Occult Orders in Western Esotericism

Spring 2014

John F. Nash

Abstract Kabbalah of Judaism and in the sacraments, mysticism, and mystical and speculative theol- his article presents a brief history of occult ogy of Christianity. More relevant to our main T orders in the western esoteric tradition. theme it was also expressed in numerous oc- The ancient mysteries are mentioned, but em- cult orders, fraternities, lodges and societies phasis is placed on medieval fraternities, Rosi- that developed in Europe inside and outside the crucian and Masonic orders, and a number of framework of institutional religion. modern orders. Comments are made about the The term “occultism” has a range of meanings Theosophical Society and secretive orders in within esotericism and an unsavory connota- the Church of Rome, which lie on the fringe of tion in popular usage. For present purposes it is the topic area but shed valuable light on the defined as a subcategory of esotericism con- “mainstream” occult orders. cerned with the purposeful transfer of energy The article attempts to generalize from the ac- from one level of reality to another in accord- counts of individual occult orders to larger ance with universal, but little-known, laws.1 truths. Patterns of similarity are identified This definition qualifies neither the worthiness across a broad spectrum of occult orders, even of intent nor the impulse by which the transfer in sharply contrasting historical and other con- or energy is accomplished. Implicit, however, texts. Such patterns, which include secrecy, is the assumption that the discovery of appli- discipline, the quest for self-transformation, cable laws and practical application may re- and the use of ritual, are important to our un- quire dedicated effort and time. derstanding of western esotericism. They are Occultism is morally neutral; practitioners can noted herein and will be explored in more de- apply it for good or evil and, correspondingly, tail in a subsequent article. draw upon higher or lower powers to do so. Every effort has been made to validate descrip- The expressions “right-“ and “left-hand path” tions of the various orders, yet the inherent date back at least to the thirteenth-century, secrecy of occult orders complicates research, when a text in the Christian chivalric tradition and available information—particularly about offered this explanation: the older orders—may be fragmentary or even For the right-hand road you must read the inaccurate. Some famous occult orders may way of Jesus Christ, the way of compas- have existed only in legend. Yet, along with sion, in which the knights of Our Lord trav- historically factual orders, they may still edu- el by night and by day in the darkness of cate and inspire and thus serve Hierarchical Purpose. ______Introduction About the Author he western esoteric tradition can be traced John F. Nash, Ph.D., is a long-time esoteric student, from the ancient mysteries of Egypt, Israel author, and teacher. Two of his books, Quest for the T Soul and The Soul and Its Destiny, were reviewed and Greece through the early twentieth centu- in the Winter 2005 issue of the Esoteric Quarterly. ry, by which time cross-fertilization with its Christianity: The One, the Many, was reviewed in South Asian cousin was creating the robust the Fall 2008 issue. His latest book: The Sacramen- modern esotericism we know today. During tal Church was published in 2011. For further in- the Common Era, western esotericism was ex- formation see the advertisements in this issue and pressed in the Merkabah mysticism and the website http://www.uriel.com.

the body and in the soul’s light. In the left- due to the threat of persecution. Individual hand road you perceive the way of sinners, churchmen and political figures may have which holds dire peril for those who choose dabbled in the occult, but with few exceptions, it.2 religious and civil institutions perceived occult orders as threatening and made vigorous, even More generally we would say that occultism of fanatical, efforts to suppress them. Once ex- the right-hand path is concerned with spiritual posed, members could expect imprisonment, development and the betterment of humankind; torture, and grisly death. Accordingly, occult that of the left-hand path is motivated by self- fraternities met behind locked doors or in re- interest, ambition, or the desire to control or mote locations. Initiation into occult orders and harm others. promotion to higher degrees required candi- We have spoken of occult fraternities, and the dates to swear oaths of secrecy, violation of gender specificity is justified, given the history which typically carried the death penalty. Se- of our topic. Women played significant roles in cret signs, passwords, gestures and grips al- the ancient mysteries. Porphyry (c.234– lowed members to recognize one another. As c.305) wrote of the Mellissae, priestesses of secrecy increased, so did outside suspicion, the Greek goddess Demeter; and the temple making secrecy all the more necessary. priestesses and Vestal Virgins of Rome may The secrecy of occult orders makes research well have engaged in occult activity. But few difficult. Except in the rare instances in which opportunities were available to women during initiatory oaths were violated, information most of the Common Era. about the teachings and practices of particular Contemplative religious orders nourished orders can only be gleaned indirectly. Equally women’s mystical aspirations, but nuns were difficult may be determining who belonged to denied opportunities to administer the sacra- an order, when it came into existence, or even ments—which qualify as occult practices, whether it actually existed. Occult orders’ my- properly understood. Outside the church, thologies often stretched back thousands of women were excluded even from mystical pur- years before the orders were founded. Connec- suits. No occult organizations of the kind dis- tions might be claimed with notable orders of cussed herein extended membership to women antiquity or unbroken lineage from personages until the eighteenth century, and most still do like Melchizedek, Abraham, Orpheus, Enoch not. The rule of the Knights Templar, which or Thoth. Auras of mystery discouraged criti- typified prevailing attitudes in the Middle Ag- cal investigation, and leaders could deflect es, warned: “The company of women is a peri- awkward questions by appealing to the secrecy lous thing, for through them the ancient demon with which charters, patents, teachings, sym- denied us the right to live in Paradise; and bols or rites had been entrusted to them. therefore women may not be received as sisters Many stories have been told and novels written into the Order . . . and we believe it is danger- about occult orders, some by authors who ous for any religious man to look too much at clearly had inside knowledge. While the stories women’s faces.”3 are fascinating, we can assume that descrip- Men who belonged to occult fraternities often tions of important rituals or teachings were occupied prominent positions in society and fictionalized. Furthermore, some occult orders enjoyed public respect. Women with similar may never have existed beyond the literary aspirations—whose only avenues of expres- imagination. Repetition and elaboration of sto- sion drew upon pre-Christian earth religions— ries fed romantic instincts and encouraged were castigated as “witches.” Asymmetry of credibility, even when historical evidence ar- opportunity between men and women was gued against factual reality. Whether we stark and unyielding. should be concerned at all with fictitious occult Occult orders, by their very nature, involve orders is a matter to be discussed. secrecy. It served multiple purposes but was Notwithstanding the inherent difficulties, rea- essential throughout much of the Common Era sonably reliable information is available. This

76 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 article summarizes what is known about the Golden Age of the Mysteries most significant occult orders in the western esoteric tradition and places them in their re- Much has been written about the Egyptian rites spective contexts. The Theosophical Society is of Osiris, Isis Amen-Rā, and other deities; the included in the discussion because of its early temple rites of Israel; and the Greek mysteries. More limited information is available about the associations with Freemasonry, even though it 6 soon developed a different organizational Essene school on Mount Carmel and the mystery school said to have been established by structure and drew more upon eastern than 7 western esoteric traditions. Comments are also the Druids of pre-Roman Britain. made about institutions that operate within the The mysteries of Eleusis, in ancient Greece, Church of Rome. Whether or not they can be were built around myths related in Homer’s considered “occult,” they mimic the secrecy, Hymn to Demeter. An annual spring festival discipline, and organizational style of the oc- celebrated the return of Demeter’s daughter cult orders and may enhance our understanding Persephone from the underworld. During festi- of the latter, as well as being of interest in their vals of the Dionysian, or Bacchic, myster- own right. ies, intoxicants and trance-inducing dance and In addition to examining individual occult or- music eroded social inhibitions, reportedly ders, the article seeks to identify patterns with leading to mass orgies. But not all cult festivals a degree of universality. Such patterns include involved sexual excess. At the spring festival secrecy, discipline in rigidly hierarchical or- of the Greco-Roman goddess Cybele devotees reportedly worked themselves into a frenzy ganizations, the extensive use of ritual, and 8 self-transformation through graded initiations. and castrated themselves. Among much else Coherent themes, extending over multiple or- the Cybele cult set a precedent for the self- ders in radically different historical and social mortification practices of some later occult contexts can provide insights into the nature, orders. objectives and merit of western esotericism as The mysteries commonly were divided into the a whole. They are noted herein and will be ex- lesser and greater mysteries. An eighteenth- plored in greater detail, along with coherent century writer contrasted the drama of the less- patterns of belief, in a second article. er mysteries with the mystical introspection of the greater. The latter, in his words, “obscurely The Ancient Mysteries intimated, by mystic and splendid visions, the he mysteries were “secret religious groups felicity of the soul both here and hereafter, composed of individuals who decided, when purified from the defilements of a mate- T rial nature, and constantly elevated to the reali- through personal choice, to be initiated into the 9 profound realities of a deity.”4 Their origin is ties of intellectual vision.” At Eleusis the greater mysteries allegedly were dedicated to uncertain. Some authorities claim that they 10 developed from primitive community or tribal Demeter, the lesser to Persephone. rituals. Others claim that they flourished in The lesser and greater mysteries also were dis- Atlantis and were brought to Egypt by mi- tinguished by access to the rites and the level grants ahead of cataclysms that destroyed the of secrecy in which they were conducted. The 5 island continent. Some esotericists assert that lesser mysteries may have involved relatively the mysteries were established by evolved be- large numbers of people, with associated fes- ings charged with overseeing the evolution of tivities open to the general public.11 Colorful human consciousness. A closely related asser- outdoor processions were led by priests claim- tion is that the mysteries embodied the ageless ing, or endowed by the community with, spe- wisdom said to underlie all religions, philoso- cial powers and responsibilities.12 Banners, phies, social movements, and educational sys- sacred objects or symbols, or sacrificial items tems.

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 77 The Esoteric Quarterly were displayed and venerated. The great ma- depended on students’ own insights. The mys- jority of onlookers no doubt enjoyed the spec- tery schools may never have encouraged, or tacles but may have understood little of their permitted, critical analysis or other aspects of meaning. research as we know it today. The greater mysteries were restricted to a small Decline of the Mysteries elite who had graduated from the lesser mysteries. They were enacted behind temple doors, The Axial Age, conventionally dated from in caves, or elsewhere away from the public about 800 to 200 BCE, led to loss of interest in gaze. Efforts were made, not only to protect the old deities and a gradual decline of the an- the content of the greater mysteries, but even cient mysteries. “Eventually, the supply of to ensure that the masses were unaware of their candidates ran out, the stream of aspirants existence. ceased to flow, and at last on a certain recorded day, the Rites of Eleusis were closed, the Secret rites included admission to the priest- talismans and furniture removed, and the Ritu- hood, promotion to higher ranks, and transmit- als performed no more.”15 tal of sacerdotal authority to successive gen- erations. Initiation required long training, or- Philosophy, some of it agnostic, came to be deals to test aptitude and commitment, and valued over traditional religion, particularly in administration of the customary oaths of secre- Greece. Yet the mysteries survived for several cy. It often took the form of a ritual death, fol- centuries and adapted to new environments. lowed by “resurrection” to a life offering new For example, the mysticism of Pythagoras in- insights and powers.13 In what we understand corporated sacred mathematics and music the- to have been typical initiation ceremonies, ory. To enhance mystical ability he insisted on candidates were entombed for three days, dur- strict asceticism, including vegetarianism, ing which they went into the deepest sleep. though we have no evidence that Pythagoras The hierophant (from the Greek: hiera, “holy,” encouraged self-mutilation. Nor is it recorded and phainein, “to show”), or mystagogue (from that any kind of animal sacrifice was offered. mystagonos, “initiator into mysteries”), awak- Socrates took an interest in the mysteries. Ac- ened them with a touch of the rod of power, or cording to Plato’s Phaedo, he stressed the im- thyrsus. Initiates would then be given words or portance of initiation: “[I]t seems those who gestures of power, shown sacred objects or established our mystic rites were no fools; they symbols, and introduced to the received wis- spoke in truth with a hidden meaning long ago dom of the particular initiatory grade. when they said that whoever is uninitiated and We often speak of ancient mystery schools, but unconsecrated when he comes to the house of we should not envision classrooms, instructors Hades will lie in mud, but the purified and and examinations; even library study was a late consecrated . . . will dwell with gods. . . . There are . . . many who carry the thyrsus but development. Human consciousness at the ear- 16 liest times of the mysteries was focused at an the Bacchants are few.” Bacchants were emotional level: “Rarely . . . could [esoteric priests or votaries of the god Bacchus, also truths] be given in words. Neither the language known as Dionysus. nor the mentality of the recipients permitted The mysteries regained vigor during the Hel- this. Therefore, dramatic presentations and lenistic period “and proved very popular portrayals of the truths were composed . . . . among people seeking new and more satisfy- After that, a highly formalized system of cer- ing religious experiences.”17 Jewish philoso- emonials became established.”14 Elaborate pher Philo of Alexandria (c.20 BCE–c.50 CE) psychodramas were used to frighten, impress described in favorable terms the rites of the or inspire participants. When mental ability Therapeutae of Egypt who offered healing reached an adequate level, students had to therapies.18 Also the Greco-Romans imported memorize long passages from prescribed texts. foreign gods into their pantheons, and new Much of the content was allegorical and only cults developed around them. hinted at esoteric truths; full understanding

