Part II Secret Societies
In all
likelihood, they had been formed in France years before, although I have new
evidence placing their creation further back in time than even I had ever
imagined (see The Ark, the Shroud, and Mary).
Soon the great cathedral-building period arrives across Europe with the newfound architectural “secrets” discovered by the crusaders.
This newfound knowledge may very well have come from some of the discoveries made by the Templars, especially when we consider that the man responsible for energizing the building program was none other than St. Bernard. Bernard gave the Order of the Knights Templar their rules and was related, by blood, to various members.
He was also
indicated in the propaganda of the Arthurian and Grail literature we have
already learned so much about.
Tull also tells us of how some of these relics entered Britain:
In Surrey, the Templars held land known then as Temple Elfold with 192 acres of arable land.
Here again, in 1308 there was mention of a grail and a
chalice. It is obvious that part of the wealth of the Templars came from the
propaganda tools of the medieval reliquary business, proving their business
acumen and their ability to root out those tools. They were also
instrumental in spreading the cult of St. George, especially when we
consider that they knew of his shrine in Lydda.
The serpent rules the tribes:
Many people believe that
quite a few of the Templars and their secrets escaped to Scotland, and the
dawning of a new age of Freemasonry emerged in later years - thought to be
directly from the Templars.
Many, though, now believe that these were the famous Knights
Templar, who had taken root in Scotland and hidden away from Catholic
tyranny. Strangely, immediately after the battle, Robert the Bruce, the new
Scottish king, rewards the Sinclair family with lands near Edinburgh and Pentland, the very same lands associated with hundreds of Templar graves,
sites, symbols, and much more, such as Balantrodoch (a temple).
Strangely, they did not harm the old Templar buildings, but turned their attentions on those of the Catholic Church. In one instance, they actually carried things out of a Templar church in London to burn the items in the street, rather than damage the building. It may be that this uprising was a natural incident, or it may be that it was inspired by the actions of a hidden and now secret society of the Templars - hidden because of the new Catholic hatred towards them.
If it
is the case that the Templars did indeed inspire this revolt, then, even
though they were not successful, they tried again 100 years later, and
forced the Reformation. It was around this period (15th century) that the
first records of Scottish and York Masonic meetings appear.
This was purely a tactical device in warfare - although there may be some truth in believing that it has origin in the “balance” hypothesis of the “twins.”
The Templar
cross is equally seen in many Sumerian images normally associated with an
upturned crescent moon. The Fleur de Lys is also a common image, as well as
bees, which were common also to the Merovingians. The pentagram is also seen
in the images of both, and symbolized the essence of the Merovingians as the
“Shining Ones.”
What could this mean? That the head of the Order of the Templars saw himself as the chief of the serpents? And what was another name for the head serpent? Pendragon!
In essence, the Master of the Templars was
therefore not only by literary means including the Templars as the knights
who would protect the Grail, but also himself as Arthur and vice versa.
What other ancient secrets did they collect?
Rene d’Anjou was keenly aware of and interested in many things occult. He led a search for new (old) hermetic texts. The Cross of Lorraine was taken on by Rene, and, subsequently, by Marie de Guise, the wife of James Stuart V (parents of Mary Queen of Scots), for its occult symbolism. This occult symbolism showed the cross to be representative of poison.
Proof of this meaning comes also from the fact that it became an icon used by chemists (originally alchemists) on the bottles of poisonous substances. The idea is hidden in the duality. Why would monarchs and Templars use a sign for poison, if that poison did not have an opposite side? That of cure!
Later on in the early 20th century, Aleister Crowley, the arch Magus and self-proclaimed British Alchemist, would assign this very same symbol as the Sigil of Baphomet - the Templars’ own icon of adoration.
The Cross of Lorraine is also thought to be a sign of secrets; a sign of the Angelic Race, which came down and posited wisdom and the secrets of immortality upon the Royal Bloodline. According to Boyd Rice it is “a sigil of that Royal Secret, the doctrine of the Forgotten Ones.” And for this reason it seems peculiar that in the 1940s Charles de Gaulle should make it the official symbol of the French Resistance.
Of course we
now know that these “angelic” beings were Elohim/Shining Ones or Watchers,
and that the underground stream of knowledge from these, right up to the
medieval period and probably beyond, is derived from Sumeria.
Some said it was a man’s head, but others a woman’s head. Some said that it was bearded, others nonbearded. Some presumed that it was made from glass and that it had two faces.
This general mixing of ideas shows where the idea
of the head could have come from. That it was a man’s head or a woman’s,
indicates its “dual nature” - and much like the ancient Celtic heads, it
would incline me to the opinion that it emerged from part of the supposed
ancient head cult.
It was apparently
called Caput 58 (Caput meaning “Head”), indicating that there may have been
possibly hundreds of them. There are also strong links with Islam at this
time; links that the Templars should probably not have made in their
supposedly Christian world.
The Baphoment being a device for the Gnostic tradition
or belief of being “submerged in wisdom,” is associated with the concept of
the Sophia or wisdom goddess.
Even Christians adorn themselves with the image, thinking it
to be a normal cross. And yet the significance of the symbolism implied by
this seemingly unobtrusive little object is very profound.
The symbol is often depicted being held by a god to a Pharaoh, giving him life, or held out by a Pharaoh to his people, giving them life - this basically set aside the immortals, from the mortals, for anyone wearing or carrying the ankh had gained or hoped to gain immortality. Those holding the ankh were the great magicians, the ones capable of altering reality.
