Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

123." These principal streams of religious thought can be traced distinctly as we struggle through the labyrinth of evidence, and these may not inappropriately be termed the Petrine, Pauline, and Johannine doctrines, the last being the fountain-head of all the later Christian Mystical heresies. The Johannine doctrine caused great excitement in the fourteenth century. It must be borne in mind that the true Occultism, the real Mysticism, is essentially religious in its nature, and students must not be surprised to find that some of the historical religious sects — many of the principal secret societies take St. John as their patron saint, notably is this the case with many of the Masonic bodies — had their foundation in Occultism and Mysticism before stated, the Occult doctrines of the Gnostics were heirlooms and sacred traditions from a very distant past, and when the early Christian era dawned, the human race had long been plunged in the ^[83] darkening and materializing tendencies of the Black Ages. Soon the Gnosis was rejected by the orthodox church, and the Sacred and Secret teachings of the Great Master, Jesus, became materialized; they have, however, never been lost, and traces of them can be discerned from epoch to epoch.

124."The Masonic movement, to state it generally, was at first a sort of broad, semi-mystic and largely moral movement, worked from certain unknown, to Them, centers, and deriving its origin from the Ancient and not generally known basis.

125.It never had anything to do with Operative Masonry or the Builders' Guild. Masonry was founded on the Ancient Wisdom Religion, and when founded was not known as Masonry.

126.Its basis was, and is, unknown to all of those who do not recognize a definitely spiritual guidance in the practical, mental, and moral developments which from time to time change the surface by the introduction of new factors into the evolving processes of which life consists. Researches into Masonic literature must be made in many languages and countries before this view can be firmly established for the general world, but to students of Mysticism and who are also students of Masonry it becomes more and more apparent that the movement which is generally termed Masonic had its roots in that true Mysticism which originated, as an Ideal effort, from the Spiritual Hierarchy which guides the evolution of the world; and that, however much the branches may be separated from the root-idea, there is nevertheless a Mystic ^[84] teaching in Masonry for those who will seek below the surface.

127."The Ancients of Atlantis preserved not less than sixteen distinct Secret Orders, all of which constituted— what was known at the time of the advent of Poisedon to the Kingdom of Atlantis — as the Mystic Brother or the Great White Circle. What is now the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross was recognized as the very highest of these Orders, by virtue of their knowledge of the Secret Forces throughout Nature. This Order of men ruled the Destiny of nations and all Institutions.*

128."With the destruction of Atlantis,** this perfection of order and organization was severed and history from this event only conveys scattering glimpses of these various Orders — all of which, while preserving some remote impressions of their former relationship, have lost trace one of the other."

129.Says John A. Weiss, M.D., in his "Obelisk and Freemasonry:" "According to our reading of history, the Priesthoods of Belus, or Baal in Assyria, of Osiris in Egypt, of Jehova in Palestine, of Jupiter in Greece and Rome, of Ahura-Mazda in Persia, or Brahma in India, and of Teutates in Britain, were Primitive Secret Societies, who instructed and governed the primitive families and races. It little matters whether we call the members of those priesthoods Belites, Pastophori, Levites, Curetes, Mage, Brahmins, or Druids; they were connected by Secret ^[85] Ties, and intercommunicated from the Indus to the Tiber, from the Nile to the Thames. Hence there ever has been, is, and ever will be Freemasonry on our planet. Masonry was ever more or less connected with priesthoods till about the thirteenth century of our era, when Masons declared themselves Freimaurer (Freemasons). Since about that period priesthoods have ever denounced and persecuted Freemasonry."