A Knight’s Guide to the Most Recent Re- search and Investigation Into The Knights Templar in the New World By M. Em. Kt. William F. (Bill) Mann, GCT Supreme Grand Master, Sovereign Great Priory – Knights Templar of Canada read with a great deal of interest close resemblance to those of alchemy. the short article by Sir Knight (Dr.) I Donald J. G. Chiarella entitled, “A Hypothesis on the Templar Treasure of the Temple Mount,”1 which recently ap- peared in the June 2020 issue of Knight Templar magazine. Sir Knight Chiarella’s article raised a number of pertinent questions with respect to the existence and current location of the so-called “Templar trea- sure.” This all-encompassing treasure is what most Sir Knights recognize as the treasure purportedly discovered within a sacred vault or secret crypt below the Temple Mount by the original Knights Templar. It is also the origin of the mythi- cal treasures portrayed in the block- buster movies: The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure. York Rite Freemasons relate the se- cret crypt to Royal Arch Masonry, includ- ing its ceremonial ritual of the crypt’s discovery along with the Ineffable Word.2 Interestingly, many modern-day Masonic researchers now suggest that both Royal Arch and Scottish Rite mason- The sacred vault, 18th century York ry evolved directly from the discovery of Rite Royal Arch teaching board, origin the sacred vault by the original Knights unknown (image within public realm) Templar. There is also a good case for as- suming that much of the symbolism of Dr. Chiarella certainly must be com- Royal Arch Masonry was included in the mended for the highly reasonable and Royal Arch ritual by the original Rosicru- logical development of his hypothesis. cian mystics, as some of the best-known Questions surrounding the medieval symbols of Royal Arch Masonry bear a Knights Templar and the true reason for knight templar 21 their existence are what makes modern- reason for oneself the very existence of day Christian Masonry so unique within God, the Supreme Being. Here was the the fraternity of Freemasonry. The curi- real reason why the Muslims would look osity and dedication of all Sir Knights as to cut off a medieval Knight’s head. It to our true historical origins is, in part, was to separate his soul from his body in what bonds our order. Like many others, order to prevent the Knight from going though, Sir Knight Chiarella too quickly to Heaven. surmises that the Templar treasure cur- At the time, this type of unorthodox rently lies in the possession of one (very thought would have been considered important and very rich?) Knight Tem- by the Church to be extremely heretical. plar or Swiss institution. It was the Church, and only the Church, Unfortunately, most of those who which dictated that it was the only true comment on the subject fail to heed conduit to God, and as a result, an indi- the medieval Knight Templar mantra vidual could not talk directly to God. This to “always look beyond.” Indeed, most task lay completely in the hands of the commenters rely entirely on a “science- pope and the priests. based” reasoning and logic, where they Strategically, the inner circle of the believe that proof through science alone Knights Templar also understood the can explain the fate of the Templar trea- concept of time and space, where cur- sure, but one must understand that it rent events would surely have repercus- was a deeply spiritual and mystical belief, sions in the far future. This concept is supported by the very existence of a sa- much like the strategy behind the game cred treasure, which allowed the Knights of chess, the origin of which some have Templar to so readily sacrifice their lives attributed to the Knights Templar. One for the cause. player’s move may lead to several differ- True, the medieval Templars were ent strategic moves and counter-moves extremely successful in battle, because by both opponents some three or four they believed in both religious and mili- additional moves throughout the game. tary discipline and order. This, in turn, There is even a special name applied prompted them to develop a remark- to the knight’s move around the chess able series of castles and commandries board, never falling on the same square across all of Europe in order to provide twice. It is known as the Knight’s Tour an unbroken communication and mili- and is said to take generations to com- tary network, but their beliefs absolute- plete successfully. ly went beyond the obvious. The moral Native North Americans have always here is that a Knight needs to always planned for seven generations, and look beyond the next hill, beyond the what has become evident, to me at least, next pinnacle, beyond the horizon. In is that