CHAPTER VIII.

THE GREAT LODGE.
The profound secrecy surrounding the Ancient Mysteries, and the obligation of secrecy imposed upon every initiate into the Masonic Fraternity arise from many causes, and varying conditions, some of which have already been pointed out. In times of political oppression and ecclesiastical persecution it became necessary to conceal the identity of all mem- bers of secret fraternities; and, as far as possible, the principles of the order were also concealed for mutual protection. When to be known as a Mason or an Occultist was to be hunted down like a crim- inal, to be imprisoned for life, or perhaps to be tor- tured and burned, men naturally concealed their connection with the Lodge, or their interest in the Secret Doctrine. There is probably no degree in Masonry today that has not been invaded by mem- bers of religious orders like the Jesuits. Those who are familiar with the principles of these Sodalities are well aware that under the plea that "the end
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justifies the means," no member of these bodies would hesitate to take any obligation imposed, in order to possess himself of a coveted secret that might support the power and maintain the preroga- tive of his Sodality, knowing in advance that abso- lution for the crime of perjury in violating his sacred obligation would not only be assured him, but that he would be applauded and perhaps canonized for his zeal and his devotion to religion, as many a Saint in the calendar has been canonized in the past upon far less "Saintly" grounds.
. In the face of all so-called exposures, and all be- trayal, Masonry pursues the even tenor of its way, and tyles its lodges as carefully, and inculcates its obligation of secrecy just as though apostacy were impossible, and perjury a crime unknown to the code of civilized communities. Notwithstanding all so-called exposures, it would be exceeding hazard- ous for any one, except a regularly initiated Brother, to attempt to gain admission to the Lodge; and no possible motive can be assigned why any honest man should desire to receive the rites and benefits of the Lodge except in the order and under the con- ditions prescribed. But after all other reasons as- signed for the secrecy of the Lodge, probably the tradition that such was always the rule in the mys-
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teries, has had more to do with concealment than anything else; and the real reason for concealment in the mysteries has been herein previously shown to be on account of the power that attaches to the real knowledge possessed by the Master. The pen- alties imposed for violating the solemn obligations voluntarily taken, may, at times, have been literally executed by the agents of the Lodge in medieval or pre-Christian times ; but in modern times these awful penalties have undoubtedly been substituted by "the excration of all honest men and Masons." In gen- uine initiations into the really occult mysteries, the penalties for unworthiness in any and all directions consisted in the apostate becoming the victim of the powers he had himself invoked. He had created a Frankenstein which he was no longer able to con- trol, and it destroyed him. Hence, the warning was true and necessary, but the real method of its exe- cution was disguised, except that it was portrayed as terrible. Too little is known as yet in the West of genuine occultism, to make further explanation in- telligible. All space, and every plane of nature is full of Life and Intelligence, and Bulwer's "Demon of the Threshold" may be neither a joke nor a ro- mance, as many cases of obscession recorded in the annals of Medicine and Spiritualism abundantly
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prove. The "Principalities and Powers of the Air," of which the Apostle speaks, and of which the Kabalah treats very fully, are the Elementals de- scribed, though but blindly, in ancient occult litera- ture. When the real nature of obscession is under- stood, and the character of these depraved entities becomes known, it will be discerned how little is to be gained, and how much is to be risked by invok- ing them. Here lies the reason why mediumship should be discouraged and regarded as a disease, or, at best, a misfortune. Real Seership is a very dif- ferent thing indeed from obscession in any form. If Seership be compared to the Ecstacy of an inno- cent and happy child, obscession may be likened to the delirium of drunkenness or madness.
Some idea may be gained, perhaps, from the foregoing of the source and character of the penalty for the violation of obligations assumed by the Neophite in the mysteries. In the "Mystery of Cloomber," Conan Doyle portrays the "idea" but makes the execution of the penalty at once fantastic, horrible, and impossible. No real Master, even such as he portrays, could ever play the bungling part of executioner, such as he depicts, but would leave the criminal to the snares and devices of his
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own creation. The imagination of the novelist can hardly supply the philosophy of true occultism.
