

parents are ambitious that their children should be

educated, in order that they

may

escape from, hard

work, and have an easier time

in life

than they have

had themselves.

In morality, or ethics, the children

are taught certain precepts, or are required to recite

certain religious formula, such as the Creed or the

Catechism; they are very seldom, however, taught

unselfishness or self-conquest.

The

result

is

that

the innate perceptions of the child, which are naturally far keener than

most people are aware

unless
cultivated,

of,

and

which

invariably,

become

blunted with age and worldly experience, are utterly

disregarded, or they are blunted by the very system

58

Mystic Masonry.

of competition in education to which reference has

already been made.

It

may

thus be seen that

it

makes
cate,

all

the difference in the world

how we

edu-

and that Ideals here are of more importance

else.

than almost anywhere

It
is

true that in

some of the newer

colleges,

methods are being introduced which foster individuality,

an extent hitherto almost unknown.

and which cultivate the natural perceptions to This method

result in putting those students

must necessarily

who

are so fortunate as to

come under
faculties,

its

influence in
in

possession of

their their

them aware of

own own

and

making

capabilities.

This method
in the

must necessarily favor a strong Individuality

student.

Now,

if

this

can be supplemented by a

further knowledge of the Latent Powers of the Soul

and with the true

result will be

ideals of the higher evolution, the

something not yet apprehended by the

majority of educators. In discussing

the question as to

what

kind of

knowledge

is

of

the most

use,
in

Herbert Spencer
first

places Scientific

Knowledge

the

category;

not alone for

its

practical results, but on account of

it

the ideals to which

may
it

give

rise,

and the broader

apprehension to which
cere

may

lead.

"Only the

sin-

man

of science," he says, "and not the

mere

Principles of Education and Ethics.

59

calculator of distances, or analyzer of compounds,

or labeler of species; but him

who through lower

truths seeks higher, and eventually the highest

truly

can

know how utterly beyond, not only human knowledge, but human conception, is the Universal Power of which Nature, and Life, and Thought are
manifestations."

In like manner Professor Huxley makes the con-

summation of Science

to be the

discernment of the
It
is,

rational order pervading the universe.

then,

our methods that are most at fault and our ignorance

that holds us down.
It is this

higher knowledge toward which

all

use-

ful

and rational acquirement tends; and why should

All

our efforts cease short of the very highest?

education that does not tend in this direction, with

the final goal consistently and continually in view,
is false,

and

is

necessarily a failure.

Now,
:

this
its
its

higher
origin,

knowledge

is

a knowledge of the Soul

of

nature, powers, and the laws that govern

tion;

evolu-

and

this

is

precisely the

knowledge which

modern science

fails

to afford, but

which Ancient

Science taught in the Mysteries of Antiquity.

preliminary study and training led up to this
real
tion,

"The
and

All

measure of a man."
so
is

Just as

all life is

an evoluit

all

real

knowledge an

initiation;

6o

Mystic Masonry.

proceeds in a natural order, and advances by specific

"degrees."

The candidate must always

qualified,

be worthy

and well
is,

duly and truly prepared.

That

he must perceive that

to possess it;

such knowledge exists;

must desire

and must be willing

to

make whatever personal

acquirement.

sacrifice is necessary for its

He must

have passed

beyond

the

stage of blind belief or superstition, the bondage of

fear, the

age of fable, and the dominion of appetite

and sense.

This

is

the

meaning of being "duly and

have proved
his fitness

truly prepared."

He must
no
less

in these directions,

than the absence in him

of that subtler form of intellectual selfishness which

comes from the possession of knowledge, and the

desire for dominion through
it

over others

less

highly

endowed, for
tive,

selfish

purposes of his own.

His mohe
is

therefore,

alone,

can

determine

that

"worthy and well

It is

qualified."
life,

true on every plane of

is

that in the process

by which knowledge
ence
is,

acquired

always

by experi;

man becomes the thing which he knows

is

that
re-

knowing

a progressive becoming.

There

sults,

therefore, a continual transformation of the

motives, ideals, and perceptions of the individual,

whenever
on the

in his daily experience in life

he

is

placed

lines of least resistance or the

Natural Order

Principles of Education and Ethics.

of Evolution.

6i

This

is

the really scientific and phil-

osophical meaning of

all Initiation.

By

referring to

the chapter in which the Principles and Planes of

Life are considered,

ple just stated
is

it

will be seen that the princi-

the logical deduction from the idea

of Microcosm and Macrocosm, or the philosophical

concept that

man

is

Involved from Divinity, and

;

Evolves with Universal Nature

and

that, therefore,

his evolution runs pari passu with that of the earth

he inhabits.

There

is

so

much

of the

commonplace
is

that passes

with us for knowledge, and that

so utterly void of

comprehension, that unless one

line of

is

familiar with this

thought he will not readily see the truth and

bearing of the statement, that

that

man
Here

always becomes
lies

which he
the

really knows.

the reason

why
fails

mere inculcation of moral precepts so often

transforming character; and
lip-service.

entirely in
is

why

there

so

much

In his travels through

China and Thibet, Abbe Hue gives a graphic account of the traveling traders

whom

he encountered.

He

depicts their shrewdness in trade

and

their gen-

eral air of friendliness,

and declares that the slogan

forever

on

their

lips

was

that

"All

men

are

brothers," but this did not prevent

them from taking

;

every possible advantage of their customers

so easy

62

Mystic Masonry.
for a moral precept to degenerate into

is

it

mere

slang.

Conscience

is

the

struggle of
it

the underis

standing in assimilating experience;

the effort

of the individual to adjust precept with practice, or

in other words,

Conscience

is

that

living,

active

process, resulting in the growth of the soul, and in

the increase of man's power to apprehend truth.

In the Ancient Mysteries, Life presented

itself to

the candidate as a problem to be solved, and not as

certain propositions to be
forgotten.
all

memorized and

as easily

The

solution of this problem constituted

genuine

initiation,

and

at every step or degree

the problem expanded.

As

the vision of the canto

didate enlarged

in relation

the

problems and
as-

meaning of

life,

his

powers of apprehension and

similation also increased proportionately.

also an evolution.
It

This was

may

reasonably be supposed

that the lower degrees of such initiation concerned

the ordinary affairs of

life, viz.,

a knowledge of the

laws and processes of external nature: the candidate's relation to these

through his physical body,

his

and his

relations,

on the physical plane, through

animal senses, and social

instincts, to his fellow-men.

These matters being learned, adjusted, Mastered, the

candidate

passed

to

the

next

degree.

Here

he

learned theoretically, at

first,

the nature of the soul

Principles of Education and Ethics.

evolution,

63

the process of

its

and began

to

unfold

referred those finer instincts that have been so often

to in certain sections of this

work.

If

he was found

"vow" capable of apprehending these, and kept his the discovered presently he degree, in the preceding
evolution within

him
and
if

of senses and faculties per-

taining to the "soul-plane."

instantly arrested,

His progress would be

his teachers

would refuse

all

further instruction,

he was found negligent of

life
;

the ordinary duties of

those to his family, his

neighbors, or his country.

All

these

must have

upon been fully discharged before he could stand Greater Mys. the threshold as a candidate for the
teries
;

for in these he

became an

unselfish Servant

of

Humanity

as a whole;
gifts

and had no longer the

of

right to bestow the

knowledge or power
friends,

that he possessed,

upon his own kinsmen, or

in preference to strangers.

In the higher degrees,

even he might be precluded from using these powers Both the Master and his to preserve his own life.
but Powers belong to Humanity. If the reader will called reflect a moment, how the tantalizing Jews from upon Jesus to "save himself and come down
the cross,"
that
if

he were the Christ,

it

may

be seen

this doctrine of

Supreme

Selflessness ought,

the long ago, to have been better apprehended by

64

Mystic Masonry.
a Divine Attribute,
latent in all

Christian world; for while

the
ity,

it

is

Synonym

of the Christ,

it is

human-

and must be evolved as herein described. That which makes such an evolution seem
impossible,
is,

to

modern readers
can

that

it

cannot be
life,

conceived as being accomplished in a single

it

nor

be.

It is

the result of persistent effort guided

lives.

by high ideals through many

Pre-existence

Those who deny

all

may

logically

deny

such evolution.

There must, however, come a time when the consummation is reached in one life; and this is the logical meaning of the saying of Jesus it is finished.

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

65

CHAPTER

II.

THE GENIUS OF FREEMASONRY,

"The whole world
each
child.
is

but one Republic, of which

Nation

a family, and every individual a Masonry, not in anywise derogating from

is

the differing duties

quires, tends to create a

which the diversity of States renew people, which, comnations and tongues, shall
all

posed of

men

of

many

Moralbe bound together by the bonds of Science,

ity

and Virtue." Pike's Morals and Dogma,

fine,

p. 220.

"In

the real object of this association (Freein these

masonry) may be summed up

efface

words:

To

from among men the prejudices of

caste, the

conventional distinctions of color, origin, opinion,

nationaUty; to annihilate fanaticism and superstiwith it extmtion, extirpate national discord, and
guish the firebrand of war
free
;

in a

word to

arrive,

by

and

pacific progress, at

one formula or model

of eternal and universal right, according to

which

each individual

human being

shall be

free to de-

velop every faculty with which he

may

be endowed,

66

Mystic Masonry.
to concur heartily

and

and with the fullness of his

all,

strength, in the

bestowment of happiness upon

of the whole

and thus

to

make

human
p.

race one

family of brothers, united by affection, wisdom and

labor."

Rebold's History of Masonry,

62.

The above quotations from two of the most prominent modern writers on Freemasonry the one deal-

ing with the philosophical, and the other with the

historical aspect of the subject

may
this

fairly repre-

sent the genius, or the Ideals and aims of Masonry.

How
it

far short of this ideal

Masonry may
book

fall

today,

is

no part of the object of

one, however, at
all

to

show.

No
ing

famihar with the subject,

to maintain that nothIt
is,

will for a
is left

moment undertake

to be accomplished.

indeed, some-

thing grand and sublime to have conceived such an

ideal,

and

to
;

have striven

in

any measure toward

its
its

realization

and

this,

Masonry has done from

earliest history.

There

is

a thread of tradition connecting

modern

Masonry with
tiquity.

the most ancient Mysteries of

An-

The

ancient landmarks

may

be discovered

in every

nation and time.

"Notwithstanding the

connection that so evidently exists," says Dr. Rebold,

"between the ancient Mysteries and the Freelatter should be considered

masonry of our day, the

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

67

an imitation rather than a continuation of

ancient Mysteries; for initiation into them

those

was the
art, sci-

entering of a school, wherein were taught

ence, morals, law, philosophy, philanthropy and the

wonders and worship of nature."

p. 62.

Rebold's History,

The

universal Science and the sublime philosophy,

once taught in the Greater Mysteries of

Chaldea, Persia, and India, and
nations of
antiquity,
is

Egypt,
other

among many
letter

a dead

in

modern
however,

Freemasonry.

The

intelligent

Mason,

should be the last person in the world to deny that

such wisdom once existed, for the simple reason that

the whole superstructure of the traditions of
its its

Masonry
its

is

built

upon

existence, and

ritual serves as

living
is

monument.

Proficiency in the preceding

degree

everywhere made a reason for advanceThis proficiency

is

ment

in

Masonry.

made

to con-

sist in

the ability of the candidate to repeat,

obligations

word

for

word, certain rituals and

already

passed, the
stitute

meaning or explanations of which conin

the lectures
at this

the

various degrees.

The
least,

usage

point,

in the

United States at

serves rather to secure the rights and benefits of the

Lodge

to those entitled
all

to them,

and to withhold

them from

others, than to

advance the candidate

68

Mystic Masonry.
In other Masonic jurisdictions,

in real knowledge.

however, a different custom prevails.

Of

the Bel-

gium Lodges,
lows:

for example, a Brother writes as fol-

"Our Lodge,
levoi,
is

called 'La Charite,' at Orient Char-

under obedience of

the great

Orient at
is

Brussels, and has the Scottish Rite.

No Mason

supposed to

know anything
of the

of the ritual by heart.

Questions and answers are read out, especially at

initiation.

The work
So

Mason
it

is

supposed to be

interior

work

in himself, before

can become extedegrees he has

is

rior labor.

in order to obtain his

to

do some work of his own, and no one

supposed

to learn anything by heart, except words, signs

and

passwords.

Now

have

to

tell

you that every

Mason

is

supposed to do some literary work on gen-

eral subjects concerning the welfare of

man, hu-

man

institutions,
etc.,
is

sociology,
etc.,

history,
is

philosophy,

philanthropy,

and

it

such work that a

young Mason

supposed to do.

Then, after reading

all

these papers, they are discussed by

the

members
four

of

the

Lodge

present, perhaps for three or

meetings, until the subject seems to be exhausted.

This develops, in the young Mason, his intelligence

and

his

moral feeling."

As

will be

shown

in a later section, this

method

The Genius
conforms
to that

of Freemasonry.

69

pursued in the Lesser Mysteries of

Antiquity, which were preparatory for the Greater

Mysteries.
It

should be borne in mind that in modern Freein the

masonry,

Ancient Mysteries, and in

all

of the

great Religions, there

was always an Exoteric porand

re-

tion given out to the world, to the uninitiated,

an Esoteric portion reserved for the

initiate,

and

vealed by degrees, according as the candidate demonstrated his fitness to receive, conceal, and rightly

use

the

knowledge
are,

so

imparted.

Few
first

professed

Christians

perhaps, aware that such

was the

case with Christianity during the

centuries.

two or three

The following quotations from Albert

work may therefore be
he says: by Christ himself,
purity, as taught

Pike's great

of interest.

On

page

541 (et seq.)

its

"This, in

was the true primitive

religion, as
It
is

communicated by
religion, but
its

God

to the Patriarchs.

no new

the reproduction of the oldest of all; and

true

and perfect morality

it

is

the morality of Masonry, as

is

the morality of every creed of antiquity."

St.

Augustine says:

"What is now called the Christian Religion existed among the ancients, and was not absent from the human race until Christ came, from which time

70

Mystic Masonry.

the true religion, which existed already, began to b^

called Christian."*
St.

Augustine was Bishop of Hippo, born

in 347 to

A. D.,

and

lived near

enough the time of Christ

know whereof he
But

wrote.

to continue our quotations

:

from Morals and

Dogma

"In the early days of Christianity, there was an

initiation like those of the

Pagans.

Persons were

admitted on special conditions only.

To

arrive at a

complete knowledge of the doctrine, they had to pass

three degrees of
instruction.

The

initiates
:

were
first,

consequently divided into three classes

the

Auditors; the second. Catechumens; and the third,

*He Faithful.
3 J

These doctrines, and the celebration

the Holy Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist,

>ere kept with profound secrecy.

These Mysteries
first

were divided

into three parts

;

the

styled the

Mass

of the Catechumens

the second, the

Mass of

the Faithful.

The

celebration of the Mysteries of

Mythras was

also styled a Mass,

and the ceremonies

*Quoted by Heckethorne
Introduction:

"Secret
first

Societies,"

p.

12,

"They

were

called

Christiana

at

Antioch."

The Genius
used were the same.

of Freemasonry.

71

There were found

all

the

sacraments of the Catholic Church, even the breath

of confirmation."
. .

"The

Basilideans, a sect of

Christians that arose soon after the time of the

Apostles,

practiced

the

Mysteries

with

the

old

Egyptian legend.
Sun,
Isis

by the

They symbolized Osiris by the Moon, and Typhon by Scorpio, and

them from danger, upon which
and the serpent.

wore
were

crystals bearing these emblems, as amulets or

talismans, to protect

also a brilliant star

They

were copied from the talismans of Persia and Arabia,

and given
all

to

every candidate at his initiation.

They
etc.)

"to possess

claimed"

(Gnostics,

Marcosians, Ophites,

a secret doctrine, coming to then?

directly

from Jesus Christ, different from that of

Epistles,

Gospels and
munications,
exoteric.

and superior
in

to those

com

which,

their

eyes,

were

merely

This secret doctrine they did not com-

municate to every one;

and among the extensive

one
in a

sects of the Basilideans, hardly

thousand

knew name

it,

as

we

learn from Irenseus.

We

know

the

of only the highest class of their initiates.

styled Elect, or Elus,

They were
the World.'

and 'Strangers

to

They had

at least three

degrees the

Material, the Intellectual, and the Spiritual, and the

lesser

and greater mysteries; and the number of

72

Mystic Masonry.

those

who

attained the highest degree

was

quite

small."

"In the Hierarchiae, attributed to

the Areopagite, the
first'

St.

Dionysius,

Bishop of Athens, the tradisaid to have been divided

Purification, Initia-

tion of the sacrament

into three degrees of
tion,

is

grades
or

and

Accomplishment
also, as part of the

Perfection

and

it

mentions
to sight.

ceremony, the bringing

The Apostolic

Constitutions, attributed to

Clemens, Bishop of Rome, describe the early church,

and say: 'These regulations must on no account be

communicated

to all sorts of persons, because of the

mysteries contained in them.'

It is

"

interesting to contrast the utterances of early

Bishops of the Christian Church with the Bulls and

Anathemas

of

excommunication

of

later

Popes,

hurled against the Masons for entertaining the same

doctrines and practicing the

same

rites.

But

this

was

after the idea of

dominion had seized the modrival,

ern church, which tolerates no

stroy
all

and would debe

opposition.
cost.

Papal supremacy must

maintained at any
Tertullian,

who

died about a.

d.

216, says in his

Apology

"None

are

admitted

to

the religious

mysteries

without an oath of

secrecy.

We

appeal to your

The Genius
Thracian and
specially
faithless,

of Freemasonry.

73

Eleusinian mysteries;

and we are

bound

to this caution, because if

we prove
dis-

we

should not only provoke Heaven, but

rigor of

draw upon our heads the utmost

pleasure."

human
a.
d.

Clemens, Bishop of Alexandria, born

says, in his Stromata, that he

191,

can not explain the

Mysteries, because he should thereby, according to

the old proverb, "put a sword into the hands of a
child."

He

frequently compares the discipline of

the Secret with the

internal

"Heathen Mysteries

as to their

and recondite wisdom."

a. d.

Origen, born

134 or 135, answering Celsus,

who had

objected that the Christians had a concealed

doctrine, said

"Inasmuch
trines

as

the essential

and important docare

and
it

principles
is

of

Christianity

openly

taught,

foolish to object that there are other

is

things that are recondite; for this

cipline with that of

common

dis-

those philosophers in whose

teachings some things were exoteric and some esoteric;

and

it

is

enough

to say that

it

was

so with

some of the
nounced

disciples of Pythagoras.'^

The formula which at the moment

this
:

the

primitive

church
its

pro-

of celebrating
!

mysteries,

was

"Depart ye Profane

Let the Catechu-

74
mens, and those
tiated,

Mystic Masonry.

who have

not been admitted or ini-

go forth."
Cascara in Mesopotamia,
year 278, conducted a controversy with

Archelaus, Bishop of

who,

in the

the Manichseans, said:

"These mysteries the church now communicates

to

him who has passed through

These are not explained

the introductory deto

gree.
all;

the Gentiles at

nor are they taught in the hearing of

is

Cate-

chumens, but much that

terms, that the Faithful,

spoken

is

in disguised

who

possess the knowledge,

may

more informed, and those who are not acquainted with it may suffer no disadvantage." Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, was born in the year
be
still

316 and died in 386.

In his Catechesis he says:

in parables to his hearers in

"The Lord spake

general
;

but to his disciples he explained in private

the parables and allegories

lic."
. .

which he spoke

in pubits

"Just so the church discovers

mysclass

teries to those

of

who have advenced beyond the Catechumens: we employ obscure terms

with

others."
St. Basil, the

great Bishop of Csesarea, born in the

year 326, and dying in the year 376, says "We receive the dogmas transmitted to us by

from writing, and those which have descended to us

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

75

the Apostles, beneath the mystery of oral tradition;

for several things

have been handed to us without

writing, lest the vulgar, too familiar with our dog-

mas, should lose a due respect for them.

This

is

what the uninitiated are not permitted

plate;

to

contem-

and how should it ever be proper to write and circulate among the people an account of them."
St.

Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop of Constantinople,

says
as

A. D. 379,

"You have heard

rest will be

much

of the mystery as

we
and

are allowed to speak openly in the ears of all; the

communicated

to

you

in private;
. .
.

that

you must retain within

yourself.'"

"Our

mysteries are not to be

made known
i43. I44.

to strangers."

The foregoing quotations

and Dogma,
this
list

are from Pike's Morals

pp.

141,

142,

and

145.

To

of witnesses are also added St.

a. d.
;

Ambrose,

Archbishop of Milan,
Constantinople

340;

St.

Chrysostom of
of

(354-417)

Cyril

Alexandria,

Bishop in 412; Theodoret, Bishop of Cyropohs in

Syria in 420, and others to the same
It is

effect.

beyond controversy, that there was an exo-

teric

and an esoteric doctrine with the early Chris;

tians

that the esoteric doctrines

were communicated
;

orally in the mysteries of initiation

and that these

mysteries conformed to and were originally derived

76

Mystic Masonry.

from those of the so-called Pagan world. The Mystery of Christ received a
first

new

interpretation after the

Nicene Council, and as the Church sought doit

minion,

lost the
it

Great Secret, and since then has

all

denied

that

ever existed, and done

in

its

power

to obliterate all its records

and monuments.

While we are concerned with Masonry rather than Christianity, it is, nevertheless, necessary to show
the

connecting

links,

in

order that the

"Ancient
cor-

Landmarks" may not only be discerned, but

rectly interpreted.

Neither Christianity nor Free-

masonry

is

the direct and lineal descendant of the

Greater Mysteries of Antiquity, but both are imitators,

and both have

failed to preserve the

Key

of

interpretation,

and are generally unaware that such

Key ever

existed.

My

contention

is

not against

either

Masonry

or Christianity, but for the rejuve-

nation of both, through the restoration of the Secret

Doctrine

to

each.

possessed the Key, while

tian sects
it

Modern Masonry never many of the early Chris-

had

it

in their possession, but in time lost

through worldliness, the greed for earthly domin-

ion,

and the decay of

Spirituality.

Something further may be shown

of the Christian Mysteries.

as to the origin
b.

In the year 525,

led

c,

Cambyces,

called

"the

mad,"

an

army

into

The Genius
Egypt, overran
palaces

of Freemasonry.

yy
its

the country, destroyed

its

cities,

and temples, scattered

to

priest-initiates,

and reduced the country

Persian

province

Many

of

its

priests took refuge in Greece,

and con-

veyed thither the Egyptian Mysteries, which Pythagoras had journeyed to Egypt to obtain half a cen-

tury earlier.

In the time of Plato, a century

later,

the Mysteries were in a flourishing condition, and

in

them he learned

his sublime philosophy.

At

the

beginning of our era the mysteries had declined.

There remained, however, the Gnostics, the Essenes,

and the Therapeutse of Alexandria, and from these
the Christian mysteries were undoubtedly derived.

The

Neoplatonists,

headed

by

Ammonius

Saccus,

undertook to preserve the primitive revelation, and

the utterances of the Christian Bishops to which
I

have referred, show how the Secret Doctrine was

three centuries of our
Nice, a.
d.

adopted from the earlier mysteries by the primitive

Christians during the
era.
little

first

After the

first

Council of

325,

more was heard of

the earlier doctrines, and

with the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria, Catholic

supremacy and the dark ages

oblite-

rated the primitive

it

wisdom

in

Western Europe,

as

was

also overrun by hordes of barbarians

from

the north.

The

principal seats of

learning were

y8
the convents.

Mystic Masonry.

Coming now

to the

dawn
St.

of the i6th

century, and the great Protestant Reformation,

find

we
at

Johann Trithemius, Abbot of

Jacob,

Wurtzburg, celebrated as one of

the

greatest of

Alchemists and Adepts; and Cornelius Agrippi and

Paracelsus

were

his

pupils.

John

Reuchlin,

famous Kabalist of that time, and counted as one

the

of

most learned men

in his

day

in

Europe, was the

first

friend and perceptor of Luther, and Luther's

public utterances were a course of lectures on the

philosophy of Aristotle.
to revive the ancient

strong effort was

made

wisdom, but the age was too

gross and superstilious, and the Reformation resulted

in centuries of blind belief,

and the suppression of

the Secret Doctrine.

Modern Freemasonry honors

teachers
others,

as

its

ancient great

Zoroaster, Pythagoras, Plato, and

many

and

in

some of them

its

degrees gives a brief

summary
sense,

of their doctrines.
all,

Masonry,

in a certain

includes

and has adopted

their

precepts.

They were

all

initiates in the mysteries,

and fundamentally their doctrines were the same.

All taught the existence of the G. A. O. U., the

immortality of the soul, and the unqualified Brother-

hood of Man; and with these primitive and fundamental truths Masonry
is

in full accord.

The Genius

of Freemasonry^

79

The Guilds of Masons, or Builders, with which modern Freemasonry claims connection, doubtless suggested the name of Mason, the symbolism of a
Builder, and perhaps the form of organization or

advancement
craft

by degrees, as Apprentice, Fellowand Master, representing the three degrees of

the ancient mysteries.

The

past

two or three centuries

at

most

will

include the whole of the history of

modern Freeprininter-

masonry.
ciples,

The organization is recent, but its when clearly defined, and intelligently
and are in
full

preted, are eternal,

accord with the

greater mysteries of antiquity.

ancient landmarks will enable us to

The foregoing running comment on some of the draw comparito dis-

sons and derive interpretations of Masonic symbols

and glyphs from ancient mysteries, and so

cover the science and philosophy that constitute the

genius of Masonry.
Instead of being an imitation

of the Mysteries of Antiquity,

Masonry should

be-

come
the

their

Restoration and Perpetuation through

centuries, not by relaxing
its ritual, its

coming

discipline,

or changing

but by deepening the learning,

intensifying the zeal and elevating the aim of every

Brother throughout the world.

8o

Mystic Masonry.

CHAPTER

III.

THE GENIUS OF FREEMASONRY.

The
cluster

traditions, glyphs

and

ritual of

Freemasonry
le-

around the building of the temple; the

gend of the widow's son, Hiram-abiff, who

life in

lost his

the defense of his integrity, and the search

for the Lost

Word

of the Master.

As
is

the candidate

progresses, degree after degree, he

furnished with

the working-tools suited to his degree of knowledge

and proficiency, given instruction as

to their use;

the lesser and greater lights are revealed and ex-

plained; and through

terial thing, is

all,

each outer form, or ma-

shown

to be a

symbol of a deeper

mystery, a concealed potency.

This

is,

in brief, the language

and the philosophy

of symbolism, or the exoteric and the esoteric garb

of Truth.

The method

itself,

outside of

all

details

or applications, has a deeper scientific significance

than most persons are aware

instruction
is

of.

This method of

not fanciful or arbitrary, but conforms

to the process of

Eternal

Nature

in building

an

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

8i

Cosmos has atom or a world; a daisy or a man. remains the evolved from Chaos, and yet Chaos
the 'World of Eternal Potency; what Plato called explained Divine Ideas." This will be more fully For the present, it may in a. subsequent chapter.
suffice to say, that

ether, or

or

from primitive space, primordial what modern science might call the Matrix and all origin of the "nebulous mass," the earth
it

that

contains has evolved.

all

The

essential form, the

idea of

things;

the potency or force;

and the
in

matter as

we now

discern

it,

must have existed

primordial space.
ist,

Therefore, these two always ex-

viz.,

the the inner potency, and the outer act;

;

concealed Idea, and the outer form

ing,

the inner

meansym-

and the outer event.

Each

is

in its turn a

bol of the other.

Hence the saying on

the Smarag-

dine Tablet, as above so below.

All outward things

of pre-existare therefore symbols, or embodiments

realm all ing Ideas, and out of this subjective ideal of doctrine This emanated. have things
visible

emanations
that

is

of

the

the key to the philosophy of Plato, and Gnostic sects from which the early
their mysteries.

Christians derived

This

fact

is

mentioned here in order to show the deep foundations of the glyphs of Masonry.
temple In the Ritual of Masonry, King Solomon's

82

Mystic Masonry.
taken as a symbol. The building and the restorathe temple at Jerusalem are dramatically the Lodge, and in the

is

tion of

represented in the work of

ceremony of

initiation,

by a play upon words and

parity of events, and applied to the candidate, with

admonition,

warning

or

encouragement,

as

the

drama

unfolds.

The measurements and proportion

numbers, form, and proportion, so

of the temple are dwelt upon in order to bring in

the science of

manifest in architecture, and to connect them with

the "spiritual temple" with which they
all

have the

same, though less obvious, relations.

is fitted

The symbolism

to ideal relations, rather than to actual ex-

istences or historical events.

Sol-om-on represents

the

name

of Deity in three languages, and the bibli-

cal history is doubtless

an allegory or myth of the

reliable history of the con-

Sun-god.

There

is

no

struction of any such temple at Jerusalem, and re-

cent explorations and

measurements have greatly

altered the dimensions as heretofore given.

Hiram
yet

Abiff
life
it

is

dramatically represented to have lost his

the temple

when

was near completion, and

is

recorded that after the completion of the tem-

ple he labored for years to construct and

ornament

a palace for the King.

Add

to these facts the state-

ment

that the temple

was constructed without the

The Genius

of Freemasonry.
tool of iron,

83
thus

sound of hammer or any

likened

and

it is

more nearly

to that other "Spiritual Temple,

not

made with hands,

stands

eternal in the heavens," and

the literal and historical features disappear, and the

symbolism

out

in

bold

relief.
;

Masonic

Lodges are dedicated

to the Sts.

John one of whom,

the Evangelist, opens his Gnostic Gospel with the

Greek philosophy of the Logos, the principle of emanation already referred to; and the other, the
Seer of Patmos, writes a book symbolical of ancient
initiations,

which many a non-initiate has

It

tried in
is

vain to interpret.

may

thus be seen that there

a deep significance in the dedication of Lodges to

the Sts. John.
16:
is

Take, for example. Revelations xxi,

"And
the

the city lieth foursquare, and the length

;

as large as the breadth

reed,

and he measured the

furlongs.
it

city

with

twelve

thousand

The
are
the

length,

and

the breadth and the height of

equal"

(a perfect cube).

"And he measured
is,

wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits,

according to the measure of a man, that

an angel."

The language
ceal the real

is

evidently a veil, designed to conuninitiated.

meaning from the

;

As

the

measure of man

that

is,

a perfect man, or "angel,"

we have
Hence

the cube as a symbol of perfect proportion.

a Square

Man.

The temple

of Sol-om-on;

84
the Cubical City

Mystic Masonry.

which

unfolded becomes a cross,

and hence the "measure of a man"

to the

all

these refer

work

of regeneration, or initiation.*

The

re-

building of the temple after the plan

Trestle-board, by which
temple, not
tiation
it

drawn upon

the

shall be like that spiritual

made with hands,

plainly refers to ini-

from which

results perfect proportion

and

perfect harmony.
this

In a later section of this work

mathematical and geometrical basis of virtue

will be fur-

and wisdom, or knowledge and power,

ther explained.
It is
its

unknown

to the Craft of

Ma-

sonry except in
ism:
it

bare outline and cruder symbolthat there

is

is

nowhere hinted
full

an inherent

relation

and

equivalent between absolute mathe-

matics and spiritual power.

"A

very limited

knowledge of
is

the

history

of

primitive worship and mysteries

necessary to en-

able any person to recognize in the master mason,

Hiram, the Osiris of the Egyptians, the Mithras of

the Persians, the Bacchus of the Greeks, the Atys

of the Phrygians, of which these people celebrated

the passion, death and resurrection, as Christians

celebrate today that
this
is

of Jesus

Christ.

Otherwise,
all

the eternal and unvarying type of

the

*See

Plate

XIII.

The Genius
religions
earth.

of Freemasonry.

85

which have succeeded each other upon the

In an astronomical connection,

Hiram

is

the

apparrepresentative of the Sun, the symbol of his

ent progress, which,
so to speak,
is

appearing at the south gate,

smote downward and more downward passing, he as he advances toward the west, which immediately vanquished and put to death by
is

darkness, represented, in following

the same alle-

rises gory, by the spirit of evil; but, retuining, he

again, conqueror

and resurrected."*

After a long and very learned discussion of the

phonetic and philological meaning, use, and derivagod-names, Albert Pike says, certain of tion

page 79:

"Khurum,
is

therefore
the

improperly
as

called

Hiram,

Khur-om,

same

Her-ra, Hermes, and

Her-acles, the personification of Light and the Sun,

the Mediator,

Redeemer and Savior."

81,

And, again, page

"It
is

he says:
'Abif,' or

merely absurd to add the word,

'Abiif/ as part of the

name

of the artificer.
'of

Abin
.
.

(which we read Abif) means

'formerly one of

my

father's'

my

father's servants' or 'slaves.'

"

*Reybold'3
Translator,
p.

"History
392.

of

Freemasonry."

Note

by

86

Mystic Masonry.

As

to

the

Fellowcrafts

concerned in the con-

spiracy, they are

shown

to

have more than one mean-

ing; astronomically this relates to the signs of the

Zodiac, the "three wicked ones" representing the

winter solstice or death of the year, and consequent

subjugation of the Sun-god
be
!

Other meanings will

an accidental coinci-

shown

further on.

"Is

it

dence," asks Bro. Pike, in Morals and

"that in the

Dogma,

p. 82,

name

of each murderer are the two

names of the Good and Evil Deities of the Hebrews

for Yu-bel
is

but Yehu-bal or Yeho-bal; and that the

a,

three final syllables of the names,

o,

m, make
Hindoos,

A.

-.U. -.M.

