Masonic

MORALS AND DOGMA  by Albert Pike [1871]

This is Albert Pikes' 861 page volume of 'lectures' on the esoteric roots of Freemasonry, specifically the 32-degree Scottish Rite. Until 1964, this book was given to every Mason completing the 14th degree in the Southern jurisdiction of the US Scottish Rite Freemasons. Masonic lectures are standard oral presentations given during initiation to a new degree. Lectures provide background material for initiates and the discuss duties of the degree in general terms. They do not present details of the rituals, gestures, regalia, etc., for which one must consult other books on MASONRY.

Pike states right off that half of the text is copied from other works. Unfortunately none of these quotes are properly cited, and in most cases it is only a shift in style which allows us to identify a quote. There are also lapses of fact and logic. So it would be a mistake to use this work as an authoritative source without additional research and critical thinking. That said, Morals and Dogma is a huge, rambling treasure-house of esoteric data, particularly on the Kabalah and ancient Mystery religions. Whether you just browse these pages or study it from one end to the other, this is a must-read book for anyone looking for long-lost knowledge.

Links from the Victorian Lodge of Research No 218
Masonic research resources. Links to other Masonic Research sites.  

Masonic research resources
Masonic research resources provided by the Grand Lodge of British Columbia Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 

Hirams Oasis Masonic Files
- Over 4,000 masonic essays and articles stored as compressed (*.zip) files.  

The Philalethes Society
'world's oldest and largest Masonic research society'  

The Centre for Research into Freemasonry   

Angel Millar

 

Hermetica

1. Michael Sendivogius and Christian Rosenkreutz. The unexpected possibilities.
2. Hermetic heraldry
3. Mantegna's prints in tarot history
4. Hunting the Blacke Toade. Some aspects of alchemical symbolism
5. The Alchemical Tarot Deck
6. Early symbolism of the Rosy Cross
7. Great Work in the Theatre of the World
8. Lampado Trado
9. The Jagged Sword and Polish Rosicrucians
10. The Wroclaw Codex of the Magical Calendar

The Hermetic And ALCHEMICAL FIGURES Of CLAUDIUS De DOMINICO CELENTANO VALLIS NOVI
From A Manuscript Written And Illuminated At Naples A.D. 1606

kabbalah

The Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectureship in Jewish Studies by Moshe Idel - are available at this link. Scroll down to Idel1, 2 and 3. These three text files can be saved separately. Moshe Idel is a genius following in the tradition of excellence of Scholem.

Sacred Texts

The resources for esoteric studies on the internet are expanding rapidly. The Internet Sacred Text Archive  Has recently published the full text of:  The Hermetic Museum  This is the main index for Arthur Edward Waite's Hermetic Museum. This is one of the largest collections of Alchemical tracts, first published in Latin in 1678. Waite translated it into English and issued it in two volumes in 1893. It appears in its entirety here on the Internet for the first time. Full bibliographic information can be found via either one of the volume index pages, (here, and here).   Also:  The Prophecies of Paracelsus, Translated by J.K. [1915]

Deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphs in Muslim Heritage

Dr. Okasha El Daly (PhD), an Honorary Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, University College, London, has written a very stimulating article: Deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphs in Muslim Heritage For more details see: Okasha El Daly, Egyptology: The Missing Millennium. Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings. London: UCL Press, 2005.And online: Arabic Study of Ancient Egypt

Dr. El Daly writes" Most fascinating among these Arabic manuscripts is a work translated into English, published in London in 1806 by an eminent orientalist, Joseph Hammer. The title of this English translation is: "Ancient Alphabets and Hieroglyphic Characters Explained; with an Account of the Egyptian Priests, their Classes, Initiation, and Sacrifices in the Arabic Language by Ahmad Bin Abubekr Bin Wahishih".

This text is now available online, from google.books at:

Ancient Alphabets and Hieroglyphic Characters Explained: by Ahmad ibn 'Alī Ibn Wahshīyah, translated by Joseph Hammer-Purgstall , 1806, 136 pages. Arabic and English.

This and That

Umberto Eco on Cusa/Lull

” The thought of Nicholas is rich in comological metaphors (or models) founded upon the image of the circle and the wheel, in which the names of the divine attributes (explicitly borrowed from Lull) form a circle where each supports and confirms the others. The influence of Lull is even more explicitly revealed when Nicholas notes that the names by which the Greeks, Latins, Turks and Saracens designate the divinity are either all in fundamental accord, or derive from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (see the sermon Dies sanctificatus).”

Umberto Eco, “The Search for the Perfect Language” 1994.

See: Tarot as Lullian Theorist

Fairfax L. Cartright, THE MYSTIC TOWER.

