Building a New World
The City
Along with many other books, The Lost Symbol shows Washington DC as a special place, built with a real purpose as the capital of a new independent country. From this grand vision and this powerful desire, wise men rose to give life to this idea. But unlike the beginnings of humanity, these men had personal backgrounds and came with their own knowledge and cultural heritage.
It is difficult to imagine someone abandoning his or her own culture and finding common ground large enough to accept different beliefs while at the same time proposing something to share. It was a big challenge, but the founders had the will to create more than a simple assemblage of independent parts. Such an important creation as independence required extremely strong founders and corresponding symbolic acts. Such was the case with the Declaration of Independence, and the search for and founding of a federal capital.
The personality of the architects and city planners is important to any project and its development. It is often their vision that gives dynamism and a special ambition. In this case, it was architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, chosen by George Washington. Even though he was fired after one year, his influence and the work he had done provided a definitive plan for the city. Principles, maps, and overall organization had charted the future of the city. In fact, L’Enfant had given birth to a movement and a desire that was more powerful than himself: building a capital in the New World as expression of an ideal, the visible manifestation of the nation’s desire to be raised to a universal reference.
Well-versed in classical culture, L’Enfant gave substance to a philosophical and humanist vision. Like some of those who worked on the conception of Washington DC, L’Enfant was not a Freemason. Nor was Thomas Jefferson. It is interesting to wonder how these noninitiates were able to work according to principles close to those of Masonry and how they succeeded in keeping the Masonic way of thinking. There are several reasons for this, but one of the first was the morals and intellectual principles they used for their work. The scholars, artists, and Freemasons of this epoch were influenced by the Renaissance and the “philosophy of the lights” that followed from it.
Before the revolutionary storm destroyed the French monarchy, the United States and France developed a new nation-model through American and French cultural interactions. I can name John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson for their influence. The presence of Benjamin Franklin in a lodge (notably in the Lodge of Nine Sisters in Paris) next to French intellectuals such as Voltaire, as well as contacts between Thomas Jefferson and Condorcet, were very important in this exchange of ideas.
Let us remember that Masonry came from England, then at war with the fledgling United States. It did not mean that the rituals and lessons of the brotherhood had to be rejected, but undoubtedly Masonry in America ceased being strictly British and adopted the original and truly ideal American philosophy that has gained worldwide influence.
Masonry became really American when regular Grand Lodges were created in each state. This shows that the founders of Washington DC, Freemasons or not, used the same philosophy and consciously and unconsciously received the influence of this intellectual and initiatic inheritance, which finds its body in the earth and the stone of the federal capital.
The first Freemasons, connecting their doctrine to the ancient master-builders, used what was familiar to them. This was the case with the Roman Vitruvius, a famous architect with a huge influence. Freemasons read his text on architecture, and even non-Masons like L’Enfant and Thomas Jefferson used this book as a main reference.
While it was necessary for the Founding Fathers to put aside old ideas about monarchies and military empires in establishing the democratic principles underlying the new nation’s government, they were able to turn to the ancient symbolic principles of Masonry in the placement and building of the new capital. In their development of the District of Columbia and orientation of the city, they turned to the hidden principles used by the architects in respect to the occult tradition. But an important city conceived according to the principles of classical architecture must be developed around its center. This is what was called in the past the forum. It was around this place that the “temples of the Gods, protectors of the city, also those of Zeus (Jupiter), Hera (Juno), and Athena (Minerva), should be on some eminence which commands a view of the greater part of the city. The temple of Hermes (Mercury) should be also in the forum.”[1]
Figure 19: Vitruvius’s gnomon traditionally used to organize a new city
The Mall is the central place, the forum, surrounded by the buildings sacred to the nation and the manifestation of its power. The Temple of the Gods, the protectors of the city, the Capitol is at the place recommended by the traditional rules. Its site on the east of the Mall (forum) is also used to emphasize its symbolic purpose as the major temple of the city. As required, Hermes’ temple is very close, and the Library of Congress is the best identification possible for it considering the architectural keys.
A strange process was at work in this city. It seems that everything was progressively built according to a hidden grid and an original purpose. This real synchronicity demonstrates an intention greater than its creators. Following the text quoted above, there are two other important buildings identified with this hidden grid. Vitruvius wrote “the temple of Ares (Mars) should be out of the city, in the neighboring country.” The Pentagon fits this description quite accurately.
Rooted in a traditional and symbolic grid connected to the ancient divinities, the federal capital became a powerful center of the new nation. It is difficult to understand and explain the hidden forces that would create over time the power hub that is Washington DC. This power is the same as that coming from a sacred place, creating a real icon for this purpose. This was the case for the city and for the buildings, as you will see now.
The Architecture
the cornerstones
Every important building has a special ceremony at the beginning of its construction. Of course this is the case for a building with a symbolic or sacred purpose. These ceremonies are not ordinary and their origins can be found early in the Western Tradition.
The installation of the cornerstone joins the space on which the building is built to the intention of the builders. Putting a stone in the ground was always considered a magical act and those who understand the use of geomantic and geobiologic architectural processes know that both the place and the moment are decisive elements. We saw that in the activation of the sacred space of the District of Columbia and the center of the Capitol Building. I can say that placing this cornerstone is the materialization of the building’s beginning, just as a human being receives the planetary influences of his or her moment of birth. This action will influence the construction and completion of all parts of the building. This same process also works on larger areas such as the Mall, regardless of the architects themselves. Invisible energies have a function and an action linking the intention of the master-builders and the place where the building is built.
An interesting but invisible pattern is manifested by the various cornerstones buried and dedicated according to the same rituals and with the same importance in the most important buildings of the capital. Undoubtedly rituals were performed according to Masonic ritual. It is important to realize that these rituals were (and are) not religious or congregational, but symbolic and Masonic. It is a very unique example in history that a capital was systematically consecrated by Masonic rituals in order to create a powerful and universal marker in the new American egregore.
Before going further, it is necessary to recall an important element explained in the first chapter of this book. I compared the cornerstone, the hidden stone of philosophers and alchemists, to the soul of the man hidden in the mortal body. This soul/stone points out the divine presence, which gives immortality to the microcosm, giving the man the capability to manifest his divine destiny. It’s the same for a building; every construction has a hidden stone that gives it a soul that interacts with its destiny. Some buildings have a real life that can manifest part of their consecrators’ intention. It is the ritual performed, and the inscriptions, messages, and memorabilia deposited in the cornerstone, that are all decisive elements.
The origin of this Masonic tradition is extremely ancient and symbolic. In Mesopotamia, as well as in Egypt, the priests included different elements like statues, jewels, precious metals, documents, and even food in the cornerstones. The inclusions in Egypt were very similar to the Masonic way. The cornerstone of the White House has a brass plate announcing the date and names of the participants, and invocation of a blessing. It was the same for the cornerstone of the Capitol. There’s a story about the Jefferson Pier Stone (not exactly a cornerstone) that tells how Jefferson and his wife were present at the foundation ceremony and Mrs. Jefferson put her thimble under the pier as a symbolic gift.