',,

the

sacred

word

of

the

meaning the Triune-God, Life-giving, Life-preserving, Life-destroying"

(Brahma, Vishnu, Siva), "rep-

resented by the mystic character Y."

And, again, on page

620, Bro, Pike says

"This word could not be pronounced except by

the letters; for
said to
its

pronunciation as one word was

the angels of

make Earth tremble and even

to

Meaven (elementals)

quake with fear."

is

The aim

of the writer at this time

to

show the

general connection of Masonic glyphs with those

of ancient times.

The

real

meaning

will

appear fur-

ther on.

As

already declared, modern Masonry being but

The Genius
an
imitation of

of Freemasonry.

87

ancient

genuine

Mysteries,
it

the

writer has no design of reading into

a meaning

which can not be

part,

fully verified.

For the greater

the

modern Masons are dealing with symbols,

for the real interpretation of
existed.

Key

which they never

it

possessed, or even suspected that

It re-

mains for the future to determine whether any considerable number of our Masonic Brethren really
desire to possess in fuller

measure the Living Truth

which the dead-letter text conceals.

Truth
is

That Living

exists,

and

is

as accessible to every

Mason

as
it

the dead-letter or the

in

dumb-show under which

masquerades

every Lodge.

As
same

to the sprig of Acacia, Bro. Pike says:

is

"The

genuine Acacia also

tree

the

thorny tamarisk, the

Osiris.

which grew up around the body of

It is a
it

sacred tree

among

the Arabs,

who made

of

the Idol Al-Uzza, which

Mohammed

destroyed
arf

It is

abundant as a bush in the desert of Thur,

the 'crown of thorns'

of
set
fit

it

was composed, which was

It is a

on the forehead of Jesus of Nazareth.

type of immortality on account of
;

its

tenacity of

life

for
to

it

has been known,

when

planted as a door-

post,

take root and shoot out budding boughs

above the threshold."

Here, again,

we

see a symbol ages old,

revived

88

Mystic Masonry.

and adopted

in

many

forms, and further, that Imfirst

mortahty was not "brought to light" for the

and only time by the "Man of

Christians
less true.
;

Sorrows" of

the

yet in every case

is

the symbol none the

Whether any

of these sun-gods or Renot, the

deemers were historical characters or

sym-

bolism teaches everywhere the same eternal truths:

the

Resurrection and

the

Life;

Redemption and

Immortality.

After being obligated and brougiit to

candidate in the third degree
is

light,

the

bantered with the

statement that undoubtedly he

a Master Mason.
is

now
is

imagines himself

He

is

informed not only that such

not the case, but that there

no certainty that he

ever will become such.

his

He

subsequently starts on

Journey for the discovery of the Lost Word.

to obtain
it,

The method by which he undertakes

and the names of the three Fellowcrafts already

re-

ferred to as brothers, have a very deep significance.

After
is

many

trials,

he receives a substitute, which he

to conceal with great fidelity "till future genera-

tions shall discover the lost word."

The method by which he

and
definite,

receives and
is

is

ever to

transmit or use even the substitute,

made exact

and guarded

by solemn obligations.

The meaning

of both the great secrecy and the use

The Genius
of the

of Freemasonry.

89

word are

left entirely to conjecture,

it

beyond

the statement that

is

a sacred name, and must

never be profaned, or taken in vain, or carelessly used and I venture the opinion, that not one Mason
;

among
why.

ten thousand has ever been able to discover

The

force of the obligation

is

therefore in the oath

and not in the reason.

As

a matter of fact, the real

reason is scientific to the last analysis; scientific to a degree beyond the penetration, up to the present
time, of the "radiant matter" or the

Roentgen Ray
the sci-

of

Modern

Science.

The Word concerns

is

ence of rhythmic vibrations, and

equilibrium of
all.

the key to the

forces and to the

harmony

of

Eternal Nature.

This tradition of the Ineffable

into
it

Name

is

brought

Masonry from the Hebrew Kabalah, and how became lost is partly historical, at least. The an-

cient

Hebrew

Priests evidently undertook to

their tribal-deities the
If the

fit

to

the

names of
really a

symbolism and
Master's

traditions of the far East.

Word
It

were

word

at

all,

the Deity of the

as well as

Hebrews
than

might perhaps represent

is

it

any other.

a question of

phonetics, however, rather

mere orthography.
Pentateuch
lies

Beneath the Hebrew text of the

concealed
the science
of

the

90

Mystic Masonry.

Kabalah.
should
text,

The Anathemas threatened

by a single
letter or

for

him who
priests
in the

alter,

"Yod," the outer

of

many

had therefore a deeper meaning. The nations of antiquity were initiates

Mysteries, and as such they were Monotheists, while

the ignorant masses were idolaters.

The monothe-

ism of the Jews was of a robust character, and their priests and prophets had a hard time to preserve
their

people

from the seductive

polytheism

and

abominations of surrounding nations. The Ineffable Name was not only concealed, but "terrible as an

army with banners."

ful,

Jehovah was jealous, revengeIn no

vindictive toward the evil-doer, and tolerated no

rival in the

broad expanse of Cosmos.

is

reli-

gion of antiquity

the anthropomorphic image of

Deity so strongly defined, and the Creator of

man

and worlds made so exceedingly human. The Kabalah, on the contrary, embodying considerable of the true and ancient Secret Doctrine,

held a different idea of Divinity.

While carrying

Inthe tradition, therefore, of the lost v/ord as the as taken was symbolism the Deity, Name of
effable
literal fact,

"make

no

and the people who were commanded to graven image" ended by making a

gigantic idol, half

Moloch and half Man.

Amid

the such contradictions, the symbolism adopted from

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

91

purer and gentler Aryans was

ill

at ease

and

far

from home.

Rev. Dr. Garrison claims in a "Conthe Lost Word," ap-

tribution to the History of

pended

to Foot's

Early History and Antiquities of

Freemasonry, that the four-syllabled name, Jehovah,

was held by the Hebrews

Adonai was used as a
tered alone into the

as the Ineffable,

and that

substitute.

The Highpriest

once every year, at the time of the atonement, en-

peated the name.

Holy of HoUes and there reThe name was thus withdrawn

by the

from and
is

finally lost

common
is,

people.

This

ingenious and too literal to cover the case.

The
not

old query, so easy of

"What
answer
;

is

in a

name?"

after

all,

or the answer might be, "every

it

thing or nothing," according as you understand

or
look
at
it.

Before the

introduction

of

the

Masoretic points or indices of

consonants were read
text.

vowel sounds, the

by metrically intoning the

The

principle of the

Mantram was
in
all
its

therefore

known

to the Highpriest at least, and, therefore, the

Word, the Name, that Known

shake,"

plenitude
to

and used with power, "caused the whole world

may have been used

or invoked in the

Holy

of Holies by the Kabalistic Hierophant.

Some who

read this

may

be even yet so ignorant of the potency

of sound as to smile at the credulity and gullibility

92
that indites
ters of a
it;

Mystic Masonry.

and yet so superstitious over the

as to believe
!

let-

name

them more sacred

it is

in

one

form than another

Notwithstanding,

the letter

that killeth, and the Spirit (the breath) that

alive.

maketh
al-

The consonants composing

are about as sacred
If

the

Hebrew

phabet
blocks.

as so

many wooden may "bud

is

one knows

how
life,

to arrange the blocks, so that they

and endow them with and blossom

like

Aaron's rod," that of course

very different matter.

"There are dangers inseparable from SymboUsm, which afford an impressive lesson in regard to simThe ilar risks attendant on the use of language.
imagination called in to assist the reason usurps place, or leaves its ally helplessly entangled in
its its

web,

Names which

stand for things are confounded

with them; the means are mistaken for the ends;

and the instrument of interpretation for the object; thus symbols come to usurp an independent character as truths

and persons.

Though perhaps

a neces-

sary path, they are a dangerous one, by which to approach the Deity; in which many, says Plutarch,

mistaking the sign for the thing signified, fell into a ridiculous superstition, while others, in avoiding one
extreme, plunge into the no less hideous gulf of
irreligion

and impiety."

The Genius
"It

of Freemasonry.

93

is

through the mysteries, Cicero says, that

first
is

we

have learned the

principles of

life,

wherefore
.
. .

the term 'initiation'

used with good reason."

"To employ
of the

nature's universal symbolism instead

technicalities

of

language,
its

rewards

the

humblest inquirer and discloses

secrets to every
to

one

in

proportion to

his preparatory training

comprehend them.
and
all."

If their philosophical

meaning
moral

was above the comprehension of some,

political
.

their

meanings are within the reach of

"These mystic shows and performances were not

the reading of

a lecture, but

the opening of

problem. Requiring research, they were calculated

to arouse the

dormant

intellect.

They implied no
is

hostility to Philosophy,

because Philosophy

the

great expounder of symbolism."*

There

is

Grand Science known

is

as Magic,

and

every real Master

a Magician.

Feared by the

ignorant, and ridiculed by the "learned" the Divine

Science and
in all ages,

its

Masters have, nevertheless, existed

Masonry in its deeper meaning and recondite mysteries constitutes and

possesses this Science, and
all

and exist today.

genuine Initiation

*Moral8 and Dogma,

p.

64.

94
consists
in

Mystic Masonry.

an orderly unfolding of the natural

shall

powers of the neophite, so that he

very thing he desires to possess.

become the

In seeking Magic,

he
is,

finally

becomes the Majus.

All genuine Initiation

like

evolution and
this inner

regeneration,

from within.
all rituals

Devoid of

meaning and power,

all

are but foolish jargon, and

farce.

ceremonies an empty

Even such
to

the rituals of

Masonry have

be-

come
that

many.

That the

Christ-life

and the power

Master,

made

Jesus to be called
sick,

Christos,

whereby he healed the

foretold future events,
is

cast out devils,

and

the

same Life revealed and

attained by initiation in the Greater Mysteries of

Antiquity,

is

perfectly

plain.

The

disrepute

into

which the Divine Science has

its

fallen has arisen

from

abuse and degredation.

In the middle ages, and in
fact,

in

every age
sorcerers

there

have

been

dabblers

in

magic;

and necromancers, who,

secrets,

possessing

some of the
its

and imbued with none of

their

beneficence,

have used

knowledge and power for purely

personal and selfish ends.

Hypnotism and
sufficient

Phe-

nomenal Spiritualism are

the
it

illustrations of
to

power

to

which

I refer,

and the abuse

se, is

which

may

be put.

Magic, per
it

always a Science,
be cultivated with-

and up

to a certain point

may

The Genius
out regard to
its

of Freemasonry.

95

use,

or the well-being of
it is

man;

although any abuse of

fatal to the magician.

The popular
in the

idea

is

that education consists largely

cultivation of the intellectual powers.

is

An
by

average standard of morals

always recommended
is

by educators, and
religious
alone,

its

outer form

illustrated

ceremonies.
to
it

But

intellectual
it

cultivation

no matter

what extent

may

be carried

and the further

worse for
all

goes in this one-sided

way

the

concerned

is

in

no sense an evolution.
without spiritual
is

Perfect intellectual development,

discernment and moral obligation,

of

the sign-manual

Satan.

Intelligence,

without

goodness,

lies

athwart the Divine Plan in the evolution of Cosmos.

Intellect

and Altruism by no means necessarily go

hand

in hand.

One may have

a very clear intellect,

have quick perceptions, and be a good reasoner, and

yet be very wicked.

On

the other hand, one

may

be

very dull intellectually, and yet be kind, brotherly

and sympathetic

to the last degree.

A
be

world made
live in; if

up of the former would be a bad place to

of
the latter,

a thousand times
that

to

preferred.

Magic contemplates

all-around

development

which, liberating the intellect from the dominion of

the senses and illuminating the spiritual perceptions,

places the individual on the lines of least resistance

96

Mystic Masonry.

with the inflexible laws of nature, and he becomes

nature's

co-worker or

hand-maid.

To

all

such,

Nature makes obeisance, and delegates her powers, and they become Masters. The real Master conceals his
others.

power and uses

it

only for the good of

fee
,

He works

"without the hope of

or

reward."

Discerning that knowledge

is

power, designing

and

evil

men

desire to possess both

knowledge and
It

power
ily

for entirely selfish purposes.

may

be read-

discerned that the more knowledge and power a

purely selfish

man
This

possesses, the

more inimical
less

to

humanity he becomes.
in ignorance.
is

He

can do

harm

if

kept

especially the case in regard

to those deeper sciences

which deal with mind, and

Sup-

influence the thoughts and actions of others.

pose one were able to hypnotize large numbers of

persons at once, and compel them to do his bidding

and that his motives were not only

results injurious to his agents.

selfish,

but

all

Such a person would

be a Magician, and, as his motive would be purely

selfish,

"Black

Magician."
its

Modern

Science,

purely materialistic in
always,
till

aims and conclusions, has

the idea emit

very recently, ridiculed

it

bodied in

Magic, and were

not for the fact that

has been compelled to recognize, under the

name

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

97

very force Hypnotism, since the time of Braid, the days of Meswhich it denied and condemned in the unmight be difficult to find a palpable and
mer, it power deniable illustration of what kind of
is

in-

volved in Magic.

But Hypnotism
vocabulary
It is

is

known

to the real

not even the alphabet of the Master or Magician.

which tic proportions, the key to

giganbut an empirical dabbling in a power of makes of its pos-

of his fellowsessor either a Savior or a Destroyer

men.

We
of
greed,

have only

to reflect

on the use already made

for personal

Hypnotism
by
its

for public exhibitions,

"Professors" God save the

markmana
of

to determine

whether any larger output of Occult

beneficial to

knowledge would be desirable or

kind at large.

The
key to

traditional-Lost
all

Word

of

the Master

is

the science of Magic.

is

The knowledge

the Master

not empirical.

It

does not consist of

certain startling or a few isolated formulae by which Magician's unusual effects can be produced. The and exact deep more far science on a based art is

dreamed of, than modern physical science has yet as boundphilosophy lies a science this and back of
less

as Cosmos,

as inexhaustible as Time,

and as

98
as

Mystic Masonry.
the

beneficent

"Father

in

Heaven."

If

the

Masonic meaning of Master: Perfect and Sublime Master: Prince Adept: etc., is less than I have indicated, then
it

is

a roaring

farce, or a

stupendous
is

humbug.
it

The conception

of

Masonry

true,

but

has adopted or imitated the ritual and glyphs of

a science, the key to which not one

Mason

in ten

thousand possesses, and hence the tradition of the

Lost

Word

has a

literal,

no

less
is

than a symbolical
given
to

meaning.
ophite

The

"Substitute"

the

ne-

"till

future generations shall find the True

nov\r

Word."

The question

propounded

to
is

every
is

"obligated," or so-called Master Mason,

the

present the generation in which that which was lost

shall be

found? and each must answer for himself

just as he entered his lodge,
his obligation;
first

singly;
light,

saw the

and took

just as every real

Master, or "White Adept," has done since the begin-

ning of time.

There

exists in

Masonic

literature

many

learned essays on the history, orthography and

philology of the Lost

Word;

but

am

acquainted

with no treatise that apprehends the nature of the

real secret like that of Brother Albert Pike in his

great work, and yet,

if

he knew the whole

secret,

he concealed

it

at last.

The more immediate

source

from which the

le-

The Genius
gend
lah,
is

of Freemasonry.

99

imported into Masonry

doubtless

is

the Jewish

Kabaand

derived

from

the

Chaldean
;

Zoroasterian form of the Secret Doctrine

ciples
late

the prin-

lamented Bro.
32.

and methods of which were unfolded by the Skinner, A. & A. S, J. Ralston

Bro.
his

R.

Skinner's

greater

works, however,

aside

from

Source of

Measures, and a large

number

of pamphlets, exist only in Manuscript, and

little

are of so abstruse a character as to be of

use

except to profound scholars.

the

Running

all

through

Talmud are found references to the Secret Wisdom, while the Sohar, the Kahalah Demidata, and
other Kabalistic works are
all

written with a veil

designed to conceal the secret from the uninitiated, and to be meaningless without the key. Bro. Skinner's discoveries

were the reward of genius, made

on one of the keys that
the

as the result of stumbling

"unlock the Golden Gates of

King."

Palace of

the
a

His discoveries lay the foundation for

scientific

systematic and

study of

the
lies

Kabalistic

form of the Secret Doctrine which

beneath the

concealed

Hebrew

text of the

Pentateuch, and

which no commentary has ever revealed or intended

to

reveal.

Perhaps another generation of

biblical

Hebrew Scholars may

discard their preconceptions,

prejudices and superstitions of the mere verbiage of

100

Mystic Masonry.

real the text sufficiently to desire to discover the meaning of the Pentateuch, as to the creation of

Men and

Worlds.

Copies of Bro. Skinner's unpub-

special lished researches have been so placed by his such desire and act, that they may be preserved for

the future investigators and not again be lost to

world.

But

the

Hebrew Kabalah

is

but one of

many

desources from which the Secret Science may be of Symrived, and it is not the one which in its form

bolism and method of interpretation

the present age.

is

best fitted to

When

the symbolism of the

Ka-

balah
it

is

read by the key furnished by Bro. Skinner,

requires to be again translated into

modern

ideas

or forms of thought.

The

basis of

it

was the Chalstudents.

dean Book of Numbers, no genuine copy of which,

if

in existence,

is

accessible

to

modern
to exist,

Several spurious copies are

possible that a genuine copy

known

and

it is

may

be produced at the

proper time.

For be

it

remembered that Genuine

exMasters, "Prince Adept Masons," have always preserving or isted, and no book or record worth

necessary for the good of

man

is

ever

lost.

In se-

cret crypts, alike inaccessible to the vandal

hand

of

man, and the corrosion of

time and decay, these

treasures are said to be preserved.

The Genius
All

of Freemasonry.

lOT

human

progress runs in cycles.

Modern maand Philos-

terialistic science

has had

its

brief day,
its

ophy has already undermined

foundations.

The
Plato,

new age will The immortal

clothed in

show a genuine
principles

revival of Philosophy.

enunciated

by

modern garb of thought,

will again

less

involved

and

dialectical,

command
is

the attention

of the thinking world.

Every one

aware that the

source of Plato's knowledge was the Mysteries; he

was an

Initiate,

the obligation he

and on almost every page reveals is under not to betray to the com-

mon

people the secrets taught only to initiates under

the pledge of secrecy.

The foregoing

digression

seemed necessary

in

order to show the real basis for the traditions of the Lost Word, and to put beyond cavil, at least with
the
is
is

more

rational, the idea that the Master's

Word

a real thing, the genuineness and power of which

not overdrawn in the

parables and

glyphs of

Freemasonry.

"The True Word

of a

Mason

is

to be

found

in

the concealed and profound meaning of the Ineffable

Name

of Deity

communicated by God

to

Moses"

(rather by the Priests of

Egypt. B.), "and which

meaning was long

to conceal
it.

lost

by the very precautions taken

The

true pronunciation of that

name

102

Mystic Masonry.
in truth a secret, in which,

was
ing."

however, was
its

in-

volved the far more profound secret of

.

mean-

"Thus the

Ineffable

Name

not only embodies the

is

great Philosophical Idea, that the Deity

the

the Ens,

To On,
is

the absolute Existence, that of which the

Essence

To

Exist, the only Substance of Spinoza,

the Being, that never could not have existed, as con-

tra-distinguished from that which only becomes

not

Nature or the Soul of Nature, but that which created Nature; but also the idea of the Male and Female
Principles, in
to wit, that
its

highest and most profound sense:

originally

God
;

comprehended

in

Himnot

self all that is

that matter

was not

co-existent with

Him

or

independent of

Him;

that

He

did

merely fashion and shape a pre-existing chaos into a

universe;

but that His Thought manifested

itself

outwardly in that universe, which so became, and

before was not, except as comprehended in

Him;

that the Generative Power, or Spirit, and the Pro-

ductive Matter, ever

among
that

the ancients

deemed the

Female, originally were in God, and that

He Was
in

and

Is all that
all

Was,
lives,

Is,

and that Shall be;

has
its

whom
. .
.

else

moves, and

being."

"This was the great Mystery of the Ineffable Name,

and of course

its

true pronunciation and

its

The Genius
meaning became

of Freemasonry.

103

lost to all
it

except the select few to

whom
ically

it

was confided;

being concealed from the

common
and, as

people, because the Deity, thus metaphys-

named, was not that personal and capricious,

it

were, tangible

God

in

whom

they believed,

and who alone was within reach of their rude capacThis was the profound truth hidden ities.
. .

in the ancient allegory

and covered from the general

This was the exoteric

view with a double

veil.

meaning of the generation and production of the of Indian, Chaldean, and Phoenician Cosmogonies; and the Active and Passive Powers; of the Male
Female Principles; of Heaven and its Luminaries generating, and the Earth producing; all hidden
from vulgar view, as above
doctrine that matter
the
is
its

comprehension; the

not eternal, but that

God was
from
all

only original

Existence, the

Absolute,

Whom
returns.
tire

everything has proceeded, and to

. .
.

Whom

And
to

this

True Word
lost,

is

with enits

accuracy said
lost

have been

because

meaning was

even among the Hebrews, although

we

still

find

the

name

(its

real

meaning

unsus-

pected) in the

Hu

of the Druids and

Fo-Hi of the

Chinese."*

Morals

and Dogma,

p.

700 et

seq.

104

Mystic Masonry.
in

"There

is

nature one most potent force, by

a single man,

means whereof
himself of
could
world.
it,

who

could possess
to direct
it,

and should know how

revolutionize and

change the face of

the

"This force was known to the ancients.

universal agent, whose supreme law
is

It is a

equilibrium;

and whereby,
trol
it,

if

science can but learn

how

to con-

it
;

will be possible to
to

change the order of the

Seasons

produce in night the phenomena of day

to send a thought in

an instant round the world;

to

heal or slay at a distance; to give our words universal success, and

make them reverberate everyprecisely

where."

This agent, partially revealed by the blind

is

guesses of Mesmer,

what the Adepts of

Keely

the middle ages called "elementary matter of the

great work."*
Motor,

And

this is the force of the

and the Frohat of the Secret Doctrine. But

our quotations
a Life-Principle of the world, a uni-

to continue

"There

is

versal agent, wherein are two natures and a double

current of love and wrath.

This ambient

fluid per-

vades everything.

It

is

a ray detached from the

glory of the Sun, and fixed by the weight of the at-

Morals and Dogma, p. 734.

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

105

mosphere and the central

of the

attraction.

It is the

body

Holy

Spirit, the

Universal Agent, the Sertail."

pent devouring his

T. S.)

own

(See the Seal of the

"With

this electro-magnetic ether, this vital

and

luminous caloric, the ancients and the alchemists

were familiar.

Of

this agent that

phase of modern
talks
its

ignorance termed physical science

ently,

incoher-

knowing naught of
it

it

save
its

effects;

and

theology might apply to

tions of spirit."

all

pretended defini-

"Quiescent,
disturbed,

it

is

appreciable by no

human

sense;
its

or in movement, none can explain

mode
it

of action (except a real Master), and to term

'fluid'

and speak of

its

'currents,' is but to veil

a profound ignorance under a cloud of words."*

"The Kabalah alone consecrates the

the Universal Reason and Divine
lishes,

alliance of
it

Word;
being;

estab-

by the counterpoise of two forces apparently

the eternal

opposite,

balance of

it

alone

reconciles

Reason with Faith, Power with Liberty,

it

Science with Mystery;

ent, the Past,

has the keys of the Pres-

and the Future."

it

"The

Bible, with all the allegories

contains, ex-

Morals and Dogma,

p.

734.

io6

Mystic Masonry.

presses, in

an incomplete and veiled manner only,

the religious science of the Hebrews.

of

The

doctrine

Moses and the prophets,

identical at

bottom with
its

that of the ancient Egyptians, also had

outward

meaning and

its

veils.

The Hebrew books were

written only to recall to

memory

the traditions

and

they were written in Symbols unintelligible to the

Profane.

The Pentateuch and

the prophetic

poems

were merely elementary books of doctrine, morals

or liturgy; and the true secret and traditional philos-

ophy was only written afterward, under a

less

veil still

transparent.
to,

Thus was
rather

a second Bible born,

by,

unknown

or

uncomprehended

the

Christians' (of later times), "a collection, they say,

of monstrous absurdities
says,
;

a monument, the adept

wherein

is

everything that the genius of phi-

losophy and that of religion have ever formed or

imagined of the Sublime; a treasure surrounded by

thorns
;

diamond concealed

in a

rough dark stone."

"One

is filled

with admiration on penetrating into

the Sanctuary of the Kabalah, at seeing a doctrine

so logical, so simple and at the
lute.

same time

so abso-

The necessary union

of ideas and signs, the

consecration of the most fundamental realities by

the primitive characters
ters
;

the Trinity of Words, Letal-

and Numbers; a philosophy simple as the

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

107

phabet, profound and infinite as the

World; The-

orems more complete and luminous than those of

Pythagoras
;

a theology

summed up by counting on
which can be held
in the

one's fingers; an Infinite

hollow of an infant's hand; ten ciphers and twenty-

two
are

letters,
all

a triangle, a square and a circle

these

the elements of

Kabalah.

These are the

elementary principles of the written Word, reflection

of that spoken

Word

that created the world."*

this

And

so

we might go on quoting from

this

real

"Master of the Veils,"

genuine Prince Adept

pilation,

among Masons, whose great work, even as a comis a monument more enduring than brass,
and more honorable than the crown of kings.
If

he

did not comprehend to the last veil scribed

all

that he tran-

and he too used veilshe discerned enough

him how
to find the whole.
It

to teach

may

thus

be seen that the Holy Bible as one of the Great

in Masonry has a very profound meaning when coupled with the tradition of the Ineffable Name, or Lost Word. The object set before the

Lights

neophite in his search for the Lost Word,

is,

that he

may

travel in foreign countries

and receive Master's

*Moral3 and Dogma,

p.

475.

io8

Mystic Masonry.
This glyph in
outer form
of

wages.t

its

is

taken from

the guilds of practical

turies ago.

Masons

two or three centhe

The laws then governing

Mark

of

a Fellowcraft or a Master Builder were very

strict,

and the Mark was never bestowed unworthily, and

when

received

was a passport among

But
entitled

builders over

a wide domain.
the Master's

in a deeper, or Kabalistic sense,

its

Word, which

possessor to

Master's wages, was a very different thing indeed.

The wages
knowledge.

of the real Master were the satisfaction

real

and the power that flow from the possession of

Knowledge

is

power only when one

is,

comprehends that which he possesses, and

fore, enabled to use
est his heart.
it

there-

for the purposes that lie near-

Bro. Pike shows conclusively that the

lies
its

power of the Word

Philosophy which
in part, the
is

in

the knowledge of the

perfect synthesis.
to

This

is,

meaning of "knowing how

pronounce

the

Word."
already stated, the Kabalah of the ancient He-

As

brews, which Moses derived by initiation into the mysteries of Egypt and Persia, and which Pike and

many

others declare was identical

among

the

He-

tThe wages
Power to

of

real

Master
will

is

Knowledge
space.

and

travel

where he

in

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

109

brews, the Egyptians, Hindus and other nations of

antiquity,

was known

as the Secret Doctrine.

is

The

reason for such a

name

fully revealed in

what has

been shown hitherto.

What

Pike says regarding the

is

relation of the Pentateuch to the Kabalah,

true

of

the exoteric scriptures of every nation of an-

tiquity.

How many
ists,

generations of imbeciles or material-

think you,

my

Brother, would
of

it

require to rein every

cover it?

The great majority

mankind

age not only do not possess the secret and the power
of the Master's

Word, but are incapable

of com-

prehending

it.

We

do not know a thing because we

Let the gods shout the truth of
still

are told that

all

it is so.

the ages into the ears of a fool forever, and

folly.
all

forever the fool would be joined to his

lies

Here
initia-

the conception and the principle of

It is

tions.

knowledge unfolded by degrees

manner, step
by
step,

in

an
the

orderly, systematic

as

capacity to apprehend opens in the neophite.

result
tion.
is

The

not a possession, but

is

a growth, an evolu-

Knowledge

not a mere

sum

in

addition

something added to something that already exists

but rather such a progressive change or transfor-

mation of the original structure as to make of

at

it

every step a

New

Being.

Real Knowledge, or the

no

Mystic Masonry.

growth of Wisdom

in

man,

is

an Eternal Becoming

a progressive transformation into the hkeness of the Supernal Goodness and the Supreme Power.
Initiation

and

Regeneration

are

synonymous

terms.

The

ritual of

Freemasonry

is

based on this natural

law, and the ceremony of initiation illustrates, at

every step, this principle, and

is

if

the result attained

a possession rather than a regeneration, in the

great majority of cases, the principle remains none

the less true.

The mere

inculcation of moral prin-

ciples, or lessons in ethics,

and their symbolic

illus-

tration and dramatic representation, are by no means in vain. These appeal to the conscience and moral

sense in every man, and no

man
the

has ever been

made
these
all

worse
"rites

by the Lessons of

Lodge.
is,

By

and

benefits"

the

Freemason

above

men, in our so-called Modern Civilization, the nearest to the

Ancient Wisdom.
lie

He

has possession of

the territory in which

els of

concealed the

Crown Jewif

Wisdom.

He may

content himself,

he

will,

by merely turning over the sod and gathering only

a crop of husks or stubble.
find not only the

He may

dig deeper and

Keystone of the Arch, the Ark

of the Covenant, the Scroll or the

Law,

but, using

the spirit concealed in the wings of the Cherubim,

The Genius
he

of Freemasonry.

may

rise

untrammeled by the rubbish of the tem-

ple,

and, meeting

Alohim face

to face, learn also to

say / atn that I

sody, and are the

am!

Does

this read like a rhap-

Landmarks,

traditions,
?

and glyphs

of Freemasonry nothing more

The

real temple referred to

from

first

to last in

Masonry, as
nacle of the
It is built,

in all ancient initiations, is the

Taber-

Human

Soul.

indeed, without the sound of

It is like

hammer

or any tool of iron.

of)
that
other,

(made

in the likeness

spiritual

temple,
;

not

made with

hands, eternal in the heavens

for the old philosophy

(Kabalah) teaches that the Immortal Spirit of

is

man

the artificer of the body and

it

its

source of Ufe;
as

that

does not so

much

enter

in,

overshadow

man, while the Soul, the immediate vehicle of the

Spirit, inhabits the body,

and

is

dissipated at death.

The

Spirit

is

Immortal, pure, and forever undefiled.

or Hiram, the Mediator between the

It is Christos,

Soul, or physical

man, and the Universal Spirit

the Father in Heaven.

that
is,

The

"poor, blind candidate,"

the

man

of sense, immersed in matter, would

learn the Ineffable

and, seeking

Name, and
have

obtain the Lost

Word,

a short cut, "climbs up some other

way."
conquest,

He

would

wisdom without

self-

power without

sacrifice.

He

will not lis-

112

Mystic Masonry.
voice
of
pleading,
is

ten

to

the

"Be

patient,
if

my

brother, and

when

the temple

completed,

found

worthy, you shall receive that for which you have

so long wrought."

No! he

will

have

it

now! and

he silences the pleading voice, and, defeating only

himself, flees into the deserts of remorse and calls

upon the rocks

to hide

him from the pursuit of

his

accusing conscience.
rected.
sin of

Hiram

(Christos)

is

resur-

Being immortal, he can not

really die.

No

man

is final.

Realizing his error and purified

by suffering, the

spirit in

man

being again
victory,

lifted up,

even defeat gives promise of

and he

re-

ceives a Substitute for the Lost

Word.

He

hears,

however

faint or dim, the Divine

is,

Harmony. Future
more
keep
sincere

generations, that

further trials and

endeavor, promise greater reward.

He

learns to
silent."

"know,

to

will,

to

dare,

and

to

Brotherly love, Relief and Truth; Prudence, Fortitude, Justice

and Mercy

all the

Virtues and

all

the

Beatitudes are inculcated.

The candidate

is

taught, not merely to tolerate anit

other's religion, but to respect

still

as his

adhering to that into which he was born.

this obligation,

own though To
;

make reasonable

he

is

shown through
at the heart

the Kabalah or Secret Doctrine that

of every great religion
lie

the

same eternal

truths.

The Genius

of Freemasonry.

113

Farms and observances only

differ.

The

Ineffable
is

Name
and

is

spelled in

many ways,
is

yet the

Word

one

eternal.

Masonry

not only a universal sci-

ence, but a world-wide religion, and

to

owes allegiance

no one creed, and can adopt no sectarian dogma,

thereby to be Masonic.

as such, without ceasing

Drawn from

the Kabalah, and taking the Jewish

it

or Christian verbiage or symbols,

but discerns in
all

them universal
other
religions.

truths,

which

it

recognizes in

Many
;

degrees have been Chrisas every degree eventually

tianized only to perish

will if

circumscribed by narrow creeds, and dwarfed

apprehension, so as to exclude good
Is Jesus

to the bigoted

men

of any other communion.

any the

less

Christos, because

Christna was called "the

Good

Shepherd"? or because the Mexican Christ was

crucified

between two thieves? or because Hiram

in

was three days

rected?

a grave before

he was resur-

Are we not

as selfish in our religion as in

our other

possessions?

Then why

is

man, while
reli-

cherishing as his most sacred possession, the

gion of his fathers, eternally seeking to degrade and

destroy that of his brother?

The Great
the Ideal of

Republic, to which Bro. Pike refers,

is

Masonry; the Genius that hovers

like

a protecting angel over the Lodge.

