The Lodge: Part One Introduction & Defining a Lodge of the Spirit by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

Introduction of the Occult Lodge:

These Occult Lodges, as I will refer to them, were prevalent ever since the beginning of the Masonic institution. Since the Rosicrucian influence on the Royal Society during the Enlightenment, to the Egyptian influenced the Occult Revival of the late 1800s. Over the course of this series we will address occult connections within , the strong spiritual leaders that it produced, and the infamous masters that dwell in the shadows of the craft. As masons it is imperative to show reverence to all spiritual teachings, never to take what may be considered sacred to one in a profane or disrespectful way. Defining a Lodge of the Spirit:

Within the Western Esoteric Tradition the Occult lodge can be described as a group of Cabbalists, Magicians, Alchemists or Hermetically minded members that gather in a group, with a common goal of spiritual advancement. These different groups may have a variety of perceptions and beliefs but what connects them together is the common desire to experience the realm of the spiritual first hand without subduing to a specific dogma or faith.

The Occult lodge is mythical in both folklore and modern culture. The image of a shadowy cabal of men in black hooded robes in a dark smoky room doing mysterious rituals comes to mind. Mountains of old leather bound books filled with forbidden knowledge line shelves along side jars of strange herbs and large pieces of quartz and crystal. What is interesting about this description is how it strikes an archetypal chord in our imagination, but also how accurate it actually is. In the occult lodge the balance of mystical lore and reality is held only in the mind of the beholder, which makes distinguishing fact and fiction difficult. As with a Masonic Lodge the members often live two lives, in one they are normal members of society with mundane jobs and relationships, but once they are behind closed doors they transform themselves into the mythos of a Master Mason. Occult lodge members similarily escape their day to day lives to focus their consciousness to inherit a symbol of a being that travel between worlds and glimpse behind the veil of reality. These members meet to converse with angels, summon Gods, and transform themselves through ritual to become more than just men through the embracing of Divinity. The Occult Lodge is not a social club, it is not for charity, it is not meant to benefit anyone outside of its Sacred circle. It’s only concern is the advancement of its members spiritually and to allow them to forge their own spiritual path to define their relationship with God.

But how did the Occult currents in the Western Tradition adapt a lodge structure? The Occult Lodge at times has very little to do with main stream Western religions and even less to do the social clubs, charities, and fraternal organizations that seem to fit into this lodge structure. So how did these Occult Currents become emerged with the concept of a Lodge? The answer is Freemasonry. It was through the Masonic influence that these Western Esoteric teachings were given the lodge format as they progressed.

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society. The Occult Lodge: Part Two From Operative to Occult by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

In the recent climate of the literary outbreak of novels based on the speculation of Masonry, modern culture has begun to accept the doubtful notion that Masonry is the descendent of the Medieval , or that it is the barren of some shadowy conspiracy bent toward world domination. But this is only a modem interpretation of a climate of speculation Masons of the 1800s concocted in order to give the Masonic system a romanticized history. But it should be noted that overzealous Masons creating a myth that the craft is traced to ancient origins was a common trend among fraternal groups of the era. It was thought that an elaborate myth of historical connections gave the fraternal group legitimacy.

But in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there was a common theme among Masonic scholars creating a legacy, connecting the craft to a variety of occult groups such as the Rosicrucians, the Essenes, Ancient Egypt, and a variety of other spiritual systems. This was because many of the first members that transformed the Craft from an operative guild into a speculative craft were intellectuals of the Royal Society. These intellectuals were under the influence of classical philosophy, which often incorporated the mystical teachings of the medieval ages. This gave many who were interested in occultism through the age of 18th and 19th centuries the vessel they needed to explore subjective symbolism and determine their own spiritual truths.

Because Masonry became an organization accepting many mystical brethren, the occult minded brethren of the time adopted aspects of Masonry into the developing "magical" lodges. Primarily they adopted the lodge structure finding its organization as both a degree based learning system and a democratic formation as ample for developing a harmonious and productive organization. But as speculative masonry sought to define itself in its early decades of development through its progression of High Degrees, so the occult lodges defined itself through these High degrees having discrete and secretive groups in which to practice their spiritual paths.