the medieval Knights Templar ap- other words, a Knight must always look plied the same spirituality and inevita- for a higher degree of understanding. bility to their secret endeavours. When The medieval Templars reasoned that the medieval Knights Templar arrived God lay in their souls and not in their on the shores of North America, they hearts. Thus, the soul emitted from the were greeted as blood brothers (as op- brain, in that the brain allowed one to posed to the earlier Vikings), because 22 october 2020 the indigenous elders recognized the an- ing that-which-was-lost. This would al- cient signs, seals, and tokens that were low the Templars to finally erase their offered in peace. These signs were the humiliation at the hands of the Muslim same as those given by earlier, just as se- Saracens and Mamelukes. Of course, the cretive, pre-Christian trans-Atlantic trad- most sacred of historical relics and other ers such as the Phoenicians, Carthagin- religious objects would be required to ians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Jews. sanctify the newly-constructed Temple The Knights Templar had certainly and its inner sanctum. learned the senselessness of trying All Freemasons will surely recognize to defeat and impose their will over the undeniable relationship between Ma- their formidable Muslim opponents. sonic ritual surrounding the rebuilding of They also knew that if they had any Solomon’s Temple and the deep spiritual chance of traveling across a vast Na- objectives of the original Knights Templar. tive North America, they would re- Many Freemasons, especially those who quire the guidance and guardianship are also Masonic Rosicrucians, will also of the First Nations peoples. recognize the significance of the refer- One result of this life-long lesson of ence to a New Jerusalem, as highlighted self-realization is that I believe this is by Sir Francis Bacon in his New Atlantis,3 now the right time and place to highlight which was originally published in Latin in the most recent research and investiga- 1627. Of course, Francis Bacon was one of tion into the idea that modern-day Ma- the first of many remarkable Rosicrucians sonic Templarism can be directly traced of the early 17th century and is reputed back to our medieval ancestors and that to have been the genius behind the writ- the medieval Knights Templar in fact “re- ings of Shakespeare. It was Bacon who assembled” the scattered Temple Mount coined the phrase “Scientia potential est,” treasure in a mysterious and magical “sa- knowledge is power. For Rosicrucians, cred vault” somewhere in North Ameri- this sacred knowledge lies with the image ca, where it remains to this day. Here, of the wise old man who sleeps in a cave both Templar and Rosicrucian beliefs in- concealed within a mountain. timate that the ultimate treasure awaits For Bacon, it was the additional hid- the proper time and space (As above, so den knowledge of the medieval Tem- below) to reveal itself. Only those who plars establishing a New Jerusalem in possess the sacred knowledge and un- the New World which became his spiri- derstanding to gain the hidden wisdom tual muse. Other well-known European will finally be able to access the vault. mystics such as John Dee, Robert Fludd, The overall premise to this mystery John Locke, Johanne Kepler, and Isaac is that the Knights Templar looked to Newton who formed the basis for the the “New World,” Native North America, Royal Society, had at least an inkling of hoping to establish a New Jerusalem, the wisdom that awaited those who a sacred sanctuary where Solomon’s could unravel the clues as to where in Temple could be re-constructed in all the New World the Templar treasure lay. of its splendor. This symbolizes the Some of the clues lay within the earliest Templar’s ultimate desire to establish forms of Craft Freemasonry, which many a new spiritual center on earth, replac- now believe evolved out of the earliest knight templar 23 history of Knights Templar and their se- evidence coincides with other research cret rituals. Some of the clues also lie being conducted by a group of dedi- within the actual journals of Prince Hen- cated individuals, who look to finally an- ry Sinclair, which have recently been dis- swer those questions raised by seekers covered and are slowly coming to light. of the Templar treasure. As we are all well aware, the Order of This group, appropriately named the Temple with its warrior-monks has a Templar Gold, consists of (beside myself) my good friends and colleagues, Scott and Janet Wolter and Steve St. Clair. The name Templar Gold speaks to that gold- en knowledge and understanding that is derived from a clear understanding of the Knights Templar and not to physi- cal treasure.