The placing of a cornerstone was just one part ofan eight-part set of rituals composed in Egypt. In ancient buildings, the foundation stone was placed at the northeast (some Masonic rituals choose northwest) corner of the structure, which was considered an auspicious position. In the Capitol, it is possible that the cornerstone was buried in the southeast corner of the north wing.
Freemasons today emphasize the nonmagical and nonreligious character of this ceremony. The meaning of these declarations is not that the ritual is not effective or sacred; rather it is to say that the Master of the Lodge conducting this ceremony is not a religious man performing a special sacrament in the sense of the monotheistic religions. Nevertheless, he is performing a sacred act, a ritual that has real power to change something in an intended way.
Associating different biblical references (corn, wine) with the hidden Egyptian and Hermetic origins, Masonry composed this interesting ritual that has been used since the eighteenth century. These elements are the standard used for the original ceremonies performed at the laying of the foundation of different buildings in Washington DC. Contemporary ceremonies are not much different as can readily be seen all around the country and world.
The ceremonies performed at the founding of the federal capital show deeper consequences than these symbolic elements. Despite the fact the new nation was composed of many different religious congregations, the Founding Fathers found a way to consecrate the shape of the city using sacred and symbolic acts without involving religious power. Masonry was the perfect solution, since it shows that the sacred can be disconnected from religion without a loss of purpose. In some ways, Freemasons acted like priests, and the use of a sacred ritual without sacramental aspects founded a republican standard in which everyone was able to find a place. Even the prayer shows an open mind, calling upon the “All-bounteous Author of Nature” and not a precisely named god. Masonry began to appear with a patriotic significance in a way very close to the Hermetic philosophy. Since this time, Masonic ceremonies have continued to be used in the great buildings of different states.
the temple of the gods: the capitol
The Capitol Building, is one of the major symbols of the American nation, home of the new form of government created by the Founding Fathers. Its architecture is the perfect expression of the presence of tradition in the modern world. It is a manifestation of this original will—majestic, powerful, and symbolic without appearing pompous.
In its situation to the east of the Mall, the Capitol can be seen as the temple of the protector gods of the city, something Dan Brown commented on in The Lost Symbol.
The Capitol Building is perfectly oriented to the four directions. The best place to see this is standing at the center of the rotunda (where the action of The Lost Symbol begins). Four arches open in the four directions. Surrounding this symbolic heart, and in utilizing the powerful number 8, are eight large paintings representing eight symbolic steps of American history. Just above this wonderful rotunda, we see Constantino Brumidi’s The Apotheosis of Washington showing the first president raised to heaven and sitting in the usual place of the supreme god, here between the representations of Liberty (right) and Victory (left). Interestingly, there are also seven representations of ancient divinities on the outer circle: Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Ares.
According to traditional symbolism, the gods as designated protectors of the city would be located at the rotunda’s highest point. “The heights of those of Zeus (Jupiter) and the celestial Gods are to be as high as they may conveniently be.”[2] When we look up to this symbolic sky, instead of Zeus (Jupiter) we see George Washington. These representations of the divine are a real invocation of their powers. In the manner of a talisman, which concentrates and attracts the power of the signs and symbols, the dome has the power to invoke the divinities protecting the city.
But the power of this place is not limited. The energy must radiate, and the reality of this symbol can be seen because the Capitol is the place in Washington with the maximum number of streets radiating from it. The statute of Freedom above the dome, facing east and the sunrise, emphasizes again the personality of this power given by the Founding Fathers.
The temple of Hermes equates to the Library of Congress. Vitruvius pointed out in his book that the temple of Hermes had to be close to the forum and the temple of the protector gods. From this point of view, the Library of Congress has a symbolic place and is a very important structure for the Masonic and Hermetic traditions. It is fascinating to see so many symbols present in a single building. All seems in perfect coherence. If I identified the Capitol as the central place of the American nation, it is possible to say that the Library of Congress is the central place for the illumination of humanity.
I had spoken earlier about the number 8, its symbolic value, and the representations associated with it. We will see how powerful is the link between this building and the influence of the number 8. In the Great Hall, the design on the marble floor is very interesting in regard to the symbolic standard of the tradition. In the center there is the Sun in its ancient form of a large eight-rayed orb, which aligns with the four cardinal directions and the direction of the main axes of the building. Surrounding this bright Sun is a square and the twelve zodiacal signs. Note the very close similarity to Florence’s Baptistery, which was the definitive structure illustrating the esoteric meaning of the number 8. The Sun on the floor, the rays, the zodiac, the double squares present on the floor in the corridors, these all synthesize the traditional teaching.
The inspiration of the architects and artists involved in the construction of the main building can be directly found in the classical Greek and Roman period. As expected, several Hermetic symbols can be found in this “Hermetic Temple.” The main reading room is octagonal in shape. This form is the pure and discrete expression of the Hermetic Tradition, and its culmination. The architecture of this monumental room is a close copy of Florence’s Baptistery. When the photos of both places are put side by side, the inspiration for the main reading room becomes clear. The columns of the first level and the pillars of the second level are exactly the same.
Above the room, the ceiling imagery is not as religious as in the Baptistery. Here, the purpose is a powerful and symbolic representation, called by the Hermetists Religio Mentis, which glorifies at every step the faithful union of the mind and spirituality, the material and the spiritual. This building is the perfect representation of the Hermetic vision “as above, so below,” the union of the earth and heaven, using harmony and beauty to rise to the ideal world.
Above the main reading room, the upper lantern, with its eight windows, creates eight shining stars illuminating a zodiac surrounding a female figure sybolizing human understanding. The situation, the symbol of the veil, and the zodiac remind us of the Hermetic representation of Isis. It is not a surprise to see her in this place.
It is interesting to note that the Library of Congress was named for Thomas Jefferson, who designed an octagonal house at his private retreat and plantation house, Poplar Forest.
Now we can understand better why Dan Brown wrote in The Lost Symbol that Washington DC was laid out and constructed using astrological and cosmological signs and symbols, by men who paid close attention to the earth and the heavens above.
the temple of demeter: scottish rite buildings
Undoubtedly the House of the Temple plays a central role in The Lost Symbol. But there are some errors in the story. For example, it seems that some initiations, including those in the first three degrees, were performed in this temple. This isn’t correct because these initiations are always performed in a Blue Lodge, a Masonic temple yone can visit in many places in the United States.
The House of the Temple is the headquarters of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction and the place of the administrative meetings of the Council. According to Vitruvius, “The temple of Demeter (Ceres) should be in a solitary spot out of the city.” The followers of Eleusis in Greece were among the most famous initiatic mystery schools of antiquity. Their connection with the initiations in Masonry is clear, and the Scottish Rite Center can be seen as this initiatic place.
In this building there is an auditorium where the Scottish Rite gives “classes.” During two days, candidates are gathered and participate in the different initiations from the 4th to the 32nd degrees. Some of these degrees are performed in full ritual. During these ceremonies, the initiates sit on bleachers in the auditorium. On the stage, the initiatic ritual is played by officers/actors with a candidate who represents all those present in the auditorium. Sometimes all present stand up and pronounce sacred words and oaths. The power of evocation of the initiations is huge. This representation of the sacred mysteries is deeply moving and the performance can really touch the soul of the initiates.