Make

it

impos-

114

Mystic Masonry.

sible for

Jew

or Parsee, Buddhist or Brahmin, to

enter any

Lodge without witnessing the profanation

of his sacred altars or contempt for his reHgion, and the angel hides her face and retreats from altars

already profaned by unbrotherliness.

the Universal

Masonry

is

Religion only because, and only so

all religions.

long

as, it

embraces
it

For

this reason,

and

this alone,

is

universal and eternal.

Neither

persecution nor misrepresentation can ever destroy

it.

It

may

find

no place

in a generation of bigots;

it

may

retire for a century; but again

comes a Mas-

ter

Builder with the

Key

to the

"Shut Palace of

the King," throws open the blinds, lets in the light,

kindles

anew

the

fire

on the sacred
!

altar,

clears

away
ment
ries

the rubbish,
is

as bright
truth,

when behold the tesselated as when it first came from the

jewels are of

pavequar-

of

the

pure gold and

brighten at the touch, and the great lights are un-

dimmed and undecayed.

foolish

ready the Master appears."

"When And

the candidate

is

yet

men

are so

and so

vile as to

imagine that they can de-

stroy this heirloom of the ages; this heritage from the Immortals
tirely the
!

No

age

is

so dark as to quench en-

light of

the Lodge;
its

no persecution so

bloody as to blot out

votaries; no anathemas of
its

Popes so lasting as to count one second on

Dial

The Genius
of Time!

of Freemasonry.

115

These, one and

all,

serve only to keep

the people in darkness, and retard the reign of Universal Brotherhood.

Therefore for humanity

the
the

Great Orphan

the real Master laments.

Popes or Kings and

He

smiles

at the passions of
folly of
sults,

pities

man.

He

only waits indifferent as to reto be

knowing these

under eternal law; but

in-

ready and willing, whenever and wherever the

struction entering the listening ear

may

find lodg-

ment

in the faithful breast.

For ages Kings, Popes

and Synods have done

their best to kill this Secret

its

Doctrine by anathematizing or burning

Masters.

The

Jesuits got possession of

all

its

Lodges, transof
its

formed out of

recognition

many

degrees,

and made of them an abject

hierarchy.

tool of the Sacerdotal

But at last the Jesuits became glutted with gold and impudent with power, and the Church became
frightened and destroyed or banished the destroyers.

Will power in high places ever desist or relax

its

warfare

Never

It can,
it

however, be forever
never allow
its

ig-

nored or defied; but

to be laid bare,

will

secrets

and a greater to stand

in its place.

He who

anticipates such beneficence has read his-

tory in vain.
force, but
it

The Kingdom
is

of

Heaven

is

taken by

moral

force, or

moral courage, and

ii6

Mystic Masonry.
for the conquest of self; the
spirit,

the

first

great battle

is

subjugation of that time-serving

to the idols of the flesh, is

which, joined

bhnd

to the truths of the

eternal spirit.

He who

conquers here

may

at last

become Master.

The Secret Doctrine.

117

CHAPTER

IV.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE.

"The
true

Mason

is

a practical Philosopher who,

all

under religious emblems, in

ages

adopted by

wisdom, builds upon

reason
the

plans traced
of

by nature and

moral
all

edifice

Knowledge."*
it is

"As

Grand Master of
tive purity."t

Symbolic Lodges,

your es-

pecial duty to aid in restoring

Masonry

to its primi-

"Among
faith
intelligent,

all

the ancient nations there

idea of

was one
for

and one

Deity for the enlightened,

and

educated,

and another
rule the
is

the

common
no
cause
it

people.

To
"It

this

Hebrews were

exception.''^

(Masonry)

philosophical, be-

teaches the great Truths concerning the

nature and existence of one Supreme Deity, and the

existence and

immortality of

the soul."||

"The

Morals
$Ibid.

and Dogma,
303.

p.

268.
I

Ibid.

[Ibid.

221.

ii8

Mystic Masonry.
the uttered
is

Universe, which
finite in extent.

is

Word

of God,

is

in-

There

no empty space beyond

creation on any side.

Thought

of

The Universe, which is the God pronounced, never was not since
inert."*
all

God never was

"I,

Myself, never was not, nor thou, nor

the

Princes of the Earth; nor shall

cease to be."t

we

ever hereafter

"Every thing emanates from a Single Principle

and a primitive Love, which
of All, and governs
all."
is

the

Moving Power
in its purity

"Masonry teaches and has preserved

underlie and are the foundation of
all

which the cardinal tenets of the old primitive faith,

religions."*

There

is

no fact

in history

more

easily

and com-

Secret pletely demonstrable than the existence of the

Doctrine in
or Masters

all

ages among all people, and of Adepts who were familiar with its teachings,
less

and were more or

principles.
It is equally

capable of expounding

its

demonstrable that this Secret Docof every great Religion

trine

was the real foundation known to man; that only

'Morals and dogma,
llbid.
324.
p.

the initiated Priest or

206.

tBhagaradgita.

The Secret Doctrine.

Hierophant knew the real doctrines
in

119

any

case,

and

only these, as a rule, in the earliest history of each

religion.

Furthermore, the Sacred Books of

all

religions,

including those of the Jews and the Christians, were

and are no more than parables and allegories of the

real

Secret Doctrine, transcribed for the ignorant

All commentaries written

and superstitious masses.

on these Sacred Books, whether on those of Moses,

the Psalms and the Prophets of Judaism, the Gospels of the Gnostics

and Christians, or those written

on the Sacred Books of the East

nas,

the

Vedas, Pura-

and

Upanishads

all

either

make confusion
of

more confounded when written by one ignorant

the Secret Doctrine, or,

when

written by initiates,

but ring the changes on, or further elaborate the

parables and allegories.
It
is,

furthermore, easily demonstrable that "the

Secret Doctrine

came

originally

from the far East,

Its earlier

and

is

the Primitive

Wisdom ReHgion.
in India

records are
it

now found

and Thibet; thence

thence to

seems to have traveled to Ethiopia;

Egypt and Chaldea.

mission, however,
is

This route, or order of transnot to

be easily ascertained

with accuracy, nor

is it

a matter of any consequence

It is

to us at the present time.

everywhere and

at

120

Mystic Masonry.
times essentially the same; only the outer gloss,
parables

all

the

and

allegories

concealing

it

differ

among

different people.
this Secret

Underlying
philosophy of

Doctrine was a profound

the creation or evolution of worlds

and of man.
ters

The

present humanity, in

many

quar-

of the globe, has evolved on the intellectual

plane so far that there

ber of

now

exist a very large

numold

persons capable of

apprehending

this

philosophy, and, at the same time, capable of under-

standing the responsibility incurred in misusing or

misinterpreting
it.

large

number of persons have

man-

reached, on the intellectual plane, the state of

hood; and are capable of partaking of the "fruit

of

the

tree
is,

of

knowledge

of

Good and

Evil."

There

therefore, no reason

why
it

this old philos-

ophy should

be

longer concealed.

On

the other

hand, there are reasons

why

should be known.

Empirical knowledge has advanced in certain directions into the realm of Psychism,
ciently designated by the

and the

arts anit

term Magic, and

is

im-

perative that the dangers that attend these pursuits

should be pointed out and demonstrated, in order

that they

may

be avoided by the beneficent, and that

the ignorant or innocent

tion.

may

be afforded protecinto Occultism

How

far these

modern inroads

The Secret Doctrine.

121

or ancient Magic extended very few persons seem

to realize.
It is

therefore high time that the philos-

ophy of the East should illumine the science of the West, and thus give the death blow to that intellectual

diabolism,

and

spiritual

nihilism,

known
is

as

Materialism, and this only the Secret Doctrine can

accomplish.

Grave

responsibility,

however,

in-

curred by such a revelation.

professional

Those who,
the

like the

Hypnotists

and

Vivisectionists,

have sinned, perhaps ignorantly, and thus have been

unconsciously "Black
find

Magicians," will

eventually

no avenue of escape.

Ignorance can no longer

cover their inhuman or cruel practices.

notist

The Hyp-

can not reduce the mind of a trusting but

ignorant brother to the condition of imbecility, without facing the law that counts such a crime as no
less

than murder.

The new
I

Science, resulting from

I

the union to which

believe,

have referred, and which,

to
call

Mr.

J.

M. Rusk proposes

Psycho-

Physics, will be well understood before the close of

the 20th century,
intellectual

and many an old score

settled.

in

the

arena will be
little

They know
cient

of the forces at work, or the

principles involved,

who imagine

that there

is

suffi-

force

in

dissolving creeds,

or in the dying

throes of materialism, to greatly retard the progress

122

Mystic Masonry.

of these truths by sneers or ridicule, or to prevent

their

triumph by any opposition they can bring

to

bear against them.

They have waited

the

for millen-

niums, and their time has come.

"To

recapitulate

Secret Doctrine

was

the

universally diffused religion of the ancient and prehistoric world.

Proof

of

its

diffusion,

authentic

records of

its

history, a complete chain of

its

docu-

ments, showing

character and presence in every

of
all
its

land, together with the teaching

great

Adepts, exist to this day in the secret crypts of

libraries belonging to the Occult Fraternity."
to

As

the danger of

revealing these doctrines to the

profane

"The danger was

clue to
principle
the
is

this

Doctrines

such

as

the

planetary chain, or the seven races, at once give a

seven-fold nature of man.

For each

correlated to a plane, a planet, and a

are,

race

and the human principles

to

on every plane,

correlated

sevenfold

occult

forces*

those

of

the highest

planes being of
a

tremendous power."
in

"No one

styling himself

'scholar,'

whatever

department of exact science,

will

be permitted to

'Experimenters
profitably

with

the

"Roentgen

Ray" may

take

notice.

The Secret Doctrine.

regard
these

123

teachings

seriously.

They

will

be

derided and rejected, a priori, in this century; but only in this one.
scholars will

For

in the 20th

century of our era

the

begin to recognize that

Secret

Doctrine has neither been invented nor exaggerated,

but,

on the contrary, simply outlined; and

its

finally,

that

teachings antedate the Vedas."

it

And

in

footnote

is

said:

"This
a

is

no pretension to
based

prophesy,

but

simply
facts."

statement

on the

knowledge of

In speaking of the source from which the present

version of the Secret Doctrine
is

derived, our au-

thor says, regarding an "old book":

that our

"So very old

its

modern antiquarians might ponder over

still

pages an indefinite time, and

as to the nature of the fabric
ten.
. . .

not quite agree

it is

upon which

writ-

of occult
piled

The most ancient Hebrew document learning, the Siphrah Dzeniouta, was comit,

from

and that

at a time
in

when

the former

was already considered

relic."

the light of a literary

"The days

of Constantine

were the
of the

last

turning
strug-

point in history.

The period

Supreme

gle that ended in the

Western world throttling the

old religions in favor of the

bodies.

new

ones, built

on their

From

thence the vista into the far distant

124

Mystic Masonry.

Past,

beyond the 'Deluge' and the 'Garden of Eden/

to be forcibly

began
fa^ir

and

relentlessly closed by every

and unfair means against the indiscreet gaze

posterity.

of

Every

issue

was blocked

up,

every

record that hands could be laid upon, destroyed."*

This same Constantine who, with his soldiers environed the Bishops at the
A. D. 325,
first

Council of

Nice,

and dictated terms

to their deliberations,

applied for initiation into the Mysteries, and

told

was

by the

officiating priest that

no purgation could

free

him from the crime

of putting his wife to death,

or from his

many

perjuries and murders.

Every

careful and unbiased student of history

knows why
little

the Secret Doctrine has been heard of so the days of Constantine.

belief in a personal

since

An

exoteric religion
it

and

God
and

blotted

out for self-pro!

tection;

and

yet, oh,
it,

irony of history
for

the very Pena student

seals will

tateuch conceals

many

of

Kabalah of
broken.

the

coming century the

be

In trying to apprehend an outline, at Secret

Doctrine,

least,

of the

two ideas should

be

kept
;

conthe

stantly in mind, viz., Space

and Consciousness
is

former, in relation to

all

that

either thought or

Secret

Doctrine.

The Secret Doctrine.

asserted regarding Nature and Deity
in
;

125

and the

latter,

regard to Deity, Nature, and Man.

both

In the

last

analysis,

Space and Consciousness elude

never know.

us.

What they are, per se, we shall may as well take them as facts
and
in

We

in our experience,

analyzing that experience, both Conscious-

ness and

Knowledge
is

will

expand.
is,

"What
there
is

that

which was,

and

will be,

whether

a Universe or not: whether there be

Gods

or none? asks the Senzar Catechism.

And
Deity.

the an-

swer made

is

Space."
is

Now
may

space

not Nature, nor

is it

Space

be said to contain nature or creation, and to

It is

conceal Divinity.

therefore the point of ema-

nation and the vanishing point.

The

Occult

Catechism contains

the

following

questions and answers

"What
was?"
is

is

it

that ever is?"

"Space, the eternal

is
it

Anupadaka"

(parentless).

"What

that ever
is
it

"The germ

in the Root."

"What

that

ever coming and going?"

"The Great Breath."

"No, the three
one
;

"Then there are three eternals?"

are one."

"That which ever

is is

is,

is
is

that

which

ever was,

one

that
:

which

ever being, and

becoming,

also one

and

this is Space."

"For clearer understanding on the part of

the

126

Mystic Masonry.

general reader,

it

must be stated that the Occult SciSeven

Cosmical
the
fifth

ence

recognizes
physical,
it

Elements
(Ether)

four
semi-

entirely

and

material, as

will

become

visible in the air

toward

the end of the Fourth Round, to reign supreme over

the others during the whole of the Fifth.

The

re-

maining two are as yet absolutely beyond the range

of

human

perception.

These

latter will,

however,

appear as presentiments during

the

6th

and 7th

Rounds

respectively.

These seven elements, with

(far

their numberless

Sub-Elements

more numer-

ous than those

known
This

to Science), are simply con-

ditional modifications

and aspects of the one and

latter is not Ether,

only Element.

nor even

Akasa, but the Source of these. The Fifth Element,

now advocated
he
calls
it

quite freely by Science,

is

not the

Ether hypothesized by Sir Isaac Newton

although
it

by that name, having associated

in his
ol

mind, probably, with the ^Ether, 'Father-Mother'

Antiquity.
is

As Newton

intuitionally says:

'Nature

a perfect

circulatory worker, generating fluids

out of solids, fixed things out of volatile, and volatile

out of fixed.
.
.

Subtle out of gross, and gross out

.

of subtle.'

Thus, perhaps,

may
I,

all

things be

originated from Ether.''

*Secret Doctrine.

(Hypoth.

675.)*

The Secret Doctrine.

It is

127

interesting to notice, in this connection, that

Newton was famiUar with

Boehmen,
the

the writings of Jacob

"Teutonic

Theosopher,"

and

that

among Newton's posthumous papers were found copious notes and translations from his works. As
to the "Races," referred to in the
it

above quotation,

need only be said in passing, that the Secret

Doctrine declares that in the evolution of humanity

there are to be seven Races, of which ours
the
fifth,
is

now

and that each race makes seven rounds on and there a

Doctrine

our planetary chain, of which rounds the present

race
"fifth
is

now

in the fourth, with here

rounder" appearing.

The

Secret

teaches, not only the immortality of the soul, but

the perfectibility of

humanity by orderly evolution

on

this Earth.

This doctrine concerns the general

evolution which the present

dentally;
it

work touches only

inci-

is

complicated, and necessarily so.

There are three fundamental propositions that underlie the Secret Doctrine,

(o)

"An Omnipresent,
Principle
since
it

Eternal,

Boundless, and
speculation
is

Immutable
impossible,

on

which

all

tran-

scends the power of

only be dwarfed by any

tude.
It is

human conception, and could human expression or similibeyond the range and reach of human
the words of

thought

in

Mandukya, "unthinkable

128

Mystic Masonry.
This Infinite and Eternal Cause

and unspeakable."

dimly
. . .

formulated in the "Unconscious" and "Un-

knowable" of current European philosophy

rootless root of "all that was,
is,

is

the

or ever shall be."

In Sanscrit
in

it

is

"Sat."

This "Beness"

is

symbolized
aspects.

the

Secret

Doctrine

under

two

On

the one hand, Absolute abstract Space, repre-

senting bare subjectivity, the one thing which no

human mind can

either exclude

from any concep-

tion or conceive of by itself.

On

the other. Absolute abstract

Motion repre"Spirit

senting

"Unconditioned

Consciousness."

(or Consciousness) and Matter are, however, to be

regarded, not as independent realities, but as the

two facets or aspects of the Absolute, which constitutes the basis of conditioned

Being whether sub-

jective or objective."
ical triad"

"Considering this metaphys-

(the only reality. Spirit and Matter) "as

all

the Root from which proceeds

manifestation, the

'Great Breath' assumes the character of precosmic

Ideation."
(Plato's

World

of Divine Ideas.)

"It is the fons et origo of force

and of

all

individintelli-

ual consciousness,

and supplies the guiding

gence in the vast scheme of Cosmic Evolution.

On

the other hand, precosmic root-substance (Mulapra-

The Secret Doctrine.

kriti) is that aspect of the
all

129

Absolute v^hich underhes

the objective planes in Nature."

(b)

The second
is:

of

the three postulates of the

of the Universe

Secret Doctrine

"The Eternity

in toto as a boundless plane: periodically 'the play-

ground of numberless Universes incessantly manifesting

stars'

and disappearing,' called

'the

manifesting

and the 'sparks of

Eternity,'

'The Eternity

of the Pilgrim' (the

Monad

or Self in

man)

is

Hke

a wink of the Eye of Self-Existence. ance and disappearance of Worlds is

tidal

'The appearlike a

regular

ebb of flux and

third postulate

reflux.'

"

The

is: (c)
identity of all Souls with the
itself

"The fundamental
pect of the

Universal Over-Soul, the latter being

an

as-

Unknown Root; and

the obligatory pil-

grimage for every Soul

spark of the former

through the Cycle of Incarnation (or Necessity) in accordance with Cyclic and Karmic law, during the

whole term."

"The

pivotal doctrine of the

Eastern philosophy admits no privileges or special gifts in man, save those won by his own Ego through
personal effort and merit throughout a long series
of Metempsychosis and Reincarnations."*

Secret

Doctrine,

Introduction.

130

Mystic Masonry.

Every soul must "work out

its

own

salvation,"

and "take the Kingdom of Heaven by

force."

Sal-

vation by faith and the vicarious atonement were

not taught, as

now

interpreted, by Jesus, nor are

these doctrines taught in the exoteric

Scriptures.

They are
inal

later

and ignorant perversions of the origIn the Early

doctrines.

Church, as

in

the

Secret Doctrine, there was not one Christ for the

whole world, but a potential Christ

Theologians
first

in

every man.

made
;

a fetish of the Impersonal,

Omnipresent Divinity

and then tore the Christos

from the hearts of

all

humanity

in

order to deify
peculiarly

Jesus; that they might have a

their

God-man

own
it.

All the ancient Mysteries had the true doctrine,

and the early Christians had

Masonry, unconit

taminated by the disciples of Loyola, had and has

also.

The one Immutable

first

Principle, referred to in the

is

proposition (a),

called in the Kabalah,

Ain
is

Soph: the word Ain meaning "nothing."

This
it

not Jehovah, or Adonia, or the G,A,0,U; for

not
itself

is

creative,

but

the

cause

of

Creation.

("Causeless Cause.")

The Jewish

"creators"

(plural)

are the Elohim;

the "Principalities and Powers."

In this conception

The Secret Doctrine.

of Divinity
i.

131

lies

the secret of the Ineffable

Name,
Mas-

e.,

the

Nameless.
possesses
the
it

The Lost Word

and knows how

is

to the

ter
it,

who
what

to

"pronounce"
is

Logos or creative power

to

the

Nameless.

Hence

the real Master creates, and in

this sense is a god.

This will be further shown in

connection with the Seven Principles and the Nature of

Man.
proposition

The second
verse in toto
cessant"

the

Eternity of the Uni-

reveals

the law of cycles and the "in-

work

of creation.

In other words, the creative process never had a

beginning, and will never have an end.

There

is

one endless succession of Universes.

Worlds and

Solar systems continually appear and disappear.

Each
activity
is.

sun, star, or solar system has a period of

and a period of repose; emanates from, and These drawn back into, the All and the One.

periods are called the "Nights and days of Brahm,"

The human

idea that a

God with human

qualities

and

passions

made

the Earth out of nothing in

is

six days of twenty-four hours each,

sufficiently

miraculous, and sufficiently childish, for those

are ready to burn
pretation.
all

who

who do
the

not accept their inter-

To endow

God with

power of performing

132

Mystic Masonry.

the impossible
sufficient

and the inconceivable, was considered

honor bestowed.
of periodicity
is

The law

a necessary corollary of

the order of events and the flight of time.

mical, orderly,

Ryth-

harmonious movements

in space give

us our conception of time, as

how

fast,
is

how
is

often,

how

slow,

how

regular, etc.

The ear

a time or-

gan, and the basic property of the Ether

Sound.
is

This idea of periodicity, or law of cycles,

bolized in

sym-

Freemasonry
five,

in

many

ways.

In the three,

or seven years of pilgrimage or

penance;
of

in

the seven years of plenty,

and seven

famine.

"In the low twelve" and "the high

twelve," in calling the Craft from labor to refresh-

ment, and

many

others.

In the third postulate

all

we

have "the fundamental identity of

souls with the

One," which gives the basis of the eternal and universal Brotherhood of
tire

Man, and the

basis of the en-

scheme of human Evolution.

these doctrines are clearly understood, they

When

will be seen to

go far beyond any modern scheme

of evolution, though running on

lines.

somewhat

similar

In them the entire scheme of Cosmic and

evolution will be found to have been worked

human

out ages ago.

doctrines

Pythagoras and Plato found these

unfolded
in

completely

the

Mysteries.

The Secret Doctrine.

133

oftener

Brother Pike says repeatedly that they have been far disfigured than apprehended, and never

transcended
genius,
its

in

modern

times.
its

Masonry derives
its

its

inspiration,

glyphs, and

traditions

from

this

philosophy as taught in the Mysteries.

How

short-sighted and time-serving, then,

its

must

it

be for Masonry to allow

priceless inheritance to be
illogical

Grand Traditions,

its

dwarfed and overlaid by

from records that

interpretations, derived

were

in the beginning,

and before being disfigured

the
for

by ignorance or cupidity, only an allegory of

true doctrines, prepared by "those

who knew"
a
is

the ignorant

masses,

who demanded
This

sign

and

could never rise above a fetish.

like barter-

ing a magnificent diamond for a lump of

clay.

common
by try-

Shall

Masons now complete the

diamond?
one's

folly

ing to convince themselves and others that the clay

is

the only

How much

idea
is

of

God

colors

all

his

thoughts and deeds

seldom realized.

The

ordi-

nary crude and ignorant conception of a personal

God more
lyle

often results in slavish fear on the one

It is

hand, and Atheism on the other.

calls

what Car-

"an absentee God, doing nothing since

This idea of God carries with

the six days of creation, but sitting on the outside

and seeing

it

go

!"

134

Mystic Masonry.

it,

of course, the idea of creation, as something al-

ready completed in time;

ation
is

when

the fact

is

that cre-

a process without beginning or end.

all

The

world

worlds

are

being "created" today as

in the past.
is

much

as at

any period

Even

the ap-

parent destruction of worlds

lutionary process.

a creative, or evo-

Emanating from the bosom of

the All, and running their cyclic course; day alter-

nating with night, on the outer physical plane, they

are again indrawn to the invisible plane, only to re-

emerge

after a longer night

and

start

again on a

higher cycle of evolution.

Theologians have tried

in vain to attach the idea of

immanence

to that of

personality,

and ended in a jargon of words and

utter confusion of ideas.

not, except in potency.

personal Absolute
not think, but

is
is
is

God does

the cause of

Thought.

God does
God
is

not
;

love,

he

Love, in the perfect or absolute sense

all

and so with

the Divine Attributes.

thus the concealed

Logos, the "Causeless Cause," the "Rootless Root."

God never manifests Himself

Creation
is

(to be seen of

men).
is

His manifestation:

and as creation
it

not complete, and never will be, and as

a beginning, there
is

never had

a concealed or unrevealed poall

tency back of and beyond

creation,

which

is still

God.

Now, Space

is

the most perfect symbol of

The Secret Doctrine.

this idea of Divinity; for
it

135

enters into

all

our con-

cepts,

and

is

the basis of
it,

all

our experiences.
or exclude
it

We

can not fathom

or define

it,

from a

single thought or experience.

infinite,

Space

is

boundless,

unfathomable, unknowable: in
all.

all,

over
is

all,

through

We
It.

know

that It Is

and that

all

we know about

But are not these just the attributes that are

as-

signed to the Absolute and Infinite Deity? and they

are
all

negations.

God, says the Kabalah,

is

No

Thing.
this is

But the Theologian

pure Pantheism.
It

will hasten to say that

is

no more Pantheism

than

it is

Atheism,

for, as

already shown, the

Ain
It

Soph
is

is

before and beyond Creation or Cosmos.

not

God deduced
remains

or derived from Nature, but pre-

cisely

the reverse; nature derived from God, and

yet

God
is

"the

same,

yesterday,

today, of

and forever"
nature

the
is

Changeless.

The
at

stability

derived from the unchangeableness of God.

tires,

God never
needing
ish,

not exhausted

His work,
to be child-

rest.

That were so human as

and the

idea, perhaps, originated

from the

cyclic

law found

in the

Kabalah of the "Days and Nights

and
Pralayas," or

of Brahm,'' the "Manvantaras

periods of "outbreathing" and of "inbreathing" in

the cvcles of evolution.

136

Mystic Masonry.
the parable, given to the ignorant or

Hence

viie

profane, of God's working and then resting.

If the

reader will but reflect a

moment on

his

own

proc-

ess of breathing, he will find that the inbreathing

(inhalation) and the outbreathing (exhalation) are

equal,
ferent,

and equally active processes, although so

dif-

each being the opposite of the other: each,

in its turn, the cause of the other.

Stop one, and

reflects

the other ceases also.

The more one

on
is,

this

symbol of the Great Breath which creation

the

more
his

will

he understand of both Eternal Nature and

own
it

being.

But

may

be asked

is

man
is

to be deprived of all

idea of Personality except his

own?
the

By no means.
Author of Peri.

God
that

is

the

Author of Being,

sonality.

He

personifies Himself,

e.,

expresses
is,

potency

of

Himself

which

personality
is

through Man.
a

The Hand Humanity

of Providence
is

always

human

hand.

both the vehicle and

the agent of

what man has

called the Providence of

God.

Humanity
and Christos

in toto, then,
is

is

the only Personal

God;

the realization, or perfection of this

Divine Persona, in Individual conscious experience.

When

this perfection

is

realized, the state is called

Christos, with the

Greeks, and Buddha, with the

The Secret Doctrine.

Hindoos.
Father.

137

Hence
"Be ye
is

the

Christ

is

at-one

with

the

perfect,

even as your Father in

Heaven

perfect."
in toto
!

Humanity

What

is it?

Is

it

the genera-

tions of the present

age? or of any age in the past?

or of the future?

and these alone?

is

Justice rules
all

the Universe, and

tice is the

the foundation of

Law. Jus-

"Kingdom," the "Permanency" of Deity.

Humanity, therefore, means every human being ever

horn, in any age, or to be born in
this Planet.

coming ages, on
no Justice.
to the

All are "in the Hollow of His hand."

for
all
!

One God, One Law

else there is

And

if it

shall be

done unto each according

;

deeds done in the body

he reap, the only logical

man soweth so shall deduction is Law governing

if

as a

action and determining results according to Absolute Justice.

And

this the

Kabalah, the Secret Doc-

trine

and Masonry, and

all

Sacred Books, and

all

Religions, everywhere teach.

bols for the thing symbolized,

By taking the Symmen have made con-

tradictions out of details, and then built up a system

of final rewards and punishments, attaching to acts

in time
;

and claimed their unreason and injustice as

all eternity.
;

binding to

The
is

result

is

Atheism and
man, as part
is

Materialism

for there

an instinct

in

of his Divine inheritance, and that instinct

an

138

Mystic Masonry.
Justice.

innate sense of
result
is

Destroy

this,

and

the

Atheism, pure and simple.

Destruction of

the sense of Justice has

honey-combed the churches,

It is

and been the parent of modern Materialism.

true that MateriaHsm
actual result.
is

not the logical, but the

The

issue is not logically between an

tha,t is

Uujust God and no God, but between a God

inconceivable because Unjust; and a

God

that

is

conceivable because Just, and therefore the issue of

the

Supreme Reason.
this

But

philosophical concept of
still

Divinity has

another and

wider bearing.
life,

It

concerns not

only man's personal

to his fellow

but determines his relations

is

men.

It

the basis of ethics, and

all

furthermore co-ordinates
his knowledge,

his experience

and

all

and

this leads to true

wisdom.

"To
this

know God

is

the

Supreme Wisdom."

It will be

urged by modern Theologians that

view dethrones Christ. swer

is

To
that

this objection

the anIt

is

that any other view orphans

Humanity.

far

more important

men

should strive to
that

become Christs than that they should believe

Jesus was Christ.
tained by but one
If

the Christ-state can be at-

human

being during the whole

evolution of the race, then the evolution of

a farce and

man

is

human

perfection an impossibility.

The Secret Doctrine.

Jesus
is

139
all

no

less

Divine because

men may
it w^ill

reach the same Divine perfection.

urged, "There
is

Again,

be

no other name given under Heaven

w^hereby ye can be saved."

or amongst

men

But
is

this is the Ineffable to possess

Name,

v^hich every Master

and become, and salvation and perfection

It

are synonymous.
act in the

has also been shown that every

life
is

drama of the

of Jesus, and every

quality assigned to Christ,

to be

found in the
all

life

of Krishna and in the legend of

the

Sun-Gods

from the remotest antiquity.

That which the orthodox Christian

oppose to this view
grades Christ, but
is

will find to

not that
it

it

dethrones or dethe idea of

that

disproves

Christ as their exclusive possession, and denies that

all

other religions are less Divine than their own.

We

have

brought

the

same

selfishness

into

our

religions that

we indulge

in regard to

our other pos-

sessions, such as wife

and children, and houses and

spirit as

land,
in

and country; and the same partisan

politics,

our

and

this

more than anything

else

appears to justify selfishness in general, militates

against the Brotherhood of

Man, and prevents the

Republic,

founding

of

the

"Great
all

composed

of

many Nations and

people."

This idea of Uni-

versal Brotherhood which

was a cardinal doctrine

140

Mystic Masonry.

in the
first

Ancient Mysteries

as

it

is

involved in the

postulate of the Secret Doctrine, and openly

is

declared in the third; and which

the very
first

equally given

rank in Masonry

is

the logical de-

duction from our idea of Divinity, and of the essential

nature and meaning of

Christos.
is

Humanity,

in toto, as already explained,

the personification

of the Divine in Creation, and the idea of exact and

universal Justice regards each individual of

all

the

myriads constituting

Humanity with equal

in the
all

favor.

There are no favorites

Justice
of

Divine Conception,

God toward

implies Justice toward

each other amongst men.

is

This principle of Justice

Law

Universal, and this principle of Brotherhood

perfectibility of

and the

man's nature through evo-

lution necessitate

Reincarnation.

The number

of
in-

souls constituting

Humanity, though practically

numerable,

is,

nevertheless definite.

Hence the docthe Mysteries

all

trine of pre-existence taught in all

applies to "every child of

ditions
living.
in

woman

born;"

con-

each

life

being determined by previous

in

This will be further elaborated

another

section of this work.

in

Thus the Fatherhood of God the Personification of Divinity in Humanity inBrotherhood

cludes the Universal and Unqualified

of

Man.

The Secret Doctrine.

141

The

real

Masters in

all

ages,

knowing

this

from

the lessons taught in the mysteries of initiation, have

ever been the foes of Autocrats, Oligarchies, and

Oppression in every form, v^^hether Ecclesiastical

or Political.

Masons are taught

to

obey the laws

of the country in which they reside.

They

are not
enlight-

agents of Revolution, but of Evolution.

By
to
is

enment and persuasion they may

a nation or a church.

strive

reform
the outin

The

true Republic

growth of Brotherhood, and a jealous monarch

Church or State

will naturally

oppose the diffusion

of doctrines that tend to the liberation and the en-

lightenment of the people.

It is true,

however, that

all

the Masters or Adepts

may

not be equally enlightened or equally prudent.

like
St.

Mystics like Jacob Boehmen, or Adepts

Germain, or Masons
like

like

de Molai, or Philosophers
the Great

Bruno, or other Agents of

Lodge

sought only to instruct and enlighten mankind.

The
peals,

rabble were deaf to their doctrines and ap-

and turned

like

ravenous wolves upon them.

"Because true Masonry unemasculated, bore the

banners of Freedom and Equal Right, and was
rebellion against spiritual tyranny,
its

in

Lodges were

proscribed in 1738 by an edict of the States of Holland.

In 1737 Louis

XV.

forbade them in France.

142

Mystic Masonry.

In 1738 Pope Clement XII. issued against them his

famous Bull of

Excommunication, which was

;

re-

newed by Benedict XIV.

and

in 1743 the Council

of Berne also proscribed them."*

"Masonry has ever the most

vivid

remembrance

of the terrible and artificial torments that were used

to put
old.

down new forms

It sees
all

of religion, or extinguish the

with the eye of

memory

the ruthless

extermination of
sexes
the

the people of all ages

and both

because

it

was

their misfortune not to

know

the

God of the Hebrews, or to worship Him under wrong name by the savage troops of Moses and
It

Joshua.

sees the

thumb-screws and the racks,

the whip, the gallows, and the stake, the victims of

Diocletian and Alva, the miserable Covenanters, the

Non-Conformists, Servetus burned, and the unoffending Quaker hung.

