CHAPTER I.

Tfte l^tttfe ISooft*
IHE BOOK OF THE SEVEN THUNDERS.
"And when the Seven Thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, seal up those things, uttered by the Seven Thunders, and write them not."
"And I took the little hook out of the Angel's hand and devoured it; and to my taste it was sweet as honey; but as soon as I had de- voured it, it became bitter unto my inside."
"And he said unto me, you must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
{Correct translation of Rev. JT, 4, 10 and 11.)
Dear Reader:
S a text to this work read and consider the above, and it would be as well to read the entire tenth chapter of Revelations, for the whole book is a mystic one.
If you are able to " read between the lines " you will comprehend that the " little book " that was capable of voicing the " 7 thunders," that is, the voices of the seven planets, Avas the only and original test- book of the mystic brotherhood. Did you or did anyone ever know of another book that was always made small enough to "hold in the hand?"
At last the utterances of the little book which was sealed
10 THE MYSTIC TEST BOOK.
for a time, are to be opened unto the gaze of men. At last its wonders are to be unfolded partially that we may proph- esy before many peoples.
Read Chapter V of Revelations.
No other book that ever had an existence upon our planet, has within itself the wonderful properties that are indubita- bly attached to this little book. No other "book" has been so "sealed" with hidden emblematic meanings as to defy all attempts to " open" its pages.
It is the oldest book known and it existed long before the modern written languages were thought of.
Its history extends so far back into the dim recesses of the past, that we vdw&t per force ask our readers to take circumstantial evidence as to its early history and uses.
THE ORIGIN OF PLATIIfG CARDS.
The ancient origin and uses of "playing cards," which is the name they have been called by since the XIV Century has been shrouded in mystery, and their invention has been claimed by nearly every civilized nation upon the globe. The Chinese, Persians, Egyptians and several other ancient na- tions, claim the honor of their invention.
A pack of cards, said to be a thousand years old, is pre- served in the Museum of the Royal Asiatic Society. It is also claimed that they have been known in India from time immemorial. — {Cyc. Brit , Art. Cards. ^
When we find a certain invention claimed by a large num- ber of Nations, scattered over our globe, in widely separated localities, we must conclude that none of them were the in- ventors, but on the contrar}^, obtained the inventions of some nation preceding them by many years.
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This is actually the case with our test book, as well as with many other things used in modern times.
In addition to the great length of time that has elapsed since its invention, we have the fact to contend with, that the ancient and secret order that alone understood and used this mystic book, sedulously guarded the sacred emblems from the knowledge of the outside world. They were each and every one of them sworn not to "cut, carve, paint, mark or write them" upon any substance whatever, except for use in the Temples of the Mystic Brotherhood.
MYSTIO EMBLEMS.
The test book has been called by various names, among which the " Tarot Cards" appears in many ancient and mod- ern works. Why they are tarot cards, will be seen when we come to the the tarot or magic square department. Many modern writers however, have been misled, by supposing that some of the many substitutes for the old genuine book are the real tarot cards. For instance; we find in a work called " The Tarot of the Bohemians,^'' by "Papus," a large number of allusions to the test book, but strange to say, the writer
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substitutes a pack of 78 cards containing Jewish and Catho- lic Symbols, Popes and Devils, for the genuine cards. I quote from him a few passages.
" The Tarot pack of cards, transmitted by the Gypsies from generation to generation, is the primitive book of ancient initiation. This has been clearly demonstrated by Guilla- ume Postal, Court de Gebelin, Etteila, Eliphas, Levi and J. A. Vaillant. The key to its construction and application has not yet been revealed, as far as I know." (Preface to work.)
All very well, and true, if applied to the book. But what, may I ask, did the Magi of Egypt, or the Gypsies who in- herited knowledge from them, have to do with Popes, Devils and "Angels of judgement" used in the bogus test book?
On pages 8 and 9, Papus says: — " The Gypsies possess a Bible, which has proved their means of gaining a livelihood, for it enables them to tell fortunes; yes; the game of cards called the Tarot, which the Gypsies possess, is the Bible of Bibles. It is the book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, the book of Adam, the book of primitive Revelations of An- cient Civilizations.
"Thus whilst the Freemason, an intelligent and virtuous man, has lost the tradition; while the priest, also intelligent and virtuous, has lost his esoterism; the Gypsy, although both ignorant and vicious, has given us the key which en- ables us to explain all the symbolism of the ages."
The work from which the above quotations are made, was handed to me by a friend, and upon reading the headings of chapters, I was delighted, thinking that a feast was in store, fori found such headlines as "The Astronomic Tarot;
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Egyptian Astronomy; The Four Seasons; Application of the Tarot to Astronomy; Astronomy and Astrology; Fortune Telling by the Tarot," etc. But a perusal of the chapters under these head lines gave no light whatever upon occult- ism. The cards recognized by the author, being worthless as a test hook and wholly useless as a tarot hook.