They had the power of the Otherworld through the device, which symbolized the access to the Otherworld. So, what elements of this ankh give it this special power?
The ankh is technically known as the Crux Ansata.
It is a simple T-cross,
surmounted by an oval - called the Ru. The Ru is often seen as the portal or
gateway to another dimension such as heaven - in essence, the Otherworld.
The ankh therefore becomes the symbol of transition from one plane to
another. It outlived Egyptian domination and was widely used by the
Christians as their first cross, but in this symbol holds a clue to the
secret of the serpent.
Sanchoniathon
called him a god and says that he made the first image of Coelus 1 and
invented hieroglyphs. This links him with Hermes, whom I mentioned
previously. Thoth also consecrated the linked species of dragons and
serpents; and the Phoenicians and Egyptians followed him in this
superstition.
He was the prototype for the serpent-linked healer, Aesculapius,
and identified with Mercury, who bore the serpent-entwined caduceus: All
healers, all wise, all teachers, all saviors, and all associated with the
serpent for their powers. Indeed, it was as the healing god that Thoth was
symbolized as the serpent - he was normally represented with the head of an
ibis and baboon.
We shall soon discover that the
Nazis themselves began life as a secret society.
It also shows up in the spiral fashions of the labyrinths and mazes. The word labyrinth comes directly from the ancient Minoan Snake Goddess culture of Crete, where the swastika was used as a symbol of the labyrinth and is linked etymologically with the “double headed axe” - which is none other than the Tau cross. Similar labyrinthine swastikas have been found in the ancient city of Harappa from 2000 B.C.
As the labyrinth is viewed as a womb of the Mother Goddess, and a symbol of the snake, there is little wonder that these two symbols became fused. However, labyrinths were also seen as places of ancient serpent initiation. In ancient Egypt, the labyrinth was synonymous with what was called the Amenti - the snake-like path taken by the dead to journey from death to resurrection.
It was Isis, the serpent queen of heaven, who was to guide the souls through the twists of the Amenti.
The path towards the center leads
towards treasure.
As Thor’s hammer was also seen as a Tau cross, it is certainly related to the secrets of the serpent. It was used by Thor to lop off the head of the sacred ox, which he used as bait to catch the Midgard Serpent, which encircled the globe in the symbol of the Ouroboros, eating its own tail. This was Thor offering a head as sacrifice to the serpent to try to gain immortality in the mead - the drink of the gods.
He was using the serpent to
catch the serpent. It was the cessation of the constant cycling of the Midgard Serpent that Thor attempted and, in this way, he beat time itself.
The swastika of the
serpent is a common motif in both Hindu and Scandinavian cultures.
Eventually, the Christians steal both Pagan myths and place St. Michael and
St. George in their place - both having the red serpent cross to replace the
swastika.
Indeed Philo adds that the Phoenician letters,
If Thoth,
Hermes, and even Enoch are the supposed inventors of the art of writing,
then there is little wonder that they are so closely linked with the
serpent.
This symbol of the four elements was altered slightly and
became the Egyptian Taut, the same as the Greek Tau, which is where we get
the name Tau cross from - a simple T.
It is especially important in Royal Arch Masonry where it becomes the “Companions Jewel”:
It was also the symbol for St. Anthony - later to become the symbol for the Knights Templar of St. Anthony of Leith in Scotland.
St. Anthony lived in the 4th century A.D. and is credited with establishing Monasticism in Egypt, and the story goes that he sold all his possessions after hearing from the Lord and marched off into the wilderness to become a hermit. On his travels, he learned much from various sages in Egypt and grew for himself a large following. He was sorely tempted by the devil in the form of “creeping things” and serpents.
In one episode, he follows a trail of gold to a
temple, which is infested with serpents, and takes up residence, needing
little food for sustenance other than bread and water. He is said to have
lived 105 years, and due to this longevity he is credited with protective
powers.
The
truth, in fact, is that the secrets of these stories found their way to
Alexandria, which was a mixing bowl of the occult, esoteric, Gnostics and
mystical world, and from there it spread into Europe via such movements as
the Templars, Rosicrucians, and later the Freemasons - hence the reason for
finding the symbolism in the “Companions Jewel.”
This loop above the T-cross created the ankh, the
symbol of eternity. The snake in a circle eating its own tale is symbolic of
the sun and immortality.
The early Christians baptized with the term “crucis thaumate notare.” 3
They
baptized with the symbol of the snake.
This remarkable idea of wearing the Tau cross on the shoulder as a sign would later become part and parcel of the crusader Templars’ markings.
Also, the Merovingians (said by some to be descended from Jesus and a sea serpent or fish god - the Quinotaur or Quino-Tau-r) were supposedly born with a red cross between their shoulder blades.
The Tau cross is also strangely used by
those practicing sacred geometry as a “marker” for buried treasure, whether
physical or spiritual.
Sacred geometry at play upon this Masonic tomb in St. Peter’s, Rome This buried treasure is truly the center, the point in our minds and hearts where we find the original self.
This original center (heart means center) was seen to be connected to the Universal Mind, and only by accessing this center of ourselves could we access the Universal Mind or God. This in turn stops time, we become one with all, and we believe we are immortal.
The Tau marks this place, either on the forehead or in the chest (between the shoulders), revealing to others those who can access the point in time where God resides.
The word temple from whence Templar derives has another meaning: tempos simply means “time.” The true temple is that place that has power over the cycling energy of the serpent.
The true temple, like the one
on our brow, is within us.
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