6 posts tagged “sacred geometry”
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"Fulcanelli" wrote "The Mystery of the Cathedrals," but his identity was a matter of speculation, until now.
For more on "Fulcanelli" and the cathedrals, check out:
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In
1926, Fulcanelli – an obvious pseudonym – wrote “Le
Mystère des Cathédrales” – The Mystery
of the Cathedrals. The publication not merely created a renewed
interest in the how and the why of the Gothic cathedrals, but
also raised the question who Fulcanelli was.
Several names have since been put forward, tall stories have been
spun, including how Fulcanelli was over a hundred years old, did
not die, but instead disappeared. It is now generally believed
that the man at the origin of the mystery was René Schwaller
– the man who, with the addition of “de Lubicz”
to his name, would later make a name for himself as an Egyptologist,
performing detailed analyses that would inspire the likes of John
Anthony West. 
... the great materialistic progress which we have venerated for so long is on the verge of bankruptcy. We can no longer believe that we are born into this world to accumulate wealth and abandon ourselves to mortal pleasures. We see the dangers and realize that we have been exploited for centuries. We were told the twentieth century was the most progressive that the world has ever known, but unfortunately the progression was in the direction of self-destruction.
To avoid a future of war, crime, and bankruptcy, the individual must begin to plan his own destiny, and the best source for the necessary information comes down to us through the writings of the ancients. The greatest knowledge of all time should be available ... in a book that would be a monument, not merely a coffin.
Hall was born March 18, 1901 in Peterborough, Ontario. His parents divorced and he was raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by his maternal grandmother, Florence Palmer. A sickly child, Hall spent much of his time reading. At some point, they moved to Chicago and then Hall attended a military school. When Hall was sixteen, his grandmother died. Somehow, a young Manly Hall ended up in the care of a "self-styled Rosicrucian community" in California. Hall lived with this group until, at age nineteen, he became "suspicious of their claims of ancient wisdom" and moved out on his own. From this point, Hall's star began to rise. He lectured on various esoteric topics and garnered notoriety and sponsorship from many apparently very influential people to continue his esoteric studies. He traveled the world in search of ancient wisdom, including Egypt, India, China, and Japan. He was provided access to libraries containing ancient manuscripts that most men have never laid eyes upon, and most likely never will. Beginning in 1921 this research culminated in a two-year period from 1926 - 1928, during which time the majority of the research and writing was done. The most shocking thing of all is that this amazing book was completed before Hall's twenty-eighth birthday! Hall did not only research and write this massive book, he raised funds and published it himself. The first printing was primarily for the many who invested in his project. It was such a hit that it has never once been out-of-print.
From his quote at the beginning of this piece, Hall's motivation for writing, securing financing, and self-publishing The Secret Teachings of All Ages was in reaction to the blatant and reckless materialism he saw in society at the expense of the spiritual and mystical. Hall seemed to realize quite early in life that, for him, and he believed humanity, materialism was a false light that would leave only empty shells. His intent was to stoke the inner flame of wisdom and convince people to turn inward, just as he had done. Throughout his life, Hall was not a social man, somewhat reclusive, he lived the life of an ascetic. He knew the things he wrote and spoke of because he lived the ideals -- "He who lives the Life shall know the Doctrine."
The Secret Teachings of All Ages reads like a book written by a master, someone who has studied these topics for a lifetime, not less than a decade. Hall was clearly a prodigy, or savant, of a sort with the ability to absorb, internalize and decipher esoteric knowledge from many thousands of sources, if not more. However, one must at least ask, is there not some other method that Hall employed to compose this authoritative work? The following exchange illustrates the point:
Is it likely that Hall was assisted in more than just access to materials? No one can answer that for certain, but keep a few things in mind: Hall was raised from age 16 to 19 by a Rosicrucian group, he was associated with a myriad of other societies, including Freemasonry, he was also familiar with most every mystical and esoteric practice that was ever known in the past several thousand years, and probably some that weren't so well known.The first question Mr. Claude Bragdon, American mystic, asked Mr. Hall after their first meeting in New York in 1937 was: “Mr. Hall, how do you know so much more about the mathematics of Pythagoras than even the authorities on the subject?” Standing beside both these dear American friends of mine, I was wondering with trepidation in my heart what reply Mr. Hall would make. “Mr. Bragdon,” answered Mr. Hall quickly, unhesitatingly, and with a simultaneous flash of smile in his eyes and on his lips, “you are an occult philosopher. You know that it is easier to know things than to know how one knows those things.”
