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 Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets "A" |
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Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets
Abraham, The Jew: (Alchemist and magician, circa, 1400).
Comparatively few biographical facts are forthcoming concerning
this German Jew, who was at once alchemist, magician and
philosopher; and these few facts are mostly derived from a very
curious manuscript, now domiciled in the Archives of the
Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, Paris, an institution rich in occult
documents. This manuscript is couched throughout in French, but
purports to be literally translated from Hebrew, and the style of the
handwriting indicates that the scribe lived at the beginning of the
eighteenth century, or possibly somewhat earlier.
A distinct illiteracy characterises the French script, the
punctuation being inaccurate, indeed frequently conspicuous by
its absence, but an actual description of the document must be
waived till later. Abraham was probably a native of Mayence,
having come thence after the exile of the Jews from Spain, and
appears to have been born in 1362. We find that his father, Simon
by name, was something of a seer and magician, and that the boy
accordingly commenced his occult studies under the parental
guidance, while at a later date he studied under one, Moses, whom
he himself describes as " indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant
of The True Mystery, and of The Veritable Magic."
Leaving this preceptor, Abraham decided to glean knowledge by
travelling, and along with a friend called Samuel, a Bohemian, by
birth, he wandered through Austria and Hungary into Greece, and
thence penetrated to Constantinople, where he remained fully two
years. He is found next in Arabia, in those days a veritable centre
of mystic learning; and from Arabia he went to Palestine, whence
betimes he proceeded to Egypt. Here he had the good fortune to
make the acquaintance of Abra Melin, the famous Egyptian
philosopher, who, besides entrusting to him certain documents,
confided in him by word of mouth a number of invaluable secrets;
and armed thus, Abraham left Egypt for Europe, where eventually
he settled in Germany, some say at Wurzburg, but better
authorities posit Frankfurt.
Soon he was deep in alchemistic researches, but these did not
prevent him from espousing a wife, who appears to have been his
cousin Matilde Stein; and by her he had three daughters and also
two sons, the elder named Joseph and the younger Lamech.
He took great pains to instruct both of them in occul affairs, while,
on each of his three daughters, he settled a dowry of a hundred
thousand golden florins. This considerable sum, together with
other vast wealth, he claim to have gained by travelling as an
alchemist; and whateve the truth of this statement, he certainly
won great fame being summoned to perform acts of magic before
man rich and influential people, notably the Emperor Sigismun of
Germanv, the Bishop of Wurzburg, King Henry VI. of England, the
Duke of Bavaria, and Pope John XXIII
The remainder of Abraham's career is shrouded in mystery while
even the date of his death is uncertain, but it i commonly supposed
to have occurred about 1460. The curious manuscript cited above,
and from which the foregoing facts have been culled, is entitled
The Book the, Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by
Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech. The volume was translated
around 1899 by one of the founders of the modern British Golden
Dawn, and long time Imperator of its Paris Lodge, MacGregor
(Samuel Liddell) Mathers.
This title, however, is rather misleading, and not strictly accurate,
for Abra-Melin ha absolutely no hand in the opening part of the
work this consisting of some account of Abraham's youth and early
travels in search of wisdom, along with advice to the young man
aspiring to become skilled in occult arts. The second part, on the
other hand, is base on the documents which the Egyptian sage
handed the Jew, or at least on the confidences wherewith the
former favoured the latter; and it may be fairly accurately defined
as dealing with the first principles of magic in general, the titles of
some of the more important chapter being as follows: " How Many,
and what are the Classe of Veritable Magic ? " - What we Ought to
Take int Consideration before the Undertaking of the Operation, "
Concerning the Convocation of the Spirits, " and " I what Manner
we ought to Carry out the Operations.
Passing to the third and last part, this likewise is most derived
straight from Abra-Melin; and here the author eschewing
theoretical matter as far as possible, gives information about the
actual practice of magic. In the first place he tells how " To
procure divers Visions, - How one may retain the Familiar Spirits,
bound or free in whatsoever form, " and how " To excite Tempests,
while in one chapter he treats of raising the dead, anoth he devotes
to the topic of transforming oneself into " dive shapes and forms, "
and in further pages he descants o flying in the air, on demolishing
buildings, on discovering thefts, and on walking under the water.
Then he dilates o the Thaumaturgic healing of leprosy, dropsy,
paralysis and various more common ailments such as fever and se
sickness, while he offers intelligence on - How to be b loved by a
Woman, " and this he supplements by direction for commanding
the favour of popes, emperors, and oth influential people.
Finally, he reverts to the question summoning visions, and his
penultimate chapter is titled, " How to cause Armed Men to
Appear, " while the concluding pages treat of evoking " Comedies,
Opera and all kinds of Music and Dances." It is by employing
Kabalistic squares of letters that a these things are to be achieved,
or at least, almost all them, and lack of space makes it impossible
to deal with the many different signs of this sort, whose use he
counsels.
It should be said, in justice to the author that he manifests little
selfishness, and seems to have striven after success in his craft
with a view to using for the benefit of mankind in general. His
writings are besides, a firm belief in that higher self existing in
man, and a keen desire to develop it.
Abraxas: (or Abracax). The Basilidian (q.v., ) sect Gnostics, of the
second century, claimed Abraxas as the supreme god, and said
that Jesus Christ was only a phantom sent to earth by him. They
believed that his name contained great mysteries, as it was
composed of the se Greek letters which form the number 363,
which is also number of days in a year. Abraxas, they thought,
under his command 365 gods, to whom they attrib 365 virtues, one
for each day. The older Mythology placed him among the number
of Egyptian gods, demonologists have described him a - a demon,
with head of a king and with serpents forming his feet.
Represented on ancient amulets, with a whip in his. It is from his
name that the mystic word, Abracad (q.v.) is taken.
Adepts: Adepts are men who after stern self-denial and by means
of consistent self-development, have fitted themselves to assist in
the ruling of the world. The means by which this position is
attained is said to be long and arduous, but in the end the
Successful one has fulfilled the purpose for which he was created
and transcends his fellows. The activities of Adepts are
multifarious, being concerned with the direction and guidance of
the activities of the rest of mankind. Their knowledge, like their
powers, say Theosophists, far exceeds that of man, and they can
control forces both in the spiritual and the physical realm, and are
said to be able to prolong their lives for centuries.