It sees the

persecutions of
trials

Peter and Paul, the martyrdom of Stephen, the

of Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin and Ireneus; and then,

in turn, the sufferings of

wretched Pagans under the

Christian Emperors, as of Papists in Ireland under

Elizabeth,

and

the

bloated

Henry;
lions,

the

Roman

Virgin naked before the hungry

garet

young Mar-

Graham

tied to a stake at low-water mark,

*Moiials

and Dogma,

p.

50.

The Secret Doctrine.

and there
left to

143

drown, singing hymns to God

until

the savage waters broke over her head; and all that
in all ages
peril

have suffered by hunger and nakedness,

stake, the

and prison, the rack, the

sword
roll

it

sees

them

all,

and shudders

at the

long

of hu-

man

atrocities.

And

it

sees the oppression

still

prac-

ticed in the

name

of religion

men

shot in a Chris-

tian Jail in Christian Italy for reading the Christian

Bible; in almost every Christian State laws forbid-

ding

freedom of

speech

on matters

relating
its

to

Christianity,

and the gallows reaching

arm over

the pulpit."

"The

fires

of

Moloch

in Syria, the harsh mutila-

tions in the

name

of Astarte, Cybele, and Jehovah;

the barbarities of imperial

Pagan Torturers

the

still

grosser torments which

Italy

Roman

Gothic Christians in

and Spain heaped on their brother-men; the

fiendish cruelties to

which Switzerland and France,

the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Ireland,

ica,

Amerto

have been witness, are none too powerful

warn man of

the unspeakable evils which follow

in the

from mistakes and errors

matter of religion,

and especially from investing the God of Love with

the cruel and vindictive passions of erring humanity,

and making blood

to

have a sweet savor

in his nos-

144

Mystic Masonry.

trils,

and groans of

agony

to

be delicious in his

ears."

"Man

never had the right to usurp the unexer-

cised prerogative of God, and

condemn and punish

the laws of Nature

another for his behef."*

All

men

are brothers by

all

and by the very Being of God.

But so long as

Religion defines Heresy as a crime, or imagines a

God v^ith human attributes, "man's inhumanity to man" vi^ill continue to make "countless millions
mourn," and
find vent for all evil passions justified

by their idea of God.

a thing of the past.
tian countries,

But,

some

w^ill

say this

is all

Mankind, especially

in Chris-

have outgrown these

!

relics of

Bar-

barism,

Alas

if

it

were only

true.

We

do not

drown, or burn, or torture physically, but quite as

subtle torture to the sensitive
is

found in scorn,
in

contempt, ridicule, and

ostracism,

slander and

defamation of character.

Are we any nearer genu-

ine brotherhood today than

we were

a century ago?

or have

we

but refined our cruelties and merely disthe tiger?

guised the claw of

selfishness

Do

not

supreme

and

relentless greed lie at the heart of

competition?

Are not

the Trade Unions and the

"Morals and Dogma,

p.

1G2

et

seq.

The Secret Doctrine.

I45

Syndicates glowering at each other Hke cages of

wild beasts?

Ah,

my

Brother,
after

we

are but Httle re-

moved rom Barbarism

all

all,

and

it

does make
enter-

the difference in the world

what idea we

tain of God,

and what

is

our basis of Ethics.

The

one idea of the modern Scheme of Salvation

preservation.

is self-

We

must be saved,

if all

the rest are

selfish-

damned, and competition, and egotism, and

ness in every form are the legitimate result.

Masonry does not preach a new

reiterates

religion,

it

but

the

New Commandment
also

announced by
re-

Jesus,

which was

announced by every great

former of religion since history began.

theological barnacles

Drop

the

from the Religion of Jesus, as

becomes Masonry.
it

taught by Him, and by the Essenes and Gnostics of

the
first

centuries,
its

and

it

Ma-

sonry in

purity, derived as

is

from the old

Hebrew Kabalah
Wisdom-Religion

as part of the of

Great Universal
Antiquity,

remotest

stands

squarely for the Unqualified and Universal Brother-

hood of Man,

in

all

time and in every age.

it

To

Christianize Masonry, or to narrow

rian bounds of any Creed,
belittle
it,

to the secta-

is

not only to dwarf and

but must inevitably result, as

among war-

ring sects, has always resulted

setting brother against brother,

with religions, in

and Lodge against

14^

Mystic Masonry.
final dissolution.

Lodge, and result in

This

is

one

of the plainest meanings of the Legend of the Lost

Word.

The

thinnest veil over the sublime Mystery of the

Ineffable

Name

is

Brotherhood and Love

This

is

the Light of the Logos.

The gross darkness

over the Shekinah
so hath
it

that hangs like a black veil

Selfishness

is

and Hate.
it

Even
till

ever been; and so

v^^ill

ever be

Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth reign universally

in the hearts of all

Humanity.

The

refinements of

so-called

Civilization

do not change the essential

all

nature of man.
virakes

Beneath

these there sleeps or

is

demon or an
no

angel,

and one of these

ever

in chains, for

man

can serve two masters.

The Secret Doctrine.

I47

CHAPTER

V.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE (CONTINUED).

Science and Religion.

The Science and the ReHgion (Theology) West are in perpetual conflict. The genius
religion discerns Faith
tion.

of the
of this

and Miracle
its

as

its

founda-

Science holds as
is

ideals

Fact and Law.

This religion

necessarily illogical, while science

is ma.erialistic,

and, thanks to both,

mankind

is

as

far

from any

real

knowledge of the nature and desit

tiny of the soul as

was a thousand years

;

ago.

This conflict has long been maintained

to the death
;

it

is

war

both religion and science are being re-

formed, and long before the battle ceases, neither

of the original champions will be found to exist, ex-

cept in their progeny of doubtful extraction or for-

eign parentage.

reconciliation has sometimes been

dreamed

of,

but placed a long

way

off.
is

The theory

or "working
last de-

hypothesis" of Science
gree.

mechanical to the

Matter, Force, Motion, and

Law

without an

148

Mystic Masonry.
Matter
said to be essen-

underlying Intelligence.
tially

is
is

dead and

inert,

and Mind

regarded as the

fortuitous

result

of

combination and aggregation,

Evolution
is

known

as

"organization."

regarded

as the result of modification and improvement by

use and selection, and the increment carried forward

by heredity.

In other words, of Autonomy.

of Religion
is

The theory

that of a Personal

God

and an arbitrary and equally mechanical, though

miraculous, creation;
of a Revelation equally mi-

raculous; of souls created as by arbitrary caprice of

Deity, with the accidental co-operation of man, even
in violation of Divine

Law.

It talks of

Laws, but

admits their abrogation through the Will (caprice)

of God.
It is true that neither

Science nor Religion

creeds,

has openly formulated

the

foregoing

but
as-

they are fair deductions from the

postulates

sumed, the logical results of a Nature without Intelligence;

and a God who creates Laws only

to

annul them at His

tion

own good
is

pleasure

Reconcilia-

between Science and

Religion thus

becomes
itself.

impossible, because each

a contradiction to
in the

But a reconciliation was reached

Doctrine ages ago.

Secret

The

old universal
;

Wisdom

Religion was scientific

to the last degree

for beneath both Science

and Re-

The Secret Doctrine.

ligion

I49

was

the Philosophy

which discerned the

or-

derly processes of Eternal Nature, with no "missing

links" in Evolution,

and no caprice or contradictions

anywhere

in

Cosmos.
Postulate
to, lays

The

First

of

the

Secret

Doctrine,

already referred
old Philosophy.

the sure foundation of this

An

Omnipotent,
Principle,

Eternal,
co-evil

Boundless,

and

Im-

mutable

and

co-extensive with

Space: in All, through All, and over All: Divinity

Immanent
Result,

in

Nature: Alike the Eternal Cause and

each without beginning or end, and each

!

alternating forever

Law
ture
the
is

in

Nature

is

the

Permanency, the UncbangeIntelligence in

ableness of the Divine Being.

the

Na-

Harmony
etc.,

of the Divine Order.

Hence,

"Kingdom," the "Foundation," the "Crown," the

of the Kabalistic Sephira, or Divine

"Beauty,"

Attributes of
trine

Ain Soph, the Boundless. The docof Emanation, taught by Plato and held by the

Gnostics and the early Christians, gave the key to

cosmic and
is

human

evolution.

Plotinus said:

"God

not the principle of Beings, but the Principle of

Principles."

Universal

Substance, Universal EnLife, Universal In-

ergy, Universal

Law, Universal

ISO

Mystic Masonry.

telligence are all emanations or manifestations of

the

One
is

Principle.

This

not Pantheism, but pure and unadulterated

Theism.

The All

is

One, and

that

One

is

Divinity, Spinoza

came, perhaps, as near the truth as any one since

the days of the old Initiates.

Every atom of matter as every "spot"

full

in space

is

of Divinity.
is

There
is

neither time nor place w^here

Priest-Initiates

He

("It")

not.

The

among
it

the Hebrev^^s

knew

this doctrine, as they

v^^as

had

from Old Egypt

Egypand neither Jehovah nor Adonai was the Nameless or the Boundless.
skilled in all the vv^isdom of the

("Moses

tians"),

Here, in the First Postulate,

reconciliation

lies

the complete

of Science and Religion.

in

Through
ali,

the Divine

Immanence

Nature, and within

is

Space concealed, every atom of matter

endowed

with Life and Intelligence and bound by Law. Evolution is a Formation, Transformation,

and Re-for-

mation, in endless succession, with the outposts of

Creation

continually

drawn upward toward

At
the center of every
;

the

center in Divinity.

Or, Space Involves Divinity,

and Evolves Cosmos.

or

atom

Sun

lies

Divinity (Unity)

at the

circumference

The Secret Doctrine.

unfolds Nature (Diversity) ever

151

and these two are

for-

One and

at-one.

How

any rational

mind can

fail

to see in this

philosophy a complete Reconciliation of Religion

and Science,

it

is difficult

to understand.

In the beginning,
begins
(called
to

when
the

the world emanates, or

manifest visibly, space becomes turgid

in

"curds"

old

Hindoo Cosmology)
becomes
it

with

substance.
is

The

invisible

visible.

This

the

first

"Matter," and

is

called Akasa.

On

the force side, coincident with this turgescence

to

(prior

"nebula")

"Absolute Abstract

Motion,

representing Unconditioned Consciousness," one of

the

two aspects of Beness

active.

latent
primal

potential energy

becomes

Latent

Consciousness

becomes
is

Cosmic Ideation.
Fohat,
"the

This

energy

called

mysterious

link

between Mind

and

Matter, the animating principle electrifying every

atom into
Motion,
(active)

life."

We
Law

have
as

now

Matter, Force and

intelligence

with

the

Guiding
(latent)

and

Consciousness
;

as

Cosmic

Ideation, unfolding the Plan

and

all

these in perfect

concord evolving the Sym.phony of Creation.

Of

course this Cosmogenesis can be here but roughly

outlined.

We

have then Akasa, as the Universal Substance,

152

Mystic Masonry.
Intelli-

and Fohat, as the Universal Energy, with

gence guiding them, Consciousness back of

them,

and the Roots of

all in

the Concealed Ain-Soph, the

Unknowable.

Professor Crooks has taken a long

stride in this direction in his metaphysical excur-

sion in search of the "Origin of the Elements," and

in

his

postulation

of

Protyle.

He

has

further

touched the septenary key in the order of the emanation of the so-called elements
science.
It

known
in a

to

modern
as

would be impossible

work such

this, and equally out of place, to undertake to trace

the process running through millions of years

by

which a planet
rise

is

evolved;

how

the turgescence gives

to denser

substance, "set on fire" by friction

(Fohat),

and

how
is

the

"Fire-Mist"

cools

and

hardens into Matter on our plane.

ent Chaos, here

Though apparin
is

Cosmos, order and formation, as

be discerned
this

much
is

as

now may

present

state of

our Earth.

The

real

Chaos

Space, which

but latent, potential Cosmos, or Creation asleep.

this

Tracing

process of

world-building from the

"beginning," the

One

(negative), abstract

Space

and absolute Abstract Motion (the Ineffable Name, or Deity, lying still back of these, "Nameless" and
never manifesting),
lies

now become

active,

and here

the

first

"Manifestation," a duality: "Father-

The Secret Doctrine.

153

Mother;" Spirit and Matter; Consciousness and Intelligence.

From

a latent or potential duality, space

and motion, there arises an active manifested duality.

Taking latency as the One, the First Logos,

the "Second Logos."
first

we have thus the first Triad, or As differentiation goes on the

the Modulus.
"vi^heels"

Triad becomes
sets

Fohat "lights

the fires,"

the

(atoms) in motion, and Cosmic Ideation

(latent Consciousness

becoming active) now gives

Symbolize
itself

form

to

evolving substance.
first

this

and we

have the

triad

reflecting

in

matter a

double triangle,* or a perfect square, with the Ineffable

Name

inscribed in the

first

triangle;^

which

with the three reflected, making

six,

and the
is

Name

added making the First Septenary.

note of
the
all

This

the key-

that follows

the pitch, the rhythm, and

harmony

of Creation:

The

first

octave in the

song of the Morning Stars.

Th
:

first

septenary in
first

the Universal Spectrum of Color

and the
is

ex-

pression of the form into which Matter

molded.

*In

the
of

Kabalah
the

the

"Ancient
Face
"the

of

Days;"
in

the the

"Aged

Aged;"
is

"The

reflected

Waters."
apace."

Akasa

also

called

pure

waters of

tSee Plate

154

Mystic Masonry.
synthesize
these

To

all

movements
;

in

one word we

have Fohat as the agent

ifestation.
ity

and Vibration as the manthe pitch, qual-

The Master who knows

this
first

and amphtude of
first

vibration,

who can

produce this

septenary of

sound, color, and

that

form, can by so doing raise his Consciousness to from first or seventh (according as we count

above downward or the reverse) plane.

Such a one
It is

knows how

to

pronounce the Ineffable Name.

not only a matter of pure science, dealing with laws sentiof rhythm; a fact, and not a tradition or a

ment, but

it

implies absolute

At-One-Ment
that goes to

in

knowl-

edge and power between

all

make up

what we
is

call

man and
"It
is

all

the

consummation

of

It that we call Nature. human evolution. Hence

said the Christ:

to the

finished."

In giving himself

world the perfect at-one-ment was attained.

is,

In the ethical sense, that

tions of

on the plane of
is

rela-

man

to

man, the Word

In the

Renunciation, or

self-sacrifice.

Hindoo

tradition

regarding
of pro-

the Master's

Word

there are seven

ways

nouncing

it,

each involving a different potency and

a different result.

The Voice of the Silence

says

"Before thou

set'st

thy foot upon the ladder's up-

per rung, the ladder of the mystic sounds, thou hast

The Secret Doctrine.

to hear the voice of thy inner

155
(the Higher

God

Self) in seven manners.

"The

first

is

like

the

nightingale's
its

sweet voice

chanting a song of parting to

mate.

"The second comes "The next

as the sound of a silver

cym-

bal of the Dhyanis, aw^akening the twinkling stars.

is

as the plaint melodious of the ocean

sprite imprisoned in a shell.

"And
"The

this is followed
fifth

by the chant of Vina.

shrills

like the

sound of bamboo-flute

in thine ear. "It

changes next to a trumpet

last

blast.

"The "The

vibrates like the dull

rumbling of

thunder-cloud.

seventh

swallows

all

the

other

sounds.

They
are

die,

and then are heard no more.

the six are slain and at the Master's feet

"When
laid,

then

is

the pupil

merged

into the one, be-

comes the ONE and

lives therein."

While these descriptions are of symbols of sounds,

they nevertheless represent definite vibrations in the

Ether or Akasa, and he

who can

induce them in

himself, can raise his consciousness plane after plane

to the seventh,

and become at-one with the

All.

If

one has ever fainted or taken an anaesthetic, and re-

members

the rushing sound that precedes the silence,

156

Mystic Masonry.

when consciousness ceases on the outer plane, he has a fact in his own experience givnig him the key
to
in

Samadhi.

if

he can produce the same condition

himself without fainting or chloroform, for ex-

ample, but by a knowledge of the laws of vibration,

then

is

he an Adept, and has, and knows

how

to

pronounce the Master's Word.

The "designs on

the Trestle-board for the build-

ing of the Temple" are the laws that determine the

evolution of the Higher Self in

Man:
a

while the exe-

cution of the plan, or the construction of the temple,

in

accordance with the plan, means

transformation

of the earthly tabernacle

the

lower nature

into

likeness with "that other, spiritual teniple, not

made

with hands, eternal in the heavens."

This

is

again symbolized by the triangle within

the square.

The
Being
Eden.

triangle

in

the square syml)olizes

:

potential

before

evolution

Man

in

the

Garden of

The square

in the triangle symlxjlizes regen-

eration; the purification of the lower earthly nature

so that
it

may "ascend
This
is

to

the Father;"

return to

Paradise.
tion of

symbolized by the careful posi-

the compass and square in relation to the

Holy

Bible,

while

the

three

Greater

lights,

and

three Lesser lights again

make

a double triangle;

The Secret Doctrine.

one
greater

157

because

above,

one

lesser

because

below, which every

Mason

will understand.

few years ago these explanations would have

to

seemed
fanciful.
ity

the great majority of

persons purely
in electric-

But since the recent progress

;

and photography

since thought and

emotion,

like

Hght and shade, have been photographed by

light

emanating from the human body directed by

Will, the philosophical synthesis of the

the

human
in

forces

man

is

the next step in the search of

science for the mystery of man.

It is precisely this

synthesis which

Masonry

pos-

sesses in

its

Symbolism, and we can only read the

one by the light of the other, and check both by

facts derived

by experiments as science advances.

these broader metaphysical as-

Passing

now from

pects to the complex nature of man, and

also the key to his entire nature

we have

and evolution.

We

begin with the fact of consciousness.

:

Man
he
is

is

not merely a bundle of organs or faculties

sentially ONE.

es-

What
in the

else

can be the meaning of the

?

phrase

"Made
is

image of God"

Man
posits

the

image,

God

the

reality.

Divinity

a center of

consciousness and this evolves

in

into

man.

Just

as

Cosmogenesis,

latent

con-

sciousness as abstract absolute motion, became with

158

Mystic Masonry.

abstract space the Cosmic duality.

this center of consciousness in

We

speak of

man

as a "spark of
this spark
itself,
it

Divinity."
is to

What
all

Divinity

is

to

Cosmos

man.

Concealed, never manifesting

manifestations in man,

but
the

giving rise to

is

apex of the

triangle, v^^hile Life

and Thought are the

other two angles.

Starting, then, with this metaphysical concept,

we

have the Divine Ego, the Higher Self; a metaphysical abstraction,

it

is true,

like the zero in

mathe-

matics,

or like

Motion and Space, yet the cause

all

lying back of
actuality.

phenomena, the potency of

all

This

is

the Ego, the Thinker, the "I

far, it is
it

am

I"

in

man.

So

not conscious, but consciousness;

in

or the cause of
the
It

man's complex nature.

It
is

It is

"All-seeing Eye."
is

Christos,

potentially.

Conscience; the "Sun of Righteousness," in

It

man's world of being.

attaches to the body and

it

the lower life through mind, of which

tency, but not the act;

is

the po-

the Thinker, but not the

Thought.

Mind

is

the immediate vehicle of consciousness,

is

as matter

called the vehicle of Force.

Thus, from

the three postulates of

the

Secret

The Secret Doctrine.

Doctrine

159

we

have,

first:

Divinity,

and Nature

at

one; second,

we have

Spirit
all

and Substance as the

Force and
all

dual principle from which

Matter

proceed; third. Religion and Science, are consistent,

each with

itself,

and

in perfect

harmony with each

with, and

other; fourth,
nature, and
fortified

we have

a philosophy of the origin,

destiny of
all

Man, agreeing

by

previous concepts.

The

First Postuall

late teaches the origin

and essential nature of

things.

The Second

Postulate teaches the

Law

of

Cycles,

and the process of

in

world-building.

The
souls

Third Postulate teaches,

harmony with

the First
all

and Second, the "fundamental identity" of

with the Universal Over-Soul
;

Brotherhood and the

Laws

of

Karma and

Reincarnation, which are the

factors in

Human

Evolution.
to the First Postulate,

Going back, now,

we

find

One
all

Principle with whatever "aspects" or "manthe

ifestations"

human mind may

this

conceive,

and

things, all principles, potencies, powers, derived'

from or manifestations of
Matter or Spirit;

One: whether

it

be

man or beast; angel or worm; every thing from the One and, after all manifestation, as before, the One is concealed; inexhaustible, unknowable. We know and can know only Its gar;

ment,

Its manifestations.

i6o

Mystic Masonry.

Man
One
is

is

called the

Microcosm, or

little

world.

The

in him, as in Nature, the cause of his in the

Being;

and as

Macrocosm, or great world, the One

manifests as the

many by an

orderly descent or dif-

ferentiation, so in

man, from the one principle we

have

first

a triad, and then a quaternary.

seven.

The

three
first

evolve four, making

Then

from the

seven, "seven times seven,"

of the older

making the "49

fires"*

Hindu

philosophy.

Before the reader

declares this conception to be altogether fanciful,

let

him turn

to the investigations of

modern physical
Helmholtz
es-

science regarding Color and Sound.

timated that between the highest rate of vibrations

giving rise to sound waves apprehensible to the hu-

man

ear,

and the lowest vibration of Light, giving

Spectrum, there would

rise to the red of the Solar

intervene about thirty-four octaves of consonant or

dissonant vibrations

and unless there are great gaps

in nature, these thirty-four octaves are concerned in

producing the phenomena of Nature.

thermore, been demonstrated that there

It
is

has,

fur-

an exact

equation between color and sound vibrations; and

that
colors

have their complementary tones, and

*See Plates

and

II.

The Secret Doctrine.

tones their complementary colors.

i6i

In other words,

we may see sounds and hear The modern theory (very

colors.

old) of the Correlation

and Conservation of Force, designates the various forces, as "Special Modes of Motion:" that is, definite vibrations.

All colors, sounds, and forms in

nature, are the result of definite vibrations.

exists

Matter

on different planes, having different

densities,

different atomic or molecular structure, different vibrations.

and hence
or rather

Change the

plane,

transfer matter from one plane to another, and you

change the inherent or normal vibration.

the process, and change by any

Reverse
vibration,

means the

and

you transfer the matter involved

to

another

plane.

We

must go

further.

Observation and ex-

periment have shown that as to these various planes

we have

not a single form of matter, with a single

is

form of vibration, but every plane

compound.

complex and
all

All the colors of the spectrum, and

the tones in a musical scale, are resolvable into con-

sonant series of octaves (septenaries).

all

Hence on
is

the planes above referred

to,

there

an inter-

penetration of planes and vibrations.

On
all

each plane there

is

dominant chord

to

which
in

vibrations conform.

Just as

we may have

an

octave or throughout a symphony a dominant chord.

i62

Mystic Masonry.
of this interpenetration, however,

The order

is

from

above downvi^ard.

The higher penetrate

the lower,

while the lower are only latent in the higher. Take,

for example, seven planes of

which the highest (sev-

enth)

represents spirit, and the lowest matter or

substance.
illusory.
It
is

physical

The
It

first

or

lowest plane

is

altogether
existence.

has no permanent or real

not only in continual motion and

continual change (Formation, Dissolution, and Re-

formation) but these are

certain conditions
ist
it

its

characteristics.

Under

disappears (dissolves) from the

plane entirely, and passes to the 2d, and to the

4th,

3d,

and so on.

The
is

greatest activity

is

on

the higher planes, and

till all

greatest on the highest;

to,

merge

in,

or return

the One, and Change-

less,

from which they emanated.

in

All

known

phe-

nomena
law.

nature testify to the existence of such a

the

Hence

saying in

the

old

philosophy:

"Nature prefers that matter

higher planes only."

shall be eternal

on the

The
stances

grossest

physical

substance,

therefore,

is

penetrated or

saturated
energies.

with

all

the

higher subto

and

These

are

held

subis,

ordinate positions by the dominant chord, which

say, "F,"

and so are

latent or active as the

theme

unfolds, or as the combination varies.

Can any one

The Secret Doctrine.

163

imagine such a complicated condition and such coordinate resuks as all the time occur, and yet believe that there is

no absolute law governing the

not
difficult in a

whole process?

It is

general

way

to formulate the law.

Take the

first

or lowest plane.
2,

It

is

penetrated

by matter of plane No.

the next higher.

Let us

say that each plane represents matter and force, the Cosmic duality. The so-called Force, of plane i,
is

the so-called substance of plane

in its turn saturated
3.

2.

But plane

is

by the substance and energy

force or energy of plane 2
3,

of plane
is

Hence the
latent

the substance of plane

is

while the Force side of

but active on plane
3.

plane 3

on plane

2,

The

law, therefore,

may

be thus formulated:
is

From

highest to lowest, the lower

the vehicle (Upadhi)

of the higher; and each plane in the ascending or-

der derives

its

Force or Energ}^ from the Substance

In the
last analysis,

of the next higher.

where

all

are

merged

in the one. Substance

and Energ>^ are

Prin-

seen to be but two aspects of the

ciple
;

One Eternal

the "Father-:Mother" of the old philosophy.

Passing

now from

these general considerations to

the organic nature of man, and applying these universal laws to his physical,

sensuous, intelkctual,

moral, and spiritual nature,

we

shall find that they

164

Mystic Masonry.

shed a flood of light on the problem of his nature,

origin and destiny.
It is

well to bear in

mind

that our idea of God,

and our theory of

Religion

(theology)

were the
the ex-

starting points in this philosophy.

To deny

istence of God, or to conceive one as illogical, unjust, capricious, personal,

and endowed with

all

hu-

man

infirmities, equally lead to confusion,

if

ignorance

and discouragement,
This
philosophy,

not to despair.

here but
all

crudely outlined,

is

not only the foundation of

all

the sacred books of

in

rehgions, but, while

it

was

them concealed

beneath parable and allegory, in the Mysteries of

each religion
it

was taught openly, and constituted

Beis

the theoretical part of the genuine Initiations.

fore undertaking to

show how

far this philosophy

embodied

in the symbols of

Masonry,

in the Buildit

ing of the Temple, and the Legend of Hiram,

will be necessary to further unfold the teaching in

regard to the complex nature of man.

Man may

be viewed from two standpoints

as a

concrete whole

(an Individual, a conscious unit),

faculties.
tissues,

and as an aggregate of organs and

atomically,

Anand

man

is

composed of
are

fluids,

organs.

The

fluids

resolvable into inorganic

into

and organic compounds, and resolvable again

The Secret Doctrine.

elements.
cells,

165

The

tissues

and

organs originate from

these

these

from molecules, and

again are

supposed to
elements.

be composed of atoms or so-called

classifies

Physiology
organic
life

the

functions

of

man

as

mere
like

association of

tissues en-

dowed with
called

the plant,
as

hence sometimes

vegetative

functions:

Animal viewe'd
to all animal

from
life
:

the sensuous plane,

as Intellectual, in

and common

which are generally included

Consciousness
it

the Moral and the Spiritual.

ally

is

usu-

regarded as incidental, according as

It

appears

or disappears on the physical plane.

has already

been shown
ness
is

that in the Secret Doctrine, Conscious-

regarded as the permanent or basic factor in

It
is

Man's Being.
pended, but

never

destroyed,

never susto another.

may
it

retire

from one plane

In this sense
ical plane.

may

be withdrawn from the phys-

This old theory of the Ego, or Thinker,

it

and

its

planes of consciousness on any of which

its

may
may,

be latent or active during

connection with

the body,
in

makes
its

it

possible or thinkable that the

Ego

states

of consciousness, transcend the

limits of the physical

body altogether, and furnishes

a conception of the nature and existence of the human Soul. These elements of truth, be it observed,
are derived from the

phenomena and experiences of

i66

Mystic Masonry.
body, and the key to the
It
is

the "Flgo in the physical

problem

lies

in the planes of Consciousness.

because modern materialistic science has overlooked

the importance, and failed to understand the philos-

ophy of Consciousness, that

it

denies or
It

is

agnostic

regarding the existence of the soul.

be observed, that

should also

we do

not put forth a theory of

hypothesis, but start
in all hu-

Consciousness as a w^orking

with Consciousness as an empirical fact

man

experience.
itself,

Regarding

the

nature of

con-

sciousness

we

are agnostic enough to suit the

Science,
for

Spencers and
posited
it

Huxleys of

as the highest point in the nature of

we have man

a "spark" from the

cealed."

Unknowable; the "forever Conand extension of

this

As

to

changes

in

states

the

bounds of

consciousness,
in the

has

already

been

proved empirically

experiments in hypnotism.

Beyond the

field

of touch, outside the range of sight

or sound, as applied to the ordinary functions of the

senses.

Hypnotic Subjects have been influenced by

the silent will, and become conscious of the unex-

pressed thought of

the

Hypnotizer.
its

Thus, even

modern materialism with

mechanical working

hypothesis has worked up to the problem of

sciousness.

cm-

The Secret Doctrine.

167

Had
ments

anything been wanting in this direction, the

clues, at least, in

have been furnished by the experi-

Psychic photography of Dr. Baraduc, re-

ported in the French

Academy
are
true,

of

Medicine, and

many
lines.

other experimenters are working on the same

If

the

reports

Dr.

Baraduc has

proved by photography the existence of the Mayavi-

Rupa, the thought-body known

antiquity.
.

to

many Adepts
J.

of of

Long before
Ohio,

this,

Mr.

M. Rusk,
a

McConnelsville,

photographed

"thought

form" by the light resulting from a strong concentration of the Will.

Instances might be multiplied,

but enough evidence has already been adduced to

give the death-blow to Mechanico-materialistic hy-

potheses of

modern

science,

and

to

open the door

for the Psychic Science of the East.

Now,

the

Anatomy and Physiology

offer a certain

to

which

have referred,

method of

investigat-

ing man, and while this method has given rise to

magnificent results,

it is

not,

by any means, the only

all

one, nor the most fruitful for

purposes.
to

The Planes
referred,

in

Nature and

in

Man,

which

have

and the septenary principle

in their divisinvesti-

ions and relations, offer another

gation.

method of

i68

Mystic Masonry.

CHAPTER

VI.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE (CONTINUED).

The Septenary Nature
of

Man.

We
Love

may

speak of Life, of Will, of Desire, and of

as Principles manifesting in

Nature and recog-

nized by results.
definite

In themselves they

may have no

form, yet are they none the less potent.

These principles may take the form of the body of

man, as water takes the form of the vessel that contains
it,

which,

if

congealed, retains the form of the

true that water as a body has no
its

vessel.

Still it is

definite

form of

own.

So

it

is

with the prin-

ciples

we

are considering.

They are metaphysical

they are causes

concepts, not tangible things, but

that lead to tangible results.
It

has already been stated that each principle

is

correlated to a plane, a planet, and a race; and that

the
to

human

principles are, on every plane, correlated

sevenfold

occult

forces.

It

has already been

shown how

the substances of different planes inter-

The Secret Doctrine.

169

determining penetrate with the "dominant chord" As to the general vibration on any plane.
the

method of evolution

in

man, or the relation of Anit

thropogenesis to Cosmogenesis,

may

here be noted

that in the various processes of "cooling

and hardenits

ing," by which the Earth has reached

state

present

from the "Fire-mist," or "nebulous mass"

definite stages are reached.

recognized by modern science, long ages are con-

sumed and various

The

Secret Doctrine teaches that man, like the earth, expotentially in the fire-mist, and that he has
isted

evolved

downward
inhabits,

into matter, pari passu, with the

earth he
part.

and of which he

is

an integral

Each human being

(Microcosm)

is,

therefore, a miniature earth

evolving

within

the

greater

earth

(Macrocosm).

This

is

one of

the meanings of

Ezekiel's "wheels within wheels."

ical sense,

In a metaphysis

every so-called atom of matter

is

com-

posed in

the same way, and

It

going through a sim-

ilar process.

may

thus be seen that the key to the

is

whole process of

evolution

Analogy.

It

must

naturally result from such a process, and from man's

intimate relation

to

every principle, process, and

;

plane that he epitomizes the whole

and that through

differentiation

expansion

of

consciousness,

and

170

Mystic Masonry.

throughout his long experience, when the consum-

mation of evolution
with the All.
him.

is

reached,

man

will be at

one
in

Knowing and being

will be

One

Hence, he will be a god in the Platonic sense.

is

This

precisely the view set

forth by Herbert

Spencer as the consummation of human evolution

where absolute power and supreme knowledge

sult.

re-

Place over against this view of the

infinite

possibilities

and transcendent destiny of man those

of any of the exoteric religions or of materialistic

science,

and the old Wisdom Religion stands alone

as the Divinest Revelation ever

made

to

Humanity.

During the

life

of
is

man

in the animal

body on the

physical plane, he
ciples.

composed of the seven prinBody.

is

These are Atma, Buddhi, Manas, Kama,

Body, Life Principle, and Physical
in

Astral

(The order

which they are here named

from

highest to lowest, or from spirit to matter.)

first

The

three, namely,

Atma, Buddhi, Manas, are symThis

is

bolized by a triangle.

the oldest "Trinity"

all

known

to

man, and

is

the origin of

the "Trin-

ities" in all the exoteric

Religions of the World.

As

already shown, the Ineffable

Name

written in the
Principle,

Triangle refers to the

One Universal
all
is

antedating creation, and lying back of

Chrisfos
is

evolution.

called the

Word, but

not

Ain Soph.

The Secret Doctrine.

171

Atma
Hence

in
it

man
is

represents

Ain Soph

in

Cosmos.

called a

"Spark of Divinity;" they are

one in essence.