There are also a number of accusations regarding the book and Hall's association with Masonry that concern Lucifer. In scouring the book to determine the nature of these charges, there doesn't seem to be much basis. To be clear, let me quote from the text, the main section dealing with Lucifer, in a section entitled, "The Sun, A Universal Deity," and you can be the judge:
As Hall wished during his lifetime for people to turn away from their base instincts toward the spiritual and philosophical pursuits, his great work accomplishes that. The Secret Teachings of All Ages has been recognized as one of the foremost books on spirituality, the occult, and ancient myth and symbolism ever written. Although never out of print, when the Reader's Edition was published in 2003, the book became even more popular. In an effort to understand Manly Hall and his great work a bit more, we're pleased to bring you an interview with Mitch Horowitz, the publisher of The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Reader's Edition. Thanks very much to Mitch for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.Certain Rosicrucian scholars have given special appellations to these three phases of the sun: the spiritual sun they called Vulcan; the soular and intellectual sun, Christ and Lucifer respectively; and the material sun, the Jewish Demiurgus Jehovah; Lucifer here represents the intellectual mind without the illumination of the spiritual mind; therefore it is "the false light." The false light is finally overcome and redeemed by the true light of the soul, called the Second Logos or Christ. The secret processes by which the Luciferian intellect is transmuted into the Christly intellect constitute one of the great secrets of alchemy, and are symbolized by the process of transmuting base metals into gold. (p. 142)
Can you describe your initial reactions
to reading The Secret Teachings of All Ages and why you and others
(myself included) find it such a compelling work?
I was astounded at the depth of learning in the book and at the author's willingness to take seriously subjects that were often dismissed as fantasy. When Hall wrote the book, for example, mainstream academia was closed off to questions of re-dating the great pyramids or of whether the Delphic oracle provided a mediumistic experience similar to that of Victorian spiritualism. Due to current archeological research, academics have now come around to seeing the Oracle at Delphi in the manner presented by Hall -- i.e., as a kind of ancient channeled reading -- and, while there remains overwhelming resistance to the pyramid question within academia, that subject has come to public attention through the interest of legitimate independent scholars. So, the Secret Teachings was not only ahead of its time, but took measure of all range of unusual subject matter that had not been given its proper due.
Would you please trace the path from your introduction to the book to publication of the reader's edition in 2003?
Like most readers I was dismayed that the book was so physically difficult to read, being oversized and featuring small typefaces and so forth. I thought: What if this book could be re-set in standard text and read a more straightforward manner? I found that such an approach brought out a readerly dimension to Hall's writing that was not otherwise apparent. So, I had the entire work scanned, re-typed, and fully redesigned. In so doing, I attempted to retain as many of the original illustrations as possible -- and certainly those that were key to the text. It was a really interesting experience turning the Secret Teachings back into a veritable manuscript and seeing it as a might have looked when it rolled off Hall's typewriter.
Several times in your article, you alluded to the fact that Hall completed this massive tome that is still the standard before his thirtieth birthday. I find it amazing that one so young, and not even a professional researcher or academic, was capable of producing a book so crucial that any library is deficient without it. Would you care to speculate: is it more likely Hall was what we call today a prodigy, that he was being directed and assisted by one or more teachers, or some type of spiritual inspiration and communication? Perhaps some combination?