Mithraism relief sculpture slaying a bull after a long struggle. The image may have had astrological Mithraism, the cult of the Roman mangod significance, but it may also depict renuncia- Mithras, can be viewed as a foreign import. tion of the physical life to seek the higher life Persian influence is evident in its beliefs and of the spirit. Sculptures and frescoes often dis- symbolism, but no organizational lineage played wheat and grapes emerging from the seems to connect Mithraism with the much bull’s wounded body. Mithras and his disciples older cult of the Persian god Mithra. are said to have celebrated his victory over the More importantly Mithraism represented a bull at a “last supper” before ascending to transitional form between the ancient mysteries heaven in a fiery chariot. Initiates participated and the occult orders of later times. It provided in a commemorative meal which included men in the administrative and military classes bread and wine, the man-made products of 25 of the Roman Empire with experiences and wheat and grapes. opportunities somewhat similar to those of The prominence of the bull in Mithraic icono- modern Freemasonry. Mithraic temples, or graphy provides evidence of Mithraism’s an- mithraea (singular: mithraeum), resembled cient roots. The bull was a symbol of the Tau- caves or grottos. Archeologists have found rean Age, which began in the fifth millennium hundreds of mithraea, some well-preserved, BCE and ended in the third; it was especially located in Roman settlements from Asia Mi- revered in the Minoan religion of ancient nor, to North Africa, to the British Isles and 19 Crete. The initiatory grade of “Persian" sug- Scandinavia. gests associations with Mithraism’s ancestor The Greek historian Plutarch (c.46–120 CE) religion, yet Persian mythology never depicted 26 recorded that Mithraists “offered strange sacri- Mithra slaying a bull. fices . . . at Olympus, where they celebrated 20 Mithraism and Christianity developed concur- secret rites or mysteries.” Among the rites rently, early in the Common Era, and were ma- were initiation into the order and promotion to jor competitors for the hearts and minds of higher degrees. Before a candidate could be Roman citizens. Because of the similarity of initiated, he had to “show himself holy and their rituals, particularly those involving bread steadfast by undergoing several graduated 21 and wine, arguments arose as to which one tests.” A series of frescoes in a mithraeum at copied the other; more likely both were mod- Capura Vetere, Italy, shows the stages of an eled on common antecedents. When the Ro- initiation ritual, which suggest a symbolic exe- 22 man Empire became Christianized, Mithraism cution. was persecuted and many mithraea were de- The Mithraic order had seven degrees: Corax stroyed. By the end of the fourth-century CE (Raven), Nymphus (Lamp), Miles (Soldier), Mithraism had virtually disappeared. Yet its Leo (Lion), Perses (Persian), Heliodromus seven initiatory grades found their way into (Sun Runner), and Pater (Father). Each was later occult orders, including modern Rosicru- 27 associated with a planet: Corax with Mercury, cianism. Miles with Mars, Pater with Saturn, and so on; Christian Mysteries? Heliodromus naturally was associated with the Sun. The higher degrees were reserved for the Many esoteric writers have declared that Jesus priesthood, and Pater seems to have been re- Christ studied in an Egyptian mystery school. served for the spiritual leaders of important For example, one writer claimed that he went mithraea.23 twice to Egypt, the first time to study at an ad- vanced school “based on the science of com- Mithras was said to have been born from a munication with the higher worlds [and] the rock, and iconography shows him born holding esoteric secrets of astronomy, chemistry, a torch and a dagger. The one symbolized his 28 sound, and architecture.” Various writers role as the bringer of light, and the other iden- 24 have placed Jesus with the Essenes, even in tified him as a warrior. The adult Mithras, 29 India and Tibet. Others dispute such claims. “the Invincible,” was depicted in statuary and

Within the melting pot of early Christianity, Knights of the Round Table groups in the Greek-speaking world believed that Christ had founded a new mystery reli- Certain writers have claimed that The Knights gion. Clement of Alexandria (c.150–c.215 CE) of the Round Table were initiates in an occult allegedly spoke of Christianity thus: “O truly military fraternity, but whether they ever exist- sacred mysteries! O pure light! In the blaze of ed is unclear. King Arthur may have been a the torches I have a vision of heaven and of chieftain who rallied the Celts against the in- God. I become one by initiation.”30 The early vading Anglo-Saxons in the fifth or sixth century, but contemporary historians never men- church preserved practices of exclusiveness 34 and secrecy harking back to the ancient mys- tioned him. The wizard Merlin was based in teries. Catechumens, candidates for baptism, part on a Welsh prophet, Myrddin Wyllt, who were dismissed prior to the “Mass of the Faith- may have been mentally ill. The Knights of the ful.” In Eastern Orthodox churches the Mass, Round Table, the beautiful Queen Guinevere, or “Liturgy,” is still celebrated behind a screen, and Arthur’s death at the hands of the evil or iconostasis. Moreover, the sacraments are knight Mordred were products of Celtic folk- referred to as the “Mysteries.” In both West lore, suitably Christianized and embellished by and East baptism, confirmation, and holy or- Norman and troubadour cultures. ders are described as initiatory sacraments, and The Arthurian legends gained wide popularity baptism is the traditional gateway to participa- in Plantagenet England and (what is now) 31 tion in the Eucharist. France.35 The first significant compilation was More generally, the ancient mysteries, as we Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regnum understand them, came to an end with the Britanniae (“History of the Kings of Britain”), dawning of the Piscean Age and the growth of completed in 1138. The Quest for the Holy the Christian church.32 Evidently, they had Grail, an anonymous work, was published in served their purpose. But important features of the early thirteenth century. The most complete the mysteries carried over into the new occult collection is Thomas Malory’s Le Morte orders that emerged. Also institutions were d’Arthur (“The Death of Arthur”), published in created by the church that shared significant 1485. characteristics with their counterparts outside. The Arthurian legends soon became interwo- ven with those of the Holy Grail, which may Medieval Fraternities also be of Celtic origin. The first written refer- lthough the Mithraic Order collapsed in ence to the Grail was the poem Perceval, le A the fifth century, men of influence con- Conte du Graal (“The Story of the Grail”) by tinued to come together in fraternities through- Chrétien de Troyes, a twelfth- out the Middle Ages. Hard facts about them century French trouvère. The legend was elab- are difficult to come by, and determining the orated in two poems by Robert de Boron Jo- extent of occult activity is even harder. Occult seph d’Arimathie (“Joseph of Arimathea”) and practices may have been pursued alongside Merlin, written in the late twelfth or early thir- military, political, and other activities. The teenth century. Over the course of a century of Vehmic courts of Westphalia, whose activities telling and retelling, the Grail evolved from a peaked in the fourteenth and fifteenth centu- serving bowl into the chalice from which ries, combined occult and judicial purposes; Christ drank at the Last Supper and in which Joseph of Arimathea caught Jesus’ the courts conducted trials, issued sentences, 36 and executed condemned persons—including blood at the crucifixion. Joseph brought the political enemies—in secret.33 Some modern Grail to Glastonbury, in Roman Britain. fraternal orders, whose purposes are purely Joseph’s descendants, the Fisher Kings, social, professional or political, cloak their ini- formed a dynasty of Grail keepers. Eventually tiation rituals in auras of occultism, and their the Holy Grail was lost, and the Knights of the medieval ancestors may have done likewise. Round Table set out to recover it. Gawain and

Lancelot failed because they had sinned, the the Assassins, and modern Freemasonry. Meet- latter by “sinful commerce” with Guinevere.37 ings reportedly were held in guarded rooms, Only Perceval, Bors and Galahad achieved and any member who disclosed the order’s their goal. Galahad, most noble and pure, final- secrets was imprisoned or killed.44 But whether ly vanished before his fellows’ eyes as a great they could be regarded as an occult order has multitude of angels carried his soul up to heav- long been debated. The Templars probably en.38 Although Lancelot failed in the quest for came into contact with esoteric teachings in the the Grail, he had his days of glory, healing Sir Middle East, and the Temple Mount allegedly Urry of the wounds caused by a curse, “while lay above the ruins of the Temple of Solomon, so many noble kings and knights have failed,” greatly revered in Freemasonry. Yet there is and rescuing his queen from the stake after she little clear evidence that they brought occult was convicted of adultery.39 knowledge back to the West or put it into practice. The Arthurian and Grail legends do not provide a coherent account of events; rather they In 1307 the Templars were charged with here- offer a tapestry of esoteric symbols designed to sy, idolatry, blasphemy, “obscene rituals,” and enlighten those who read and ponder them. satanic practices. A 127-count indictment al- The symbolic quality of the Arthurian and leged, among much else, that the Templars Grail legends was understood even in the Mid- denied the divinity of Christ, their initiation dle Ages. For example, The Quest for the Holy rituals required candidates to spit upon or Grail explains that the Round Table symbol- trample the crucifix, and they worshiped a ized the celestial spheres and the zodiac.40 head with magical powers.45 The charges were almost certainly fabricated by King Philip IV Chivalric Orders of the High of France. His court was bankrupt, he coveted Middle Ages the Templars’ wealth, and suppression of the The military religious order of the Knights order offered a convenient way to seize it. Templar was historically factual. Perhaps the Pope Clement V, who was Philip’s lackey, Templars absorbed some of the mystique of tried to ensure that the Templars were given the Arthurian knights, but their organizational proper trials but was unable to do so. Confes- structure and discipline may have been mod- sions were extorted under torture and many eled on the Ismaili Assassins of the Middle knights were burned at the stake. The Knights East.41 Discipline was absolute; members were suppressed throughout Christendom. swore unquestioned obedience to the Master of Those in England fared somewhat better than the Order, who reported to the pope alone. The their counterparts on the continent of Europe, Templars adopted the equal-armed red cross as and it is said that a few escaped to Scotland to their emblem. form the seeds of Freemasonry, which emerged a century or more later. The Knights Templar were founded in 1120, ostensibly to protect pilgrims en route to the Also historically factual was the Noble Order Holy Land. King Baldwin of Jerusalem grant- of the Garter, founded by King Edward III in ed the knights quarters in the royal palace on about 1348 and dedicated “to the honor of Al- mighty God, the glorious Virgin Saint Mary the Temple Mount, which had been captured 46 from the Saracens two decades earlier.42 The and St George the Martyr.” The order ex- Templars played important roles in the Cru- pressed the chivalric ideals of the age, and its sades and an even more important role as the legends connect it with the Arthurian knights bankers of Europe, transporting gold from and also with the Crusades and the Knights country to country and making loans to kings Templar. Its emblem, the cross of St George {Figure 1(b)}, closely resembled the Tem- and nobles. In the process the order became 47 immensely wealthy, self-confident, and dis- plars’ equal-armed cross. The Order of the trusted.43 Garter survives today, with the British mon- arch as its sovereign head. Appointment to the The Knights Templars’ initiation rites may order is one of the highest honors conveyed in have resembled those of the Mithraic Order,