~JEF

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

The Occult Lodge: Part Three The Elu Kohen by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

Martinez de Pascually As the high degrees developed, one of the first occult orders to develop out of Masonry was the illustrious and secretive Orde Chevelier Macons Elus Cohen de L’Univers or Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe, more commonly referred to as the Elus Cohen. The Elus Cohen is one of the most serious and prominent of occult societies, given its deeply rooted occult practices as being the active role in the redemption of humanity from its fallen state. Usually reserved for Gnostic Clergy, the Elus Cohen is the inner order for most Martinist streams and teaches advanced forms of ceremonial . Martinez de Pascually was the founder the Elus Cohen.and was born in , France in 1709. His father had received a Masonic patent from Charles Stuart “King of Scotland, Ireland and England, dated 20th May 1738 and granting him as "Deputy Grand Master the power to erect temples to the glory of the Grand Architect”. This gave him powers as a Deputy Grand Master with the power to establish lodges, and this power was transferred to his son upon his death.

At the age of 28, Martinez was a Master Mason and upon his Father’s death he received this charter and thus formed the Elus Cohen in 1765. This Order admitted only Freemasons, but practiced mystical medieval rites involving angels and archangels. These heavily esoteric initiations echoed a Catholic form of ritual and prayer, as well as a use of the psalms as mantra . “The higher degrees of the Order taught such practices as the invocation of

-of the Qabalah, the so ( שם המפורש) ’various spirits, such as the ‘Shem ha-Mephorash called “divided Name” as derived from Exodus XIV:19-21, celebration of the Equinoxes, and similar highly ritualistic and time-consuming forms of ritual work.” (Kevin Davis, Brothers From Another Mother).

Martinez vision was a working of a great spiritualized movement within the higher ranks of Freemasonry. Martinez formed his spiritual group during the period of the creation of the High Degrees which were being introduced into Freemasonry. Due to the often found resentment of the of the High Degrees by Masonic Authorities Martinez chose to create a “side” organization which would have a more spiritual character than Freemasonry traditionally had. To this organization however, he would only admit Master Masons who had taken the additional Masonic degree of “Elect”. The Order of Élus Cohen was rumored to have nine, ten or eleven degrees divided into three main classes, followed by a secret grade. Each class of degrees correlated to different aspects of Solomon’s Temple.

The first class contained the traditional Degrees of Symbolic Masonry plus an additional degree of Grand Elect or Particular Master. The second class contained the Porch Degrees of Apprentice-Cohen, Fellow-Cohen and Master-Cohen. The third class contained the Temple

Degrees of Grand Master Élus Cohen, Knight of the East and Commander of the East. The secret doctrine of the Order was based mostly on Martinez’ only book, The Reintegration of Beings, which is a mystical reinterpretation of the Pentateuch. Martinez commentary focused on the purifying diet of the Levites and the importance of the exorcism of planetary energies to rise above the evil found in the individual and collectively in the world.

The secret grade of the Order contained the degree of Réau-Croix, a title inspired by both Masonic and Rosicrucian circles at the time. In this Degree of Réau-Croix, the Initiate is exposed to the spiritual realms through Magical Invocation or . The Candidate is taught to draw the Celestial powers into his spiritual aura, by doing so into the earth’s aura as well. The Candidate is taught to interpret certain signs as perceived through auditory and visual manifestations, which the candidate uses to evaluate his own spiritual re-integration into the spirit.

The purpose of the Réau-Croix degree was to perceive the Beatific Vision of the Repairer, Jesus Christ, in response to Magical Evocations in order to repair one’s own fallen state and act as an active participant in the redemption of all humanity to repair the first sin of Adam. Martinez perceived God to be primordial Unity that emanated beings from his own nature. Until Lucifer, who wanted to exercise his own creative power, fell victim to his own faults, which caused Lucifer and his followers to be forever separated from the spirit trapped in the material. To resolve this, God sent man endowed with a state of perfection to work towards the reconciliation of Lucifer. Adam then fell himself and became trapped in the material realm as a physical and mortal being. So it is the spiritual destiny of Mankind to save both himself and the original creation which can be accomplished through the inner perfection with the help of Christ, the eternal repairer.