It really is astonishing that he wrote the book by age twenty-seven. That is one of the true mysteries of his achievement. Especially since some of his earliest writings -- such as his letters from abroad -- reveal no particular virtuosity. Some people have speculated that he had a photographic memory or was a kind of savant, which I think may be valid. Regarding other possibilities, such as some kind of supernormal communication or some such, it it simply too speculative to say. But this is an area that I am in real question about.
Do you think Hall's private life (secluded, not social) is a result of his fascination with occult secret teachings? Do you believe there to be any connection to the spirituality and mysticism that Hall studied and the ascetic lifestyle which he seemingly lived?
That's an interesting question. In once sense, it is a matter of sobering caution that Hall's vast knowledge of different spiritual systems failed to feed his own personal life in certain obvious ways -- for example, he was taken advantage of by various figures toward the end of his life. He did, of course, maintain some friendships (Bela Lugosi, Burl Ives). But as far as his general existence, he was a fairly ascetic man -- probably as a result of his single-minded work style than anything else.
Did you have any contact with the Philosophical Research Society for your research?
Yes, I am friendly with the current director of PRS Obadiah Harris and have had the privilege of entering Hall's vault there, among other things.
What are some other authors and books on the occult that you enjoy?
I very much admire the writing of Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney, the founders of Gnosis magazine. Their book "Hidden Wisdom" is as good a primer to esoteric subjects as one is likely to find. I also like a classic work called (unfortunately!) "The Black Arts" by Richard Cavendish -- a much finer book than its title might reflect.
Can you 'talk' a little about Hall's hope to bring his contemporaries' consciousness to spirituality? Do you believe that with the publication of the new edition that Hall's work is reaching a wider audience beyond the usual?
It is remarkable that the new edition is building a contemporary readership for Hall. He is probably one of the only occult writers of his era who is actually growing in popularity. One could argue that our times reflect his own: A wide gap between haves and have-nots; an entertainment-obsessed society; a great deal of emphasis on money-making at the expense of ethics. But I think the popularity of his book has to do mostly with the fact that the new edition permits the book to be discovered for the very first time among many readers -- and the quality of his work is of a kind all its own.
Please describe the reaction and feedback you've received about the reader's edition.
Overwhelmingly positive. I've not gotten a single negative remark that I can recall. People are delighted that book is not only readable, but also affordable. It creates a first-time experience for many people who owned but could never read the previously edition because of its physical unwieldiness.
Would you mind sharing a bit about your upcoming book?
Sure -- I actually just made an agreement this past Friday with the publisher Bantam. Here is blurb that is just now being sent to the publishing media:
"Tarcher/Penguin Editor-in-Chief Mitch Horowitz' first book, OCCULT AMERICA: The Secret History of How Mysticism Conquered America, was preempted by Bantam. A book populated by a wonderful cast of spiritual gadflies, adventurers, and impresarios, OCCULT AMERICA tells the story of how a young America hosted, transformed and was ultimately transformed by the mystical philosophies and practices of the Old World."
The book deals with personalities such as Manly P. Hall, Paul Foster Case, Edgar Cayce, and many, many others who remade the occult in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and, in so doing, helped lay the groundwork for the revolutions in alternative spirituality that marked our own generation.
Thanks again to Mitch Horowitz for all his efforts with the Reader's Edition of The Secret Teachings of All Ages and appearing here. Mitch's article entitled, "The Mysterious Career of Manly P. Hall," in episode 6 of Sub Rosa Magazine was the main reference and inspiration for this article and interview.
Although available online here -- http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/, the Reader's Edition is so well done that your home library deserves a copy.
Also, don't forget the Manly P. Hall Memorial and Archive.
Copyright 2007 by Occult of Personality. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Regardless of opinions, the philosophical basis for the foundation of the United States was not necessarily what would be termed "religious." The age of enlightenment and reason (read occultism) was one of the main influences on those engaged in that grand endeavour.
