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

...ring of lust and degeneracy, lay asleep within his soul. In other words, man was offered a way by which he could regain his lost estate. (See Wagner's Siegfried.) In Wagner's opera, the hero Siegfried represents the soul reclaiming its divine heritage from the corrupting influence of worldly power.

In the ancient world, nearly all the secret societies were philosophical and religious. During the medieval centuries, they were chiefly religious and political, although a few philosophical schools remained. In modern times, secret societies in Western countries are largely political or fraternal, although in a few of them, as in Masonry, the ancient religious and philosophical principles still survive.

History prevents a detailed discussion of all these secret schools. There were literally scores of these ancient cults, with branches in all parts of the Eastern and Western worlds. Some, such as those of Pythagoras and the Hermetists, show a clear Oriental influence, while the Rosicrucians, according to their own proclamations, gained much of their wisdom from Arabian mystics. Although the Mystery schools are usually associated with high civilization, there is evidence that the most primitive peoples of prehistoric times had knowledge of them. Natives of distant islands, many living in the lowest forms of savagery, have mystic rituals and secret practices which, although primitive, have a distinct Masonic quality.

THE DRUIDIC MYSTERIES OF BRITAIN AND GAUL

The original and primitive inhabitants of Britain, at some remote period, revived and reformed their national institutions. "Their priest, or instructor, had previously been named simply Gwydd, but it was eventually considered necessary to divide this office between a national, or superior, priest and another whose influence would be more limited. From then on, the former became Der-Wydd (Druid), or superior instructor, and the latter Go-Wydd or O-Vydd (Ovate), subordinate instructor; both went by the general name of Beirdd (Bards), or teachers of wisdom. As the system matured and grew, the Bardic Order consisted of three classes: the Druids, the Beirdd Braint (privileged bards), and the Ovates." (See Samuel Meyrick and Charles Smith, The Costume Of The Original Inhabitants Of The British Islands.)

The origin of the word Druid is disputed. Max Müller believes that, like the Irish word Druí, it means "the men of the oak trees." He further draws attention to the fact that the forest spirits and deities of the Greeks were called dryades original: "dryades," meaning wood nymphs. Some believe the word is of Teutonic origin; others attribute it to Welsh. A few trace it to the Gaelic druidh, which means "a wise man" or "a sorcerer." In Sanskrit, the word dru means "timber."

At the time of the Roman conquest, the Druids were firmly established in Britain and Gaul. Their power over the people was unquestioned, and there were instances in which armies, about to attack each other, sheathed their swords when ordered to do so by the white-robed Druids. No undertaking of great importance was started without the assistance of these patriarchs, who stood as mediators between the gods and men. The Druidic Order is deservedly credited with having had a deep understanding of Nature and her laws. The Encyclopædia Britannica states that geography, physical science, natural theology, and astrology were their favorite studies. The Druids had a fundamental knowledge of medicine, especially the use of herbs and simples herbal remedies made from a single plant. Crude surgical instruments have also been found in England and Ireland. An old treatise on early British medicine states that every practitioner was expected to have a garden or backyard for growing the herbs necessary to his profession. Eliphas Levi, the celebrated occult philosopher, makes the following statement:

"The Druids were priests and physicians, curing by magnetism and charging amulets with their fluidic influence. Their universal remedies were mistletoe and serpents' eggs, because these substances attract the astral light a subtle essence or spiritual medium believed by occultists to permeate the universe in a special manner. The solemnity with which mistletoe was cut down drew the people's confidence to this plant and rendered it powerfully magnetic. . . . The progress of magnetism will someday reveal to us the absorbing properties of mistletoe. We shall then understand the secret of those spongy growths which drew the unused virtues of plants and became saturated with tinctures and flavors. Mushrooms, truffles, tree galls, and the different kinds of mistletoe will be employed with understanding by a medical science which will be 'new because it is old' . . . but one must not move faster than science, which recedes so that it may advance further." (See The History of Magic.)

