Page | 0 Freeman B. Dowd
UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM
Freeman B. Dowd Lecturer, Author, Rosicrucian, Purveyor of New Thought
John Wise 10847340 [email protected]
M.A. Theology and Religious Studies: Western Esotericism University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Wouter J. Hanegraaff
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 1 Freeman B. Dowd
Freeman Benjamin Dowd
1828 – 1910
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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Table of Contents Thesis Introduction: Freeman B. Dowd -3 Who was Freeman B. Dowd? -4 Why this study: Problematizing the Issue -6 Chapter One: Freeman B. Dowd’s Life and Travels -8 Academic Writings that address Freeman B. Dowd -8 Tracing Dowd’s Travels -13 Dowd’s Life Prior to His Public Work -14 Meeting up with Paschal Beverly Randolph and the Occult Milieu -17 Life in Waller Texas -20 Writing the New Order -23 Dowd’s Waning Years -25 Chapter Two: Dowd’s Publications -28 A Short Synopsis of Dowd’s published works -28 Hypnotism and the Individual -31 Reincarnation, Rebirth, and Spirit Possession -33 Immortality and the Spiritual Body -36 Love and Sex -40 Love and Mind Power -41 The Double Body: Spiritual Regeneration and the Vastation of the Soul -44 Love Beyond Sex -46 Spiritual Regeneration -49 Chapter Three: Freeman B. Dowd and the Interaction of Multiple Traditions -52 Randolph’s Life and Travels -52 Randolph’s Teachings on Sexual Magic -54 Randolph’s Teachings on Clairvoyance and Magic Mirrors -59 Randolph’s Teachings on Reincarnation -61 Randolph’s Relation To Dowd -64 Dowd’s Occult Milieu, the Convergence of Alternative Religious Thought -65 Spiritualism and the Rosicrucian -66 New Thought -67 The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor -68 Thesis Conclusion: Studying a Person, Studying an Era -73
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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Introduction: Freeman B. Dowd
“Tracers of history’s missing persons not only have to cut through the massive steel doors of the ruling ideologies, but also through the massive indifference of a systematically stupified society.”1 Recovering lost and ignored witnesses of the past is an arduous task worth the effort it requires. The works of scholars like John Patrick Deveney,2 Joscelyn Godwin,3 and Catherine
Albanese,4 among others, have the potential to inspire others to seek out lost knowledge and uncover forgotten figures of the past. Their research, into alternative religious traditions like those of nineteenth century occultism, has helped to shape the identity the field of Western
Esoteric studies just as the occultism they have studied shaped the identity of its contemporary
American culture.5
This thesis aims to bring to light the figure of Freeman Benjamin Dowd (1828-1910), a nineteenth century photographer, lecturer, author and Rosicrucian who dabbled in the emergent
1 Rosemont, Franklin, Forward to Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany New York: State University Press of New York, 1997. pp xiii. 2 Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany New York: State University Press of New York, 1997. 3 Godwin, Joscelyn. Theosophical Enlightenment. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. Also: Godwin, Joscelyn. Chanel, Christian. Deveney, John P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1995. 4 Albanese, Catherine L. A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. 5 By occult and occultism here I mean 19th-century developments within the history of Western esotericism and a particular form of alternative religious discourse in Western culture. For a fuller discussion of Occultism and Western Esotericism see the above texts from Godwin, Deveney, and Albanese as well as: Hanegraaf, Wouter. Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. New York: Bloomsbury 2013.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 4 Freeman B. Dowd movement of New Thought in the early twentieth century.6 This thesis seeks to mend the hole in our historical record which has all but forgotten Freeman Dowd, who he was, what he taught, what he wrote and who he interacted with. In so doing, this thesis forms a study of late nineteenth century occult thought. Various academic works like those of Jon Butler and
Catherine Albanese have shown the ways in which these alternative traditions formed and characterized important aspects of American religious discourse.7 This thesis paper will focus particularly on Dowd, an individual who identified himself as a Rosicrucian and who was interacting with various alternative religious practitioners in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Who was Freeman B. Dowd?
Though he identified himself as a Rosicrucian, in the mid-nineteenth century a number of figures in the United States labeled themselves as Rosicrucians.8 Therefore, the moniker tells us little of who Dowd was. However, central to these individuals who identified themselves as
Rosicrucians and the organizations they created was the person of Paschal Beverly Randolph (d.
6 Though I will discuss this movement further in chapter three of this thesis, by New Thought here I mean the late nineteenth and early twentieth century metaphysical movement stemming from the work of Phineas P. Quimby and later which asserted a philosophy of ideals on mind power. In this system of thought, ideas are the primary reality and all causation in matter stems from the mind. This movement embraces a wide range of thought and practices concerning metaphysical healing and the power of the mind. For more on New Thought see: Braden, Charles S. Spirits in Rebellion. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963. 7 Butler,Jon. Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990. See also: Albanese, Catherine L. A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. 8 Rosicrucianism, an esoteric intiatic order of occult knowledge, can be traced back to the early seventeenth century in Europe. However, Rosicrucianism in America did not begin to form until the mid-nineteenth century.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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1875), a black American Spiritualist and practitioner of sexual magic.9 I first encountered Dowd while researching Randolph. One of the works written by Dowd can be found in the academic title, Rosicrucianism in America, a collection of primary source texts from American history.10
Searching further for who this individual was, I found that Dowd had little modern work written on him and less still about his teachings. Dowd was the direct pupil of Randolph and a prolific author in his own right. Though largely forgotten by history, Dowd was a well-known lecturer, writer, and figurehead of early Rosicrucian orders in America as well as various circles of occult literature and thought of the late nineteenth century.11
Dowd was influential in the uptake of concepts derived from Randolph’s sexual magic into the New Thought Movement particularly the power of love and reincarnation.12 By New
Thought I mean the late nineteenth and early twentieth century metaphysical movement stemming from the work of Phineas P. Quimby, and the later work of Emma Curtis Hopkins.
This movement generally asserted a philosophy of ideals on mind power and healing.13
9 For the exhaustive biography of Randolph see: Deveney, Paschal Beverly Randolph. 1997. 10 Melton, J. Gordon. Rosicrucianism in America. Garland Publishing Inc: CT 1990. 11 Though I say “orders” plural here, the reality is that there were several small failed startups on the part of Randolph and Dowd. There would be later orders to form from Randolph and Dowd’s work. However, the later formulations of Rosicrucianism such as George Winslow Plummer's Societas Rosicruciana in America and Reuben Swinburne Clymer's Fraternitas Rosae Crucis hold tenuous connections at best to Dowd and Randolph. Though Clymer would trace a direct lineage through Edward Holmes Brown to Freeman Dowd and thereby to Paschal Randolph, evidence for an unbroken lineage is circumspect. See: Clymer, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America. Also see: March 5, 1917 issue of Mercury, the journal of the Societas Rosicruciana in America, in which an obituary with information from Brown is given in dedication to Dowd as a Pioneer Rosicrucian. 12 I will discuss Randolph’s theology of sexual magic and reincarnation in chapter three of this Thesis. 13 I will discuss New Thought in more detail in the third chapter of this thesis: For more on New Thought see: Melton, J. Gordon. “New Thought and the New Age” in Perspectives on the New Age Lewis, James R. (ed.) and Melton, J. Gordon (ed.) Albany, New York: State University of New York
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References to Dowd and advertisements for Dowd’s books in dozens of New Thought journals, both English and German, evidence his popularity in and among this movement.14
Based on the prevalence of both his articles in these journals and the advertisements for his published works, by the late 1890s anyone who was at all interested in New Thought or sex magic in the United States at least knew of Dowd and had probably read him.
Problematizing the Issue
Dowd was involved in some small or large way with several religious entities or organizations and his unique teachings reflect this interaction. By illuminating the person and life of Dowd in this thesis, I show the ways in which movements such as Spiritualism, Theosophy, nineteenth-century occult initiatic orders like the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, and the burgeoning movement of New Thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century were all interacting with one another. Dowd’s life is a seminal example of the currents of thought circulating in the occult world of his era. Dowd is an individual that, I would assert, was important in his time period and has been largely forgotten or overlooked in modern study. He represents a transition in alternative American thought. Therefore, a detailed exegesis of his texts
Press, 1992. Also: Godwin, Joscelyn. Theosophical Enlightenment. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. And: Albanese, Catherine L. A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. And: Braden, Charles S. Spirits in Rebellion. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963.
14 I will discuss these references to Dowd and his writing in nineteenth century journals in chapter one of this Thesis.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 7 Freeman B. Dowd and philosophy has the potential to bring nuance and understanding to this formative era in the history of modern Occultism.
Throughout the course of this thesis I will discuss different elements of who Dowd was, what he taught, and what organizations he was involved with. In chapter one I will open by tracing Dowd’s travels and discussing his writing in the Occult Journals of his era. I will move in chapter two to address his published works which include both fiction and educational materials across several books and a serialized novelette. In chapter three I will spend time discussing
Dowd’s mentor Paschal Beverly Randolph as well as several organizations with which Dowd interacted or was involved with, concluding by drawing some of the connections of these organizations through the figure of Dowd. By addressing Dowd’s life, his works, and his acquaintances as well as his interactions with other writers of his time I will show how this study as a whole brings to light the Occult milieu of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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Chapter One: Freeman B. Dowd’s Life and Travels
Little has been written in academia on Dowd’s life and still less has been written on his teachings. Therefore, in this opening chapter I will begin by discussing the work that has been written on Dowd and then move to discuss his life, his travels, and his journalist writings. In the course of tracing Dowd’s biography I will be making reference both to his writings in popular journals of the time as well as record data on Dowd found in Federal Censuses, birth records, marriage licenses, and tomb stones. By piecing together his life and travels I hope to present a comprehensive review of Freeman Benjamin Dowd’s story.
Academic Writings that address Freeman B. Dowd
The prime source of secondary literature on Dowd can be found in John Patrick
Deveney’s work on Paschal Beverly Randolph.15 In this seminal text Deveney constructs a thorough biography of Randolph and in so doing discusses aspects of Dowd’s life. Deveney details Dowd’s travels based on his appearance in various journals in the nineteenth century.16
He notes that Dowd appears in Davenport, Iowa, and St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1860s, in Iowa,
Arkansas, and Missouri in the 1870s, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and San Francisco,
California where he started Temples of the Rosy Cross. He could be found in Hempstead,
Texas, in the 1880s and 1890s. Deveney asserts that before this period, in the mid1860s Dowd was a traveling spiritualist, corresponding with Spiritualist journals on the wondrous cures of
Spiritualist physicians.17 He was a lecturer and writer who journeyed up and down the Midwest from Davenport, Iowa to Wellsville, Missouri advertising his work entitled Rosicrucia! The
15 Deveney, 1997. 16 Deveney, 1997, pp 471. 17 Deveney, 1997, pp 189.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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Road to Power; Sexual Science; Psychical and Mental Regeneration.18
Around 1869 Dowd played some prominent part in Randolph’s reforming of his
Rosicrucian work into a more organized model. In Randolph's “Seership” published in 1870 he refers to Dowd as the "selected Grandmaster of the magnificent order."19 Dowd's preface to
Randolph’s After Death the same year describes him as "Grand Master, Imperial Order of
Rosicrucia." These titles are evidence of Dowd’s place, at least, as the figurehead of Randolph’s organization. Deveney makes note that the reason for this elevation of Dowd is unclear since
Dowd was the pupil and Randolph was the teacher. He conjectures that Randolph perhaps sought to avert criticism. An alternative theory is that perhaps the controversy of Randolph’s race held sway over his choice to not give this position of honor to himself. At the time, being an individual of African descent or even one eighth black was a handicap in the racist American culture. Regardless of title, the organization was Randolph's creation and thereby Randolph’s order.
Interestingly, Deveney asserts that Randolph and Dowd had a parting of ways.20 He proclaims that by early 1871, the situation and good faith between Randolph and Dowd had changed, citing the defection of nine members of Randolph’s order.21 In February, the establishment of what
18 Deveney, 1997, pp 472. In the Religio-Philosophical Journal, Dowd advertised his work Rosicrucia from July 1, 1871-September 16, 1871 (there is a citation error in Deveney). A similar advertisement sans “rosicrucia” can be found in Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly, April 19, 1873. Also in the RPJ are personal and local references to Dowd’s movements from Davenport, Iowa to Wellsville, Missouri. 19 Randolph, Paschal Beverly, Seership!:The Magnetic Mirror, A Practical Guide to Those Who Aspire to Clairvoyance—bsolute. Original and Selected From Various European and Asiatic Adepts. Boston: Randolph and Company, 1870. pp 22. From the Library of Congress. Also: quoted in Deveney, 1997, 472. 20 Deveney, 1997, 190. This is an assertion for which I do not find sufficient evidence. 21 Ibid.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
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Randolph deemed false lodges spurred his denunciation of these nine individuals in his published work The Asiatic Mystery.22 The circumstances surrounding the issuance of the Asiatic Mystery are not entirely clear, but Deveney notes that it appears to mark the division.23 In the Asiatic
Mystery there is no mention of Dowd or of his being the "Grand Master" as prior works had noted.24 Instead Randolph signed the Asiatic Mystery himself simply as "Secretary ex officio."25
When Randolph published his edition of the Divine Pymander, later in the same year, the prefatory note by Flora S. Russel attributes the manifesto to Randolph as "Supreme Head of the
Order."26 Dowd is left out of the extensive dedication to Randolph's 1874 edition of Eulis, and he is ignored in the list of officers given for Randolph’s Triplicate Order in 1875.27 Deveney asserts that other references to Dowd are the result of later reprintings from old plates rather than evidence of reconciliation or of a continuing relationship. For example, Deveney notes that later reprintings of the 1871 edition of The Rosicrucian's Story did continue to carry the dedication to
"Freeman," and his preface to After Death from 1870 continued to be used after Randolph had
22 Ibid. 23 If there was a divide, it may be due to a philosophical deviation of their two systems of thought. Randolph was teaching a more practical magic to be applied physically to the material world. Whereas Dowd, in his writings and teachings, would come to advocate a more cerebral and thought focused philosophy representative of his move toward New Thought and away from Randolph’s material occultism. I will return to this theme in Chapter three as I investigate Dowd’s system of thought in contrast to Randolph’s. 24 Deveney, 1997, 192. 25 Ibid. Note however that “secretary ex officio” is not necessarily parallel or equivalent with Grand Master. 26 Russel, Flora S. “Prefatory Note” in Randolph, Paschal B. Hermes Trismegistus: His Divine Pymander, Also The Asiatic Mystery, The Smaragdine Table and the Song of Brahm. Toledo, Ohio: Randolph Publishing Company, 1889. pp 10. See also: Deveney, 1997, 192. 27 Deveney, 1997, 192. Note: It could be that when Randolph published The Book of the Triplicate Order, following the San Francisco meeting of the leadership of the Brotherhood of Eulis, that he left Dowd out of the leadership roster because Dowd was not present at the meeting. He may have been designating the then-present leadership.
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died in 1875. Deveney then cites the 1930 edition of “Seership!” as a further indication of a
break with Dowd.28 While the original printing called Dowd "The Selected Grand Master" of the
order, the Clymer edition reprinted by Health Research omits Dowd entirely.29 Deveney asserts
that Clymer’s desire to draw a lineage of Rosicrucian history through Dowd to Randolph points
to the fact that the omission was one of Randolph’s choice rather than an act perpetuated by
Clymer’s reprinting in 1930.30 However, I would strongly question Deveney’s assertion of a
divide between Randolph and Dowd. His work fails to include the 1875 edition of “Seership!”
published in Toledo, Ohio just before Randolph’s death.31 In this edition Dowd is again referred
to as the “selected grand master of the magnificent order.”32 This could be, like other references,
the result of later reprintings from old plates. However, I have to question the logic of seeing a
complete divide between the two figures given the scant evidence.