Some persons may be surprised by this way of initiating many candidates at the same time, thinking that every initiation must be individual, as is generally the case. But this ancient group ritual was the method used for centuries in the famous Mysteries of Eleusis and has been kept alive by the American Scottish Rite. During this group ritual, the initiates gathered to receive the “Grand Mysteries.” After swearing to keep these rituals secret, the initiate was able to enter the main sacred temple, the Telesterion. The details of these initiations were, in fact, generally kept secret. However, the writings of converted Christians and the help of archaeology give us enough elements to have a good idea of the process. It is interesting to note that the Telesterion was a large room with bleachers. Mysteries transmitting initiatic teachings on the origin and destiny of the soul were performed by priests in the center of the sacred space with the candidates surrounding the stage. Sometimes during the ceremony, they had to get up, move, pronounce sentences, etc. Sacred gestures were shown and holy words communicated. Lighting and sound technology added power to the celebration of these rituals.
It is always fascinating to see respectable traditions that remain active for millennia and can be found today under a new body with a quite similar purpose. Masonry sometimes works in a miraculous and surprising way.
Exoteric and Esoteric
Exoteric (outside) and esoteric (inside) are two words often used to speak about the Western Tradition. For many years, their use has been common. Everyone interested in spiritual studies used them in many ways. But their definitions are not always very clear and this uncertainty created a lack of confidence in those interested in the ancient traditions. For years, scholars influenced by rationalist philosophy and scientific perspective had rejected all studies relating to magick, occultism, and esotericism. This was also generally the case for Masonry as well. There are some exceptions in the Masonic Tradition, as Albert Pike’s work is absolutely accurate and fundamental for the revival of the Western Tradition.
The phrase “esoteric teachings” means “teachings from the inside” or “knowledge veiled to the public.” In the mystery school of Pythagoras, students were divided into noninitiates and initiates. From this separation came the idea of an inner circle and an outer circle. It is possible that this distinction was borrowed by Pythagoras from the Egyptian priests.
The word esoteric was only popularized in the nineteenth century in the works of the French occultist Eliphas Levi. But the use of these two words remains at this time a simple convention that means in or out, initiate or not. In the last century, scholars really began the academic study of this important part of Western heritage. The French scholar Antoine Faivre defined this work in a way accepted today by the large majority of researchers. Faivre used the theory of correspondences, which states that all things are linked in the cosmos. There are no gaps, just links or currents that may be obvious or hidden. These hidden relationships are shown by markers like color, shape, etc. For example, a yellow flower will be connected by its color correspondence to the Sun. As he further explains, the means to study these currents consist of five characteristics:
1. The conviction that nature is a living entity: there is a real spirit or being of nature. The consequence is the possibility to interact consciously with it.
2. The need for mediating elements (symbols) acting like information icons to access spiritual knowledge.
3. An awareness of personal transmutation when arriving at this knowledge: apotheosis.
4. The initiatic process: initiations can be a real and active part of this inner development.
5. Concordance between religious traditions: the different religions are all relative aspects of the same reality.
Esotericism is somewhere between religion and materialism. There are different schools in the Western Tradition such as Christian esoterists (Theosophists), Hermetists, Rosicrucians, Pagans, Wiccans, etc. Even if their beliefs and practices are sometimes quite similar, they are not the same. Each school as its own specific teachings and methods like the Qabalah, astrology, alchemy, magick, theurgy, etc. While these different aspects of esotericism are not scientific in the modern meaning of this word, they are parts of the basic curriculum of the Western esoteric tradition. Any magick or symbolic ritual contains elements and symbols from alchemy, astrology, etc. The Scottish Rite Degrees reorganized by Albert Pike show the interconnection between these traditional fields.
Esotericism generally shares another aspect: the determination not to reveal inner secrets to someone unprepared. What can be called the secret sciences can give special abilities, which may be dangerous if used with negative intentions. The same applies to fire, as it can either help or hurt. Esoteric knowledge can help us progress toward the divine and at the same time these hidden human abilities can be used for an egotistical or selfish purpose.
To analyze whether Masonry is an esoteric brotherhood, we can compare the Masonic texts and rituals to the definition provided above. Masonry can immediately match five points out of six. Even if the point regarding the correspondences is not explicit, it does not contradict the Masonic teachings or texts. All the other elements are present in this tradition and sometimes more fully developed in the initiatic rituals. Rituals use symbols that have specific meanings and sometimes have a dramatic effect on the initiate.
Considering the open mind promoted by Masonry, we see that its structure is not restricted to any specific faith. Moreover, its teachings come directly from the Hermetic Tradition and the constant use of the initiatic process is one of the main manifestations of this original connection. As Albert Pike has shown, Masonry is the largest visible group on the planet capable of presenting a coherent and constant Western Tradition. Of course, Masonry is not the only one, and doesn’t develop some specific aspects like theurgy. But the teachings, philosophy, and ideals are a unique example of this harmonious union between these different traditions. There is no philosophical school in the world that continues to give access to the ancient process originating from esotericism. As in the Platonic and Neoplatonic schools, Masonry emphasizes the moral aspects, the development of virtue. This is the main aspect of the inner development of the human being. Many Masonic rituals develop this traditional idea, but their purpose is not related to increasing the inner abilities.
For the last century, explicit and open references to the esoteric dimension of Masonry began to disappear. At the same time, many Freemasons don’t consider this dimension to be an important element that needs special care. Masonry was (and continues to be) focused on brotherhood and philanthropic purposes. Every Freemason is encouraged to increase his awareness about humanity and realize that there is just one human global family. The goal is not to explain, but to give birth in consciousness, as in the subconscious, to the recognition that everyone is a part of humanity and responsible for his or her brother and sister humans. However, this consciousness comes with a realistic vision of the human being that “man is a wolf to [his fellow] man.”
For the Freemason, this observation is not pessimistic; on the contrary, it is a realistic view of the world, but not a definitive one. The Hermetic teachings are hidden in the heart of Masonry. The material dimension of the human being is surrounded by the illusion of the material world. The soul is jailed in the cave of the body. The passions, desires, and impulses act as the actual guards who jailed the soul and keep it imprisoned. These are not sins, but desire(s) that act as the master of the ship (our being). To refuse to see this situation is like staying, like the Platonic prisoners, at the bottom of the cave, unaware of their situation, and yet to be persuaded to be free of their illusions.
But the Masonic teachings also show the presence of this immortal soul jailed by the passions, and that show something must happen to change the situation. The process must be reversed. The soul must be put in charge and instead jail or contain the passions and desires. But it is important not to misunderstand the words used. “Jail the passions” doesn’t mean to kill the passions. As the Hermetists and philosophers wrote, passion is very useful! It can be a pure dynamism that helps in one’s daily life, as in making the most important decisions. What must be jailed or controlled are the unbalanced desires, the uncontrolled passions that destroy inner liberty. The right balance between no desire and too much desire must be found. This is the true middle path. The quest for beauty is the same thing. When we realize that we are half angel and half human, really half-gods, we will understand the power we have for good or bad. We will be able to make real choices between these two aspects. Masonry shows the philanthropic way, raising humanity close to divinity. This is not an esoteric dimension and purpose. The main Masonic activities are social and humanitarian, as shown on the websites of the Grand Lodges. But remember that one of the most important parts of the Platonic philosophy was to change Greek society and politics. Masonry did and does the same thing, building temples for the virtues and acting directly in society. The text of the Declaration of Independence is a perfect example of this incarnation of the Masonic and universal virtues. It was not a philosophy disconnected from social realities. It was a philosophy in action.
It is important not to forget the heart that animates the body. The implicit affirmation of all these actions is the existence of a visible world in which men are fragile, along with another world that is spiritual and hidden. This affirmation is not religious, but philosophic, and esoteric.
But during the time when Freemasons emphasized this very important dimension of their heritage, the esoteric part was in disgrace. As usual in this situation, other groups, religious and initiatic, began to develop this aspect. Some were able to use the esoteric Western Tradition with authority, according to their origin. This is the case for the theurgic orders. But others, often with good intentions, used the ancient writings without understanding their esoteric dimensions. Some groups, like the New Age movement, Rosicrucian orders, and other self-development organizations, focused their work on inner abilities and alternative spirituality without roots and heritage. Sometimes the result was very positive, but many times it was merely confusing.
During the past centuries, people interested in this inner dimension, the spiritual perspective and alternative spirituality, began to believe that a tradition like Masonry was unable to teach and give solid support to the esoteric dimension. I can say now that it was generally true and this respectable tradition began to lose the esoteric way. The philanthropic purpose was (and remains) noble but incomplete without the esoteric element. There is a paradox here. Saying that Masonry began to neglect esotericism doesn’t mean Masonry lost this part of its heritage. But as the definition and the true essence of esotericism was distorted and not well understood, Masonic leaders, themselves unaware of the true meaning of it, began to question it.
Through the efforts of some initiatic orders and scholars, esotericism today has a better presentation. Scholars can “explain” the outer aspects of esotericism, but to go further requires real and personal experience. Masonry today is always able to reveal the traditional inner teachings. As you will see in the practical part of the book, this tradition really does have something to say and to give on the esoteric level. Actually, this field is linked to very advanced aspects of science like the neurosciences, or as Dan Brown wrote about, the noetic sciences. Modern Masonry has a lot to gain in this reactivation of the serious and traditional teachings and the practice of esotericism. This is something deep, important, and able to open the secret and sacred gates to a spiritual level totally harmonious with the philanthropic ideals.
Freemasonry vs. Religion: A Modern Challenge
In a few words, The Lost Symbol summarizes the Masonic approach to religion: it has no religion. This summation is interesting and important in understanding the modern challenge of Masonry. It is relatively easy to discover what contemporary religions think Masonry is. Monotheistic religions (perhaps with the exception of Judaism) are opposed to Masonry. Catholicism and a large part of Christianity, as well as Islam, are against the Masonic view of religion and morality. That doesn’t mean there are no Christian or Muslim Freemasons, but it does mean that the religious establishment is against Masonic principles. Christianity declared that Freemasons are heretics because they are thinking, acting, and teaching differently than the church’s dogmas and scriptural truths.
Religion is rooted in a special belief that humans are composed of a physical body and an invisible part generally called the soul. In the same way, religions teach the existence of immaterial worlds and divinities larger than us. Masonry was born in the English Protestant Reformation as a universal brotherhood, now present in many places on Earth. Its portals are open to every man without consideration of his religion. At the beginning of Masonry, this point was not a problem, for there were only a few categories of people: Protestants, Catholics, and later, Jews. There were no religions other than those with a Biblical background. This was the original context of the birth of Masonry, and in its original texts, this fraternity didn’t ask for a specific faith.
Anderson’s Constitutions[3] ask for obedience to moral law, meaning one should not be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious libertine. Freemasons in every country were asked to be of the religion of that country, whatever it was. In this case, the “true” religion was the one on which all men agree, in order to be men of honor and honesty.
These declarations were presented as a statement for Masonry. There were obligations and preconditions to be met before being initiated. For the founding Freemasons, the challenge was to find the elements common to each man without religious identities, while keeping the best of the spiritual dimension. It was a challenge in a time when religion was everywhere and had real earthly powers. What might be the main obligation to accept someone whom you can trust? Is it possible to be like God and see into his soul? Of course not, and it would be very presumptuous to think so. Is it possible to judge him by his religion? According to what Anderson wrote, no.
So three aspects were important and remain so today: (1) the prerequisite, (2) the statement, and followed by (3) the consequence.
The prerequisite states there is a moral law. Atheists and the irreligious (those without morality) cannot be part of the Craft. Someone wanting to be part of the Craft must have an inner belief in the existence of a spiritual world and a divine power. But these two elements are not defined. If Anderson had explained these aspects, the prerequisite would call for a statement of faith and would therefore be confessional. However, he was looking for a large consensus without losing the best part of the religious dimension. So yes, Freemasons must believe in or recognize the spiritual dimension as an inner part of the human being.
The statement is a religion on which all men agree, keeping for themselves its definition. If one can’t find a unique definition for all, the only thing asked is to be good men and true, or men of honor and honesty; nothing more is asked. All is said, complete, and perfect.
Finally, the consequence. If the prerequisite and the statement became a living reality for the Freemason, Masonry would become the center of union. This center is the place where different people with different understanding will be able to build a true friendship, revealing a true possibility for all human beings: brotherhood.
It is important to remember that Anderson wrote in the earliest years of Masonry, asking for a private expression of religion. The consequence is an open mind, and the possibility for Masonry to be present everywhere at all times. There is no geographical, cultural, or historical limit to its presence in the world because this brotherhood gives a center: the lodge, the Craft, able to receive humans who perceived this inner and common world, while trying to be better. This is the foundation of Masonry.
These questions were exceptional at the point of history when they were created. At the same time, we can be amazed by the reintroduction of the Hermetic way, suddenly interpreted in a public text for a “new” initiatic fraternity.
Somehow, Hermetism can be seen as a religious philosophy. This is a religion (spirituality in action) because Hermetists believe in the existence of a spiritual world and an immortal and divine soul, able to ascend to the divine, and present in all manifestations of nature. Here is the power that created, organized, and continues to animate the universe. But this divine power is far from us and the name given by Masonry is the best illustration of it: the Great Architect of the Universe. But we must be careful with this name because today we tend to think with a monotheistic a priori. For this divine power, present everywhere in the universe, the question of gender is nonsense. It is also impossible to know whether or not this divine power is personal. Maybe it is also impossible to say if the impulse of creation was or is the result of intention. As human beings, these questions are beyond our understanding. But undoubtedly this idea of a supreme being is impossible to represent. This fact was felt in the monotheistic religions, but not always with the same success. In philosophical terms, the supreme being is immanent. That means the Great Architect of the Universe is inside its creation and not outside. After its creation, nature was not abandoned by its divine creator.
