History - Secret Societies

For nearly 400 years, incredible myths and stories have been woven around the “invisible” Brothers of the Rose Cross, the Rosicrucians. It is said that they possessed the secret of man and God, that they could turn lead into gold, that they governed Europe in secret, that theirs was the true philosophy of Freemasonry, and that they could save--or destroy--the world. In The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians, Tobias Churton, a “perfected” Knight of the Rose Croix and the Pelican (18th degree, Ancient and Accepted Rite), presents the first definitive historical and philosophical view of this mysterious brotherhood.

Starting at its beginnings in Germany in 1603, Churton unveils the truth behind the complex story that underlies the Rosicrucian movement. He explains its purpose, the motives of its earliest creators, and the manifestos “accidentally” published in the 17th century that emerged at precisely the time when modern science was emerging. He details the people who influenced its development--including Johannes Kepler, Robert Fludd, and Sir Francis Bacon--and the ties between the Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Templars. He also shows how Rosicrucianism shaped the mythology and spiritual consciousness of both North and South America and reveals that there are many Rosicrucian fraternities still active throughout the world today.

Freemasonry is the subject of perennial fascination - recently the cover story of a national newsmagazine, the premise of the movie National Treasure and the anticipated basis of a forthcoming novel by Dan Brown. The twentieth century's great scholar of occult and esoteric ideas, Manly P. Hall, was a Mason himself and nurtured a lifelong interest in the secret fraternal order, making it the focus of one of his earliest and best-loved books, THE LOST KEYS OF FREEMASONRY. In this celebrated work, he examines the ethical training required of a Freemason and the character traits a Mason must "build" within himself. Hall's 1923 volume is now reset and made available exclusively in this new edition, along with the author's two further classics on Masonry:- - Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians (1937), which explores the roots of Freemasonry in the initiatory temple rites of Pharaonic Egypt - Masonic Orders of Fraternity (1950), a fascinating work of short history that chronicles the re-emergence of Freemasonry in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It surveys the lives of Masonry's modern architects and the secretive organizations that immediately preceded the brotherhood. This three-in-one volume features the original illustrations of each book, a total of nearly thirty images, including recreations of scenes and rites from Masonry's unusual history. It also includes a new index encompassing all three titles.

In SECRET SOCIETIES AND THE HERMETIC CODE, Ernesto Frers presents a virtual museum of artistic works that contain occult secrets. The scope of his research ranges from the paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, from mystery sites such as the Pyramids to the architecture of Andrea Palladio's Villa Cornaro. He, also, discusses the hermetic influence on music evidenced in the works of Mozart through to the modern era of rock and roll. Frers explains that all cultures encode in their architecture, art and music the instructions and diagram of their esoteric ritual and faith. He shows how during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Church's severe censure of anything antithetical to its dogma forced artists to conceal mystical references within the religious images or scenes they depicted. By examining works that have not received such scrutiny before, including those of Titian, di Cosimo, Botticelli and Rembrandt, Frers brings to light the symbols and cryptic messages hidden in these masterworks. He presents his evidence using more than 100 colour and black-and-white images to reveal the mysteries contained in these works of art. He, also, extends his investigation to the occult leanings of modern-day musicians such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zepplin. The author's subject matter ranges from paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, music from Mozart to Satanic Rock and mystery sites from the Pyramids to Andrea Palladio's Villa Cornaro. The book includes more than 100 colour and black-and-white images that reveal the mysteries contained in these artistic works.

With his recent best-selling books and hundreds of articles as well as radio and TV appearances Philip Gardiner has started a crusade for uncovering the truth and nothing could be more indicative of that search than his latest foray into the dark and often sinister world of secret societies. Yet again in SECRET SOCIETIES Gardiner finds himself on a journey across the world to uncover the ancient secrets of the world's most powerful men. In one dramatic episode he finds himself driven out of Berlin in a black Mercedes by a secret organisation that was believed to have disappeared after the second World War and eventually arrives in a modern Nazi watering hole. Gardiner however survives this incredible journey and brings us the secrets of the Order held sacred for so long. Gardiner delves into a world that is often hidden from our eyes and finds himself in situations that seem to mirror the fictional world of the Da Vinci Code. In SECRET SOCIETIES Gardiner: · Gets to the core of the secret societies' belief systems. · Explores the secret origins of Freemasonry and the links to secret Serpent Cults. · Investigates the secret hidden meaning of King Arthur and Robin Hood. · Examines the claimants to the name of Illuminati and analyses the history of the group in Europe and America. · Reveals the secret links within the Vatican and the Nazi Party. · Looks in-depth at the white-powdered gold theory supposedly kept secret by orders throughout time and radically re-appraises it.