Moving beyond Deveney’s biography of Randolph, another text which briefly discusses
Dowd is the joint work of Godwin, Chanel, and Deveney on the Hermetic Brotherhood of
Luxor.33 In this text Dowd is noted as a “quondam” follower of Randolph and a member of the
Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor.34 Also known as the H.B. of L., the Brotherhood was an order
of practical occultism which primarily introduced initiates to the teachings of Randolph.35
28 Deveney, 1997, 473. 29 Randolph, Paschal. Seership; Guide to Soul Sight Quakertown, PA: The Confederate of Initiates 1930. See also: Deveney, 1997, 474. 30 Deveney, 1997, 474. 31 Deveney, 1997, 363. 32 Randolph, Paschal Beverly. Seership! The Magnetic Mirror. A Practical Guide to Those Who Aspire to Clairvoyance-Absolute. Toledo, Ohio: Randolph and Company, 1875. 22. 33 Godwin, Joscelyn. & Chanel, Christian.& Deveney, John P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1995. 34 Ibid, 66. 35 Ibid, 61.
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Therefore, Dowd’s association with the order was by no means out of character with his prior
work. Also mentioned in this text are Dowd’s contributions to occult journals such as The
Gnostic in San Francisco, California and The Temple in Denver, Colorado.36 Because this text is
more a collection of primary sources focused on the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, and not a
text on the life of Randolph or Dowd, the works makes very little of Dowd as an entity of note.
However, his relationship to Randolph, his involvement in this occult order, and the fact that his
published works were advertised in the this orders journal are all points which make a brief
discussion of the H.B. of L. necessary later in this thesis.
A third work that touches on Dowd’s life is the 1996 study of Rosicrucianism from
French writer Robert Vanloo.37 Here Dowd is referenced in relationship to Randolph’s legacy.
He is described as a chemist and photographer with an interest in the Rosicrucians who came
into the Brotherhood through Randolph in 1864. Vanloo asserts that after Randolph’s death
Dowd struggled to obtain the documents related to the activities of Randolph’s orders but that he
went on to found a grand Lodge in Philadelphia in 1878.38 Vanloo makes reference to Dowd’s
published works The Temple of the Rosy Cross and The Evolution of Immortality as well as his
eventual residence in Texas toward the end of his life.39 He states that, “On April 15, 1907 he
[Dowd] retired from office in the Order at the respectable age of 94, leaving the estate to Edward H.
36 Ibid. 37 Vanloo, Robert. Les Rose-Croix Du Nouveau Monde: Aux Sources Du Rosicrucianisme Moderne. Paris: Claire Vigne Publishing, 1996. 38 Ibid, 75. 39 Ibid, 76.
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Brown.”40 Like the work of Chanel, Godwin, and Deveney this text is focused on topics larger than
Dowd’s personal life and therefore makes little note of Dowd’s travels or works in any substantial way.
A final work which makes mention of Dowd is the upcoming publication from Dr. Lee Irwin entitled Reincarnation: An Esoteric History.41 In this study Irwin addresses Dowd’s philosophy pertaining to reincarnation.42 Unlike prior works written on Dowd, portions of Irwin’s work focus on Dowd’s teachings rather than simply drawing a connection to Randolph. Irwin’s analysis of the 1882 text The
Temple of the Rosy Cross, asserts that Dowd outlines a process linking soul evolution and involution.43
Irwin expounds upon this process explaining that in Dowd’s system of thought souls evolve or devolve in accordance with their qualities of refinement or spiritualization.44 Irwin also touches on how love and directed will in Dowd’s philosophy are utilized for the creation of a superior spiritual body and directed reincarnation.45 Though Irwin’s work takes great strides toward explaining some of Dowd’s teachings, his work only touches on Dowd for a few brief pages of his book. This upcoming work does not discuss Dowd’s writing in occult journals and also fails to mention Dowd’s other published books.
Tracing Dowd’s Travels
Given the lack of academic work on Dowd’s life, a fuller study is necessary. Dowd’s prolific contribution to various occult journals, as well as his numerous published works, give reason to study Dowd’s origins, his life, his teachings and his travels. Therefore, a more robust biography of Freeman B. Dowd is detailed below. Throughout the course of his life Dowd
40 Ibid, 77. 41 Irwin, Lee. Reincarnation: An Esoteric History. NY: Oxford University Press, 2016. Forthcoming. 42 Ibid, manuscript chapter 5. 43 Ibid. 44 Ibid. 45 Ibid.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 14 Freeman B. Dowd traveled across the United States, was a pupil of the somewhat famous Paschal Beverly
Randolph, interacted with multiple newspapers and journals, wrote several of his own books, and took part in various movements of late 19th century Occultism as well as early 20th century
New Thought. Dowd was a traveling lecturer as well as a commercial photographer. He made his way across the United States taking his teachings and philosophy with him. As mentioned above, Dowd’s travels can be traced in part by referencing his writing in Occult journals as well as by referencing the publication houses of his various published works. These sources give some reference for tracing Dowd’s life but they do not paint a complete portrait. Government census data, war records, birth, marriage, and death certificates and gravestone markers all give a fuller picture of Freeman B. Dowd. These somewhat obscure forms of data bring light to the places Dowd called home at different points of his life. They also tell us a bit about his origins and his family as well as his official occupations.
Dowd’s Life Prior to His Public Work
Dowd was born on October 8th 1828 and by the age of 22 had begun to accumulate a small but notable amount of wealth. Pinpointing this exact birthdate is a bit of a challenge as he is listed in different documents with different dates of birth. According to the Fraternitas Rosae
Crucis website Soul.org, Dowd was born in 1812.46 This birth year seems to be in concert with the writings of Robert Vanloo but unfortunately, based on more definitive evidence, this date seems to be inaccurate.47 Deveney cites Dowd’s birth date in 1825, a date he likely derived from an article found in the occult journal Mercury written on March 5th 1917, but this date seems to
46 Fraternitas Rosae Crucis. Articles: Freeman B. Dowd. Soul.org, Accessed: Dec 3rd, 2015. 47 VanLoo, 1996, pp 75.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 15 Freeman B. Dowd also be inaccurate.48 Official U.S. Federal censuses taken over the course of Dowd’s life place his birth year in a range from 1826 to 1829.49 However, the most accurate date seems to be Oct
8th, 1828.50 Though the census of his father’s house in 1850 does not directly reference Dowd’s birth, it does record his age as 22 years old.51 In support of this early data, the 1900 census of
Waller, Texas is the only Federal census in which his actual birth year is written out, recording the date.52 Born in 1828, Dowd first appears on public record living in his father’s household in
Shirland, Illinois as Freeman Doud.53 He was the second born son in a family of nine children.54
By the age of 22 he had already accumulated a small amount of wealth $120 which is listed in his personal estate.55
48 Mercury. Pioneer Rosicrucian Workers in America. No. 3: Freeman B. Dowd. March 5th 1917. URL: iapsop.com, Accessed: Sep 20th, 2015. See also: Deveney, 1997, pp 189. 49 U.S. Census Bureau, 1850-1910. 50 This conclusion is foremost based on a census of his father’s household in 1850. See: U.S. Census Bureau, Shirland Township, Winnebago Country, Illinois, October 8, 1850. National Archives Microfilm Publication M432. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Accessed: Dec 12th, 2015. 51 Ibid. 52 Other censuses between 1860 and 1910 only recorded the age of participant. Other records which record Dowd’s birth at an earlier or later date are likely due to a lie of convenience. Put simply, Dowd, like so many people often do, was misstating or lying about his age. See: U.S. Census Bureau, Precinct 1, Waller, Texas; June 5, 1900. FHL microfilm: 1241676 Roll: 1676; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0046. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Accessed: Dec 12th, 2015. For other census data see: U.S. Census Bureau: 1860, Riverton, Floyd, Iowa; Nara Microfilm Roll: M653_322; Page: 328; Image: 328. & 1870, Davenport Ward 2, Scott County, Iowa; NARA microfilm Roll: M593_418; Page: 207B; Image: 160150. & 1880, Precinct 1, Waller, Texas; NARA microfilm T9 publication Roll: 1331; Family History Film: 1255331; Page: 394A; Enumeration District: 158. & 1910, Esculapia, Benton, Arkansas; NARA microfilm Roll: T624_44; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0020. 53 Freeman was the son of Zina and Mary Doud of Vermont. See: U.S. Census Bureau, Shirland Township, Winnebago Country, Illinois, October 8, 1850. 54 Ibid. 55 U.S. Census Bureau: Shirland Township, Winnebago County, Illinois, October 8th 1850.
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In the 1850s and early 1860s, prior to his public writing and lecturing, Dowd underwent a great transition in his life by marrying, fathering four children, and moving to the city of
Davenport where he learned to manage his brother’s photography studio. On August 27th 1855, at the age of 26, Dowd married his first wife, 23 year old Harriet Marvin.56 Three years later
Dowd would have his first child, a daughter named Roselle.57 Freeman and Harriet would go on to have four children: Roselle his first daughter, Eva his second daughter born circa 1860,
Eugene his first son born circa 1862, and finally Milo his youngest son born circa 1868.58 Dowd appears on public record in 1863, at the age of 34 as a photographer.59 Prior to this period, Dowd had been a farmer in his parents’ household.60 Freeman Dowd’s younger brother Rodolphus opened a photography studio in Davenport, Iowa in September 1862.61 When Rodolphus moved to Illinois, Freeman likely took over this establishment. 62 An ad for “Dowd’s Excelsior Portrait
Gallery” is found in an 1863 Davenport city directory.63 This ad identified his studio location at
56 Illinois Marriages, 1763 – 1900. City of Lake, Illinois. License #093M0292 57 U.S. Census Bureau, Davenport Ward 2, Scott County, Iowa; 1870. 58 Ibid. 59 This information comes from the Civil War Draft Registration Record. There is no evidence that Freeman served in the American Civil War, only that he registered for the draft. Dowd never makes reference to time served in the war. Furthermore, in the 1910 Federal census Dowd is not identified as a veteran. (this is the only census containing Dowd which asked for veteran status) See: National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Record: Iowa, Second Congressional District, Vol 1 of 4. Washington, D.C. Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records: Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865. & U.S. Census Bureau, 1910, Esculapia, Benton, Arkansas; NARA microfilm Roll: T624_44; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0020. 60 U.S. Census Bureau, Shirland Township, Winnebago Country, Illinois, October 8, 1850. & Riverton, Floyd, Iowa, 1860. 61 Kelbaugh, Ross J. Directory of Civil War Photographers, vol 3, Western States and Territories, 2nd ed. Baltimore: Historic Graphics, 1992. pp 20. 62 Power, John C. Davenport City Directory, 1863. Davenport: Luse, Lane, and Co. 1863. pp 22. 63 Ibid, 29.
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Brady Street adjoining the State Bank and notes their services: Cartes de Visite both plain and colored as well as the copy of old pictures.64 At this time Dowd had a partner in photography, listed in the Iowa state directory as Daniel Smith.65 Their studio later appears in the 1866
Davenport City Directory with an updated advertisement and then again in 1867 and again in
1870 without an ad.66 Dowd’s move to Davenport and his occupational change to photography put him on the map and would lead him into the next stage of his life, writing to and lecturing for those interested in the occult.
Meeting up with Paschal Beverly Randolph and the Occult Milieu
After the war, Dowd made contact with Randolph and began publically writing in occult journals.67 The date of Randolph and Dowd’s initial contact is difficult to pinpoint, falling somewhere between his move to Davenport in 1863 and Randolph’s endorsement of Dowd in the preface to the first edition of After Death, published in March 1868.68 Regardless of the exact year, it is obvious that after having contacted and tutored under Randolph, Dowd made a shift toward philosophical writing, submitting his first works to the Religio-Philosophical Journal as
64 Ibid. Cates de Visite is a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris, France by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854. 65 Hair, James T. comp. and ed. Iowa State Gazetter. Chicago: Baily and Hair, 1865. pp 585. 66 Smithfield A. G. comp. and ed. Davenport City Directory, 1866. Davenport: Luse & Griggs 1866. pp 39 & 94. Also: Root, O.E. Root’s Davenport City Directory. Davenport: Luse & Griggs, December 1866. pp 23 & 101. Also: Montague, A. J., Curtis, J. F. Davenport City Directory for 1870-1. Davenport: Griggs, Watson, & Day Printers. 1871. pp 98. 67 Randolph was first contacted in the late 1860s by an eager Dowd who was seeking his teaching. A form of this correspondence is recorded in Dowd’s biographical-fiction novel. See: Dowd, Freeman B. The Double Man. Boston: Arena Publishing Company 1895, 34. 68 Randolph, Paschal Beverly. After Death: Disembodied Man. Boston, Mass: Rockwell and Rollins, 1886. Preface.
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Page | 18 Freeman B. Dowd early as March of 1869.69 The Religio-Philosophical Journal was a periodical magazine representative of the progressive side of spiritualism and serves as a good source of information on the controversies that roiled the movement in that period. Many people involved in spiritualism and reform in the last quarter of the nineteenth century wrote for or to the Religio-
Philosophical Journal.70 There is a possibility that Dowd began writing to the RPJ as early as
1866.71 However, this issue of the journal has been lost.72
His 1869 submissions to the RPJ address spiritualist ideas of being, the process of reincarnation, and ideas on the afterlife. Dowd’s philosophy, in these early submissions, clearly displays a belief in reincarnation and a focus on enabling the positive evolution of the soul. He asserted that by enacting the power of love man has the power to become whatever he desires to be. Power gained through the practice of will and love had the ability to enable conscious and directed rebirth.73 Submissions from Dowd attempt to neutralize gender division while also dealing with various human vices such as pride and lust.74 In addition to submitting articles to
69 Dowd, F.B. Rosicrucian of the Temple, "What Are We? Part II” in Religio-Philosophical Journal 3/6/1869. From: iapsop.com 70 Deveney, John P. Religio-Philosophical Journal. “summary” iapsop.com 71 Dowd, Freeman. “Letter from Davenport, Iowa,” in RPJ 3, no. 11 (December 8, 1866: 4. As quoted in: Deveney, 1997, 471. 72 This early entry into the RPJ is noted in: Deveney, 1997, 189 & 471. Deveney asserts that Dowd, at this time, was a traveling spiritualist corresponding with journals on the wondrous cures of spiritual physicians. 73 Dowd, F.B. Rosicrucian of the Temple, "What Are We? Part II” in RPJ 3/6/1869. 74 Dowd, F. B. "Leaves from the Unwritten Life of a Rosicrucian. No. One." In RPJ 6/19/1869. In this essay a Rosicrucian in despair receives a letter and tears it up; the form of man arises from letter,then form of woman; they unite and mingle and become one and then transmutate into hideous shapes of heads, and all forms of pride, lust, and love in an apocalyptic vision.
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Page | 19 Freeman B. Dowd the RPJ, Dowd was also advertised by Randolph for selling his magnetic bands for clairvoyant purposes.75
Some of Dowd’s essays in the RPJ are direct responses to his contemporaries. Namely
Spiritualist’s with whom he disagreed. Responding to J. B. Ferguson, Dowd made the assertion that the successive lives of human beings are not always progressive, but rather people progress or regress over time, giving reason to why man has not reached a collectively higher state of being.76 Ferguson clearly read Dowd and responded in November of that year, just one month later, followed by a reply from Dowd in December.77
Though his primary target for writing at this time was the RPJ, Dowd interacted with other journals as well. While writing to the Relio-Philosophical Journal in 1869, Dowd also sent articles to The Banner of Light where he asserts, “"All there is of us worthy of immortality, worth preserving and presenting to the Infinite, is our will power.”78 However, these writings were much less frequent.