But these Hermetists and Freemasons don’t reject a priori the existence of a supreme being that can have a will. Although it is quite impossible to say something definitive on this subject, a philosophical prudence tells us to not to reject this possibility. It’s why I can say that all nature is in God and at the same time that a supreme being created the universe, which is a theory called “Deism.”
The Deists believed that reason and observation of the natural world are the necessary elements to understand the essence of the divine. Faith and organized religion are not necessary for that. Hermetists called this the “religion of the mind.” In fact, faith is not rejected, but appears second, after reason. This is why religion and philosophy are connected. Because of the divine and the supreme being, religion can be an inner and essential feeling, but always under the control of reason (philosophy), which was given to humanity for this purpose.
Freemasons, and Deists as well, have no real dogmas. Anyone is able to choose what seems good for him according to his own inner beliefs. Eclecticism is the result of the benevolent consideration of any expression of human faith. Generally, Hermetists, Freemasons, and Deists are very prudent regarding organized religions. They appear often as more political and secular powers than an enlightened organization. They tend to assert that the “Supreme Architect” has a plan for the universe.
But the existence of miracles or supernatural intervention is a different question. Generally, Deists don’t believe that God intervenes in the affairs of human life or is able to suspend the natural laws of the universe. Laws are universal and constant, even though all the laws are not yet understood by humans. Theurgy is the expression of the possibility to interact with these hidden and unexplained laws.
It is important to know what happened in the confrontation between the monotheistic religions, and particularly between Catholicism and Masonry. Freemasons chose to be loyal to their beliefs and moral statements. They expressed their ideals of tolerance and freedom in the presence of God, opening their portals to every good man wanting to work in peace for the betterment of humanity. Philanthropy, while not a religious prerequisite, became one of the wonderful realizations of Masonry. At the same time, Masonry found a way to maintain the presence of the sacred separate from religion, and sacraments as a consequence of perceiving divine providence and revering symbols and places. They were not sacred because a clergy declared God’s presence but because the Freemasons, as human beings, revered these values and their representations as paramount.
These short examples show us the reaction of a church that still has political power today. There are many modern examples of this power applied against freedom and tolerance. The Taliban and all forms of religious fundamentalism are the modern aspect of the Inquisition and a contemporary echo of the burning of thousands of women and men in witch-hunts in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. Freemasons as well as the Founding Fathers were never opposed to a belief in God, nor a religious and spiritual life. It is for us a manifestation of an inner and true feeling for creation and God. But this sacred part of the heart remains under the control of reason and always the love of humanity. Of course, it is possible to have a good understanding of a question and to be right. But the affirmation of respect for others and the relativism of any expression of an inner understanding avoid a Freemason attacking another man to impose his certainty. Proof of the falseness and the danger of unmitigated belief is the manifestation of intolerance and violence. This tendency has no age and remains active today.
Just as the Founding Fathers did, Freemasons must view all fundamentalism with attentive consideration that implicates rules and laws. They denied at every occasion the possibility for a political religious power to rule the new nation they were building. They knew the risks of division and civil conflict. They’d seen the power of religion in many countries, and on their own land too. This is why they wrote the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States in this special way, respecting a mighty god and his benevolence and divine providence. But the Freemasons refused to build in Washington DC the national church planned by L’Enfant.
These ideas were also shared by the Founding Fathers who were not Freemasons, such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine. Generally, they were close to the Deist interpretation or free thinkers like Thomas Paine.
In this quest for freedom, every human is considered as equal under God. The consequence is for men to be able to build a new system closer to the natural order. It is sometimes necessary to cut out the old structures in order to begin a new age. Setting religion apart and emphasizing the power of the mind opened new possibilities. Thus, it was possible to act as free legislators confident in divine providence, which gave them freedom to think and accomplish. This allowed them to imagine a new political system in which the king was absent, and was replaced by the people. The law would be written by free minds. While a definition of the presidential function was difficult to find, the Founding Fathers succeeded in using the Masonic model of the Master of the Lodge elected by the initiates.
Following these respectable founders, Congress chose to add an amendment to the United States Constitution, stating that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Together with the free exercise clause, this amendment prohibits the establishment of a national religion by Congress, the preference of one religion over another, or the support of a religious idea with no identifiable secular purpose. Freemasons can be very proud of this validation of their principles in the new nation, finding a way to retain the private expression of one’s beliefs and while avoiding any link of religion to political power.
Figure 20: The sacred book, present on every central altar of the Masonic Temples
Sacred Book and Lost Word
Sacred Book
Most spiritual traditions have holy or sacred books. Centuries before the birth of monotheistic traditions called “the religions of the book” (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) the Egyptian god Thoth gave his teachings to humanity.
In the biblical tradition, God reveals his word to humanity through the prophets in a process similar to what is called “channeling” today. God speaks directly to the prophet in an inner or outer way. Sentences or texts are dictated and the prophet copies God’s voice. Men and women are chosen according to criteria different for every religion. According to Christian beliefs, God’s message is only to be received and is not to be interpreted. This is not a philosophical or literary process; God’s word is definitive.
For centuries, parts of the Bible were written by this process and this belief. The ancient followers accepted all the written words as the divine truth and the manifestation of God’s will. The Bible became the absolute reference for everything (even “scientific” tpoics). The book was sacred because it was considered as the place where God’s words could be found. Freemasons came from this spiritual family and the Sacred Book (called the Volume of the Sacred Law, or VSL) became the powerful symbol of a window open to the divine world. The Lost Symbol describes the Bible as a vehicle of transmission for the mysteries of the ages, and the Freemasons recognized this fact.
It is interesting to note that the Bible was not used in the earliest rituals of Masonry. But progressively the Bible was accepted and called “a Great Light of Freemasonry.” The Bible is used as a symbol of God’s will. But we must be aware of what seems a real paradox. Freemasons consider the Bible as a sacred book. At the same time, they claim that moral values are the highest reference of the Craft. However, as Thomas Paine wrote, “The Bible is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind: and for my part, I sincerely detest it as I detest everything that is cruel.” Of course, Paine was not someone who could be called a religious man, but he pointed out something important and possibly disturbing.
Many of the Founding Fathers and Freemasons said that in order to be realistic, everyone must accept the idea that all the sacred texts might not be the sole expression of God. Albert Pike wrote that the prophets used ancient stories or myths as allegories to reveal a hidden reality. It is easier today to see incoherencies, errors, and behaviors that cannot be the expression of God’s love. Undoubtedly, there are some human parts in the texts.