Through the rites of the Elus Cohen, the initiate is to enter into relations with angelic entities, which are sympathetic to Man’s fallen state, who aid him upon the path to reintegrate his spirit away from the material plane into unity of the spirit. After Pasqually’s death in 1774 the teachings of the Elu Cohen were most certainly doomed to fade into the mists of history. But a fellow by the name of Willermoz desired to preserve the Elus Cohen teachings within the highest degrees of the Régime Ecossais Rectifi (Scottish Rectified Rite), more commonly known as the Chevaliers Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte (C.B.C.S.) was founded by Willermoz in 1774.

~JEF

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

The Occult Lodge: Part Four Masonic Magic to Mysticism by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

Martinist Regalia

During the time in which the original Elu Cohen was in operation, took an apprentice by the name of Louis Claude de St.-Martin. Louis Claude de St.-Martin was born in 1743 to a religious family of minor French nobility. St. Martin was admitted into the Order of Elu Cohen around 1767, but prior to that had been admitted to an unknown Masonic lodge in 1750 as well as an initiate to the Rite of the Strict Observance in 1773. St. Martin became the secretary of the Elu Cohen from 1768 to 1771. This is when he met Willermoz who was the head of the Elu Cohen lodge. St. Martin was inspired by the philosophy and teachings of Pasqually and sought to integrate then with the Rite of Strict Observance. The Rite of Strict Observance was founded by Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund in 1749, and was based on the myth of a direct lineage to the original Knights Templar which was received by an “Unknown Superior” in in 1742. St. Martin became more and more disengaged with of the Elect Priests and began to wonder if all the magic circles and ritual elements were necessary to experience the presence of God. St.-Martin saw one’s spiritual path as an internal work, which he called the “way of the heart”.

St. Martin believed that Christ was the Word or the Gnosis as written in the gospel of St. John, and this Word was with Man in the beginning, but had been lost. Only through recovery of this lost Word could Man be whole and Reintegrated into the presence of God. . St. Martin began to publish his philosophy under the pen name the Unknown Philosopher. Not only did St. Martin have dislike for the ritualized working of the Elu Cohen, he also began to question the necessity of ritual in a Masonic setting as well. In July of 1790, he left Freemasonry in order to focus on his contemplative “Way of the Heart” until his death in 1803.

The French Revolution, though destructive for all of France, was equally devastating for St. Martin’s path of . St. Martin had few disciples but his teachings survived through a lineage of student to teacher aural recounting until in 1891 when a student named Gérard Encausse desired to reform the Order of Martinism. Taking the name Papus he claimed a succession from and Henri Delaage supposedly going back to St.-Martin himself. Papus reformed Martinism into a Masonic structure, of a series of three degrees which were reminiscent of the Craft Degrees of Freemasonry, but with a mystical emphasis. Usually referred to as Associate, Initiate, and S:I:. This newly-organized system of Martinism became associated with the French Gnostic movement and has long been associated with the tradition of the ‘Episcopi Vagantes’ or “Wandering Bishops”, and Encausse was most certainly made a bishop.

The three-degree system of modern Martinism borrowed Masonic symbolism, such as the pillars of Solomon’s Temple, and added Kabbalistic and Gnostic emphasis to lead the Initiate into a deeper understanding of the nature of Polarity as it occurs in both Nature and the mind of Man. There was also some borrowing from the Mark Master degree in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the True Meaning of the Stone that the Builders rejected as a symbol for the Christos. This rebirth in Martinism is a part of a larger cultural movement of the time referred to as the Occult Reformation.