One indication of this fact is the research of David Ovason. In his book The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, he concludes:
Washington, D.C., which I had thought had only two or three zodiacs in its center, soon revealed itself as teeming with zodiac and zodiacal images -- many of them in official buildings where one would never have expected to find such symbols of the spiritual world. Now I know that there are 23 important zodiacs in the city, and at least 1,000 zodiacal and planetary symbols. These figures may beggar belief, but the story behind them is even more incredible. It was only after some considerable time that I began to see the thing which drew most of these zodiacs together -- the mystery of the zodiacal sign Virgo. ... the Christian Virgin Mother in a later guise, a representative of Isis and Minerva.
Whatever it has been portrayed as in the past, the study of alchemy is an esoteric tradition. The transmutation of base metals into gold may be a by-product, but more likely an allegory, for the real transmutation.
From The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye: Alchemy and the End of Time:
"Our quests led us from Egypt, to Europe, then on to Peru and Atlantis, beyond that to Tibet, India, and Nepal, and finally back to where we started, Egypt. In that long journey, we discovered early on that "alchemy," in the sense of turning base metal into gold, was merely a by-product of a much greater attainment. That the transmutation of metals was possible, and had in fact been part of the historical record from the fourteenth centruy on -- right up to the twentieth century if we are to believe the legends surrounding Fulcanelli -- seemed less important than what such a transmutation said about the nature of reality and the significance of enlightenment.
"In the end, we discovered that alchemy actually is transcendence, the goal and the method united in one "process" that is ultimately never ending. The nature of that transcendence seems to be a gnosis about the nature of the cosmos, an alignment of inner centers--chakras or sefirot -- with the outer alignments of the Cube of Space-Time. The inner "golden age" aligns the internal structure of one's cosmos with the Golden Age in the sky, bringing on a personal apokalyspsis, or unveiling of the mysteries. When this happens, consciousness and the physical body are transformed. If the person has available to him the "skillful means" developed by other initiates who have had the same experience, then he evolves toward what Alberto Villoldo called the Homo luminous, the Diamond Imperishable Body. If not, then the results are incomplete, and sometimes disastrous. ...
"... Alchemy may in fact be as simple as: Changes in the nature of Light create changes in the Mind of nature."
According to Wayne's research, all of these ancient stone megaliths are giant star maps, pointing to a "mystery star" located near the Pleiades constellation! In addition, the human codex is encoded in the sacred geometry of these structures!
I first learned of Wayne's research in an interview on Dreamland. Immediately upon hearing the interview, I ordered his book. The Hidden Records is one of the most compelling and impressive books that I have ever encountered. The research is quite original and well documented. The thick, glossy paper displays the brilliant color photos and maps very nicely. I also find myself continually returning to the book as I read other works and view documentary films to confirm or deny assertions made by others. When you can actually use a particular book as a reference, that really says a lot about it. For me, Wayne Herschel's The Hidden Records is an authoritative book about the ancient stone pyramids and megaliths and their astronomical implications.
Wayne was kind enough to agree to answer some questions about himself and his work:
1. Would you please describe the incidents in your earlier life that provided you insight into the 'paranormal'?
I had two life altering experiences in my life. The first was seeing a classic UFO sighting in my city in Rhodesia when I was a child. It was one of those events where people stop on the road and stare with amazement as the mysterious objects pass by. It was even in the local papers the next day and from that moment on I knew we were not possibly alone in the universe. I wondered if UFO's had been seen in history, so that was the seed that was planted so to speak. My second life altering event was in my twenties and it was a near death experience where one feels ones thoughts and consciousness outside of the body. It happened in a serious motorcycle accident. From that point on, more than ever I had the burning obsession to prove that the soul moves on after death to another realm or life event. Put my two paranormal 'fact' experiences together as a ground base to build on and as a researcher you have the advantage of knowing not guessing when re-looking at history from ground zero.
2. How long did it take you to realize the theory that you developed, from inception to thesis?
Nineteen years ago I started making huge files from books and research material of events that seemed more than coincidence. But a few months after Robert Bauval brought out his book,'The Orion Mystery', as an amateur astronomer I could see there was something wrong with his theory and that there was a lot more to it.