This is also the idea developed in Dan Brown’s novel and is the subject of many books about biblical codes and cyphers. Many initiates, believers, and other seekers have noted these contradictions and singularities in the Bible. If one is not totally convinced of the holy essence of the text, the only rational way out is to accept the idea of a symbolic text, a supernatural and holy code, which constitutes the structure of the text. The Qabalah showed the way. All the esoterists, occultists, and initiates followed. The Lost Symbol uses the same concept. The structure of the Hebrew language allowed this exercise according to precise rules defined by Hebrew and Christian Qabalists. Furthermore, some passages of the Bible said that the truth is hidden, veiled, and not accessible to the profane. In fact, it is totally possible to accept the idea that some parts of the text are symbolic and may be coded. The final theory in Dan Brown’s novel is this continuity of an ancient tradition by way of the sacred book called the Bible.
Of course there were contacts between initiates and some openminded Christians. It seems probable that teachings from the Ancient Mysteries were incorporated into the book (or stolen and adapted by the writers), so it is possible to analyze the text in order to find these permanent and immortal divine truths. But this research into a sacred text, even on an esoteric, mystic, and spiritual level, must not become an excuse to accept any declaration as true. The terrible acts, kidnappings, and many acts of violence regularly accepted by God in the sacred text must not be seen as justification for similar acts.
Of course, we can view some of the Bible stories symbolically, but we must be very prudent about considering them as literal, and allowing their use as standards. If the sacred book contain a true divine revelation, your mind—created by God—must be used to find it and select the human portions as Thomas Jefferson did. This is clearly different from the idea of a Neoplatonic god’s expression of beauty, wisdom, and strength. But the solution is not what Jefferson did in renouncing to any form of the spiritual or “supernatural” in human beings or in the world. It is clear that everyone has hidden abilities and the universe has more hidden power than it is possible to imagine. This is the esoteric dimension of all living beings. The solution is to find a good balance between excesses. In one direction, it would be an excess of the supernatural, destroying reason and accepting as complete and definitive truths scientific errors (creationism, for example) or dangerous literality. In the other direction, it would be the excess of rationalism, destroying any possibilities of investigating “paranormal” or any spiritual dimension. Freemasonry, keeping in its subconscious the Hermetic tradition, found a way to balance these temptations. The shift from no book to the Holy Bible (the holy book), to the sacred book, and from the sacred book to the sacred books, opened this door to a better understanding.
This is why sacred books can be seen as a window of a house. God is inside the house and maybe every window allows us to feel God and maybe to see his actions in a different way. Of course, God can change the presentation according to the orientation of the windows and the time of the work. As a result, it is impossible to say that one book is superior to another; rather all can be useful in understanding who did what and why. The best method would be to read and study all the sacred books in order to see what they have in common and what came from our limited perspective and fallible interpretation. To believe that only one window is able to show the truth is to limit God. Just imagining that people outside the house can fight and kill others because of looking into different windows is both amazing and frightening.
There is a wonderful illustration of this Masonic solution in the House of the Temple in Washington DC. In that temple, on the large marble altar, any visitor can see various sacred books of the different religions, and not just one. Every initiate is able to provide the book he considers as sacred. This possibility to share something sacred without religious judgment is a wonderful challenge to humanity to find unity in a place of divisiveness.
Lost Word
The climax of The Lost Symbol is all about the sacred book and recovering the lost word. Dan Brown felt the importance of this subject as it related to Freemasonry, even likening the reclamation of the lost word to a search for an invisible gate. Even in Freemasonry, the “lost word” continues to be a main concept, but with rare, deep developments.
A sacred book is very often considered as a symbolic text composed of occult sayings. The logic is to imagine a deep meaning to a text given by a divinity. Somehow it seems obvious for esoterists that the hidden meaning of the Bible was lost. The divisions are an illustration of this loss of the divine character. The idolatry of the text demonstrates the loss of the sacred meaning.
Everyone can understand that a sacred text might be a manifestation of the divine that can help humanity to progress, and maybe more. In fact, the book is the materialization of the living word. The Bible emphasizes the power of this word. The creation of the world by the use of the word is the light: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And light began to shine.” This word (and light) is a real creative power. Later in the text, this power is given to Adam, who gives a special word to every animal. Adam, the universal man in the Qabalah, received the ability of the word and the power to give life in using it. Adam was able to work as an auxiliary of God, as a demiurge. After some temptations and mistakes, his father/creator banishes him from Eden without any power. According to the Bible’s myth, we can see here the clear origin of the lost word. It is not a big Masonic secret. Every Christian knows this text. But the connection is sometimes not so obvious.
Figure 21: Jewel of a Master of a Lodge using Egyptian symbols
Freemasons are optimistic. According to their founding myth related in Anderson’s Constitution, it seems that the first humans didn’t completely lose their memory. Something remained in the human subconscious and their unique language was still capable of creating demiurgic miracles. Maybe their incomplete memory was not enough to control these abilities. The story of the Tower of Babel illustrates the moment when God pushed his children away from the divine world. The lost word seems a story of separation, or rejection . . . But as modern science shows, human memory is deeper than expected. As Freemasons have said, some people, wise men and initiates, continued to possess this knowledge and tried to preserve it. Of course, it was necessary to keep this knowledge secret. Humanity has been banished twice from heaven, and you can imagine that initiates keeping this in mind did not want to receive another punishment. At the same time, they kept this secret away from people who were not able to control this power.
The tradition coming from the Bible myth is universal. It can be found in other cultures, like the Egyptian. I spoke about the trick used by Isis to rob the word from Ra. It was the use of its power that allowed Isis to give a new birth to Osiris. This power can be found also in the Ogdoadic Tradition story of the creation.
You remember the cause of Hiram’s death described in the first chapter of this book. It is obvious that a mythic murder like this one has nothing to do with the theft of a password (or even a better salary). It would be simplistic to imagine a coarse explanation like this one for the most important Masonic myth. In fact, and following the origin of the word, the goal of the ruffians was to steal a real demiurgic instrument. The analysis of this act can be explained as a moral allegory, but at the same time can reveal a part of the great stake of every initiate. The consequence in Hiram’s myth was the definitive loss of the word and the introduction of the substitute word.
Freemasons were aware of this loss and began to accept the idea that its quest would be their most important task. Dan Brown is correct when he uses this notion for the plot of The Lost Symbol. But maybe he is wrong when he imagines that Freemasonry still has this secret. With this new myth of the substitute word, Freemasons began a new “quest for the Grail,” which can be called “quest for the lost word.” However, the quest for the Grail has an advantage over the other quest: the knights knew what they were looking for. Freemasonry lost the nature of the word, its use, and its localization. Even more, the goal began to become the quest itself. How and why find a lost word if you don’t know its use? It is very strange to try to find it if you already have one that is enough to work: the substituted one. But Freemasonry continued to be faithful to its heritage. Its rituals and myths kept the footprint of this origin. The “quest for the lost word” kept alive the idea of a truth perhaps divine and now hidden.
The consequence can be seen on three levels: esoteric, exoteric, and Masonic. Let’s begin with the esoteric level. For centuries, some occult researchers, sometimes initiates, understood the true nature of the quest. Their readings of sacred texts, such as the Bible, showed that the word was known at the beginning of humanity. The word(s) was the original language of humanity, allowing connection with our deepest archetypal memory, able to give us original truth and the power to use the divine language confiscated by the creator. Esoterists believed that clues could be found in the symbols of various religious and spiritual traditions, but also in the roots of current human languages. They compared the languages, studied words’ roots, and created interesting esoteric theories. Examples of this quest can be found in the works of St. Yves d’Alveydre or the abbot Johannes Trithemius.