~JEF

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

The Occult Lodge: Part Five

The period existing during the mid 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century saw the rebirth in the romanticism with the occult lodge. This was termed the occult reformation and no other group embodied this evolution in esoteric practice more than the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn is often considered the most fundamental magical school to come out of the Occult Reformation in the 1880s. This Group had extremely close ties to Masonry, not only being founded by Masons, but being founded by Elite Masons of the Societia Rosicruciana in Anglia. This Group of Masons sought to reform and create a magical order that was separate from Masonry so women could have equal membership in the mysteries. But this Hermetic Order has its origins steeped in legend and is riddled with mystery surrounding one of the most prominent Masons of his day poet and historian Kenneth Mackenzie. Mackenzie became a Mason in 1870 and a brilliant occult researcher, and authored the “Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia” in 1877 after mastering the Masonic mythos. On his quest for greater light in occult knowledge it was claimed that Mackenzie traveled across Europe seeking the true lineage of the Rosicrucians. During his time in France he was initiated through the nine grades of the “Gold und Rosenkreuz Order” and was given special permission to take notes on their initiations forming what would be known as the “Cypher Manuscripts”. Upon returning to England Bro. Mackenzie was instrumental in developing the initiatory grades of the S.R.I.A with Bro. Robert Wentworth Little who founded the order in 1867. The S.R.I.A became the premiere Masonic organization in London and because of its esoteric and occult nature it drew into its ranks influential membership including Dr. William Wynn Wescott, Samuel Liddell “Macgregor” Mathers, Dr. Robert William Felkinand Arthur Edward Waite. Wescott and Mathers would be deeply influenced by the S.R.I.A and with the obtaining Cipher Manuscripts after Mackenzie’s death they would go on to found the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The Cypher Manuscripts are a sixty page outline of magical initiations, corresponding to the elemental energies of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, as well as kabalistic and alchemical notes related to each Grade. Wescott and Mathers included these manuscripts into the Order incorporating Egyptian symbolism and various influences creating a sustainable current of energy that has been used as the foundation for countless occult orders. The First grade of Neophyte 0=0, is on a general level dedicated to the concept of darkness. In this Grade the Initiate is meant to realize he is bound by his own perception of subjective reality and that he must purify and cleanse his own being in order to shed the influence of his lower self upon his soul. The Initiate walks the path dictated in certain chapters of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and divided his sprit from the elemental energies freeing himself from material influence. The Grade of Zelator 1=10 correlates to the element of Earth. In this Grade the Initiate regains the element of Earth but with a new spiritual perspective and thus begins the journey of regaining his elemental energies to reform his spiritual self. The Grade Theoricus 2=9 correlates to Water, Practicus 3=8 to water, and Philosophus 4=7 to fire.

With the elemental energies regained like the Godform Osiris, the parts of the self that were once divided are now united into a balanced spiritual being. This new spiritual being is now dedicated to the Great Work without an influence of creed or religious dogma. Each grade also has kabbalistic and alchemical correlations that give a tremendous depth to its symbolism and value as an esoteric system. It is at this point the Philosophus engages in the ceremony entitled Portal, which represents the unification of their elemental energies with spirit. This creates the unified pentagram of the individual, a blazing star of aether united with all elemental forces.

The Golden Dawn created such a stir in the esoteric communities that it attracted a variety of influential people from the artistic community such as actress Florence Farr, poet W. B. Yeats, writer Bram Stoker, poet William Sharp, and bad boy Aleister Crowley. The legacy of the Dawn was short lived, as schisms among members led to the dissolving of the Order. Overall, the Golden Dawn tradition is alive but heavily divided over who should be considered the “official” Golden Dawn. With egotistic leaders claiming direct contact with the secret chiefs to eminent Freemason Chic Cicero with his lineage from Reguardi, to a variety of independent temples, the Golden Dawn community is in contest with each other. Overall, for the esoteric student the works of the Golden Dawn are fundamental to the understanding of the Western systems of Magic. It was founded by masons in an attempt to revive and reform Rosicrucianism. They sought to overcome the mundane influences of humanity, only to be destroyed by the lower parts of the human character. Research of the Dawn is important to all Brothers who wish to further understand the Occult revival, as most esoteric groups to come after are forever indebted to the efforts of Wescott, Mathers, and Mackenzie. James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

The Occult Lodge: Part Six Part One Part Two The , or the Oriental Temple of the East or the Order of Oriental Templars, was founded between 1895 and 1906 as an elite invitational group of Masons who established a more esoteric version of the Masonic Rites focusing on sexual energies. The OTO was founded by who had a long history of participating in occult and fringe masonic groups. In 1880 Reuss attempted to revive the Bavarian Order of the of Adam Weisthaupt and again in 1888, both times failing miserably. Upon this failure he began to formulate the outline of the OTO with Carl Keller in 1895. Reuss then sought out to legitimize his group by reaching out and becoming active in other streams of esotericism. He soon was introduced to Dr. William Wynn Wescott, leading member of the S.R.I.A and founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. At the time Wescott was the Grand Master of the Swedenborgian Rite of Phremasonry and provided Reuss with a charter to form his own lodge dated July 24, 1901 and a letter of authorization to form an S.I.R.A group in Germany February 24, 1902. Reuss was also designated an inspector with the Martinist Order in Germany by Gerard Encausse (aka Papus) who provided him with a charter June 24, 1901.