Atma, Manas, and Buddhi repreand Holy Ghost.

sent Father, Son,

When

Christ

"ascended to the Father," he raised his consciousness to the seventh or Atmic Plane, and became in
fact (no longer in essence only)

These three principles in

One With man compose the

man;
v^^hile

God.
Spirit-

ual Soul; the Immortal part of

Atma-

Buddhi constitute the Higher-Self, the latent or potential

God

in

man.

The lower quaternary Body,

Life-Principle,

Form-Body and Kama (or Desire), are symbolized by a square. To make it plain, let
that
It

us say that the triangle incarnates in the square:

is,

the Soul (spiritual) "descends into matter."

has already been show^n in a previous chapter

is

what

the orderly relation of the seven principles.

is

The Body
of

the vehicle of Life

Life

is is

the vehicle the vehicle

;

of the Astral
;

Body; the Astral Body

is

Kama Kama
Atma.
This

the vehicle of
;

Manas
is

Manas

is

the vehicle of Buddhi

of
is

and Buddhi

the vehicle

the orderly relation or sequence

of the principles.
a
is

But as already shown, man

principles,

is

not

mere aggregation of

any more than he

a conglomerate aggregation of atoms, molecules,

cells.

or

Just as atoms form molecules; molecules.

172

Mystic Masonry.
organs; and organs, the

cells; cells, tissues; tissues,

whole body; so the Principles, while preserving a

similar orderly sequence, in relation to each other,
are, at the

same
is,

time, organized in relation to the

whole.
its

That

the Ego, the Thinker, unites with

vehicle, the Body.

Physiology has determined that certain functions

are performed by certain organs, and that certain
tracts are sensory,

and others motor: that there are

motion, or of
sensation,

co-ordinating centers of
like

the

cerebellum,

the medulla,

or the

sensory

ganglia; and has assigned thought, memory, reason

and

volition,

to the

cerebrum.

But neither physable to arrive

iology nor

modern science has been

at the slightest

conception as to what Mind, or Soul,

results of

really are,

beyond functions of organs, or

organization.

Empirical facts in Hypnotism show

place
that

processes actually taking

classified

can not

be

under any known physiological law.

at
is,

The

point

which the

Triangle touches the

its

square; that

where the Spiritual-Soul forms

is

connecting link with the Physical-Body,

through

Mind.

Kama
first in

(the fourth principle, appetite, desire,

is

passion, etc.)
is

not found in the upper triangle, but

the

the square, or lower quaternary; and

Kama

has been called the vehicle of Manas.

We

The Secret Doctrine.

have thus resulting

173

from

this

association

Kamathe

Manas; and the

dual principle
is

central organ of this conjoined or

the

human

brain.

Here

is

union of Thought and Sensation; or Knowing and

Feeling; the union of the desire to
desire to
seat,
feel.

know with
in

the

Here

is,

furthermore,

the origin,

and nature of self-consciousness

man.

On
the

the upper side of the point of union

we have

Will;

on the lower

side,

Desire.

This union of

Manas with Kama, or Mind with Desire, is called the lower mind (Lower Manas), because it always
involves the personal equation.

Let the union

exist,

but

the desire be entirely subordinate and imper-

sonal,

and

the

Higher-Mind

becomes

free.

The

terms of the personal equation are united with, or

merged

in the n^ext higher.

This

is

At-One-Ment
held

of the lower

man with
desire,

the Divine: or Christ at-one

is

with the Father. So long as the lower mind

in

bondage by

man can

not seek or discern

the for

Good

or the True.

He

inquires,

"What
is

is

good
bias,

me?"

Freed from Desire, or the personal

he inquires after and seeks for that which

true in
itself.

good or

When

this condition is
is

reached and

habitually maintained, the square

said to be inis

closed in the triangle.

The whole lower nature

said to be at one with the Divine, or Spiritual Soul.

174

Mystic Masonry.

Man's knowledge and power are no longer confined

to,

or circumscribed
;

by,

the lower plane,

or the

physical body
tion

but,

transcending these by Regenera-

(self-conquest), and becoming perfect in

Hu-

manity,

man

attains Divinity.

In other words, he

becomes Christos.

This

is

the meaning, aim, and

consummation of
losophy defines

Human

Evolution; and this Phi-

the one-only process

by which

it

may

be attained.
is

The Perfect Man

This
soul.
is

is

Christ: and

Christ

God.

the birthright and destiny

It

of every

human

was taught

in

all

the

Greater Mysteries of Antiquity, but the Exoteric

creeds of Christendom, derived from the parables

and allegories in which

this doctrine

was concealed

from the ignorant and the profane, have accorded

this

Supreme Consummation
it

to

Jesus alone, and

all

made

obscure or impossible for

In place of
this,

the rest of hu-

manity.

the grandest doctrine ever

revealed to man, theologians have set up Salvation

by Faith
of
the

in a

man-made Creed, and

to "bind or
is

the Authority

Church

lose
;

on

Earth or

in

Heaven."

Law

annulled

Justice,

dethroned

Merit, ignored; Efifort, discouraged; and Sectarianism, Atheism,

and Materialism are the

is

results.

All real Initiation

process.

an internal, not an external,

is

The outer ceremony

dead and useless

The Secret Doctrine.

only so far as
it

17S

symbolizes and

illustrates,

and

thereby makes clear the inward change.

mony
by

instructs, but

it

The cerecannot transform. To transand

this

form means
effort,

to regenerate;

comes by

trial,

by self-conquest, by sorrow, disappointconflict.

ment, failure; and a daily renewal of the

It is thus that

man must "work

out his
is

own

salva-

tion."

The consummation

of initiation

the Perfect

Master, the Christos, for these are the same. They

are the goal, the perfect consummation of
evolution.

human

Now, with
the

this idea of

human

evolution, and in
is
it

Hght of modern science, what

to

be a

Master?

Not a mythical Master, not one

so holy,

so Divine, so incomprehensible as to be the object

of

blind worship alone, and impossible to be imi-

tated,

an

Idol, a Fetish,

but one indeed to reverence,

to

to love, and,

above

all,

approach and imitate

an

Elder Brother, a Compassionate Teacher, a Helper

of the

Human

Race.

By

constant struggle and daily conflict the Master

self.

has conquered
experience.

Life after

life

he has gathered
sor-

Truly hath he been a "man of

grief."

rows and acquainted with

all

He

has assailed
all

problems;

studied

all all

sciences;

exhausted

litanies;

apprehended

philosophies; practiced

all

IJ76

Mystic Masonry.

arts.

At every
and

step he has loved

and helped huhis

manity more and more, and sought

less
less.

own

desires
all

Grovi^n
life

famihar thus with

trial,

the

llower planes of

by sore

by bitter

conflict,

by frequent defeat, by hope deferred, almost despairing,

he has at

last

renounced

self utterly,

and so

become "dead to the world."

Renunciation."

This

is

the "Great
all

An

Infinite

Compassion for
and an

that

lives takes possession of

his soul,

infinite

peace

settles

within his

spirit.

"Believe thou not that sitting in dark forests, in

proud seclusion and apart from man; believe thou

not that
life

on roots and

plants, that thirst assuaged

with snow from the great Range; believe thou not,

Devotee, that this will lead thee to the goal of

final liberation."

"Step out

from sunlight
. .

into
.

shade,

to

make

more room
" 'Tis

for others."

from the bud of Renunciation of the Self

that springs the sweet fruit of final liberation."

"The

selfish

devotee lives to no purpose.

The

man who
life

does not go through his appointed work in

has lived in vain."

shalt thou be
in
full

"So
lives;

accord with

all

that

bear love to

men

as though they were thy

The Secret Doctrine.

i??

brother-pupils, disciples of one Teacher, the sons of

one sweet mother."

"Compassion speaks and

saith
?

Can

there be bliss

when

all

that lives

must

suffer

Shalt thou be saved

and hear the whole world cry?"*

But, says
tiful,

some modern Agnostic,

this is all beau-

very fine indeed, but mere sentiment; with no

fact,

foundation in
life

and no possible realization

in the

of man.

It will

do for sentimental women, for

tramps, or lunatics.

What,

then,

is

the meaning,
?

and what the goal of human evolution

the one Divinity of the universe?

Is

Tantalus

Turning now from the

lem

ethical side of the prob-

to the scientific, let us see

what happens
the

as the

consciousness
animal-self

of

man remounts from

the
spiritual

lower

toward

soul;

from the

physical toward the higher planes.

We

have shown Mind (Manas) to be the connect-

ing link between the "Upper Triad" and the

"Lower

Quaternary."

When man

has once passed the plane

of Savagery in his evolution.

Mind becomes more

and more apparent as the battle-ground of his evoHe gradually relaxes tooth and claw, and, lution.
first,

by

instinct,

then by cunning, and

finally

by

'Voice of the

Silence.

178

Mystic Masonry.

reason and design, pursues the struggle for existence.

He

changes continually his code of

ethics,

for he is continually compelled to compromise,

and

he finds that he can retain more by relinquishing a

part.

His very

selfishness leads

him

to

combine and
sympathies

co-operate with his fellows.

At

last his

expand.

By and by he

learns that a "fellow feeling

makes us wondrous kind."

at last

He

reciprocates,
all this

and

becomes generous.
his

During
is

long and

weary struggle

mind

enlarging, and his concreates

for

sciousness expanding.

He
is

himself a

world of Thought.

It

unreal and unsatisfying,

because so impermanent; and yet he struggles on.

He

reflects

over his varied experience

principles.

seeks causes,
the

and discerns

He
:

realizes

saying,

"My mind

to

me

kingdom

is;"

"On Earth
there
is

there

is

nothing great but

great but Mind."
I

Man

In

Man

nothing

Or, the older saying, "All that

am

is

the result of
in

what

have Thought."

Mind
all

is like

an alembic

which are precipitated

ex-

periences.

By
to

evolution

man

is

continually climbfive

ing upward to higher planes.

His

senses are
the

adjusted

observations and experiences of

;

physical plane

but he has other experiences.

;

The

senses are narrow and circumscribed

yet even these

become

refined.

His

tastes alter, his tendencies as-

The Secret Doctrine.

cend.

179

He
is

is

reaching outward as his sympathies

expand, and upward, as his ideals become higher.

There

revealed to

him

a whole world of experi-

ence in which the lower senses play no part:

world of aspiration

in

which Self

is

not the goal.

The very

physical bounds of self are loosening, ex-

panding, disappearing.

Hitherto he has been con;

scious of flashes of intuition

of

knowing things he
sees inner

has seemingly never learned.

ings,

He
in

mean-

and senses subtler powers.

Not only

in visions

and intuitions of the day, but

dreams of the night

he has experiences beyond the bounds of sense.

learns the
his Will

He
Self,

power of Thought.

By conquering

becomes strong.
clear.
all

By subduing

passion, his

mind becomes

He

has premonitions of com-

ing events; for

exist
first

events and thoughts and things

on higher planes, and are precipitated

thence into matter.

clairvoyant.

He becomes

clairaudient and

He

has broken the bonds of Self and

now

functions on higher planes.

As

his senses

and

organs on the physical plane made him Master there

of brutes, and of physical nature, even so on the

higher plane, the senses and organs evolved by the

same Evolutionary

Law

of

experience and choice,

make him, on

the higher plane, Master of

men and

of higher Nature.

All the time he

is

evolving organs

i8o

Mystic Masonry.

and functions, and dealing with matter and

Just as experience and reflection taught

force.

him

the

laws and processes of the physical plane, so his ex-

panded and refined experience and intuitions

itual perceptions)

(spir-

teach him the laws of the higher

plane.

But, says the physiologist, on the physical plane

man
on

has evolved physical organs which bring him

in contact with
all

Nature on that plane.

is

Even

so

it is

planes, for analogy

the key of interpreta-

tion,

"As below, so above."

the recesses of the skull, lying at the
is

Deep within
as

base of the brain,

the

a curious

little

structure

known
Des

Pineal

Gland

with

the
it

Restiform bodies.

Modern physiology
Cartes called
it

assigns to

no function.

"the seat of the soul."

it

In the aver-

age individual

is

small and apparently useless,

though

its

focalized position and symmetrical rela-

tions to surrounding structures

to
it

would seem
It

to assign

some very important

office.

presents a dif-

ferent appearance in the very young, the very old,

and
life,

in the idiotic,

from that found

It

in the

prime of

health,

and vigor.

has been called "The

called
it

Third Eye."

The Ancient Hindoos

it

the
and

Eye
Siva

of Siva, and
is

should be borne in mind that

the third person in the

Hindoo

Trinity,

The Secret Doctrine.

is

i8l

the Renewer, or Regenerator (not simply the De-

stroyer).

The

action of this

little

"gland"
It

may

be

likened to the bridge of a violin.

renders the

nerve chords more tense, and thus raises the vibrations of

the brain tissues.

in

It

is

atrophied,
individual,

and
becor-

therefore dormant

the average

cause the

relaxed chords

(using a symbol)

respond to the vibrations on the physical plane; and

it

is

one of the well-known laws of physiology that

every organ will become atrophied from disuse.

Going back
find

to

our problem of Consciousness,

we

Mind
:

to be the

changes in our states of conthe Will, and

sciousness

orderly,

when governed by

guided by Reason; disorderly, when swayed by the

passions, or led by caprice.

All the so-called Senses

are differentiations of the One-Sense-Consciousness

(Apperception).

Reference has elsewhere been made to empirical

proof that in the case of Sight and Hearing;
or,

Light, Color, and Sound, the vibrations are conso-

nant and interchangeable.

seen that
if

Now

it

can easily be

the one sense (consciousness) has dif-

ferentiated into several Senses, so-called, in man's

"descent" from higher to lower planes, on his "ascent" from lower to higher planes, the differentiations

must gradually disappear, and one center may

i82

Mystic Masonry.
This

combine and synthesize two or more Senses.

is

precisely

what happens

in the case of

hearing and

seeing,
color.

or in the vibrations producing sound and

Since empirical

science has demonstrated

the fact, the theory

may now,
it

perhaps, no longer
in

excite only a sneer; for

that the foregoing
is

must be borne

mind

one of the theories taught in

the Ancient Mysteries.

Here then

is

the physiological, no less than the

philosophical basis of Clairvoyance and Clairaudience.

The Eye
for
it

of Siva

is,

in fact,

an All-Seeing- Eye

practically annuls

Space and Time as con-

cepts on the physical plane.

Whether
tradition, or

or not

modern Masonry has any such

scientific

any such metaphysical or

con-

cept regarding the

in its

All-Seeing-Eye so conspicuous
least, is its

symbolism, such, at

meaning

in the

Secret Doctrine of Antiquity.

real

Master, then, has the Eye of Siva; the

pineal gland,

dormant

in others, is active

in

him;

and the vibrations of

his brain correspond to the

synthesis of sound and Hght.

Henceforth, for him.

illusions, as

Space and Time are no longer

in the

he lives

one and

is

Master of

all

lower planes.

Says

the Voice of the Silence

The Secret Doctrine.

"Alas, alas, that

183

men

should possess Alaya, be one

it,

with the great Soul, and that possessing

Alaya

should so

little

avail."

"Unless thou hearest thou canst not see."

"Unless thou seest thou canst not hear."

"To hear and

So much

see, this is thg

second stage."

as to the

meaning of the word Master,

is

and the methods by which Adeptship

attained.

Now,
or,

as to the nature of the

Power he

possesses,

the

Master's Word.

man's words' express

In this sense

his ideas,

and reveal

his character.
is

the creative

power of Deity

called the

Word

of

God, or the Logos; and the whole process of creation,

being an outward expression of

Divinity,

is

called the Logos.

"There

is

in

Nature one most potent

single

force,

by

means whereof a
himself of
could
world.
it,

man, who could possess

to

and should know how

direct

it,

revolutionize

and change the face of the

"This force was known to the ancients.

universal agent,

It

is

whose Supreme Law

is

equilibrium,

and whereby,
trol
it,

if

science can but learn

how

to con-

it

will be possible to

change the order of

184

Mystic Masonry.
produce in night the phenomena of

the Seasons

to

day; to send a thought in an instant around the

world; to heal or slay at a distance; to give our

words universal success, and make them reverberate

everywhere."

"This

agent,

partially

revealed
is

by

the

blind

guesses of the disciples of Mesmer,

precisely

what

the Adepts of the middle ages called the 'elementary

matter of the Great Work.'

it

The Gnostics

held that
Spirit;

composed the igneous body of the Holy

it

and
or

was adored

in the secret rites of the

Sabbat

the Temple,

under

the hieroglyphic figure of

Baphomet, or the hermaphroditic goat of Mendes.*"

Modern Science
Professor

is

slowly re-discovering some of

the secrets of Antiquity.

The "Radiant matter"

in psychic

of

Crooks, the Cathode ray of

Roentgen,

and other advancements

photography, the
all,

Mayava Rupa
discoveries of

of Baraduc, and, greatest of

J.

the

W.

Keely, trench so closely on the

"elementary matter" of the old Alchemists and the

Akas

of the

more ancient Adepts of

old India, that

a student of occultism need no longer be afraid to

reveal himself.

There

is

an old legend which declares that the

*Moral8 and

Dogma,

p.

734.

The Secret Doctrine.

185

ancient Atlanteans, not those of Plato's island which

was

a fragment of the great continent, but of the

it

Continent which sank,

is

said,

50,000 years ago,

possessed the secret of this "most potent force," referred to by Bro. Pike, that they were great Magicians,

and that they did thus "change the face of

the earth," as Bro. Pike declares possible, and that

the sinking of the continent was the result.

haps,
little if

Pera

our "rain-makers" succeed

in

solving

further the problem of vibrations in their rela-

tions to atmospheric changes, this

and many other

ancient "Fables"

may seem

less

fabulous to

modern

"scientific materialism."

When

it is

stated that these

utilized,

terrible forces exist,

and may be known and

people are not scandalized in this age of dynamite.

But when

it

is

also stated that the

all

knowledge of

these forces

is

concealed from

but trained Adepts

who have demonstrated

to

their unqualified beneficence

man, and that

in the

hands of vicious, unquali-

fied,

or ignorant persons, they are capable of work-

ing untold misery to man, the statement usually excites derision.

If this

embargo were removed, doubtless mankind

in

would not long remain

were revealed

any uncertainty as

to the

existence of the terrible vrill of Bulwer Lytton.

If
it

to the Spanish Generals or the

i86

Mystic Masonry.
at the present time, the contest

Cuban Rebels
This force
says,

would

soon be ended on that unhappy island.

is

the universal Life agent, as Bro. Pike

"wherein are two natures and a double curThis ambient

it

rent of love and wrath."

trates everything.

fluid

pene-

Hence
It is

is

the "First Matter"

of the Alchemists.

concentrated in

man

as the

magnetic living force directed by the Will.

He who

knows
its

its

vibrations can, by his Will,

it

"chord of mass" or the "key-note" of waken it from Space

in

and send
real

mighty waves

to

do his bidding.

The

Word
is

of the Master, therefore, in a scientific

sense,

this tone-key

by which the "Principalities

to

and Powers of the Air" can be made

bidding.

do his

That any one should possess such power

its

and withhold
average

use, is not easily conceived by the

man

of

today;

and that such a Master

should also conceal his

own

existence, seems alto-

gether incredible to an age of Syndicates and Trades Such a power would, indeed, be a Unionists.

knockdown argument
nish a very ready

in

all

competition, and furall

way

of settling

disputes.

The

ethical training to

which reference has been

ancient mys-

made, and which began

preceded
all

at the first step of initiation,

scientific training in the

of by Plato, teries; and the Masters are spoken

The Secret Doctrine.

lamblichus, and

187

many
But
it

other writers, as the "Im-

mortal Gods."

must not be concluded that

because the real Master does not enter into competition on the physical plane, or parade his gifts for the

applause of men, that he makes no use of his sub-

Hme Wisdom and

transcendent Powers.

It

would

be childish to use siach powers for display, to

the ignorant, or to

awe

amuse the curious;

and such
things.

Men
From

have

long since put

away

childish

their secure retreat

on the inner or higher

planes of being, they influence, but do not dominate

the affairs of

men;

and many a beneficent moveaid.

ment

is

due to their timely

to

According
tive

our conception of energy as correlais

throughout Nature's boundless domain, Fohat

all

the synthesis of
It
is

the so-called forces of nature.

Intelliis

"Cosmic Electricity Endowed with

In the manifested Universe, Fohat

gence."

"that

Occult electric vital power, which, under the Will of

the Creative Logos, unites and brings together
all

forms, giving them the

in

first

impulse which becomes

time law."

It is

"the Constructive Force of Cos-

mic Electricity."

Fohat has "seven sons, who are

also his brothers."*

These are

Electricity,

Mag-

*Se Plate

I.

i88

Mystic Masonry.

netism, Sound, Light, Heat, Cohesion, etc.

What
can

modern science

calls

the "modes of motion,"

fairly be called definite vibrations.

The
If

forces just

named
That

all

manifest on the lower physical plane.

see there their effects.
is

is,

we

back of

all

forces there

One

Force, and

if

this

one force difin

ferentiates first into seven,

and these seven are

Sevens,

their turn divisible into other

we

get the

idea that the Solar spectrum and the musical scale

reveal the universal

modulus; and

that

what

is

known
must

to exist in the

realm of Light and Sound,

also exist in the realm of Electricity,

Chem-

ism; and, in short, with every force and on every

plane in Nature.*
If,

therefore, one can discover

the rate of vibration, the quality and amplitude of the "wave-length" in any given case, he will hold
the

Key

to that plane.
is

Fohat
forces,
tially,

not only the synthesis of

intelligence,
is

all

known
of

and endowed with

but poten-

before differentiation begins,

of
all

the

Author

the

Law

subsequent correlations, differentiawhatsoever.

considered carelessly
it

tions, or action

If this

view

is

might seem

to involve materialism or pantheism.

But such

is

'See

Plate

I.

The Secret Doctrine.

not the case.

189

When

one realizes that Fohat

is

one

of the highest of the Elohim, or Builders, the Creators spoken of in Genesis, the direct agents of Divinity through

Soph

creates, this

which the Ancient of Days or Ain view will be seen to be spiritual

to the last degree.

The
law of

first all

impulse of Fohat becomes, in time, the

subsequent vibration.

Fohat

is,

more-

over, in the Secret Doctrine, likened to an "Intelli-

gent Force

moved by

Will."

As

the various forces and planes in the constitu-

tion of

man

are derived from and correspond to

it

similar forces and planes in Nature,

can readily be
;

seen what potencies are latent in

possession of
forces,

man and

that the

the knowledge of these planes

to use

and

and a Trained Will

and direct them,

would naturally constitute one an Adept, or Master.

The mere power

all

of thought or of the imagination,

with a strong concentration of will power, would, at

times, enable a real

Master

to say, "take notice

thereof,

and

let it

be done."

The ignorant would

of

naturally say:

"What manner
the

man
.

is

this, that

even the winds and the waves obey him?"

It
is

said of

Word

A.

-.U. -.M.

that

it

has

seven meanings applicable to seven planes, requiring,

therefore,

seven keys; and similar traditions

190

Mystic Masonry.

exist with regard to the

Tetragramaton
to

of the

balah
gels

^"He who maketh the earth quake and anand men to tremble" even Jehovah, For the
of Kabalah,
it

Ka-

ignorant and superstitious, this has one meaning.

For the intelHgent student

has

many
is

and very diiTerent meanings.

The

physical plane, that of the body of man,

such by virtue of the co-ordinate vibrations of

the principles that enter into
its

all

construction.

The

physical exists by virtue of the maintenance of the

Key
this

or dominant chord of that plane.

As
is

long as
concord,

key can be maintained

in

perfect

health exists.
disease results

Whenever
;

the

harmony

disturbed,

and when the key can no longer

organism occurs, and death

exist, dissolution of the

is

the result.

The problem

of genuine initiation, or training in

all

occultism, consists in placing

the operations of
v/ill
;

the body under the dominion of the the

in freeing

Ego from

the dominion of the appetites, pas-

sions,

and the whole lower nature.

The
it;

idea

is

not

to despise the body, but to purify

not to destroy

the appetites, but to elevate and control them absolutely.

This mastery of the lower nature does not

;

change the Key of the physical nature as such

subordinates
it

but

to that of a higher plane.

Without

The Secret Doctrine.

this subordination, the

191

clamorous lower animal na;

ture

drowns out

all

higher vibrations

as

if

in

an

orchestra the bass-viols and the drums only could

be heard; and noise, rather than harmony, would

result.

Hence
is

the old saying

"He

that conquers

himself

greater than he

who

taketh a city."

From such mastery

of the lower nature by intelli-

gent effort and Will power, there results not only

peace, the silencing of the clamorous lower nature,

but clearness of vision and power of discernment.

There

results also a sense of

freedom and of power,

In the Bhagavad
is

and a certainty of Knowledge.

Gita this training
is

called
skill

Yoga, and
in

defined as
of

equal-mindedness and
actions. It
is
is

the performance

distinguished from
after special

Hatha Yoga, which

powers (medium-

mere straining
is

ship), and

called
;

Raja Yoga; that of the Kingly

is

or Divine sort

and

everywhere portrayed as a

permanent subjugation of the whole lower nature.

It is, in fact, in

science and in a philosophical sense,

the higher evolution of man.

in

Whatever
apparent

is

gained

one

life

in this direction is carried

;

over to the
gain
is

next

incarnation

while

all

of
in

"powers" in Hatha Yoga (mediumship)

future births, or else
is

lost

a detriment to evolution.

The potency

of the planes in

man

increases from

192

Mystic Masonry.

the lower to the higher, and the whole process

we
in

have

been

considering

consists

symbolically,
:"

"placing the square within the triangle

so purifying the

that
to

is,

of
it

whole lower nature as

make

at-one with the higher.

The mind

that functions

through the physical brain, governed by the senses

and appetites, and that

sciousness,

longer

first gives man self-connow moves one plane higher. Passion no rules the man and blinds him to universal

laws and higher principles.

The Higher
;"

Self

in

man, called
"crucified

his

"God," or Christos, was formerly

between

two

thieves

namely,
the

the

Higher

and
I

Lower Manas.
evil
is

Hence

saying,

"when

would do good,
is

present with me."

As

the body

crucified (a

symbol of death and suf-

fering), the Christos says to one of the thieves

"This day shalt thou be with

refers to the

me

in paradise."

This

Higher Manas, now freed from the

lower nature.
mind,
is

The other
to

"thief,"

or

the

brain

left

perish with

the physical body of

It

Christos on the Cross of Time.

may

thus be seen

how

the battle-ground of man's lower nature with

is

the higher

the mind, and that self-conquest and

the higher evolution are synonymous.

The process

of this evolution can be expressed in mathematics

and terms of exact science.

Hence

the old saying

The Secret Doctrine.

in the Bible

193

"I

praise thee with

my

lips,

know

not the numbers."

Silence the dominant chord of

the lower animal nature, and change the vibration

to that of, the

Higher Mind, and "Thou

evil."

shalt be-

come

as gods

knowing good and

This change of vibration, with a knowledge of the

dominant chord and the combination of the keyboard directed by the Will,
is

the discovery of
is

J.

W.

Keely.

The Roentgen ray

one of the "seven

forces" into which light, sound and electricity are

divisible.

The

secret of the Crooks tubes has been

to consist in getting rid of a surplus

clearly

shown

of molecules or atoms, and thereby increasing the

vibration

(bombardment)

of

the

remainder;
light."

and

thus liberating, not creating, a

"new

The

trained will of the Adept can do this, and more.

He

has been seen to make his whole body luminous.

Since the experiments of

Von Reichenbach have

sci-

been

verified,

and the "illusion-body" photographed,

such a result can no longer be declared to be a

entific impossibihty.

It

should be borne in mind that our entire phi-

losophy as related to

man

proceeds from the em-

pirical fact of Consciousness,

with appeal taken at

every step to the facts of experience.

Our theory

does not consist in any speculation or assertion re-

194

Mystic Masonry.

garding the nature of consciousness

in

itself,

but rather

using both facts and experiences in the natural

In the case of the Master

order of their relations.

or Adept, the same potencies and processes are in-

volved as in ordinary evolution; and none others.

The

different results arise

from the

fact that in the

case of the Adept, these ordinary processes are no

longer trammeled or delayed.

"The Wise Ones

the senses,"

tarry not in pleasure-grounds of

"The

Wise Ones heed not

shalt not let thy senses

the

sweet-tongued

voices of illusions."

"Thou

make

a play-ground

of thy mind."*
It

may

thus be seen that neither causes nor results

are involved in an untried "working hypothesis."

This philosophy not only explains the nature and

origin of
all

the

Christs of

history, as the result of

all

evolution under natural law, but these

stand as

"Landmarks," pointing out "the Way, the Life and

the Truth," in the journey of the soul, and the im-

mortal destiny of man.

herein

Furthermore, every point

made

is

but a crude fragment derived from

Gnostics and

the Ancient Mysteries, held by the

^Voice of the Silence.

The Secret Doctrine.

195

early Christians, and embodied in or implied by the

parables, allegories, and glyphs of Freemasonry.

Initiation therefore

must be seen

to be both evo-

lutionary and regenerative; and not a mere empty

farce or a dead ceremony.

Taking now

this evolutionary process

as a fact,

we may

profitably consider further the

change that

occurs in the structure of man's complex organism

as evolution proceeds.

We

have shown Mind

to be the active theater in

which the

real battle is fought for the

supremacy of

the Higher or Spiritual-Soul, as distinguished from

the lower Animal-Soul.

"Thou

shalt not let thy senses

of the mind."

No

doubt
it

make a play-ground many who have read this

as a moral precept only
is

sentence have regarded

ignorant, perhaps, of the fact that there

a

not only

philosophical
all

concept

but
truths.

scientific

facts

and

Laws back of The mind is

all

moral

the realm of thought, and the

sum

of

experience on both the physical (senses and feel-

ings) and metaphysical (reason, imagination, Will,

intuition, etc.)

sides of Consciousness.

Experience
in the

may

be called the
life

moving panorama of events

Thought
is,

conscious

of man.

therefore, the

changes

in

our states of consciousness.

Thought

is

196

Mystic Masonry.

the active movement, and consciousness the passive

theater of

the varied experiences of

is,

Ufe.

Con-

sciousness

therefore,

to

the Hfe of

man what

Space

is

to the existence

and movements of Cosmos

is

the
cell,

ALL-CONTAINER.

The Ego

a self-centered

"ray;" a focus; the "mathematical point" in consciousness.

That which the nucleus

from which
all

is

to the living

the point

forces and

movements

emanate, and to which

forces tend, such
is

all

counter-movements and

the

Ego

the

Thinker of man.

The

first

point to be
to

made
the

in real initiation is for

the Thinker
passively
that
all

control

thought.
all

Instead of
suggestions
;

and helplessly receiving

come from

the physical senses, or appetites

selfishness

or

that

come from ambition,

and pride

he

selects,

and chooses, and Wills what thoughts

In this manner he acquires mastery

shall

come.

over his

own

mind, and frees his will from the

purifies

dominion of Desire; or rather elevates and

Desire.

He

is

no longer hag-ridden by vagrant

thoughts; or a victim to the ghosts of a remorseful

memory, or a depraved imagination.

thus choose the subjects of his

That one can

within the experience of

to
reflect

own thoughts is really every one when he comes

But
few people are
all

upon the

subject.

aware that the mind can be divested of

thought

The Secret Doctrine.

on the physical or brain-side of experience.

197

Yet

what
ness?

is

revery,

or

day-dream, or absent-mindedto analyze

We

have only

and

reflect

on our

ordinary experiences in order to see

really

how

natural and
oc-

commonplace are the operations of these

cult laws.

When
persisted
strong,

this process
in,

is

intelligently conceived

and

the

mind grows

clear
is

and the Will

and for

this

change there

a physical basis

and a

scientific

law; and there must be correspond-

ing changes in the physical structure.

occurs on the

This change

Kamic

plane,
;

which

is

now

subordi-

nated to Reason and Will

and also

in the Astral or

Form-body, which

is

the vehicle of
is

Kama

(passion

and desire).

This Astral body

the

mold or patis

tern around which the physical structure

built,

which

it

precedes and

survives for a short time

after death.

In relation to the molecules and cells

tissues of the

which constitute the

structure
rate
is

body the Astral

of each sepa-

Atomic.
is

The Astral body

the
of

incarnation

immediate result of
the

the
life;

thoughts

and experiences
all

preceding
lives.

modified, however, by

previous

It is

in-

visible to ordinary vision, but, fortified

by the strong

dregs of Karma, in a gross and passionate individual,

it

may appear

as the Ghost of

Wraith seen

at

198

Mystic Masonry.
has also much to do with

times near cemeteries.

It

the "ghosts" and "materiaHzations" of the Seance

rooms.

This Astral principle,

six,

like

all

the
is

other

seven (really
fold in
its

exclusive of the highest)

seven-

constitution in

man and
;

it

is

the lowest
is

of

which we have been speaking.

the principles of
is

This Astral
or

one of

the "square,"

lower

quaternary, and
soul, or

not, therefore, the real spiritual

immortal part in man.

this crude outline of the

With

now

return to the process of regeneration.

Form-Body we may The

change resulting from self-mastery and the subjugation of

the

lower animal nature, strengthens the

liberates
it

Form-Body and

from the physical

shell.

Instead of this Astral or

the gross animal spirits

Form-Body saturated with

(kama) being held
to the

vibrations of the

mere animal and physical nature,

to the key-note of
life,

and thus holding consciousness

the physical plane, involved in the lower animal

the vibrations are

now

raised one plane higher.