On the exoteric level, people were unaware of these issues, and perception of this lack was present. The limitation created by the multiplicity of languages was seen as a problem for the progress of humanity. Moreover, the difficulty in understanding the true meaning of the languages created a lack of understanding and conflict. The solution was to create a new language avoiding grammatical difficulties in order to provide the best way to communicate. It was the creation of international auxiliary languages. Somehow this is a quest for the lost word as a lost common language, but maybe the real one will be a spontaneous emanation of a global consciousness.
On the Masonic level, Freemasonry finds its own way in this quest—not in the past, nor in the future, but in doing nothing. Freemasonry kept intact the memory of an ancient knowledge veiled by wise men that apparently had their reasons to do so. Every quest must have a purpose, even an old one. As Masonic texts explain in a symbolic way, the original word was the expression of the divine truth.[4]
But we must not confuse a definition with a purpose. Freemasons felt that the word was a major key. To find the solution to this enigma, we must remember the origin of the myths and discover whether there are some connections. As James Anderson said, Egypt was the great land of mysteries and of stone-masons.
The Egyptian Tradition is able to show us the purpose and some uses of the lost word(s). One of the most relevant texts is Book of the Dead, or Coming Forth by Day. The use of questions and answers, the redundancy of sacred words, secret words, passwords, handgrips, etc. can be seen as a leitmotif of Masonic rituals. It’s difficult to imagine and explain a real and coherent origin in a mythic tradition. In the Egyptian sacred book, this initiatic process is present, but with a precise purpose. These dialogues are good examples of this process: “The god Anubis said: ‘Do you know the name of this door?’ The scribe Ani said: ‘Driven away of Shu is the name of this door.’ Anubis continued: ‘Do you know the name of the upper leaf and of the lower leaf thereof?’ The scribe Ani said: ‘Lord of right and truth, standing upon his two feet is the name of the upper leaf, and Lord of might and power, dispenser of cattle is the name of the lower leaf.’ Anubis said: ‘You can pass, you who know the names.’”[5]
Everyone who has read a Masonic text or experienced an initiation can be amazed by these tales. This is really an initiatic process. Its purpose is the description of an invisible and mystical portal. Dan Brown was right: an invisible gate was really at the center of the quest.
Later in Book of the Dead, the dead person is tested by forty gods, asking him different sacred words, and a password connected with architecture: “‘I will not let you enter,’ said the bolt of the door, ‘unless thou tell my name.’ ‘Weight of the place of right and truth is thy name. I will not let thee pass in by me,’ saith the right post of the door, ‘unless thou tell my name.’ ” Later (in Chapter 144), we read that the dead had crossed seven doors with the knowledge of the secret names of the outer and inner guards.
The similarity of these texts is revealing and we are beginning to understand the purpose of the lost word. This is a matter of life or death. The lost word(s) was able to help us to cross into death, to overcome these supreme tests in which our hearts will be weighed and checked as the cornerstone of the masterwork, which is the self. The passwords are vital, and the knowledge given by the sacred book is essential. This book’s title is also translated as The Book of Coming into the Light. As Freemasonry says: “We are in darkness seeking for the light.” The intitiate is or will be in the darkness of death (3rd Degree) looking for the light. He must be able to use the sacred words in order to be raised like Hiram/Osiris.
The quest for the lost word is essential! Freemasonry shows the way, a novelist like Dan Brown intuited the solution, and the tradition gives the esoteric key: being able to use the sacred words found again to overcome death, to come back to heaven, and to reach the highest transformation called apotheosis.
Apotheosis
The Washington Monument was intended to be a monumental statue to George Washington. By the virtue of a beautiful synchronism, this project evolved into the building of an obelisk, rising toward heaven from Earth. But I must now explain why Dan Brown linked the obelisk, the circumpunct, and the notion of apotheosis.
Figure 22: Circumpunct
As mentioned here and there in The Lost Symbol, the obelisk seems not to be a Masonic symbol. However, the ancient gnomon can reveal more than we might expect. In the Christian painting tradition, there is an important subject: the two Saint Johns or the Holy Saint John. Generally, Saint John the Apostle and Saint John the Baptist are on each side of the Virgin Mary with her baby. Freemasonry chose these two saints as protectors (patron saints). Further, Freemasons “created” a symbol composed of a circle with a central point and two vertical lines touching each side. This representation can be seen in the Blue Lodge. The two vertical lines represent the summer and winter solstices, the shortest and longest nights of the year, respectively. These nights, since antiquity, have been important in the pre-Christian Mysteries. They are also connected to the two solstice points on the zodiac, Cancer and Capricorn.
These astrological indications are interesting, but it is possible to go further with the symbolism of the numbers 4 and 8. The obelisk, at center of a circle, indicates the four directions. By rotation of the square, a double square is obtained, birth of the symbol of the 8 the limit between the material world and the spiritual world.
The shape of the obelisk shows its function of dispersing negative forces, piercing the dark sky in order to attract the higher energies in this symbol of the light. There is no better function that could be given by divine providence to the federal capital. A monument was given to this new nation that was able to destroy negativity and to invigorate the exact center of the buildings used to house its government. As in antiquity, the obelisk was built in the center of large open place, as were the temples of the solar god Ra, raised on a sacred cornerstone in a city that would also be called the “City of the Sun.”
The obelisk, emblem of resurrection, would be connected to the birth of the new nation, the new age, and the new man. All these elements are coherent together and reveal the key of our being, transformation, and destiny.
Like Freemasonry, the Hermetic Tradition[6] uses the symbol of the triangle and the square to represent the soul and the body, respectively. This is well represented in the Craft by the cube and the pyramid above it. The same symbolic principles are found in the obelisk with the trunk (body) and the capstone (soul). There is a place in Washington DC to perfectly understand this ancient mystery: the Mall. But the special position on it can be found in the Corpus Hermeticum: “Thus then, my son, stand in a place uncovered to the sky [. . .] at sunrise be face to the East wind.”[7]
Imagine you are at the west of the Mall, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, facing east. In front of you, the Sun will rise above Capitol Hill and continue its daily movement, rising to its highest point at the vertical of the obelisk. The reflecting pool, between you and the obelisk, shows its reversed reflection. The stage is ready and the symbolic mysteries can speak again.
In the beginning was the principle of all things, the Great Architect of the Universe, the creator. The most ancient representation is the Sun, high in the sky giving its power, its light to Earth, and allowing all creatures there to live. It is the origin of all things, the center of the universe. To represent this character, the symbol chosen by the first initiates was the circle. The eye, also representative of Ra, reminds us that the strongest and best source of light is the Sun. With its help, we can see clearly around us.
But all these very interesting symbols are yet Exoteric. In order to figure out this message, it is necessary to go deeper in the hidden world, and listen to the teachings of the Esoteric and Hermetic Traditions.