They are also known as the Great White Brotherhood, Great
Hermetic Order, Rishis, Rahats, or Mahatmas. Those who
earnestly desire to work for the betterment of the world may
become apprentices or chelas to Adepts, in which case the latter
are known as " masters, " but the apprentice must first have
practised self-denial and self-development in order to become
sufficiently worthy. The master imparts teaching and wisdom
otherwise unattainable, and helps the apprentice by communion
and inspiration. Madame Blavatsky (q.v.) alleged that she was the
apprentice of these masters, and claimed that they dwelt in the
Tibetan Mountains. The term Adept was also employed by
mediaeval magicians and alchemists to denote a master of their
sciences.
Adhab-Algal: The Mohammedan purgatory, where the wicked are
tormented by the dark angels Munkir and Nekir.
Adjuration: A formula of exorcism by which the evil spirit is
commanded, in the name of God, to do or say what the exorcist
requires of him.
Adonai: A Hebrew word signifying " the Lord, " and used by the
Hebrews when speaking or writing of Jehovah, the awful and
ineffable name of the God of Israel. The Jews entertained the
deepest awe for this incommunicable and mysterious name, and
this feeling led them to avoid pronouncing it and to the substitution
of the word Adonai for " Jehovah " in their sacred text. This custom
still prevails among the Jews, who attribute to the pronouncement
of the Holy Name the power of working miracles. The Jehovah of
the Israelites was their invisible protector and king, and no image
of him was made. He was worshipped according to his
commandments, with an observance of the ritual instituted through
Moses. The term " Jehovah " means. the revealed Absolute Deity, e
Manifest, Only, Personal, Holy Creator and Redeemer.
Adoptive Masonry: Masonic societies which adopt women as
members. Early in the eighteenth century such societies were
established in France, and Speedily spread to other countries. One
of the first to "adopt" women were the Mopses. The Felicitaries
existed in 1742. The Fendeurs or Woodcutters were instituted in
1763 by Bauchaine, Master of a Parisian Lodge. It was modelled
on the Carbonari, and its popularity led to the establishment of
other lodges, notably the Fidelity, the Hatchet, etc. In 1774 the
Grand Orient in Lodge of France established a system of degrees
called the Rite of Adoption, and elected the Duchess of Bourbon as
Grand Mistress of France.
The rite has been generally adopted into Freemasonry, and various
degrees added from time to time, to the number of about twelve in
all. Latin and Greek mysteries were added to the rite by the
Ladies' Hospitallers of Mount Tabor. The greatest ladies in France
joined the French lodges of adoption. The Rite of Mizraim created
lodges for both sexes in 1818, 1821, 1838 and 1853, and the Rite
of Memphis in 1839. America founded the Rite of the Eastern Star
in five points. In these systems admission is generally confined to
the female relations of Masons. The Order of the Eastern Star and
that of Adoptive Masonry were attempted in Scotland, but without
success.
Agathodemon: A good demon, worshipped by the Egyptians under
the shape of a serpent with a human head. The dragons or flying
serpents venerated by the ancients were also called
Agathodemons, or good genies.
Agla: A kabalistic word used by the rabbis for the exorcisms of the
evil spirit. It is made up of the initial letters of the Hebrew words,
Athah gabor leolam, Ado-nai, meaning, " Thou art powerful and
eternal, Lord." Not only among the Jews was this word employed,
but among the more superstitious Christians it was a favourite
weapon with which to combat the evil one, even so late as the
sixteenth century. It is also to be found in many books on magic,
notablv in the Enchiridion of Pope Leo III.
Agrippa von Nettesheim, Henry Cornelius (1486-1535): Cornelius
Agrippa - A German soldier and physician, and an adept in
alchemy, astrology and magic. He was born at Cologne on the 14th
of September, 1486, and educated at the University of Cologne.
While still a youth he served under Maximilian 1. of Germany. In
the early 16th century he lectured at the University of Dole, but a
charge of heresy brought against him by a monk named Catilinet
compelled him to leave Dole, and he resumed his former
occupation of soldier. In the following year he was sent on a
diplomatic mission to England, and on his return followed
Maximilian to Italy, where he passed seven years, now serving one
noble patron, now another. Thereafter he held a post at Metz,
returned to Cologne, practised medicine at Geneva, and was
appointed physician to Louise of Savoy, mother of Francis 1.; but,
on being given some task which he found irksome, he left the
service of his patroness and denounced her bitterly.
He then accepted a post offered him by Margaret, Duchess of
Savoy, Regent of the Netherlands. On her death he repaired to
Cologne and Bonn, and thence to France, where he was arrested
for some slighting mention of the Queen Mother, Louise of Savoy.
He was soon released, however, and died at Grenoble in 1535.
Agrippa was a man of great talent and varied attainments. He was
acquainted with eight languages, and was evidently a physician of
no mean ability, as well as a soldier and a theologian. He had,
moreover, many noble patrons. Yet, notwithstanding these
advantages, he never seemed to be free from misfortune;
persecution and financial difficulties dogged his footsteps, and in
Brussels he suffered imprisonment for debt.
He himself was in a measure responsible for his. troubles. He was,
in fact, an adept in the gentle art of making enemies, and the
persecution of the monks with whom he frequently came into
conflict was bitter and increasing. His principal works were a
defence of magic, entitled De occulta philosophia, which was not
published until 1531, though it was written some twenty years
earlier, and a satirical attack on the scientific pretensions of his
day, De incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum et Artium atque
Excellentia Verbi Dei Declamatio, also published at Antwerp in
1531.
Ahnernerbe, S.S. – Reich Ancestral Heritage Office: Unlike other
states in which Occultists are accorded little respect, Nazi
Germany has made certain occult operations a part of the state,
while repressing others with strict brutality. The S.S. itself has a
network of Thule Society ritual which replaces Christian religion
for S.S. Officers. Based in Old Prussian Paganism, with Nordic
colorings, the S.S. has its own rites, festivals, rituals and burial
customs. The “spiritual center” of the S.S. – dedicated entirely to
the development of these and other public rituals, is the Ancestral
Heritage Office.
