Some parts of Europe have been tormented by a revolutionary exaltation, which secret societies nourish and propagate, by endeavouring chiefly to mislead the youth. These secret societies have been imported into France, and are come to soil this land of honour with their frightful oaths, their detestable plots, and their poniards—the arms worthy to second their projects. From their bosom have issued numerous emissaries, who, traversing the kingdom, have sought everywhere for support, or rather accomplices. These emissaries formed ties, which united these secret and criminal associations, and by their intervention all the correspondence took place.
- First page excerpt, from the Charbonnerie trial indictment at Colmar, July 1822
Order of Misraïm
Two of the six lodges during the Restoration that were openly hostile toward the Bourbons, were “Les Trinosophes” and “Les Sectateurs de Zoroastre.” The first was formed in 1815 by Jean-Marie Ragon de Bettignies (1781-1866), holder of a multitude of higher degrees and subsequently a prolific masonic writer; he was a member of l’Ordre de Misraïm, but had to renounce membership for the lodge to be recognized by the Grand Orient (Songhurst 101). (To this day, the rites of Memphis-Misraïm are considered fringe or clandestine and not officially acknowledged by most Grand Lodges.) The second, however, “Les Sectateurs de Zoroastre” [Zoroaster Cultists] was indeed a fully-fledged lodge of the Order of Misraïm, and directly tied to the rite’s founders — the Bédarride brothers (Clavel 259-61).
“You can become a Reiki master in three weekends.” –Lisa Oz, wife of Dr. Mehmet Oz
Perhaps it is not surprising Dr. Mehmet Oz, a key teacher in Rick Warren’s 52 week health-and-wellness Daniel Plan, has been influenced by occultist Emanuel Swedenborg. Although Swedenborg rejected the biblical Christ, and communed with familiar spirits, some of Swedenborg’s admirers have been culturally significant figures. At this point in his career, Dr. Mehmet Oz certainly qualifies as such.
Those who have either appreciated or followed Swedenborg’s theology have included Helen Keller, Johnny Appleseed, Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Carl Jung, Henry James Sr., the poet Robert Frost, and Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Swedenborg, who died in the 1700s, has been called the father of modern day spiritualism. It is likely Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson’s bondage to the spirit world began with his introduction to Swedenborg’s teachings. Despite erroneous claims he was a Christian, Wilson’s spirituality was one of seances, familiar spirits, and the Ouija board. [1]
N.B. Swedenborg has been idolized by esoteric adherents since the 18th century. Masons tried to incorporate his methods for communication with spirits (e.g. the Philalèthes, Swedenborgian Rite, and the Illuminés d’Avignon), while Swedenborgian “theosophy” influenced such figures as William Blake, Charles Baudelaire, Honoré de Balzac, the mystic “Illuminist” movement of the 19th century, as well as the Martinist and Rosicrucian traditions. Swedenborgian adherents have also been to be attracted to millenarianism as well as Sabbatianism, and the so-called New Thought movement is rife with his teachings.
THE billionaire Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, once met a leading mafia godfather to ask for protection, according to testimony gathered over several years by crime prosecutors.
Mafia informants claim the meeting took place in Milan in 1974, when Berlusconi was already a wealthy entrepreneur, at the offices of his property company. The informers say Berlusconi met Stefano Bontade, then one of the mafia’s most powerful bosses, because he feared for his family’s safety at a time when Italy was plagued by a wave of high-profile kidnappings.
Francesco Di Carlo, one of Bontade’s henchmen who is now in jail, told prosecutors that he was at the meeting. He claims Berlusconi asked for help to ensure that neither he nor his children would be abducted by other mafia clans.
According to the henchman’s testimony, Bontade gave his word that he would personally ensure Berlusconi’s safety. In return Berlusconi told the mafia godfather that he was “at his disposal, for anything”.
NB: Not to mention that Berlusconi was also a member of Gelli’s ‘rogue’ Masonic faction, P2. And for the deep connections between the Mafia and the Masons in Italy, see “Operation Hiram: Italian Freemasonry and the Mafia.”
ust finished reading Dan Brown’s latest. I don’t normally read fiction, but I read this just to stay in touch with the type of propaganda that is being disseminated.
This book is utterly ridiculous. It’s a great example of modern American kitsch. It takes all the sleazy ploys of American entertainment, and applies them to celebrate the lowliest aspect of modern civilization: secret societies, and all the pseudo-spiritual accoutrements of occultism.
This book takes an amazing turn however. It’s been at least 250 years since the occult underground has been concentrating their efforts on discrediting Christianity. It’s been consistent. Explore the teachings of occult philosophers, and you’ll find repeated and vociferous condemnations of the Christian religion. Brown’s last two works have been no different. Until now.
There’s a growing field of scholarly study devoted to unravelling Masonic, esoteric symbolism in architecture. James Stevens Curl is perhaps the authority on the subject with such works as The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry and The Egyptian Revival. And more recently, the obsessive investigations of Frank Albo on the Manitoba Legislature building have informed a wide audience on the notion that Freemason-architects have constructed buildings that not only incorporate hermetic/occult symbolism, but intended as “a type of initiatory theatre.”
In a similar vein, comes an offering by Lance Factor, Professor of Philosophy at Knox College - Chapel in the Sky: Knox College’s Old Main and Its Masonic Architect. In an article at the Knox College website, we read that the book, “released this month by Northern Illinois University Press, explores how in 1856 Old Main’s architect, Charles Ulricson, secretly incorporated symbols from Freemasonry into the main campus building of a fervently anti-Masonic institution.”
While Dan Brown looks for Masonic symbolism in Washington, DC, we journey through Masonic London, on a trail that takes in Isaac Newton and Jack the Ripper, St Paul’s Cathedral and Canary Wharf, conspiracy theories and occult forces…
David Hambling - November 2009
Dan Brown’s latest novel sends symbologist Robert Langdon on a new quest. Having previously tangled with the Priory of Sion and the Illuminati, this time he’s pursuing the Freemasons; and once again he must follow a treasure trail of clues hidden in the urban landscape. Dan Brown is notorious for his loose approach to historical fact, and accuracy takes second place to keeping the plot moving. His location is Washington, DC, a city with plenty of Masonic connections. But Brown might have done better to start at the roots of Freemasonry in the City of London.
The City of London, or Square Mile, is history and mythology made concrete, going right back to the celebrated London Stone itself. [1] Settlement here dates to pre-Roman times, but the biggest influence on the City as we know it today was the rebuilding project that took place after the Great Fire of 1666. This gave London much of its present form and introduced many of its greatest monuments. Unlike the previous random sprawl, which had grown up organically over centuries, the rebuilding was carried out according to a deliberate master plan. Some claim that it was simply an attempt to build on more orderly and ‘rational’ lines, but if we peel back the surface the esoteric, Masonic and even magical aspects of the City are revealed.
Philip Willan has been specialising in Italian parapolitics, working out of Rome for more than 20 years. He is the author of “Puppetmasters, The Political Use of Terrorism in Italy” and his latest book is called “The Last Supper, The mafia, the masons and the killing of Roberto Calvi“. Philp joins us to talk about The Mafia, the masons, The Vatican, the P2 Lodge, the Murder of Roberto Calvi, the Relationship Between Banco Ambrosiano, the Vatican and much more. Topics Discussed: Pope John Paul I, The Money changes, Robert Calvi, Banco Ambrosiano, Vatican Bank, Flavio Carboni, Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), PII lodge, Silvano Vito, Yugoslavia, Austria, Umberto Ortolani, Missing Brief Case, Vatican Right Wing Relationships with the Dictators, Rat Lines, Nazi’s, Adolf Eichmann, Klaus Barbie, Josef Mengele and many others, Who took care of Calvi when he came to England? The Mafia Connections, Calvi’s Murder Trial, Witnesses, Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra, the 5 suspects, bande Delimaniana, Ernesto Diotallevi, Silvano Vittor, Chelsea Cloisters, Calò, According to the Trial Calvi was Murdered, Blackfriars Bridge, Alberto Jaime Berti. You don’t want to miss hour two as we discuss more on Propaganda Due the P2 lodge, their grand master Licio Gelli, we’ll talk about Freemasons and the possible P2 membership of people within the Vatican. We also discuss the murder of Pope John Paul the 1st after only 33 days in office …what’s the message? We talk about the Swiss Connection, not only to Hans Kuntz but the Pontifical Swiss Guard of Vatican City. Is there any connection to the powerful financial force of Switzerland and the fact that they hold the World Economic Forum in Davos every year? We also discuss the card found on Roberto Calvi from the Law Firm “Slaughter and May”. We round things up talking about Operation Gladio and Opus Dei.
The beginnings of the Mystical 7, and most American college fraternities, can be traced to the influence of Freemasonry in early American society.
Freemasonic influence had peeked directly after the revolution, and a few Greek Letter societies, including Phi Beta Kappa at William and Mary in 1776, and Kappa Alpha at Union College in 1825, were formed in rough emulation of the Masonic structure.
The definitive “Cyclopaedia of Fraternities,” first published by Albert C. Stevens in 1907 contains a short, two-line entry: “The Mystical 7, which is now thought to be dead, was in some respects one of the most remarkable and most ambitious college societies in the country.”1 Confusion over whether the Mystical Seven Society is dead has continued for well over a century and controversy still exists as to what present-day organization represents its legitimate philosophical heir, with histories occasionally being re-interpreted and re-written to support competing claims. However the relevant fact that emerges from research is that the Mystical 7 played an active part in a number of the major philosophical and educational movements of the 19th century and spawned and influenced a number of organizations and societies, some of which continue to exist today. Records exist detailing the correspondences and inner workings of the society, but its larger historical and philosophical progression has never been objectively catalogued in any detail. It is this wider scope which I am trying to explore and I would therefore refer readers to my end notes, my bibliography, and the Wesleyan University Archives if they wish to research specific traditions and symbols within the normal functionings of the society.
An absolutely fascinating piece of subject matter has presented itself to me of recent days, the Céile Dé Priest Masons, or as they are better known, the Culdees. I will be looking further into them, a lot further, especially as I’ve received what is meant to be the sacred book of this priesthood; The Kolbrin. I’ll be posting more intensive, in depth articles on group in the future but I’ll go with a more free-flowing synch-spech format here. Expect errors that will be corrected in later, more exacting posts.
Consider the following etymological investigation for the Boaz-Over blog (the entire piece there is well worth a read. An eye opener for me on the possibilities for this subject), an article called “The Word Cowan (Part 2)…
Many so called secret societies figure in conspiracy theories as bodies, secretly ruling the world. But do you think some of these societies accomplished something really significant in reality? Or are they only ordinary groups of people with common interests who maybe sometimes delight in being seen in mysterious way?
The heyday of secret societies occurred during the 18th Century. We see the birth of Freemasonry-proper along with its enumerable offshoots or extensions, as well as the more socio-political variety represented by the Bavarian Illuminati. But, all of them - without exception - as you say - “delight[ed] in being seen in [a] mysterious way.”
The Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Criticism also gave birth to the modern conspiracy theory. And this is due, in large measure, to the very real machinations of the Bavarian Illuminati. When John Robison wrote Proofs of a Conspiracy in 1797; a more apt title there was not. Through defectors from the secret society itself to the confiscation of internal correspondences by the government, it was learned that the Illuminati’s sole raison d’être was infiltration and subversion – a conspiracy through-and-through. One did not need further “theorizing,” for the Illuminati was a concrete manifestation of everyone’s worst fears.
Tomorrow is the 233rd anniversary of the birth of the Order of the Illuminati in 1776. Their calendar was based upon the Zoroastrian religious calendar, commencing from the ascension to the throne of Yazdegerd III (1377 years ago), and is still in use today in Iran. (1377 and 233; posted at 7:44 pm? A synchromystic numerologist may have something to say about that.)
