DEDICATION |
3 |
PREFACE |
5 |
COLOR PLATES
|
9 |
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT |
11 |
INTRODUCTION |
12 |
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND
SECRET SOCIETIES WHICH HAVE INFLUENCED MODERN MASONIC SYMBOLISM
Ancient systems of education--Celsus concerning the Christians--Knowledge
necessary to right living--The Druidic Mysteries of Britain and Gaul--The
Rites of Mithras--The Mithraic and Christian Mysteries contrasted. |
21 |
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND
SECRET SOCIETIES, PART II
The Gnostic Mysteries--Simon Magus and Basilides--Abraxas, the Gnostic
concept of Deity--The Mysteries of Serapis--Labyrinth symbolism--The Odinic,
or Gothic, Mysteries. |
25 |
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND
SECRET SOCIETIES, PART III
The Eleusinian Mysteries--The Lesser Rites--The Greater Rites--The Orphic
Mysteries--The Bacchic Mysteries--The Dionysiac Mysteries. |
29 |
ATLANTIS AND THE GODS OF
ANTIQUITY
Plato's Atlantis in the light of modern science-The Myth of the Dying
God-The Rite of Tammuz and Ishtar--The Mysteries of Atys and Adonis-The
Rites of Sabazius--The Cabiric Mysteries of Samothrace. |
33 |
THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF
THOTH HERMES TRISMEGISTUS
Suppositions concerning identity of Hermes--The mutilated Hermetic
fragments--The Book of Thoth--Poimandres, the Vision of Hermes--The Mystery
of Universal Mind--The Seven Governors of the World. |
37 |
THE INITIATION OF THE
PYRAMID
The opening of the Great Pyramid by Caliph at Mamoun--The passageways and
chambers of the Great Pyramid--The riddle of the Sphinx--The Pyramid
Mysteries--The secret of the Pyramid coffer-The dwelling place of the Hidden
God. |
41 |
ISIS, THE VIRGIN OF THE
WORLD
The birthdays of the gods--The murder of Osiris--The Hermetic Isis--The
symbols peculiar to Isis--The Troubadours--The mummification of the dead. |
45 |
THE SUN, A UNIVERSAL DEITY
The Solar Trinity-Christianity and the Sun--The birthday of the Sun--The
three Suns--The celestial inhabitants of the Sun--The midnight Sun. |
49 |
THE ZODIAC AND ITS SIGNS
Primitive astronomical instruments--The equinoxes and solstices--The
astrological ages of the world--The circular zodiac of Tentyra--An
interpretation of the zodiacal signs--The horoscope of the world. |
53 |
THE BEMBINE TABLE OF ISIS
Plato's initiation in the Great Pyramid--The history of the Bembine
Table--Platonic theory of ideas--The interplay of the three philosophical
zodiacs--The Chaldean philosophy of triads--The Orphic Egg. |
57 |
WONDERS OF ANTIQUITY
The ever-burning lamps--The oracle of Delphi--The Dodonean oracle--The
oracle of Trophonius--The initiated architects--The Seven Wonders of the
world. |
61 |
THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF
PYTHAGORAS
Pythagoras and the School of Crotona--Pythagoric fundamentals--The
symmetrical solids--The symbolic aphorisms of Pythagoras--Pythagorean
astronomy--Kepler's theory of the universe. |
65 |
PYTHAGOREAN MATHEMATICS
The theory of numbers--The numerical values of letters--Method of securing
the numerical Power of words--An introduction to the Pythagorean theory of
numbers--The sieve of Eratosthenes--The meanings of the ten numbers. |
69 |
THE HUMAN BODY IN
SYMBOLISM
The philosophical manikin--The three universal centers--The temples of
initiation--The hand in symbolism--The greater and lesser man--The Anthropos,
or Oversoul. |
73 |
THE HIRAMIC LEGEND