Reichsfuhrer S.S., Himmler, is an avid student of the occult. An SS
occult research department, the Ahnernerbe (Ancestral Heritage)
was established in 1935 with SS Colonel Wolfram von Sievers at
its head. Occult research took SS researchers as far afield as Tibet.
As soon as the Nazi movement had sufficient funds, it began to
organize a number of expeditions to Tibet and these succeeded one
another practically without interruption through the present day. It
is conjectured that the Nazis wish to find Shambala, an ancient
center of power which is said to be accessible through hidden
tunnels in Tibet.
The strongest influence on Hitler in this regard was Dietrich
Eckart (1868-1923). Most biographers have underestimated the
influence that Eckart exerted on Hitler. He was the wealthy
publisher and editor-in-chief of an anti-semitic journal which he
called In Plain German. Eckart was also a committed occultist and
a master of magic. As an initiate, Eckart belonged to the inner
circle of the Thule Society as well as other esoteric orders.
There can be no doubt that Eckart - who had been alerted to Hitler
by other Thulists - trained Hitler in techniques of self confidence,
self projection, persuasive oratory, body language and discursive
sophistry. With these tools, in a short period of time he was able to
move the obscure workers party from the club and beer hall
atmosphere to a mass movement. The emotion charged lay speaker
became an expert orator, capable of mesmerizing a vast audience.
One should not underestimate occultism's influence on Hitler. His
subsequent rejection of Free Masons and esoteric movements, of
Theosophy, of Anthrosophy, does not necessarily mean otherwise.
Occult circles have long been known as covers for espionage and
influence peddling.
Akashic Record: the idea that all of the experiences and memories
of every living being are contained in the substance of the ether.
Advanced magicians develop the ability to recover details of past
events by "reading the Akashic Records."
Akiba: A Jewish rabbi of the first century, who, from being a
simple shepherd, became a learned scholar, spurred by the hope of
winning the hand of a young lady he greatly admired. The Jews say
that he was taught by the elemental spirits, that he was a conjurer,
and that, in his best days, he had as many as 24, 000 disciples. He
is said to be the author of a famous work, entitled, Yelzirah (q.v.,
On the Creation), which is by some ascribed to Abraham, and even
to Adam. It was first printed at Paris in 1552. The historic Akiba
was a formative influence on Judaism during the post-Diaspora
period.
Albagensianism: A neo-Manichæan (Gnostic) sect that flourished
in southern France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Among
recent historians there is a pronounced tendency to look upon the
Cathari as the lineal descendants of the Manichæans. The
doctrine, organization, and liturgy of the former, in many points,
reproduce the doctrine, organization, and liturgy of the early
disciples of Manes. The successive appearance of the
Priscillianists, the Paulicians, and the Bogomili, representatives to
some extent of similar principles, fairly establishes the historical
continuity between the two extreme links of the chain -- the
Manichæans of the third, and the Cathari of the eleventh, century.
The Albigensians may also have some relation to the Arian Heresy,
which flourished in southern France in the fifth century, before it
was repressed by the Frankish King Clovis, the leader of the
Merovingian Dynasty. The Arians denied that Jesus was divine.
The name Albigenses, given to the Southern French sect by the
Council of Tours (1163) prevailed towards the end of the twelfth
century and was for a long time applied to all the heretics of the
south of France. They were also called Catharists (katharos, pure),
though in reality they were only a branch of the Catharistic
movement. The rise and spread of the new doctrine in southern
France was favoured by various circumstances, among which may
be mentioned: the fascination exercised by the readily-grasped
dualistic principle; the remnant of Jewish and Mohammedan
doctrinal elements; the wealth, leisure, and imaginative mind of
the inhabitants of Languedoc; their contempt for the Catholic
clergy, caused by the ignorance and the worldly, too frequently
scandalous, lives of the latter; the protection of an overwhelming
majority of the nobility, and the intimate local blending of national
aspirations and religious sentiment.
What the Albigensians are supposed to have believed
Relatively little is known about the Albigensian beliefs, since the
sect was repressed, and most evidence destroyed. What is known
largely comes from their opponents. However some picture can be
drawn.
The Albigenses asserted the co-existence of two mutually opposed
principles, one good, the other evil. The former is the creator of the
spiritual, the latter of the material world. The bad principle is the
source of all evil; natural phenomena, either ordinary like the
growth of plants, or extraordinary as earthquakes, likewise oral
disorders (war), must be attributed to him. He created the human
body and is the author of sin, which springs from matter and not
from the spirit. The Old Testament must be either partly or
entirely ascribed to him; whereas the New Testament is the
revelation of the beneficent God. The latter is the creator of
human souls, which the bad principle imprisoned in material
bodies after he had deceived them into leaving the kingdom of
light. This earth is a place of punishment, the only hell that exists
for the human soul.
Punishment, however, is not everlasting; for all souls, being
Divine in nature, must eventually be liberated. To accomplish this
deliverance God sent upon earth Jesus Christ, who, although very
perfect, like the Holy Ghost, is still a mere creature. The
Redeemer could not take on a genuine human body, because he
would thereby have come under the control of the evil principle.
His body was, therefore, of celestial essence, and with it He
penetrated the ear of Mary. It was only apparently that He was
born from her and only apparently that He suffered. His
redemption was not operative, but solely instructive. To enjoy its
benefits, one must become a member of the Church of Christ (the
Albigenses). Here below, it is not the Catholic sacraments but the
peculiar ceremony of the Albigenses known as the
consolamentum, or "consolation," that purifies the soul from all sin
and ensures its immediate return to heaven. The resurrection of
the body will not take place, since by its nature all flesh is evil.
The dualism of the Albigenses was also the basis of their moral
teaching. Man, they taught, is a living contradiction. Hence, the
liberation of the soul from its captivity in the body is the true end
of our being. To attain this, suicide is commendable; it was
customary among them in the form of the endura (starvation). The
extinction of bodily life on the largest scale consistent with human
existence is also a perfect aim. As generation propagates the
slavery of the soul to the body, perpetual chastity should be
practiced. Matrimonial intercourse is unlawful; concubinage, being
of a less permanent nature, is preferable to marriage.
Abandonment of his wife by the husband, or vice versa, is
desirable. Generation was abhorred by the Albigenses even in the
animal kingdom. Consequently, abstention from all animal food,
except fish, was enjoined. Their belief in metempsychosis, or the
transmigration of souls, the result of their logical rejection of
purgatory, furnishes another explanation for the same abstinence.
To this practice they added long and rigorous fasts. The necessity
of absolute fidelity to the sect was strongly inculcated. War and
capital punishment were absolutely condemned.
History of the Albigensian Heresy
The contact of Christianity with the Oriental mind and Oriental
religions had produced several sects (Gnostics, Manichæans,
Paulicians, Bogomilae) whose doctrines were akin to the tenets of
the Albigenses. But the historical connection between the new
heretics and their predecessors cannot be clearly traced. In
France, where they were probably introduced by a woman from
Italy, the Neo-Manichæan doctrines were secretly diffused for
several years before they appeared, almost simultaneously, near
Toulouse and at the Synod of Orléans (1022). Those who proposed
them were even made to suffer the extreme penalty of death. The
Council of Arras (1025), Charroux, Dep. of Vienne (c. 1028), and
of Reims (1049) had to deal with the heresy. At that of Beauvais
(1114) the case of Neo-Manichæans in the Diocese of Soissons
was brought up, but was referred to the council shortly to be held
in the latter city. Petrobrusianism now familiarized the South with
some of the tenets of the Albigenses. Its condemnation by the
Council of Toulouse (1119) did not prevent the evil from
spreading. Pope Eugene III (1145-53) sent a legate, Cardinal
Alberic of Ostia, to Languedoc (1145), and St. Bernard seconded
the legate's efforts. But their preaching produced no lasting effect.
The Council of Reims (1148) excommunicated the protectors "of
the heretics of Gascony and Provence." That of Tours (1163)
decreed that the Albigenses should be imprisoned and their
property confiscated. A religious disputation was held (1165) at
Lombez, with the usual unsatisfactory result of such conferences.
Two years later, the Albigenses held a general council at
Toulouse, their chief centre of activity. The Cardinal-Legate Peter
made another attempt at peaceful settlement (1178), but he was
received with derision. The Third General Council of the Lateran
(1179) renewed the previous severe measures and issued a
summons to use force against the heretics, who were plundering
and devastating Albi, Toulouse, and the vicinity. At the death
(1194) of the Catholic Count of Toulouse, Raymond V, his
succession fell to Raymond VI (1194-1222) who favoured the
heresy.
With the accession of Innocent III (1198) the work of conversion
and repression was taken up vigorously. In 1205-6 three events
augured well for the success of the efforts made in that direction.
Raymond VI, in face of the threatening military operations urged
by Innocent against him, promised under oath to banish the
dissidents from his dominions. The monk Fulco of Marseilles,
formerly a troubadour, now became Archbishop of Toulouse
(1205-31). Two Spaniards, Diego, Bishop of Osma and his
companion, Dominic Guzman (St. Dominic), returning from Rome,
visited the papal legates at Montpellier. By their advice, the
excessive outward splendour of Catholic preachers, which offended
the heretics, was replaced by apostolical austerity. Religious
disputations were renewed. St. Dominic, perceiving the great
advantages derived by his opponents from the cooperation of
women, founded (1206) at Pouille near Carcassonne a religious
congregation for women, whose object was the education of the
poorer girls of the nobility. Not long after this he laid the
foundation of the Dominican Order. Innocent III, in view of the
immense spread of the heresy, which infected over 1000 cities or
towns, called (1207) upon the King of France, as Suzerain of the
County of Toulouse, to use force. He renewed his appeal on
receiving news of the assassination of his legate, Peter of
Castelnau, a Cistercian monk (1208), which judging by
appearances, he attributed to Raymond VI. Numerous barons of
northern France, Germany, and Belgium joined the crusade, and
papal legates were put at the head of the expedition, Arnold, Abbot
of Citeaux, and two bishops. Raymond VI, still under the ban of
excommunication pronounced against him by Peter of Castelnau,
now offered to submit, was reconciled with the Church, and took
the field against his former friends. Roger, Viscount of Béziers,
was first attacked, and his principal fortresses, Béziers and
Carcassonne, were taken (1209).
The monstrous words: "Slay all; God will know His own," alleged
to have been uttered at the capture of Béziers, by the papal legate,
were never pronounced (Tamizey de Larroque, "Rev. des quest.
hist." 1866, I, 168-91). Simon of Monfort, Earl of Leicester, was
given control of the conquered territory and became the military
leader of the crusade. At the Council of Avignon (1209) Raymond
VI was again excommunicated for not fulfilling the conditions of
ecclesiastical reconciliation. He went in person to Rome, and the
Pope ordered an investigation. After fruitless attempts in the
Council of Arles (1211) at an agreement between the papal legates
and the Count of Toulouse, the latter left the council and prepared
to resist. He was declared an enemy of the Church and his
possessions were forfeited to whoever would conquer them. Lavaur,
Dep. of Tarn, fell in 1211, amid dreadful carnage, into the hands
of the crusaders. The latter, exasperated by the reported massacre
of 6,000 of their followers, spared neither age nor sex. The crusade
now degenerated into a war of conquest, and Innocent III, in spite
of his efforts, was powerless to bring the undertaking back to its
original purpose. Peter of Aragon, Raymond's brother-in-law,
interposed to obtain his forgiveness, but without success. He then
took up arms to defend him. The troops of Peter and of Simon of
Montfort met at Muret (1213). Peter was defeated and killed. The
allies of the fallen king were now so weakened that they offered to
submit. The Pope sent as his representative the Cardinal-Deacon
Peter of Santa Maria in Aquiro, who carried out only part of his
instructions, receiving indeed Raymond, the inhabitants of
Toulouse, and others back into the Church, but furthering at the
same time Simon's plans of conquest.
This commander continued the war and was appointed by the
Council of Montpellier (1215) lord over all the acquired territory.