The stories that have come down to us of the magnificent pageantry, and the almost superhuman trials attending initiation into the Mysteries, from those of ancient Egypt down to Tom Moore's Epi- curean, all pertained to the various degrees of the Lesser Mysteries. The secrets of the Greater Mys- teries were never written or told. What they were can only be surmised from a complete philosophical knowledge of what initiation really means, and some idea as to what the last supreme revelation may be. This has probably never been betrayed in any indi- vidual case, nor is it likely that it will ever be re- vealed, because, as shown in the preceding chapters, it is the meeting face to face with one's own god; the Higher Self, latent in every man, but now wholly revealed. It concerns the things "impossible to utter," of St. Paul, an Initiate. The philosophy of the whole process may, however, be fairly appre- hended as the consummation of the Higher Evolu- tion of Man. Thus philosophy, for him who can understand it, takes the place of the whole of the instruction of the Lesser Mysteries, except such practical experience and final training of the neo- phite as enable him to enter the Greater Mysteries.
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So far as mere teaching is concerned, or the appre- hension of what is to be done, and how, philosophy is the teacher, and is better fitted to the present in- tellectual age than any other form of instruction. When a genuine School for the Revival of the Lost Mysteries of Antiquity is established, worthy and well-qualified neophites will doubtless receive not only instruction, but practical training.
Hitherto in this work hints,, outlines, suggestions, and running comments or relations only have been given; and every intelligent reader must have ob- served the difficulty of describing that which was never intended to be revealed.
We may now undertake to give a diagram or a picture of an idea running through all history like a theme in a musical composition. The idea crops out here and there in history, but it is not history for reasons already made clear. The full-page diagram (see Frontispiece) is a Symbol of the Se- cret Doctrine, and some of its principal ramifica- tions and seats. Like all symbols, it is not the thing symbolized ; and, as already declared, it is not a his- tory of the Great Lodge and the Secret Doctrine. If it should by and by be shown that the Great Lodge, historically, had its first seat in Egypt, or in Ethiopia, which is possible, instead of in Old India,
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or in Ireland, which is not impossible, or on the Con- tinent of Atlantis, which is more likely still, it would not make any difference with our diagram, which, as already repeatedly declared, is not designed to represent history, but the influence of an Idea upon the Civilizations and Religions of the world. When the true and complete history of what are called the British Druids is written, the legends of the now "Unhappy Emerald Island" will be deciphered, and the beautiful legend of Venus rising from the Foam of the Sea will not be the most grand or beautiful of Ireland's stories.
On the scientific presumption that eveiy effect must have had an adequate cause, we have the right to assume that the Landmarks of Masonry, and the traditions of the Secret Doctrine, are not without foundation in fact. Furthermore: the further back we go in history, and beyond history, the grander become the monuments of the Secret Science. Pythagoras and Plato found all their knowledge ready-made in the Egyptian and Baby- lonian Mysteries. The deeper we delve into the past the grander become these Ancient Monuments. The Zodiac and the Pyramids alone, by the knowl- edge they betray of Astronomy, Mechanics, Mathe- matics and Architecture, demonstrate the existence
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of a science in pre-historic times such as we mod- erns have not yet been able to imitate, or even to read. We are like miners following a vein of gold in a crevasse of the rocks. Precious ore crops out here and there, and is again concealed; it grows richer as we proceed, till the conviction becomes irresistible that deep in the bowels of the earth, or beneath some mountain range, there must be a great "pocket," the real source of all this buried treasure. The analogy is complete, and the reason- ing scientific. But if the ancient monuments on the physical plane are unimpeachable, and those in the heavens unapproachable, they are still more tran- scendent in the Intellectual and Spiritual realms. There is not a religion, a science, or a philosophy, known to man, that cannot be traced back to Old India; with this difference, however, that we have only the fragments, the broken columns, or the disjointed images of a complete and perfect struc- ture as it once existed. The oldest books or written records known to us today, such as The Egyptian Ritual of the Dead, and the hymns of the Vedas, have scarcely yet been spelled out by their letters. Such translations as have been given us are both superficial and literal, and the inner meaning, always expressed in symbols, seldom appears at all.