The

action of the Pineal Gland and Restiform Bodies

heretofore described,
purified

now come

into play with the

and liberated Form-Body.

still
is

The

physical

body

is

the vehicle of the

is

Ego on
It

the physical

plane; but

no longer a dark prison-house with

is

animal lust and pride as Coalers.

common

The Secret Doctrine.

experience, and often consciously so, that

199

we

"jour-

ney when we sleep."

visit scenes,

We

go out of the body and

and gain experiences during the sleep

it is

of the physical senses, but

ber, or really

rare that

we remem-

understand what happens, for the rea-

son that

all

that

brain on the lower side.

we know as memory concerns the Now, in case of the growbecome

continually
lucid.

ing

Adept these experiences

more frequent and

lection,

He

retains distinct recol-

and understands more and more of what

occurs.

By and by he
out"

observes the

process

of

"going

and "coming

back;" and at length

;

learns to repeat the process at will

ural evolution, be
it

a perfectly natstory of Peter

observed.

The

Ibbetson
osophical
ness,"

gives an exceedingly graphic

and

phil-

description
is

of

this

"double

conscious-

which

more than

justified

by the phenom-

ena of Hypnotism and Somnambulism,

The Adept
once
last

from the time he

tat,

is

able to change at will his habilife,

leads a double

and

lives

at

in

two

worlds.

He
foot."

has,

moreover, "put the

has,

enemy

under

He

by self-conquest and Will,

conquered Death.

These are they

whom
At

Plato and
the death
is

the old Initiates call the Immortals.

or dissolution of the physical body such a one

precipitated into a

not

new

world, as a helpless infant

200

Mystic Masonry.

is

born into the physical, with organs undeveloped,

;

and functions untried

inner

but, already familiar with the

realm

from experience, he preserves conis

sciousness on that plane and

there like an adult

on the physical plane.

It is

true that he can not

function or manifest on the physical plane as before,

for he has

now no

longer the physical body.

But he has learned

to live so little
little

on that plane,

and found thereon so

unless he has a special

of real enjoyment, that

to

work

do for humanity, or
he finds nothing
the

an obligation to discharge
to

to others,

regret in dying.

He

has

fulfilled
it!

Law

of

Necessity (Karma) by obeying

'This

is

peace,
life.

To conquer

love

of

self

and lust

of

To

tear

deep-rooted

passion

from the

breast,

To
"For

still

the inward strife."

to

love,

clasp
to

Eternal

Beauty
self,

close;

For glory,

be

Lord
gods;

of

for

pleasure

To

live

beyond

tbe

for

countless

wealth

To

lay

up lasting treasure."
for

"Then sorrow ends,

Life

and Death have ceased:

oil
is

How

should lamps flicker when their

is

spent?

The old sad count

clear, the

new

is

clean;

Thus hath a man content."

The Secret Doctrine.

201

"Hark

from the deep unfathomable vortex of

that golden light in which the Victor bathes All

ture's wordless

Na-

voice in thousand tones ariseth to

proclaim

"Joy unto ye, oh

men

of Myalha.
the other

"A Pilgrim Hath Returned back from

shore."

"A new Arhan

Such
truth
is

is

born."*
in

in

philosophy,
;

science,

in

fact,

and

in

a Master

as the natural product of self-

conquest and evolution, and not as a miraculous

creation.

The knowledge possessed by such

the

a Master, and

power which he
as in
all

finds

subject to his Will, are

derived,

ordinary cases, from the whole

range of his experience.

One

has only to use good

in

judgment and thoughtful observation

experimentlittle

ing along the lines indicated, and to go but a

way

to

become convinced of the truth involved

It
is

in

the philosophy of self-conquest.

you-please'' evolution.
It
is

no "go-as-

rather using the Will

to

and subordinating the lower nature

"the Will of

accomplish

God concerning

us;" in place of ringing

the everlasting changes in sensation

and ennui

life

'Voice of the

Silence.

202

Mystic Masonry.

after life vipon earth.

In comparison with the orditide,

it
is,

nary process of drifting with any

a forcing process
;

indeed,

but the force

is

is

derived from the

higher nature, and the result

plainly within the

life.

law of man's moral and intellectual

The term Astral-Body has been used because it is somewhat familiar to Western students. The term
is

a very loose one at best, and the plane and struc-

ture to

which
it

it

refers are so metaphysical and

to find terms in

com-

plex that
scribe
call
it.

is difficult

which

to de-

The conception
is,

of

what we ordinarily
in-

"matter and force"

moreover, entirely

adequate in dealing with such problems.

ity,

Electric-

for example,

is

not simply a

"mode

of motion,"

or a "fluid," but a correlate involving life and intelligence,

with latent consciousness, and moved by

itself,

Will: a duality in

according as

it

manifests as

the substance of one plane or the energy of another.

Furthermore, the problem of consciousness as

lated to
it

re-

Space and Time already pointed

out,

makes

difficult to

put in exact terms the experience of the

Ego on

the supra-physical planes.

for

In "going out
is

of the body,"

example, there

freeing of

the centers of action always resident in the Astral,

or the Atomic Body, from the physical organs and

tissues;

and a consequent change of the planes of

The Secret Doctrine.

consciousness.

203

Synchronous vibrations now occur

in the Astral-

between the centers of consciousness

Body and
this

the whole Astral Plane; just as before,

synchronism existed between the physical body

in relation to physical con-

and the physical plane

sciousness.

The Astral-Body,
take

therefore,

need not

leave the vicinity of the physical, or "travel through

space,"
to

cognizance

of

events

elsewhere

transpiring.
in cases

This, furthermore, remains true, even

is

where the apparition of the individual

reposing.*

seen at great distances from where the physical body

is,

at

the time,

Thought
substance

is,

in

every

case,

vibration molding

into

definite

forms.
far,

Whenever we think

of a person near or

we

create a thought image of that person.

This

form necessarily varies according

to the clearness of

memory
selves,

or imagination, and the strength of Will.

is

Furthermore, our thought

characteristic of our-

and

in thinking intently of

a distant object or

person, a thought-form of ourselves

that place.
.This

may appear
With

at

may

occur or be visible to others,

a per-

and exist unconsciously to ourselves.

son of trained habits of thought,

who

thinks clearly

*Dr.

Baradue

has

demonstrated

this,

by

the

'Thought- Body."

204

Mystic Masonry.
possessed of a strong
to fix

and connectedly, and who

will;

is

who knows,

also,

how

and

hold the

thought on an object or a person, the projection of

the Thought-Body, as above described, becomes a

comparatively easy matter.

Such an
;

Illusion

might

or might not be perceived by another

nor, except in

the case of an Adept, could the individual causing

the Illusion be certain himself whether his experi-

ment had been

While these

successful or not.
facts

have been familiar

to students

of occultism for ages, they have seldom been dis-

cussed in print for the reason that such discussion

could do no good and would only excite ridicule.

But now that modern

seem so
unprofitable.

scientific

experiment trenches

so closely on the subject, the discussion

may
June
is

not

In a communication from Paris dated

1896, a description of psychic

27,

photography

given

as presented to the Paris

Academic de Medicine by
methods of

Dr. Baraduc:

"Dr. Baraduc explains in part

psychic photography, which seem

his

simple enough.
in

The experimenter

locks himself

a dark

room
plate.

where he has previously placed a

sensitive

After seating himself and divesting his mind of vagrant thoughts and deliberations, and after steady-

The Secret Doctt

ing
his nerves, he concentrates all his ideas
it

205

on a

certain image, be

man,

beast, or inanimate object,

and

it

will be

found that the accuracy of the image

will be in proportion to the

power of

his will.

If

no other image has intruded, a perfect likeness will have been obtained. In conclusion. Dr. Baraduc
says that not everybody has this
his volition,

power

to control

and

in order to succeed, a strong imagi-

nation

is

absolutely necessary, and an energetic Will

indispensable."

result

Mr. James M. Rusk, of Ohio, reports the same from a similar experiment made by himself

and confirmed by Colonel De Rochas.

The only new

introduction of

feature in these experiments

is

the

photography and

the
is,

consequent
of course,
science.

fixation of the images,

and

this result
to

of paramount importance

materialistic

Ten thousand persons

will be convinced

by a fact or
perceive

an ocular demonstration, where one

will

the truth from reason, philosophy, or intuition.

Let

us have the ocular demonstration, then, by

all

means.
as-

Experiment might be
sistance derived
is

facilitated

immensely by

from the old philosophy, but

as this

usually ignored or derided. Science will have a

it

long and toilsome journey before

apprehends the

real nature of these illusory images, or deduces

from

2o6

Mystic Masonry.

experiment the nature of the Soul.

of materialism
this,
is,

The

death-knell

however, already sounded.

"For

and that which we are about

truly thankful!"

to receive, the

Lord make us

The Secret Doctrine.

207

CHAPTER

VII.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE (CONTINUED).

The Sign of
It

the Master.
in the

must not be supposed that

Ancient Mysin the sense

teries every Initiate

became

Master

outlined in the preceding chapters.

There were the

Lesser and the Greater Mysteries.

all

To

the Lesser

were

eligible; to the Greater,

still

very few; and of

to the sub-

these few, fewer

were ever exalted

lime and last degree.

in the

Some remained

for a lifetime

lower degrees, unable to progress further on

account of constitutional defect or mental and spiritual incapacity.

The Mysteries unfolded

the Build-

ing of Worlds, the Religion of Nature, the Brother-

hood of Man, the Immortality of the Soul, and the

Evolution of Humanity.

No ceremony was
fanciful.

artificial

and meaningless
the ignorant,

no symbol, however grotesque

to

was merely

"It is not in the

in the religious

books of the Philosophers, but

symbolism of the Ancients, that we

must

look for the footprints of Science, and re-

2o8

Mystic Masonry.

discover the Mysteries of Knowledge.

of Egypt

The

Priests

knew

better than
.

we do

the laws of

move-

ment and of

life.

."*

Philosophy, however,

may

give us a

Key

t-o

symdis-

bolism, a Universal Modulus.

True philosophy

cerns the Plans drawn by Divinity on the Tracing

Board of Time
few and simple.
Symbolism.

for the building of Cosmos.

The Primary Concepts The

of such a Philosophy are

So, indeed, are the root-forms in

changes rung

on concept

and

Symbol, as the plan unfolds, become more and more

complex, even where they are wrought by those

who
to

know.

When

from these the symbolism descends

parable and allegory in order to clothe the primary

concept in ethical language, and make

sible

it

apprehen-

and binding

to the ignorant masses, its

garment

and Fiat read, "Thus saith the Lord."

When, however. Ignorance

cupidity and lust for

in

high places, or

power

interpret, or willfully

suppress, disfigure and distort the ancient symbols,

as has been

done for

lo,

these

many

centuries, the

masses are not prepared to beheve that the real

truth,

uncontaminated by man, has ever been

dis-

covered.

The vandals have done

their

work

better

*Morals and Dogma,

p.

734.

The Secret Doctrine.

and more successfully
in the existence of the

209

in thus blotting out all belief

Old Wisdom, than

itself.

in destroy-

ing the records of the Truth

bols are the

The

real

sym-

Modulus of Nature, and man can never

the Sanctua-

destroy these.

"Thales and Pythagoras learned

ries of

in

Egypt that the Earth revolved around the

Sun, but they did not attempt to

make

this generally

known, because

to

do so

it

would have been neces-

sary to reveal one of the great Secrets of the

ple,

Tem-

the double law or attraction

and radiation, or

of sympathy and antipathy, of fixedness and move-

ment, which

is

the principle of creation

life.

and the

perpetual cause of
Lactanius, as
it

This truth was ridiculed by

after sought to be

was long

proven a

falsehood by persecution by Papal Rome."

"So the Philosophers reasoned, while the

Priests,

without replying to them or even smiling at their

errors, wrote in those Hieroglyphics that created all

dogmas and

all

poetry, the Secrets of Truth."*

its

To

preserve

authority and

its

perquisites,

Ec-

clesiasticism will, today, as in

all

the past,

answer
nor ar-

such statements with neither

guments, but
zvith

facts, reason,

a curse!! and so long as

men

*Morals and Dogma,

p.

842.

210

Mystic Masonry.

grovel with fear at the curse will the truth be concealed.

When men

are

wise

enough

and

brave

enough

to defy both the

anathema and the anathe-

matizer, the whole opposition to light and progress

will fall to pieces.
Till then, the ignorant masses,

imitating their

superiors,

will

scout,

ridicule

and

slander

all

who

speak the truth.

Freedom and En-

lightenment are the only real Saviors of Mankind;

while Ignorance
is

the father of Superstition, and

Selfishness the parent of Vice.

The
all

Ideal in

Church and

State, the

motive for the

Ecclesiastical and Political Hierarchies, has been in

ages to govern

men
as

professedly for their

own
all

good.

The

Secret Doctrine teaches

man

to

govern

himself.

So long

Hierarchies subordinate

things to the real benefit of man, and give Light and

Knowledge

to all in such

measure as they are capaand not a curse.

ble of receiving, they are' a blessing

When, however,
edge, claims

the Potentate suppresses Knowlinherit-

power by Divine Right, or by

ance, rather than by proof of knowledge

service done to
;

and by

punished as a

man when ignorance or disbelief is crime and men torture the body, or

agonize the mind under that devil's plea

the

"to

save

Soul"

then does

the

Hierarchy become an

enemy

of both

God and Man.

The Secret Doctrine.

2il

Neither Political nor Religious Hierarchy has ever

existed for any great length of time in the outer

world without becoming corrupt.

The continuance

of power in such cases must always depend on the

ignorance of the people; therefore, the Hierarchy

will resist to the

utmost the spread of true enlightenreason that for

all

ment.

It is for this

many

centuries

the Secret Doctrine and

of

its

students or ex-

pounders have been under ban of the Church, and

of the State,
to

whenever Ecclesiasticism has been

able

form an alliance therewith.

is

Persecution in every

form, for opinions' sake,

ever the sign-manual of

It is the rule of

worldliness and irreligion.

Might
and
the

against Right, and the trampling under foot of the

weak and
to

helpless by the strong

and powerful

complete

the

blasphemy,
is

and

monument

cruelty,

such persecution
of the Lord." of

generally enacted "in

the

name

The Altars

Masonry have

ever

been

the

Beacon-Lights of Liberty; and the Lodge a City of

Refuge; a Sanctuary of Knowledge and Protection

to

the

way-faring

Brother

of

all

Nations

and

tongues.

Patterning after the Sanctuaries of the

Ancient Mysteries, and founded on the principle

of the Universal and Unqualified

Brotherhood of
Liberty.

Man, they have held

aloft

the Torch of

212

Mystic Masonry.

If in later times class distinctions

and color

lines

have divided the

sorted
to

craft,

the

Lodge has never

re-

persecution,

or been the agent of

op-

pression.

When

these veils that have for the time

obscured the true light are removed, and everylnan

is

regarded for his intrinsic

is

v^^orth

alone,

and Ma-

sonry

indeed and in truth no respecter of persons,

then will this great organization enter on an era of

prosperity such as
is

its

heritage from

all

the past,

and

its

right by the simple powder of Brotherly Love,

Relief and Truth.

The

traditions of

Masonry

in later times exclude

v^man from participating

but not from
all

in the

work

of the Lodge,

the rights and benefits of the Craft.

The reasons
all

that have led to the exclusion of

women
to

need not here be discussed.

advocates of

sufficient

answer

Androgynous
all

Masonry may be
and have gen-

found in the history of

to revive
erally
is
it.

attempts to establish or
failed,

Each and

all

have

proved fruitful of discord and scandal.

either the loser or the

Nor

woman

most

to

blame for

this result.

The Ancient Mysteries were organized

was
the signal

schools of learning, and knowledge

of progress and the basis of Fellowship.

In

modern
man-

Masonry Fraternity alone has usurped

Wisdom, and
in the service of the

the place of
to

Lodge

The Secret Doctrine.

kind
great

213

its

work has been

to preserve unaltered

the Ancient

Landmarks

as a heritage to posterity.

Every true Mason for centuries has thus been a

Soldier of the Truth, fighting for
Fires.
its

Altars and

its

In this

work of

the

Lodge woman could

the most loyal of
as

have been of no service.

While every true Mason

to

is

men

every

office

of

woman,
as

Mother,

Sister,

Daughter and Wife;

Companion, Friend, and

Inspirer of man, he would have been trammeled by

her presence in the Lodge, and she would have received no benefit by being admitted.

When, how-

ever, the days of Ritualism alone are ended,

when
light-

from the one duty of guarding the and Enlightener of

altars
its

and

ing the camp-fires. Masonry resumes

as Teacher

prerogative

mankind, and the

Philosophy of Nature and of Life are unfolded in

its

Schools and Colleges as with the Maji of old,

and when with no fear of persecution from timeserving Potentate or Creed-ridden Priest, the Light

may

shine for

all,

then will the doors of real initia-

tion be as open to
in the schools of

woman

as to

man, as was the case

Pythagoras as shown by lamlichus.

itself

The Ancient Wisdom concerned

the

largely with elevate

the
its

Souls of
life

men, and undertook

to

earthly

by purifying the Soul and exalting

214

Mystic Masonry.
teaches that souls are sexless; and that
is

Ideals.

It

the sex of the body

civilization

an incident of gestation.

No

known

to

man

has ever risen to any

its

great

heights,

or long maintained

supremacy,

that debased

woman.
in

Indeed, the Secret Doctrine

demonstrates with unmistakable clearness that sexual

debasement

any form

is

the

highway

to de-

generacy and destruction of both

man and woman;

human

and of Nations quite as certainly as of individuals.

The most debased and

experts.
else.

horrible chapters in

history are recorded in scientific works by medical

Atavism

is

here exemplified as nowhere

Here, more than anywhere else within the

possible experience of

man,

lies

the "Sin against

this

the

Holy

Ghost;"

for

through

open door,

through which rush the most unholy passions and

the hellish fires of lust,
his
it is

possible for

man

to lose If

human

soul and descend to the animals.

this, let

any

one doubts
scientific

him read

if

he can

some of the

medical works on Sex-perverts, and then

consult the attendant physicians of the insane and

the

symptoms and records

first

of Lunacy.

"The
be good

lesson

we

are taught in

Masonry
that he

is

to

men and

true."

And

the frst declaration

is

made by
to the

the neophite in

Masonry

comes

Lodge

to "learn to

subdue his passions, and

The Secret Doctrine.

improve himself in Masonry,"
building of a
It
fit

215

i.

e.,

to

engage

in the

temple for an indwelling soul.

all

may

thus be seen that

the traditions and

usages of Masonry agree fully with the philosophy

of the

Secret Doctrine as to true Initiation, and

all

that both are justified by

tory,

experience, by

all his-

and by
date.

all scientific

discovery and advancement

institutions,

up

to

These

ancient

derided,

anathematized, misrepresented, persecuted, and suppressed, as they have been for the last fifteen hun-

dred years,

will,

in the age that is

now dawning,

demonstrate their beneficence and their power; and

the marvel will be, that the ignorance and brutality of

man

could have so long succeeded in suppressing

It
is

them.

true,

even

yet,

that

among otherwise

intelligent persons the majority

do not believe that

any such Fountain of Knowledge has ever existed.

They

are looking alone to the future, and waiting,

hail with delight every

and they

new

discovery in
be for
all

science for the betterment of man.

It will

such the greatest of

to Plato is to
tian,

all

discoveries that "to go back

that the

make

progress," and

Egyp-

Chaldean, and Hindoo Mysteries had, ages ago,

all

exhausted

philosophies, apprehended

all

sciences,
in

and recorded their priceless treasures of wisdom

glyph and allegory for the benefit of the latest gen-

2i6

Mystic Masonry.

erations of the

human

race.

By and
it

by,

even our
children,

scientists will, like

weary and disappointed

all

become

tired

in

trying to do

over again by

themselves, and

then they will no longer turn a

silent,

deaf ear to the Immortal, though

the Past.

Voices of

But how, some one may

ask,

were the
call his?

Ancients, even before the

tory,
If,

dawn

of

what we

enabled to make such transcendent discoveries

in the

preceding chapter, the present author has

succeeded in presenting even a faint outline of the

meaning of the word Master, and what

really accomplishes, the inquirer will not

Initiation
to

have far

seek for an answer to his question.

The Secret
the

Doctrine declares that

it

is

the result, not of

vain guesses, or the tortuous investigations of ignorant men, but of the recorded and carefully tested

experiences of generation after generation of trained

Adepts and Perfect Masters, the Advance-guards

of

Humanity

in

every age.

Things are not true be-

cause they are old, but old because they are true.

Immortality belongs to Truth and not to error.

thing
is

not true because

it;

God hath
said
it

said

it,

or

is

suptrue;

posed to have said

God

because

it is

and the whole manifestation of Nature

is

thus the
is

UTTERED WORD OF DIVINITY.

The

Master who

at-one with both Nature and Divinity discerns the

The Secret Doctrine.

truth,

217

and teaches and records

it

for all future gen-

erations of men.

But

it

is

only in an age of free-

dom and enlightenment

can be heard
;

that the voice of the Master

but

it

should be ever remembered that

is

the sole authority of the Master

in

the Truth Just

and not the authority of Truth

here
lies

in the Master.

the distinction between Religion and Super-

stition.

The masses

will ever seek a sign, but the

is

one only sign of the Master

ity.

his service to

humanis

"He who can

best

work and

best
:

agree"

called a Master.

Service and

Harmony

these are

the sign-manuals of the real Initiate.

The Ignorant
to

may worship
wallow

as a

god him who can produce signs

and wonders, and when weary of worship return

in the mire, forgetful of the miracle.
all

Hence
the

the real Masters in

ages have avoided publicity

"gone

into

a mountain apart"

and
to

shunned

applause

of

men, preferring

be despised

and

slandered rather than have the truth ignored, and be

themselves glorified of men.

2i8

Mystic Masonry.

CHAPTER
THE GREAT

VIII.
LODGE.
the Ancient

The profound secrecy surrounding

Mysteries,

and the obligation of secrecy imposed

initiate into the

upon every

Masonic Fraternity arise

from many causes, and varying conditions, some of

political oppression

which have already been pointed out. In times of and ecclesiastical persecution it

became necessary

to conceal the identity of all

mem-

bers of secret fraternities; and, as far as possible,

for the principles of the order were also concealed

mutual protection.
or an Occultist
inal, to

When
to be

to be

known

as a

Mason
crim-

was

hunted down
life,

like a

be imprisoned for

or perhaps to be tor-

tured and burned,

men
There

naturally

concealed

their

connection with the Lx)dge, or their interest in the

Secret Doctrine.
is

probably no degree in

Masonry today

that has not been invaded by

mem-

bers of religious orders like the Jesuits.

Those who

are familiar with the principles of these Sodalities

end are well aware that under the plea that "the

The Great Lodge.

justifies

219

the means,"
to

no member of

these bodies

would hesitate

take any obligation imposed, in

order to possess himself of a coveted secret that

might support the power and maintain the prerogative of his Sodality,

knowing

in

advance that abso-

lution

for

the

crime of perjury in violating his

sacred obligation would not only be assured him, but

that he would be applauded and perhaps canonized
for his zeal and his devotion to religion, as

many

Saint in the calendar has been canonized in the past

upon

far less "Saintly" grounds.

all

In the face of
trayal,

so-called exposures,

and
of

all

be-

Masonry pursues the even tenor

its

way,
its

and

tyles its lodges as carefully,

and inculcates

obligation of secrecy just as though apostacy were

impossible,

and

perjury a crime

unknown

to

the
all

code of civilized communities.

so-called exposures,
it

Notwithstanding

would be exceeding hazard-

ous for any one, except a regularly initiated Brother,

to attempt to gain admission to the

Lodge; and no
honest

possible

motive can be assigned

why any

man

should desire to receive the rites and benefits

of the Lodge except in the order and under the conditions prescribed.

But after

all

other reasons as-

signed for the secrecy of the Lodge, probably the

tradition that such

was always the

rule in the

mys-

220

Mystic Masonry.
has had more to do with concealment than

teries,

anything else; and the real reason for concealment

in the mysteries has to be real

been herein previously shown

that attaches to the

on account of the power

knowledge possessed by the Master.

The pen-

alties

imposed for violating the solemn obhgations

voluntarily taken, may, at times, have been literally

executed by the agents of the Lodge in medieval or

pre-Christian times
penalties
;

but in modern times these awful

have undoubtedly been substituted by "the

all

excration of

honest

men and Masons."

all

In gen-

uine initiations into the really occult mysteries, the

penalties for unworthiness in any and

directions

consisted in the apostate becoming the victim of the

powers he had himself invoked.

He

had created a

Frankenstein which he was no longer able to control,

and

it

destroyed him.

Hence, the warning was

its

true and necessary, but the real method of

exeas

cution

was

disguised, except that

little is

it

was portrayed
in the

terrible.

Too

genuine occultism, to
telligible.

known as yet make further

West

of

explanation inis

All space, and every plane of nature

full of

Life and Intelligence, and Bulwer's

"Demon

of the Threshold"

may

be neither a joke nor a ro-

mance, as many cases of obscession recorded in the annals of Medicine and Spiritualism abundantly

The Great Lodge.

prove. of

221

The

"Principalities

and Powers of the Air,"

which the Apostle speaks, and of

treats very fully,

which the

Kabalah
scribed)
ture.

are the Elementals de-

though but

blindly, in ancient occult literais

When

the real nature of obscession

underentities

stood,

and the character of these depraved

it

becomes known,
be gained, and
ing them.

will be discerned
is

how

little is to

how much
lies

to be risked

by invok-

Here

the reason

why mediumship
or,
is

should be discouraged and regarded as a disease,

at besit, a misfortune.

Real Seership

a very dif-

ferent thing indeed from obscession in any form.

If Seership be

compared

to the

Ecstacy of an inno-

cent and happy child, obscession

may

be likened to

the delirium of drunkenness or madness.

Some
for

idea

may

be

gained,

perhaps,

from the

foregoing of the source arid character of the penalty

the
violation

of

obligations

assumed

by .the

Neophite in the mysteries.

In

the "Mystery of

Cloomber," Conan Doyle portrays the "idea," but

makes the execution

horrible,

of the penalty at once fantastic,

and

impossible.

No

real

Master,

even

such as he portrays, could ever play the bungling

part of executioner, such as he depicts, but would

leave the criminal to the snares and devices of his

222

Mystic Masonry.

own

creation.

The imagination

of the noveHst can

hardly supply the philosophy of true occultism.

The
trials

stories that

have come down to us of

the

magnificent pageantry, and the almost superhuman

attending initiation into the Mysteries, from

those of ancient Egypt

curean,
all

down

to

Tom

Moore's Epi-

pertained to the various degrees of the

Lesser Mysteries.
teries

The

secrets of the Greater

told.

Mys-

were never written or

What

they were

can only be surmised from a complete philosophical

knowledge of what
idea as to

initiation really
last

means, and some

be.

what the

supreme revelation may

in

This has probably never been betrayed

vidual case, nor
is
it

any

indi-

likely that

it

will ever be re-

vealed, because, as
it

shown

in the preceding chapters,

is

the meeting face to face with one's

the Higher Self, latent in every man, but

revealed.
It

own god; now wholly

of

concerns the things "impossible to

utter," of St. Paul,

an

Initiate.

The philosophy

the whole process may, however, be fairly appre-

hended as the consummation of the Higher Evolution of

Man.
it,

Thus philosophy,
the

for

him who can

understand

takes the place of the whole of the

instruction of

Lesser Mysteries, except such

practical experience and final training of the neo-

phite as enable

him

to enter the Greater Mysteries.

The Great Lodge.

So
far as

223

mere teaching
is

is

concerned, or the appre-

hension of what
is

to be done,
is

and how, philosophy

the teacher, and

better fitted to the present in-

tellectual

age than any other form of instruction.

When

a genuine School for the Revival of the Lost

is

Mysteries of Antiquity
well-qualified

established,

worthy and
receive

neophites

will

doubtless

not

only instruction, but practical training.

Hitherto in this work hints, outlines, suggestions,

and running comments or relations only have been

given; and every intelligent reader must have ob-

served the difficulty of describing that which was

never intended to be revealed.

We
theme

may now
in

undertake to give a diagram or a

all

picture of an idea running through

history like a
idea crops

a musical composition.

The
it

out here and there in history, but

for

is

not history
full-page

reasons

already

made

clear.
is

The

diagram (see Frontispiece)

cret Doctrine,

a Symbol of the Seprincipal ramificait is

and some of
Like
all

its

tions

and

seats.
;

symbols,

not the thing

symbolized

and, as already declared,

it is

not a his-

tory of the Great

If
it

Lodge and the Secret Doctrine.

should by and by be shown that the Great

its first

Lodge, historically, had

Ethiopia, which
is

seat in Egypt, or in

possible, instead of in

Old India,

224

Mystic Masonry.

or in Ireland, which
tinent of Atlantis,

is

not impossible, or on the Conis

which

more

likely

still, it

would

not

make any

difference with our diagram, which,

is

as already repeatedly declared,

not designed to

represent history, but the influence of an Idea upon

the Civilizations and Religions of the world. the true and complete history of
British Druids
is

When
now
and

what are

called the

written, the legends of

the

"Unhappy Emerald Island"

the beautiful legend of

will be deciphered,

Venus

rising

from the Foam

of the Sea will not be the most grand or beautiful

of Ireland's stories.

On
right

the

scientific

presumption that eveiy effect

must have had an adequate cause, we have the

to

assume that the Landmarks of

Masonry,

and the traditions of the Secret Doctrine, are not

without
foundation
in
fact.

Furthermore:

the

further back
the grander

we go
become

in history,

and beyond history,

of the
all

the

monuments
Plato

Secret
their

Science.

Pythagoras and

found

knowledge ready-made
lonian Mysteries.

in the

Egyptian and Babydelve into the

The deeper we

past the grander become these Ancient Monuments.

The Zodiac and

the

Pyramids alone, by the knowl-

edge they betray of Astronomy, Mechanics, Mathematics and Architecture, demonstrate the existence

The Great Lodge,

of a science in pre-historic times such as

225

we mod-

erns have not yet been able to imitate, or even to

read.

We

are like miners following a vein of gold

in a crevasse of the rocks.

Precious ore crops out

it

here and there, and

richer as

is

again concealed;
till

grows

we

proceed,

the conviction becomes

irresistible that

deep in the bowels of the earth, or

be a
buried

beneath

some mountain range, there must

all

great "pocket," the real source of

treasure.

this

The analogy
But
if

is

complete, and the reason-

ing

scientific.

the ancient

monuments on
more

the

physical plane are unimpeachable, and those in the

heavens unapproachable, they are

scendent
in

still

tran-

the

Intellectual

and Spiritual realms.

There

is

not a religion, a science, or a philosophy,

known

to

man, that cannot be traced back

to

Old

India; with this difference, however, that

we have

only the

fragments, the

broken columns, or the

disjointed images of a complete and perfect struc-

ture as

it

once existed.

The

oldest books or written

records

known

to us today,

such as The Egyptian

hymns of the Vedas, have scarcely yet been spelled out by their letters. Such translations as have been given us are both
superficial

Ritual of the Dead, and the

and

literal,

and

the

inner

meaning,
all.

always expressed in symbols, seldom appears at

226

Mystic Masonry.
has

The

interpretation

that

heretofore

been

put

upon them by

Philologists,

few of

as Symbologists,

and not one of

is

whom can rank whom in Europe is

of sci-

a real Occultist,

that they are the crude imagin-

ings of a primitive people

ence,

who knew nothing

to superstition.

and who were devoted

Ihese

translators have achieved fame as "Great Orientalists,"

and they have undoubtedly done a great work

languages to modern times,
to interpret ancient beUef,

in introducing ancient

and

in

doing their best

all

but in nearly

instances these orientalists have

been biased by the traditions and false lights of

modern Christendom.

In another chapter of this

infinite pains

work

it

has been shown what

has been

taken by ignorant Monks, and by zealous Ecclesiastics, to obliterate these

ancient records, and to

deface them by interpolations and forgeries in order

that the Christian records and traditions might stand

unchallenged.

The

beat of our Orientalists are, even

tliat

unconsciously, influenced by the results

have

been thus achieved.

When Western

students are

capable of apprehending, and ready to receive the

true interpretation of the ancient
possible that native

symboHsm,
not only

it

is

scholars

who

know

Sanskrit, but

Secret Doctrine,

who are may

thoroughly familiar with the

be found to enlighten them.

The Great Lodge. Take

a
to

227

single

instance.

The Atomic Theory,

less familiar to certain

known

have been more or

ancient Greek writers, has

made

great progress in

Modern Modern

science.

But

in

no form conceived

by

science

and
all

the

forms have been many

proved competent
It

and contradictory, has

to

this theory

account for

of the

phenomena observed.

has remained for

us, therefore, still

an Hypothesis
Science,

and not a Law.

The Atoms
as
solid,

of

Modern

whether
etheric,

conceived

fluidic,

gaseous,
all

or
of

for
are,

they have been imagined to be

these

nevertheless,
as

regarded

as dead atoms.
centers,

Even when conceived

from Life or

mere neutral
still

or

"mathematical points," they are

Intelligence.

far

removed

Leibnitz conceived them

as Monads, each a living mirror of the Universe,

every

Monad

reflecting

every other.

"Compare

these views," says a

modern

writer, "with that in

certain Sanskrit Slokas translated by Sir William

Jones, in which
the Divine

it is

said that the creative source of

. . .

Mind."

"Hidden

in

veil

of

thick darkness,

formed mirrors of the atoms of the

its

world, and cast reflection from

own

face on every

atom."