OTO Temple

Westcott and Papus assisted Reuss with establishing his order, Papus helped Reuss establish the OTO Gnostic Catholic Church and Wescott assisted Reuss in contacting John Yarker to recive chaters for the Rites of Memphis and Misraim September 24, 1902. By attaining these charters from the leading esoteric and occult leaders he became legitimized to create his own Order. Reuss based the structure of his Order around the Swedish Rite of ten degrees inspired heavily around the Templar mythos and the theoretical aspects of sexual magic.

In 1910 Reuss became acquainted with Aleister Crowley, British Occultist and Former Golden Dawn Member, while living in London. The story goes that Reuss was reading Aleister Crowley’s “Confessions” and discovered that he had published their supreme secret. He then contacted Crowley and admitted him to the first three degrees and then only two years later Crowley was advanced to the tenth degree and placed as Grand Master in charge of Great Britain and Ireland. Crowley then wrote The "Manifesto of the OTO", which described its basic ten-degree system the 7th, 8th, and 9th, degrees being Kellner’s three degree system of the Academia Masonica.

In 1914, Crowley moved to the United States and began to break away from the Masonic influences of the OTO and began integrating the concepts of his own religion of Thelema. He then wrote a religious service for this new version of the OTO called the Gnostic Mass. Reusss' O.T.O system contained their versions of the degrees Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The fourth degree being Holy Royal Arch and the fifth degree was Scotch Mason. Crowley attempted to work this Masonic-based O.T.O. in Detroit, Michigan which resulted in the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite declaring them to be clandestine, centered on the basis that the O.T.O. rituals were too similar to Scottish Rite Masonry's own rituals.

In a 1930 letter to Arnold Krumm-Heller, Crowley Wrote:

“However, when it came to the considerations of the practical details of the rituals to be worked, the general Council of the Scottish Rite could not see its way to tolerate them, on the ground that the symbolism in some places touched too nearly that of the orthodox Masonry of the Lodges.”

In 1914 Crowley then fully integrated Thelema into the OTO by rewriting the initiatory rituals and incorporating his own philosophical understanding of the grade work. By rewriting the degrees Crowley removed most of those symbolic connections to Masonry. He did not rewrite the fourth degree ritual, which remains in its form and structure related to the various Royal Arch rituals of Masonry.

Gnostic Mass

In 1920 Theodore Reuss suffered a stroke and communications between Reuss and Crowley began to deteriorate. Crowley broke ties with Reuss and proclaimed himself Outer Head of the Order. In 1925, during a tumultuous Conference of Grand Masters, Crowley was officially elected as Outer Head of the Order.

The majority of the philosophy of the OTO can be summed up by the quote that began Crowley’s involvement with Reuss in Crowley’s confessions:

“It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal religion. It puts forward a scientific statement which is a summary of all that is at present known about the universe by means of a simple, yet sublime symbolism, artistically arranged. It also enables each man to discover for himself his personal destiny, indicates the moral and intellectual qualities which he requires in order to fulfil it freely, and finally puts in his hands an unimaginably powerful weapon which he may use to develop in himself every faculty which he may need in his work.” Crowley’s new OTO system was re written into different schools of triads based on the tarot. The entire system is as follows: 0° Minerval, I° Man & Brother, II° Magician, III° Master Magician, IV° Perfect Magician & Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch, and P.I.— Perfect Initiate, or Prince of Jerusalem. Then came the honorary degree of Knight of the East & West. The next school was The Lovers Triad which focused on active and passive energies of the soul. V° Sovereign Prince Rose-Croix, and Knight of the Pelican & Eagle, Knight of the Red Eagle, and Member of the Senate of Knight Hermetic Philosophers, VI° Illustrious Knight of the Order of Kadosh, and Companion of the Holy Graal Grand Inquisitor Commander, and Member of the Grand Tribunal Prince of the Royal Secret, VII°—Theoreticus, and Very Illustrious Sovereign Grand Inspector General Magus of Light, and Bishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica Grandmaster of Light, and Inspector of Rites & Degrees. The degrees of the Hermit Triad are of sexual nature. In the VIII° of Perfect Pontiff of the Illuminati, the initiate is taught masturbation magical practices, in the IX° of Initiate of the Sactuary of Gnosis the magical techniques related to traditional intercourse, and in the XI° of Initiate of the Eleventh degree a form of sex magic involving non-traditional intercourse is taught. The final Supreme Secret is given in the X° Rex Summus Sanctissimus.