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 81 The Esoteric Quarterly the United Kingdom. Certainly the Order of pared themselves by fasting and prayer before the Garter is no longer an occult order. But in performing important rituals. its original form, it may have had occult asso- The third component of Hermeticism, alche- ciations, and its symbolism seems to have in- my, was aimed at producing the “philosopher’s fluenced later occult fraternities. stone,” a substance believed to have curative Hermeticism and rejuvenative powers in addition to the transmutation of base metals into gold. Hermeticism combined a Neoplatonic world- view with esoteric teachings attributed to the At its best, Hermeticism was applied to worthy Greek god Hermes Trismegistus.48 It encom- ends, such as self-perfection and spiritual passed magic, astrology and alchemy, with growth. Agrippa believed that the planets of- roots in Egypt and Persia. Hermeticism flour- fered benefits corresponding to their distinctive ished during the Late Middle Ages and Renais- characteristics. For example, invoking the Sun sance with the support of civil rulers, like Co- brought “nobility of mind, perspicuity of imag- simo de’ Medici, and leading churchmen like ination, the nature of knowledge and opinion, Pope Alexander VI. Greatest of the Renais- maturity, counsel, zeal, light of justice, reason sance Hermeticists were Giovanni Pico della and judgment distinguishing right from wrong, Mirandola (1463–1494), Cornelius Agrippa purging light from the darkness of ignorance, von Nettesheim (1486–1535), and Robert the glory of truth found out, and charity the 49 Fludd (1574–1637). Hermeticism may not queen of all virtues.” Austrian nobleman Par- have produced many fraternities, but it is im- acelsus (1493–1541) explored alchemy’s ap- 50 portant to our theme because the forms of plications to medicine. magic it established became pervasive among As might be expected, Hermeticism was not later occult orders. always applied to worthy ends, and some prac- Medieval magic was a collection of spells, en- titioners strayed onto the left-hand path. De- chantments, divinations, evocations and incan- spite the involvement of individual churchmen, tations designed for almost every conceivable institutional Christianity was always suspi- purpose. The church tried its best to suppress cious of Hermeticism, and abuses eventually “bad,” or “black,” magic but tolerated what it persuaded the authorities to suppress it. Her- considered “good,” or “white,” magic. It could meticism also fell victim to the new mindset of hardly do otherwise; the cult of saints’ relics the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment. was at its peak, and relics were fought over, As early as the seventeenth-century, research traded and venerated in the belief that they provided persuasive evidence that Hermes did 51 could work miracles. Relics were used for the not write the Hermetic texts. healing of sickness, in both people and their Notwithstanding those setbacks Hermeticism animals; to secure political or economic ad- continued to have a large following, and a vast vantage; and even to sway the outcome of bat- literature remained in circulation. The writing tles. Differences between “pagan” practices style was highly allegorical, however, and key and what the church endorsed and benefited information was omitted—traditionally com- from were slight and hard to explain. municated orally from a magus or master al- Hermeticism did not replace these traditional chemist to trusted students. Groups of students forms of magic but it added new ones, includ- gathered around a master formed Hermeti- ing theurgy (“divine work”), a form of cere- cism’s first occult schools. Then, as Hermeti- monial magic which used ritual to invoke ce- cism was driven underground, more formal lestial beings. Magic and astrology thus were secret societies probably sprang up; but little is closely related in Hermeticism. The design and known about them. Meanwhile, some aspects performance of Hermetic rituals required great of Hermeticism found their way into Rosicru- care. The setting, paraphernalia, symbols, and cianism and Freemasonry. And a strong Her- words and gestures of power were considered metic revival—with reduced expectations— critically important, and magicians often pre- took place in the nineteenth century.

Figure 1. Emblems of Selected Orders

(a) Knights Templar (b) Order of the Garter (c) Rose Cross

(d) Freemasonry (e) Scottish Rite Masons (f) Royal Arch Masons

(g) Martinism (h) Theosophical Society

(i) Knights of Columbus (j) Opus Dei

The Rose Cross “‘without books or marks’ all the languages of the world . . . and draw man from error.”59 series of remarkable documents appeared When the Royal Society of London was A in Cassell, Germany, between 1614 and founded in 1660, some saw it as fulfilling that 1616. Known as the Rosicrucian Manifestoes, prophecy.60 they included the Fama Fraternitatis (“Ac- Authorship of the manifestoes has never been count of the Brotherhood”), the Confessio Fra- established. Some commentators point to Eng- ternitatis (“Confession of the Brotherhood”), lish philosopher Francis Bacon (1561–1626) or and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Ros- Welsh mathematician and occultist John encreuz. The manifestoes, all published anon- Dee (1527–c.1608). Dee also dabbled in Her- ymously, referred to a mysterious figure “Fa- meticism, and significantly, his glyph, the ther C. R. C.,” or Christian Rosencreutz, said Monad Hieroglyphic, appears on the front page to have lived from 1378 to 1484. Reportedly, of the Chymical Wedding. he came into possession of esoteric teachings; including “mathematics, physic and magic,” The manifestoes provoked great interest, and while traveling in North Africa and the Middle numerous attempts were made to contact the East.52 After returning to the German state of Fraternity of the Rose Cross; but all failed. The his birth in 1408, he founded the Fraternity of 100-year period of secrecy was understandable the Rose Cross.53 because the fraternity allegedly was founded before the Reformation, when the threat of The Fraternity of the Rose Cross was charged persecution was very real. The fact that neither with disseminating the founder’s teachings, the fraternity nor Christian Rosencreutz appear performing noble works of service, and chang- in the historical record could be explained by ing the course of history. Initially, it consisted necessity. By the early seventeenth century, of only four brothers, and four others were re- however, the century of secrecy should have cruited during Rosencreutz’s lifetime. Even expired, and Cassell, where the manifestoes eight might seem a very small number, consid- were published, lay in Protestant Europe, be- ering the enormity of their undertaking, but the yond the reach of the Inquisition. Knights Templar originally took on responsibility for protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land Many people began to suspect that the fraterni- with only nine members.54 The brothers lived ty and its founder were purely mythical. Some together for a while but then dispersed to work of the Rosicrucian symbols, including the rose, in different countries. They were told to “fol- the symbol of Mary, may have come from the low the custom of the country” and not wear Order of the Garter. The name Rosencreutz distinctive clothing. Moreover, the fraternity was itself a self-reference. Perhaps the fraterni- “should remain secret for one hundred ty’s mysterious founder was simply an allegor- years.”55 ical figure. Or “Rosencreutz” may have been a pseudonym for someone else. An important service mission was “to cure the sick, and that gratis.” “Brother I. O.,” we were Modern Rosicrucian Paul Foster Case (1884– told, “is much spoken of; and chiefly because 1954) concluded on the basis of gematria, that he cured a young Earl of Norfolk of the lep- Father C. R. C. was none other than Jesus rosie.”56 What mode of healing was used was Christ.61 He also asserted that the Fraternity of not revealed, but circumstantial evidence sug- the Rose Cross always has been invisible; peo- gests that it may have involved alchemy. Fa- ple do not recognize the Brothers “because the ther C. R. C. had mastered “the transmutation minds behind those eyes cannot recognize the of metals,”57 and Paracelsus independently had marks of a true Rosicrucian.”62 The Fraternity, introduced alchemical arts into his medical he argued, “does not come in corporate form practice. before the world, because by its very nature it cannot.” Yet “True Rosicrucians know one The Rosicrucian manifestoes expected the another . . . . Their means of recognition can- teachings to “lay a new foundation of scienc- 58 not be counterfeited nor betrayed, for these es.” An “Invisible College” would teach

84 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 tokens are more subtle than the signs and said to encode important esoteric knowledge. passwords of ordinary secret societies.”63 Freemasonry is often referred to as “the Craft.” Theosophist and Freemason Charles Leadbeat- William Sinclair (1410–1484), builder of er (1854–1934) insisted that the Fraternity and Rosslyn Chapel, in Scotland, is sometimes Father C. R. C. were historically factual: “De- named as the first Grand Master. But the first spite the assertions of scholars and the absence credible reference to Freemasonry, in anything of corroborating evidence, Christian Rosen- like its present form, is in the minutes of a creutz did indeed found the Order of the Rose 1598 meeting in Edinburgh.66 Elias Ashmole, Cross, and he was, in fact, an incarnation of a aspiring alchemist and charter fellow of the mighty Master of the Wisdom who [sic] we Royal Society, was accepted into a Masonic revere today as the H.O.A.T.F. [Head of All lodge in Warrington, England, in 1646.67 Rec- True Freemasons].”64 ords of lodges conferring the degree of “Scots Master” date from the 1730s. Numerous Ma- Manly Palmer Hall (1901–1990), whose teach- sonic orders were formed during the eighteenth ings were closer than either Case’s or Lead- century, all with their degrees and closely beater’s to early Rosicrucianism, declared: guarded rituals. By the end of the century, “[T]he true Rosicrucian Brotherhood consisted Freemasonry had spread throughout Europe of a limited number of highly-developed and North America, and even to Russia. adepts, or initiates.”65 Moreover, Rosen- creutz’s alleged longevity—106 years—was Early Masonic orders engaged in a wide varie- understandable because “those of the higher ty of occult activities. The rituals of some degrees were no longer subject to the laws of lodges resembled religious services, complete mortality.” with vestments, incense, and sacred music.68 Those of others were less savory. More than a Freemasonry few lodges practiced the evocation of “spirits” eclining interest in the Fraternity of the of a low vibration and used magic for selfish or D Rose Cross coincided with the emergence spiteful purposes. Freemasons also dabbled in of speculative Freemasonry. The several Hermetic practices; Ashmole’s interest in al- branches of Freemasonry comprise by far the chemy was not atypical. largest and most durable group of occult or- Reform movements began, in the eighteenth ders. Freemasonry has flourished for more than century, either to purge abuses or, in the skep- four centuries, appealing not just to the nobili- tical spirit of the Enlightenment, to eliminate ty but to men in all walks of life. Occasionally, occult practices altogether. Several new Ma- it has accepted women. sonic orders came into being, including the Bavarian Illuminati, the Rite of Strict Ob- Origins and Development of servance, and the Order of Elect Cohens.69 Freemasonry The Illuminati, founded by Johann Adam The origins of Freemasonry, like those of Ro- Weishaupt (1748–1830), sought to counter sicrucianism, are clouded in mystery, but they “superstition,” prejudice, and the church’s go back farther in time. A popular legend links domination in Bavaria and other Roman Cath- it to Hiram Abif and construction of Solo- olic countries. Ahead of its time, the order also mon’s temple. Other legends link Freemasonry supported the education and treatment of to the Knights Templar. The most plausible women as intellectual equals, though it did not explanation is that modern “speculative” accept them as members. The order was Freemasonry emerged from the operative ma- banned in 1771, along with all other secret so- sonry of the medieval craft guilds. The craft cieties in Bavaria, under an edict of Elector guilds restricted entry to their trades to indi- Karl Theodor. Weishaupt escaped and wrote viduals who served required apprenticeships five pamphlets while in hiding.70 Remnants of and, in some cases, paid a required fee. The the Illuminati were suspected of involvement stonemason’s guilds supervised construction of in the French Revolution, and to this day, con- the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, which are

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 85 The Esoteric Quarterly spiracy theorists believe that the order is bent purchased by the Ordo Templi Orientis, to be on global domination and has infiltrated insti- discussed in its turn. tutions of power throughout the world. The famous, or infamous, Count Alessandro di German mystic and philosopher Karl von Cagliostro (1743–1795) established the Egyp- Eckartshausen (1752–1803) was inducted into tian Rite in Masonry in 1784, dedicated to the the Illuminati but with- moral and spiritual re- drew his membership The mythical history of generation of mankind. to embark on a quest to Freemasonry informs us that He injected new life recover the esoteric into the Rite of Mis- dimensions of Christi- there once existed a WORD of raïm, which dates from anity. His most influen- surpassing value, and claim- no later than the 1730s. tial work Die Wolke ing a profound veneration; Cagliostro died in a über dem Heiligtum papal dungeon, a victim (“The Cloud upon the that this Word was known to of the Inquisition’s hos- Sanctuary”) describes but few; that it was at length tility toward Freema- the “Invisible Celestial lost; and that a temporary sonry.73 The Rite of Church,” a religious Misraïm, which con- tradition that preserved substitute for it was adopted. tained references to elements of the ancient But as the very philosophy of alchemy and other as- 71 mysteries. Masonry teaches us that there pects of the Egyptian mysteries, eventually The Rite of Strict Ob- can be no death without a merged with one of its servance was founded variants, the Rite of in about 1764 by Baron resurrection[;] it follows that Memphis, founded by Karl Gotthelf von the loss of the Word must Jacques Etienne Mar- Hund (1722–1776) suppose its eventual recovery. conis de Nègre in 1838. with the mission of The Rite of Mem- eliminating what were considered superstitious phisMisraïm continues to operate in many practices. It appealed to German national pride and attracted members from below the ranks of countries. the nobility, but it was short-lived and was dis- Martinism solved in 1782. Martinism was named for Jacques Martinez de Also of note is the Swedenborg Rite. Swedish Pasqually (1727?–1774) and his principal dis- mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) was ciple, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin. De an influential Lutheran writer who produced Pasqually was probably born in Grenoble, the twelve-volume Heavenly Mysteries and the France, though some said that he was of Portu- three-volume Heaven and Hell. Swedenborg guese or even Jewish origin. Pasqually became had no interest in founding any kind of institu- involved in Freemasonry in early adulthood tion. But after his death, followers founded the and served as an important leader of the reform Swedenborgian Church, which is still in opera- movement already mentioned. In 1761 he tion, and his writings influenced two branches founded l’Ordre de Chevaliers Maçons Elus of Freemasonry. The Duke of Södermanland, Coëns de l’Univers, commonly known as the Grand Master of Freemasonry in Sweden, in- Order of Elect Cohens (Cohens is the Hebrew corporated Swedenborg’s teachings into a word for “Priests”). The order promoted spir- 72 unique system of degrees and rituals. What is itual growth, and initiates in the higher degrees known as the Swedenborg Rite, however, was practiced theurgic invocations in hope of at- founded in 1773, by the Marquis de Thorn in taining the Beatific Vision. Avignon, France. Combining occult and political activities, it was short-lived. But it was re- Pasqually promoted his esoteric teachings vived a number of times, and its patents were through the Elect Cohens and in his single