Plotinus, chief of the Neoplatonic Tradition, explains that God is always present in all beings, inside us, even if it is not possible to feel it or know it. The soul is immortal, without beginning, without end. Eternity and immortality are represented by an unbroken circle, turning around a central point that is the source of all emanations.
The circumpunct (#1) is the Neoplatonic representation of the soul in the spiritual world and in relation to the One, beauty, right, and truth.
But there came a time when the immortal soul, keeping this original light, began its descent in nature. Going through the different veils of creation, through the eight spheres, each planet, your soul entered into your body. If you are west of the reflecting pool, face east: this situation of the soul incarnated can be seen in the reversed image of the obelisk (see the figure below). The triangle, representation of the divine soul, is at the bottom, close to you, the central point in your direction. This is the indication of the descent accomplished in the matter. The square (really a rectangle) is above. This is really a reflection, an unreal representation of the reality, the symbol of the material world.
This is your situation as a human being. Your soul is often under the domination of your body and your passions (#2). But it is possible to begin the work on your inner “stone” in order to recreate a harmonious union of this composite (#3). Purifying your microcosm, the hidden memory of the divine world begins to work subconsciously. At the beginning it is not precise and it is very difficult to be aware of it. In The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown mentioned the engraving by Dürer titled Melancholia. This is your situation when your inner work increases this strange feeling of regret, of nostalgia. Your soul sighs trying to understand the cause of this strange feeling. Then another emotion appears that will progressively increase: desire. Maybe your spiritual and initiatic inner work allows you to understand your situation and your destiny: coming back to your origin, your homeland. This is a conversion, a real turnaround.
Figure 23: Symbols representing the different steps of the ascent of the soul
This understanding is simple in this beautiful place of Washington DC. You just have to look up and forget the reflection. The real obelisk is in front of you, vertical, now showing the right direction. The direction of the triangle, symbol of the soul, has been reversed. It is pointed now to the sky (#4), creating the symbolic representation of the double square (#5). Each element must be animated by the soul united to its previous position under the aspect of the two triangles constituting the second square. This association of the triangle, apex of the obelisk in the reflecting pool oriented below, and the other one at the top oriented above, recalls the Hermetic declaration: “As above, so below.”
Figure 24: The obelisk
and its reflection
This second square shows the two moments of the soul capable of giving the inner and divine animation of your being. You must imagine that you are now standing up straight as this axis at the center of the circumpunct. Your body, surrounded by the elements and activated by the human soul, can look up again and use the energy of its desire to ascend into the light. This axis shows you the mystical way. The ascent of this ray of light is an invocation of your inner divinity. For the first time, consciously, you will be crowned by the soul (#6). But you must ascend to the first principle. This step is a strange paradox because you are not already dead. You are a living human, trying to allow your soul to come back to your homeland. As you can see at the top of the obelisk, the soul is oriented to the sky. But that means that you are going to the center of your soul too. The connection between you and the highest level is inside you. This can be represented by the ascension of the soul above the body (#7) but at the same time by the mystical inner union (#8).
This is an important part of the divine mysteries. The thousand pages of the Bible can give you only one or two sentences, while the most accurate sources and explanations can be found in a text called “The Key” in the Corpus Hermeticum. According to these sacred writings, the direction of your quest is given by the feeling of good and beauty. Around you, on the Washington Mall, in the beauty of the place, the harmony and the goodwill of the Founding Fathers are still here. The aspiration to ascend to the divine can be manifested.
As Dan Brown analyzed correctly, the word apotheosis is a main concept in the Hermetic texts. The great mystery of this divinization, this apotheosis, is shown as a union with the divine principle, but not a fusion. The apex, the capstone, shows the Sun, concentrating the power of the soul, creating this enlightenment that is the higher expression of this essential part of one’s being. Thoth-Hermes says: “And the soul’s vice is ignorance.” This is the expression of the Hermetic (and Masonic) philosophy. Faith is not enough. We must use our rationality, all our mental abilities to enlighten the virtue of the soul, which is knowledge.
The understanding of the Western Tradition is often lost, sometimes confused, or reduced to the Eastern spiritual interpretation. The contact of the soul, the contemplation of the divine unity, is at this moment a real and intimate union without fusion and disappearance. We are like singers around the chief choir’s representation of the One.
This is the time of your divine transformation. In this contemplation of beauty, truth, and good, your own divinity is revealed and manifested. We are becoming gods. But don’t be mistaken. You are not becoming a god, the One, but gods (plural!). Somehow the Biblical monotheism overlooked this reality, and even Dan Brown noted in The Lost Symbol that God was not one but many.
As the initiates of this tradition said, the manifestation of this inner experience is generally incomplete because of the physical body. You are still connected to your living body, so this representation of your apotheosis is an allegory. It will be a reality later, when you become a “Completed Master” as stated in Masonic terminology. The classical tradition, well understood by the architects of the federal capital, represented this allegorical apotheosis as the physical incarnation of divine beauty, a divine metamorphosis. The physical body becomes a divine body, an expression of spiritual beauty. Classical art represents the body as a god in the middle of the other gods on Olympus, and sometimes as Zeus the Great. “God [the One] knows the man, and God wants be known. This is the only salvation for a man: God’s Gnosis [knowingness]. This is the Way Up to Mount Olympus. By this way only the soul becomes good.”
You remember the Capitol (in front of you at the east, beside the obelisk) as the temple of the gods, the protectors of the city. This is the place to show the masterpiece of these mysteries, and as for the Washington Monument, the stage is also ready. The Apotheosis of Washington clearly depicts George Washington being “transformed into a God.”[8]
Figure 25: Dome of the U.S. Capitol
You can see the same allegorical subject in the mysterious statue depicting again the Founding Father in Zeus’ exact posture. Nothing comes from the biblical tradition in this sacred place. The immortal divinities surround the representation of the One, a bright sky without representation. Immediately below, the Olympians are seated all around the enlightened apex. Like Zeus, George Washington is enthroned in the middle of them. The gods are invoked in a coherent way and their presence is welcomed in the purity of the tradition. The new nation can be protected and is shown the way to stay free, expressing the highest spiritual level a human can reach. Because a “human being is a living divine,” you can keep your perception of the sacred and your reason for the realization of your own divinity together in a balanced way, for the good of humanity.
Figure 26: Structure of Freemasonry
[1]1. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, The Architecture, Book 1, Chapter 7:1.
[2]2. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, The Architecture, Book 4, Chapter 9:1.
[3]. James Anderson (1679–1739) was a minister in the Church of Scotland and a Freemason. He was commissioned by the Grand Lodge to write a history of the Freemasons, published in 1723 as the “Constitutions of the Free-Masons” (see Chapter One).
[4]4. “Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1–5.
[5]. Book of the Dead, 125:18–27.
[6]6. Explanations of these symbols can be found in the book by Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, The Foundations of High Magick, first volume of The Magickal Philosophy (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications).
[7]. Corpus Hermeticum, Book 13:16.
[8]. Corpus Hermeticum, Book.