The Occult Lodge: Part Seven

A New Age by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

As occult studies entered into the 20th century its Christian and Kabbalistic influences would fade and occult leaders sought to re-create mythology they found interesting. With Crowley’s achievement in creating his own mythology and esoteric system, it inspired a New Age of occult groups, who began to form and adopt what they wished with very little Masonic influence. This stream of thought is found within society today within the New Age Movement. New Age has very little to do with Masonry objectively, but subjectively it still bears important elements of the lodge structure. New Age often includes types of moon worship, herbs, crystals, types of yoga, , and candle magic.

This new age movement has a firm foundation in Wiccanism, the claimed modern incarnation of traditional Celtic Druidism and Shamanism. Overall the system is dedicated mostly to elemental energies and some selected planetary energies. But what most Wiccans don’t realize is that their New Age movement had its origins and had been heavily influenced by Freemasonry, even after every prayer they say, "So mote it be."

The founder of Wicca was Gerald Gardner who was born in 1884 to an upper-middle-class family in Lancashire. During his life he worked as a civil servant, author, and amateur anthropologist. Gardner claims he was initiated into Masonry at Sphinx Lodge 113 in 1905, yet no record exists. Gardner claims to have left the Masonic fraternity in 1908 after he had received his Ancient Craft degrees. Interested only in obtaining the secrets of the Craft he took much of the symbolism and teachings to heart and began elaborating them into a system of his own creation.

Gardner worked through the structure of the OTO becoming the head of Britain. It was there that he began his contact with Aliester Crowley and shared his dreams of founding a Celtic themed magical society. He paid Crowley 200 pounds to write out this system of modern witchcraft and thus Wicca was born.

Crowley and Gardner used the lodge structure and many of the aspects and initiatory rituals of Masonry and incorporated them into Wicca. Compare these aspects of the Wiccan First degree with that of the Entered Apprentice degree; The initiate is blindfolded with a cabletow binding them, representative of the umbilical cord of material life and is conducted to the edge of the Magic Circle which in Masonic terms would be the lodge room. The Initiate is received by the tip of a sword and is told “it is better that thou plunge your heart upon this sword than to enter this circle with fear in your heart, and never to divulge the secrets of your coven” which is almost identical to the reception of the Apprentice.

Both groups venerate the four directions and refer to their work as the craft, and there implements as "working tools". Masonic initiations end with a “Charge to the Candidate or Lodge’ which is a lecture explaining the historical and symbolic lessons of the grade, while Wiccan initiates end with a ‘Charge of the Goddess” which shares much of the same purpose. On the third the Master receives the ‘Five Points of Fellowship’ while the Wiccan, on their, third initiation receive the ‘Five Fold Kiss’.

Even with the almost overwhelming similarities, Wicca is founded and propagated in 1954. The Wiccan first degree focuses on the adoration and worship of the “Goddess” or Mother Earth. It is here you are brought to light in the power of elemental energies and you take your obligation to the coven and are ‘reborn’ or ‘twice born’ into your new dedication as a Wiccan. The second degree is dedicated to the masculine God or ‘Horned God’ taking personification for the Celtic Green Man or Greek God Pan which is associated with the sun. It is in this Second Grade that the Wiccan is given their Magical Name within the Order. The Third degree is dedicated to the unification of the God and Goddess through a symbolic death and resurrection.

All three degrees echo a Masonic Structure and seek to connect themselves to a stream of ancient pagan energy that had been lost for almost one thousand years. What Wiccanism did though, was make esotericism mainstream. From this mainstream new age movement would come a new breed of charlatans, gurus, self help books, pseudo-science, and attempts to revive long dead traditions.