Adam Weishaupt had grand illusions about clothing the higher mysteries of his Order in fire worship. “The Order, in the higher grades, will be called again: the Cult of Fire, the Fire Order, or the Order of the Parsees,” he wrote to his disciple Cato-Zwack on 6 Pharavardin 1779. “The ultimate aim of the Order is for the Light [or Enlightenment] to blaze bright; we fight against the darkness; this is the Cult of Fire,” Weishaupt reiterated (Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordens, pp. 330-1).
As I wrote before (and a bit more in Perfectibilists): that May 1st was chosen as the date for instituting the Illuminati is a semiotic stroke genius.
In hindsight, it’s obvious that, for the Illuminati May 1st had significance as the day in which the “cult of fire” was/is celebrated throughout Europe and Britain as Walpurgisnacht and Beltane. I don’t think it is accident that they chose the date. I also don’t think it is accident for May Day to have become a sacred revolutionary holiday for socialists, communists and anarchists. The Illuminati were the forebears of these, and acknowledged as such by the likes of Louis Blanc, Buonarroti and his secret societies (the Sublimes Maîtres Parfaits, Adelphi and Philadelphes), Speshnev and the Petrashevsky circle, and no doubt the Spartacist League as well.
Want to see a who’s-who list of the most powerful people in American history? Check out the list of members in the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. Elluminati points out in a recent blog posting that 5 out of the past 6 Presidents are either PBK initiates or sons of one (including Obama).
And yes, PBK is a very high step in the Masonic pyramid, far above the Freemies.
Peter Grieg of the 24-7 Prayer Movement, an international, ecumenical movement laced with Gnostic, New-Age, and Contemplative spirituality, is reviving the 17th century Order of the Mustard Seed and encouraging members to take a lifelong vow of commitment. This commitment to the vows of the Order, are to be symbolized with a ring or tattoo. The Order of the Mustard seed, which was originally a secret order started by Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, is a long dormant Masonic Order. Greig says he was inspired to resurrect the order by the 18th century Moravian renewal and the life of Count Zinzendorf. In fact, many of those in the Apostolic and Prophetic Movement, who embrace a world-view by which they believe themselves God’s Champions, bringing Heaven to Earth, have a rabid fascination with Zinzendorf and the Moravians.
Why, are so many of the ministries that seek to “take” the world for Christ, enraptured by the Moravians and why do the Moravians wield this kind of influence over this “New Breed” of Christian “emerging” in today’s post modern church era? In order to understand the horrific significance of the resurrection of this Order and the overall draw of Zinzendorf’s Moravians, it is first imperative to understand the history of this movement and how it fits together with today’s stringent social and political agenda.
The full name of the secret society was the Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed. I’m reading a book right now by Marsha Schuchard called Why Mrs Blake Cried: William Blake and the Erotic Imagination - a book-length expansion of her earlier scholarly article. There’s some rare info on Zinzendorf, Swedenborg, William Blake and the Masonic Sabbatean-Kabbalistic (antinomian) milieu of the 18th Century. The Mustard Seed secret society is mentioned a few times, too.
“[The Bektashi] are even said to be affiliated to some of the French Masonic Lodges. One thing is certain; the order now consists almost exclusively of gentlemen of education, belonging to the Liberal, or Young Turk party.”
I’m not that familiar with the Bektashi Order, but it turns out that this politico-mystical secret society - directly or indirectly - was the inspiration behind the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Freemasons Dr. Walter M. Fleming, 33°, and William J. Florence, 32°, founded the Shriners in 1870. And in recounting the origins of their Order, Florence and Fleming corroborate the above statement by Richard Davey.
Mark Franchetti - March 14, 2010
Tomorrow is the 233rd anniversary of the birth of the Order of the Illuminati in 1776. 
I found a curious item the other day. At DeceptionBytes, Mishel wrote a post titled ‘
PERFECTIBILISTS: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati
The Ascendancy of the Scientific Dictatorship
Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism
Fire in the Minds of Men: Origins of the Revolutionary Faith
America's Secret Establishment: An Introduction to the Order of Skull & Bones