When we

have learned more of Radiant

Matter, and the Roentgen Ray,

we

shall

have come

228

Mystic Masonry.

far nearer this old

Atomic Theory, and Matter

inert."

will

no longer be regarded as "dead and

The
original

Hymns

of

the

Vedas were doubtless the

the

allegorical

form of

Secret Doctrine,

and the Rishis

and Perfect

called "gods," but really Masters were their creators.

Sublime

Antedating the Vedas, then, was the Great Lodge

of Adepts,
Civilization,

who

created the Religion, inspired the

and taught the profound Science that

If only traditions
still

made

old India great.

and broken
all

monuments remain,

these

outrank

modern

achievements of man.

The

ancient government

was
In
it

Patriarchal; the Ruler was also a Master Initiate,

and the people were regarded

as his children.

those ancient days a Reigning Prince considered

not beneath his dignity to go into the desert alone,

and

sit at

the feet of

some inspired

recluse, in order

that he might receive

more

light,

which he would

again dispense to his people.

superstition and idolatry,

Instead of teaching
the real
it

when

meaning of
perhaps, be

the Vedic symbolism

is

revealed,

will,

found to be the thinnest

the Sublime

veil ever

imposed between

Wisdom and

the apprehension of men.

at-

The
to

old gods

were the symbolical or personified

tributes of Nature, through

which man was taught

Spirit.

apprehend the existence of the Supreme

The Great Lodge.

229

This was not Polytheism, nor Idolatry, but a system

of teaching that
fined,

which could not be altogether deto that

and of pointing

which must forever

remain unknown, and Unknowable, by the aid of

symbol, parable, and allegory.

No

word-painting

known

to

man seems

half so beautiful as

some

of

these ancient parables and allegories.

Not only was

and the most
and

every oblation of love and duty portrayed, and every

joy of

home and
duties of

affection illustrated,
life,

common
and
in

feats of valor, devotion,

self-sacrifice depicted, but in a

language so musical,

rhythm and meter

recital

so perfect, as to

make

the

whole

more

like a

symphony than a poem.

a mantram.
it is

The whole composition was

every page of the
this or that

On

nearly

"they

Anugita

said

^in

relation to

relate this ancient story, in the

form of a dialogue, which occurred"

If India today is like

so
to

and

so.

an old

woman
record

in her dotage,

and her Priests have turned Harpies

remaining spiritual
life,

devour her
primeval

the

of

dimmed or destroyed. In the olden time the Brahman was indeed "twiceborn," and it was the second birth alone that made
greatness can never be

him Brahman.
apprehend

The

parables, then,

were not

in-

vented to conceal the truth from those

it,

who

could

or to keep the people in ignorance in

230

Mystic Masonry.

order that the Priests or Ruler might preserve their

power.
the

Power came not from

of

the people, but from

this

possession

supreme knowledge, and

knowledge, continually exercised and exemplified,

was the badge of

office

and the sign of authority.

To such
to all

a Priesthood the people rendered most will-

ing obedience.

The doors

of Initiation

were open

who had

evolved the capacity to "Know, to

Dare, to Do, and to Keep Silent," in regard to that

which should not be prematurely revealed.

With

the light of the Great

Lodge standing

in the

midst, the Religion of the people

was a perfect

rep-

resentative of

Science and

Philosophy, in which

superstition and idolatry found no place, hence the

symmetry
gion.

in

our diagram of the old Wisdom-Reli-

The
Vedas.
of

religion of India being thus inspired by the

in

Great Lodge was expressed

the

Hymns

of the

This was the old Brahmanism, the Religion

the Father-Mother of All.

Brahm;
But

in time the

Priesthood became corrupt

the

people

forsook the ancient worship.

Then came
"twice-

Chrisna, and later Buddha, to restore that which

was

lost.

The Brahmins, now no longer

born," but a priestly caste, jealous of power, since

they were no longer real Masters, arose in rebellion,

The Great Lodge.

and the mission of Buddha largely
and found
its

231

failed in India,

principal converts in Ceylon, in dis-

tant lands, and the isles of the sea.

The

religions of

Egypt and Chaldea had back of

and

them the same Secret Doctrine, or Mysteries; and

they were also both
Scientific

Philosophical.
folly of India,

But Egypt and Chaldea repeated the

and perished with the degradation of their

Traditions of the Secret Doctrine
still

religions.

existed,

and

Masters

like

Hermes,

Zoroaster,

Confucius,

and

Laotse appeared in different lands from time to time

to

revive the old religion under

new names, and

Pythag-

often under a different form of symbolism.

oras and the Schools of the Persian Maji for

centuries kept the true light burning.

many
comand

The conquest
to,

of Egypt by Cambyses, as already referred

pleted the ruin of the land of the Pharaohs,

Pythagoras and Plato became the links between the

old philosophy and the Christian Era, together with

the Jewish Kabalah, derived jointly from the

teries of

Mys-

Egypt and Chaldea, though more

from the
latter.

largely,

perJiaps,

From
phy of

the Essenes, the Schools of Alexandria, then

in all their glory,

from the Kabalaih and the philosowere derived.

Plato, the Christian mysteries

first

During the

three centuries of our era these doc-

232

Mystic Masonry.

trines flourished;

but were finally crushed by the

conquests of Constantine, and then came the dark

ages.

The Religion
ligion,

of Jesus
it

was

in

every respect that

old

of the Mysteries;

was the same

Wisdom- Re-

though the ethical features were more pro-

nounced, as being most needed

called "a generation of vipers,"

among what was

and a "stiff-necked
teachings of

and

rebellious people."

The

ethical

Jesus in time give place to Priestcraft and Sacerdotalism; to worldly power, and conquest; and the religion of

Constantine was finally replaced

by the

"Holy
shed.

Inquisition," a religion of torture

and blood-

The

Sufis,

among

the conquering

Mohammedans,
power paled
in

knew

the Secret Science, but their

the presence of the

"Sword

of the Prophet."
lineal

Freemasonry, though not a

the ancient mysteries,

descendant of

may

justly be regarded as a

connecting link between the ancient wisdom and

modern
rites

times.

While imitating many of the ancient

and ceremonies, and preserving many of the

ancient landmarks, and transmitting to modern times

a

Grand

Ideal,

Masonry stands

as one of the greatIf

it

est benefactors of the present age.

has pre-

served only the broken fragments of ancient gran-

The Great Lodge.

deur,
has, nevertheless,

233

it

cherished and

honored

these as a priceless inheritance.

Will Masons really

undertake the noble and glorious work of rebuilding

the City and
to

Temple

of the

Lord? Will they unite

Will

restore the primeval

wisdom and glory?

the

they search diligently

among

rubbish for the

"Stone that
"Lost

the Builders rejected," * of the Master"

?

and

for the

Word
is

Alas

who can
signs,

say

There
and
line

another link to our chain of

transmission.

evidence

of

The

grips,

and

passwords, by which a

Mason

recognizes a Brother,

pertain to the Lesser Mysteries.

The
It
is

real

Master
else-

knows

his fellows

by other signs.

has been

where shown that the true Adept

and clairaudient.

both clairvoyant

There

is

a magnetic atmosphere,

or radiation, around every

human

being,

and,

in-

deed, something of the kind around every animal

and every inanimate object.

magnetic aura when coming
even though they
be unconscious of
the individual
is

Every one
in contact

feels this

with others,

may
its

see nothing,
effects.

and may often

This atmosphere of

the source of

what

is

called

"Sym-

pathy," and "Antipathy;" or attraction, and repulsion.

It is

not imaginary, but real.

It is

the focal-

"See Plate IX.

234

Mystic Masonry,
all

ized result of individual character, and contains

the potencies and qualities of the individual's

It is

life.

composed of matter,

is

magnetic, has a definite

It

mode

of motion, and definite color.

may

be ab-

sorbed by or transmitted to another.

incident to
it

The

vibrations

are the co-ordinate result of the comthe

Priaiciples
is

bined and varying activities of

in

man.

The Key-note
and
in all

in every individual

thus de-

termined as a
sualist,

scientific fact in matter.

In the sen-

who

are degraded by passion and

is

selfishness,

the color of this aura

red,

like
it

the

oomb
as hot

of a

cock; and the sensation which

is

pro-

duces upon the sensitive and pure

often described

and

stifling.

In an individual

who

is

unselfish

and pure-minded, the color may alternate between a golden yellow and blue, and the effect described by
the sensitive
is

that

it is

cool, restful,

and inspiring.
easily verified,

If the foregoing is true,

and

it

is

and

if

a real Master

is

able to see

all

of these conto others,

ditions

which are usually

to

invisible

he

would hardly need

depend upon "grips,

signs, or

passwords" to recognize a Fellow.

his

Man

betrays
all

character, his heredity, his ideals, and

his

past life in every lineament of his face, in the con-

tour and pose of his body, in his gait, in his handwriting, in the lines in his hand, in the tones of his

The Great Lodge.

voice, in the expression of the eye
in short,

235

no man
al-

possesses character.

Character

is

that

which he

together

is,

and not something apart from himself.

all

One need
what he

not be a Master to discover

this;

he

needs only to observe, to think, and to reason on

sees.

In even the ordinary walks of

all

life

the Artist, the Musician, the Mechanic,

recog-

nize their fellows by signs that are familiar

failing.
It

and unhigher

can hardly be imagined that

in

in the

science,

and

the case of the deeper student or

less

Adept, the signs of character should be

pro-

nounced or

less plain, or that the

Adept, possessed

of far finer senses and a wider range of knowledge,

should

fail

in

interpreting them.

The

individual

who

is

really

sincere and devout will not fail to

recognize sincerity and true devotion in an acquaint-

ance or in any character in history that possessed

these virtues.

Hence

it

is

that the Student of the

Sacred Science or Occultism, though not himself an

Adept, learns to recognize by unfailing signs those
in the present or in the past

who

really

know

the

true wisdom.

Its

signs

and symbols are not the

real student

stolen Shibboleths by

which the

can be
pic-

betrayed.

Every Mason knows enough of the

ture language or Art Speech to be able to speak of

many

things in the presence of others without re-

236

Mystic Masonry.

vealing the secrets of the Lodge.

inal classes

Even
patois.

the crim-

have their dialects or

full of
is

History

is

pretenders in Occultism.

Pre-

tension alone

a sign of ignorance, and the proposiis

tion to "sell the truth"

always a sign of fraud.

There

are,

however, many names in history that

have been covered with obloquy, and their possessors

charged with fraud and imposition,
theless,

who

were, never-

genuine Adepts,

if

not Perfect

Masters.

We

must distinguish between self-conviction that comes from the pretender's own mouth and those

accusations that come from others and are unsup-

ported by evidence.

The pretender

is

often loaded

with honors and found rolling in wealth, as the re-

ward

of deceit and lying, of fraud and corruption,

is

which he

shrewd enough
is

to conceal.

On

the other

hand, the real Master

lace
is

often gibbeted by the popu-

and anathematized by the church, because he

to

neither time-serving nor willing

barter

the

truth for gold.

All along the line of history

"Nvho possessed the true light.

may

be found those

Concealing both their

wisdom and
and
seen and

their

own

identity

from vulgar notice

foolish praise, they

have walked the earth un-

unknown

to the

many, but always known

to their fellows,

and

to all real seekers after true

The Great Lodge.

wisdom.

237

The ignorance

of the rabble, the zeal of

the superstitious, and the "Vicegerent of

God" have

often

made sad inroads among

the servants of the

Great Lodge; yet they have never been altogether

exterminated; they have
alvv^ays existed to

bear wit-

ness; and they exist today!

to

If the reader is

ready

deny

all this,

of course

it

can make no difference

to the real Adept,

and

it is

certainly a matter of in-

difference to the present v^riter.

One can do no
believes,

more than

to state, candidly

what he

and

to set forth that

which he knows

to be true.

These Adepts, or Masters, have,

constituted the Great Lodge.

in

every age,

Whether they con-

gregate beneath vaulted domes, or meet at stated

times, no one

would be

likely to

know

unless he beis

longed to the same degree; but one thing

certain,

very

and that

is,

that they bring help

and knowl-

edge to the world when most needed, and they are

working thus today

in the

West

as they

have not

done before for many weary centuries.

They

are

enabled to work now, because the ground has been

prepared for them by "one

who knew," and who

also

served them to the death, in the face of scorn and

slander.

They have been aided

by many igno-

rant but faithful believers in their existence, and in

their work,

who have been rewarded

at every step

238

Mystic Masonry.

by "More-Light."

Almost coincident with the

is

close

of the present century

the close of a great cycle:

namely, the
Kali Yuga.
junctions,

first

cycle of five thousand years of the

Aside from unusual astronomical conperturbations in

spact;,

many

earthquakes,

cyclones, and tidal waves, there are also predicted

great social upheavals, political changes, and both

mental and physical epidemics.

is

In other words, as read the signs of the

already apparent to
is

all

who

times, the present

a transition period,

and what-

ever influences are to mold the coming century must

begin their operations at the present time.

This

is

therefore the seed-time, and the harvest will be by

and by.
Note

Many
Two

references
of

in

literature

might be adof

duced giving accounts

Lodge.
of

the

existence

the

Great
viz.,

these

may

here

be

mentioned,

that given in the Life of Apollonius Tyanseus of his visit to the Adepts of India, and the account of Fla-

Redivivus, by Campbell.
ever,

mel and the Adepts in an old book called Hermippus The present object is, howrather
to

unfold

philosophy than
be,

to

gather

facts;

to explain

what a Master may

rather than

to

point out their abodes.

An

Outline of Symbolism.

239

CHAPTER

IX.

AN OUTLINE OF SYMBOLISM.

A
clay,

man

standing by a horizontally revolving w^heel

might be taken as a symbol of every vessel made of

whether for honor or dishonor.

Every

detail

of

ornament or of shape might hold a legend, an

;

allegory, or a parable

or indicate a use

but the
all-

Potter at his wheel

vv^ould

be a universal and

including symbol; a pictorial expression of creative

thought in man.

The Chinese written-language

is

nothing more than symbolical writing, each of

several thousand letters being a symbol.
torial expression of

its

This picthis

an idea or a thought,

Art-

speech,

is

Symbolism.

When
is

the symbols are of

familiar things, and as various as

human

experience,

the knowledge conveyed

common.

When

the

symbols are few and simple, whether commonplace

or grotesque, like a point, a circle or a square, or a

dragon, or a

man

with horns, the knowledge con-

veyed

is

not for the masses, but for

him alone who

:

holds the key.

Take

the following simple series

240

Mystic Masonry.

point

a circle

O,

a point within a circle

O;

the

circle horizontally divided

0;

the lower half again

divided

the circle

the series
If,

the upper half divided ; a cross within -; and we have ; the cross alone emanating from the point and the circle.
;

-i

now, any process in Nature can be found

to un-

fold in the

same orderly manner, then any one of

would be found
to symbol-

the series of symbols

ize a definite stage in the process of nature.

Hence,
just in

the

meaning of the symbol would expand,

proportion as one's knowledge of the natural process

increased.
If nature's planes are seven,

and each

plane sevenfold, there would come to be groups of

symbols pertaining to each plane, and a key to each

group.

Take, for example, the symbol .

Aside
in the

from the philosophical meaning as the third

series
it

(OO )

of Mother-Nature within Infinitude,

represents a universal law of proportion, and the

its

exact mathematical ratio of the circumference to

diameter throughout nature; applicable ahke to the

circle of a

pinhead or a sun.

Here then would be

Such

a symbol in Mathematics or Geometry, correlating

Space and Time with

Form and
have

Proportion,
little

a symbol would, however,

meaning ex-

cept to the philosopher or the Mathematician.

To

the latter the Greek

tt,

or the proportion

:3i4i59,

An

Outline of Symbolism.

241

or to the Kabalistic 113:355, would at once recall

the original symbol and the whole series.
dition,
If, in

ad-

our Mathematician knew the different ratios

of vibration incident to the three planes of evolution represented by

to occult physics,

OO,

he would have 'the key

results,

and could forecast

mea-

sure effects, and induce changes beyond the ordi-

nary plane of crude matter.

The simple
illustrate the

series to

which

have referred

will

whole science of symbolism.

Added
meaning

to this science of

Symbolism there

is

an

Archaic Art-Speech, by the use of which a double

is

given to language, so that the most ordi-

nary form of speech

may

be used to convey a deep

scientific or philosophical

meaning.

This gives

rise

to the allegory

and parable, the outer form of which and

may convey
to

to the ignorant a lesson in ethics,

the

learned a principle in science.

The most
the

complicated form of this symbolism and Art-Speech

known

to

modern times

is,

perhaps,

Jewish

Kabalah, from which most of the glyphs of Free-

masonry are derived.

The
all

object of

the

present

work
but

is

not to explain

these symbols, for that

would require a volume of symbolism, and have

little

value

when

written except to the curious.

is

Perhaps the most familiar symbol of a Mason

242

Mystic Masonry.

the Square and Compass, found in every Lodge,

and
are

worn

as a badge of fraternal recognition.

We

told in tihe

Lodge that the Square

is

an instrument

with which the practical Mason measures and lays

out his work, but
are taught to

we as free and accepted Masons make use of it for the more noble and
etc.

glorious purpose of squaring our conduct with the

golden

rule,

with principles of right and justice,

So

also with the

Compass the
;

practical use

is

made

symbolical of the higher moral obligation, to cir-

cumscribe our desires and keep our passions within

due bounds.
illustrated

But Masonry

is

"a system of Morals

by Symbols," and something more; and

there
in the

is

hence a science and a philosophy concealed

symbolism of the square and compass.

This
its

may

be outHned as follows:
its

The Square with

measurements

one right angle and

plies to surfaces

scale of

ap-

and

solids,

and deals with the apIt represents soli-

parently fixed states of matter.

darity,

symmetry and proportion; and

this involves

the sciences of arithmetic and geometry.

The Comat

pass with movable angle set

in the

Lodge

an

angle of 60, applies to the circle and the sphere;

to

movements and
is

revolutions.

In a general sense,
;

the square

a symbol of matter, and the earth

the

Compass, of Spirit and the heavens.

In the Lodge

An

Outline of Symbolism.

243

the square and compass cross each other, and this

fact
is

made

a symbol of progression, from the de-

gree of Entered Appreiaticeship to that of Master.

The compass

is set

at

an angle of

60'',

and

is if

repre-

sentative of the

movements

of Spirit, and,

crossed

nt a certain distance

from the angle,

;

will

produce

an equilateral triangle
three sides equal,
it

the

three

angles

and the

now

represents perfect equili-

brium, or proportion.*

"For the Apprentice, the points of the compass

are beneath the Square.

For the Fellowcraft, one

is

above and one beneath.

dominant, and have
rule,

For the Master, both are

control and empire over

the symbol of the earthly and material.

If the reader

now

refers to

what was

said in a pre-

vious chapter concerning the descent of Spirit into

matter, and the First Trinity represented by a
tri-

angle

Matter, Force and Spirit

(Law);

and

in

Man Manas, Buddhi

that the
trinity,

and Atma; he

will readily see

compass may

fairly represent this

primary
till

concealed under the square of matter,

it

by

progression

emerges, and

finally,

in the Master's

hands, gains dominion over matter.

In the

man

of

*Radius of
t

circle and chord of arc equal. Morals and Dogma, p. 854.

244
ignorance

Mystic Masonry.

(sin),
its

the

spirit

is

concealed, and the

body and
state of

passions hold dominion.

This

is

the

the Neophite, or Entered-Apprentice.

In

the Fellowcraft's degree, the symbols are interlaced;

and

in the Master's,

Matter

is

subordinated to Spirit.
degrees explain the
(Spirit)

The

lectures

on the several

method by which the Compass

dominion
over
the

may

gain

Square

(body

and

passion)

through the greater activity of

scribing

Spirit, "in

circumpassions

our

desires,

and

keeping

our

within due bounds."

spirit

The

perfect equilibrium of

and matter

is

symbolized by the six-pointed

the

star,*

which

is

again only another form of

Square and Compass, each now having a base-line

from which

to

form a

triangle.

Inclose the star in

a circle, which symbolizes Infinity, and you symbolize the

harmoay, or at-one-ment of the Spirit that

descended, and the body,

ity,

now

purified,

with Divin-

or the Over-Soul.

Place within the Star thus

inclosed the Egyptian

emblem of

Life,

^
it

and we

symbolize Immortality, as the result of regeneration.

Transform the
rium; and

circle into a serpent

and

now sym-

boHzes Wisdom, as the crown or result of equilibis

also a double glyph of the return of

'See plate VII.

An
matter to
its

Outline of Symbolism.

245

source in

spirit.

Separate the tongue

Thor's

and

tail

of the serpent by a

Hammer,
it

or

Svastica, inclosed within a circle, and

symbolizes

regeneration through conquest of animal sense, precisely as taught in the Lodge,

under the spiritual

meaning

of the symbol of the

is

Compass.

"Freemasonry
that
is in

the subjugation of the

Human

man, by the Divine; the conquest of the

Sense and

Appetites and Passions, by the Moral

Reason; a continual
the
Spiritual
victory,

effort, struggle,

and warfare of and

Sensual.
se-

against

the

Material

That

when

it

has been achieved and

cured, and the conqueror

may

rest

upon his shield

and wear the well-earned

Empire."

laurels, is the

True Holy

The Masonic Apron made of lambskin symbolizes innocence or purity, the condition required of

candidates in

all real initiation.*

The shape

of the

apron

is

that of a perfect square surmounted by a

triangle.

We

have here the three and the four,

triangle representing spirit, the
;

making seven; the

square representing matter

the triangle represent-

ing the threefold aittributes of the

representing the four elements.

One

the square

As

spirit,

the trian-

See

Plate XII.

246

Mystic Masonry.

gle represents, or flame.

is

symbolized by, heat, light and

The Entered Apprentice

starts

on his career with

the triangle surmounting the square (spirit has not

yet descended into matter).

descent takes place, and

square,
as

As he we have the

progresses the
triangle in the

heretofore illustrated; and finally as a

Master the ascent of the square into the triangle

begins,

which every Master Mason

will understand.

Masonry being
of the

a "progressive science," the progress

is

neophite

thus

made

to

conform to the

process of evolution and the descent of spirit into

matter,

and
is

this

is

illustrated

by the manner in

which he
in the

taught to wear his apron in each degree

Blue Lodge.

The Entered Apprentice

a
first

is

not

only a "hewer of

wood and

drawer of water," but

instruction,

he

is

a novice, taking his

and

this is

symbolized by his apron.

The
which
of
its

tradition of the Master's

its

Word,

of the

power

possession gives to the Master; the story

loss

and the search for

its

recovery; the tra-

dition of the Ineffable

Name
it

in

connection with the

Lost Word, showing that

could not or should not

;

be pronounced, except with bated breath

or, as

the

Hindoo

tradition declares, "with the

hand covering

the mouth."

The symbolism

of the three greater

An
and three lesser
places on the
the Lost
stitute

Outline of Symbolism.
lights,

247
in

and the play made

itself, in

many

word Light
all

conjunction with

Word,

these references and uses con-

complicated

Symbolism working

in

and
in

toward a common center or glyph, which, taken

conjunction with the building and restoration of the

Temple, constitute the secret Symbolism of

Ma-

sonry, and illustrate the whole process of Initiation.

What

real initiation is

has been outlined in a prein-

vious chapter.
terpreted, serve

These symbols, when correctly

two purposes.

First: they reveal a

complete philosophy of the Creation of the Universe and of Man, unfolding

all

essences, powers,

and potencies, and their mutual relations and correlations.

Second: they unfold the process of

Ini-

tiation as

synonymous with the uninterrupted evodesign along

lution of

man guided by knowledge and

the lines of least resistance.

In the third degree the

candidate impersonates Hiram,

who has been shown

and

to be identical with the Christos of the Greeks,

with the Sun-Gods of

riority of

all

other nations.

The

supe-

Masonry

at this point over all

exoteric

ReHgions consists
the

in this:

All these religions take

symbol for the thing symbolized.

Christ
is

was
iden-

originally like the Father.

Now He

made

248

Mystic Masonry.
In deifying Jesus the whole
Christos as an eternal
soul,

tical

with the Father.*

is

of

humanity

bereft of

potency within every

in every

human

a latent Christ

man.

In thus deifying one man, they have

orphaned the whole of

humanity

On

the

other

hand. Masonry, in making every candidate personify

Hiram, has preserved the

is

original teaching,

which

a universal glyph.

Few

candidates

may

be aware

that

Hiram whom
is

they have represented and per-

sonified

ideally
is

and precisely the same as Christ.

This old philosglyph means, and
real Initiation, or

Yet such

undoubtedly the case.

Christ
as a

ophy shows what

how

the Christ-state results

from

from the evolution of the human into the Divine.

Regeneration
apprehensible
is

thus given a meaning that

attainable;
at once ideal

is

both

and and

both

philosophical
practical.

and

scientific;

and

In

the Tetragrammaton, or four-lettered

name

of Deity,

the Greek followers of Pythagoras found a glyph

by which they both expressed and concealed their

philosophy, and
it

is

the
is

Hebrew

tetrad ihvh, or

"Yod, he, vau, he," that

introduced into Masonry

*Here

lies

the true meaning of Abiff, "of,

Ii.iram.=Christos,
i.

or from

my
with

Father."
the

and
or

Father,"

e.,

"of,"

ABiFF=:"at "from."

one

An
with
the
in

Outline of Symbolism.
speech.

249

Pythagorean

art

Hebrew,
to

reading the sacred Text,

The devout when he came

the points
is

the tetrad
if

ihvh, substituted the word Adonai

the

(Lord), and

word was written with

it

of Alhim, he called

Elohom.

This custom

pre-

served in Masonry by giving the candidate a substitute

for the
he,

Master's Word.
is

The Hebrew

tetrad

"Yod,
"he."

vau, he,"
root

produced by repeating the

is

The
is

word

a triad,

and the quateris

nary

undoubtedly a blind.

The Sacred word

found in the mysteries as a binary, a trinary, and a

quaternary
;

as with the

Hindoos we have the om,

and the aum^ indicating different methods of pronouncing the Sacred name.
raktys
is

represented by numbers,
in the

The Pythagorean Teti, 2, 3, 4=10,

form of a triantetraktys,"

and by points or "Yods"

gle;*
this
is

called

the

"lesser

while

a triangle composed of eight rows in the same form

and containing thirty-six "Yods," or

the "greater Tetraktys."

points, is called

This corresponds to the

three lesser lights, and three greater lights of the

Blue Lodge, though the monitorial explanations

the lodge are, to say the least, incomplete.

in

In the

Pythagorean philosophy both the

lesser

and greater

*See Plates

and VIII.

250

Mystic Masonry.
by equilateral triangles,

tetraktys are represented

and the points,

series

in either case,

form the angles of a

of lesser triangles.

In the lesser tetraktys

these triangles are altogether nine, or three times

three.

In the greater they

;

count

fo/rty-nine,

or

seven times seven

and
i,

in

each case the series runs,

for the lesser,

from apex
5

to base,
I3

3,

5,

and

i,

3,

7>

9,

iij

^or the greater tetraktys, or by a

v^^hile

series of

odd numbers;

the points, before the

i, 2, 3, 4,

triangles are formed, run consecutively,

6, "7,

5,

8.

These symbols

v^^ere

thus used as "odd"

and "even,"

to carry a philosophical

meaning, and

to illustrate the doctrine of

Emanation.
is

In the Pythagorean system Spirit

represented as the Universal.

everywhere

"All multitude must

necessarily issue from One," and that one is Spirit.

AH

emanations and subdivisons must therefore be

related to the

One by

absolute geometry

(perfect

forms) and absolute mathematics (perfect numbers

and movements).
In the 47th Problem, so famous in ancient philos-

ophy (see Plate XI), and

or Euclid,
tions

far older than

Pythagoras

we have

a symbol of the perfect propor-

between number and forms;

between

spirit

and matter; and between universals and particu-

An
lars;

Outline of Symbolism.
a

251

and

this

is

constant

symbol

in

Masonic

Lodges.
In the Pythagorean Triangle, or tetrad (see Plate

V),

this

same philosophy

is

symbolized.

PROPOSITION.

"Subdivide a regular figure in such a manner that

the subdivisions shall be the
ure,

same shape as

the fig-

and 16

in

number, and with 4 of the subdivi:

sions bounding each side of the figure

16 is the

square of
is

4,

or the Tetraktys.

The

triangle series

of odd

numbers; the square even. The ten "Yods"

the upright triangle divisions."

occupy

all

(Quoted,

with plate, from print by Fred. G. Plummer.)

This Pythagorean method of "philosophizing according to numbers" has not only fallen into disuse
in

modern

times, but has often been

deemed

alto-

gether fanciful and been subject to ridicule, simply

because the philosophy upon which

lost.

it

is

based

is

It

originally constituted the

in

Art-Speech, or

glyphs,

which that

philosophy was expressed,

is

and

to

understand the one

to recover the other.

This philosophy bridged the gap between mind and

matter through apprehension of the one underlying

Law.

It

coimected

Physics

with

Metaphysics

252

Mystic Masonry.
Mathematics, or the
of EquiUbrium to
relations
rela-

through the Science of

tions of
tion.

Number to Form, or The Adept knew the

mo-

between the

movements (vibrations)
that produce

that produce thought, those

form, those that produce color, and

those that produce light and sound, and the

number
is

of these in each case.

Trinity
;

The source

of

all

these

the form of emanation a septenary.

Hence

the play

upon the formula "three times three" and

"seven times seven."

The

first

postulate of

this

philosophy has been shown in a previous chapter to

be Abstract Space, and Abstract, absolute Motion; this absolute motion is that of the Primordial

and

Atoms, thus constituting "the center which is everywhere and the circumference which is nowhere;"
i.

e., fills all

space.

It is

necessary, however, to re-

mind
of

the reader that these

"Atoms" are not those

what we

modern

Science, or those that compose

call
all,

Matter, for the reason that they are, one and

endowed
and

(potentially)

with
are

Consciousness,
equally

Life,

Intelligence,

and

world-

builders and man-builders.

They

are the vehicles

and the basis of

the

all

Law

in

Nature. They form alike

moving panorama

of thought

and the

tides of

the restless sea:

The beating

of the

human

heart,
;

and the revolutions of Suns and Solar Systems

the

An

Outline of Symbolism.

253

breath of an infant, and the "Breath of Brahm."

There
rium

is

universal and eternal Unity and Equilib-

in the midst of universal diversity; Perpetual

Involution of Spirit or essence, and endless evolution of

form and variety; and back of

all,

the

One

Eternal Principle, unknown and forever unknownable,

without

beginning,
is

without

end,

without

change.

Space

the mantle that forever conceals

is

Him.
tion
is

Abstract, absolute Motion

his Fiat.

Crea-

His Logos, Word, Speech, Expression, Will,

Thought
from

call it

what you

will.

Man

is

a "Spark"

this

"Flame," and,

in the last analysis, as in-

comprehensible to himself as God.

Divinity in previous

This Spark of

man

is

his consciousness,

and
as

this in a

chapter

we have

postulated

fact,

nothing more.

This brings us to the origin of the Tetraktys, the

origin of the Ineffable

Name,

the Lost

Word. The

Hebrews seem

to

have derived their Tetraktys from

the Chaldo-Egyptian Mysteries, and these

may

be

traced to the Zoroastrian Fire Philosophy,

the

till

finally

Word

is

In both Persian or

Zend and

in Sanscrit, the three letters are

found

in
es-

many names
sence, etc.

that designate

fire,

flame.

Spirit,

This again

is

a glyph or
is

form of ex;

pression.

Every emanation

a trinity

and Fire,

254

Mystic Masonry.

Flame, and Light are the most perfect synthesis of Consider the expressions, "The Lord this tri-unity.
is

a consuming fire;" "Since

but in unapproached Light

God is Ught, and never dweh from eternity," etc.

Scriptures, but only in

The symbol
the

is

found in

all

Mysteries was the meaning

thus

symbolized

made known.
trinities

Here, then,
in

is

the origin of all the

found

Masonry, the plainest of which are

exthe trinities of Light, and the most superficial planations are found connected with the three lesser

Lights of the Lodge.

"The Primitive Holy Symbol, composed of three

letters, in

which the Vedic Triad

is

comprehended,

ought

to be kept secret like another Triple

Veda.

He who knows
knows
265.

the mystic value of this syllable,

the Ved?i."Laws of

Manu, Book XI, No.

have

"The mortal who draws nigh unto

a light

fire will

from Divinity."

Chaldean Oracle.

"In every world shines forth a Triad, whereof the

Principle
"It
is
is

Unity."

Chaldean Oracle.

necessary to

know

that the Divine

is

Name

of its

indwelling Potency, and which

the

a symbol of

the

impression of
it

Demiourgos, according to
its

which

does not go forth from

being,

is

in-

An
effable

Outline of Symbolism,

255

and Secret, and

Proclus.
of the Lost

known

only to the Grods

themselves."

The legend
the Ineffable

Word and

the Potency o

Name

are inseparable.

They

are the

glyphs of Paradise Lost, and Paradise Regained;

or of the Fall and the Redemption of man.
is

So

also

the legend of re-building the temple, a glyph of

Initiation,

which

is

the

same

as Regeneration

and

Evolution.

This ancient
to

Wisdom
it

belongs in a special sense

Masonry, for

has done most of any organizato preserve the ancient land-

tion of

modern times

marks, and has honored and protected the sacred

symbols.
If

Masonry has made only

to the craft,

a superficial

use of these hoary secrets, and their deeper meaning

is
still

unknown

it

is

equally

unknown
initiait is

to all others, except as the result of

tion.

genuine

One may know

and that

that a thing exists,

it
is

where

to be found,

above

all

price,
it
is.

without

knowing,

to the last analysis,

what

Such

is

the secret to the Lost

Word, or the

Ineffable

Name.

