 |
| Famous occult / masons | |||
| The 'Tau' cross | |||
|
|
|||
 |
|
Famous occult / Masonic practitioners
It is vital to understand that the past interchange between Masonry and these various occult groups did not stop in the 18th century- if anything, it has grown more prominent in the past century.
There is something about the Lodge that has always attracted sorcerers. The list of occultists and witches in the last century who were Freemasons reads like a Who’s Who of 20th century occultist
• Arthur Edward Waite—occult writer and Masonic historian
• Dr. Wynn Westcott—member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and founding member of the occult Order of the Golden Dawn.
• S. L. MacGregor Mathers—co-founder of the Golden Dawn,
• Aleister Crowley—master satanist of this century and founder of the anti-christ religion of Thelema.
• Dr. Gerard Encaussé—(Papus) masterful author, teacher of the Tarot and leader of the occult Martinistes society.
• Dr. Theodore Reuss—head of the O.T.O., a German occult/satanic society which made Crowley its head for the British Isles.
• George Pickingill—the master warlock (male witch) of 19th century England, leader of the "Pickingill covens."
• Annie Besant—leader of the occult Theosophical society and Co-Masonic hierarch. (Yes, there are female Masons!)
• Alice Bailey—founder of the New Age organization, Lucis (formerly Lucifer) Trust
• Bishop C. W. Leadbetter—Theosophist, mentor to the failed New Age "Christ", Krishnamurti, and prelate in the occult Liberal Catholic Church.
• Manly P. Hall—Rosicrucian adept, author, founder of the Philosophical Research SocieW
• Gerald B. Gardner—founder of the modem Wiccan (white Witchcraft) revival.
• Alex Sanders—self-styled "King of the Witches" in London and one of the most influential leaders of Wicca after Gardner.
Extract from 'Masonry -beyond the light' by Wm.Schnoebelen.
These words are to be found only in witchcraft and freemasonry. In witchcraft they are used to seal and end the making and sending of a spell or curse and in freemasonry these words are used to seal and end a ritual which includes the degree curse.
Ritual similarities between contemporary Wicca and Freemasonry
A. Both are built on a foundational system of three degrees, with a few forms of Wicca offering some higher degrees after the third degree has been achieved. The Real Witches Handbook (page 96) confirms this. 'Both Gardnerians and Alexandrians practice the three degrees of initiation'
B. Both are secret societies in that both membership rolls are secret, and secrets are kept from the general populace (to a greater or lesser degree) by both religions. Both generally meet in secret, except for rare open and public events.
C. Both have highly ceremonial initiations to pass from one degree to another, including sworn oaths.
D. Both have ceremonial purging and purifications of their ritual space before commencing any ritual work.
E. The precise similarities between the two groups are that both groups
- Cause candidates to strip off secular clothing
- Cause the candidate to be divested of all metal
- Hoodwink (blindfold) the candidate and ceremonially tie ropes around him (though the form of the tying varies)
- Cause the candidate to stand in the Northeast corner of the 'temple' in the first degree
- Challenge the candidate by piercing their naked chest with a sharp instrument (witches use a sword, Masons, the point of a compass)
- Challenge the candidate with secret passwords
- Lead the candidate blindfolded in a circumambulation (walking around) of the temple; and
- Require the candidate to swear solemn oaths of secrecy before being given custody of the secrets of the group
- Both have a ceremonial unhoodwinking of the candidate, following the oath, before lighted candles, that is intended to bring 'illumination'
- Both convey to the new initiate the 'working tools' pertinent to that degree, and each of their uses are taught to them
- In both, the tools have correspondences both in the ceremonial realm and in similarities to human reproduction
- Both, in the higher degrees, take the initiate through a ritual death-and -rebirth experience in which the initiate acts the part of a hero (heroine) of the craft
- Both cause the candidate to endure (while being blindfolded) being picked up, spun around, carried around, being jostled or struck from person to person. this is supposed to produce an 'altered state of consciousness'
- Both Wicca and Freemasonry are by coincidence or design, both referred to as 'the Craft';
Extract from an article by William J. Schnoebelen entitled 'Freemasonry - the witchcraft connection' from The book 'The dark side of Freemasonry' edited by ed Decker
Freemasonry: The Devil's playground
Anton LaVey, the high priest of the church of satan states that "Masonic orders have contained the most influential men in many governments, and virtually every occult order has many Masonic roots"
- page 78 of 'The Satanic Rituals' by Aanton Szandor LaVey
A second branch follows on from mystical alchemy, with the founding of the Order of the Golden Dawn, contemporary with the College of Physic Studies, in London in 1887. Stories about the Golden dawn are legion. Its membership included MacGregor Mathers as well as the 'Great Beast' Aleister Crowley and the Irish Laureate W.B.Yeats, but aside from its instability on a level of personality, its serious aim was to create a structure for esoteric learning. These included the Cabbala, the Tarot and astrology as well as various rituals that are close to Freemasonry.
Page 41. Alchemy, the art of transformation' by Jay Ramsay
 |
The mark known as the 'mysterious triple Tau' is placed on the forehead
during the Holy Royal Arch ceremony referring to Ezekiel 9: 4
which reads
|
||
On page 241 of his book ' Freemasonry and the ancient gods', Masonic author J.S.M Ward wrote
|
|||