86 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 book Treatise on the Reintegration of Be- gospel. Yet, as Saint-Martin’s biographer Ar- ings (1775). Martinism may have emerged thur Waite explained: “Christians, in present- from Freemasonry, but it drew heavily upon ing it under the name of the Word, have di- Gnostic and Kabbalistic concepts and also vined the second only of its titles, and that from the teachings of mystical philosopher consequently which is the more difficult to Jakob Böhme (1575–1624). In particular we comprehend.”81 Nevertheless the Word was the find important parallels between his work and name at “which every knee should bow.”82 the Gnostic Tripartite Tractate. Pasqually re- Waite also proclaimed: “The divine heart, ferred to Christ as the “Spiritual Divine Re- which may be compared to the mother of a generator,”74 a concept also explored by Swe- family, and is truly the mother of all mankind, denborg, the nineteenth-century Russian Or- even as power is the father, is the organ and thodox writer John of Kronstadt,75 and others. the eternal generator of whatsoever is in God or in our principle.”83 Reference to the divine French nobleman Saint-Martin (1743–1803) feminine reflected Böhme’s influence on Mar- was an initiate in the Elect Cohens. During tinism. magical rituals he sensed the presence of various entities and received communications from Saint-Martin in turn influenced Eliphas Lévi them: “[C]ommunications of all kinds were (1810-1875) and Gérard Encausse (1865– numerous and frequent, in which I had my 1916), the latter better known by his pseudo- share,” and there was every indication that nym “Papus.” In 1886, Encausse and French Christ was present. Yet Saint-Martin was sus- writer and politician Augustin Chaboseau picious of “the forms which showed them- (1868–1946) founded a new Masonic order, selves to me.” “[U]nless things come from the which they called the Martinist Order, giving Center itself,” he continued, “I do not give yet another meaning to Martinism. The first them my confidence.”76 Eventually, he dis- Supreme Council was convened four years tanced himself from the Elect Cohens and from later. The Martinist Order initially had four magical rituals to promote a strictly mystical degrees: Associate, Mystic, Unknown Superi- form of Martinism.77 or, and Unknown Superior Initiator. A fifth degree, Free Initiator, was added later. The In place of Pasqually’s “Divine Regenerator,” Martinist Order has since fragmented into a Saint-Martin spoke of the “Repairer of human- number of competing organizations, including ity.”78 Through the Repairer’s efforts man the Ancient Martinist Order, the Rose Cross could return to the primeval state of Paradise. Martinist Order, and the Martinist Order of Yet in order to do so, or do so more quickly, it Unknown Philosophers. Whether Pasqually or was necessary to discover the Lost Word: Saint-Martin would have approved of En- The mythical history of Freemasonry in- causse’s Martinist Order, or its derivatives, is forms us that there once existed a WORD unknown. of surpassing value, and claiming a profound veneration; that this Word was Modern Freemasonry known to but few; that it was at length lost; The basic organizational unit of all Masonic and that a temporary substitute for it was orders is the lodge. New lodges must be char- adopted. But as the very philosophy of Ma- tered by a Grand Lodge, which exercises au- sonry teaches us that there can be no death thority in a given jurisdiction. without a resurrection[;] it follows that the All Masonic orders have three basic degrees, loss of the Word must suppose its eventual 79 typically designated Entered Apprentice, Fel- recovery. low Craft, and Master Mason. Orders that con- Saint-Martin, like many other Freemasons, fer only those three are referred to as Blue attached considerable importance to the Lost Lodges, Craft Lodges, or Ancient Craft Lodg- Word. The Word, the key to truth and power, es. Orders that offer additional degrees are supposedly was lost with the death of Hiram termed “appendant bodies.” The Swedenborg Abif.80 It was partially recovered in the fourth Rite offered three further degrees: Illuminated

Theosophite, Blue Brother, and Red Brother. Initiation for Royal Arch Mason demands a The Scottish Rite recognizes a total of thirty- long, multi-item oath that begins with the ex- three degrees, the highest being Knight Aspir- pected promise to protect secrets of the degree. ant (31), Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret Later, the oath seems to commit the candidate (32), and Sovereign Grand Inspector General to help his fellows, regardless of moral or legal (33). The Rite of MemphisMisraïm recog- justification: “I furthermore promise and nizes ninety. swear, that I will assist a Companion Royal Arch Mason when I see him engaged in any The York Rite is a collection of autonomous, difficulty and I will espouse his cause as far as appendant bodies. The three primary bodies to extricate him from the same, whether he be are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; the right or wrong.”87 Council of Royal & Select Masters, or Council of Cryptic Masons; and the Commandery of Following their vows, candidates are shown Knights Templar. The Royal Arch offers three signs and given secret words of power. Master additional degrees, the highest being Royal Masons are said to discover the Lost Word, Arch Mason. Cryptic Masonry, so-named be- and the initiation ceremony concludes accord- cause its rituals traditionally were performed in ingly: crypts, also offers three degrees, the highest The High Priest then reads to them from a being Super Excellent Master. book the charge in this Degree, informing The Knights Templar Masonic order, founded them that the Degree owes its origin to in 1779, was not the first to claim associations Zerubbabel and his associates, who built with the medieval Templars. Three decades the Temple by order of Cyrus, King of Per- earlier, Baron von Hund, founder of the Order sia. He likewise informs them that the dis- of Strict Observance, claimed to have received covery of the secret vault and the inestima- a ritual from the reconstituted Templar Order ble treasures, with the long-lost word, actu- and to have met two “unknown superiors.” ally took place in the manner represented in Those superiors, one of whom allegedly was conferring this Degree, and that it is the cir- Prince Charles Edward Stuart,84 were said to cumstance upon which the Degree is prin- 88 direct all of masonry. Be that as it may, the cipally founded. Knights Templar Masonic order is one of the Critics complain that the Royal Arch Mason few that restricts membership to baptized initiation combines “pagan oral tradition” with Christians. Otherwise, Freemasonry is non- language from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12. The sectarian, only requiring members to affirm name of Christ is removed, however, and “The belief in the Great Architect of the Universe. Lodge here takes teaching that pertains solely Jews have played prominent roles in several to the Church of Jesus Christ and applies it to Masonic orders, but Roman Catholics are for- its Masonic membership.”89 bidden to join by their church.85 Freemasonry retains symbols and rituals of Initiation rituals include the customary oath of esoteric significance. All Freemasons recog- secrecy. For example, an initiation ritual for nize the emblem depicting the compass and the Master Mason degree requires the candi- square, the tools of the medieval craft masons date to pledge: {Figure 1(d)}. Individual Masonic organiza- I [name] most solemnly swear that I will tions have their own emblems, and two are always hail, ever conceal, and never reveal shown in Figure 1(e), (f). Initiation rituals are any of the secrets, arts, parts, point, or occasions for elaborate ceremony. points of the . . . Degree to any person or Today, however, members are attracted to persons whomsoever, except it be to a true Freemasonry more by the social, business or and lawful brother of this Degree, or in a political opportunities it provides—or at best regularly constituted Lodge of Master Ma- 86 by its emphasis on character-building. The sons. mission statement of the Scottish Rite, for example, makes no mention of occult activity.

Instead, it identifies its mission thus: “to (“the Worshipful Lodge Human Rights, Co- strengthen the community and believes that Masonry”). Theosophist Annie Besant was each man should act in civil life according to initiated into the lodge in Paris and thereafter his individual judgment and the dictates of his formed many new lodges throughout the Eng- conscience.” A member of the Scottish Rite lish-speaking world. Besant’s efforts led to seeks to “Exalt the dignity of every person, the formation of the Eastern Order of International human side of his daily activities, and the max- Co-Freemasonry.92 imum service to humanity. Aid mankind’s search in God’s universe for identity, for de- New Orders velopment and for destiny, and thereby pro- ost occult orders in the eighteenth centu- duce better men in a better world, happier men ry were Masonic in principles and or- in a happier world and wiser men in a wiser M 90 ganization. But Freemasonry was changing, world.” and new types of occult orders began to Some Masonic orders or individual lodges en- emerge, inspired by particular esoteric tradi- gage in worthy charitable endeavors. For ex- tions. At the same time, the need for strict se- ample, the “Shriners,” more properly known as crecy became less urgent, and published mate- the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the rial became available, giving us greater insight Mystic Shrine, are renowned for their service into their objectives, values and activities. The activities, particularly their children’s hospi- latter years of the nineteenth century were tals. The order was established in 1870, as graced by a great cross-fertilization among an appendant body to Freemasonry, and mem- different esoteric systems and by the inflow of bership is open to all Master Masons. It has wisdom from the traditions of South Asia. branches throughout the world. In recent years From that cross-fertilization—brought about in the Shriners have tried to allay suspicions that large measure because prominent individuals they are associated with Islam. Their official belonged to multiple organizations—has come name was changed in 2010 to Shriners Interna- the robust system of esotericism we know to- tional, and most meeting places are no longer day. known as “temples.” Yet members continue to wear Middle Eastern apparel, including the Rosicrucian Revival fez, in parades. Although all attempts to contact the Fraternity The first printed constitution of Freemasonry, of the Rose Cross failed, groups claiming to be published in 1720, specified that women were its rightful successors began to be formed as ineligible for membership, and gender exclu- early as the mid-seventeenth century, and sivity has remained the norm ever since. Yet a many others followed later. None could estab- few “lodges of adoption,” in which women lish lineage with the true Rose Cross, yet they could attain certain degrees, were created dur- drew their inspiration from the manifestoes, as well as from other aspects of western occult- ing the eighteenth century. In 1801, a Masonic 93 lodge in Sweden reportedly became the first to ism. have accepted both female and male members. The Fraternitas Rosae Crucis was founded in The most famous incident occurred in 1881, the United States in 1858 by Pascal Beverly when Mlle. Maria Desraimes was inducted into Randolph (1825–1875). And the Societas Ro- an otherwise all-male lodge in France. The sicruciana in Anglia was founded in Britain in lodge was immediately suspended, but 1865 by Robert Wentworth Little (1840–1878) Georges Martin, a thirty-third degree Mason and six other Freemasons. and French senator, emerged as a champion of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) was appointed women’s rights and joined with Desraimes to head of the German Section of the Theosophi- promote the cause.91 The result was the estab- cal Society in 1902. Three years later he se- lishment of several lodges in which women cured warrants from Theodore Reuss to per- played significant roles, including la Respecta- form rites of the MemphisMisraïm Rite of ble Loge Le Droit Humain, Maçonnerie Mixte Freemasonry in the Esoteric School, an elite