This intricate allegory is included in Fairfax Cartwright’s The Mystic Rose from the Garden of the King,” and is an essential text for the study of the tarot.

The Hermetic Code

Michael Hayes, author of: High Priests, Quantum Genes. Black Spring Press, 2004, has a powerful website that looks at the Hermetic Code through a cosmic lens. See: The Hermetic Code: A General Theory of just about Everything.

Also along similar lines at the Reality Sandwich website:

Music of the Quantum Lattice In the field of high-energy physics, a rapidly rising theory called “Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics” (Lattice QCD) proposes that an invisible, all-pervasive structure exists beneath atomic structure. As a long overdue replacement for the vacuous space-time continuum, we are now poised for a return to the ancient worldview of a musical universe described by Pythagorean harmonic science.

Michael Maier

A new book by Hereward Tilton on Michael Maier at the Isis Website:

Hereward Tilton. The Quest for the Phoenix: Spiritual Alchemy and Rosicrucianism in the Work of Count Michael Maier (1569-1622). (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 88.) Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2003.

Mike Dickman comments: Not that new and also incredibly expensive, it really is a useful book for anyone interested in the study of Maier, completely replacing the outdated info in both Craven and my own intro to the “Cantilenae Intellectuales”… If you can afford it, get it.

Power Points

“It was said that while Saint Benedict built on the mountain top, the Cistercian built in the valley; flowing water has always been an intrinsic key to the secret of Cistercian sites, not only was running water essential to the material needs of the monastery, but springs and rivers have been associated with magical powers since the dawn of time and in the Christian Tradition streams and wells were always dedicated to the Virgin, as were all Cistercian Abbey Churches.”

Harding, Fra William P. The Origins of The Order of The Temple of Solomon, R.I.L.K.O. Journal, 54, Spring/Summer 1999, p.10.

”All the sites of the cult of the virgin are at once haunted places with a long, mostly pre-Christian tradition. Deep under the churches of pilgrimage there are in most cases vast cavities, lodes of ore, radioactive springs, or hot or cold springs. Who discovered them, designated them, and ordered that temples should be built over them? And why? In order to prevent man’s graspingness from violating them, to keep these special places of the Earth untouched? We do not know.”

D. Z. Bor, Master Stonemasons and the Light of Divine Wisdom, In: Opus Magnum, Trigon, Prague, 1997, [267-271].

Samson & The Lion in the Tarot

September 7, 2007:

I agree totally with MARK FILIPAS in this quote:

The name of the eleventh letter kaph (KP) means the power to subdue, corresponding to the allegory of Strength. It is also the root of the word KPP, meaning to force, to conquer.The letterform suggests the gaping mouth of a beast, and some of the earliest decks (such as the Jean Noblet Tarot c. 1660) depict the lion’s mouth facing in the same direction as the letterform.In most of the images the interpretation has been that the mouth of the lion is being opened and/or closed.

Michael Maier says in Phoenix Redivivo: [The Songs of the Resurrection of the Phoenix.]

“The poets say that some fierce animals fell from the moon to the earth. Of these was that furious Lion, rising from the congealed foam of Diana, put to death by Hercules. The fables hide great truths. In this lion’s mouth is hidden a thing highly esteemed by sages. Who will conquer this lion? The strength and club of Hercules are required. Try to know this Lion. He is fed with celestial dew.”

The full title, in French, is: CANTILENÆ INTELLECTUALES DE PHOENICE REDIVIVO. In his recension, J.B. Craven writes: “This singular treatise was first printed at Rome in 1622,” the year that Maier died,” reprinted at Rostock in 1623, and “since then became very rare.” The French edition, the only one I have seen, is issued from Paris, 1758, and is taken from the Rostock edition. “The Songs of the Resurrection of the Phoenix, is translated into English by Mike Dickman.

To paraphrase: It is not only the fables, but also the Tarot which hides great truths. And what is hidden in the Mouth of the Lion?There are some clues. . . .

ICONOLOGY OF THE FORTITUDE CARDS, by Dr. Robert O’Neill

Peacham, Henry, Minerva Britanna, 1612, London. English Emblem Books, No. 5. Selected and Edited by John Horden, Scholar Press, 1969.