Through 1870 and 1871 Dowd would send monthly if not weekly writings to the RPJ while he traveled across the East of the nation.79 These articles, while offering some social and
75 Randolph, Paschal B. “Magnetic Band” In RPJ 3/13/1869, 4/10/1869. Iapsop.com 76 Dowd, Freeman. “Progression and Retrogression: No. One.” In RPJ 10/30/1869. Note: Responding to J. B. Ferguson’s 1868 speech in St. Louis. Ferguson was a former minister who became a follower of Spiritualism. He is most well-known for his role in performing the introductions to shows put on by the Davenport Brothers. 77 J.B. Ferguson, "Explanatory. The Nature of God" RPJ 11/20/1869. Iapsop.com Also: F.B. Dowd, "The Rosicrucian's Reply. Dedicated to the Thinking World and Especially to J.B. Ferguson and the Leaders of the Harmonial Philosophy" RPJ 12/25/1869. Iapsop.com 78 Dowd, F.B. "Love and Its Hidden History" Banner of Light Oct 10th 1869. Iapsop.com 79 Dowd, F. B. “Rosicrucian Musings” Aug 12th 1870-Dec 9th 1871. “Rosicrucian Heart Leaves” Jan 8th 1870 & Feb 12th 1870. “Facts” April 9th 1870. “Rosicrucian Ideas of Government” June 25th 1870 & July 2nd 1870. RPJ. Iapsop.com
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Page | 20 Freeman B. Dowd contemporary commentary, attest to Dowd’s own forming philosophy. This philosophy was focused on the power of human will, the union of the sexes, and the essence of being.80 He also continued advertisements during this time, namely for his Rosicrucia: The Road to Power.81
Despite his permanent residence, his photograph studio, and his wife and four children in
Davenport; these correspondences with the RPJ place Dowd on the road between Vermont,
Missouri, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Iowa. This continuous correspondence with the journal in conjunction with his lecturing seem to give reason as to why Dowd was often absent from
Randolph’s publication materials. After 1871, Dowd went silent for a few years reappearing in
1875 referenced in Randolph’s new edition of “Seership!” Writing again to the RPJ, and traveling up and down the United States, Dowd would set up several Rosicrucian lodges along the way.82
Life in Waller Texas
Some point during this time and before the age of 50, Dowd and his family would move their permanent residence to Waller, Texas.83 They would remain in Waller for the next twenty
80 Ibid. Note: I will discuss Dowd’s philosophy in greater detail in the second chapter of this thesis. 81 Dowd, F.B. "Rosicrucia!!! The Road to Power!! Sexual Science! F.B. Dowd's Private Lectures to Ladies and Gentlemen. A pamphlet of 60 pages, containing principles, ideas, and advice beyond price. Ignorance is the curse of mankind. Price 50 cents. For sale by the author, F.B. Dowd, of Davenport, Iowa" in RPJ Aug 12th 1871. Iapsop.com 82 Randolph, Paschal Beverly. Seership! The Magnetic Mirror. A Practical Guide to Those Who Aspire to Clairvoyance-Absolute. Toledo, Ohio: Randolph and Company, 1875. 22. Also: Dowd, F.B. “The Dying Year” March 20th 1875, “True Greatness” April 24th 1875, “The Orthodox God Opposed to Liberty” June 12th 1875, “The Magic of Voudoo” Nov 4th 1876, “Heart Lines No. 1” Nov 11th 1876. RPJ. Iapsop.com 83 U.S. Census Bureau, Precinct 1, Waller, Texas; 1880. NARA microfilm T9 publication Roll: 1331; Family History Film: 1255331; Page: 394A; Enumeration District: 158.
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Page | 21 Freeman B. Dowd years, though Dowd would continue to travel over the course of his life.84 Also of note is the fact that, by this point, Dowd two daughters who had married and moved away from home. However,
Eugene age 18 and Milo age 12 came to Texas with their parents.
In 1880, with his move to Texas, Dowd would come to speak at the State Meeting of the
Spiritualist and Liberalist Association of Texas, led by Col. Booth of Hempstead. In an announcement found in the RPJ this organization identifies Dowd as the "Grand Master of the
Ancient Order of Rosicrucians" noting that there is only one of that rank in the United States.85
Furthermore, they identify Dowd’s Rosicrucian order as “akin to modern spiritualistic teachings, differing in only a few essential parts."86
In 1882 Dowd would publish his first and most famous book, The Temple of the Rosy
Cross: The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations.87 This work would quickly come to be well known, receiving several reviews, the first of which was just one year later in March of 1883.88 Unfortunately, this first review was relatively negative. The editor states,
"The author of the above named booklet has long been known as a so-
called Rosicrucian, and during the earth-life of P.B. Randolph was much
84 U.S. Census Bureau, Precinct 1, Waller, Texas; June 5, 1900. FHL microfilm: 1241676 Roll: 1676; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0046. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Also: 1910, Esculapia, Benton, Arkansas; NARA microfilm Roll: T624_44; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0020. 85 “The State Meeting” Dec 18th 1880. RPJ. Iapsop.com 86 Ibid. 87 Dowd, Freeman B. The Temple of the Rosy Cross: The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 1st ed. Philadelphia: John R. Rue, Jr. Printer, 1882. 88 Review” [Dowd] "The Temple of the Rosy Cross" by "W.E.C." March 17th, 1883. RPJ. Iapsop.com.
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Page | 22 Freeman B. Dowd
afflicted with that erratic character's mysticism . . . . Rosicrucianism was
and is simply a form of the so-called magic of the Medieval Ages, with
charlatinism and pretence largely permeating its basis of action." Dowd
believes in physical immortality here and now; the pre-existence of the
soul; that 9/10s of crime is due to vampirism (obsession); true freedom is
not loving or hating anything.”89
Fortunately for Dowd, this kind of negative reception would not continue and his book would be lauded for its insight and direction. Dowd’s seminal work would be advertised in several journals including: Occult Magazine, The Religio-Philosophical Journal, The
Banner of Light, and the Star of the Magi.90 His book also received positive reviews in the Oct 1st 1901 edition of Star of the Magi and the Dec 1st 1901 edition of Adiramled.91
Dowd would go on to publish a collection of educational philosophical works as well as two fiction novels, one in print and the other in serialized publication.
In the mid to late 1880s Dowd would begin a shift toward the burgeoning New
Thought Movement, a system of thought very much in line with his philosophy. Dowd began contributing to occult journals which catered to the New Thought movement.
Among these journals was The Gnostic, a New Thought Spiritualist journal published in
89 Ibid. 90 See: Occult Magazine Sept 1st, 1885. & Religio-Philosophical Journal July 23rd 1887, Feb 11th 1905. & Banner of Light Oct 22nd 1887, Nov 3rd 1888, Sept 7th 1889, Nov 23rd 1901. & Notes and Queries Jan 1st 1900. & Star of the Magi Sept 1st 1901, Oct 1st 1901, Jan 1st 1902, . & Adiramled Dec 1st 1901, Feb 1st 1902. Iapsop.com 91 Ibid.
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Page | 23 Freeman B. Dowd
San Francisco by W.J. Colville, George Chaney, and Dr. Anna Kimball.92 Interestingly,
Dowd’s writing for The Gnostic coincides with his initiation into a new esoteric order.93
Deveney asserts that Dowd joined the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor during this period, specifically September of 1885.94 However, his status was not respected and Dowd was brought on as a neophyte under Peter Davidson.95
This snub by the H.B. of L however, did not stop Dowd’s continued work. In
1888 he would go on to publish the second edition of The Temple of the Rosy Cross in
San Francisco, California. A few years later in Boston, in the year 1895, he would publish his second most popular work, a fiction novel entitled The Double Man.96 Sadly, this same year on April 21st Freeman B. Dowd’s first wife, Harriet Jane Dowd would pass away in Waller County, Texas.97
A year and a half after the death of his first wife Dowd would remarry at the age of 66 to Lucy L. Stout age 61, a widow of over 25 years.98 Lucy Stout Dowd would become very active in Freeman’s occult work, submitting poetry in Paul Tyner’s journal
92 The Gnostic, 1885-1888. Iapsop. Note: unfortunately the majority of issues for this journal have been lost. 93 An order unaffiliated with the New Thought Movement. 94 Deveney, 1997, 471. 95 Ibid. See also: Godwin, Joscelyn. & Chanel, Christian.& Deveney, John P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1995. 66. 96 Dowd, Freeman B. The Double Man, Boston: Arena Publishing Company, 1895. 97 U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. Harriet Jane Dowd. Hempstead Cemetery, Waller County, Texas. 98Louisiana, Marriages, 1718-1925 Lucy L. Stout & Freeman B. Dowd, Oct 26th 1896 Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
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Page | 24 Freeman B. Dowd
The Temple.99 Lucy L. Stout Dowd, was also the initiator in Dowd’s brotherhood of the
Rosy Cross, going under the name "Sorona."100
Writing The New Order
In the middle of his career, 1897, Dowd wrote a fiction novel which gave insight into his particular investment in the burgeoning New Though Movement and his divestment with older more esoteric forms of Occultism. Dowd’s second fictional novel actually comes in the form of a serialized novelette entitled “The New Order” written in
1897. 101 This text was written over the course of several issues of the New Thought
Journal Harmony.102 The New Thought concepts central to this work of fiction display
Dowd’s bent toward concepts of mind power and away from more material forms of metaphysical practice such as that of his mentor Randolph. Harmony was one of the earliest of the magazines that were of importance in the formative years of the New
Thought movement. The periodical was edited by Mrs. Melinda E. Kramer, cofounder of
Divine Science. The issues of Harmony contained weekly meditations, selection from the scriptures of various religions, stories and articles, question and answers,
99 Dowd, Lucy Stout. “Magdalen” The Temple September 1898, pp 91. Iapsop.com 100 Deveney, 1997, 471. 101 Dowd, Freeman B. The New Order in Cramer, Malinda E. Harmony spanning both Volume 1&2. San Francisco, CA 1897. iapsop.com 102 This collection of book chapters from 1897 are not simply small editorials, articles, or short stories but rather separate pieces of a larger fiction work, a serialized novel.The prevalence of serialized fiction surged in popularity during the Victorian era, due to a combination of the rise of literacy, technological advances in printing, and improved economics of distribution. A significant majority of novels from the Victorian era first appeared in either monthly or weekly installments in magazines or newspapers.
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Page | 25 Freeman B. Dowd correspondences, and notes, including testimonials of healing and some news of the general movement.103
In Dowd’s novelette, the Firth family and their home narrate a dichotomy between the material magic of esoteric orders and the mind power of New Thought or the “New Order” of the book. In the novel, the father of the household leaves on a seven-year journey to seek occult knowledge among a Rosicrucian order known as the Brotherhood of Eulis. During this time, he is instructed in the traditions and practices of 19th century practical occultism. At the same time, his wife begins interacting with the New Thought discourse of her era, known as The New
Order. She opens the Firth home as a metaphysical retreat where mind healing and education of the public become the norm. The husband near the end of the novelette comes to a point of disillusionment with his path in occult magic and submits himself to the teachings of the “New
Order” at his wife’s home.104
The New Order novel as a whole is an endorsement of New Thought in opposition to or in supersession of older forms of Occultism. This New Order in the book and its very public practice is placed in opposition to the esoteric nature of prior occult traditions and secret societies. The husband seeks occult knowledge among the Rosicrucians and the wife delves into
New Thought. Mr. Firth comes to see the spiritual progress of his wife’s metaphysical retreat and its focus on the mind power as superior to the teachings he has obtained in the Brotherhood of
Eulis. It is possible that given the publishing date of 1897 and Dowd’s admittance into the
Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor in 1885 that Dowd is directly responding to their mistreatment
103 Dowd, Freeman B. The New Order in Cramer, Malinda E. Harmony spanning both Volume 1&2. San Francisco, CA 1897. iapsop.com 104 Ibid.
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Page | 26 Freeman B. Dowd of his status.105 The teachings of Mrs. Firth are focused on the illusory nature of the material world and the supreme importance of the power of thought. Forgiveness of oneself and others is deemed a path to salvation, with salvation here being knowledge of truth and escape from untruth-- an entrapment or bondage to one’s appetites and desires.106
The utilization of the title The New Order and its close resemblance to the moniker of
New Thought are likely not a coincidence. Dowd was writing in a New Thought journal to a
New Thought audience. He was not only in conversation with but operating within the emergent
New Thought movement. Aspects of his system prominently display the concepts and ideas characteristic of the modes and patterns which define the New Thought movement’s focus on the power of one’s thoughts or the mind.
Dowd’s Waning Years
Dowd’s worldview is characterized by his interactions with various streams of nineteenth century thought to include Pascal Beverly Randolph and later thinkers. His work represents a bridge between a material sexual magic and the somewhat more mystic mind power of New
Thought. Dowd makes a nod to the material sex magic of his predecessor but goes on in his work to discredit the constant physical role of these practices. He states in The New Order that “in the past Rosicrucians have had some practices to induce supreme illumination, which may have been known to some Phallic Worshippers, but of which Theosophists are ignorant. These practices, like the others we have been speaking of, were only sensational developments, and are fast
105 Despite his publications by that time and his direct relationship with Randolph, Dowd appears to have joined the Brotherhood simply as a neophyte. See: Deveney, 1997, 471. 106 Ibid.
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Page | 27 Freeman B. Dowd sinking into disuse.”107 In the last few paragraphs of the novelette, Dowd makes note of the evolution of physical sexual occult practices into more ephemeral powers of the mind. He states,
“this story is intended to convey a different idea of the true Rosicrucianism under which term may be included all occultism, whether of theosophists, phallicists, or any other. The New Order of today is the fulfilment or fullness of the past, even as the law of Christ is the fulfilment of all law. Old methods must pass away in the new.”108 Dowd was conscious of his place between
Randolph, the occult milieu of the 19th century, and the coming metaphysical thought of the 20th.
He made deliberate nods to his past and looked directly toward to the evolution of later forms of occult thought. Dowd looked toward a time when the Occult Revival the late 19th century would flourish and coalesce into a spiritual evolution of mankind in the burgeoning 20th century. He invested in New Thought as the vehicle of that evolution in which the power of the mind and will would take primacy in the pursuit of an immortal body.
Dowd continued to write and publish material into the start of the 20th century. The same year that Dowd published his novelette in The Temple, he also released the third edition of his
Temple of the Rosy Cross in Denver, Colorado.109 Three years later he would publish two new works, one titled Regeneration and the other Evolution.110 The following year Dowd would release his fourth and final edition of The Temple of the Rosy Cross from this same publisher in
107 Dowd, Freeman B. The New Order. Harmony Volume 1 Chapter II: A Revelation, 108. 108 Dowd, Freeman B. The New Order. Harmony Volume 2 Chapter XII: Conclusion, 44. 109 Dowd, Freeman B. The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 3rd ed. Denver: Temple Publishing Company, Masonic Temple, 1897. 110 Dowd, Freeman B. Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Salem: The Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. & Dowd, Freeman B. Evolution of Immortality. Salem, Mass: Eulian Publishing Company, 1900.
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Page | 28 Freeman B. Dowd
Salem, Massachusetts.111 Dowd, ever the powerhouse of publication and writing then had his fiction novel, The Double Man, translated by Paul Zillmann into German and advertised this work in his June 1904 edition of the Neue Metaphysische Rundschau.112
However, at the age of 78, Dowd was in failing health. He chose to slow his work and travels in order to step down from leading the Fraternita Rosae Crucis. Dowd handed the mantle of leadership to Edward H Brown in 1907. Now, in the waning years of his life, Freeman Dowd and his wife Lucy move to Rogers, Arkansas where he could be taken care of in a Sanitarium.113
On November 1st 1910, a Tuesday, at 4:00 in the afternoon Freeman B. Dowd died, the result of a stroke of paralysis.114 He had been in poor health for some time, partially the result of a previous stroke, but had been able to be on the streets until the day preceding his death. The local paper describes Dowd visiting their office the Friday before complaining of his ill health.
With impaired eyesight he found it very difficult to get about the editor stated. Funeral services were held the following day and were conducted by Rev. J.P. Dillon. Freeman Dowd, was eighty-two years old at the time of his death. He was a native of Pennsylvania and had lived in many states during his long life. Those who knew him in those final years described him as a
111 Dowd, Freeman B. The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 4th ed. Salem: Eulian Publishing Company, 1901. 112 Dowd, Freeman B. Der Doppel-Mensch. Translation by Paul Zillmann. Found in: Neue Metaphysische Rundschau June 1904. 113 In 1909 the property located at 506 East Spruce Street in Rogers AR was sold to Dr. George M. Love. Love and his wife Alice had moved to Rogers in 1909, where he had a downtown office for a time. When they bought the building at 506 Spruce Street, they lived in part of it and opened the rest as Love Sanitarium, a small private hospital. This would be the home where Dowd would eventually die. 114 Rogers, AR Rogers Democrat Thursday Nov 3rd 1910.
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Page | 29 Freeman B. Dowd socialist and the author of a number of books on religious subjects, being chiefly concerned with
“the philosophy of the ancients.”115
Chapter 2: Dowd’s Publications Freeman B. Dowd is most-known for his relationship to Paschal Beverly Randolph and for his publication of several books. Though much of Dowd’s life and his philosophy can be discussed without addressing his publicized works, as seen in chapter one, a full discussion of this figure is not complete without an exegesis of these published texts. From 1875 to the year
1917 Dowd wrote and published philosophical works across the United States. He published material in Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, San Francisco, California, Denver, Colorado,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and (if you include his post-mortem text) Quakertown,
Pennsylvania.116 His works were advertised and reviewed in various occult journals and would have likely been read by a wide audience within the occult milieu of the late 19th century.
