An encyclopedic outline of masonic, hermetic, cabbalistic and rosicrucian symbolical philosophy. Being an interpretation of the secret teachings concealed within the rituals, allegories and mysteries of all ages

..Preface..

Numerous volumes have been written as commentaries on the secret systems of philosophy that existed in the ancient world, but these ageless truths of life—much like many of the earth’s greatest thinkers—have usually been presented in poor, unattractive formats. The present work is an attempt to provide a book worthy of those seers and sages whose thoughts fill its pages. Merging Beauty and Truth in this way has proven to be very expensive, but I believe the result will have an effect on the reader’s mind that more than justifies the cost.

Work on the text of this volume began on January 1, 1926, and has continued almost without interruption for over two years. However, most of the research was conducted before the manuscript was written. The collection of reference material began in 1921, and three years later, the plans for the book took a definite shape. For the sake of clarity, I have eliminated all footnotes; instead, I have included various quotations and references to other authors directly within the text in their logical order. The bibliography is added primarily to help those interested in choosing the most authoritative and important works on philosophy and symbolism for future study. To make the complex information in this book easily accessible, I have included an extensive topical cross-index.

I make no claim that every statement here is either perfect or original. I have studied the surviving fragments of ancient writings enough to realize that making dogmatic claims about their beliefs is worse than reckless. Strict adherence to tradition is the curse of modern philosophy, especially in European schools. While many statements in this study may at first seem wildly fantastic, I have sincerely tried to avoid random metaphysical guessing, presenting the material as much as possible in the spirit, rather than just the literal word, of the original authors. By taking responsibility only for any mistakes that may appear here, I hope to avoid the accusations of plagiarism that have been leveled against nearly every writer on mystical philosophy.

Because I have no specific "ism" or personal ideology to promote, I have not tried to twist the original writings to support pre-existing ideas. Nor have I distorted doctrines to try to resolve the impossible differences found between various systems of religious and philosophical thought.

The entire theory of this book is directly opposed to modern ways of thinking, as it deals with subjects openly mocked by the intellectual skeptics of the twentieth century. Its true purpose is to introduce the reader's mind to a way of living that exists entirely outside the limits of materialist theology, philosophy, or science. The mass of complex material within these covers cannot be perfectly organized, but I have grouped related topics together as much as possible.

Rich as the English language is, it strangely lacks terms suitable for expressing abstract philosophical ideas. Therefore, a certain intuitive understanding of the deeper meanings hidden within groups of inadequate words is necessary to comprehend the ancient Mystery Teachings.

Although most of the items in the bibliography are in my own library, I wish to gratefully acknowledge the help provided by the Public Libraries of San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Scottish Rite libraries in those same cities, the University of California libraries in Berkeley and Los Angeles, the Mechanics’ Library in San Francisco, and the Krotona Theosophical Library at Ojai, California. Special thanks for their help are also due to the following people: Mrs. Max Heindel, Mrs. Alice Palmer Henderson, Mr. Ernest Dawson and his staff, Mr. John Howell, Mr. Paul Elder, Mr. Phillip Watson Hackett, and Mr. John R. Ruckstell. Others who lent individual books also have my gratitude.

The task of translation was the greatest single challenge in the research for this volume. The necessary...