Within six months I had the 50 Egypt pyramids figured out. 49 correlated with all the stars of the known constellations and only one star was sun-like. It correlated in the epi-centre of the pyramid layout field with their ultimate monument called a solar temple. Hmmmm! Same name even. I began testing all ancient pyramid cultures to see if they reproduced the same pattern. In 1999 I had my manuscript ready for publishing.
3. Have people had the same reaction to your book that I did?
Thanks for your encouraging words on what you felt about the book and the answer is that yes it has inspired hundreds of people to write to me.
The great thing is that my material has been tested by scholars on a TV program and believe me if there was any clear mistake or illogical interpretation then they would have been quick to comment. The fact is that no scholar wants to make an official comment that associates with us not being alone in the universe. Not even now two years since the TV program.
4. How would you characterize the efforts made to prevent your book from being published? Am I assuming too much in even asking this question?
That is a story that might sound far fetched and from advice by our attorney we have to say as little as possible. We have had nothing but interference from book data listing to wholesaler dealings where our title listing data gets erased and listed as out of print. This has happened so many times that the people I deal with now are trying to set up tracer programs to track the intrusions. It originates from the USA and many have said we being blocked by a well known society. Readers can make up their own mind by clicking the all seeing golden pyramid icon on my site. I will not say anything negative about these folks and it might all be just a coincidence.
5. Do you believe that the 'mystery star' area described so amazingly in your book from ancient structures and their geographic layout is an actual physical location or a metaphysical realm that is being pointed to, or perhaps both?
The proverbial "x" that marks the spot is a real physical G spectrum star. It is also the only star that crosses the target area between now and 17250 years ago. Out of 100 or more stars in this massive area around the Pleiades only three are nearby sun-like stars. Two of them fit two prime target areas. More importantly they are measurable, and I have listed them on my website with astronomy catalogue.
The so-called gods of the ancients associate with these two stars and it strongly suggests here we are talking about flesh and blood gods with the technology advantage to create all the amazing things our ancestors have claimed.
6. Much of your work is truly original. Many other researchers cannot make that claim. How has this affected your success?
Due to the necessity to self-publish I have had a lot of rejection by bookstores. In 1999 when I was ready to publish, my material was going from one publisher to the next and while I was waiting three years had gone by without a reply, while copies of my manuscript were being out to universities all over the world. Why I knew this was because they were contacting me to discuss the detail. I realised my copyright was as safe as a cracked open chest of gold coins in the middle of a crowded market square.
Other researchers have now started writing on the new Pleiades correlations. In fact the guy who wrote the Orion Mystery has now agreed with my interpretation on the Abusir pyramids in Egypt that match the Pleiades stars and the importance of the solar temple is the reason for the star map. He has therefore revised his old correlation theory completely since my book was released.
7. Can you please describe your writing relationship with your co-author, Birgitt Lederer?
I met Birgitt at a magical moment just when I needed to rewrite the whole book with more updates before we printed the final proof. Serendipity best describes the strange meeting and we clicked and are now quite committed in a relationship. Birgitt is an ex journalist so has a very good idea of how to tell a story so it is easy to read and understand.
8. What are your impressions of the latest images of Cydonia? Has it introduced any changes into your theory?
You have to go to my Mars page update on that because it is going to sound as though I am trying to keep the Face on Mars theory alive.
There is a new anomaly that has more recently been discovered on the face forehead which and now is exactly like the Sphinx in Egypt. See my site. The story gets better every day. You must also take a peek at the new NASA emblem for the Mars mission program. I'll say no more.
Stonehenge too has a breaking story soon to be released. All is there to ponder on. www.thehiddenrecords.com
If you have any interest in these topics, I'd encourage you to check out Wayne's book. His ideas will truly shed some new light on the ancient civilizations...
Copyright 2006 by Occult of Personality. Licensed under Creative Commons.