Reader, do not be misled by any of the so-called occult works upon the subject. They are very numerous and all quote and re-quote from each other, but it is the old story of the " blind leading the blind," and we can see without glass- es, behind all this dust throwing, the secret hand of the great enemy of our order, and the enemy of science.
The Egyptians were not the originators of the sacred Test Book. The only people that were ever so situated as to possess the knowledge and acquirements necessary for such a work, lived long anterior to the Egyptians.
That nation was the Atlantiaks. This test book was the crystalization of ages upon ages of observation of the stars and planets, coupled with observations of the actions of mankind as known in that day.
Atlantis had an old and a grand civilization. She was the last remaining portion of a vast continent, that had ex- isted for more than four hundred thousand years, where the great Atlantic Ocean now tosses its waves.
The engraving shows the remnant left, after untold thou- sands of years of wear and tear of the elements had degraded the continent and cast a great part of the detritus upon what afterwards became the Continent of America.
Upon a certain portion of this land, somewhat to the South-East of the geographical center thereof, existed high-
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THE MYSTIC TEST BOOK.
lands from which the land sloped in all directions by gentle undulations unto the sea. On this highland there were other much higher elevations in the shape of mountains, between which a most beautiful and fruitful valley reposed.
In the center of this valley, a small, nearly round lake re- flected on its mirrored surface the mountain tops and the pinnacles of palaces and temples.
THE FINAL KINGDOM OF ATLANTIS.
Upon a large rock in the middle of the lake, the Atlanti- ans builded the palaces of her Kings, gorgeous with costly stones and metals. Grand bridges lead to an embankment built entirely around the lake, except at four places to the N. S. E. and West, reserved for entrances by water. Upon this ring resided the Nobles of the Court and their families.
Outside the ring of land was a canal, used for purposes of pleasure, and from this, canals branched outward to a "belt-
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canal" surrounding the entire capitol. From the belt canal, other canals were cut between the mountains, North, South, East and West, where the water found its way to the sea by four rivers, as shown upon the map.
These rivers were kept constantly supplied with water by the copious rain-fall attracted by the mountain group about the capitol, and the good people residing in the four quarters of the island of Atlantis, used the four rivers as highways to their capitol and to transport their products thither.
Reader, Atlantis was the only place on this earth where four rivers flowed from one source. The only place where four Kings reigned in one capitol. The " Garden of Atlan- tis," as the island was called, for the inhabitants took rich earth and covered the rock many feet deep therewith, was planted with every tree and fruit to delight the palate or the eye of man.
In the midst of this garden stood the palace of the Kings, and the grand Temple of Wisdom, the Temple of her Priesthood, where the " Religion of the Stars" was the only religion known or practiced. This temple was the " tree of knowledge," against which the champions of revealed religion have cast their church thunderbolts and anathe- mas for ages and ages. " In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," is a formula that the church endeavored for ages and ages to make true. Thou- sands and millions of poor devoted followers of the truth who have ventured to taste the "forbidden fruit" have per- ished for it.
The first "Garden of Eden" was at the North Pole; the
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last, built in commemoration of the first, was on the island of Atlantis.
We have only given a rough sketch, of what could be ex- panded into a large book, but it is enough to start the mys- tic mind into making a study of the various proofs given in other works upon this subject.
About fifteen thousand years ago, Atlantis was in the height of her glory, with her colonies planted in all parts of the world, accessible to her commerce. Her strongest possessions, however, were situated in Egypt and South America, although she had cities as far north as the great lake that covered what is now Michigan and the chain of lakes surrounding that state.
For instance, the great city of Bab, stood 14,600 years ago, nearly where her modern representative, Chicago, now stands. Only the river, which is a small affair in this age, was then a wide and beautiful stream, flowing_/rom the " Gfeat-Lake-of-the-Northland" to the ocean, nearly 300 miles farther north than where New Orleans is now.
Nearly fourteen thousand nine hundred years ago, or about B. C. 13,000, the order of the Magi dedicated their first Temple in Egypt; the country which was destined to become the theater of the future exploits of the mystic brotherhood for thousands of years.
As long as Atlantis stood, she held the supreme jurisdic- tion over all parts of the earth, and Egypt was of course- subordinate to her in the occult and spiritual line.
But the time came a few hundred years later, when a ter- rible catastrophe hurled the rocky foundations from be- neath Atlantis and in a day and night of the most heart-
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rending and appalling crashes of earthquakes and thunders and lightenings, the doomed country sank beneath the waves of the Atlantic.
Nothing was left but a few mountain tops, to mark the place where a grand civilization had reigned. These moun- tain tops are now small islands, called the Azores, the cen- tral cluster of which mark the site of the ancient Capital.