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 89 The Esoteric Quarterly group within the Society (see discussion be- Theosophical Society low).94 When Steiner transferred the school to the newly formed Anthroposophical Society in The Theosophical Society was founded in New 1913, he changed its initiatory rituals in the York City in 1875 by Russian noblewoman belief that certain members had violated their Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891) and oaths of secrecy.95 Anthroposophy absorbed American soldier and lawyer Henry Steel Ol- some elements of eastern esotericism, but it cott (1823–1907). It adopted an ambitious lies primarily in the Rosicrucian tradition. threefold mission: “To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without The Rosicrucian Fellowship, founded in 1908 distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color. by Max Heindel (1865–1919), claimed to To encourage the comparative study of reli- promulgate “the true Rosicrucian Philosophy,” gion, philosophy and science. To investigate based on esoteric knowledge provided by cer- the unexplained laws of nature and the powers tain “Elder Brothers.” When he sought to build latent in Humanity.”99 Lodges were formed in a center of healing and a sanitarium, Heindel London, Paris and elsewhere. reported being warned in words that echo the Fama: “If ever you make these priceless teach- Both Olcott and Blavatsky had extensive con- ings subservient to mammon, the light will nections with Freemasonry, and the Theosoph- fade and the movement will fail.”96 Still in ex- ical Society shares with Martinism the six- istence, the Rosicrucian Fellowship describes pointed star in its emblem {Figure 1(g), (h)}. itself as “An International Association of Early plans called for the Theosophical Society to be organized on Masonic lines, with degrees Christian Mystics for the Aquarian Age.” In 100 1935, two of Heindel’s Dutch students, the and rituals. Those plans were soon aban- brothers Jan and Wim Leene, founded the doned, but local branches are still called Rozekruisers Genootschap (“Rosicrucian Soci- “lodges.” The Society created a dual structure ety”), later known as Lectorium Rosicru- in which meetings of its inner circle, the Eso- cianum.97 teric Section, were closed to the public. An announcement of the formation of the Esoteric The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis Section described its mission thus: (AMORC) was founded in 1915 by business- man and inventor Harvey Spencer Lewis Owing to the fact that a large number of (1883–1939) with the goal of studying “the fellows of the society have felt the need to elusive mysteries of life and the universe.” Its form a body of esoteric students, to be or- mission statement affirms: “The Rosicrucian ganized on the ORIGINAL LINES and de- teachings allow individuals to direct their own vised by the real founders of the T.S., the lives, experience inner peace, and leave their following order has been issued by the mark on humanity.”98 Emphasis is placed on founding president: “mastery of life,” awakening one’s innate po- I. To promote the esoteric interests of the tential for higher knowledge and experiencing Theosophical Society by the deeper study an aware union with Divine or Cosmic Con- of esoteric philosophy, there is hereby or- sciousness. With his inventions, which includ- ganized a body to the known as the “Esoter- ed the “Color Organ” and “Sympathetic Vibra- ic Section of the Theosophical Society.” tion Harp,” Spencer Lewis would have been very much at home during the Renaissance or II. The constitution and sole direction of in the ancient school of Pythagoras. the same is vested in Madame H. P. Blavat- sky, as its head; she is solely responsible to Another important spokesperson for the Rosi- the members for results; and the section has crucian revival was Manly Palmer Hall, who no official or corporate connection with the founded the Philosophical Research Society, Exoteric Society, save in the person of the with headquarters in Los Angeles. His com- founding president.101 ments on the Rose Cross and the identity of Christian Rosencreutz have already been not- Blavatsky and Olcott soon moved the Socie- ed. ty’s headquarters to Adyar, India, where they

90 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 and other members met important Indian members of the Eastern Order of International teachers and studied eastern philosophies.102 Co-Freemasonry. Leadbeater, a thirty-third Since then the word theosophy, which had degree Mason, authored the influential books deep roots in western esotericism, has come to The Hidden Life in Freemasonry (1926) and mean the westernized form of Hindu and Bud- Glimpses of Masonic History (1926), which dhist teachings. Indeed, the Theosophical So- sought to link modern Freemasonry with the ciety’s greatest achievement may have been to ancient mysteries. He also used his very con- bring eastern esoteric teachings in understand- siderable clairvoyant abilities to study Masonic able form to the West. rituals: Blavatsky served as a spiritualist medium in It is by the use of those perfectly natural but her early years, and she continued to use trance super-normal faculties that much of the in- as one means of receiving esoteric knowledge. formation given in this book has been ob- Allegedly, she also received letters from the tained. Anyone who, having developed “mahatmas,” three of whom were later identi- such sight, watches a Masonic ceremony, fied as the Masters Morya, Kuthumi, and will see that a very great deal more is being Djwhal Khul. Her most important publication done than is expressed in the mere words of was The Secret Doctrine, a monumental work the ritual, beautiful and dignified as they of- published in 1888.103 ten are.106 Political and ideological rivalries plagued the Several other prominent members left the The- Theosophical Society almost from the begin- osophical Society to pursue their own paths. ning. Arthur Percy Sinnett (1840–1921) be- Anna Kingsford and Rudolf Steiner have al- came head of the London lodge in 1885, dis- ready been mentioned. Another was Alice Ann placing Anna Kingsford in a dispute that in- Bailey (1880–1949), who founded the Arcane volved the increasing emphasis being given to School and authored twenty-four books of eso- Buddhism. Annie Wood Besant (1847–1933) teric philosophy, most of them dictated by the became president of the Adyar Society after Master Djwhal Khul. Helena Ivanovna Roerich Blavatsky’s death, and she and Charles Web- (1879–1949), who translated The Secret Doc- ster Leadbeater used clairvoyance as a primary trine into Russian, served as amanuensis for tool in esoteric research. American lawyer the Master Morya and published the Agni Yoga William Quan Judge (1851–1896) was op- teachings. posed to such methods and formed a separate Theosophical Society with headquarters in Hermetic Revival Pasadena, California. Fragmentation continued Anna Bonus Kingsford (1846–1888) was in- in the United States and elsewhere. fluenced by Martinism but became a leader in While the early Theosophical Society focused the emerging Hermetic revival movement. She on Hindu and Buddhist teachings, Besant, converted to Roman Catholicism after having a Leadbeater, and Geoffrey Hodson (1886– vision of Mary Magdalene. But, like Blavat- 1983) later promoted a Christianization sky, she served as a trance medium, receiving movement that included formation of the Lib- esoteric knowledge from the inner planes. eral Catholic Church. Leadbeater became its Kingsford emerged as the leading exponent of second presiding bishop and created much of esoteric Christianity in her time and a pioneer the LCC’s liturgy, based primarily on Roman in feminist theology. During her brief stint as Catholic precedents.104 The Christianization of head of the London branch of the Theosophical Theosophical teachings outraged the Pasadena Society she opposed the increasing prominence Society and exacerbated mutual hostility.105 being given to Buddhist teachings. She also came to believe that the mahatmas communi- The Theosophical Society never became a Ma- cating with Helena Blavatsky and others were sonic-style organization, but, in addition to untrustworthy or inferior to the entities she their roles in the Christian Theosophy move- herself channeled. In 1884, she and Edward ment, Besant, Leadbeater and Hodson became Maitland (1824–1897) founded the Hermetic

Society, which was short-lived but provided a organizations still exist, including the Builders prototype for the more successful Golden of the Adytum, founded by Paul Foster Case. Dawn. Dion Fortune (1890–1946), an initiate in another derivative organization, was a proficient Three Freemasons founded the Hermetic Order trance medium and received important esoteric of the Golden Dawn in 1888. With the stated knowledge. She went on to found the Fraterni- mission of preserving “the body of knowledge ty of the Inner Light, which had a Christian known as Hermeticism or the Western Esoteric flavor but also engaged in magical ritual. In Tradition,” it was dedicated to the philosophi- turn, Servants of the Light spun off from the cal, spiritual, and psychic evolution of humani- Fraternity of the Inner Light and evolved into a ty.107 It affirmed tolerance for all religious be- mystery school headed by Dolores Ashcroft- liefs and admitted women on equal terms with Nowicki (1929–).110 Although the Servants men. The Golden Dawn was structured on Ma- offer courses in the same vein as the Golden sonic lines but created a unique system of de- Dawn, it also focuses on the Sacred Feminine grees based on the sephiroth on the Kabbalistic and return of the Goddess. Tree of Life. Another important spokesperson for the Her- For a decade the Golden Dawn was the most metic revival was French Egyptologist René important center of European esotericism. Schwaller de Lubicz (1887–1961). He is best Samuel Liddell “MacGregor” Mathers (1854 – known for conducting a twelve-year study of 1918), one of the founders, soon seized the the esoteric symbolism of the Temple of Lux- leadership position. Other prominent members or in Egypt, reported in his influential book Le included esoteric historian Arthur Edward Temple dans l’Homme (“The Temple in Waite (1857–1942), actress Florence Farr Man”), published in 1949. De Lubicz was one (1860–1917), Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne of the few people in the twentieth century said (1866–1953), Irish writer William Butler Yeats to have produced the philosopher’s stone and (1865–1939), and Aleister Crowley (1875– turned lead into gold. 1947). Anglo-Catholic mystic Evelyn Un- derhill (1875–1941) was a member for a short Ordo Templi Orientis time.108 The Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO)—also de- Mathers and others claimed to have contacts scribed as the “Order of the Temple of the with the “Secret Chiefs” and received im- East” or “Order of Oriental Templars”—was portant esoteric knowledge. They paid lip ser- established sometime between 1895 and 1904. vice to secrecy, yet members published nu- Its founders included Karl Kellner (1851– merous books revealing its rituals and teach- 1905), a wealthy Austrian industrialist, and ings. The Golden Dawn brought the teachings Anglo-German occultist Theodor of the western esoteric tradition for the first Reuss (1855–1923). In 1902 Reuss and others 109 time to a wide audience; indeed that, and its acquired patents to perform a number of Ma- gender inclusiveness, are among its greatest sonic rites, including the Rite of Mem- contributions. Yet the most significant activi- phisMisraïm, the Swedenborg Rite, and Gér- ties within its walls were rituals and theatrical ard Encausse’s Order of Martinism. Togeth- drama, often created on the lines of ancient er they formed the core of the OTO’s occult mystery rites. While most members of the rituals. Charters subsequently were given to Golden Dawn were dedicated to self- lodges in a number of European countries and enlightenment, some strayed onto the left-hand the United States. Nine degrees were offered, path. Others opposed the strong occult empha- of which the first six were Masonic in charac- sis; for example, Waite—like Saint-Martin ter. whose biography he wrote—urged a more mystical focus. Aleister Crowley, who had quarreled with MacGregor Mathers in the Golden Dawn, was The Order of the Golden Dawn did not last admitted to the OTO in 1910 and soon rose to long into the twentieth century, but derivative a leadership position. He introduced the occult

92 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 philosophy of Thelema, whose amoral maxim Needless to say, traditional Christians viewed was “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Gnostic Mass as sacrilegious. Crowley may the law.” It was expounded in the Book of the have deserved the title of “wickedest man in Law, which, he claimed, had been dictated to the world,” awarded by the British press, or him by Aiwass, an entity who described him- perhaps he never took his occultism seriously self as the “Lord of Silence.”111 but delighted in causing offense and outrage.116 Whatever his motives, he was a brilliant man, Under Crowley’s influence the OTO expanded with profound understanding of occult symbol- to include the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, or ism. “Gnostic Catholic Church,”112 for which Crow- ley wrote the “Gnostic Mass,” a parody of the Orders within the Church sacred liturgies of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Commenting on of Rome the need for the new liturgy, Crowley wrote: eparate from the occult orders we have dis- Human nature demands (in the case of most S cussed, but frequently interacting with people) the satisfaction of the religious in- them, are powerful fraternities within the stinct, and, to very many, this may best be Catholic Church. Generally, they are hostile to done by ceremonial means. I wished there- extra-religious occultism, yet they imitate oc- fore to construct a ritual through which cult orders in organizational style, discipline people might enter into ecstasy as they have and secrecy. The Knights Templar were dis- always done under the influence of appro- cussed separately because of its different his- priate ritual.113 torical context and because the church eventually turned against them. The orders discussed Whereas the OTO’s Masonic rituals were per- in this section continue, at the time of writing, formed in secret, Crowley intended the Gnostic to receive the church’s full blessing. Mass to be available to the public. The text was published in 1918, and its first public per- Society of Jesus formance was in 1933. “Celebration” of the On 15 August 1534, seven men, including Gnostic Mass called for the following officials: Basque nobleman and soldier Ignatius of Loy- The Priest. Bears the Sacred Lance, and is ola (c.1491–1556), met in the crypt of the clothed at first in a plain white robe. church of Saint Denis, Montmartre, France. In The Priestess. Should be actually Virgo In- the belief that they had been called together for a special purpose, they took religious vows and tacta, or specially dedicated to the service 117 of the Great Order. She is clothed in white, called themselves the Company of Jesus. blue, and gold. She bears the Sword from a Three years later they traveled to Rome and red girdle, and the Paten and Hosts, or petitioned for ordination into the priesthood Cakes of Light. and recognition as a religious order. Pope Paul III responded favorably, and in 1540, their or- The Deacon. He is clothed in white and yel- der was officially constituted as the Society of low. He bears the Book of the Law. Jesus; its members came to be called Jesuits. Two Children [who actually can be adults]. They are clothed in white and black. One Formed at the height of the Counter- bears a pitcher of water and a cellar of salt, Reformation, the Society of Jesus assumed the the other a censer of fire and a casket of role of combating what it considered the apos- perfume.114 tasy of the Protestant Reformation. Although it was not a military order, like the Knights The words of consecration were: “By the vir- Templar, the Jesuits saw themselves as the tue of the Rod [the lance], Be this bread the “special soldiers of Pope”118 and absorbed Body of God! . . . By the virtue of the Rod, Be some of the Templars’ ethos, notably its disci- 115 this wine the Blood of God!” Communicants pline. They represented a new type of religious received a whole goblet of wine and a Cake of order: neither monks, like the Benedictines, Light. nor friars, like the Dominicans and Francis-

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 93 The Esoteric Quarterly cans. Jesuits receive twelve years’ intensive the sacraments and celebrate the Mass, just as training; submit to Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercis- all ordained priests do. Yet training in the So- es;119 and pledge absolute obedience to the or- ciety of Jesus includes a range of occult topics, der’s Superior General. At the end of their and their libraries contain extensive collections training, Jesuits may take simple or special of occult books, including some on the Index vows. Those who take of Prohibited Books. the latter become “pro- Ritual, or what could be con- The ostensible purpose fessed”; they form an sidered symbolism in motion, is to prepare Jesuits to elite who elect dele- is universal, not only among combat extra-religious gates to the General occultism wherever they Congregation, who in occult orders but in institu- might find it.123 turn elect the Superior tional Christianity and the General.120 Knights of Colum- larger society. Religious festi- bus The order itself places vals, important affairs of itself at the pope’s ex- The Knights of Colum- clusive disposal. It was state, and events… all pro- bus was formed in 1881 initially conceived as a vide opportunities for elabo- in new Haven, Connect- missionary order, but icut. Its founder, a priest Jesuits also became rate, meaningful pageantry. ordained five years ear- outstanding scholars, Dramatic ritual appeals to the lier, was Michael J. preachers and teachers. senses, emotions and mind; McGivney, the son of They sought out and Irish immigrants. The debated Protestants on and for occult orders, it can Knights’ mission was to points of doctrine and communicate esoteric promote the principles served as confessors to truths.… Ritual provides a of “Charity, Unity, Fra- the monarchs and aris- ternity and Patriot- 124 tocracy of Roman vessel into which nonphysical ism.” It also provided Catholic Europe. Jesu- energy can flow, and from its members with mutu- its were sent into some which it can be directed to inal financial benefits, of the most hostile en- including insurance. tended purposes. vironments, like Eliza- Formation of the bethan England, where they were feared and Knights of Columbus served to enhance Ro- hated as foreign agents; some suffered the man Catholic laymen’s pride in their religious most gruesome deaths. From 1773 to 1814, the and national heritage. Italian explorer Christo- Jesuits were suppressed, except in Poland and pher Columbus was selected as patron. Anoth- Russia, following disputes with slave owners 121 er important objective was to provide alterna- in South America. They never accumulated tives to other fraternal organizations, which wealth, like the Knights Templar, but over often discriminated against Roman Catholics, time, they acquired enormous power and influ- and to Masonic organizations, from which they ence. A Jesuit was elected pope in 2013 and were prohibited from joining. Membership took the name Francis I. initially was restricted to white Roman Catho- Individual Jesuits took an interest in occultism. lic men. Since the 1960s, however, the Knights For example, Athanasius Kirchner (c.1601– have admitted African Americans and Hispan- 1680) published his Oedipus Aegyptiacus con- ics. taining numerous references to the Hermetic 122 The Knights of Columbus is divided into literature. Kirchner believed that Egyptian “councils,” resembling Masonic lodges. Mem- hieroglyphics—which Hermes, the inventor of bers advance through four degrees, corre- language, must have designed—were sacred sponding to the elements of their fourfold mis- talismans. More generally, the only occult sion. According to information published by practices Jesuits engage in are to administer one council: “The Fourth Degree [Patriotism]

94 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 is the highest degree of the order. Members of The Knights of Columbus served as a model this degree are addressed as ‘Sir Knight.’ The for the Knights of Saint Columbanus, founded primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to in Ireland in 1915, and the Knights of St Co- foster the spirit of patriotism and to encourage lumba, established in the United Kingdom four active Catholic citizenship.”125 Fewer than years later. Like the parent organization in the twenty percent of members attain the fourth United States, they look to Ireland as the degree, but advancement through the ranks can source of their Roman Catholicism and share be quite rapid: “A Knight is eligible to join the similar principles and goals. They all see Fourth Degree after one year from the date of Freemasons as their main Protestant oppo- his First Degree, providing he has completed nents. The Knights of Saint Columbanus the 2nd and 3rd degrees.”126 The Color Core, played a significant role in the struggle for often seen in parades, is comprised of fourth- Irish independence and has continued to sup- degree Knights. port pro-Catholic, right-wing causes in the Re- public of Ireland. President John F. Kennedy was a fourth-degree Knight, and many other prominent Roman The emblem of the Knights of Columbus Catholics are members. The Knights of Co- {Figure 1(i)} contains the Roman fasces, a lumbus cultivates political connections among symbol of political power. Critics have pointed foreign heads of state and politicians in the out that the same symbol inspired Benito Mus- United States. Most U.S. presidents, regardless solini’s Fascist movement. of religious affiliation, have either addressed the organization’s national conventions or sent Opus Dei personal greetings. Opus Dei (Latin: “The Work of God”) was The Knights’ governance structure is described founded in 1928 by Spanish priest Josemaria thus: Escriva de Balaguer (1902–1975). It offers membership to Roman Catholic laymen and As Knights of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees priests, with the goal of spreading “throughout meet as a Council, the 4th degree Knights society a profound awareness of the universal meet in Assemblies. . . . The Supreme call to holiness and apostolate through one’s Board of Directors appoints a Supreme professional work carried out with freedom Master and twenty Vice Supreme Masters and personal responsibility.” Another version of the mission statement adds: “and for im- to govern the Fourth Degree. Each Vice 128 Supreme Master oversees a Province which proving society.” is then broken up into Districts. The Su- The emblem adopted by Opus Dei {Figure preme Master appoints District Masters to 1(j)} is unique in its simplicity but evokes in- supervise several assemblies. Each assem- sights from the standpoint of sacred geometry. bly is led by a Navigator. Other elected as- If the upper arc is reflected about the horizon- sembly officers include the Captain, Admi- tal arm of the cross, one obtains a vesica piscis, ral, Pilot, Scribe, Purser, Comptroller, Sen- a figure of timeless mystical significance. It tinels and Trustees. A Friar and Color was used by early Christians to identify them- Corps Commander are appointed by the selves and used more recently in the seals of Navigator. Assembly officers are properly both ecclesiastical institutions and Masonic addressed by using the title “faithful” (e.g. lodges. Faithful Navigator).127 Opus Dei is recognized within the church as a McGivney died at the age of thirty-eight. He is prelature, governed by a prelate (bishop) nom- being considered for canonization and has inated by specific members and appointed by been declared “venerable.” If his cause is suc- the pope. It offers two primary grades: Super- cessful, he would become the first American- numerary and Numerary. Supernumaries can born priest to be declared a saint. be married laymen who live with their fami- lies. They are required to follow a prescribed

“Plan of Life” and to contribute a substantial Reflections portion of their income to Opus Dei. Moreo- ver, their loyalty is pledged to the organization he fifth root race, we are told, originated rather than to a local parish or diocese. Numer- T in central Asia and then moved westward aries, who live in community houses, are through the Middle East to Europe. The fifth pledged to celibacy, assign all income to the subrace, with its strong mental and practical organization, and submit all correspondence to focus, emerged as a recognizable ethnic group examination by superiors. Numeraries are en- in medieval times, in Europe itself.134 Not sur- couraged to perform penitential acts, including prisingly, the western esoteric tradition—the use of the cilice, a spiked chain worn around esotericism of Europe, a few neighboring the thigh, and the “discipline,” a knotted countries, and former colonies—took a path scourge. Women may join Opus Dei as Nu- distinct from that of its counterparts elsewhere merary Assistants, to work as servants in in the world; mysticism was not neglected, but community houses.129 Currently, it is estimated greater emphasis was placed on occultism. that more than 80,000 men belong to Opus Significantly, the fifth subrace is associated Dei. All positions of authority are held by cler- with Anglo-Saxon ethnicity,135 and the great gy, and all clerical members are Numeraries. majority of the occult orders discussed herein arose in the Anglo-Saxon lands of England, As in the Knights Templar, unquestioned obe- Northern France, and what is now Germany. dience to superiors is demanded of all members. One of Opus Dei’s maxims is: “Obedi- The occult orders we have discussed offered ence, the sure way. Blind obedience to your fellowship and protection from outside inter- superior, the way of sanctity. Obedience in ference but required members to submit some your apostolate the only way, for in a work of measure of individual will to the collective will God, the spirit must be to obey or to leave.”130 of the order—typically the will of the ruling Ironically, the requirement of total obedience body or head of the particular order. Individual would seem to contradict the principle of an will was permitted only where necessary to apostolate “carried out with freedom and per- perform approved occult practices. sonal responsibility.” Members are strictly While the level of discipline varied from one prohibited from reading books that expose, or order to another, it was the Knights Templar, are critical of, Opus Dei practices. Because of the Society of Jesus, and Opus Dei—all three that censorship, many Supernumerary mem- established with at least the initial blessing of bers are unaware of the full range of Opus the Church of Rome—that demanded complete Dei’s activities or of the criticisms leveled and unquestioned obedience. The religious against it. common denominator is hard to ignore, and we Opus Dei has enjoyed strong backing from the might see parallels in authoritarian cults. But Vatican.131 Former members, however, includ- we should also note that the Templars were a ing clergy, have criticized its secrecy, practices military order, and the Jesuits viewed them- of self-mortification, and recruiting methods— selves as “soldiers,” so military-style discipline likened to those of cults.132 The organization may have come naturally to them. has supported right-wing political movements, Strong discipline and the submission of will to including General Franco’s fascist regime in superior authority are not necessarily viewed Spain. Escriva was canonized in 2002 under as oppressive or disagreeable; the church- unusual circumstances. No Devil’s Advocate related orders never lacked applicants for was appointed, and damaging charges brought membership. In addition to appealing to sacri- by prominent clergy who knew Escriva per- 133 ficial impulse—imitative of Christ’s submis- sonally were disregarded. One allegation sion to the Father—discipline may give mem- was that Escriva defended the reputation of bers a sense of security and group bonding: a Adolf Hitler and minimized the scope of the welcome alternative to the loneliness of the Holocaust.

96 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2014. Spring 2014 larger society. Moreover, submission to supe- Given the history of abuse, it is understandable rior authority lifts the burden of making diffi- that institutional Christianity was reluctant to cult personal choices. Symbolism has always categorize its sacraments as occult rituals. In been important in occultism. Occult orders the words of French occultist Éliphas Lévi: make use of a variety of symbols in their ritu- “sorcerers outraged the children of the Ma- als and teachings and treat those symbols, gi.”136 Yet Lévi’s life ambition was to see rec- along with the significance attached to them, onciliation between religious ritual and occult with the greatest secrecy. But not all symbols practice. are protected thus. Since the Middle Ages, The Therapeutae, Paracelsus’ alchemy, the most occult orders have created distinctive Rosicrucians—including its modern forms— emblems to express their ideals, focus mem- and most recently the churches have been the bers’ loyalty and aspiration—and perhaps in- only expressions of western occultism to attach still fear in enemies. The emblems may have any significant importance to healing, a most esoteric significance, but they are public sym- noble application of occultism.137 The Rosicru- bols, playing a similar role to national flags. cian manifestoes also encouraged other forms Members of occult orders sometimes identify of service,138 and in more modern times, the themselves with special clothing or insignia, Shriners have demonstrated a commendable but the Fraternity of the Rose Cross specifical- commitment to service. ly forbade such practices. Otherwise, western occult orders have mostly Ritual, or what could be considered symbolism been self-serving. Where abuses were avoided, in motion, is universal, not only among occult they stimulated members’ spiritual growth. But orders but in institutional Christianity and the they paid little attention to service or outreach. larger society. Religious festivals, important In that respect, the occult orders compared un- affairs of state, and events like the Olympic favorably with institutional Christianity. The Games all provide opportunities for elaborate, church of the Middle Ages may have been cor- meaningful pageantry. Dramatic ritual appeals rupt and materialistic, but clergy continued to to the senses, emotions and mind; and for oc- administer the sacraments and provide pastoral cult orders, it can communicate esoteric truths. care. In addition to pursuing the contemplative Coupled with gestures and words of power, life, the religious orders embraced a strong and special regalia, ritual can also be a power- service mission, offering the only formal wel- ful instrument of magic. Ritual provides a ves- fare programs of their time. Most Masonic fra- sel into which nonphysical energy can flow, ternities encourage character-building and and from which it can be directed to intended good citizenship but largely cater to the social, purposes. business and political interests of their own Occultism demands important moral choices; members. practitioners must decide whether to use its If the purity of ritual can be undermined by inherent power for good or evil. Throughout abuse, its effectiveness can be undermined by the period studied herein, occultism was not negligence. For example, most modern Mason- infrequently motivated by curiosity, ambition, ic orders and organizations like the Knights of domination or spite. Magical rituals often de- Columbus view traditional ceremonies as little generated into attempts to conjure and control more than harmless anachronisms. Yet efforts lower entities; and occult temples were turned have been made to preserve ritual’s potentially into dangerous circuses. The Rosicrucian powerful role in occultism. The Martinists took movement of the seventeenth century and the pains to ensure that the esoteric origins and Masonic reform movement of the eighteenth meaning of their rituals were understood, and discouraged abuses and the redirection of oc- the Eastern Order of International Co- cult work to worthy ends. But abuse continued, Freemasonry has done the same. The Golden and the Ordo Templi Orientis drew charges of Dawn and its derivatives encouraged serious sacrilege.

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 97 The Esoteric Quarterly interest in theurgic ritual among its members of mass communication and access to world- and explained ritual’s value to an audience that wide data resources. might otherwise have little contact with it. A common feature of all occult orders is their Elaborate ceremony has been restored in some tiered structure. The ancient mysteries were Christian denominations that adopted austere divided into the lesser and greater mysteries. forms of worship after the Reformation.139 The Beginning with Mithraism, if not earlier, oc- Liberal Catholic Church has invested consider- cult orders have offered graded systems of de- able effort in exploring the esoteric dimensions grees. These degrees were created and awarded of sacramental ritual.140 by human hierophants, and progress through Secrecy is inherent in occult orders and at one the degrees has sometimes been motivated by time was necessary to protect the orders and glamour, ambition and competitiveness. Yet their members from persecution. It can also the degrees still hint at the much-more- create a sense of mystery and enhance a frater- important initiations recognized by the Plane- nity’s appeal. The promise of receiving secret tary Hierarchy and which are described in de- teachings attracts members, and access to those tail in the trans-Himalayan teachings.144 teachings upon initiation is empowering; Occult orders offer insights into the workings knowledge is power, especially when it is de- of the Planetary Hierarchy, the Great White nied to others. By the late nineteenth century, Brotherhood. Although we speak of occult or- however, the threat of persecution was essen- ders as being esoteric, they are exoteric rela- tially over, and some—but not all—occult or- tive to their higher counterpart. A few orders, ders began to lower their guard. Consequently, like the Rose Cross and the Theosophical So- we know more about modern orders than earli- ciety, may have been founded or inspired by er ones. For example, descriptions of Golden members of the Hierarchy to serve as exten- Dawn rituals are probably accurate.141 sions of their work. Many people believe that In recent decades many writers have published the ancient mysteries were so inspired. Wheth- works on the occult orders of the more distant er the gender-exclusiveness of the western oc- past.142 But accounts of initiation rites, and the cult orders reflects the makeup of the Great like, are rarely supported by authoritative doc- White Brotherhood is an issue of far-reaching umentation, leaving the reader to wonder importance, but one that cannot be resolved whether the information is a retelling of leg- here. ends and fiction or, in the case of esoteric writ- Some occult orders existed only in the imagi- ers, were obtained by channeling.143 New nation of bards, troubadours, or fiction writ- myths have arisen within the esoteric literature, ers.145 Yet the stories of the Holy Grail and the gathering believers as they are told and retold. Rose Cross are no less important because their If the information was channeled or obtained historicity is in question. Their real message is by clairvoyant investigation—as in Charles a moral one, describing the spiritual journey, Leadbeater’s work—assessment of credibility the quest for something of inestimable value, shifts to authors’ ability to transmit data with- and the initiatory path. The Hierarchy may out contamination and the reliability of their well have inspired such stories for educational sources. purposes. King Arthur, surrounded by his Esoteric knowledge is disseminated more knights and betrayed by one of his own, bears freely now than in the past, yet it would be a a striking resemblance to Christ. Galahad’s mistake to suppose that all is now exoteric. assumption into heaven resembles both Eli- Rather, “esotericism” has taken on new mean- jah’s and Christ’s. Sir Galahad exemplified ing. Teachings can be published, but under- human perfection, and Bors and Perceval may standing them may require long study, along have attained important initiations. Perhaps with insight that can only be gained through a Lancelot and the other knights failed, but they discipline of meditation and self-purification. would have new opportunities in the future. Esotericism has not gone away, even in an era

Conclusions be discussed in detail in a second article: “Themes in Western Esotericism.” his article has examined historical data on Another larger truth is the recognition that the occult orders in western esotericism, with T initiatory grades and organizational structure emphasis on orders founded during the Com- of the occult orders—even ones that may have mon Era. They included medieval fraternities, been purely fictional—provide insights into the Rosicrucian and Masonic orders, and a number workings of the Planetary Hierarchy and the of modern occult orders. Comments about the opportunities it offers to individuals and Theosophical Society, Jesuits, Knights of Co- groups on the Path of Return. lumbus, and Opus Dei, which lie on the fringe of the topic area, contribute to our understanding of the occult orders, as more conventionally understood. 1 Occultism is distinguished from other areas of Although inherent secrecy was a major hin- esotericism, like mysticism and psychism. 2 drance, it has been possible to construct a rea- The Quest for the Holy Grail (trans., P. M. sonably reliable history of occult orders during Matarasso; London: Penguin Books, the period of interest. In most cases, we have c.1325/1969), 70. 3 Stephen Howarth, The Knights Templar (New been able to identify the nature, objectives and York: Barnes & Noble, 1982), 54. The rule practices of the various orders, and to trace the urged knights, in particular, to “flee from wom- circumstances in which they were founded, en’s kisses.” flourished, and may have gone into decline. 4 Marvin W. Meyer, The Ancient Mysteries (Phil- Our purpose has been to examine occult orders adelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1987), 4. 5 Some writers date the mysteries to ancient as they existed in their respective historical and Lemuria. See for example Grace F. Knoche, The social contexts. It was not to evaluate the be- Mystery Schools (Pasadena, CA: Theosophical liefs, practices or attitudes of particular occult Univiversity Press, 1999), orders in the light of today’s expectations, or to http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/mysterys/ recommend them to today’s esoteric students. mystsch1.htm. (Last accessed Nov. 15, 2013). Accordingly, value judgments have been kept 6 Torkom Saraydarian, Christ: The Avatar of Sac- to a minimum. Differences between what hap- rificial Love (Cave Creek, AZ: TSG Publishing Foundation, 1974), 65. pened in the past and what we might expect 7 now help measure the expansion of human Manly P. Hall, Secret Teachings of All Ages consciousness. (Los Angeles, Philosophical Research Society, 1928), 22. The study of individual occult orders is of ob- 8 According to myth, Cybele’s young lover Attis vious interest, but value is enhanced when castrated himself under a pine tree and bled to larger truths are derived from them. The “Re- death. At the cult’s spring festival, a pine tree flections” section attempted to discern charac- decked with violets was carried into the sanctu- teristic patterns that extend across the spectrum ary with the effigy of a man tied to its trunk—a kind of pagan crucifix. In some versions of the of the occult orders, even to the fringe socie- myth Attis rose from the dead. ties. Pervasive themes have been identified, 9 Thomas Taylor, The Eleusinian and Bacchic including the purposeful use of symbolism and Mysteries (1790/1891, 90; reprint; Whitefish, ceremony; discipline, mutual bonding, and MT: Kessinger, 2010). collective consciousness; and goals of self- 10 Ibid., 29-30. Hall refers to Demeter by her Ro- transformation and initiation. Such common man name Ceres. 11 themes assure us of an underlying coherence in The medieval fairs and pageants held on Chris- tian feast days echo those earlier precedents. western esotericism, transcending both the di- 12 visions among occult orders and the mutual See the description of the Egyptian mysteries hostility between institutional Christianity and given by Geoffrey Hodson in Light of the Sanc- tuary (Manila, Philippines: Theosophical Pub- occult orders outside its control. Along with lishers, 1988), 184. Pageantry reportedly pervasive patterns of belief, these themes will reached a level in Ptolemaic Egypt, rarely sur- passed before or since. See for example Chip

Brown, “The Search for Cleopatra,” National work and its attribution to church father Clem- Geographic (July 2011), 40-63. ent are disputed by many academic historians. 13 The raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 31 According to Saraydarian, baptism, the Eucha- 11:1-46) has been interpreted as an initiation rist, “and other sacraments were taught in all ritual. See for example Rudolf Steiner, The these centers in the world by great Masters Gospel of St. John (Great Barrington, MA: An- many thousands of years before the Christian throposophic Press, 1908/1940), 64ff. Also era.” Christ: The Avatar of Sacrificial Love, Manly P. Hall, The Mystical Christ (Los Ange- 66fn. les: Philosophical Research Society, 1951), 126- 32 Precisely when the Piscean Age began is a topic 127. of continuing debate, but most authorities agree 14 Sandra Hodson (ed.), Illuminations of the Mys- that it lay somewhere in the period 400 BCE to tery Tradition (Manila, Philippines: Theosophi- 200 CE. Early Christians’ use of the fish as an cal Publishing House, 1992), 84. identifying icon is often taken to be a symbol of 15 Ibid., 106. the nascent Piscean Age. 16 Plato, Phaedo, 69c (trans., W. Rouse; Great 33 The Vehmic Courts, and the terror they instilled Dialogues of Plato, Denver, CO: Mentor Books, in people, feature in Walter Scott’s novel Anne 1956). Rouse translated the last sentence: of Geierstein (1829). Other writers depict the “Many are called but few are chosen,” drawing Vehm as supportive of the church and emperor on biblical phraseology. G. M. A. Grube offered and performing a useful role in maintaining law the more accurate translation shown here. and order. See for example Arkon Duraul, A 17 Meyer, The Ancient Mysteries, 3. History of Secret Societies (reprint; New York: 18 Philo of Alexandria, On the Contemplative Life, Pocket Books, 1962), 240-252. §70-71, 34 The first known reference to Arthur is in the http://www.sacred-texts.com/gno/fff/fff09.htm. ninth-century Historia Brittonum, attributed to (Last accessed Nov. 15, 2013). The Jewish the Welsh priest Nennius. Therapeutae should not be confused with the 35 P. M. Matarosso, Introduction to The Quest for therapeutae, or attendants, at the much-earlier the Holy Grail (London: Penguin Books, 1969), Egyptian healing temples. 9-17. 19 David Ulansey, The Origins of the Mithraic 36 In a version of the legend by German epic poet Mysteries (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Wolfram von Eshenbach (c.1170–c.1220), the 1991). grail was a precious stone that fell from the sky. 20 Plutarch, Life of Pompey (trans., R. Warner; 37 The Quest for the Holy Grail, 93. Lancelot’s Fall of the Roman Republic, London: Penguin, infatuation with Queen Guinevere owes much to 1972). the tradition of courtly love expressed by the 21 Manfred Clauss, The Roman Cult of Mithras Troubadours. (trans., R. Gordon: New York: Routledge, 38 Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur: the Win- 2000), 102. chester Manuscript, book 7 (reprint; New York: 22 Ibid., 102. Oxford Univ. Press, 2008), 401. 23 Ibid., 131ff. 39 Ibid., book 12, 460-466, 475-477. 24 Ibid., 64. 40 The Quest for the Holy Grail, 99. 25 Ibid., 108ff. 41 Daraul, A History of Secret Societies, 33-35. 26 Ulansey, The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries, 42 Howarth, The Knights Templar, 43. 6-10. 43 Daraul, A History of Secret Societies, 48ff. 27 See for example Robert Gilbert’s series of lec- 44 Howarth, The Knights Templar, 295. tures, 45 Ibid., 294. The head was variously alleged to be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WO2rT8M that of Jesus; Hugh de Payens, founder of the 8OI. (Last accessed January 2, 2014). Templars; Satan; Mohammed; or the devil 28 Saraydarian, Christ: The Avatar of Sacrificial Baphomet (a name which may have been coined Love, 64-72. as an indirect reference to Mohammed). 29 Nicholas Roerich, Heart of Asia (New York: 46 Hargrave Jennings, The Rosicrucians: Their Roerich Museum Press, 1930), 23-29. Rites and Mysteries (reprint; London: Hesperi- 30 (Attributed to) Clement of Alexandria, Letter to des, 1870), especially 317. Theodore, reproduced in Morton Smith, Clem- 47 The cross of St George has since been incorpo- ent of Alexandria and Secret Mark, New York: rated into the emblems and flags of several na- Harper & Row, 1973. The authenticity of the tions and royal houses. It also appears on the