The Pope, informed that it was the only effectual means of
crushing the heresy, approved the choice. At the death of Simon
(1218), his son Amalric inherited his rights and continued the war
with but little success. The territory was ultimately ceded almost
entirely by both Amalric and Raymond VII to the King of France,
while the Council of Toulouse (1229) entrusted the Inquisition,
which soon passed into the hands of the Dominicans (1233), with
the repression of Albigensianism. The heresy disappeared about
the end of the fourteenth century.
Albigensian Practice
The members of the sect were divided into two classes: The
"perfect" (perfecti) and the mere "believers" (credentes). The
"perfect" were those who had submitted to the initiation-rite
(consolamentum). They were few in number and were alone bound
to the observance of the above-described rigid moral law. While
the female members of this class did not travel, the men went, by
twos, from place to place, performing the ceremony of initiation.
The only bond that attached the "believers" to Albigensianism was
the promise to receive the consolamentum before death. They were
very numerous, could marry, wage war, etc., and generally
observed the ten commandments. Many remained "believers" for
years and were only initiated on their deathbed. If the illness did
not end fatally, starvation or poison prevented rather frequently
subsequent moral transgressions. In some instances the
reconsolatio was administered to those who, after initiation, had
relapsed into sin. The hierarchy consisted of bishops and deacons.
The existence of an Albigensian Pope is not universally admitted.
The bishops were chosen from among the "perfect." They had two
assistants, the older and the younger son (filius major and filius
minor), and were generally succeeded by the former. The
consolamentum, or ceremony of initiation, was a sort of spiritual
baptism, analogous in rite and equivalent in significance to several
of the Catholic sacraments (Baptism, Penance, Order). Its
reception, from which children were debarred, was, if possible,
preceded by careful religious study and penitential practices. In
this period of preparation, the candidates used ceremonies that
bore a striking resemblance to the ancient Christian
catechumenate. The essential rite of the consolamentum was the
imposition of hands. The engagement which the "believers" took to
be initiated before death was known as the convenenza (promise).
Actions of the Church
Properly speaking, Albigensianism was not a Christian heresy but
an extra-Christian religion. Ecclesiastical authority, after
persuasion had failed, adopted a course of severe repression,
which led at times to regrettable excess. Simon of Montfort
intended well at first, but later used the pretext of religion to usurp
the territory of the Counts of Toulouse. The death penalty was,
indeed, inflicted too freely on the Albigenses, but it must be
remembered that the penal code of the time was considerably more
rigorous than ours, and the excesses were sometimes provoked.
Raymond VI and his successor, Raymond VII, were, when in
distress, ever ready to promise, but never to earnestly amend. Pope
Innocent III felt justtified in saying that the Albigenses were
"worse than the Saracens"; and still he counselled moderation and
disapproved of the selfish policy adopted by Simon of Montfort.
Alfarabi: (d. 954.) An adept of remarkable gifts and an extensive
knowledge of all the sciences; born at Othrar (or, as it was then
called, Faral), in Asia Minor. His name was Abou-i~Zasr-
Mohammed-lbn-Tarkaw, but he received, from the town of his
birth, his better-known appellation of Farabi, or Alfayabi. Though
he was of Turkish extraction, a desire to perfect himself in Arabic,
led him to Bagdad, where he assiduously studied the Greek
philosophers under Abou Bachar Nlaltey. He next stayed for a time
in Hanan, where he learned logic from a Christian physician.
Having far surpassed his fellow-scholars, he left Hanan and drifted
at last to Egypt. During his wanderings he came in contact with all
the most learned philosophers of his time, and himself wrote books
on philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and other sciences,
besides acquiring proficiency in seventy languages.
His treatise on music, proving the connection of sound with
atmospheric vibrations, and mocking the Pythagorean theory of the
music of the spheres, attained some celebrity. He gained the goodwill
and patronage of the Sultan of Syria in a somewhat curious
fashion. While passing through Syria he visited the court of the
Sultan, who was at that moment surrounded by grave doctors and
astrologers, who were discussing abstruse scientific points with the
potentate. Alfarabi entered the presence of the Sultan in his
stained and dusty travelling attire (he had been on a pilgrimage to
Mecca), and when the prince bade him be seated, he, either
unaware of, or indifferent to the etiquette of court life, sat down
boldly on a corner of the royal sofa. The monarch, unused to such
an informal proceeding, spoke in a little-known tongue to a
courtier, and bade him remove the presumptuous philosopher.
The latter, however, astonished him by replying in the same
language: "Sire, he who acts hastily, in haste repents." The Sultan,
becoming interested in his unconventional guest, questioned him
curiously, and learned of the seventy languages and other
accomplishments of Alfarabi. The sages who were present were
also astounded at his wide learning. When the prince called at
length for some music, Alfarabi accompanied the musicians on a
lute with such marvelous skill and grace that the entire company
was charmed. When he struck up a lively measure, the gravest
sages could not but dance to it. When he changed the melody to a
softer lilt, tears sparkled in every eye, and at last, with a gentle
lullaby, be put the court to sleep. The Sultan wished to keep such a
valuable philosopher about his court, and some say that Alfarabi
accepted his patronage and died peacefully in Syria. Others, again,
maintain that he informed the Sultan that he would never rest till
he had discovered the secret of the Philosophers' stone, which he
believed himself on the point of finding. These say that he set out,
but was attacked and killed by robbers in the woods of Syria.
Almanach du Diable: An almanac containing some very curious
predictions for the years 1737 and 1738, which purported to be
published in the infernal regions. It is a satire against the
Jansenists, which was suppressed on account of some over-bold
predictions, and which has become very rare. The authorship was
ascribed to Quesnel, an ironmonger at Dijon. The Jansenists
replied with a pamphlet directed against the Jesuits, which was
also suppressed. It was entitled Almanac de Dieu, dedicated to M.
Carre de Montgeron, for the year 1738, and, in contradistinction to
the other, claimed satirically to be printed in heaven.
Alrunes: Female demons or sorceresses, the mothers of the Huns.
They took all sorts of shapes, but without changing their sex. The
name was given by the Germans to little statues of old sorceresses,
about a foot high. To these they attributed great virtues, honouring
them as the negroes. honour their fetishes; clothing-them richly,
housing them comfortably, and serving them with food and drink at
every meal. They believed that if these little images were neglected
they would cry out, a catastrophe which was to be avoided at all
costs, as it brought dire misfortunes upon the household. They may
have been mandrakes, and it was claimed for them that they could
foretell the future, answering by means of motions of the head, or
unintelligible words. They are still consulted in Norway.
Alu-Demon: This Semitic demon owes his parentage to a human
being; he hides himself in caverns and corners, and slinks through
the streets at night. He also lies in wait for the unwary, and at night
enters bed-chambers and terrorises folks.
Amadeus: A visionary who experienced an apocalypse and
revelations, in one of which he learned the two psalms composed
by Adam, one a mark of joy at the creation of Eve, and the other
the dialogue he held with her after they had sinned. Both psalms
are printed in Fabricius' Codex Pseudepigraphus Veteris
Testamenti.
Amaranth: A flower which is one of the symbols of immortality. It
has been said by magicians that a crown made with this flower has
supernatural properties, and will bring fame and favour to those
who wear it.
Amaimon: One of the four spirits who preside over the four parts of
the universe. Amaimon, according to the magicians, was the
governor of the eastern part.
America For the history of Spiritualism in America, See
Spiritualism, where a full summary of the subject will be found.
Apart from the doings at Salem, colonial America has little to offer
in the way of occult history; but the modern United States of
America is extremely rich in occult history. This, however, is a
history of outstaniding individuals - Thomas Lake Harris, Brigham
Young and Joseph Smith, the Foxes, Andrew Jackson Davis, and so
on, biographies of some of whom wilt be found scattered
throughout this work. But that is not to say that various occult
movements have not from time to time either originated in, or
found a home in the United States. Indeed, the number of occult or
semi-occult sects which have originated there, is exceedingly
great, and the foundation of occult communities has been frequent.
Such were the Mountain Cove community of Harris; the Society of
Hopedale, founded by Ballou; and so on. The notorious
community, or rather nation of Mormons had undoubtedly a semi-
occult origin. Its founder, Joseph Smith, and its first great prophet,
Brigham Young, both had occult ideas, which rather remind us of
those of Blake (q.v , and were decidedly of biblical origin. It
should be remembered that various Masonic and pseudo-masonic
orders were well established in both Europe and America, and
Mormonism definitely draws from Masonry and Rosicrucianism.
Smith purported to discover tablets of gold upon which was
engraved the new law, buried on a hillside in New York. This was
the germ of the Book of Morman the Prophet, and a certain pseudo-
mysticism was associated with the Mormon movement. This,
however, wore off after a while. Some non-orthodox sects of
Mormons still have archaic practices including taking multiple
wives after the fashion of the ancient Israelites, and follow more
mystical practices, having flourished since interest in the
persecution of this sect, or any religious group, at least in the
physical sense, largely vanished.
The Mormons hold that the Americas were reached by the Lost
Tribes of Israel, and that a civilization flourished in Pre-
Columbian times.
More fresh in the recollection are the blasphemous absurdities of
the prophet Dowie, who purported to be a prophet of the new
Christianity, and succeeded in amassing very considerable wealth.
Later, however, he became discredited, and many of his disciples
seceded from him.
Sects of Adventists have also been fairly numerous. These persons
at the call of their leaders have met in cemeteries and elsewhere
arrayed in white robes, in the belief that the Last Day had arrived;
but finding themselves duped, they invariably turned upon the
charlatans who had aroused these false hopes. There is an instance
on record, however, where one such person succeeded in bringing
about the repetition of such a scene. The modern Jehovah’s
Witness and Adventist Churches have roots in such movements,
the original prophecies however long repudiated as they manifestly
did not come true.
Theosophy, as will be seen in the central article on that subject,
owes much to America, for it may be said that in the United States
it received an almost novel interpretation at the hands of William
Q. Judge, and Katherine B. Tingley, the founder of the theosophic
colony at Point Loma.
The United States is frequently alluded to as the home and birthplace
of " queer " religions par excellence. If Paris be excepted
this charge holds good, for nowhere is pseudo-occultism so rife. It
would indeed be difficult to account for this state of things. Shrewd
as the average American is, there is no question that he is prone to
extremes, and the temper of the nation as a whole is not a little
hysterical.
Such sects are often founded by unscrupulous foreign adventurers,
and worshippers of Isis, diabolic societies and such-like abound in
the larger cities, and even in some of the lesser communities. But
on the other hand many such cults, the names of which for obvious
reasons we cannot mention here, are of native Ametican origin. In
course of time these duly invade Europe with varying fortunes.
The influence of Mysticism upon the founding fathers of the United
States, in the form of Rosicrucianism or Freemasonry cannot be
underestimated. The wave of Republican leaning Freemason
lodges that rose in the late 18th century came to full fruition in
America, and hardly a single man among the founding fathers was
not a Freemason, such that there was a specific “Anti-Masonic”
party which sought to control the influence of the Masons. Their
influence was on the whole positive rather than negative, teaching
a tolerance for religion and the rights of individual man. The early
founding fathers are widely supposed to have established a
Masonic order of a higher nature which supervised and shepherded
the welfare of the Republic, such as might be supposed to be
necessary in a State deprived of a monarchy which traditionally
saw to such esoteric concerns.
Amoymon: One of the four kings of Hades, of which the eastern
part falls to his share. He may be invoked in the morning from nine
o'clock till midday, and in the evening from three o'clock till six.
He has been identified with Amaimon (q.v.) Asmodeus (q.v.) is his
lieutenant, and the first nine of his dominions
Answerer, Or Fragarach: A magical sword belonging to the Irish
Sea-God, Lir. It was brought from the Celtic Other world by Lugh,
or Hy Breasil, the Irish Sun-God, and it was believed that it could
pierce any armour.
Angurvadel : The sword, possessing magical properties, which was
inherited by Frithjof, the hero of an Icelandic saga. It had a golden
hilt, and shone like the Northern Lights. In times of peace certain
characters on its blade were dull and pale ; but during a battle
they became red, like fire.