Its secret lies in exact vibrations

ical

under mathemat-

and

synchronous relations;

and

its

Law

is

Equilibrium, or Eternal

Harmony.

256

Mystic Masonry,

CHAPTER

X.

CONCLUSION.

The foregoing pages can

bols

justly be called frag-

ments only of the Secret Doctrine and of the Symof

Freemasonry.

systematic

treatise

on

either of

these subjects would necessarily include

the other.

The Secret Doctrine

is

is

the complete
this

Philosophy of Masonic Symbolism.

philosophy

So long as

unknown

to the

Mason,

his symbols

are, to a great extent,

dead

letters, the
its

work

of the

lodge a

dumb show beyond

Masonry

moral precepts, and

the Genius of

for

the

members

of

the

Craft

is

largely the spirit of

self-interest,

mutual

support,
latest

and physical enjoyment or revelry, the

is

embodiment of which

the "Mystic Shrine." the

But there are some among the members of

Craft

and

how many

time alone can determine

far

who

believe that

Masonry means

more than

this,

and who have already discerned

in its

symbols and

traditions something of their real meaning.

Many
to

of these have found partial clues

which served

keep interest alive while searching for plainer mean-

Conclusion.

257

ings and deeper revelations.

In retracing the steps

by which these ancient symbols and their profound

philosophy have come

down

to our

own

time,

more
stu-

and more obscured with every passing century,

dents have gathered a large number of facts, a great

mass of traditions and general information,

all

of

which have been variously interpreted by different

writers on Masonry.
in

All

writers, however, agree

the conclusion that the symbols

and traditions
East, and go

of Freemasonry

come from the

far

back

to the

remotest antiquity.

So that the saying that the Mason journeys from

Wesrt:

to

East
is

in

search of light

is

literally

true.

This search
only. If

not one incited by curious interest

Masonry possesses merely a mass of curious

real value

myths and meaningless symbols, of what

is
it

to

any one
can
it

to trace

them down?

What

real

benefit

be to any one to demonstrate that five

or ten thousand years ago the same curious myths'

and meaningless symbols existed

of Egypt, or

in

the Mysteries

were taught

by Pythagoras and the

is

followers of Zoroaster?

Such, however,

not the

genius of Freemasonry.

The

real secrets of

Masonry

lie

concealed in

its

Symbols, and these, constituting as they do a Picture Language, or Art Speech, are

made

to carry a

258

Mystic Masonry.

complete philosophy of the existence and relations

of Deity, Nature, and

Man.

The average Mason,

upon

taking the symbols for the things symbolized, and

knowing nothing
which they

of the profound philosophy

rest, is

incredulous that

it

ever existed,
in search of

and so he treads the "burning sands"

a novel sensation or a

new

joke.

As mere

pastimes

these jovial entertainments are neither better nor

worse than many others.

They represent one

ex-

treme into which the Ancient

ated.

Let every intelligent

Wisdom has degenerMason reflect on the

is

sublimity and sanctity of the ceremonies in some of

the degrees,

where the name of Deity

invoked,

where the

highest moral precepts are inculcated,

and where the purest and most exalted ethics are

taught, and then let

him ask himself

the question,

whether
round

it

is

consistent and devoid of hypocrisy to

all this

with a roaring farce

to

Does not such

a course tend

make

all

sacred things also a mere

matter of form, a jest and a byword?

Every Mason

is

familiar with this extreme and

with the extent to which these recent innovations

and associations have been

writer
is

carried,
first to

and the present

it,

by no means the

protest against

however ungraciously
unpopular
this

his protest
be.

may

be received or

work may

Let every intelligent

Conclusion.

259

Mason
and

admit, merely for the sake of the argument,

is

that there

another extreme.

Suppose

it

to be true

easily demonstrable, that the

Symbols of Ma-

sonry embody and were originally designed to con-

vey the most profound Wisdom, and that these symbols stand

unchanged through
that

all

the ages, and are

at

the

means by which

wisdom may

any time

be recovered by him
ing.

who can
is

find their true

mean-

Masonry

is,

in a special sense, the custodian of

it

these symbols, and

its

most common tradition

that these and the Ancient

Landmarks
spirit of

are to be

preserved unaltered.
logical deduction

This

is

the plainest and most

from the whole

Masonry.

These custodians

are, in the highest degrees, called

Princes of the Royal Secret

of the Royal Secret
if
!

Nay, Sublime
Reflect a

Princes

What

a farce, what pretense,

there

is

no Royal Secret.

moment, good
Mason.

reader, ancf especially good Brother

is

What

the most sacred treasure, the most lasting pos-

session of
tidal

man?

Is

it

not knowledge? Suppose a

all

wave should

sweep

our seaports on the

Eastern and Western coasts, and that this should

be followed by cyclone and earthquake, so that the

whole country should be completely devastated

mohth.
with
all

in a

few millions of our people remaining,

it

our resources of knowledge,

might take

26o

Mystic Masonry.
our

half

a century to recover a greater part of

prosperity.

But suppose our people were

all

swept

away,

like

many an

ancient Civilization or Lost

Em-

pire; or suppose that all else remained,

and we -lost

our store of knowledge,

that our

all

Arts,

all

Sciences, and

whole people were reduced

to the condition

of

our North American Indians;

half a century,
so

then,

would destroy
out,

all

we have

laboriously
in

wrought

and we might pitch our wigwams

weed-grown

streets, or

amid crumbling

ruins.

What

we have imagined
other civilizations.
conceal,

of our

own is but the history of The howling wastes of Gobi

we

are told, the remains of a civihzation

for outranking our

bed

lie

own, and beneath the ocean's entombed the records and the monuments of
lasting

man.

Our most
this
is

possession

is

knowledge;

and when
mains.

swept away, desolation only re-

Bro. Pike says that the real secrets of

its

Ma-

sonry, the philosophy concealed in

far older than the Vedas,

Symbols, are

and are at

least ten thou-

sand

years old, and

is,

that

the Art-Speech,

which

Symbolism

was designed by

real Princes of the

Royal Secret, by Prince Adepts, or Perfect Masters, to conceal, preserve, and convey this Ancient

Wisdom to the latest generations of men: when Civilizations decayed, when Empires

That
ceased

Conclusion.

261

to be,

and when desolation brooded

to another land

in silence over

a whole continent, a

"Rock beside the Water," or

might serve

a
to

symbol trans-planted
convey the

lost secret to

another people and time.

inevitable

Knowing

the course of

Empire and the

destiny of Races of man, these Sublime Princes of

the Royal Secret, by wise forethought, determined
that nothing should be
lost.

Such

is

the heritage
all
all

of Masonry, and Bro. Pike proves this beyond

controversy by excerpts from the sacred books of

Religions, and by the most learned and painstaking

investigation.

The value

of

such

investigations

does not consist in proving the great antiquity of the

Symbols of Freemasonry, for

this

is

an easy task,

and no one with the shghtest knowledge of the subject dare dispute it, for the symbols are found on
the oldest monuments, and described in the oldest

records

known

to

man.

far

more

difficult

undervalu-

taking, the results of

able, is the effort to

which are beyond

all else

determine exactly what these

symbols mean.
sults of
all

If

they were the precipitated re-

profound knowledge, the very fruitage of

past civilizations,

some of which transcended

recovery of
not in detail.

all

we have
interpret

yet achieved in the West, then to correctly

them, means the

if

all

past
is

knowledge, in substance,

This

262

Mystic Masonry.

precisely

the

interpretation

and

the

value
is

that

should be put upon such results.

This result

the

recovery of the Lost

Word
is

of the Master, and the

Symbol of that Word

the A. U.

M.

of the Persian

Magi and

the most Ancient

lies

Brahman, because, back

the Philosophy of the
all

of that tri-literal glyph

Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of

Knowledge.

Let any Prince of the Royal Secret examine the

evidence and judge for himself.
this,
If,

instead of doing

he prefers to sneer at these statements, and to

ridicule the
title

whole subject, while he

still

boasts the

of Prince Adept, he stands as three

men once

stood near the coast of Joppa, self-convicted by the

imprecations of his

vival of Philosophy in the

own mouth. The West ought to

present re-

bring about
it

the restoration of this old wisdom.

interfere with the

While

cannot

Masonic organization
its

in the least,

or seek to reveal any of

ceremonies, grips, or

passwords, by which
be obtained

-the

secrets of
it

Masonry may

unlawfully,

must

give the largest

credit to the fidelity with

which the Symbols and

Ancient Landmarks have been preserved by the organization of Freemasons, and seek the co-operation

of

all

earnest and true

Masons

in the

recovery of
this

the Lost

Word, and

in

promulgating

sublime
race.

philosophy for the benefit of the whole

human

Conclusion.

263

There
that

is

an old
is

occult

"Nothing
is

concealed from him

maxim which declares who knows."

he has
All else he receives as

No Mason
he
its

bound

to conceal that w,hich

never learned in the Lodge.

learns anything, places his

own

estimate upon

its

for value, and becomes individually responsible and be It must be a matter of conscience, use.
in the balance of duty, If

weighed

and everyone must

lost the

abide by the result.

Secret, or
if
it

Masonry has
it,

Royal
it

never possessed
in the very

or

if

was
little

wrenched away

name

of Religion
it

more than a century

ago, all the same,

belongs to

Wisdom. the Craft as the Heir-apparent of the Old bind But the time has come when no cable-tow can
it.

It

Mason.

now To

belongs to Humanity equally with the this end has it been preserved through-

out the centuries.

What

a future lies before

its

Masonry should

it

deit.

termine to enter into

birthright to possess
it
is,

Thoroughly organized membership by tens of thousands, rehabilitated in become an irresistible its ancient wisdom, it may
as

and counting

its

force

in

shaping

the present civilization,

and

in

influencing

the future destiny of

Man.
of

All else

has perished

from the
is

civilizations
all

the

past.

Wisdom

alone

immortal of

the possessions of

264

Mystic Masonry.

man.

Of
is

all

the achievements

of Classic

Greece

nothing
of

so well

remembered today

as the school Plato,

Pythagoras, and the Philosophy of

and

these but

embody and were founded upon the Royal Secret of every Prince Adept Mason. To restore

the Royal Secret would be a work, which,

when

completed, would be to our present humanity what

the supporting

Columns are
Beauty.

to the

Lodge

Wisdom,

Strength

and
It

(Knowledge,

Power and

Harmony.)
motives,

would introduce new methods, and

ideals

and

new
in a

into

modern education,
If

and give us

few generations other Platos.

the results
all

we

create the conditions

are sure to

follow.

Here hes

the

reward for

the trials and

persecutions to which
in the past.
all its

Masons have been subjected

build the

Here we may

monument

of

Heroes and Martyrs.

it

We may

so build that

seeing
end.

they would rejoice that they suffered to the

Bacon dreamed of a great "Instauration," a

recovery of knowledge, and possession of wisdom

from Inductive Philosophy alone; but on such lines it must be forever a dream. The old Philosophy is
both inductive and deductive, through the perfect
equilibrium of Reason and Intuition, or Experience

and Aspiration, and

It will

is

scientific to the last degree.

give us as a result

Knowledge and Power

Conclusion.

265

without oppression; Religion without superstition;

Universal Liberty, Toleration and Fraternity
;

Uni-

versal Compassion; Peace on Earth, and Good-will

to

Man.

Of

course

it

is

in the province

of

Masonry

to

elect, if it chooses, that its

symbols shall have only

It

a superficial meaning in the Lodge.

that
it

may admit

has adopted from the ancient mysteries the

glyphs and parables that once served to embody and convey the most complete and profound philosophy, and, while adopting these symbols and the
ancient art-speech, confine their use and interpretation to such lessons of equity, morality,
nity, as are to be

and frater-

found in
this

all

exoteric religions.

The author
precepts.

of

book would

be the last to

ignore or to belittle the value of ethical or moral

the
if

But these are the basis of conduct, not crown of existence; the beginning, not the end

wisdom,
Man'-s "general

infancy,"

as

Browning puts
is

it,

only begins

when

his code of ethics

complete, and
greater
is

when he
not

is

perfected as man.

To spend the
his

part of his days in transgression and repentance

Man's "object

served,

end Attained, his

genuine strength put fairly forth."

Masonry not

only nowhere denies

this

deeper

266

Mystic Masonry.

meaning
mitted
to
it

to its

symbolism, but

many
it,

v/riters

have ad-

and expatiated upon

but very few seem

have been able to discern the real meaning. They

generally
failed

have

because

of

sectarian

bias,

which dwarfed

their vision

and narrowed the ancient

Wisdom
and

Religion to the bounds of a modern creed,

is

while the genius of the ancient wisdom

all-inclusive.

universal

To deny
is

or to ignore any but the

most

superficial

view

to adopt such conclusions as

those arrived at by the Astronomer Royal of Scotland,

who makes

of the Coffer in the King's

chamber
!"

of the great
It is to

pyramid of Ghezeh, only "a corn-bin

last to

profane the holy vessels, and at

all

mabe

terialize

spiritual

things.

It

may

justly

doubted whether any

a half has done so
to its birthright as

man

for the past century

and

much toward

restoring

Masonry
His
to

Grand Master Albert

little

Pike.

writings are a mine of wealth too

the great majority of Masons.
ical attack

known

The

recent Jesuit-

on

his

memory
it

is

not only a palpable and

sensational

lie,

but

should serve to arouse every

Prince of the Royal Secret to a deeper knowledge

of the value of Bro. Pike's work.

That work not

all

only abounds in the clearest exposition of

the

Masonic

virtues,

and reveals a mind incapable of

baseness, but, passing beyond these to the full stat-

Conclusion.

267

ure

of

Manhood, grasps those

and regeneration of man.

eternal

principles

which underHe the building of Cosmos and the evolution

The charge

that

such a man, breathing reverence to truth, love to

man, and aspiration toward

light in every sentence

of his voluminous writings, could descend to bestiality

and grovel in convulsions

is

at the feet of a con-

fessed devil-worshiper,

worthy of

his

real

ac-

cusers
cently
daily.

and yet such

is

the voluminous attack re-

made

in the

pages of a leading

New York

The

attack but thinly veils the old-time as-

sassins of the heroes

is

and martyrs of Masonry, and

designed to frighten the ignorant and supersti-

tious into fresh hatred of

Masonry.
is
all,

This hysterical
if

''Granddaughter of Astarte"
she has any real existence at
body, and
is

herself a victim,

of the same nefast

for a madhouse.

only a
itself;
it

fit

subject
this

History repeats

and

fresh attack upon

Masonry, while

can not tarnish the fame of the

this

honored dead, should warn Masons that even in

enlightened age the minions of the Prince of Darkness and the Father of Lies have not renounced
their allegiance or forgotten their cunning.

Perse-

cution

is

to the

Truth what the winds and the rains

are to the sprouting oak.

These but sink deeper

the roots of conviction, and spread wider the leaves

268

Mystic Masonry.

that are for the healing of the Nations.

will but pass

If

Masons

from refreshment

to labor

and unite

in rebuilding the City

and Temple of the Lord of

Truth, recover the Lost Word, and rehabilitate the

ancient

Wisdom, she may paraphrase

in his essay
:

the saying of
it

Macaulay
all

on Barere, and apply

to

her enemies

"We

therefore like his invectives

againsit us
vi^ritten.

much

better than anything else he has

...

It w^as

but

little

that he could do to
little

promote the honor of our country; bat that

did strenuously and constantly.
slave,

he

Renegade,

traitor,

coward,

liar,

slanderer, murderer, hack-writer,

police-spy

the
all

one small

service which

he could

render to England was to hate her; and such as he

was may

who

hate her be."

Masonry need not

fear the hatred of such, and only such will hate her
if

she enters into her priceless inheritance, bears

aloft

her banners and emblazons with

light

her

time-honored Landmarks.
so

MOTE

IT BE.

Postscript to the Fifth Edition.

269

POSTSCRIPT TO THE FIFTH EDITION

The

original thesis of ''Mystic

Masonry" may be

de-

fined as follows:

To show and

illustrate the

profound wisdom embodied

in the philosophy that underlies

and runs

like

a golden

thread throughout the whole Institution of Freemasonry.

To demonstrate through
illustrations,

this

philosophy and

its

use,

dramatic representations and symbolism,

of the

that the

"Work
of
life,

Lodge" constitutes a Great School

and Praters,
of in the real

oj Instruction for its candidates

meaning

and the basic principles

human

con-

duct, so as to secure the highest

and most noble

results

ever revealed to man:

To

render absurd and illogical

to,

any other inference from the references

and

all

that

we know of, the

real

Masters

of the past,

and the Schools,

and the "Greater Mysteries"

of antiquity.

Masonry seems
the
past,

to

have embodied,

crystallized,

pre-

served and adapted to the present age, these Jewels of

all

divested

of

all

extraneous or irrelevant

matters.

270

Mystic Masonry.

This

is

the meaning of the Perfect Ashlar.

The author
what a

was well aware that but few Masons

realized

treasure-house of Jewels they possessed, and that some,

perhaps, would regard such a claim as absurd, and
al-

together fanciful.

He was

also

aware that there are thousands

of

Brother

Masons who

believe that there must be far deeper truths,

treasures, concealed, than are revealed,
if

and more valuable

or generally apprehended,
search,

they only knew where to

for

and how to discover them;

difficult to

he has heard
old.

this statement oft repeated

by Brothers, young and

Indeed,

it

is

imagine how any intelligent

and thoughtful man can go through the dramatic and

monitorial Initiation of the three degrees of the Blue

Lodge, and come to any other conclusion.

To

justify

this

logical

inference,

encourage the

in-

telligent search for the

Royal Secret, and

assist in the

Recovery
motive
of

of the Lost

Word was
a
of

the original and only

"Mystic Masonry".

The author has been

and aside from the study

Mason

nearly half a century

its

Masonry,

sources, symbol-

ism and essential meaning, has been able to check and

verify these great truths from another source, viz., the

study of man, and especially from the study of Psychology.

Here the opportunities to

test theories of
of

life,

and the
really

motives of conduct and elements

transcend
all

character

others.
sees like

The physician

none other, both the begin-

Postscript to the Fifth Edition.

271

ning and the end of embodied

"first

human

life.

From

the

breath", often so anxiously looked for and evoked,

of the little one, that

"Out from the shore Comes weeping and

of

the Great

Unknown,
all

wailing,

and

alone"

to the last breath of the aged just crossing the Great

Divide, the physician

other,

is

present, often nearer than

solicitous,

any
of

and

vigilant,
It

observing,
Is

and

full

deep

reflection.

his office to

try to understand,

in order that
after.
It

he

may
to

apply and

utilize then,

and

there-

may seem

some a

startling

and unwarranted
which more

statement, that the most profound truths of Psychology,

[the building of Character,

and

self-control

than

all else

safeguards against disease, paresis, premature

insanity,]

senility

and

are

all

embodied

in the

very foun-

dations of Freemasonry.

But

this is the simple truth.

To
it

illustrate
is

a thesis easily demonstrated.

and verify here would be out of place, but Masonry embodies

a Science of Ethics, of

human conduct and

else;

character,
of all

found scarcely anywhere

and more than half

our diseases come from lack of self-control and from

selfish

indulgence.
I

Every Mason knows, and

for

am

writing principally

Brother

Masons, that

this

government, of which,

in spite of all its faults,

we

are so justly proud,

was

in-

spired

and founded mostly by men who were Masons.

272

\Mystic Masonry.

The "truths"

that were "self-evident", and the "rights"

that were "inalienable", were perceived in and by those

founders as derived from Masonry.

planted
directly

They were

trans-

from Masonry to the "Declaration",

alto-

and the "Constitution", though we have not yet

gether realized them.
others have called

This

is

why

Albert

Pike and

Masonry the "Great Republic".

Eminent Domain, the "Re-

They
served

tried to define the

Right" of every Individual, every Citizen, to

Life, Liberty

and the pursuit

of Happiness.

These In-

alienable Rights were founded on "Self-evident Truths".

Before a candidate takes the slightest obligation in

Masonry, and as the premise of every obligation taken,

he
is

given the unqualified assurance that no obligation

required of

him

shall interfere

with any duty he owes to

God, to
alone
his
is

his

Country, to his neighbor, or himself; and he

the Judge of these duties.

to be

These are
Duties;
his

"Inalienable

Rights"; his "recognized

Eminent Domain.
and
codified, here is

Enlarged and elaborated, defined

our "Declaration of Independence",
It is

our "Constitution of a Free People", and

of

the Genius

Freemasonry pure and simple.

It

is

impossible to

enslave either the body, mind or soul of

principles

man

while these

and declarations are

strictly

and

logically ad-

hered

to.

Nor were the founders

of this

Government

"Of the People, by the People,

for the

People" either in

ignorance or in doubt as to the danger point, for they

proceeded to forever separate Church and

State, as far as

Postscript to the Fifth Edition.

273

possible.

The Government was

to

be a State

affair,

with which the Church had,

soever.

officially,

nothing to do what-

Rome

declares in America today,

that Church and

the State shall be united as one; and that one shall be

Church. I hereby challenge every Freemason in America today to Take Notice of this Sign and Summons. To the profound Philosophy of Life, and the stores of

Ancient

Wisdom
book

to which

it

was the

original design of
is

this little

to call attention, there

of Citizenship, for

now added an

imminent duty

which the Freemason

ought to be better prepared and more strongly obligated

than any other, for the simple reason that these duties and obligations are taught, ingrained, and illustrated
in the School of

Masonry,

specifically

and concisely as

no where
This
is

else in

the world today.

hates, vilifies

why Rome

and anathematizes
eternally.

Masonry

continually, relentlessly

and

There

can be no compromise. Shall it be Church, or State, It cannot possibly be to rule in this "Free Country"? Rome today is the most powerful and ambiboth.
tious Political Autocracy on earth,

and she already holds

the Balance of Power in America!

I

of

the

have said nothing here of the Religious department Roman Hierarchy. That is "another story".
is

The Mason who

untrue to the basic principles of

less

Masonry, can be nothing

than a Traitor to

his

Country.

There can be no middle ground, no compromise.

274

Mystic Masonry.

If

the more than two million Masons in the United

States today, would do their duty, as did that handful

of

men and Masons who

signed our Declaration of In-

dependence, we should have a bloodless revolution, and

the Italian Cardinals

who run

the Politics of the

Roman
is

Church would

"get out of politics", so far as

America

concerned; while the Catholic religion would have the

same
no

rights

and

benefits here as

any other; no more,

Ages

less.

Of what value
fail

or use

is

the

Wisdom

of the

if

we

to put

its

principles in practice, or to utilize its pro-

found lessons running through the whole history of man?

Every
realize

just

and Upright Mason ought

for,

to

know and

to

what he stands
is

why

he
his

is

a Mason, and that

while his freedom

reserved,

"inalienable rights"

were secured by

sacrifice,

and can only be preserved by

the
price

conscientious regard and discharge of duty.

"Eternal
greatest

vigilance

is

of

Liberty".
is is

The

enemy

of the Republic

today

the

man who

stupidly or indifferently says,

"There

no danger".

This
ties.

is

the strongest asset of the

of
this

enemy
all

of all our Liber-

Get a word
if

danger into any influential

are

newspaper

you can.

They

"censored".
are
political

"Mother Church" and "The Party"

slogans, pure

and simple;

built for "graft",

and founded

on greed, equally unscrupulous and menacing.

I

have not a particle of fear that any

will

intelligent, just

and upright Mason

deny, or be able to disprove a

Postscript to the Fifth Edition.

275

single

statement herein made.

The

facts are

scarcely
will

outlined.

The

fear

and the danger are that Masons

continue to ignore, belittle or evade them.

The

present point of attack

all

is

our Free Public Schools,

the very foundation of

our Free Institutions; and

the Parochial Schools are fast gaining ground.

The most hopeful sign is the Resolution recently passed by the National Teachers Association, unanimously protesting against

any

division of the School fund, for

any

Sectarian body whatsoever.

Nothing
ciples

is easier than to demonstrate that the Prinwhich Masonry so clearly defines and upon which

the Lodge

Is built,

constitute the

Magna
derived.

Charta of this

Government,
ciples are the
life,

and were thence

These

prin-

pure gold of ethics and the conduct of both individual and associate, from the melting
all
is

pot of

This
Italian

human history, and the wisdom why "Mother Church", that is,
arrogant,

of all ages.

the sixty-odd
vin-

Cardinals,

ambitious,
it,

relentless,

dictive, hate

Masonry, misrepresent
it,

and continually
if

anathematize

and would destroy

its

it

they could, as

they have murdered

votaries in the past.

the exact opposite of

Masonr>' stands squarely across their path; stands for all their political ambition covets
at

and would gain

"the end

any cost to mankind;

thousand
realizes

for with

them,

justifies

the means".

Not one

citizen in a

what immense
in

progress this Political Autocracy has

made

America

276

Mystic Masonry.

in the fourteen years since this little

book was written.

In

Canada today the

of
off

citizens are trying to

in

undo the

work
shake
ties.

Popery and Jesuitism

the Public Schools,

the blight of Priestcraft and regain their Libersee, for

Read the Canadian papers and

all

they are

not

censored.
is

Of what value

a knowledge of history
its

if

we

are

never to profit by

bitter lessons

and admonitions?

Of what value
underlie
all

is

a knowledge of the basic principles that

life, if
if

individual and social

live

we

are not ready

to utilize

them,

by them, and,

need be, fight for

them and
I

die for them, as did the Fathers of this Republic?

can only speak and act as one man, already entered

his "fourth score" of years,

on

and a Mason
I

for nearly

fifty years.

In

many

countries today,

would pay the

in this

forfeit of life, for these utterances;

and

country

six deliberate

attempts within the year have been made

to assassinate one of

my

Masonic Comrades engaged

in

the

same

cause.

So far as publicity and our open "Declaration" are

concerned
beginning.
Institutions
in

this

country,
far as

But so
is

the

we have not enemy of

yet
all

made a
our Free

concerned, scarcely a department of our

of our Safeguards of

Government, or one
that
is

Freedom

exists

not by them already undermined.

Free School-,

Free Press, Free Religion

all

undermined by Jesuitry,
have advanced from

and paying tribute to Rome!

During the past fourteen years
I

Postscript

to the

Fifth Edition.

277

the reflections of philosophy, to the "Church Militant",

as every just and upright

Mason

will, ere long,

be com-

pelled to pass from "refreshment to labor", or

traitor to every

become a
in the

Masonic

principle,

and implicated

destruction of every design on his trestleboard.

In "Mystic Masonry"
of the Jewels of

have

tried to give a glimpse

of

Wisdom, the Crown Jewels

every high
their sages

civilization that has ever existed, inspired

by

and wisest Masters.

Year by year my convictions have deepened, the glory and beauty become more and more transcendent, and
the outlook more uplifting on the Journey of Life.
Scarcely a proposition herein contained,

drawn from

Philosophy and Symbolism, and justified by analogy

and

rational sequence, that has not since been confirmed

by Natural

Science,

and reaffirmed by the author

of

"The Great Work".

I

undertook consistently to portray the qualifications

I

that should constitute a "Master", such as seen or known.

had not

score of times

said to the Beloved

I

Comrade, "I
found him.
I

am

waiting for the

Man", and one day

find

no incongruity between the logical inference

I

had drawn and the actuality

like pointing

had discovered.

It

was

a telescope at the nidus of perturbations in

planet.
of

space,

and locating a new

of

The whole

Masonry, the sequence

symbolism,

pointed in this one direction, led to no other inference,

278

Mystic Masonry.

would have added

problem.

q.e.d.

to no other solution of
I

the

For seven years

have been making careful

observations of the orbit and

movements

of the

new

star

on

my

horizon,

and been rewarded by assurance, conand higher

aspiration.

firmation, satisfaction

Good men and women seem

lasting question,

so often discouraged
life.

and

bewildered over the experiences of

To

the ever-

"What does
and

it all

the

discouraged,

discouraging

mean?" often comes answer, "Nobody

and to
utilize

knows".

How
its

to adjust the vicissitudes of

life,

varying experiences, so as to become Master of

the

results

upon

ourselves, that is the

Royal Secret, the Great

Work.
Facing, as
present,

we must.

Principalities

and Powers, things

good cheer,
atti-

and things to come, and Life and Death, and

full

yet to remain serene, steadfast, and

is

of

the Great Secret.

Does

this not

imply a mental
of

a method living an assurance that we are on the right path and a contude

way

of looking at things

viction that all is well,

and the goal secure?

this Science of Life.

Masonry

is

a Great School, designed and qualified to

educate every initiate in just

else
is

What
the
else

the meaning of the "Instructive Tongue,

Listening Ear and the Faithful Breast"?

it

What
Is

can

be to be "made a Mason in

the heart''?

not that

an expression
expression

"By

of reality

and

sincerity?

What

else

can the

being a

Man'\ mean?

Certainly not

Postscript to the Fifth Edition.

279

an imbecile. Test the a coward, a slave, a fanatic, or principles and noblest characters of all time by these
these standards and see
if

they are not revealed.

This

is

the Great School of

Masonry coming down

through the ages, whether one student in a thousand Graduates, and "makes good", or not.

The

"Infallible"

Pope says we are "Atheists", and do

not believe in God.

pass to the Altar of

He knows

better.

No man

can
in

God, as two million

Masonry who does not believe American Masons will testify.

lies

Freemasonry

is

aligned with Eternal Truth, Liberty,

it

Charity and Fraternity, and

pathv/ay of
there
till

squarely across the

all

who would

enslave the

human

soul,

and

it will

stand so long as

God

is

in the

Heavens, and

Time

shall

be no more.

Murder, as

Rome

has often tried to do, every Freeof its principles, its

lost.

mason on earth today, and not one

Priceless Jewels

would be changed or

You might

Light, Electricity as well try to destroy the principles of

or Gravitation.

One
East,

Catholics in the of the relics preserved for pious

we
fell

are told,

is

that

upon Egypt".

a bottle containing "the darkness If his "Infallible Holiness"

beshould look upon this bottle he would undoubtedly swarm of hold his own image reflected there, with his
Italian Cardinals hovering like locusts in the

background

and

his "bottle of

darkness" would indeed prove a boom-

erang.

280

Mystic Masonry.

What Egypt was

in its glory,

when

the Great Masters

built the
if

instituted its Paternal

Government, and

"Rock
every

beside the Waters", America

may

yet become

Landmarks and his traditions, and to the Fathers who instituted them here. What Egypt is today, America will become, a waste of sand and howling jackals, if the same Priestcraft and

Mason

is

true to his

Paganism that triumphed there, are allowed here to and State. destroy our Free Schools, and reunite Church The issues are exceedingly plain, and as old as the

human

race on this earth.

Since the "Lost

Word" may be

"discovered" in the

"Great Work", the designs upon the trestleboard are Only restored for the first time in many a weary century.
are required. the Listening Ear, and the Faithful Breast and found the Jewel, examined listened, have one, I, for

the Mark.
Fraternally,
J.

D. Buck.

Cincinnati, June

19U.

^^

Unveil

thou that giveth sustenance

all things proceed,
to

to

the

universe,
all

from whom

whom

must return,

that face

of the true Sun now

hidden by a vase of Golden Light, that

we may

know

the

truth,

and do our whole duty on our

journey

to thy

sacred seat."

'^^/z, ^S _

SPWt^^
I.

Plate

Descent of Spirit into Matter.

"All Things

From One."

Plats IL

Plate

III.

The

First Differentiation.

Plate IV.

The Second

Differentiation.

/ X/"'

3
5
7

-10

-J

6
4

4
4
4
= 16
Plate V.

Tetragrammaton of Pythagoras.

Platf. VI.

The Relation of

Spirit to Matter.

Plate VII.

Matter and

Spirit in Equilibrium.

Plate VIH.

The Greater Tetraktys. " I praise Thee with my Lips,

I

know

not the numbers."

Plate IX.

The Stone that the Builders

rejected."

Plate X.
Trinity of Trinities,

Quaternary

Matter,

Plape XI.

The "Forty Seventh Prcelem"

Diversity in Unity.

Plate XII.

The Lambskin, or White Apron.

Plate XIU.

The Cube Unfolded.

Plate XIV.

The Sequence of

SvMBOLisif.

Jf or ^rogressiibe people
The Great School or The School of Natiiral Science the modern name for that venerable school of Wisdom whose records are the most ancient at this time known to man. For many thousands of years this School has influenced the civilization and work of every great nation of earth and with unceasing labors its members have toiled for the advancement of the human race from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light.
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Twenty-eight years ago this Gieat School established personal work in this country and since that time thousands of Progressive People have become readers and students of the Science and the Philosophy which has now been presented in three published volumes or text books of the School. Each book is complete in itself. These text-books are known as the Harmonic
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Written by an American Representative and Master Ancient School, who is not, nor has he ever been, Hypnotist, a Medium or a Professional Mystic. ''The Great Work'' is written in beautiful, clear and It is filled with information which entertaining style. no man can afford to ignore in his endeavors to make as well as hereafter. here life, the most of his ''The Great Work'' is a logical presentation of the Philosophy, the Science and the Religion of the Great It will interest you if you have School, in popular form. the slightest desire to solve the great problems of life. Half leather Library net. $2.00 price Cloth bound, Full limp morocco, Oxford style, in Edition, $2.75 net. dark blue, green, wine or black, $3.50 net.

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Hife anb Action

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Since September, 1909, LIFE AND ACTION has been published bi-monthly with 56 or more pages of reading matter each issue. Twelve numbers will be sent to any address for $1.00
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I

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Volume

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