A small black and white engraving of a man in ceremonial Druid robes, wearing a crown and a breastplate, holding a staff. From Wellcome's Ancient Cymric Medicine.

The most striking adornment of the Arch-Druid was the iodhan moran, or breastplate of judgment, which was believed to have the mysterious power of strangling anyone who made an untrue statement while wearing it. Godfrey Higgins states that this breastplate was placed on the necks of witnesses to test the truth of their evidence. The Druidic tiara, or anghinum, with its front embossed with points representing the sun's rays, indicated that the priest personified the rising sun. On the front of his belt, the Arch-Druid wore the liath meisicith—a magic brooch or buckle with a large white stone in the center. This was said to have the power of drawing the fire of the gods down from heaven at the priest's command. This specially cut stone was a burning glass a lens used to concentrate sunlight to start a fire, used to light the altar fires. The Druids also used other symbolic tools, such as the uniquely shaped golden sickle for cutting mistletoe from the oak, and the cornan, or scepter, shaped like a crescent. This symbolized the sixth day of the waxing moon and the Ark of Noah. An early initiate of the Druidic Mysteries related that admission to their midnight ceremonies was gained by means of a glass boat called Cwrwg Gwydrin. This boat symbolized the moon, which, floating upon the waters of eternity, preserved the seeds of living creatures within its boat-like crescent.

Mistletoe was sacred not only as a symbol of the universal medicine, or panacea, but also because it grew upon the oak tree. Through the symbol of the oak, the Druids worshipped the Supreme Deity; therefore, anything growing upon that tree was sacred to Him. At certain seasons, determined by the positions of the sun, moon, and stars, the Arch-Druid climbed the oak tree and cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle consecrated for that purpose. The parasitic growth was caught in white cloths so it would not touch the earth and be polluted by terrestrial vibrations. Usually, a white bull was sacrificed under the tree.

The Druids were initiates of a secret school that existed in their midst. This school, which closely resembled the Bacchic and Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece or the Egyptian rites of Isis and Osiris, is justly called the Druidic Mysteries. There has been much speculation concerning the secret wisdom the Druids claimed to possess. Their secret teachings were never written down but were communicated orally to specially prepared candidates. Robert Brown, 32°, believes the British priests secured their information from Syrian and Phoenician navigators who established colonies in Britain and Gaul while searching for tin thousands of years before the Christian Era. Thomas Maurice, in his Indian Antiquities, discusses at length the Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Greek expeditions to the British Isles to obtain tin. Others believe the Druidic Mysteries were of Oriental origin, possibly Buddhist.

The proximity of the British Isles to the lost Atlantis may account for the sun worship that plays an important part in Druidic rituals. According to Artemidorus, Ceres and Persephone Greek goddesses of agriculture and the underworld were worshipped on an island near Britain with rites similar to those of Samothrace. There is no doubt that the Druidic Pantheon included many Greek and Roman deities. This greatly amazed Caesar during his conquest of Britain and Gaul, leading him to claim that these tribes adored Mercury, Apollo, Mars, and Jupiter in a manner similar to the Romans. It is almost certain that the Druidic Mysteries did not originate in Britain or Gaul but migrated from one of the more ancient civilizations.

The Druid school was divided into three distinct parts, and the secret teachings within them are practically the same as the mysteries hidden in the allegories of Blue Lodge Masonry. The lowest of the three divisions was that of Ovate (Ovydd). This was an honorary degree requiring no special purification or preparation. The Ovates dressed in green, the Druidic color of learning, and were expected to know something about medicine, astronomy, and poetry or music. An Ovate was someone admitted to the Order because of their general excellence and superior knowledge of life's problems.

The second division was that of Bard (Beirdd). Its members wore sky-blue robes to represent harmony and truth. Their task was to memorize, at least in part, the twenty thousand verses of Druidic sacred poetry. They were often depicted with the primitive British or Irish harp—an instrument strung with human hair, with as many strings as there are ribs on one side of the human body. These Bards were often chosen as teachers or as ambassadors for the Druidic Mysteries. Neophytes wore striped robes of blue, green, and white—the three sacred colors of the Order.

The third division was that of Druid (Derwyddon). Their specific work was to minister to the religious needs of the people. To reach this rank, a candidate first had to become a Bard Braint. The Druids always dressed in white, symbolizing purity and the sun.

To reach the exalted position of Arch-Druid, or spiritual head of the organization, a priest had to pass through the six successive degrees of the Druidic Order. (Members of different degrees were distinguished by the colors of their sashes, as all wore white robes.) Some writers believe the title of Arch-Druid was hereditary, but it is more likely that the honor was conferred by election. The recipient was chosen for his virtues and

integrity from the most learned members of the higher Druidic degrees.

According to James Gardner, there were usually two Arch-Druids in Britain, one residing on the Isle of Anglesey and the other on the Isle of Man. There were likely others in Gaul. These dignitaries generally carried golden scepters and were crowned with wreaths of oak leaves as symbols of their authority. The younger members of the Druidic Order were clean-shaven and modestly dressed, but the older members had long gray beards and wore magnificent golden ornaments. The educational system of the Druids in Britain was superior to that of their colleagues on the Continent; consequently, many Gallic youths were sent to British Druidic colleges for their philosophical training.

Eliphas Levi states that the Druids lived in strict abstinence, studied the natural sciences, maintained the deepest secrecy, and admitted new members only after long probationary periods. Many priests lived in buildings similar to modern monasteries. They were associated in groups like the ascetics individuals who practice severe self-discipline and abstain from all forms of indulgence of the Far East. Although celibacy was not required, few married. Many Druids retired from the world to live as recluses in caves, stone houses, or small shacks in the deep forest. There they prayed and meditated, emerging only to perform their religious duties.

James Freeman Clarke, in Ten Great Religions, describes Druidic beliefs as follows: "The Druids believed in three worlds and in the metempsychosis the transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death from one to the other: a world above this, where happiness prevailed; a world below, of misery; and this present state. This transmigration served to punish, reward, and purify the soul. In the present world, they said, Good and Evil are so perfectly balanced that man has total freedom to choose or reject either."

Welsh Triads a group of related medieval Welsh texts tell us there are three objectives of the transmigration of souls: to collect the properties of all being into the soul, to acquire knowledge of all things, and to gain the power to conquer Evil. They also say there are three kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the nature of each thing, of its cause, and of its influence. There are three things that continually decrease: darkness, falsehood, and death. There are three which constantly increase: light, life, and truth.

Like nearly all Mystery schools, Druidic teachings were divided into two sections. The simpler moral code was taught to the general public, while a deeper, esoteric intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge doctrine was given only to initiated priests. To be admitted, a candidate had to be of good family and high moral character. No important secrets were entrusted to him until he had been tested in many ways and his strength of character severely tried. The Druids taught the immortality of the soul. They believed in transmigration and apparently in reincarnation; they would even borrow money in one life, promising to pay it back in the next. They believed in a purgatorial type of hell where sins were purged before passing on to happiness with the gods. The Druids taught that all people would eventually be saved, but some must return to earth many times to learn how to overcome the sins of human life and the inherent evil of their own natures.

Before being entrusted with secret doctrines, a candidate was bound by a vow of secrecy. These doctrines were taught only in deep forests and dark caves. In these isolated places, the neophyte was instructed on the creation of the universe, the personalities of the gods, the laws of Nature, the secrets of occult medicine, the mysteries of the stars, and the rudiments of magic. The Druids had many feast days. The new and full moon, and the sixth day of the moon, were sacred. It is believed that initiations took place only at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. At dawn on December 25th, they celebrated the birth of the Sun God.

Some say Druidic secret teachings were influenced by Pythagorean philosophy. They had a Madonna, or Virgin Mother, with a Child in her arms who was sacred to their Mysteries; their Sun God was resurrected at the same time of year that modern Christians celebrate Easter.

Both the cross and the serpent were sacred to the Druids.

They made the former by cutting all the branches off an oak tree and fastening one to the main trunk in the shape of the letter T. This oaken cross symbolized their superior Deity. They also worshipped the sun, moon, and stars, with the moon receiving special veneration. Caesar stated that Mercury was one of the chief gods of the Gauls. The Druids are believed to have worshipped Mercury in the form of a stone cube. They also had great respect for Nature spirits (fairies, gnomes, and undines)—small creatures of the forests and rivers to whom they made offerings. Describing Druid temples, Charles Heckethorn writes in The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries:

"Their temples, where the sacred fire was kept, were generally located on hills and in dense oak groves. They took various forms: circular, as the circle was the emblem of the universe; oval, referring to the mundane egg a mythological concept of the universe beginning as an egg from which the universe or our first parents issued; serpentine, because the serpent was the symbol of Hu, the Druidic Osiris; cruciform, because the cross is an emblem of regeneration; or winged, to represent the motion of the Divine Spirit. . . . The central part of these temples, laid out on an astronomical basis, still stands as a wonder of antiquity."

A complex circular diagram labeled 'THE GROUND PLAN OF STONEHENGE.' It shows various concentric rings of stones and pits. From Maurice's Indian Antiquities.

Druid temples or places of worship were not patterned after those of other nations. Most of their ceremonies were performed at night, either in thick oak groves or around open-air altars built of massive uncut stones. How these rocks were moved has never been satisfactorily explained. The most famous of their altars, a great ring of stones, is Stonehenge in southwestern England. This structure, designed on an astronomical basis, remains a wonder of antiquity.

Godfrey Higgins states that Hu the Mighty, regarded as the first settler of Britain, came from a place the Welsh Triads call the Summer Country (the present site of Istanbul). Albert Pike says the Lost Word of Masonry is hidden under the name of the Druid god Hu. The limited information remaining about Druidic initiations indicates a clear similarity to the schools of Greece and Egypt. Hu, the Sun God, was murdered and, after various ordeals and rituals, was restored to life.

There were three degrees of the Druidic Mysteries, but few passed them all. The candidate was buried in a coffin to symbolize the death of the Sun God. The supreme test, however, was being sent out to sea in an open boat. Many lost their lives during this ordeal. Taliesin, an ancient scholar who passed the Mysteries, describes this "initiation of the open boat" in Faber’s Pagan Idolatry. Those who passed this third degree were said to have been "born again" and were instructed in the hidden truths preserved from antiquity. From these initiates were chosen the leaders of the British religious and political world. (For further details, see Faber’s Pagan Idolatry, Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma, and Godfrey Higgins’ Celtic Druids.)

THE RITES OF MITHRAS

When the Persian Mysteries migrated into Southern Europe, they were quickly adopted by the Roman mind. The cult grew rapidly, especially among Roman soldiers, and during the wars of conquest, the teachings were carried by the legions to nearly all parts of Europe. The cult of Mithras became so powerful that at least one Roman Emperor was initiated into the order, which met in caverns beneath the city of Rome. Regarding the spread of this Mystery school, C. W. King writes in The Gnostics and Their Remains:

"Mithraic bas-reliefs carved on rock faces or stone tablets still abound in the former western provinces of the Roman Empire; many exist in Germany, more in France, and in Britain they have often been discovered along the line of the Picts' Wall and a famous one at Bath."

Alexander Wilder states in his Philosophy and Ethics of the Zoroasters that Mithras is the Zend title for the sun, and he is supposed to live within that shining orb. Mithras has a male and a female aspect, though he is not himself androgynous. As Mithras, he is the lord of the sun—powerful, radiant, and the most magnificent of the Yazatas (spirits of the sun). As Mithra, this deity represents the feminine principle; the physical universe is her symbol. She represents Nature as receptive and terrestrial, becoming fruitful only when bathed in the glory of the sun. The Mithraic cult is a simplified version of the elaborate teachings of Zarathustra (Zoroaster), the Persian fire-magician.