A Short Synopsis of Dowd’s published works
115 Ibid. 116 Dowd, Freeman B: -The Temple of the Rosy Cross: The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 1st ed. Philadelphia: John R. Rue, Jr. Printer, 1882. -The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Rosy Cross Publishing Co. 1888. -The Double Man, Boston: Arena Publishing Company, 1895. -The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 3rd ed. Denver: Temple Publishing Company, Masonic Temple, 1897. -Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Salem: The Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. -Evolution of Immortality. Salem, Mass: Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. -The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 4th ed. Salem: Eulian Publishing Company, 1901. -The Way: text book for the student of Rosicrucian philosophy. Quakertown, PA: Beverly Hall, 1917.
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Page | 30 Freeman B. Dowd
In his first novel, The Double Man, written in 1895, Dowd tells the story of Don
LaVelle, a fictional caricature of himself.117 The story focuses on the main character Don, his soul-mate Ina Gray, and her legal guardian Dr. Parker who is the antagonist of the book.
Interspersed throughout the novel are philosophical excerpts of Dowd’s philosophy and teachings from his mentor P.B. Randolph. Over the course of the book the perspective of the protagonist, Don, changes, as does the philosophy which the book expounds. This change in perspective, from a focus on the teachings received from Randolph to a more independent philosophy on the creation of an immortal double body is likely a representation of Dowd’s own philosophical journey in life. In this work Dowd tells of self-induced magnetic sleep and the pervasive power of magnetic suggestion. He details particular views on karma, transmigration, and reincarnation, as well as spirit possession. He also offers the reader an interpretation of his changing philosophy of being. Then, in the last several chapters of the book Dowd describes a detailed visionary experience of the afterlife or the “abode of the dead.”118 The purpose of the book seems to be an introduction to Dowd’s philosophy of being, particularly the creation of immortal spiritual bodies meant to escape the cycle of blind reincarnation.
In 1882, Dowd published his most famous work, The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The
Soul, Its Powers, Migrations and Transmigrations.119 This lengthy philosophical text, was
117 Dowd, The Double Man, 1895, This first novel was in part a fictionalized autobiography. Not every aspect of the novel can be taken at face value, such as the last third of the novel in which Dowd and his fictional soul mate journey though the spirit world and various heavens. However, some elements such as the correspondence between Dowd and Randolph are likely based on the actual events rather than a fiction. Similar examples of this kind of writing can be seen in author’s works such as Steven Crane’s short story “The Open Boat” from 1897. 118 Dowd, 1895, 220. 119 Dowd, The Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1882.
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Page | 31 Freeman B. Dowd republished several times as he traveled across the United States, as mentioned above. The
Temple of the Rosy Cross details Dowd’s general philosophy of thought on reincarnation and draws a roadmap to the attainment of immortality. Though the case could be made that The
Double Man is a difficult, confusing, and esoteric novel, Dowd’s more philosophical texts are of an esoteric nature such that he chose to explain his philosophy over the course of several educational works.
His next book, Regeneration: Being Part II of the Temple of the Rosy Cross, complements many of the questions from Part I: The Temple of the Rosy Cross. This sequel book along with his third work, Evolution of Immortality, both published around 1900, interpret the esoteric themes surround human will and sexual love found in his Temple of the Rosy Cross.
Much of Dowd’s writing in these texts takes the form of philosophical inquiry answering questions in short often concise excerpts. Dowd presents nuanced definitions of love, sexual union, and the creation of the immortal spiritual double.
His last work entitled, The Way was published by R. Swineburne Clymer’s Beverly Hall
Publishing in 1917, seven years after Dowd’s death.120 This work is written in primarily
Christian language and spends much of its time discussing the nature of being and the meaning of God. The text displays a clear bent toward concepts of mind power, ideas not unfamiliar to
Dowd’s other work and to the general ideas of the New Thought movement. The Way is a direct though somewhat convoluted address on the nature of being and the primacy of the power of
120 The unpublished nature of this text during Dowd’s lifetime has led me to leave The Way out of my direct analysis in this thesis. The book passed through the publishing house of R. Swineburne Clymer. Though this text contains much of Dowd’s philosophy, Clymer’s edition is suspect as a source of data and analysis of what Dowd actually taught. Therefore, I have left this brief summary in the context of Dowd’s corpus while not utilizing his work as a source.
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Page | 32 Freeman B. Dowd one’s mind over ignorance. Some time is spent in the work discussing the flaws of human duality, male and female, and the need for the spiritual union of love. The text states, “The division of Love into male and female weakens the power of generation, whereby intelligence is generated.”121 This text is a last address to Dowd’s general philosophy of the evolution of immortality through the generative power and union of love. The work also notes the primacy of will over sensation and material substance. The text concludes, “Will, therefore, being superior to sensation, is the deathless principle of life; and, hence, it is the father of it, while desire, or love, is its mother.”122
Throughout this chapter of my thesis I will walk through the various concepts of Dowd’s philosophy. Focusing first on what Dowd actually taught in his published works or more specifically what he was doing or teaching people to do. Second I will discuss how he hoped to help others achieve those things. What did Dowd think he would achieve or could teach others to achieve? In this second chapter of my thesis, I will address Dowd’s beliefs on clairvoyance and hypnotism, his beliefs surrounding reincarnation and the creation of a double body, and his focus on attaining immortality though the power of will and the enactment of sexual love. Dowd, reinterpreted the physical or material nature of sex, and thereby gave insight into his focus on the metaphysical or cerebral power of the human mind over the material world. This is a theme which runs throughout his teachings on reincarnation and immortality. I will be focusing on
Dowd’s 1875 novel The Double Man and his most famous work, The Temple of the Rosy Cross in order to discuss the general philosophy of his work which is spread throughout his various
121 Dowd, The Way, 1917, 49. 122 Ibid, 152.
John Wise 10847340 M.A. Western Esotericism (Thesis) [email protected] University of Amsterdam 2014-2016
Page | 33 Freeman B. Dowd publications. I will also touch briefly on his later works in the last half of this chapter in order to clarify the nuance of his philosophy on sex and the power of will.
Hypnotism and the Individual
Dowd writes within the first hundred pages of the The Double Man, “It is necessary in the outset to understand certain principles in all occult science. The object being to produce magnetic sleep without an operator…”123 Dowd’s discussion of self-induced magnetic sleep is a literal teaching moment in the novel. In the fifth chapter of Double Man the author breaks the forth wall, meaning he directly addresses the reader outside the context of his story.124 He does so in order to describe the structure and content of his primary character’s laboratory of occult science as well as to create a teaching moment within the fiction narrative.125 After a short description of his small laboratory of magic mirrors, a clear nod to Randolph teachings, the main character returns to the story and explains how it is necessary in hypnotism to limit the radiation of one’s spirit from the body as much as possible. In self-induced magnetic sleep, he explains, there is no mingling of spirits, at least not those of a mundane class, mundane here meaning
123 Dowd, 1895, 69. 124 “Breaking the fourth wall” is a stage term for a transgression or crossing of the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set. The “fourth wall” is the window through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. When a character “breaks” this fourth wall they are able to have a one way conversation with their audience and thereby illustrate a more complex thought or idea. Though utilized by Dowd in his novel, The Double Man, the concept is most often employed in live action settings such as a theater or on entertainment television. 125 Dowd, 1895, 69. Due to the fictional autobiographical nature of the novel, Don LaVelle, the main character, and the writer of the novel Freeman B. Dowd are actually one and the same person despite the narrative of the two being separate entities. Often references to LaVelle title him as Dowd or vice versa. Unfortunately, this writing style can be convoluted and somewhat confusing.
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Page | 34 Freeman B. Dowd human.126 If in the process of self-hypnotism there is a mingling of a spirit it comes from that of a higher class. This higher mingling, Dowd states, “makes the spirit brighter and purer than it is of itself; hence it is the road to health and power.”127
The purpose of this hypnotism or magnetic sleep is the pursuit of mystic or visionary experiences.128 Dowd states, “There is a condition between sleeping and waking which I term magnetic, wherein there are sights, sounds, and sensations that we mortals who do not stop there to explore know nothing of, it is there that any and all mysteries may be solved.”129 Dowd describes the human mind as being bound to physical conditions and that in most people the mind goes to sleep mainly as the body does. This lethargic state of the mind in sleep prevents the practitioner from being aware. He states, “Mind is the great reservoir of light, the fountain of truth; but spirit, before being united to light or truth, is black.”130 To purify light or to purify one’s spirit through the conscious pursuit of knowledge is the practitioner’s highest work and the purpose of Dowd’s self-induced magnetic sleep.131 Later in the novel Dowd connects this pursuit of knowledge with the affective power of love.
Reincarnation, Rebirth, and Spirit Possession
Dowd’s philosophy of being, as noted in the chapter one discussion of his journal articles, is built upon a theory of rebirth and the regeneration (read here as elevation or evolution) of
126 Dowd, 1895, 70. 127 Ibid. 128 By mystic experience I mean simply experiences granting acquaintance with realities that are of a kind not accessible by way of sense perception or standard introspection.” I do not intend to posit a mystical religious system in Dowd’s theology or to define Dowd as a practitioner of Mysticism. 129 Dowd, 1895, 71. 130 Ibid, 73. 131 Ibid.
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Page | 35 Freeman B. Dowd souls. This system of reincarnation appears to be a mix of Western concepts of the afterlife, concepts of spirit possession, and Buddhist ideas of karma and rebirth. Dowd describes the world as a “seminal life,” composed of countless spirits, some of which are born into this world as
“embodied spirits.” He describes spirit as formless and floating around a nucleus, a
“spermatazoid.” This spirit is unconscious, yet it possesses “all the crime and vileness of a former embodiment, the Karma of previous lives.”132 Spirit is that which gravitates into human bodies, that which vitalizes it. However, this concept of spirits goes beyond our own possession of the body, pushing to encompass the idea of the influence of external forces, spirits possession.
The numerous quantity of unembodied spirits desire to possess and inhabit those individuals who are embodied on earth. Your own spirit is not always in control of your own body. Dowd offers the mundane example of alcohol and intoxication: “fill your stomach with alcohol, and you are not yourself; instead of incorporating the spirit of alcohol into your spirit and using it as yours, it has taken your spirit in possession, and some other spirit aside from your own is using you!”133
Both good and evil spirits can influence the person. These entities gain access through good and bad thoughts. However, evil spirits once invited take possession of the person whereas angelic or good spirits become incorporated into our spirit. Angelic spirits do not use the person but instead aid the individual for the good of all. Dowd asserts, “These bodies are the houses in which we live. Guests sometimes call on us, whether invited or not, and we little know their nature till we have proved them.”134
132 Ibid, 32. 133 Ibid. 134 Ibid.
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Page | 36 Freeman B. Dowd
The desire for reincarnation and its cause, the desire for embodiment, are responsible for disease both physical and mental, as well as many evils such as war and famine. Dowd asserts that we are surrounded by an “army of intelligences” seeking reincarnation.135 Bacteria and
“animalcula” that “infest the human form” are evidence of this plethora of spirits. He states, “the lower orders of animate life are all crowding for admission into the human plane.”136 In the ninth chapter of the text, Dowd posits that the origin of disease lies in the spirit world. He traces hydrophobia, or rabies, to its spiritual origin. “All poisons are spirit, imprisoned, concentrated, embodied in different forms, such as liquid, solid, or in the tooth of a snake or rabid dog.”137
Contagions in this system are simply the growth or expansion of spirit. Smallpox for example, though a physical disease, is contagious because “the spirit of it is so subtile (sic), easy of propagation, and of rapid growth.” A virus such as rabies is inoculated into an individual by the bite of a dog, but the disease is a disease of the spirit. Dowd states, the “active principle of all things is spirit, and when spirit meets spirit by inoculation or otherwise, the grosser drives out the finer by combining with that like itself.”138 This concept goes beyond individual disease and into a malady of the public mind. He states:
Whence come wars, pestilence, and famine? Whence come revolutions that
destroy peaceful homes, beautiful cities, and opulent governments? I answer, by
an abrasion of the public mind, of the so-called lower strata of spirit. By agitation,
excitement, wrongs, poverty, this ocean of evil—upon the bosom of which
135 Ibid, 121. 136 Ibid, 122. 137 Ibid, 121. 138 Ibid, 175.
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Page | 37 Freeman B. Dowd
civilization floats like a scum—is agitated, torn, rent, storm-tossed. Its exhalations
are inoculated into the human spirit, and we have all these phases of insanity in
the public mass, as we have it in this poor form before us. There is public as well
as private insanity, more properly obsession. And this substratum, upon which all
worlds are cushioned, personifies itself in all things repugnant to true humanity.
These personalities are either long-lived or ephemeral, depending upon the public
will.139
In a form of social commentary Dowd describes the “aberration of the public mind” as soulless corporations and irresponsible governments as well as dogmatic priest craft and all things that upset the freedom of choice. Dowd’s mixed ideas on reincarnation and spirit possession come together in his philosophy of being and his resolutions the ills of man which I will discuss below.
Immortality and the Spiritual Body
The focus of Dowd’s system is the attainment of Immortality. This immortality is obtained through the creation of a fully spiritual immortal body. The procedure for the creation of this body is the attainment of wisdom, read here as ultimate knowledge of being. The individual can pursue this knowledge through the application of the power of will and love. The meaning of both will and love as well as what the application of these terms means for Dowd and his philosophy are a subject to which I will return in Chapter Three. Before moving to a discussion of these two terms however, a review of Dowd’s overall philosophy is pertinent.
139 Ibid, 176.
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Page | 38 Freeman B. Dowd
Man, in Dowd’s system, is threefold in his being, a Soul, first; Spirit, second; and Body, third. The third part, the body, is of the least consequence.140 Instead Dowd focuses on the interaction of the spirit and soul and blames the body for the retaining of residual karma. The spirit beckons the soul to “explore the vast wilderness of the Unknown.”141 Dowd asserts that a spiritual body may be formed within our physical bodies, which, when fully developed, may be detached from the physical form, what Dowd describes as projecting, and thus one may be double.142 He describes man’s spiritual body as double, “first, in his own imagination ; secondly, perceived or felt in his own consciousness; thirdly, an objective being exactly like this body.”143
Dowd describes the spiritual condition of the main character of his novel in order to detail his “true philosophy of being.”144 Throughout the course of the book the main character,
Don LaVelle forms a spiritual body outside of his physical one. When out of his physical body the character, Don is free according to will. He states, “There are no obstructions, no barriers, no limits, no time, nor space to spirit.”145 He wills when individuals are able to see this spiritual body. He states that he can dissolve it in a moment, and re-form it the next. Through the application of wisdom and the power of will Don is able to comprehend the laws of matter and alter the material world. The source of this action or alteration of matter is the power of love.
Through application of the will and love, the essence of love is transmuted into physical forms.
140 Ibid, 209. 141 Ibid, 210. 142 Ibid. 143 Ibid. 144 Ibid, 134. 145 Ibid.
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Page | 39 Freeman B. Dowd
Through the power of love one can seek the attainment of knowledge about and union with the absolute. This union can only be attained through the spiritual body which the individual must create. Love in this system is the absolute or divine; love is God. Therefore, under the influence of his love for the female love interest of the novel, Ina, Don was able to call forth a double, his spiritual body.146 In this spiritual body Dowd searches out Ina post mortem in the abode of the dead where together they are able to travel through the land of the dead and seek wisdom and a place of contentment.
The Double Man helps us ask two questions. What did Dowd teach and why was he teaching these things? The short answer is that Dowd advocated the creation of a spiritual body through the power of the will and enactment of love. Similar to Paschal Beverly Randolph’s complimentary feminine and masculine principles, Dowd’s philosophy posits complimentary spirit forms. In the spiritual body the masculine (Don) and the feminine (Ina) are joined in one form. From this union, Dowd asserts comes wisdom or the creative power called God, love.147
Throughout his books Dowd often refers to the worship of God and the significance of
Christ. His understanding of these figures is characterized by a somewhat circumspect ontology.