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The interpretation that has heretofore been put upon them by Philologists, few of whom can rank as Symbologists, and not one of whom in Europe is a real Occultist, is that they are the crude imagin- ings of a primitive people who knew nothing of sci- ence, and who were devoted to superstition. These translators have achieved fame as "Great Oriental- ists," and they have undoubtedly done a great work in introducing ancient languages to modern times, and in doing their best to interpret ancient belief, but in nearly all instances these orientalists have been biased by the traditions and false lights of modern Christendom. In another chapter of this work it has been shown what infinite pains has been taken by ignorant Monks, and by zealous Eccle- siastics, to obliterate these ancient records, and to deface them by interpolations and forgeries in order that the Christian records and traditions might stand unchallenged. The best of our Orientalists are, even unconsciously, influenced by the results that have been thus achieved. When Western students are capable of apprehending, and ready to receive the true interpretation of the ancient symbolism, it is possible that native scholars who not only know Sanskrit, but who are thoroughly familiar with the Secret Doctrine, may be found to enlighten them.
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Take a single instance. The Atomic Theory, known to have been more or less familiar to certain ancient Greek writers, has made great progress in Modern science. But in no form conceived by- Modern science — and the forms have been many and contradictory, has this theory proved competent to account for all of the phenomena observed. It has remained for us, therefore, still an Hypothesis and not a Law. The Atoms of Modern Science, whether conceived as solid, rluidic, gaseous, or etheric, — for they have been imagined to be all of these — are, nevertheless, regarded as dead atoms. Even when conceived as mere neutral centers, or "mathematical points," they are still far removed from Life or Intelligence. Leibnitz conceived them as Monads, each a living mirror of the Universe, every Monad reflecting every other. "Compare these views," says a modern writer, "with that in certain Sanskrit Slokas translated by Sir William Jones, in which it is said that the creative source of the Divine Mind." . . . "Hidden in a veil of thick darkness, formed mirrors of the atoms of the world, and cast reflection from its own face on every atom." When we have learned more of Radiant Matter, and the Roentgen Ray, we shall have come
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far nearer this old Atomic Theory, and Matter will no longer be regarded as "dead and inert."
The Hymns of the Vedas were doubtless the original allegorical form of the Secret Doctrine, and the Rishis — called "gods," but really Sublime and Perfect Masters — were their creators.
Antedating the Vedas, then, was the Great Lodge of Adepts, who created the Religion, inspired the Civilization, and taught the profound Science that made old India great. If only traditions and broken monuments remain, these still outrank all modern achievements of man. The ancient government was Patriarchal ; the Ruler was also a Master Initiate, and the people were regarded as his children. In those ancient days a Reigning Prince considered it not beneath his dignity to go into the desert alone, and sit at the feet of some inspired recluse, in order that he might receive more light, which he would again dispense to his people. Instead of teaching superstition and idolatry, when the real meaning of the Vedic symbolism is revealed, it will, perhaps, be found to be the thinnest veil ever imposed between the Sublime Wisdom and the apprehension of men. The old' gods were the symbolical or personified at- tributes of Nature, through which man was taught to apprehend the existence of the* Supreme Spirit.
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This was not Polytheism, nor Idolatry, but a system of teaching that which could not be altogether de- fined, and of pointing to that which must forever remain unknown, and Unknowable, by the aid of symbol, parable, and allegory. No word-painting known to man seems half so beautiful as some of these ancient parables and allegories. Not only was every oblation of love and duty portrayed, and every joy of home and affection illustrated, and the most common duties of life, feats of valor, devotion, and self-sacrifice depicted, but in a language so musical, and in rhythm and meter so perfect, as to make the whole recital more like a symphony than a poem. The whole composition was a mantram. On nearly every page of the Anugita it is said — in relation to this or that — "they relate this ancient story, in the form of a dialogue, which occurred" — so and so.
If India today is like an old woman in her dotage, and her Priests have turned Harpies to devour her remaining spiritual life, the record of primeval greatness can never be dfimmed or destroyed.
In the olden time the Brahman was indeed "twice- born,,, and it was the second birth alone that made him Brahman. The parables, then, were not in- vented to conceal the truth from those who could apprehend it, or to keep the people in ignorance in
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order that the Priests or Ruler might preserve their power. Power came not from the people, but from the possession of supreme knowledge, and this knowledge, continually exercised and exemplified, was the badge of office and the sign of authority. To such a Priesthood the people rendered most will- ing obedience. The doors of Initiation were open to all who had evolved the capacity to "Know, to Dare, to Do, and to Keep Silent," in regard to that which should not be prematurely revealed.
With the light of the Great Lodge standing in the midst, the Religion of the people was a perfect rep- resentative of Science and Philosophy, in which superstition and idolatry found no place, hence the symmetry in our diagram of the old Wisdom-Reli- gion.
