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The influence of masonry in modern occultism/witchcraft.

  
 
Unconditional Love
18:17 / 06.06.05
Blavatsky soon had a great host of admirers. The Theosophical Society had freemasons Henry Steel Olcott, George H. Felt appointed president and vice-president respectfully. Among the early members were high ranking masons Charles Sothern and Albert Pike.

Gerald Brosseau Gardner (June 13, 1884 - February 12, 1964) was a Freemason, an English hereditary Witch and largely responsible for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world. Gardner claimed to trace his roots to a Witch named Grissell Gardner who had been burned at the stake in 1610 at Newburgh.

The O.T.O. founded at the beginning of the 20th century represents a reunification attempt to incorporate the traditions of the Freemasonic, Rosicrucian and Illuminist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, the crusading Knights Templars of the middle ages and early Christian Gnosticism and the Pagan Mystery Schools.

The spiritual father of the OTO was Karl Kellner a wealthy Austrian paper chemist. Kellner was a student of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and Eastern mysticism. He developed adhesive to form an Academia Masonica which would enable all Freemasons to become familiar with all existing Masonic degrees and systems.

“[Freemasonry] makes no profession of Christianity, and wars not against sectarian creeds or doctrines, but looks forward to the time when the labor of our ancient brethren shall be symbolized by the erection of a spiritual temple whose moral grandeur shall be commensurate with civilization; a temple in which there shall be but one altar and but one worship; one common altar of Masonry on which the Veda, Shastras, Sade, Zend-Avesta, Koran, and Holy Bible shall lie untouched by sacrilegious hands, and at whose shrine the Hindoo, the Persian, the Assyrian, the Chaldean, the Egyptian, the Chinese, the Muhammadan, the Jew, and the Christian may kneel with one united voice celebrate the praises of the Supreme Architect of the Universe.”

- The Kentucky Monitor, p. 95, Grand Lodge of Kentucky

Arthur Edward Waite
A. E. Waite (October 2, 1857 - May 19, 1942) was a Freemason, an English occultist and member (later Grand Master) of the magical order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Waite is most famous as the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, the most popular tarot deck in use today.


William Wynn Westcott (December 17, 1848 - July, 1925), East London coroner, a Freemason, Theosophist, Qabalist, Supreme Magus of the Societas Rosicruciana and founding member (and organizing genius) behind the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Westcott, along with MacGregor Mathers, initiated Golden Dawn students into the study of the Qabalah, Alchemy, Astrology, Geomantic and Tarot Divination, Tattwa Vision and the Pentagram Ritual.


Samuel Liddel "MacGregor" Mathers (January 1854 – November 1918) a Freemason, a Rosicrucian and an adept occult magician. Mathers was one of the most influential occultists in modern times. Along with Dr. Wynn Westcott, he founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. On the Golden Dawn, Wikipedia has this to say: "The 'Golden Dawn,' as it is commonly referred to, was probably the single greatest influence on 20th century western occultism. While it existed, it was the focal point of the development and redevelopment of magical thinking in Europe. In it, most concepts of magic and ritual that have since become core elements of Wicca, Thelema, western mystery schools and other forms of magical spirituality were first formulated."

Freemasonry: Midwife to an Occult Empire
 
 
Lord Switch
17:48 / 07.06.05
Well, as far as It comes down to Gardner and Gardnerian witchcraft this is what I know, based on proper research...

1 Gardner was a III* member of the OTO. There are letters surviving that are correspondences between Crowley and Gardner that very strongly hint towards Gardners tradition is a watered down Thelema and OTO freeform for the masses. Looking at Gardnerian wicca and comparing their rites and thelemic we can see a very strong resemblence.

2 many early G.D. members who left at the turn of the century continued down the lines of what was there. many "hereditary books of shadows" can be traced back to prove to be nothing more than early GD members magickal Diaries.
 
 
Unconditional Love
16:26 / 08.06.05
you know ive spent about 2 weeks downloading stuff from a place called conspiracy torrents and i think its having a negative effect on me, i am actually beginning to take what i found before hand as laughable more seriously, people like david icke have suddenly started sounding very reasonable and spot on.

yet to spot any hissing lizard headed people thou.
 
 
eco
08:28 / 10.06.05
The origins of Freemasonry itself are not clearly known but there is no doubt that Freemasonry in the 18th and 19th centuries provided a repository for much esoteric investigation. Everyone in those days with some spare time was into alchemy and the "hidden mysteries of nature and science"...

I personally believe that the main historical development of Freemasonry comes from the english mediaeval guilds, although the more esoteric mason these days will try to convince you of its Egyptian / Greek mystery school origins... Freemasonry has of course attracted a disproportionate amount of esoteric scholars over the decades who have no doubt had some influence on it. However, although people like Waite, Mathers etc. were active Freemasons, they were more active in their own esoteric orders. The only legitimate esoteric order to have survived within the main body of Freemasonry is the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia.

Crowley always seemed fascinated with Masonry and I believe he tried many times to join. He claimed he was initiated into the 33rd degree somewhere in Mexico but this would clearly have been an "irregular" order. The 33rd degree is an honourary degree. Gaining the 32nd Scottish Rite degree can sometimes only take a couple of months for particularly eager masons. Crowley's rejection no doubt spurred him on further to help create the O.T.O. etc.
 
 
Flegetanis
21:50 / 26.04.06
No, Esoteric Masons "nowadays" won't try to impose a bogus history on the order. A friend of mine wrote an Esoteric Masonry FAQ which addresses this.
 
 
Flegetanis
21:52 / 26.04.06
As for the Yahoo Group at the bottom of the page, don't bother applying if you're not a Mason (just trying to save myself some trouble by mentioning it now).
 
 
Flegetanis
22:01 / 26.04.06
Oh yeah.... Regarding the original post:

Yes, Freemasons have had a profund influence on contemporary Occultism. But the link provided is from a site that puts forward the idea that there is a concerted effort by Freemasonry as a whole to promote the occult. That's just nonsense. This is not the function of Freemasonry.

However, Masonic forms and ceremonies are very useful to the practical occultist. Thus, it's structure can be found in Wicca, the Golden Dawn, and many other "lodge" based magical societies. Only the O.T.O. was purely Masonic in it's origins, but is something completely different now (I wish they'd let me in at a grade corresponding to my Masonic degrees!).
 
  
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