In The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Dowd states, “God exists and so do I, and as there is only one existence, I am God, and God is I. Man is God's agent in nature and creates things in the same manner as God does: In and of Himself.”148 In Dowd’s system of thought, the “self” is the basis
146 Ibid, 202. 147 Ibid, 135. 148 Ibid, 122.
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Page | 40 Freeman B. Dowd of all, and the only “God.” Furthermore, pleasure or love is the object or purpose of all.149
Despite numerous references to God in the second person, as a he, Dowd does not see God as an actual entity so much as an aspect of spirit, read here as a principle of love. He states:
Attraction is the soul and life of every atom of matter in existence, this principle
in humanity is termed affection or love, and Jesus said, " God is a Spirit," — not a
form but a Spirit. John, the "beloved Apostle," in speaking of the same thing
afterwards, wrote, "God is Love," and "No man hath seen God at anytime." Why?
Because spirits are not seen but felt. Anger, pride, avarice, etc., are spirits, but
they have no form except as they take form in acts, they are felt within us, and
manifest themselves outwardly. Thus God or love dwells in all that is; and he who
hath most love in his heart sees and feels the most of God in all outward
manifestations, because he feels him within.150
This concept or principle of love, the infinite, or God is part of the trajectory and goal of Dowd’s philosophy of being. He states, “We cannot add anything to the Infinite. We can, however, join ourselves to the Infinite.”151 In Dowd’s system, by seeking knowledge through the enaction of will and the power of love the individual can glorify “God.” By doing so the individual can increase or expand their own selfhood, what Dowd describes as the “foundation of all power,
149 Ibid, 217. 150 Ibid, 153. 151 Ibid, 216.
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Page | 41 Freeman B. Dowd will.”152 The self, the I, or individual is capable of becoming infinite in power and pleasure.153
Of all the potencies of nature in Dowd’s philosophy, the I, the Ego, the self, is the only thing he sees as being beyond comprehension and therefore the I is the only thing which has a positive and tangible existence.154
Similar to the concept of God, the idea of varies within Dowd’s system of though. Part of the goal of Dowd’s philosophy is to create a double, a spiritual body. This spiritual double, for
Dowd, is the essence of the idea of Christ. The Christ is not a person, though the principle of
Christ “found a voice” in Jesus of Nazareth. Rather, the principle of Christ enters into, blends with, and overshadows the soul of the individual, “as a larger light absorbs the rays of the lesser light.” Dowd states that where the principle of love is deficient Christ does not enter. A clearer reading of this statement would be that if the individual does not have love, he cannot cultivate a spiritual body. A cultivation of love begets the principle of Christ in the practitioner. Christ, the spiritual body, only is the light which is “not quenched in the night of death.”155 When Dowd makes reference to God he is actually speaking of an inner principle within man, the creative power of the self, the power of love. When he makes reference to Christ he is speaking of the spiritual body, the double.
Love and Sex
152 Ibid. 153 Ibid, 218. 154 Ibid. 155 Ibid, 127.
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Page | 42 Freeman B. Dowd
What does Dowd mean when he asserts the enaction of “love” as a means to immortality and conscious reincarnation? The case could be made that Dowd is speaking strictly of the consummation of sexual intercourse. However, there is something more going on in Dowd’s teaching. He posits all worship as sex and often speaks in his books about the central role of sex in the formation of a double body. Dowd leads into his discussion of worship by claiming that all ancient cultures were sex worshipers. “It is a fact, though scarcely known,” he states, “that the ancient Jews were sex worshipers ; St. John corroborates this by saying, "God is love," and
Isaiah exclaims, "our God is a consuming fire" sexual fire, burning lust.”156 He goes on to assert that Moses enacted his laws to preserve cleanliness and purity for the sole and only purpose of preventing disease, implying that sexual promiscuity may be sanctioned.157 However, Dowd’s explicit references to sex and its power are meant to bring reverence to the physical act rather than place physical sex as the primary mechanism of enacting his teachings. He claims that the highest and most ecstatic and exalting emotions that mankind knows are produced by the union of the sexes. This union has the power to transform us for good or ill.158 Sex can be dangerous but it can also bring about miraculous change. Sexual love Dowd asserts has the strongest hold of man’s passions and sexual love is the hardest thing for human will to turn away from lust.159
Dowd’s philosophy holds the power of sexual acts in high regard, making them an important point or tool of his system. He notes that of all acts, sexual ones are most potent, that in these acts man approaches the nearest to Divine creative energy. The very creation of the
156 Ibid, 53. 157 Ibid. 158 Ibid, 158. 159 Ibid, 236.
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Page | 43 Freeman B. Dowd immortal spiritual body is conceived in sex. He states, “in the veiled temple of woman's body,
God baptizes matter with his Spirit, and lo, it becomes an immortal being, having in embryo all the powers of God himself.”160 Yet, the physical act of sex is not the primary nor the final goal or tool of Dowd’s philosophy. Rather, sex represents a deeper and more spiritual action of the will.
One ad for Dowd’s second Rosicrucian book, Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, states that through a clear understanding of the great problem of sex, its nature, use and control, man can come into a realization of power and the ability to conquer death itself.161 This understanding of the physical act of sex and Dowd’s teachings on self- control were meant to foster evolution of spirit in the individual, a growth of the spiritual body.
Love and Mind Power
Rather than concluding that Dowd’s philosophy is primarily the enaction of physical sex, one could easily conclude, based on the evidence in his writings, that Dowd’s teachings are entirely spiritual or mental and not meant to ever be acted out. Dowd’s philosophy utilizes many aspects of mental will and mind power. He often favors the spirit world over that of the material.
Dowd asserts that the journey of the soul and the growth of the individual, is infinite. It takes countless ages of experience to “round out a soul to a durable and permanent form.”162 This is accomplished through the power of the will in what Dowd describes as a culture of will. He addresses his reader directly, “Have you, too, reader, become wearied of illusory joys, that slip through your fingers in the grasping, as a phantom eludes mortal touch? Become indifferent,
160 Ibid, 163. 161 Dowd, Freeman B. Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Salem: The Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. Advertisement reprint at the end of the book, no page number. 162 Dowd, The Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1882, 171.
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Page | 44 Freeman B. Dowd then, to the love of life, and gradually the pain and pleasure of it will pass out of your recognition. Follow me in the culture of Will, and learn the way to "the door."”163 The door is access to immortality, the creation of a spiritual body.
However, the power of love and the culture of will goes beyond just creating an immortal double. An individual’s will in Dowd’s philosophy can be equated with effort or concerted force.
This effort can bring about metaphysical healing. He states, “Without effort there is no excellence, and here come into play, mental forces or Psychic senses of thought and emotion directed by will.”164 Dowd believed that the individual could cure themselves through the very idea of a cure. He asserts that the concept or idea of healing oneself was better than material medicine. Furthermore, concentration on the idea that you eat simply because you are obliged to do so in order to live, and not for the pleasure of eating, for Dowd, was better in reality than food or fasting. He states, “to eat, drink and love for the sole object of attaining immortal power, and not for the sensuous gratification of the appetites or passions, is to work upon the mind, blood, body and spirit as God works — downward. This downward operation eliminates the grossness, and leaves the essences or life for your use.”165 The individual who by will rules and controls his passions was admired by Dowd but the individual who could by will “put his passions to sleep so that they need no watching,” was an individual operating in a system of immortal power.166
These individuals could “withdraw the sexual fires from the lower extremities to the brain.”167
163 Ibid, 200. 164 Ibid, 203. 165 Ibid. 166 Ibid, 258. 167 Ibid.
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Page | 45 Freeman B. Dowd
Dowd was not advocating for the individual to become passionless but rather to conquer his sexual and material desires and thereby operate in the spirit. He asserts that when one’s passion is held and controlled by the individual’s will, that the fires of sex are confined to the body. By this power of the will these fires or passions gradually draw together towards the mind.
Dowd states that in the mind “thoughts collect and run together like a stream of water.”168
However, this system of thought focused on more than will. Dowd’s philosophy was one of love and spirituality as well as willpower. This Spirituality and this love were able to give hope and cheerfulness. He asserts that the love of someone of the opposite sex helps the past recede and the future unfold, bringing about an intuitive feeling of rest, security and safety which he posited took the place of anxiety and uncertainty. In the love of another person of the opposite sex the individual’s “self-love” expands, and the self of the individual is forgotten in the love of a "better half."169
Dowd’s philosophy advocated the combination of the power of love both emotional and sexual and the use of self-control or will to purify the individual. He asserted that civilization was due to self-control and that man should guide and control his loves rather than acting on blind passion.170 For Dowd, the first lesson in life was the exercise of willpower and self control.171 The basic principle of all power and development in his philosophy the development of will. He states, “It [will] is the trunk of the tree of life: all else of man are outgrowths of it.
Hence the development of manhood begins and ends in the will.”172 In his super-natural world,
168 Ibid, 259. 169 Ibid, 300. 170 Ibid, 204. 171 Ibid, 205. 172 Ibid.
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Page | 46 Freeman B. Dowd the will produces, guides, and controls love. This stood in contrast to the natural world where the loves control and guide human will. He states, “supernaturally love is an emotion forced out by constant, persistent thought of an Ideal, which Ideal is the feminine counterpart of the man, dwelling within him, united to him, absolutely inseparable from him.”173 Through a thought control of love, the individual could purify the self and thereby make progress toward immortality. An objective of his philosophy was the attainment of purity through the control of love or self-control by the power of will. Purity could not be achieved by outward acts. It was rather a thought process, an inward effort, what Dowd describes as “an inward fire kindled by the action of continuity, which burns out the dross of these gross natures.”174 This is what Dowd entitles “vastation,” or the purification of someone by the destruction of evil qualities and elements, a spiritual purgation. “There can be no progress without vastation,” Dowd states.175
The Double Body: Spiritual Regeneration and the Vastation of the Soul
Spiritual purification was, for Dowd, part and parcel to the creation of the immortal double body. The immortal body bridged the gap between the material act of sex which created this body and the spiritual regeneration of the immortal form through will-power. In order to become what he described as “an epitome of all,” the individual had to pass through all, a process which could be done mentally, by spiritual power. Dowd states, “the true man lives in his mind. He must dissect himself, and analyze all his passions, motions, emotions, motives, etc., and master them all.”176 He likened this process to the climbing of a ladder whose bottom rung
173 Ibid, 206. 174 Ibid, 223. 175 Ibid, 232. 176 Ibid, 162.
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Page | 47 Freeman B. Dowd was control of one’s love passions. He states, “The sexual and love nature are at the foundation of existence.”177
Man in Dowd’s thought would become dual in stages and only become complete when he joined with his true love. First the practitioner had to become dual as an individual. Then with his dual individual nature established, the actual double nature, the immortal spiritual body, could be made through marriage with his “Ideal,” or true love. This Ideal, Dowd asserts, “is seldom incarnated on this earth, at the same time the man is; if it ever does so happen, no condition can keep them apart.”178 When they meet, he asserts, they intuitively know each other.
Their marriage is of divine significance. Man and woman thus united became eternal. This marriage and the act of sex that follows is the moment of birth of the spiritual body.179
The road to power lies through the perfection of our nature, which consists first in the attainment of individual duality. The reason why a double consciousness or a purification must be fostered in the individual is that harmony must be had in the person before that person can be effected with another. Therefore, a lifetime of effort is necessary in which things that are inharmonious or at variance with each other are to be avoided by the individual.180 Through will- culture individuals can grow their spiritual body. This soul growth is an inward operation. Dowd asserts that one must let go of outward things, and look forward to the realization of a true life in which true love appears as one with the will. He posits that once this harmony is found then the female must be united to the male in “real durable oneness of being,” or marriage.181 He goes on
177 Ibid. 178 Ibid, 206. 179 Dowd, Evolution, 1900, 141. 180 Dowd, The Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1882. 234. 181 Ibid, 234.
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Page | 48 Freeman B. Dowd to explain that there can be no union of physical objects in material life. Therefore, man and woman, being separate entities in the material realm, are not one on this earth, but rather are one spiritually. Earthly marriage, for Dowd is but a semblance of reality, or a representation of the spiritual union of two in one, or two in spirit.182
Love beyond Sex
Dowd’s philosophy sits somewhere between material sex magic and the burgeoning ideas of spiritual New Thought. He was not advocating a complete departure from sexual nature but was rather attempting to evolve the sexual passion of his followers. He asserted that many people imagined that because they had become worn out and disgusted with everything of a sexual nature that they were piritually minded. But Dowd did not agree with this conclusion. Rather, he advocated the spiritual love all things, and asked practitioners to recognize that infinite incomprehensible wisdom has made nothing in vain therefore the physical act of sex has a purpose in his philosophy.183
Dowd states, “Our spirits glow with a purer light from the contact of love and beauty.”184
He states. All things grow by what he calls “pressure, contact or impressions.”185 The impressions we receive in life, from both love and discord, are “for the reception of that Divine fire we worshipped in the past,” the divine fire of sexual passion.186 All love and humane
182 Ibid. 183 Ibid, 298. 184 Ibid, 71. 185 Ibid. 186 Ibid.
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Page | 49 Freeman B. Dowd affections in Dowd’s mind come from the spiritual world.187 Dowd notes that many think that love has something of sex, and so it has, for sex is a symbol of love.188
Though Dowd was advocate of sex and through sex played a role in the central tenet of his philosophy namely love, the sex of Dowd’s philosophy was not meant to follow through to the loss of seminal fluids or ejaculation. He states, “of what action is sin predicated? Sexual action! Nothing more, and nothing less….the vague legend or tradition, of the fall of man, must have a foundation in truth, for it belongs to all races and nations… It is a matter of little or no consequence, how it happened, but it is of vital importance to know wherein the fall consists.”189
The fall of man was the fall of the soul from its perfect spherical form to a diffused or atomic state.190 Man literally went from a purely spiritual being to a fall into the material world.
Dowd asserts, “When the soul fell to an atomic state, subjective things became objective, and contact of things became necessary to produce emotions of pleasure and pain. Adam did not need the contact of copulation to produce ecstasy, for it could be produced without, by will, and that without waste of virility.”191 Man dies a physical death because of his lack of vitality ; which,
Dowd equates with virility. Virility, he asserts, springs from love, wherein it is generated.
Furthermore, he states that “all diseases, pains, and death itself, spring from an abnormal, or unnatural action of love, or the sexual nature. Undoubtedly the ancients understood the "fall of man" to be a fall of the blood. The laws of Moses support this conclusion. The rite of circumcision — the rites of purification — the sacrifices with fire and the shedding of blood, and
187 Ibid, 138. 188 Ibid, 157. 189 Ibid, 164. 190 Ibid, 165. 191 Ibid.
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Page | 50 Freeman B. Dowd the obscure narratives of the old Testament show that they considered sin as sexual.”192 Dowd’s books are written in such a way that a very close reading of his text is required to see that what he means. Sex as sin is the ejaculation of the male which he sees as the loss of vitality.
Dowd makes reference to the abstinence of Buddhist monks, Catholic priests, and the tenets of the Essenes as evidence of the concept of sex being a sin.193 However, he also condemns these same traditions for their unnatural rejection of the act of sex. He is drawing a clear line between celibacy, not having any sex as wrong, and uncontrolled sex involving the full act of male ejaculation as also wrong. Instead the man’s seed must remain within him. He states,
Turn to the first Epistle of John, iii, 9, and you will find the real definition of sin,
"Whatsoever is born of God doth not commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him,
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Loss of virility, then, must be sin.
The first sin! The monster sin of the world, out of which all others flow as water
from a fountain. 194 [emphasis added]
Marriage, he states, as understood and practiced by his contemporaries, was unnatural.
The asceticism of Catholicism and Buddhism had spiritual power, yet Dowd saw these forms of religion as exoteric of religious ideas. His philosophy was mean to be esoteric. He states, “The esoteric has never been, and never will be, given to any but the initiated. It is the much-talked-of
"Philosopher's Stone' and "Elixir of Life" the least of all known. This subject, however tedious it may be, is intimately connected with the soul, for it is the soul of Rosicrucia, as well as all religious systems. It is not asceticism which gives purity. It is only a method for its attainment. It
192 Ibid, 167. 193 Ibid, 167 & 174. 194 Ibid, 168.
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Page | 51 Freeman B. Dowd is from the thought that all things come.”195 By denying oneself the ejaculation of the sexual act the practitioner practiced a self-control that was exemplary of his will power. This will and enaction in the thought world was the key or door to the immortal life.
The object of love in Dowd’s philosophy was to join itself to the will in order to increase power to enjoy, increasing the power of experience. Sex was meant to be a spiritual act. Dowd goes so far as to assert that woman should not unite with man save for the purpose of begetting life, spirit, and power. In true marriage, according to the divine intention of Dowd’s system, there are no children, and also no disease.196
Spiritual Regeneration
The soul-union of the male and the female was for Dowd, the door to immortal life and
Godlike energy.197 This soul-union was meant to be the love of God (read here as a unity of individual consciousness) and was expressed as the love of one woman, an act of worship.198
Sexual love is nature's method of providing for the continuance of the race; but Dowd saw its excess as equal with the instincts of the rat and the beaver who stored up more than could be used. He states, “creative power exhausts itself in excess and the mind reverts constantly to personal desires rather than to thought for the general good.”199 Knowledge and wisdom brought about self-control, a will culture. The larger the mind of the individual and the more developed the will, the greater was their power to control habits, passions, and desires.
195 Ibid, 174. 196 Ibid, 235. 197 Ibid, 258. 198 Ibid, 295. 199 Dowd, Freeman B. Regeneration 1900, 82.
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Page | 52 Freeman B. Dowd
Love was manifested through sex acts on three planes: the Electrical, the Magnetic, and the Ethereal. The Ethereal aspect of these sex acts was only knowable through communication with the spiritual world. Whereas Dowd states that “the electrical union when complete and perfect gestates the spiritual body, atom by atom; the magnetic union regenerates it.”200
Interestingly Dowd’s philosophy seemed to imply that even the physical act of sex was eventually meant to be surpassed through spiritual progress. The higher the individual rose in the scale of being the less they would need of the physical friction of matter to produce “creative vibrations.”201
Dowd did not expect people to leave sexual propagation behind. Rather he expected them to scale back their physical passion and bring their sexual life into self-control. He states, “Do not misunderstand; Man is now on the propagative plane and the law of being requires his full use of himself in every attribute and function, but to the end that he shall rise into the heavens instead of sinking into the hells. Let him see to it that the blossoming spirit sends its fragrance upward instead of downward, for in the Spirit he knows that another use can be made of creative energy than that of propagating the species. The right use of the sex activities attracts the energy which brings peace, pleasure, and happiness. In the course of time these activities will cease to be expressed physically, but the attractive power will remain.”202 He saw outright celibacy as a war against nature and the race; a sure way to decrease spiritual power rather than to add to it.203
200 Ibid, 97. 201 Ibid. 202 Ibid, 142. 203 Ibid, 143.
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Page | 53 Freeman B. Dowd
Man could rise or fall on the planes of existence from animal to man through the exercise of sexual love, good or bad. However, by acting alone the individual can only fall, and he is alone unless both the man and woman unite their whole hearts in the sex union. The effect of this union can build up the individual but also as a sexual act it can tear them down.204 Dowd states,
“We are, in truth, what we think and what we love. These are our realities, the one masculine and the other feminine, the male and female in each one of us, whose union or conjunction develops the germ of immortality.”205
This life, Dowd states, “is not for toil or pleasure, but for making immortal all those who love it.”206 No instantaneous transformation of the person is possible but rather this life is a slow growth, what Dowd describes as “the serious culture of a lifetime.” The creation of the spiritual body was a process, a vastation. This progress toward immortality, the creation of a spiritual body, was reserved for the few, reserved for the strong willed. Dowd states, “Some of us are double at times. Nature is not partial to individuals. The way to power is open to all. "Many are called, but few are chosen!"Why? Because few choose to struggle up the stream, when it is so easy to float, like drift-wood, downward. To crucify the loves is a superhuman task, and so repugnant to man's everyday life and thought that most men will turn aside from my book in disgust.”207 By the will power of the practitioner, self-control could be had over one’s sexual passions. By controlling the desire to ejaculate or the need to even engage in physical sex the
204 Dowd, Evolution of Immortality, 1900, 60. 205 Ibid, 80. 206 Ibid, 89. 207 Dowd, The Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1882, 173.
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Page | 54 Freeman B. Dowd individual could harness the spiritual power of love and evolve to an immortal state. This was the power of mind over matter.
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Page | 55 Freeman B. Dowd
Chapter 3: Freeman B. Dowd and the Interaction of Multiple Traditions In discussing Dowd and the context of his teachings within 19th century occultism, it is necessary to discuss his predecessor, Randolph, and Randolph’s system of sex magic and reincarnation. Also of note are Dowd’s own writings, responses, and acknowledgements of his contemporaries. In this chapter, I will lay out a short overview of the scholarship on Randolph.
Then I will discuss the occult mileu more generally and Dowd’s interaction with various groups and organizations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Randolph’s Life and Travels
Paschal Beverly Randolph was born in New York. Forced into a life of beggary by his foster parents, Randolph ran away to sea and worked as a sailor from adolescence to the age of twenty. Self-educated and independent Randolph gravitated to spiritualist circles around the early 1850s. He began writing to the Spiritual Telegraph, a New York City serial and the first truly spiritualistic journal published in the United States. In this journal in June of 1853
Randolph began advertising himself from his home in Utica as a doctor who “applied
[Clairvoyance] to the Discovery and Cure of Disease, and to the analysis and delineation of human character. The subject may be either present or absent.”208 Also in the Spiritual Telegraph we find evidence of Randolph giving some of his first visionary and mediumistic revelations while in trance.209
208 Randolph, Paschal B. The Spiritual Telegraph. June 4th 1853. iapsop.com 209 Of particular note are testimonies of witnesses at Randolph’s public orations in which observers note his lack of education combined with his eloquence while in a speaking trance state: “Our neighbor of the Standard comments as follows: "Mr Randolph, the speaking medium, delivered splendid lecture on Saturday evening. We are somewhat skeptical about Spirits, but such eloquence from a graduate of the barber’s shop rather staggers our credulity. If the study of hair-dressing develops the intellect, in that manner, we shall not send our boys to college.””
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Page | 56 Freeman B. Dowd
Randolph continued to travel the world throughout most of his life. Godwin states in her
Theosophical Enlightenment “There is no doubt that Randolph was in London in May 1855 for the World’s Convention of Robert Owen’s disciples, held to inaugurate the commencement of the millennium.” In the summer of that same year Randolph was summoned to perform his mesmeric trance states in Paris. On returning to the United States, Randolph became a successful professional medium, touring the country from coast to coast after which he returned again to
Europe.210 In 1857 he journeyed from England to France and then to Egypt where he discovered
Hashish and Sex Magic, which would become pillars of his philosophy along with self- hypnotism by mirrors.
He moved between Boston and New York during the 1860s and spent more time traveling abroad to places such as Malta, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, and Arabia.211 Upon his return to the United States Randolph joined the union cause during the American Civil War.
While living in Utica, New York he worked to enlist black soldiers for the U.S. army. In 1864 at the bequest of President Lincoln he moved to Louisiana to promote the federalist cause. After the war Randolph became a school teacher in New Orleans for young black students. At this time he
Another Testimony. The Spiritual Telegraph. Feb 17th 1855. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals. iapsop.com 210 P.S. Johnson writes in the Yorkshire Spiritual Telegraph “Mr. P. B. Randolph the wonderful Speaking Medium is about to revisit Europe and will devote a portion of his time while in England, to the promulgation, and dissemination of the new Philosophy… in the hope that he may be instrumental in spreading the light of truth in places where Mental Darkness reigns at present… Mr. Randolph is now giving his farewell course of lectures through the United States.” “Mr. Randolph’s Visit to England” Yorkshire Spiritual Telegraph. August 1856. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals. www.iapsop.com 211 Godwin, Joscelyn. Theosophical Enlightenment. Albany: State University of New York Press 1994, 256.
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Page | 57 Freeman B. Dowd also became involved in politics as a delegate from Louisiana to the Southern Loyal Convention.
Come 1867 he had moved back north to Boston to make his living as a physician.
Randolph’s life quickly took a turn for the worst in the mid-1870s. He had sold his medical practice and become embroiled with a pair of swindlers who took most of his meager fortune leaving him destitute. In 1872 Randolph was arrested on suspicion of distributing immoral or free love literature. During his weekend in jail he wrote the fictional script to his
Great Free-Love Trial. He depicts a prosecuting attorney as finding nothing worse to say about
Randolph than that he encouraged women to think of themselves as equals to men. Shortly after this Randolph was involved in an accident in which he fell from an elevated rail line in Ohio and was paralyzed from the waist down. However, it was also at this time that Randolph became involved with Peter Davidson and the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor that would eventually bear forward his philosophy of practical magic. Sadly the next year Randolph committed suicide, shooting himself on the 29th of July 1875.
Randolph’s Teachings on Sexual Magic
The practices and beliefs in Randolph’s and Dowd’s occult mileu were particularly focused on the topic of sexuality in spirituality. By sexuality in spirituality I mean not simply the use of sexual union as a metaphor for spiritual experience but, rather, the explicit use of sexual intercourse and genital orgasm as a source of creative metaphysical power that can be harnessed and manipulated by the practitioner. The focus of late 19th century occultism on the power of sexis due in large part to the increased discourse on sex in that era. Michel Foucault points out that much of the past literature on the Victorian era has been burdened by what he calls the
“repressive hypothesis" that is, the belief that Victorian society was hopelessly repressed about
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Page | 58 Freeman B. Dowd sexual matters. However, he asserts that the Victorian era, the second half of the 19th century, was by no means simply an era of prudish repression and denial of sexuality; the Late 19th century witnessed an unprecedented explosion of discourse about sex, which was now categorized, classified, and discussed in detail. In his History of Sexuality Foucault states,
“Western man has been drawn for three centuries to the task of telling everything concerning his sex212; that since the classical age there has been a constant optimization and an increasing valorization of the discourse on sex; and that this carefully analytical discourse was meant to yield multiple effects of displacement, intensification, reorientation, and modification of desire itself.”213 Not only were the boundaries of what one could say about sex enlarged, and men compelled to hear it said; but more important, public discourse was connected to sex and evolved out of conversations surrounding sex. There was installed, an apparatus for producing an ever greater quantity of discourse about sex, capable of functioning and taking effect in its very economy.214
In his article entitled “Magica Sexulais” Hugh Urban utilizes Paschal Beverly Randolph as an introductory example into “sex magic.”215 He uses Randolph as a figure who represents the increasing sexualization of love, and the emphasis on the sacred nature of sex itself.216 Urban asserts that despite discourses on and applications of sex and sexual fluid in prior generations’
212 Foucault here is building upon his theory that the pastoral confessions of the 18th century had created or formed a discourse on sex, transforming it from a practice of physical coitus to a titillating conversation or discourse of sex. 213 Foucult, Michel. History of Sexuality. New York: Pantheon Books 1978, 23. 214 Ibid. 215 Urban, Hugh. “Magica Sexulais” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 72, No. 3 Sep., 2004, 699. 216 Ibid.
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Page | 59 Freeman B. Dowd religious practice, Randolph was perhaps the first author to develop a detailed and systematic method of sexual magic. With his emphasis on the awesome power of intercourse as a source of both material happiness and divine knowledge, Randolph was an important figure in the shift of sexuality from an emphasis on concepts of love to the material and ritual practice of sex in the late 19th century.217
The teachings that Randolph outlines in his most well-known work Eulis and an originally unpublished source the Ansairetic Mystery cover topics on the correct use of sex and its powers, or more specifically sexual magic. Randolph claims in Eulis to have received an initiation into sexual magic in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, when he “made love to, and was loved by, a dusky maiden of Arabic blood.”218 He goes on to assert that he learned, “not directly, but by suggestion the fundamental principle of the White Magic of Love.” In this same passage he also claims to have found the path to knowledge through his acquaintance with dervishes and fakirs, describing their teachings as “sublime and holy magic.” Also, Randolph identifies himself as a mystic and a chief to the lofty brethren. He states that he was “taking clues left by the masters, and pursuing them farther than they had ever been before.” This teaching led him to discover what he claimed was the “Elixir of Life” or the Philosopher's Stone. Eulis was
Randolph’s guide to finding this solvent, this Philosopher’s stone, written to initiates or to “him or her who searches well.”219
217 Ibid, 706. 218 Randolph, Paschal B., Eulis! The History of Love: Its Wondrous Magic, Chemistry, Rules, Laws, Modes, Moods and Rationale; Being the Third Revelation of Soul and Sex. Also, Reply to "Why is man Immortal?" The Solution of the Darwin Problem. An Entirely New Theory. Third Edition Toledo, Ohio: Randolph Publishing Company 1896 p. 48. 219 Ibid.
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Page | 60 Freeman B. Dowd
Randolph regarded sexuality as a central key to the secrets and philosophy of his orders.
His system of sexual teaching was based on the belief that, in sexual union, the male and female secretions unite to form a powerful current. If this current is in disequilibrium, such as through solitary or incomplete sex for either partner, then disorders result. He asserts that during intercourse the uterus is to be “bathed in and by the husband's prostatic lymph and ejected [with] semen every time they know each other,” for unless their mutual liquids mingle “the electromagnetic and nervous conditions essential to perfect union are not present, and the reaction is fatal to health.”220 His system of thought was concerned with moral everyday life as well as proper marital relations in order to stimulate the proper currents of power. In this sexual union he refers to the power of “magnetism, electricity and nerve-aura” going on to asserts that if the power of these systems was present or manifest “in wedlock's sacred rite then Power reigns and Love strikes deep root in the soul of the child that may then be begotten.”221 Randolph also expressed concern that this powerful force of sex could be abused or mishandled. However, the proper use of this system of sex magic could produce physically and spiritually superior human beings. This sex magic in the Ansairetic Mystery is particularly concerned with the proper application of passion in conjugal marriage relations. He directly points out that though men can reach orgasm quicker than most women they should use their will to stave off orgasm until the woman is also ready to climax.222 For, only in the climax of both partners can the mystic (read
220 Randolph, Paschal B., Ansairetic Mystery: A New Revelation Concerning SEX!, Appedix A of Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany: State University of New York Press 1997, 312. 221 Ibid. 222 Ibid, 313.
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Page | 61 Freeman B. Dowd magnetic) power descend into the soul.223 This focus on passionate sex and the fulfillment and happiness of both partners is said to produce healthy children. Therefore the properly managed marriage bed should be a place of superior offspring. In referencing this conjugal happiness and the importance of female fulfillment Randolph states:
“Wherever you see a rich and jouissant beauty and power in a girl or boy—
wherever you see force of genius—you may rest assured that the mother
conceived when impassioned. Au contraire, wherever you see genuine
meanness—"moral turpentine," as Mrs. Malaprop says; whenever you see a lean,
mean, scrawny soul—wizened, whitelivered, trickish, graballish, and accursed
generally—you may safely wager your life that such a being was begotten of
force, on a passionless, sickly, used up wife, and you'll never lose your bet.”224
The production of superior offspring was not the sole purpose of Randolph’s sex magic. His was a system meant to bring about material influence upon the physical world. Individuals could will things to happen in the moment of sexual climax and with the proper knowledge, intention, and passion those things would come to pass. Randolph states:
“Whence it happens that they who unitedly Will a thing, during copulative union
and its mutual ending, possess the key to all possible Knowledge, the mighty
wand of White Magic—may defy disease, disaster, keep Death itself at bay,
regain lost youth and wasted power…”225
223 Ibid, 314. 224 Ibid, 315. 225 Ibid, 316.
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Page | 62 Freeman B. Dowd
This system of thought was meant to enable the individual to enact their power of will to bring about spiritual as well as physical health through material or sexual magic practice.
In her book The Theosophical Enlightenment Joscelyn Godwin summarizes Randolph’s system of thought and practice and distinguishes his work from later forms of sexual magic.226
She states that sex, for Randolph, was a sacrament and nothing less than a means to a holy communion of souls.227 Consequently, he hedged it round with taboos: it should not be enjoyed frequently nor promiscuously, never with any form of contraception, and absolutely never alone or with the same sex. Nothing could be further from the sexual magic later developed by the
Ordo Templi Orientalis, and still less that of Aleister Crowley and his followers. Randolph’s was a sexual magic of marital purity, a union with one’s soul mate for the purpose of divine mystic experience as well as a material or magical enaction of one’s will.
Randolph’s Teachings on Clairvoyance and Magic Mirrors
Clairvoyance, as the term had been used in America at the time and animal magnetism of the 19th century, usually meant only an elevated sense of visual perception, present in or out of trance, which established its possessor to read sealed envelopes, play chess while blindfolded, visualize the interior of the body to diagnose and cure disease, and the like.228 Randolph would change this, as clairvoyance for him, in its highest manifestations, was always the flight of conscious soul to the furthest regions of the soul world. In his philosophy clairvoyance in its lowest form was a virtually universal possibly for all of mankind, a generic term of modes of
226 Godwin, Joscelyn. The Theosophical Enlightenment. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1994, 247-261. 227 Ibid. 228 Deveney, 1997, 72.
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Page | 63 Freeman B. Dowd perception. As such the term, for Randolph, covered a vast range of phenomena. Randolph’s general instructions on clairvoyance were pedestrian, common to the mesmerists of his time both in France and England. However, through the use of magic mirrors Randolph touted a special method of thorough magnetization. If all of the particular requirements of his method were met,
Randolph predicted that a “perfect magnetic slumber” would bring about superior clairvoyance or visions.
The magic mirror in Randolph’s philosophy was not only an agent upon which images of objects might be cast, but it was also a primary means of achieving the highest state of clairvoyance. Deveney states that Randolph’s special method of the utilization of magic mirrors is likely something that he learned during his time in the Near East on his trip in 1861 or 1862.229
Randolph offered to provide the details of the process to correspondents for a fee, but these documents have not survived to the present day. It is clear however, that it was not the glass but rather the fluid or coating within the complex mirrors he sold that was essential. This fluid is likely seminal as the process involved in the creation involved sex and was learned during his time abroad as evidenced by his statements in his book Eulis:
“Due care is essential that they [magic mirrors], like a child, be kept clean ; to
which end fine soap and warm soft water, applied with silk or soft flannel, is the
first step ; followed by a similar bath, whereof cologne, fresh beer, or liquor
spurted from the mouth, are the three ingredients: the second for the sake, 1st, of
the spirit; 2d, of the individual magnetism ; and, 3d, the symbolism embodied in
229 Ibid, 77.
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Page | 64 Freeman B. Dowd
the ritual — so palpably as not to need further explanation. Write for other
information on this delicate point.”[emphasis original]230
Deveney asserts that the secret consecration and magnetic charging of the magic mirrors likely involved ejaculation on the surface of the mirror, the smearing of the mirror with the commingled sexual fluids of the partners, or even the preserving of the fluids in the magnetic reservoir of the mirror.231 I would agree that this is likely as the assumption is agreed upon in other works on Randolph following the lead of Deveney’s research.232
The material practices of Randolph’s system served the function of practical magic as well as a method of spiritual evolution. These magic mirrors, their purpose of fostering waking superior clairvoyance, and their connection to Randolph’s sex magic formed a system of practical magic. Godwin concludes, “Randolph’s books, taken as a whole, contain the 19th century’s fullest compendium of practical magic… magic presented without antique jargon as a way for modern men and women to increase their happiness and to control their lives.”233
Despite my agreement with Godwin’s statements she like most scholars fails to address a key aspect of Randolph’s philosophy, reincarnation.
Randolph’s Teachings on Reincarnation
The lack of scholarship on Randolph and Dowd means there is little to no authorship on the investigation of their belief on Reincarnation. The reincarnation beliefs of both Randolph and
Dowd followed a trend of individual progress with the caveat that their evolutionary models are
230 Randolph, Paschal Beverly, Eulis The History of Love, 1896, 205. 231 Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph, 1997, 79. 232 Godwin, Joscelyn. Theosophical Enlightenment 1994, 261. 233 Ibid.
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Page | 65 Freeman B. Dowd dependent upon a soul mate for spiritual progress. The prior emphasis on sex and mirrors should not supersede but rather compliment the reality that much of Randolph’s system of thought, like
Dowd’s, was focused on reincarnation.
Lee Irwin’s upcoming 2016 book, Reincarnation in America: An Esoteric History, gives a summary of Randolph’s teachings on reincarnation. He states, “In terms of an American esoteric theory of reincarnation other than Theosophy, the Rosicrucian orders (which he traces through
Randolph, Dowd, and others) have consistently supported the theory of rebirth mostly through membership instruction in higher teachings.”234 Randolph published a work on afterlife and rebirth entitled Dealings with the Dead in 1862.235 In this work, he offers an account of the afterlife based in what he claims as direct visionary experience in two distinct contexts.
The first visionary experience was based on his relationship with a young woman, Cynthia.
236 After her death Randolph was able to inhabit her post-mortem presence. The first part of Dealings with the Dead is an account of Cynthia’s afterlife experience, spoken through Randolph, including a description of the post-mortem world. The second visionary experience, part two of the book, is based on Randolph’s personal out-of-body experience. While considering troubling metaphysical questions, Randolph fell into a deep trance state that progressed through three phases; the first being his soul ascending into the air where among other vivid descriptions he describes meeting a primal
Monad, the source of awareness and individual identity. The second phase of this experience was
Randolph’s realization that he was accompanied by an invisible being, who then manifests to him
234 Irwin, Lee. Reincarnation: An Esoteric History. NY: Oxford University Press, 2016. Forthcoming. Manuscript chapter 5: pp 1. 235 Randolph, Paschal B. Dealings with the Dead; The Human Soul, Its Migrations and Its Transmigrations. Utica, New York: M.J. Randolph Publisher 1861-1862. 236 Ibid.
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Page | 66 Freeman B. Dowd and which he named Ramus or Thotmor, taking the form of an ancient Egyptian sage. After receiving instruction about the afterlife and soul transmigration from Ramus, the third phase occurs in which a female companion to Thotmor, who was actually Cynthia all along, manifests and he realizes that their male and female forms, are symbolic, not literal. Every soul, according to Randolph, has a spiritual counterpart, of opposite gender that forms a complete and perfect soul-union.237
The core of the theory is the Monad, a term Randolph borrows from Leibnitz.238 Every “soul seed” is an immortal, indestructible Monad whose “soul form” is a winged globe and whose origin is the “Eternal Heart” or Divine Mind. The Monad, having a divine origin, descends through sexual union during which the male seed carries the soul to the womb where the female adds her unique qualities to form a specifically gendered being. Soul Monads are a “condensation of electricity and
239 magnetism,” which he terms “sparks of divinity.” All human souls are participants in the Over-
Soul, a global field that surrounds the entire physical planet. This global field is sustained by Spirit, and gives life and vitality to every living creature. All “out-of-body” experiences are projections of the soul. The soul remains aligned with the body while creating a spiritual body which is only a vehicle of Soul. Randolph’s system posits that in life, through stages of development, the soul forms habits, attractions, thoughts, passions, and attachments which permanently impress the soul sphere with their imagery and psychic contents. In death, there is a transformative process. The individual soul-Monad passes out of the material body and met by several guiding spirits. The entity is induced
237 Irwin, Reincarnation, 2016, 3. 238 On page 191 of Dealings with the Dead in a footnote Randolph defines what he means: “Monad-first definition,- an ultimate atom; a simple substance without parts, indivisible, a primary constituent of mater: 'Second definition-a monad is not a material, but a formal atom it being impossible for a thing to be at once material and possessed of a real unity and indivisibility.” Randolph, Dealings with the Dead, 1862: 191. 239 Ibid, 236-238.
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Page | 67 Freeman B. Dowd into a profound state of contraction “to a single point” and passing through utter blankness, the enlivened soul awakens in the true Soul-World. 240
Randolph describes the soul-sphere itself as infinite in its capacity to solicit not only the past lives of the individual but also a vast number of relations with others, in other lives, and an overall historical review of human evolution from proto-organic forms to the present. This view is based in his theory of transmigration, a view Irwin calls a “conjunctive theory” of incarnation.241 This conjunctive theory posits an adding together of past developments. Through “stages of unfolding” these Monads, reflecting their divine origin, seek to overcome lesser entrapments and, as “developing
Monads,” seek to become fully conscious beings in human form.242 Thus, all human souls
“transmigrate” through multiple species and forms in relationship to a cosmic process of progressive complexity in development.
Randolph’s Relation To Dowd
As mentioned in chapter one, Dowd first came to prominence in connection with the work of Paschal Beverly Randolph, his mentor. Dowd supplied the introduction, dated
September 1869, to Randolph's 1870 publication of Love and its Hidden History and The Master
Passion. Also in 1870, Dowd wrote a very positive preface to a new edition of Randolph's After
Death. Randolph returned the favors by saying of Dowd that he "quotes from God himself.”243
Randolph dedicated his 1871 reprinting of The Rosicrucian's Story to Freeman and touted Dowd
240 Ibid, 34. 241 Irwin, Reincarnation, 2016, 5. 242 Ibid. 243 Deveney, 471.
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Page | 68 Freeman B. Dowd as the publicizer of certain magnetic bandages worn fore and aft on the head while sleeping created by Randolph as a means of developing clairvoyance.244
As noted in chapter one and two, Dowd advertised in occult journals, wrote his own works, and expounded a philosophy of his own that was built upon the work of his mentor
Randolph. I am uncertain that Randolph and Dowd experienced a falling out as Deveney asserts.
Rather, I would assert that their relationship likely continued for the few short years that they were both involved in the occult milieu before Randolph’s death in 1875.
Randolph and Dowd’s correspondence and relationship played a formative role in the creation of Dowd’s system of thought. First, the importance of sex or union with one’s soul mate plays a prominent role in Dowd’s philosophy, as mentioned in chapter two. However, much of
Dowd’s system focuses on a mental and affective, meaning a cognitive and emotional, experience unlike than Randolph’s more material practice of sex magic. Second, concepts of reincarnation in Dowd’s philosophy can be traced back to P.B. Randolph. The two men held divergent views on the after-life and the nature of reincarnation but Dowd’s emphasis or focus on reincarnation which discussed in chapters one and two was likely a direct consequence of his interaction with his mentor. In conjuction with this teacher-student relationship are the clear example of Dowd’s interaction with other spiritualists concerning “progressive” reincarnation in the Religio-Philosophical Jounal.245 Third, the nature of spiritual bodies in Dowd’s philosophy, namely the ability to create a spiritual double, stems from Randolph’s teachings. In Dowd’s
244 Randolph, Paschal Beverly. After Death, Toledo, Ohio: Randolph Publishing Company, 1886, 205-206. 245 Dowd, Freeman. “Progression and Retrogression: No. One.” In Religio-Philosophical Journal 10/30/16. Note: Responding to J. B. Ferguson’s 1868 speech in St. Louis.
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Page | 69 Freeman B. Dowd philosophy this teaching takes on a much more concrete role as his ideas on a double body are not just spiritual projections for the purpose of clairvoyance but rather the creation of an immortal physical double to inhabit with one’s spirit in union with a sexual partner. Despite the inherent differences in their thought systems, the influential life and teachings of Paschal
Beverley Randolph played a formative role in Dowd’s philosophy. Randolph’s connection of two systems, sexuality and a unique brand of reincarnation, formed the core of Dowd’s theology. The ideas and concepts derived from this system created the root of Dowd’s system of thought.
Dowd’s Occult Milieu, the Convergence of Alternative Religious Thought
Freeman Dowd was a lecturer, author and Rosicrucian who was influenced by
Randolph, interacted with 19th century occultism, and dabbled in the emergent movement of
New Thought in the twentieth century. As mentioned in the introduction of this thesis, Dowd was influential in the uptake of concepts like the mental power of love and reincarnation.
References to Dowd and advertisements for Dowd’s books in dozens of New Thought journals, both English and German, evidence his popularity in and among this movement.246
Based on the prevalence of both his articles in these journals and the advertisements for his published works, by the late 1890s anyone who read occult journals on reincarnation, looked for information on immortality, or were at all interested in New Thought, or even sex magic in the United States at least knew of Dowd and had probably read him. Dowd was involved in some small or large way with several religious entities or organizations and his unique teachings reflect this interaction. Spiritualism, Theosophy, nineteenth-century occult initiatic
246These references to Dowd and his writing in nineteenth century journals can be found in chapter one of this Thesis.
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Page | 70 Freeman B. Dowd orders like the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, and the burgeoning movement of New
Thought were all interacting with one another in some small way. Dowd’s life is a seminal example of the currents of thought circulating in the occult world of his era.
Spiritualism and the Rosicrucian
As mentioned in chapter one, Dowd set up several Rosicrucian lodges across the U.S. while traveling and lecturing. He also submitted many articles to various occult journals in addition to being advertised, reviewed, and discussed in journals such as: The Gnostic,
Harmony, The Banner of Light, Woodhull and Chaflin’s Weekly, the Occult Magazine,
Temple, Notes and Queries, Star of the Magi, Adiramled, The Rosicrucian Brotherhood, Neue
Metaphysische Rundschau, The Bibliography of Progressive Literature, The Life, Initiates,
Mercury, and The Platonist.247 Though Freeman B. Dowd has been largely forgotten today, he was not an unknown figure in his era. His interaction with these numerous sources is evidence of his at least functional role in 19th century occultism. Dowd often made reference in his writings to the work of other figures from his time. For example Dowd was keenly aware of the theosophical society, making reference to their work in two of his publications.248 Also, as mentioned in chapter one, Dowd directly responded to the work and writing of others in his submissions to occult journals.
New Thought
Dowd was contemporary to and in conversation with the early practitioners of the New
Thought Movement. By New Thought I mean the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
247 For a full listing of these sources see Works Cited. 248 Dowd, The Double Man, 1895, 292. Also: Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Salem: The Eulian Publishing Company, 1900, 27.
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Page | 71 Freeman B. Dowd metaphysical movement stemming from the work of Phineas P. Quimby, and the later work of
Emma Curtis Hopkins. This movement generally asserted a philosophy of ideals on mind power and healing. In this system of thought, ideas are the primary reality and all causation in matter stems from the mind. This movement embraces a wide range of thought and practices concerning metaphysical healing and the power of the mind.249 This mind-healing movement originated in the mid-19th century. Catherine Albanese states that the New Thought identity came together in the 1890s and posits that the formation of the movement was in contrast to Mary Baker Eddy’s
Christian Science.250 Similarly, J. Gordon Melton asserts that New Thought emerged as a new religious tradition in North America in the late 1800s, a movement that had its beginning with
Emma Curtis Hopkins who, in 1885, separated herself from Mary Baker Eddy and moved to
Chicago where, in 1886 she founded a school that eventually became known as the Christian
Science Theological Seminary.251
The New Thought movement was contemporary with Dowd’s lectures and writing. Dowd was clearly aware of these movements and commented in his work about them. Speaking about the purification of one’s will he states, “Those who turn within themselves, and pluck the motes out of the mind's eye become reversed or turned around in their understanding and very nature, and they see things in a reversed light. This turning has already given birth to "Christian or
249 Braden, Charles S. Spirits in Rebellion. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963. 250 Albanese, Catherine. A Republic of Mind and Spirit. London: Yale University Press, 2007, 301. 251 Some scholars would trace the history of the movement back as far as Phineas Quimby the Mesmerist and Healer.
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Page | 72 Freeman B. Dowd
Mental Science.”252 He went on to assert that these movements brought about a wonderful advance in his time.
New Thought had no one creed due its numerous authors and divergent groups, but a fundamental teaching of the movement as a whole is that spirit and thought is more real and more powerful than matter and that the mind has the power to heal the body. Dowd posited similar ideas about mind cures and the central role that spirit played in contrast or in supersession to the material world. As shown in chapter one, Dowd’s novelette The New Order, written in a
New Thought journal, Harmony, was a direct conversation with and to practitioners of the New
Thought movement. . In describing the benefits of self-control and the improvement of one’s health through dieting Dowd states, “We get the grossness of food by eating it, but the real life of it is extracted by the thoughts we have of it.”253 The real life or power of the world, for Dowd, lay in thoughts of the world and in spiritual realities.
The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor
Dowd’s philosophy was not the only outgrowth of Paschal B. Randolph’s teachings and
Dowd’s theological move toward New Thought concepts should not be assumed as the natural outgrowth of Randolph’s system. Dowd interacted with practitioners and writers of New
Thought, while continuing to develop his philosophy of the evolution of immortality. However,
Dowd was also a part of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, an organization who adopted nearly wholesale the sexual and ceremonial magic of Randolph. Dowd took a more ephemeral approach to Randolph’s teaching and moved more toward concepts of mind power. Yet, his
252 Dowd, Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1901, 296. 253 Ibid, 245.
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Page | 73 Freeman B. Dowd interaction with the H.B. of L is important to note. Dowd was not a part of just one group in the late 19th century but rather he was interacting on multiple levels with various religious practitioners of occultism.
The H.B. of L was a contemporary movement with which Dowd would have at the very least been familiar with and was likely interacting.254 A brief examination of this order reveals the similarity of Dowd’s philosophy to their teachings. Both Dowd and the Hermetic
Brotherhood of Luxor derive much of the philosophical foundation from the work of Paschal
Beverley Randolph, though they take different paths away from Randolph’s thought.
The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor was an order of practical occultism, active in the last decades of the 19th century.255 Headed by Peter Davidson, William Alexander Ayton, and
Thomas Henry Burgoyne the order began its public work in 1884. The H.B. of L. was a major rival for the Theosophical Society, as evidenced by the large contingent of members from the
Theosophical Society who had joined the H.B. of L. by 1886.256 The order taught its members how to lead a way of life most favorable to spiritual development, and gave them detailed instructions in how to cultivate occult powers by working on their own. The order differentiated itself from its contemporaries such as the Theosophical Society, whose teachings are often philosophical rather than practical, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose activities were often social and ceremonial. The object of the H.B. of L. was to teach practical occultism to
254 Godwin, Joscelyn. Chanel, Christian. Deveney, John P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1995, 66. 255 Ibid, 3. 256 Ibid, 7.
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Page | 74 Freeman B. Dowd individuals.257 This practical occultism was in large part a continuation of the sex magic system of Paschal Beverley Randolph, a physical practice of sexual magic.258
In referencing Dowd, it is helpful to look at the three primary aspects of the H.B. of L.’s practical occultism: the afore mentioned sex magic, clairvoyance through the use of magic mirrors, and the use of drugs in magical practice.259 The physical sexual union of the male and female was the key to spiritual progress in the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. This sex power was analogous to Dowd’s philosophy on the creation of a double body but as I have shown, the progression of Dowd’s philosophy was one of mostly physical abstinence replaced instead by mental intercourse with one’s soul mate.260
Dowd, though at least briefly a part of the H.B. of L. was his own entity with his own set of beliefs and teachings. The development of clairvoyance in the H.B. of L through the use of the magic mirror, though addressed in the first half of Dowd’s Double Man is dismissed by Dowd later in the same novel. The use of drugs which was a prime component to the H.B. of L’s practical magic, is nowhere mentioned in Dowd’s writings. Dowd’s system instead focuses on the spiritual sexual union and the power of love to create the immortal body. This creation or projection of a second body is somewhat analogous to the “astral double” of the H.B. of L. Yet, for the order this astral double was directly related to clairvoyance, as it was viewed as a preliminary to the practice. The H.B. of L. encouraged its newcomers with tales of the success of members of the order to create this double and travel with it. In response to a letter asking
257 Ibid, 1-5. 258 Ibid, 61. 259 Ibid, 71-77. 260 Ibid, 72.
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Page | 75 Freeman B. Dowd whether young members were “capable of projecting their Astral Double,” the Editor of The
Occult Magazine replied: “Yes, undoubtedly so… we quote the following extract from a letter we have just received from a Continental Lady Member: “I looked and saw through the shell that covered me, the light of my lamp shining, whilst I also saw the shadow of a moving form… I felt free from my body, and was flying through the rooms.””261 In contrast, the creation of a double in Dowd’s philosophy was more focused on the attainment of immortality than the abilities of clairvoyance. Dowd’s system was one of mind power and the spiritual progression of his system was largely disconnected from the ceremonial Occultism of his past. This divergence in belief speaks to the nature of Dowd’s independence and the way in which he was espousing his own system of mind power.
The Various groups with which Dowd interacted played a role in shaping Dowd’s
Philosophy. Dowd’s lineage and training under Randolph had an obvious influence on his thought, bringing to bear subjects such as love, sex, and the power of one’s will. The influence of various Spiritualist and Occult practitioners and writers can be seen both in Dowd’s conversations and writings with them as well as in his polemics against what he perceived as incorrect doctrine, see for example his conversations in the Religio-Philosophical Journal between 1870 and 1871. Dowd’s Rosicrucian bent toward esoteric and initiatic orders played a vital role throughout his life. However, I would assert that his novelette, The New Order is evidence of a move away from Dowd’s strong investment with such groups. Finally, Dowd’s publications within New Thought occult journals, his advertisements in these forums, his wife’s
261 Occult Magazine, June 5th 1885, 40. IAPSOP.com
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Page | 76 Freeman B. Dowd poetry in such journals, and his personal writing to these journals are example of Dowd’s clear leanings toward the New Thought Movement in the second half of his life.
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Page | 77 Freeman B. Dowd
Conclusion: Studying a Person, Studying an Era
Freeman B. Dowd is not a lynchpin of history or even a well-known figure from our past.
However, the unique place that Dowd holds between the various alternative traditions of the mid
19th and early 20th centuries makes him a seminal example of the occult practitioner in this era.
Dowd’s life, his journal writings, and his numerous publications are all data in an analysis of the late nineteenth century occult milieu.
Dowd espoused a particular philosophy of reincarnation and an evolution of man toward immortality. His works describe a systematic course of bodily treatment for immortalization and the development of the soul. His writings asserted that a spiritual body could be formed within our physical bodies, which when fully formed, could be detached from the physical form, projected, and therefore made into a double. This process occurred first in the imagination and will. Then through a vastation and purification of ones double, utilizing human will power, one could perceive and feel this double man in one’s consciousness and then project that double like a human body. The ultimate goal of existence for Dowd was to progress as a physical and spiritual being through an enacted power of the will and the practice of love for one’s soul mate.
Love and sex for Dowd, were the real means of progress. But central to this system of thought was the power of the mind and the will which were enabled through the feeling and practice of love.
Aspects of Dowd’s system of thought come from different communities and encounters in his life. The sexual aspects of his philosophy clearly have some root in his mentor, Randolph.
The power of will, the primacy of one’s thoughts, and the enactment of those thoughts into the world for the purpose of spiritual refinement and healing of the soul clearly have some roots in
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Page | 78 Freeman B. Dowd the New Though Movement. Dowd’s life, times, and teachings offer a window into each of these systems as well as an overview of the various beliefs and philosophies with which Dowd interacted. To study Dowd’s life is to study the occult milieu surrounding that life. A wide summary of the numerous interactions, writings, and thought worlds which Dowd interacted with in his lifetime is not only daunting but unapproachable. Alternatively, looking at this figure,
Freeman Benjamin Dowd, amongst the general milieu of his life is an approachable task. In so doing we learn about not only his life but about his era in history.
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Page | 79 Freeman B. Dowd
Works Cited
1. Albanese, Catherine L. A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. 2. Braden, Charles S. Spirits in Rebellion. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963. 3. Clymer, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America.Quakertown: Rosicrucian Foundation, 1935. 4. Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany New York: State University Press of New York, 1997. 5. Dowd, Freeman B. - Der Doppel-Mensch. Translation by Paul Zillmann. Found in: Neue Metaphysische Rundschau June 1904. - Evolution of Immortality. Salem, Mass: Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. - Regeneration: Being Part II of The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Salem: The Eulian Publishing Company, 1900. - The Double Man, Boston: Arena Publishing Company, 1895. - The Temple of the Rosy Cross: The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 1st ed. Philadelphia: John R. Rue, Jr. Printer, 1882. - The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Rosy Cross Publishing Co. 1888. - The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 3rd ed. Denver: Temple Publishing Company, Masonic Temple, 1897. - The Temple of the Rosy Cross, The Soul, Its Powers, Migrations, and Transmigrations. 4th ed. Salem: Eulian Publishing Company, 1901. - The Way: text book for the student of Rosicrucian philosophy. Quakertown, PA: Beverly Hall, 1917.
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- “Ad for The Temple” Occult Magazine Sept 1st, 1885. - “Ad for The Temple” RPJ July 23rd 1887, Feb 11th 1905. - “Ad for The Temple” Banner of Light Oct 22nd 1887, Nov 3rd 1888, Sept 7th 1889, Nov 23rd 1901. - “Ad for The Temple” Notes and Queries Jan 1st 1900. - “Ad for The Temple” Star of the Magi Sept 1st 1901, Oct 1st 1901, Jan 1st 1902 - “Ad for The Temple” Adiramled Dec 1st 1901, Feb 1st 1902. Iapsop.com - “Facts” RPJ April 9th 1870. - “Heart Lines No. 1” RPJ Nov 11th 1876.
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- "Leaves from the Unwritten Life of a Rosicrucian. No. One." RPJ June 19th 1869. - “Letter from Davenport, Iowa,” in RPJ December 8th 1866: 4. As quoted in: Deveney, 1997, 471. - "Love and Its Hidden History" Banner of Light Oct 10th 1869. - Occult Magazine, June 5th 1885, 40. - “Progression and Retrogression: No. One.” RPJ October 20th 1869. - “Review” [Dowd] "The Temple of the Rosy Cross" by "W.E.C." March 17th, 1883. RPJ. - “Road to Power,” Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly, April 19, 1873. - "Rosicrucia!!! The Road to Power!! Sexual Science! F.B. Dowd's Private Lectures to Ladies and Gentlemen. A pamphlet of 60 pages, containing principles, ideas, and advice beyond price. Ignorance is the curse of mankind. Price 50 cents. For sale by the author, F.B. Dowd, of Davenport, Iowa" RPJ Aug 12th 1871. - “Rosicrucian Heart Leaves” RPJ Jan 8th 1870 & Feb 12th 1870. - “Rosicrucian Ideas of Government” RPJ. June 25th 1870 & July 2nd 1870. - “Rosicrucian Musings” RPJ Aug 12th 1870-Dec 9th 1871. - “The Dying Year” RPJ March 20th 1875. - “The Magic of Voudoo” RPJ Nov 4th 1876, - The New Order in Cramer, Malinda E. Harmony spanning both Volume 1&2. San Francisco, CA 1897. - “The Orthodox God Opposed to Liberty” RPJ June 12th 1875, - "The Rosicrucian's Reply. Dedicated to the Thinking World and Especially to J.B. Ferguson and the Leaders of the Harmonial Philosophy" RPJ Dec 25th 1869. - “The State Meeting” Dec 18th 1880. RPJ. - “True Greatness” RPJ April 24th 1875 - “Various articles” The Gnostic, 1885-1888. - "What Are We? Part II” RPJ March 6th 1869. 6. Dowd, Lucy Stout. “Magdalen” The Temple September 1898, pp 91. 7. Foucult, Michel. History of Sexuality. New York: Pantheon Books 1978, 23. 8. Fraternitas Rosae Crucis. Articles: Freeman B. Dowd. Soul.org, Accessed: Dec 3rd, 2015. 9. Godwin, Joscelyn. Theosophical Enlightenment. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. 10. Godwin, Joscelyn. Chanel, Christian. Deveney, John P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1995. 11. Hair, James T. comp. and ed. Iowa State Gazetter. Chicago: Baily and Hair, 1865. pp 585. 12. Hanegraaf, Wouter. Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. New York: Bloomsbury 2013.
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13. Illinois Marriages, 1763 – 1900. City of Lake, Illinois. License #093M0292 14. Irwin, Lee. Reincarnation: An Esoteric History. NY: Oxford University Press, 2016. 15. Ferguson, J.B. "Explanatory. The Nature of God" RPJ Nov 20th 1869. 16. Kelbaugh, Ross J. Directory of Civil War Photographers, vol 3, Western States and Territories, 2nd ed. Baltimore: Historic Graphics, 1992. 17. Louisiana, Marriages, 1718-1925 Lucy L. Stout & Freeman B. Dowd, Oct 26th 1896 Rapides Parish, Louisiana. 18. Melton, J. Gordon. Rosicrucianism in America. Garland Publishing Inc: CT 1990. 19. Melton, J. Gordon. “New Thought and the New Age” in Perspectives on the New Age Lewis, James R. (ed.) and Melton, J. Gordon (ed.) Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1992. 20. Mercury. Pioneer Rosicrucian Workers in America. No. 3: Freeman B. Dowd. March 5th 1917. Religio-Philosophical Journal, Rosicrucia July 1, 1871-September 16, 1871 21. National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Record: Iowa, Second Congressional District, Vol 1 of 4. Washington, D.C. C onsolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records: Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865. 22. Power, John C. Davenport City Directory, 1863. Davenport: Luse, Lane, and Co. 1863. pp 22. 23. Randolph, Paschal Beverly - After Death: Disembodied Man. Boston, Mass: Rockwell and Rollins, 1886. - Ansairetic Mystery: A New Revelation Concerning SEX!, Appedix A of Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany: State University of New York Press 1997. - Dealings with the Dead; The Human Soul, Its Migrations and Its Transmigrations. Utica, New York: M.J. Randolph Publisher 1861-1862. - Eulis! The History of Love: Its Wondrous Magic, Chemistry, Rules, Laws, Modes, Moods and Rationale; Being the Third Revelation of Soul and Sex. Also, Reply to "Why is man Immortal?" The Solution of the Darwin Problem. An Entirely New Theory. Third Edition Toledo, Ohio: Randolph Publishing Company 1896 p. 48. - Seership!:The Magnetic Mirror, A Practical Guide to Those Who Aspire to Clairvoyance—bsolute. Original and Selected From Various European and Asiatic Adepts. Boston: Randolph and Company, 1870. - Seership! The Magnetic Mirror. A Practical Guide to Those Who Aspire to Clairvoyance-Absolute. Toledo, Ohio: Randolph and Company, 1875. - Seership; Guide to Soul Sight Quakertown, PA: The Confederate of Initiates 1930. ------“Another Testimony.” The Spiritual Telegraph. Feb 17th 1855.
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- “Magnetic Band” In RPJ 3/13/1869, April 10th 1869. - The Spiritual Telegraph. June 4th 1853. 24. Rogers, AR Rogers Democrat Thursday Nov 3rd 1910. 25. Root, O.E. Root’s Davenport City Directory. Davenport: Luse & Griggs, December 1866. pp 23 & 101. Also: Montague, A. J., Curtis, J. F. Davenport City Directory for 1870-1. Davenport: Griggs, Watson, & Day Printers. 1871. pp 98. 26. Rosemont, Franklin, Forward to Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. Albany New York: State University Press of New York, 1997. 27. Russel, Flora S. “Prefatory Note” in Randolph, Paschal B. Hermes Trismegistus: His Divine Pymander, Also The Asiatic Mystery, The Smaragdine Table and the Song of Brahm. Toledo, Ohio: Randolph Publishing Company, 1889. 28. Smithfield A. G. comp. and ed. Davenport City Directory, 1866. Davenport: Luse & Griggs 1866. pp 39 & 94. 29. U.S. Census Bureau, 1850 Overview: Through the Decades. URL: http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1850.html, Accessed: Jan 5th 2016. 30. U.S. Census Bureau - Davenport Ward 2, Scott County, Iowa; 1870, NARA microfilm Roll: M593_418; Page: 207B; Image: 160150. - Esculapia, Benton, Arkansas; 1910, NARA microfilm Roll: T624_44; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0020. - Shirland Township, Winnebago Country, Illinois, October 8, 1850. National Archives Microfilm Publication M432. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Waller, Texas; Precinct 1, June 5, 1900. FHL microfilm: 1241676 Roll: 1676; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0046. National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Riverton, Floyd, Iowa; 1860, Nara Microfilm Roll: M653_322; Page: 328; Image: 328. & & 1880, Precinct 1, Waller, Texas; NARA microfilm T9 publication Roll: 1331; Family History Film: 1255331; Page: 394A; Enumeration District: 158. 31. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. Harriet Jane Dowd. Hempstead Cemetery, Waller County, Texas. 32. Urban, Hugh. “Magica Sexulais” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 72, No. 3 Sep., 2004, 699. 33. Vanloo, Robert. Les Rose-Croix Du Nouveau Monde: Aux Sources Du Rosicrucianisme Moderne. Paris: Claire Vigne Publishing, 1996.
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