The religion of India being thus inspired by the Great Lodge was expressed in the Hymns of the Vedas. This was the old Brahmanism, the Religion of Brahm; the Father-Mother of All.
But in time the Priesthood became corrupt; the people forsook the ancient worship. Then came Chrisna, and later Buddha, to restore that which was lost. The Brahmins, now no longer "twice- born," but a priestly caste, jealous of power, since they were no longer real Masters, arose in rebellion,
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and the mission of Buddha largely failed in India, and found its principal converts in Ceylon, in dis- tant lands, and the isles of the sea.
The religions of Egypt and Chaldea had back of them the same Secret Doctrine, or Mysteries; and they were also both Scientific and Philosophical. But Egypt and Chaldea repeated the folly of India, and perished with the degradation of their religions. Traditions of the Secret Doctrine still existed, and Masters like Hermes, Zoroaster, Confucius, and Laotse appeared in different lands from time to time to revive the old religion under new names, and often under a different form of symbolism. Pythag- oras and the Schools of the Persian Maji for many centuries kept the true light burning. The conquest of Egypt by Cambyses, as already referred to, com- pleted the ruin of the land of the Pharaohs, and Pythagoras and Plato became the links between the old philosophy and the Christian Era, together with the Jewish Kabalah, derived jointly from the Mys- teries of Egypt and Chaldea, though more largely, perhaps, from the latter.
From the Essenes, the Schools of Alexandria, then in all their glory, from the Kabalah and the philoso- phy of Plato, the Christian mysteries were derived. During the first three centuries of our era these doc-
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trines flourished; but were finally crushed by the conquests of Constantine, and then came the dark ages.
The Religion of Jesus was in every respect that of the Mysteries; it was the same old Wisdom-Re- ligion, though the ethical features were more pro- nounced, as being most needed among what was called "a generation of vipers," and a " stiff-necked and rebellious people." The ethical teachings of Jesus in time give place to Priestcraft and Sacerdo- talism; to worldly power, and conquest; and the re- ligion of Constantine was finally replaced by the "Holy Inquisition," a religion of torture and blood- shed.
The Sufis, among the conquering Mohammedans, knew the Secret Science, but their power paled in the presence of the "Sword of the Prophet."
Freemasonry, though not a lineal descendant of the ancient mysteries, may justly be regarded as a connecting link between the ancient wisdom and modern times. While imitating many of the ancient rites and ceremonies, and preserving many of the ancient landmarks, and transmitting to modern times a Grand Ideal, Masonry stands as one of the great- est benefactors of the present age. If it has pre- served only the broken fragments of ancient gran-
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deur, it has, nevertheless, cherished and honored these as a priceless inheritance. Will Masons really undertake the noble and glorious work of rebuilding the City and Temple of the Lord? Will they unite to restore the primeval wisdom and glory? Will they search diligently among the rubbish for the "Stone that the Builders rejected," * and for the "Lost Word of the Master" ? Alas ! who can say ? There is another link to our chain of evidence and line of transmission. The grips, signs, and passwords, by which a Mason recognizes a Brother, pertain to the Lesser Mysteries. The real Master knows his fellows by other signs. It has been else- where shown that the true Adept is both clairvoyant and clairaudient. There is a magnetic atmosphere, or radiation, around every human being, and, in- deed, something of the kind around every animal and every inanimate object. Every one feels this magnetic aura when coming in contact with others, even though they may see nothing, and may often be unconscious of its effects. This atmosphere of the individual is the source of what is called "Sym- pathy," and "Antipathy;" or attraction, and repul- sion. It is not imaginary, but real. It is the focal-
*See Plate IX.
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ized result of individual character, and contains all the potencies and qualities of the individual's life. It is composed of matter, is magnetic, has a definite mode of motion, and definite color. It may be ab- sorbed by or transmitted to another. The vibrations incident to it are the co-ordinate result of the com- bined and varying activities of the Principles in man. The Key-note in every individual is thus de- termined as a scientific fact in matter. In the sen- sualist, and in all who are degraded by passion and selfishness, the color of this aura is red, like the comb of a cock; and the sensation which it pro- duces upon the sensitive and pure is often described as hot and Stirling. In an individual who is unselfish and pure-minded, the color may alternate between a golden yellow and blue, and the effect described by the sensitive is that it is cool, restful, and inspiring. If the foregoing is true, and it is easily verified, and if a real Master is able to see all of these con- ditions which are usually invisible to others, he would hardly need to depend upon "grips, signs, or passwords" to recognize a Fellow. Man betrays his character, his heredity, his ideals, and all his past life in every lineament of his face, in the con- tour and pose of his body, in his gait, in his hand- writing, in the lines in his hand, in the tones of his
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voice, in the expression of the eye ; in short, no man possesses character. Character is that which he al- together is, and not something apart from himself. One need not be a Master to discover all this; he needs only to observe, to think, and to reason on what he sees. In even the ordinary walks of life the Artist, the Musician, the Mechanic, all recog- nize their fellows by signs that are familiar and un- failing. It can hardly be imagined that in the higher science, and in the case of the deeper student or Adept, the signs of character should be less pro- nounced or less plain, or that the Adept, possessed of far finer senses and a wider range of knowledge, should fail in interpreting them. The individual who is really sincere and devout will not fail to recognize sincerity and true devotion in an acquaint- ance or in any character in history that possessed these virtues. Hence it is that the Student of the Sacred Science or Occultism, though not himself an Adept, learns to recognize by unfailing signs those in the present or in the past who really know the true wisdom. Its signs and symbols are not the stolen Shibboleths by which the real student can be betrayed. Every Mason knows enough of the pic- ture language or Art Speech to be able to speak of many things in the presence of others without re-
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vealing the secrets of the Lodge. Even the crim- inal classes have their dialects or patois.
History is full of pretenders in Occultism. Pre- tension alone is a sign of ignorance, and the proposi- tion to "sell the truth" is always a sign of fraud. There are, however, many names in history that have been covered with obloquy, and their possessors charged with fraud and imposition, who were, never- theless, genuine Adepts, if not Perfect Masters. We must distinguish between self-conviction that comes from the pretender's own mouth and those accusations that come from others and are unsup- ported by evidence. The pretender is often loaded with honors and found rolling in wealth, as the re- ward of deceit and lying, of fraud and corruption, which he is shrewd enough to conceal. On the other hand, the real Master is often gibbeted by the popu- lace and anathematized by the church, because he is neither time-serving nor willing to barter the truth for gold.
All along the line of history may be found those who possessed the true light. Concealing both their wisdom and their own identity from vulgar notice and foolish praise, they have walked the earth un- seen and unknown to the many, but always known to their fellows, and to all real seekers after true
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wisdom. The ignorance of the rabble, the zeal of the superstitious, and the "Vicegerent of God" have often made sad inroads among the servants of the Great Lodge; yet they have never been altogether exterminated; they have always existed to bear wit- ness; and they exist today! If the reader is ready to deny all this, of course it can make no difference to the real Adept, and it is certainly a matter of in- difference to the present writer. One can do no more than to state candidly what he believes, and to set forth that which he knows to be true.
These Adepts, or Masters, have, in every age, constituted the Great Lodge. Whether they con- gregate beneath vaulted domes, or meet at stated times, no one would be likely to know unless he be- longed to the same degree; but one thing is very certain, and that is, that they bring help and knowl- edge to the world when most needed, and they are working thus today in the West as they have not done before for many weary centuries. They are enabled to work now, because the ground has been prepared for them by "one who knew," and who served them to the death in the face of scorn and slander. They have been aided also by many igno- rant but faithful believers in their existence, and in their work, who have been rewarded at every step
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by "More-Light." Almost coincident with the close of the present century is the close of a great cycle: namely, the first cycle of five thousand years of the Kali Yuga. Aside from unusual astronomical con- junctions, many perturbations in space, earthquakes, cyclones, and tidal waves, there are also predicted great social upheavals, political changes, and both mental and physical epidemics. In other words, as is already apparent to all who read the signs of the times, the present is a transition period, and what- ever influences are to mold the coming century must begin their operations at the present time. This is therefore the seed-time, and the harvest will be by and by.
Note — Many references in literature might be ad- duced giving accounts of the existence of the Great Lodge. Two of these may here be mentioned, viz., that given in the Life of Apollonius Tyanaeus of his visit to the Adepts of India, and the account of Fla- mel and the Adepts in an old book called Hermippus Redivivus, by Campbell. The present object is, how- ever, rather to unfold a philosophy than to gather facts; to explain what a Master may be, rather than to point out their abodes.
An Outline of Symbolism. 239