Anima Mundi: The soul of the world; a pure ethereal spirit which
was said by some ancient philosophers to be diffused throughout
all nature. Plato is considered by some to be the originator of this
idea ; but it is of more ancient origin, and prevailed in the systems
of certain eastern philosophers. By the Stoics it was believed to be
the only vital force in the universe ; it has been entertained by
many philosophical sects in a variety of forms, and in ruore
modern times by Paracelsus and others. It is also incorporated in
the philosophy of Schelling. Rich says : " The anima mundi, or
heaven of this world, in which the stars are fixed, is understood to
be a receptivity of the empyrean or heaven in which God dwells, so
that the forms or seminal conceptions of the one correspond to the
divine ideas of the other."
Anneber : A demon of the mines, known principally in Germany.
On one occasion he killed with his breath twelve miners who were
working in a silver mine of which he had charge. He is a wicked
and terrible demon, represented under the figure of a horse, with
an immense neck and frightful eyes.
Anameiech: An obscure demon, bearer of ill news. He was
worshipped at Sepharvailn, a town of the Assyrians. He always
reveals himself in the figure of a quail. His name, we are told,
signifies a " good king, " and some authorities declare that this
demon is the moon, as Andramelech is the sun.
Anonymous Adept: (1750): A noted German jesuit of the
eighteenth century, known to his clerical confreres and his flock as
Athanasius the Churchman. He composed two folio volumes of
semi-alchemistic writing, which were published at Amsterdam in
1768- In the course of these voluminous works, he alludes to an
alchemist whose name he refrains from revealing, and who is
usually hailed in consequence by the elusive title heading this
article.
Athanasius, we find, having long endeavoured to discover the
Philosopher's Stone, and having met with no success, chanced one
day to encounter a venerable personage, who addressed him thus: "
I see by these glasses and this furnace that you are engaged in
search after something very great in chemistry, but, believe me,
you will never attain your object by working as you are doing."
Pondering on these words, the shrewd Jesuit suspected that his
interlocutor was truly learned in alchemy, wherefore he besought
him to display his erudition, and thereupon our Anonymous Adept
took a quill, and wrote down a receipt for the making of
transmutatory powder, together with specific directions for using
the same. “Let us proceed together, " said the great unknown; and
at first some success appeared to be in the offering, but try as he
might, his attempts all proved futile. Much enraged, he went to the
inn where the Anonymous Adept was staying, but it need scarcely
be said, perhaps, that the bird was flown. " We see by this true
history, " remarks Athanasius, by way of pointing a moral, " how
the devil seeks to deceive men who are led by a lust of riches ";
while he relates further, that having been duped in this wise, he
destroyed his scientific appliances, to renounce alchemy for ever.
Arbatel: A magical ritual published at Basle in 1575. The text is in
Latin, and it appears to have been influenced by Paracelsus. It is
of Christian, not Jewish origin, and although the authorship is
unknown it is probably the work of an Italian. Only one of its nine
volumes has come down to us. It deals with the institutions of
magic, and is entitled Isagoge, which means essential or necessary
instruction. In it we are introduced to the ritual of the Olympic
spirits dwelling in the air and among the stars, who govern the
world. There are, we are told, one hundred and ninetv-six Olympic
provinces in the universe.
Assumption of Godforms: a magical technique wherein the Adept
identifies him or herself with a particular deity by "assuming its
form." The archetypal image of the deity is created on the astral by
focused visualization, vibration of the deity's name, the tracing of
its sigil, etc. The magician then steps into this astral image and
wears it like a garment or mask, continuing to strengthen the image
with focused concentration. This is performed in order to create a
vehicle for that particular aspect of the Divine that the magician is
working with.
Astral Plane: an intermediate and invisible level of reality between
the physical plane and higher, more divine realms. It is the
common boundary between the individual and noumenal reality. A
non-physical level of existence which is the basis of the physical
plane. The astral plane has several "layers" of density and
vibrational rate. The upper astral lies close to the angelic realms,
while the lower astral is the world of dreams and phantasms. The
astral plane contains many non-physical entites.
Astral Projection (or Astral Traveling): the practice of "traveling"
out of the physical body in the astral planes. It is the transference
of consciousness from the physical to the astral body, in a way that
the practitioner perceives and moves about on the astral plane in
the "body of light," while the physical body remains inert. By using
astral projection, the magician enters this world and interacts with
angels, elementals, and other beings. Astral Projection in the
Golden Dawn tradition can be described as a form of self-hypnosis
which uses symbols as doorways in order to cause changes in
consciousness. From these higher levels of consciousness, the
magician often tries to see the underlying causes of things.
Atlantis: Atlantis presents a mystifying riddle. There are
undoubtedly elements of its architecture and remanants of its
civilization all around the globe. Yet it is inconceivable that any
such global civilization ever existed.
The story of Atlantis begins quite literally with two of Plato's
dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. These accounts are the only known
written records which refer specifically to a lost civilization called
Atlantis.
Archaeology got a “wake up” call in the mid-Victorian period.
Most ruins were very well documented and explored in Georgian
times, and the Victorians had meticulously documented the
ancient world. The existence of “mythical” Troy had no place in
that scheme – Troy was a literary convention invented by Homer.
Then in 1871, a German Chemist and amateur archaeologist
named Heinrich Schliemann found an ancient city of northwest
Asia Minor near the Dardanelles. Originally a Phrygian city dating
from the Bronze Age, there was little doubt that it was the
legendary site of the Trojan War and was captured and destroyed
by Greek forces c. 1200 B.C.
This began a flurry of new archaeological activity as
Archaeologists and students realized there was a great deal yet to
be discovered about the ancient world. A new generation of
archaeologists was fired by boyhood readings of Schliemann’s
discovery which was widely publicized (somewhat along the lines
of Ballard’s discovery of Titanic).
In 1898 Sir Arthur Evans discovered a vast palace site on Crete,
which he fairly reasonably linked to King Minos. That the palace,
and “Minoan” civilization were real was beyond doubt, and the
ancient stories of Crete fell neatly into place with scientific fact.