The Occult Lodge: Part Eight

The Electronic Lodge by Midnight Freemason Contributor Bro. James E. Frey 32° KT, ROS

In this new century the occult lodge has struggled to remain relevant and re- establish itself. Similar to Masonry the occult lodges have found less and less individuals interested in applying themselves to the practical application of their teachings. Many will attest that for some Masonic lodges it is difficult to find interested prospective members, even more difficult to convince newer members to abandon their comfy couches with cable TV and high speed internet and become active in regular attendance at business meetings and degrees. It is even more difficult yet, for occult lodges to find interested individuals to proceed through degrees and education materials and to become active in attending ceremonies and meditations.

In this progressive materialist and secular society balanced by the polar opposite of often misguided fundamentalist evangelicalism, the students of the esoteric mysteries often have no outlet to connect with people of a similar mind. Many young men join the Masonic lodge hoping to find those who are occult minded, but often become discouraged with the planning of pancake breakfasts and the paying of the bills. With the occult in mind, with no where to turn, many have turned to the internet. Internet and mail order occult orders have become quite common, with a wide reach they can be a connection for those who are interested in occultism with no active groups in the area.

The Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosae Crucis, or AMORC, is one of these more popular orders. This washed down Rosicrucian system has claimed to be founded by Sir. Francis Bacon, but in actuality was formed in 1909 by Harvey Spencer Lewis. Lewis claimed to be initiated into a Rosicrucian Order in France in which he received permission to transport these teachings in an American order. AMORC tends to appreciate the Egyptian motif and has a fantastic foundation in alchemical symbolism in its system, but over the recent years it has become more New Age focused. Still though, AMORC has a plethora of information and education programing available to those who are interested, and for a beginner in esotericism they are an excellent starting point. But if Rosicrucianism isn’t quite your thing maybe Martinism is. The Traditional Martinist order or the TMO is considered by many Martinist groups to be the bane of

Martinism due to their openness with Martinist teachings and the accessability to its programs. Martinist teachings focus on being an unknown superior and they value their discreteness due to its roots in French . But the TMO is open for all to apply, aiding you with teachings rooted in the works of St. Martin. They offer do it yourself mail order degrees that allow you to make Martinism your own experience. Even many Golden Dawn Groups will offer "astral initiations" on perspective members who are not in travel distance to an active temple.

Another education focused program one could peruse is the Builders Of The Adytum, or BOTA. Founded in 1922 by Freemason and occult writer Paul Foster Case, BOTA has been heavy influenced by both the Golden Dawn and Ancient Craft Masonry. BOTA is organized into regional study groups, which focus on the Outer Porch Work which contains a correspondence program which is rooted in the main aspects of the western mystery school Qabalah, Tarot, , and Hermetics. But after completion of this first order the student is presented an option to continue into the second order or porch work. This second order is an initiatic school that uses the Tarot to as a basis for the aspirant to attain spiritual advancement.

Over the years the Occult Lodge has been largely reduced to online study and mail order programs that promise occult secrets but do not provide a community to support one’s practical application of this knowledge. But what can Masonry learn from the Occult Lodge? Are we doomed to the same fate? With online education programs and Scottish Rite degrees on DVD it is hard not to recognize that asonry is following this trend. What can be learned from the occult lodge is that we must also provide an esoterically minded mason with a community open to them using Masonic teaching and symbolism as a spiritual tool. Remember there is nothing stopping masonry from being an individual spiritual path, except the individual’s perception of its symbolism. So if you get an occult minded young man interested in masonry for its ‘mysteries’ embrace him like a brother. Chances are good his interest in the esoteric has made him feel shunned by society or church. This might be why he seeks out masonry, to find that spiritual truth he has not found in any other group. Allow him to make masonry into a system that promotes their own enlightenment. Young men like this need local lodges to fill this void because the Occult Lodge for the most part has faded into obscurity. But still somewhere they will always exist, in the dark corners of our mind, in the back of occult shops or deep in the woods there still are secret groups dedicated to spiritual awakening. Just as always, they have been hidden in plain sight.