The building of Solomon's Temple--The murder of CHiram Abiff--The martyrdom
of Jacques de Molay--The spirit fire and the pineal gland--The wanderings of
the astronomical CHiram--Cleopatra's Needle and Masons' marks. |
77 |
THE PYTHAGOREAN THEORY OF
MUSIC AND COLOR
Pythagoras and the diatonic scale--Therapeutic music--The music of the
spheres--The use of color in symbolism--The colors of the spectrum and the
musical scale--Zodiacal and planetary colors. |
81 |
FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS,
REPTILES, AND BIRDS
Jonah and the whale--The fish the symbol of Christ--The Egyptian
scarab--Jupiter's fly--The serpent of wisdom--The sacred crocodile. |
85 |
FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS,
REPTILES, AND BIRDS, PART II
The dove, the yonic emblem--The self-renewing phœnix--The Great Seal of the
United States of America--Bast, the cat goddess of the Ptolemies--Apis, the
sacred bull--The monoceros, or unicorn. |
89 |
FLOWERS, PLANTS, FRUITS,
AND TREES
The flower, a phallic symbol--The lotus blossom--The Scandinavian World
Tree, Yggdrasil--The sprig of acacia--The juice of the grape--The magical
powers of the mandrake. |
93 |
STONES, METALS, AND GEMS
Prehistoric monuments--The tablets of the Law--The Holy Grail--The ages of
the world--Talismanic jewels--Zodiacal and planetary stones and gems. |
97 |
CEREMONIAL MAGIC AND
SORCERY
The black magic of Egypt--Doctor Johannes Faustus--The Mephistopheles of the
Grimores--The invocation of spirits--Pacts with demons--The symbolism of the
pentagram. |
101 |
THE ELEMENTS AND THEIR
INHABITANTS.
The Paracelsian theory of submundanes--The orders of elemental beings--The
Gnomes, Undines, Salamanders, and Sylphs--Demonology--The incubus and
succubus--Vampirism. |
105 |
HERMETIC PHARMACOLOGY,
CHEMISTRY, AND THERAPEUTICS
The healing methods of Paracelsus--Palingenesis--Hermetic theories
concerning the cause of disease--Medicinal properties of herbs--The use of
drugs in the Mysteries--The sect of the Assassins. |
109 |
THE QABBALAH, THE SECRET
DOCTRINE OF ISRAEL
The written and unwritten laws--The origin of the Qabbalistic
writings--Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai--The great Qabbalistic books--The
divisions of the Qabbalistic system--The Sepher Yetzirah. |
113 |
FUNDAMENTALS OF
QABBALISTIC COSMOGONY AIN SOPH
and the Cosmic Egg--The Qabbalistic system of worlds--The Qabbalistic
interpretation of Ezekiel's vision--The great image of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream--The Grand Man of the universe--The fifty gates of life. |
117 |
THE TREE OF THE SEPHIROTH
The thirty-two paths of wisdom--The Greater and the Lesser Face--Kircher's
Sephirothic Tree--The mystery of Daath--The three pillars supporting the
Sephirothic Tree--The four letters of the Sacred Name. |
121 |
QABBALISTIC KEYS TO THE
CREATION OF MAN
Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah--The Elohim--The four Adams--Arabian
traditions concerning Adam--Adam as the archetype of mankind--The early
Christian Church on the subject of marriage. |
125 |
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TAROT
CARDS
The origin of playing cards--The rota mundi of the Rosicrucians--The problem
of Tarot symbolism--The unnumbered card--The symbolism of the twenty-one
major trumps--The suit cards. |
129 |
THE TABERNACLE IN THE
WILDERNESS
Moses, the Egyptian initiate--The building of the Tabernacle--The
furnishings of the Tabernacle--The Ark of the Covenant--The Robes of
Glory--The Urim and Thummim. |
133 |
THE FRATERNITY OF THE ROSE
CROSS
The life of Father C.R.C.--Johann Valentin Andreæ--The alchemical teachings
of the Rosicrucians--Significance of the Rose Cross--The Rosicrucian
Temple--The adepts of the Rose Cross. |
137 |
ROSICRUCIAN DOCTRINES AND
TENETS
The Confessio Fraternitatis--The Anatomy of Melancholy--John
Heydon on Rosicrucianism--The three mountains of the wise--The philosophical
egg--The objects of the Rosicrucian Order. |
141 |
FIFTEEN ROSICRUCIAN AND
QABBALISTIC DIAGRAMS
Schamayim, the Ocean of Spirit--The Seven Days of Creation--The symbolic
tomb of Christian Rosencreutz--The regions of the elements--The New
Jerusalem--The grand secret of Nature. |
145 |
ALCHEMY AND ITS EXPONENTS
The multiplication of metals--The medal of Emperor Leopold I--Paracelsus of
Hohenheim--Raymond Lully--Nicholas Flarnmel--Count Bernard of Treviso. |
149 |
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
ALCHEMY
The origin of alchemical philosophy--Alexander the Great and the talking
trees--Nature and art--Alchemical symbolism--The Song of Solomon--The
Philosopher's Gold. |
153 |
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
ALCHEMY, PART II
The alchemical prayer--The Emerald Tablet of Hermes--A letter from the
Brothers of R.C.--The magical Mountain of the Moon--An alchemical
formula--The dew of the sages. |
157 |
THE CHEMICAL MARRIAGE
Christian Rosencreutz is invited to the Chemical Wedding--The Virgo
Lucifera--The philosophical Inquisition--The Tower of Olympus--The
homunculi--The Knights of the Golden Stone. |
161 |
BACON, SHAKSPEARE, AND THE
ROSICRUCIANS
The Rosicrucian mask--Life of William Shakspere--Sir Francis Bacon--The
acrostic signatures--The significant number thirty-three--The philosophic
death. |
165 |
THE CRYPTOGRAM AS A FACTOR
IN SYMBOLIC PHILOSOPHY
Secret alphabets--The biliteral cipher--Pictorial ciphers--Acroamatic
ciphers--Numerical and musical ciphers--Code ciphers. |
169 |
FREEMASONIC SYMBOLISM
The pillars raised by the sons of Seth--Enoch and the Royal Arches--The
Dionysiac Architects--The Roman Collegia--Solomon, the personification of
Universal Wisdom--Freemasonry's priceless heritage. |
173 |
MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY
St. Iranæus on the life of Christ--The original name of Jesus--The
Christened man--The Essenes--The Arthurian cycle--Merlin the Mage. |
177 |
THE CROSS AND THE
CRUCIFIXION
The Aurea Legenda--The lost libraries of Alexandria--The cross in pagan
symbolism--The crucifixion, a cosmic allegory--The crucifixion of
Quetzalcoatl--The nails of the Passion. |
181 |
THE MYSTERY OF THE
APOCALYPSE
The sacred city of Ephesus--The authorship of the Apocalypse--The Alpha and
Omega--The Lamb of God-The Four Horsemen-The number of the beast. |
185 |
THE FAITH OF ISLAM
The life of Mohammed--The revelation of the Koran--The valedictory
pilgrimage--The tomb of the Prophet--The Caaba at Mecca--The secret doctrine
of Islam. |
189 |
AMERICAN INDIAN SYMBOLISM
The ceremony of the peace pipe--The historical Hiawatha--The Popol Vuh--American
Indian sorcery--The Mysteries of Xibalba--The Midewiwin. |
193 |
THE MYSTERIES AND THEIR
EMISSARIES
The Golden Chain of Homer--Hypatia, the Alexandrian Neo-Platonist--The
"divine" Cagliostro--The Comte de St.-Germain--The designing of the American
flag--The Declaration of Independence. |
197 |
CONCLUSION |
201 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
205 |
INDEX |
207 |