H.S.Beham. Series on The Twelve Labours of Hercules. Byzantine silk, Sens Cathedral, France, 8^th Cent. Shroud of St. Victor, Lion strangler, Gilgamesh Translated into Samson. BATTISTA FRANCO, Fortitudo and Patientia, engraving 16^th century. From Wittkower… Wenzel Bible, Prague 1387 – 1400. Cod. 2579-2764, Austrian National Library, Unterkircher Samson and the Lion Boucicaut Master & Workshop. French, Paris, about 1415. Tempera colors, gold leaf, & gold paint on parchment. MS. 63, FOL. 26V Botticelli, Sandro Fortitude1470. Tempera on panel. 167 x 87 cm. Uffizi, Florence Philip Galle - (Dutch 1537-1612). Samson Fighting the Lion. Engraving The Bedford Book of Hours was probably executed to celebrate the marriage of John, Duke of Bedford, Regent of English rule in Paris, to Anne, daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, in 1423. This minature shows Samuel I, XVII, 34-36.British Museum, Add. MS. 18850.Werboczi-Kolozsvar codice, Hungary. 1571 Albrecht Durer: Samson Rending the Lion Strength ‘La Forza’ from the Tarot Mitelli.

GIOTTO 1 and GIOTTO 2 OTHER 1 and OTHER 2 Columns are obviously associated to the death of Samson: From Tarot of the Bohemians, 1896. Marseilles Deck: From Tarot of the Bohemians

Pagan Mysteries

“Any attempt to penetrate the pagan mysteries of the Renaissance should perhaps begin with the admission that the term ‘mysteries’ has several meanings, and that these already tended to become blurred in antiquity, to the great enrichment and confusion of the subject.”

Edgar Wind, Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance.

I have always thought that this is one of the most delicious sentences, with which to start a book. What I love about this sentence is the proximity of the two seemingly opposed words enrichment and confusion. In fact, we are almost in the territory of the language which emanates out of Ven Trungpa Rinpoche, and in particular, the Shambhala Teachings. To lift Edgar Wind’s words, out of their context, may be unforgivable, but any explorations into the subject of the Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, is both enriching and confusing at the same time. Buddhism does not layer confusion with negative connotations - but sees it as a state in preparation for opening to the Teachings themselves. In fact, confusion has a metaphysical strategy of its own. The scaffold of logic that imprisons thought is loosened - and all manner of rich insights can, and do flood in, when we are confused. Naturally, confusion, would be Dionysian. One would have to search for confusion in The Bacchae of Euripides. A mother must be confused, if she tears her own son to pieces. The Hypnerotomachia Poliphilia of Francesco Colonna is the very essence of confusion, as it should be, set in a dream landscape, replete with surreal ruins. And yet it is this great Renaissance classic, that some of the most profound initiatory secrets of paganism, are released, in a contemporary setting. Of course, we would have to rewrite the use of the word pagan in the light of the work of James Hillman and Rafael Lopez-Pedraza. And the neo and post-Jungians in general. Then there are those unfortunate people who call themselves neo-pagans, who have really missed the boat completely. Or missed the goat! The word pagan itself, is very loaded, and is in need of a thorough, refreshing re-working. Signs of which are already in the air.

Samten de Wet.   Monday, 16 July 2001. From the Archives.

“Stay together, friends.
Don’t scatter and sleep.

Our friendship is made
of being awake.”

Jelaruddin Rumi

Great Burning Mountains

 “There is a Hindoo legend that the Lord of Time dwells on a transcendent mountain whose summit glows like a tongue of flame at sunset, and towards which the Seven Stars of the Great Bear turn their eyes. The Slav peasants, who have a fairy-tale about this crystal mountain, say that a fire burns without ceasing upon its summit. Around this fire sit twelve Great Beings - the twelve months - and in the centre of the flame is an aged man with long white beard and bald head. “Man,” said the Ancient of Days, addressing an inquisitive human visitor, “waste not thy life here; return to thy cottage; work, and live honestly. Take as many embers as thou wilt; we have more than we need.” Then having said theis he disappeared, and the twelve Beings filled a sack with embers, which they put on the poor man’s shoulders and advised him to hasten home. [Note1 - Slav tales, 7.]

Bayley, Harold, The Lost Language of Symbolism, Bracken Books, London, 1996, p.219.

A Buddhist Perspective on Garbage

Garbage can smell terrible, especially rotting organic matter. But it can also become rich compost for fertilizing the garden. The fragrant rose and the stinking garbage are two sides of the same existence. Without one, the other cannot be. Everything is in transformation. The rose that wilts after six days will become a part of the garbage. After six months the garbage is transformed into a rose. When we speak of impermanence, we understand that everything is in transformation. This becomes that, and that becomes this. Looking deeply, we can contemplate one thing and see everything else in it. We are not disturbed by change when we see the interconnectedness and continuity of all things. It is not that the life of any individual is permanent, but that life itself continues. –

 

Thich Nhat Hanh, in Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

From Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith