Freemasonry and the Hermetic Arts

thrice great hermes of hermetica

Masonic tradition has had a rich application of the notion that it is imbued with a Hermetic philosophy with very little explanation of what that means.  At no time, in the teachings of the fraternity, is a candidate or member handed a pamphlet, booklet or tract explaining what Hermetic has to do with masonry or how it pertains to the rituals of the degrees.  Further, no philosophical or religious tradition is said to be the linchpin of Masonic teachings and the esoteric institution of which they have obligated themselves.  The only glimpse of that teaching comes in the ritual use of the Bible as the Volume of the Sacred Law which can vary country to country, tradition to tradition, and initiate to initiate as the volume is suggested to be the book the candidate holds as holy.

The closest that this tradition of Masonry comes to teaching the meaning of the Hermetic art can be found in the teachings of the Scottish Rite, which for many years gave out to its members a large bound tome of Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma instructing the candidate to read it, as able, so as to better understand the degrees.  But, because of its complexity, Morals and Dogma more often served as a door stop than a doorway to greater wisdom.

More recently, Pike’s 900 page manuscript of the occult sciences has been replaced with Rex Hutchens’s A Bridge to Light, which is a good and useful tool for the literal understanding of the degrees, yet still lacking in much greater depth than to suggest you, the reader, to go and research the greater meaning of the obtuse symbolism.

Perhaps this is an intentional lesson in resourcefulness for the true student, but for a greater understanding of the esoteric teachings it served as to great a bridge over the wisdom than as a path for the aspirant through the teachings.

Having followed the many paths of the esoteric science, one idea that repeatedly comes to the fore is that it is of a Hermetic philosophy.  Pike uses the term liberally in Morals and Dogma saying in the 28th degree

The Hermetic Art is, therefore, at the same time a religion, a philosophy, and a natural science. As a religion, it is that of the Ancient Magi and the Initiates of all ages; as a philosophy, we may find its principles in the school of Alexandria and the theories of Pythagoras; as a science, we must inquire for its processes of Paracelsus, Nicholas Flamel, and Raymond Lulle.[1]

So what exactly does the Hermetic Art mean to being a Mason?

Thrice Great Hermes as the allegorical author of the Hermeticfa
Hermes Trismegistus

The great teacher of the Hermetic Art is said to be Hermes Trismegistus better known as the Thrice Great Hermes of whom Pike makes a parallel to Grand Master Hiram in his third degree monograph.[2]

Who is Hermes, and why would his teachings be of any importance to a third degree Master Mason?

Through this series on the Hermetic Arts, I will explore those questions and try to create an association between the principal Hermetic text and the Hermetic principals which have wound their way into many esoteric teachings, but in particular those of Freemasonry.  To facilitate this understanding, we need to examine the principal Hermetic text from which the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus originate – Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius.

While some may construe its teaching as religious, we need make our focus on it as the source materials from which much of the Western Esoteric Mystery traditions have drawn their teachings.  Yet, because of what it teaches, it would be impossible to interpret its writing without acknowledging it as religious text, complete with a creation myth, commandments of adherents, and ceremonies of inclusion for those who choose to devote themselves to its teachings, a practice that would be difficult to separate Freemasonry from in its religious practice of ceremonial ritual. Masonry, like most other mystery schools, has adopted aspects of the work, such as it has from other esoteric workings including tarot, magick, Kabbalah and of and New Thought ideas of life mastery.  In this undertaking of exploring Hermetica, our focus need be on its teachings so as to better improve the human condition towards those we come into contact with, which is at the heart of the Hermetic philosophy.

While the text of Hermetica contains what its authors suggest are certain truths, I leave to you their validation and weight, when taken in consideration of your own belief traditions.  In some instances, they may give you a path to better understanding your own beliefs or give you another way to look at what was before now an assumption of truth.  Over time, it has been said that Hermetica held aspects of religious mythology, early millennial Hellenistic religious ideals, Neo-Platonism, Sufism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity but it is my belief that as the texts originated in an early period of the Common Era, their ideas stem from an older tradition that dates into late antiquity and perhaps the earliest of monotheistic Egyptian rituals of initiation and veneration.  Evidence of origin is difficult at best except when you consider its origins by lineage which, as Free Masons, we can find some heraldry to them as its modern day companions in practice.

At various intervals, Freemasonry itself has been called a hermetic science with seldom a satisfying explanation of what that means.  In part, the use of this type of language could be taken in scientific terms to imply a closed loop system of wisdom teachings – a self contained system, without influence or coloration to any other philosophical or religious tradition save what itself promulgates as the allegorical and symbolic lessons it teaches.

Yet, at various points in the Royal Art, of which Masonry has expounded itself as, includes moralistic teachings that, at their core, utilize Christian verse and meaning drawing upon Biblical allegories from the Great Book while introducing ideas from traditions that seem to spring from outside the age within which the Bible was conceived.

A few examples of this include the trans formative process in alchemy and the Jewish Mysticism of found in the Kabbalah which were later elaborated upon by writers of the great tradition of Free Masonry most notably in the works of Pike and Wilmshurst whom both injected their own ideas, by interpretation, into the tradition.  So true is it with this undertaking that one must suspend the idea of what it is we believe the Great work of Freemasonry teaches to explore another possibility.  From this exploration we can hopefully come to understand the later developments of the ancient idea of philosophical tradition not enclosed within itself – not as a hermetically sealed philosophy but a broader tradition of the philosophy (and perhaps religion) of Hermetica itself.  It is through a close reading of the Hermetic texts and an analysis by which we can produce an exegesis through a juxtaposition of the philosophy that comes from Hermetica and the lessons taught in the degrees to find, if it exists, a harmony between the two and reach a firmer understanding of what being a Mason means and how it, perhaps, colors our underlying ideas of morality, truth and faith.  Is the link between Hermetica and Freemasonry an accident that occurred in the attempt to mythologize a simple tradition of initiation and mystery play theatrics that has been carried forward religiously for centuries?  Upon closer interpretation of Hermetica, this does not seem to be wholly the case.

Sadly, there is no direct evidence of its association or of any such intention other than to compare the rituals of masonry and some of the possible conclusions that may be drawn from them in parallel to the Hermetic writings, in particular in the three craft degrees.  But, this is a speculative science, so then we must speculate and attempt to find parallels where we can.  In the mean time, while we ponder the deep questions,  of origin, source and meaning it is my hope that hope that we will discover a richness of tradition and possibly a new means to understand our own faith in a system of morality taught by symbolism and allegory.  That discovery, I believe, comes in understanding the ancient text of Hermetica.

Before we begin, the text used for this exploration comes from Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction, with Notes and Introduction by Brian P. Copenhaverwhich you can find at Amazon.com. 

But, before we begin to examine the text of Hermetica, our first stop must need be with the well known Emerald Tablet, a codex of sorts said to codify the teachings of Hermes into a singular distillation of the main points of Hermetica itself.

As we progress ahead, you can be the judge of the Emerald Tablet’s points and their relevancy when compared to their supposed source material.

Hermes Trismegistus, as above so below
Tabula Smaragdina – From Heinrich Khunrath’s alchemical text Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae, 1608/1609

The tablet, as a translated work, can be found in its oldest documented source from  the Kitab Sirr al-Asrar, The Book of the Secret of Secrets, which is a 12th century translation of a 10th century Arabic text which included subjects on many areas of interest to the contemporary mystery school student including ethics, astronomy, magic, and alchemy.  Elements of the text are believed to have circulated well before their compilation into the Kitab by several hundred years.[3]

This portion of the greater text is a compendium of advice for rulers, believed to be a letter from Aristotle to Alexander the Great.  The work has had many translators over the centuries ultimately producing the work we read below.

The Emerald Tablet of HermesContemporary Rendering of Latin text

  1. [It is] true, without a lie, certain and most true,
  2. That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below, to perform the miracles of the one thing.
  3. And as all things were from the one, by means of the meditation of the one, thus all things were born from the one, by means of adaptation.
  4. Its father is the Sun, its mother is the Moon, the Wind carried it in its belly, its nurse is the earth.
  5. The father of the whole world [or “of all of the initiates”?] is here.
  6. Its power is whole if it has been turned into earth.
  7. You will separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the dense, sweetly, with great skill.
  8. It ascends from earth into heaven and again it descends to the earth, and receives the power of higher and of lower things.
  9. Thus you will have the Glory of the whole world.
  10. Therefore will all obscurity flee from you.
  11. Of all strength this is true strength, because it will conquer all that is subtle, and penetrate all that is solid.
  12. Thus was the world created.
  13. From this were wonderful adaptations, of which this is the means. Therefore am I named Thrice-Great Hermes, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
  14. It is finished, what I have said about the working[s] of the Sun.

 

Image: Thrice Great Hermes Trismegistus, pen and ink rendering, from original source material with adaptation.

 


[1] Morals and DogmaKnight of the Sun, or Prince Adept,. p. 774/775

[2] Morals and Dogma, Master Mason, p. 78

Ke$ha’s Die Young occult foray

Pop singer KeSha’s new video Die Young, a track off her new album Warrior, is an interesting foray into the Masonic Nexus as it swirls in a mix of secret society symbolism.

Certainly not the most interesting use of esoteric or occult symbolism in music, I’d give that prop to Jay-Z and his all seeing eye hands,  but perhaps Ke$ha’s use is the most danceable.

Symbolism to keep an eye out for…

The all-seeing eye, pentagrams, triangles and nested triangles, geometric patterns galore, a lambs wool covering, and a glowing pentagram juxtaposed with an inverted cross.

The symbolism in the video is intended, as an MTV deconstruction explains, as it includes Illuminati references while telling a story of a cult like collection, in essence, dying young.

Honestly, though, I find it hard to really construct any real conclusion on the use of the iconography other than to say that it’s trying to make reference to some kind of esoteric essence through the lens-flare in a disco.

What do you think? Does the video artfully depict your secret society experience?

Want to be a Member?

Found this on Vigilant Citizen.

Want to be a member? Want to be a member?

If all initiations ended like this one, I bet most fraternities would be teeming with members.

It reminds me of the pranks in the Demoulin catalog of Fraternal Supplies from the 30’s.  I wonder if it was the inspiration for the short film.

I’m not entirely clear why some would think this short was to indoctrinate children into secret societies, but, I suppose you can make what ever connections to you want from it.

Want to be a member?  Want to be a member?  The tune will stick with you for the rest of the day.

Look for the quick glimpse of Mickey near the beginning as a little Easter egg.

VC says that the video is so full of symbolism that ” we realize that those who produced it were obviously ‘in the know’. The cartoon is therefore yet another example of occult symbolism that can be seen by all, but meant to be fully understood by few.

Maybe so.

 

KST, Solomon, first temple, Sanctum Sanctorum

The Lodge as a Sanctum Sanctorum

Recently, I asked the members of The Euphrates‘ mailing list to send me any subjects that they would like me to cover in my articles. I received a number of great ideas and am going to work my way through them over the next few months. This week, I’m going to cover a subject that really captured my attention. One Brother asked me to cover the subject of “how to use the lodge as a true sanctum sanctorum and treat it as such.”

holy of holies, king solomons temple, ark

The Holy of Holies

In order to discuss this subject, we must first examine the term ‘sanctum sanctorum’ and what it means in Freemasonry. Sanctum sanctorum is a Latin term that may be literally translated translated as “Holy of Holies.” This term is used to describe the innermost chamber of King Solomon’s Temple.

It was here in this most sacred place that the Ark of the Covenant was placed during the dedication of the temple. Masons are taught in the third degree that when the lodge is opened in the Master Mason degree that it represents the sanctum sanctorum of King Solomon’s Temple.

I’m sure that any Freemason that takes a moment to consider this will realize that we do not treat the tyled lodge room as a sanctum sanctorum. It is true that there are certain regulations and protocol that we follow while in the lodge room. Most lodges make sure that general order is kept, that proper courtesies are given to officers, and that particular parts of the ritual are done correctly, but often the lodge room is simply a place to discuss business.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with discussing the business inside a tyled lodge. In fact, a little bit of research into the protocol of Freemasonry in its earliest days reveals that this is where business was intended to be conducted. Whether it is a discussion about paying the lodge’s bills, conducting a charitable event, or electing officers, it is perfectly acceptable to discuss business within the sanctum sanctorum of today’s Masonic lodges. However, it is the reverence with which the Brethren treat the forms for opening and closing the lodge and the pursuit of Masonic knowledge that can really make the lodge feel like a sanctuary.

KST, Solomon, first temple, Sanctum Sanctorum
The rituals that we use to open and close are lodge are more than just an elaborate form of parliamentary procedure. These ceremonies remind us of the very lessons and symbols that are taught in the degrees. Every time that we open or close a lodge we can be reminded of our obligations and the solemn duty that we must perform as Freemasons. I think that all Masons will agree that a degree conferral should be conducted with reverence and professionalism and the process of opening and closing a lodge should be treated no differently. In order to assist the Brethren in feeling the need to treat these rituals appropriately, a lodge can adopt a dress code that is representative of the desired atmosphere. The way that Masons conduct themselves in lodge can change almost instantaneously when they go from wearing blue jeans to wearing a suit.

Additionally, we can treat our lodges as a true sanctum sanctorum by conducting Masonic education. Every single lodge meeting should have some form of Masonic education as a part of the agenda. I personally believe that a lodge should start with requiring 15 minutes of education and adding time as the educational program improves. Unfortunately, most Masons have never seen true Masonic education. Masonic education is not reading from the Short Talk Bulletin. Masonic education is not giving a short biography of a famous Mason or telling an amusing anecdote. Masonic education is having a discussion about the symbolism of the degrees, explaining how to properly perform the ritual, learning about Masonic history, or even discussing the sciences or liberal arts. Some of the best examples of Masonic education that I have seen conducted are an explanation of the difference between the Antients and Moderns, a new program for educating kids in a local school, and a demonstration of how to properly conduct a candidate during a degree.

Using these simple suggestions can help any lodge to seem like a true sanctum sanctorum. If our Brethren feel like the lodge is a sanctuary to be treated with reverence, they will conduct themselves accordingly. A lodge that treats the tyled lodge room appropriately just might be surprised at the positive effect it can have on the organization.

I hope that these ideas can help you to improve your lodge and treat it as a sanctum sanctorum.

Be All You Can Be in Occult America

Occult America by Mitch Horowitz

I just had the pleasure of finishing Mitch Horowitz’s book Occult America and am a bit surprised at the story it tells, and some of what it doesn’t.

Only recently did I come across the 2010 Bantum Books edition, (the first edition published in hardback in 2009) and it was the sub headline of the books title Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation, that grabbed me, making an interesting premise to open the cover and start reading the book.

Once started, it delivers – developing a body of ideas creating an evolution of thought influenced in an era before the Catholic witch trials of Cagliostro and began in the new world with the voyage of the Quaking Shaker Ann Lee (later to re-dubbed Mother Ann) who traveled from Manchester in 1774 to New York with a cohort of 8 followers who together cobbled resources to form a small religious colony in Niskayuna near Albany.

Horowitz takes on a daunting task, the challenge of not sounding encyclopedic and pulling a variety of disparate pieces of Americana together to tease this occult history out from the facts.  In some ways, the telling of Occult America mirrors the troubled story of Mother Ann that Horowitz introduces us to in the opening of the book, inauspiciously to the unintentional spread of ideas everywhere.

So as not to ruin the fun of discovering the secret history for yourself Occult America links together a progression of thought, in an age not known for its wide degree of communication, that at its present day apex has shaped the widest segment of religious and spiritual thought to such a degree that, Horowitz suggests, shaped the 1980 to 2001 “Be all you can be” slogan of the U.S. Army as a mantra of sorts to the ultimate of New Thought self development.  His suggestion is that many aspects of the New Age philosophy (what was at first called “New Thought”) have become integral to much (if not most) of out day to day life.

Sydney Omarr, son of a grocer and housewife, was at one time dubed by Time magazne Astrology’s “most skillful and sober public protagonist.” In Occult America, Horowitz explores how Omarr went from magic shop cruiser and Atlantic City fortune teller to the grandfather of modern newspaper astrology still published in newspapers today.

How so, you might be wondering?

Just a few of the ideas that were at one point considered occult include the evolution of human consciousness, the connection of the mind-body-spirit health, and the ever growing trend of people moving (which data supports) away from organized religion to pursue instead a spirituality.  All of these various aspects, he says, have a root in the developments of the past 200 years through this subculture of Americana.  For those who may not remember, even the Scottish Rite Journal was titled the New Age for many years and represented a fraternal flag ship to the movement.

In some respects, you could bookend Occult America with Jeff Sharlet’s The Family because as the Family chronicles the rise of the Fundamentalist religious right, Horowitz traces a line through the various sub culture movements that transmitted one idea to the next movement and so on.  As a Masonic reader you will be interested to know that at points he acknowledges the presence of Freemasonry as well as other esoteric/occult groups as major players to the dissemination of ideas.

What the book doesn’t do, which might be a product of necessitating many more pages, is chronicle the earlier presence of occult ideas that at the time were a regular part of the American landscape.  For instance, it’s impossible to look at the early American development without seeing Freemasonry (Washington was inaugurated on a Masonic bible which speaks to its presence) as a major contributor in many earlier instances.  Horowitz does touch on this earlier history, but he starts his telling with the founding of Mother Ann’s religious Shaker colony and its promulgation of ideas forward.

Ouija Board, talking board

One of the more entertaining chapters that I enjoyed was the lineage of the Ouija Board, started in the age of séances and the selling of spiritualism.  He makes a very good case for how the rapping tables and automatic-writers of the burgeoning psychic era moved from formalized sitting room sessions to game boards made by Hasbro (now Glow in the Dark) to sit between two kanoodling lovers knees playing slide the planchette.

(I did stumble across a cool glass topped octagonal Tree Of Life Ouija board that’s worth looking at here.)

You can almost sum up the history of the Occult in America in the story of the Ouija Board, from the home spun to the highly processed and manufactured message, but to do so would omit so much of the rich history that the Occult has traced through America, and Horowitz has really captured in an album of snapshots of our esoteric landscape starting with Mother Ann, who was at the time called by her followers “Christ returned in female form.”

I definitely recommend Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation as a fun and light read into the heavy and often deeply woven history of the New Thought/New Age America we live in today.

memento mori, remember that you will die

10 Signs an Occult Group Leader is Losing It

memento mori, remember that you will die

This came from the internet from some time back. It has a more magical bend but could probably apply to any “esoteric” or “secret society.”

If there are other tell-tale signs that you think are missing, drop them in the comments blow.

10 signs that an occult/esoteric group leader has lost his focus.

  1. The leadership starts to think that they, and their group, are actually important.
  2. The leader starts to claim that they are the re-incarnation of a famous leaders and/or occultists.
  3. Their leadership takes a lot of drugs or start drinking.
  4. The leadership decides to pack in their day job and live off their students of their Order.
  5. Leaders start claiming authority from Secret Chiefs or Invisible beings. (or I’ll add a Moral Law).
  6. They ask you to give you all their money or want to shag you or your partner to assist your spiritual path.
  7. They start to become incredibly paranoid.
  8. They feel the need to attack other orders, personalities and systems.
  9. The leadership lose any sense of humor.
  10. The leadership starts to believe their own bullshit.

The list gets into each point and makes for a fun read correlating them to one particular group or another. And, I suppose, you could equate the list to any group: religious, social, fraternal, etc.

The best advice is that you should you find yourself following such a person or group  – “trust in the universe that you will find new teachers.”

Jared Loughner’s occult delusion

Its been variously reported that Jared Loughner, the Arizona shooter who killed 6 people in his attempt to assassinate Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, had a sinister occult shrine in his back yard beneath a tarp.

The photos are inconclusive as to their occult implication, but it does offer a glimpse into a violent paranoid delusion that Loughner operated under. The “shrine” as its being referred to as, consists of a fake painted plastic skull nestled in a pot of blackened shriveled oranges, and a dish with what looks to be old burned out incense ash. Besides the alter on the left sits a bag of what looks to be a popular plant fertilizer. While on the right is a collection of three used tall votive candles. You can see a Sideshow with the images here.

Together, these items have been reported as collected in a make shift camouflaged tarp draped space nestled in his back yard. This collection of oddities sounds, in some respect, to be reminiscent of a Chamber of Reflection, which was brought to mainstream awareness in the Dan Brown book The Lost Symbol, when was used as a place of meditation under Washington D.C. by Masonic politicians.

In tradition, occult or otherwise, the Chamber of Reflection is a meditative space made use of to reflect on mortality and our link to the inner self. Its use in some Masonic ritual is as a space to meditate and contemplate our connection to deity, something that Loughner was said to abhor as he was a professed atheist and nihilist.

The media has been suggesting that this configuration of items is linked to “occult groups” but fails to mention what any of these ‘groups’ might be. My guess is that there is a suggestion that the shrine has some nefarious links to perhaps a Satanist group (remember the Satanic Panic of the 80’s) or some other death cult (of whom there are a few deities) – but from research, its hard to link his exact configuration to any particular occult group’s use besides it merely being a plastic skull atop a pile of moldy oranges.

Star Foster from the Pagan Blog at Patheos, agrees saying that the jumbled collection reminds her of “Only sadness. Mainly sadness because we are so prone to try to paint this murderer in shades of “the other” so we don’t have to contemplate any way he might be similar to us.”

It strikes me that if the news wasn’t so interested in latching onto the media/political implications made early on by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik (Palin’s cross hairs, the Left wing agenda, etc) that it would of been and easy jump onto the occult implications of it simply from the presence of the shrine.

From another end of the spectrum, somehow David Icke has been thrown into the mix as a contributor to the politico-media hype, by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which seemingly opens the door for a wider examination including MKUltra Mind Control from the likes of Alex Jones who is leading the charge to say that the political rhetoric is backfiring back on to the Left-wing media finger pointing press.

Without much question, what Jared Loughner did was insane, which will likely be his defense when he goes to trial. Was it mental instability, plain just wrong headedness, mind control, or occult forces is for a jury to decide. Most likely the backyard shrine had little link to the decisions that led up to the pulling of the trigger that day – if it says anything to the tradgey of his actions at all. I doubt that anything will come of the shrine, or the mind control accusations, because ultimately Loughner was in control of his own mind and chose, no matter how darkly, what to do with it.

One thing that can be said for the shrine, if it is along the lines of a Chamber of Reflection, then Loughner failed to make proper use of it and instead perverted much the same way he did in his actions on that tragic Saturday.

The Occult of Personality on Masonic Central

The Occult of Personality

Few places give you consistent discourse on the occult and the western mystery tradition. And even fewer present the thought leaders within that field. Masonic circles aside, few are the sources to find this type of conversation, and even fewer that produce it with the passion that Greg does.

Greg is the spirit, production, and host of the Occult of Personality podcast which has an ever increasing inventory of programs centered squarely on the idea of the occult and how it intersects with those of us who are interested in its practice and wisdom.

He could perhaps be called a techno mage, but In light of the conversation, I’d like to call him brother.

Joining us this week on Masonic Central is brother Greg Kaminsky, host of the Occult of Personality Podcast to talk all things esoterica and including some of the interesting spaces between Masonry and the broader esoteric/western mystery traditions. on Blog Talk Radio

Franz Bardon, mystic, Hermetic, biography

The Unknown Elementalist Franz Bardon

by Br. Martin Faulks.

Franz Bardon

He is one of the most important but least known magicians and spiritual teachers of the Twentieth Century. He published a complete path of spiritual and magical development that is completely based off the four elements and stands beyond any tradition. Known only through the four books he wrote which were published in the 1950’s and through the writing of his students. Many have borrowed his techniques and terminology without giving him proper credit, indeed no matter what tradition you follow the chances are you are practicing at least one exercise from Franz Bardon’s first book “Initiation Into Hermetics.”

Who was Franz Bardon?

Unlike most “Magus” of the time, Bardon seemed far more interested in producing something of value than he did in trying to create a legend about himself. Indeed unlike a few other authors that could be mentioned he hardly ever mentions himself in any of his works. To find more about Franz Bardon we need to read the accounts of his life left by others. Our two main sources are Frabato the Magican an occult novel/biography or Franz Bardon written by his secretary Otti Votavova and Memories of Franz Bardon by his son Lumir and his student Dr M.K. Though the two accounts do have some contradictions they all agree on the following.

Franz Bardon was the oldest of 13 children, and the only son of a very devout Christian mystic, Viktor Bardon. Viktor felt that he was unable to obtain his spiritual goals and prayed that he receive this blessing. The story is that a sudden change came over his son. His parents and teachers become amazed by the sudden change as the boy developed a calm and wise temperament over night. An advanced soul entered the body of his son Franz to become Viktor’s spiritual teacher.

We are told nothing more about Bardon until he is an adult when he makes a living as stage magician with a twist! Under the stage name Frabato (Franz Bardon- Troppau-Opava) we are given accounts of his performance in which he demonstrated genuine magical abilities where most stage magicians use tricks. The reading of minds, healing, astral projection,Mind control, levitation and much more. A little research assured me that Bardon did indeed gain some fame in Germany in the 1920’s and 1930’s under the stage name “Frabato”

A Life of Persecution

As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party gained power in the 1930’s occultists and spiritual groups were banned. Gipsies and Freemasons were taken to the concentration camps along with the Jews. In occupied country followers of the old ways were hunted down.

Otti Votavova states that Hitler belonged to the legendary “FOCG” or “99 Lodge” of black magicians, described in Frabato The Magician. In both accounts we hear of the attempts of this organisation to bring Franz Bardon into their fold and the eventual magical battle that ensures. Bardon however is eventually arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned in late 1941 along with one of his students. While the prisoners were being whipped, the disciple lost his control and uttered a kabbalistic formula to immobilize the torturers. However, the effects of the formula eventually wore off and the disciple was shot in revenge. When he refused to help them, the Nazis cruelly tortured Bardon. Among other things, they performed operations without anesthesia, and forged iron rings around his ankles and fixed heavy iron balls to them.

After regaining his freedom, Bardon recommenced his occult work and healing. This type of thing was strongly discouraged in the very repressive political climate of post war Czechoslovakia and indeed it turns out that the new Russian Communist ideologies persecuted free-thinkers, Gypsies, Jews, and anyone interested in the occult or esoteric subjects as efficiently as the former Nazi Rulers. In 1958 Bardon was arrested by the communist government for his occult practices and died the same year under mysterious circumstances.

Franz Bardon’s Teachings

Bardon’s works are most notable for their simplicity, their relatively small theoretical sections, and heavy emphasis on practice. Franz Bardon is of the old school of occult thought. To him we are dealing with real spiritual forces that you can learn with practice to draw into yourself and control, direct and condense. In his books you will find instruction on all magical exercises Talismans, astral projection, mediation, control of the elements, concentration, mind reading, self hypnosis, spirit summoning, magical words and gestures, healing, clairvoyance meditation/mental control, refining and balancing of the spirit, control of the elemental powers, conversation with unseen beings, astral projection, scrying, invocation of higher forces, invisibility, construction of talismans, fluid condensers, creation of elemental beings, magical pictures, loading and protecting a room/space and much much more. The whole course is completely based on the Four elements and directed towards physically tangible results. One thing that makes an enduring impression is Bardon’s evident sincerity. He insists frequently that he is doing as much as possible to transmit a system of occult development to the serious student who is either unable to find a teacher or work in a group. .His stated purpose was to give the serious student of magic the most complete and best possible magickal instruction obtainable outside of an occult lodge and without the benefit of a personal teacher.

Did he succeed? The only way to judge is by trying his curriculum yourself.

Books by or about Franz Bardon

Initiation into Hermetics By Franz Bardon Published by Merkur Publishing

The Practice of Magical Evocation By Franz Bardon Published by Merkur Publishing

The Key to the True Kabbalah By Franz Bardon Published by Merkur Publishing

Questions to the Master By Franz Bardon Published by Merkur Publishing

Memories of Franz Bardon By Lumir Bardon and Dr M.K Published by Merkur Publishing

Frabato the Magician By Otti Votavova Published by Merkur Publishing

A Bardon Companion: Commentary Upon Franz Bardon’s Books By Rawn Clark Published by O2