emblem of the Episcopal Church in the United ates the H.O.A.T.F. with the Count of Saint States. Germain, but others reject this association. 48 Hermes absorbed many of the characteristics of 65 Manly P. Hall, Secret Teachings of All Ages the Egyptian Thoth; both were considered gods (Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society, of writing and magic. 1977), ch. 140. 49 Cornelius Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Phi- 66 Leadbeater, Glimpses of Masonic History, 243. losophy (trans., J. Freake;Woodbury, MN: 67 Tobias Churton, The Magus of Freemasonry Llewellyn, 1993), book 3, ch. 37, 587. (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions), 92-117. 50 Andrew Weeks, Paracelsus: Speculative Theory Churton depicts Freemasonry in the seventeenth and the Crisis of the Early Reformation (Alba- century as being in transition from operative, ny, NY: State Univ. of New York, 1997), 63ff. i.e., guild, masonry to modern speculative Paracelsus’ full name was Philippus Aureolus Freemasonry. Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim. 68 Amadeus Mozart was one of several composers 51 Swiss classical scholar and philologist Isaac who wrote music for Masonic use. See Jacques Casaubon (1559–1614) used emerging methods Henry, Mozart the Freemason (Rochester, VT: of textual criticism to demonstrate that the clas- Inner Traditions, 1991). sical Hermetic texts were not nearly as old as 69 The Elect Cohens are discussed under “Mar- previously believed. tinism,” below. 52 Fama Fraternitatis: A Discovery of the Frater- 70 Source: “Bavarian Illuminati,” nity of the most Laudable Order of the Rosy http://www.bavarian-illuminati.info/. (Last ac- Cross (trans., T. Vaughn, 1652. Rosicrucian Ar- cessed January 11, 2014.) chive), http://www.crcsite.org/fama.htm. (Last 71 Arthur E. Waite, Introduction to Karl Eckart- accessed January 7, 2014). shausen, The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary, 1909, 53 Ibid. x, 54 Howarth, The Knights Templar, 43. http://www.sacredtexts.com/eso/cuts/cuts02.htm 55 Fama Fraternitatis. (Last accessed March 19, 2013.) 56 Fama Fraternitatis. The story may be apocry- 72 The Duke eventually became King Carl XIII of phal. Earls of Norfolk held office from 1399 to Sweden. 1425 and from 1477 to 1660, but none was 73 Reportedly Cagliostro subsequently incarnated known to have suffered from leprosy. The last as Helena Blavatsky, co-founder of the Theo- significant outbreak of leprosy among the Eng- sophical Society. See Alice A. Bailey, Disciple- lish aristocracy occurred in the thirteenth centu- ship in the New Age II (New York: Lucis, ry 1955), 331-332. 57 Ibid. 74 Arthur E. Waite, The Life of Louis Claude de St 58 Confessio Fraternitatis ( trans., T. Vaughn ), Martin, The Unknown Philosopher, and the 1652, ch. IV, Substance of his Transcendental Doctrine http://www.crcsite.org/confessio.htm. (Last ac- (London: Wellby, 1901), 13. cessed Sept 30, 2013). 75 John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, part 1, 59 Frances Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kronstadt/christlife.ii.h (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972), tml.( Last accessed October 25, 2013). He 58ff. Also: Paul Foster Case, The True and In- wrote: “God has granted us existence—the visible Rosicrucian Order (New York: Samuel greatest gift of His goodness, and after we had Weiser, 1985). fallen away from Him, from life into death, He 60 In its earliest years the Royal Society was not gave us for our regeneration, to bring us back to yet the bastion of empirical science it became life, His Son.” later. 76 Waite, The Life of Louis Claude de St Martin, 61 Case, The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Or- 47. der, 37-64. Gematria assigns numbers to letters 77 Interestingly, his biographer, Arthur Waite, dis- and makes deductions from the numerical re- tanced himself from the magical rituals of the sults thus obtained. Golden Dawn to pursue a mystical path. 62 Ibid., 5. 78 The concept of the Repairer had been explored 63 Ibid. by the Safed Kabbalists two centuries earlier, 64 Charles W. Leadbeater, Glimpses of Masonic though not of course with reference to Christ. History (Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing 79 See for example “The Lost Word,” House, 1926), 296. One Masonic order associ- http://www.sacred-exts.com/mas/sof/sof33.htm.

(Last accessed December 20, 2013). Emphasis (Great Barrington, MA: SteinerBooks, 2007), in original. xvi. 80 Masons cite an ancient Babylonian poem, which 95 Hella Wiesberger, “Preliminary Remarks, II,” to begins: “The Word that causes the heavens on Steiner, “Freemasonry” and Ritual Work, 144. high to tremble, The Word that makes the world The Anthroposophical Society’s headquarters is below to quake, The Word that bringeth de- in Dornach, Switzerland. struction to the Annunakis, His Word is beyond 96 Max Heindel, Echoes from Mount Ecclesia , the diviner, beyond the seer!” Los Angeles: Rosicrucian Fellowship June & 81 Waite, The Life of Louis Claude de St Martin, July 1913, 1-2. etc., 236. 97 Jan Leene and coworker Henriette Stok-Huizer 82 Philippians 2:10. developed the group’s foundational teachings 83 Ibid., 237. under the pen names Jan van Rijckenborgh and 84 Roman Catholic Prince Charles Edward Stuart Catharose de Petri. (1720–1788), “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” led the 98 Source: Mastery of Life, Ancient Mystical Order Jacobite uprising of 1745 against the Hanoveri- Rosae Crucis, 1987. an King George II. 99 Source: Theosophical Society International 85 The first decree prohibiting Roman Catholics Headquarters, Adyar, India. from joining Masonic orders was issued by 100 K. Paul Johnson, The Masters Revealed: Mad- Pope Clement XII in 1738, and most subsequent ame Blavatsky and the Myth of the Great White popes have supported the ban. As noted, Ca- Lodge (Albany, NY: State Univ. of New York gliostro was persecuted by the Roman Inquisi- Press, 1994), 89. tion in the 1790s. But outside the Papal States 101 Announcement in Lucifer, vol. 3, October 1888. enforcement seems to have been lax during Capitalization and italicization—hallmarks of much of the eighteenth century. Mozart was Blavatsky’s writing style—in the original. both a Freemason and a Roman Catholic in 102 An important point of contact between tradi- good standing, and Bonnie Prince Charlie and tional eastern teachings and Theosophy was the other prominent Catholics of the period may al- Vedāntin scholar Tallapragada Subba Row so have been Freemasons. (1856–1890). 86 Malcolm C. Duncan, Masonic Ritual and Moni- 103 Helena P. Blavatsky The Secret Doctrine tor (New York: McKay, undated), 94. (Adyar: India: Theosophical University Press, 87 Ibid., 230. 1888). 88 Ibid., 252. Zerubbabel was the Persian gover- 104 Charles W. Leadbeater, The Science of the Sac- nor of the province of Judah during the reign of raments (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing King Cyrus. After the return of the Jews from House, 1920). Babylon he helped rebuild the temple in Jerusa- 105 Members of the Pasadena Society continue to lem. refer to the work of Besant et al. as “pseudo- 89 Source: Evangelical Truth, Theosophy.” http://www.evangelicaltruth.com/RoyalArch.ht 106 Charles W. Leadbeater, The Hidden Life m. Last accessed January 1, 2013. The accuracy in Freemasonry (Adyar, India: Theosophical of the allegation cannot be determined. University Press, 1926), x. 90 Source: Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Northern 107 See for example Israel Regardie, The Golden Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Dawn (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, http://www.scottishritenmj.org/AbouttheScottis 1940/1971). hRite.aspx. (Last accessed December 31, 2013). 108 Michael Stoeber, “Evelyn Underhill on Magic, 91 Arthur E. Waite, “Co-Masonry,” A New Ency- Sacrament, and Spiritual Transformation,” clopedia of Freemasonry (New York: Universi- 2003, ty Books, 1921). http://www.evelynunderhill.org/newsletter/EUA 92 Source: Eastern Order of International Co- _2003/newsletter_2003_final_final.PDF. (Last Freemasonry, http://comasonic.net/. (Last ac- accessed March 15, 2014.) cessed January 14, 2014). 109 Mary K. Greer. Women of the Golden Dawn 93 Frances Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 1995). See (London: Routledge, 1972), 139ff. also: W. Wynn Westcott. “Historic Lecture.” 94 Christopher Bamford, introduction to Rudolf Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Steiner, “Freemasonry” and Ritual Work

110 Source: Servants of the Light, 131 Whether such backing will continue remains to http://servantsofthelight.org/aboutSOL/history.h be seen. Pope Francis is a Jesuit, and the Socie- tml. (Last accessed March 15, 2014). ty of Jesus has often been critical of Opus Dei. 111 See for example Susan Roberts, The Magician 132 Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code (2003), of the Golden Dawn: The Story of Aleister and the motion picture of the same name Crowley (Chicago: Contemporary Books, (2006), portrayed Opus Dei in a negative light. 1978), 121-122. Whether the portrayal was accurate is difficult 112 The OTO’s church had no connection with to assess, but Opus Dei reported an increase in l'Église Gnostique de France, in which Gérard membership applications after the film’s re- Encausse was consecrated a bishop, or with oth- lease. er Gnostic-revival churches still operating in 133 A Devil’s Advocate is normally appointed dur- Europe and North America. ing canonization procedures to draw attention to 113 Aleister Crowley, Confessions of Aleister Crow- any doubts concerning a candidate’s sanctity ley (London: Arkana, 1989). Parenthesis in orig- and worthiness to be declared a saint. inal. 134 Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater declared 114 Liber XV, Canon Missæ, §II, that the fifth subrace originated in Asia in http://gnosticmass.org/Mass-Missal.pdf. (Last 20,000 BCE, and only one of three branches accessed December 31, 2013). Some capitaliza- reached Europe. See their Man: Whence, How tion removed. and Wither (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Pub- 115 Ibid., §VI. lishing House, 1971), 331-333. By contrast, 116 One well-known institution declined to publish most other writers have assumed that the fifth research because it listed Crowley among the subrace emerged much more recently. references. 135 Alice A. Bailey, The Light of the Soul (New 117 Christopher Hollis, The Jesuits: A History (New York: Lucis, 1927), ix. York: Barnes & Noble, 1968), 13. Montmartre, 136 Éliphas Lévi, The History of Magic (trans., A. now part of Paris, was then a village beyond the Waite; New York: Samuel Weiser, 1913/1969), city walls. 374. 118 Ibid., 16. 137 See for example the “Rosicrucian Healing Ser- 119 The Spiritual Exercises, developed when Ignati- vice,” http://rosicrucianhealing.org/. (Last ac- us was a prisoner of war, form the basis of in- cessed January 22, 2014.) tense, month-long retreats in which participants 138 John F. Nash, “Service Ideals in the Rosicrucian contemplate their sins in relation to the passion Movement,” The Esoteric Quarterly (Winter of Christ. 2005), 33-42. 120 Hollis, The Jesuits, 17. 139 This was a major goal of Anglo-Catholicism. 121 Ibid., 134ff. John F. Nash, The Sacramental Church, Eu- 122 The three-volume work was published in Rome gene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2011. in 1652–1654. 140 Charles W. Leadbeater, The Science of the Sac- 123 Allegedly the Jesuits took special aim at the raments (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing Bavarian Illuminati and helped bring about their House, 1920). downfall. See Daraul, A History of Secret Socie- 141 See for example, Israel Regardie, The Golden ties, 273. Dawn (St Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1971); Mary K. 124 Source: Knights of Columbus, Greer, Women of the Golden Dawn (Rochester, http://www.kofc.org/un/en/about/principles/inde VT: Park Street, 1995). x.html. (Last accessed December 28, 2013). 142 Rudolf Steiner gave a detailed account of initia- 125 Source: Faithful Shepherd Council, tion into the Apprentice degree of Freemasonry http://eaganknights.com/degrees.php. (Last ac- in The Temple Legend,” lecture, Berlin, De- cessed December 28, 2013). cember 2, 1904, 126 Ibid. http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA093/English 127 Ibid. /RSP1985/19041202p01.html (Last accessed 128 Source: Opus Dei, http://www.opusdei.us/. January 11, 2014). Another author offered the (Last accessed December 31, 2013). following description of initiation into an order 129 Source: Opus Dei Awareness Network, founded in 1780 that “was not officially Rosi- http://www.odan.org/what_is_opus_dei.htm. crucian, but purported to contain all the el- (Last accessed December 28, 2013). ements of the earlier Order”: “The candidate 130 Ibid. was led into a room covered with black, and the

floor and furniture covered in black cloth. The (or self) of the channel.” Jon Klimo, Channel- room was lit by a central candlestick in the ing (New York: Tarcher, 1987), 2. Parenthesis shape of a human figure. . . .” Duraul, A History in original. of Secret Societies, 235-237. 144 See for example Alice A. Bailey, Initiation, 143 Channeling—a term often trivialized in modern Human and Solar (New York: Lucis, 1922); usage—is defined here more correctly as “the Charles W. Leadbeater, The Masters and the communication of information to or through a Path (Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing physically embodied human being from a House, 1933). source that is said to exist on some other level 145 Cynics have made similar comments about the or dimension of reality than the physical as we scriptural record of Jesus Christ. know it, and that is not from the normal mind