Thus Atlantis remains a historic possibility – after all, was not Troy
thought fictional? Schliemann and Evans both believed in
Atlantis, and Schliemann spent a fair amount of money trying to
find it. The classic “map” of Atlantis, developed from the
description in Plato, originates with Schliemann. That Atlantis
was a place of strange super science seems doubtful, but Atlantis
may well have represented a civilization more advanced than the
one which came immediately after it as the Greeks went through
some periodic cycle of barbarism. Certainly the Greeks possessed
great skills at calculation as shown by objects such as the
Antikythera device, recovered in 1901, which is a sort of complex
astronomical computer.
Atlantis was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When
Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a
dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and
surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect
her.
Cleito gave birth to five sets of twin boys who became the first
rulers of Atlantis. The island was divided among the brothers with
the eldest, Atlas, first King of Atlantis, being given control over the
central hill and surrounding areas.
At the top of the central hill, a temple was built to honor Poseidon
which housed a giant gold statue of Poseidon riding a chariot
pulled by winged horses. It was here that the rulers of Atlantis
would come to discuss laws, pass judgments, and pay tribute to
Poseidon..
To facilitate travel and trade, a water canal was cut through of the
rings of land and water running south for 5.5 miles (~9 km) to the
sea.
The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and
spread across the plain covering a circle of 11 miles (1.7 km). This
was a densely populated area where the majority of the population
lived.
Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles (530 km) long and
110 miles (190 km) wide surrounded by another canal used to
collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The
climate was such that two harvests were possible each year. One in
the winter fed by the rains and one in the summer fed by irrigation
from the canal.
Surrounding the plain to the north were mountains which soared to
the skies. Villages, lakes, rivers, and meadows dotted the
mountains.
Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets
Besides the harvests, the island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits,
and nuts. An abundance of animals, including elephants, roamed
the island.
For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. But
slowly they began to change. Greed and power began to corrupt
them. When Zeus saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered
the other gods to determine a suitable punishment.
Soon, in one violent surge it was gone. The island of Atlantis, its
people, and its memory were swallowed by the sea.
Other ancient writers, like Diodorus, Pliny, and Virgil wrote about
other “lost continents.” Probably the most common is Thule, a
land the Greeks said existed before their time. They described
Thule in the North Atlantic as warm and green surrounded by high
mountains, known for breathtakingly beautiful women. The
ancients agreed that the Hyperborean race was tall and in
excellent physical condition, and some told of how they conquered
the aging process and looked youthful in old age. They were
sometimes described as vegetarians and fruitarians who lived in
harmony with nature.
The primary modern resource for Atlantis is Ignatius Donnelly’s
The Antediluvian World published in 1882. It is a compendium
of every strange archaeological anomaly in the world, and many
which are purely invented, and purports to “prove” the existence
of Atlantis. Doubtless there are real gems of archaeology mired
among the mass, but Donnelly’s …er hem…”uncritical” approach
to his material leaves much to be desired. (GM Note - This
material is, interestingly, the source of much of the “historic fact”
repeated by late 20th century writers such as Charles Berlitz and
Erich Von Dankien)
Atlantis is supposed to have perished in destruction, but the Thule
legend is likely true – a remembrance of times of better weather on
the Steppes of Russia, before the invasions that toppled the
Mycenae Kings, and brought about centuries of chaos in Greece.
Other references like “Mu,” or “Lemuria” are probably modern. A
French pseudo-scientist named Dr. Augustus le Plongeon and his
wife spend years trying to prove that a “Queen Moo of Yucatan”
founded a colonly in Egypt, however their science was completely
spurious, since it included the apparent ability to read a “Mayan”
alphabet which they invented.
More recently The Problem of Atlantis by Lewis Spence was
released in 1924, and between the turn of the century and the
twenties a number of spiritualists and the like churned out masses
of writing about Atlantis.
Lewis Spence, whose works on Atlantis were published in the
1920's, revived the popular fifteenth-century tradition of a
rectangular continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific
called Antilia. The legend of an “Atlantic Continent” is
maintained by nearly all the Western European peoples,
exemplified by Hy Breasil the Irish earthly paradise, which
probably gave its name to the South American land discovered by
the Spanish.
There is some suggestion that Christopher Columbus believed this
theory, hoping to find Antilia on his westward course to the Indies.
The present traces of Antilia are claimed to be the Antilles Islands
in the West Indies
Spence modified this historical belief by suggesting that Antilia
was a land bridge connecting Atlantis to the Americas. Placing
Atlantis in its common spot, the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,
Spence envisioned refugees fleeing from the sinking Atlantis, over
the land bridge of Antilia, and into the Yucatan Peninsula. "He
traced the origins of the Maya culture to those uprooted early
Atlantians. To Spence, a Mexican Indian legend about the
destruction of the old Toltec capital was a distorted memory of the
Atlantis disaster"
Believing that western Europe was populated by successive waves
of Atlantians, Spence used the
early paintings of the Cro-Magnons to argue that these non-
Europeans had to come from the lost continent. Using proof that
pointed to the existence of foreigners creating these paintings,
Spence argued that these "invaders" were not large tribes of
nomadic peoples, but instead were "small, organized hunting
expeditions sent out from the highly civilized island"
To further prove that Europe was settled by these immigrants, he
"puts the date of the catastrophe that overwhelmed Atlantis as
13,000 years ago at the earliest, which agrees very well with
Plato's summary dating"
While Spence’s science is flawed, his basic thesis has an element
of truth. Atlantis is an archaeological “problem” or rather the
symbolic name for a much bigger problem. Throughout
archaeology and history there are elements that do not fit, strange
artifacts, and things that do not fit in with their culture or do not
seem to be possible to explain except in the wildest terms of
chance. From the strange device found near Antikythera to the
most recent rumors from Baghdad that William König, a German
archaeologist, has discovered strange 2000 year old cylinders in
jars, which have the form and function of a “battery.” As a symbol
of all these riddles “Atlantis” is as valid a name as any other.
Attwood, Mrs. : The author of a work entitled, A Suggestive
Inquiry with the Hermetic Mystery, published anonymously, at
London, in 1850. Owing to the circumstance that A was supposed
to have revealed certain alchemical secrets, it was shortly
afterwards withdrawn from circulation.
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