Secret Societies: Inside the World's Most Notorious Organizations (44 page)

NOTES

Introduction—Fools, Fears and Fanatics, p. 11

An infant covered with their meal,
p. 11: Minicus Felix,
Octavius of Minucius Felix
, Chapter 9. Felix was a Christian, and the quoted passage was from an imagined dialogue between a pagan and a Christian, with the former simply repeating the tales of Christian activities exchanged among the Romans.

An Instrument of Torture as Symbol and Identity,
p. 14: Christians also used a fish as a symbol, a less threatening depiction of their identity. The fish, however, had long been used by cultures in China, India, Egypt and Greece to designate fertility (again with strong sexual implications). Its use by Christians has never been as pervasive or as unifying as the cross. Have you ever seen a Christian making the sign of a fish?

Kabbalah,
p. 16
:
A multitude of spelling variations exists, including
Qabbala, Cabala, Cabalah, Cabbala, Cabbalah, Kabala, Kabalah, Kabbala, Qabala
and
Qabalah
. “Kabbalah” appears to have won election, but only with a plurality.

1. Assassins—Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted, p. 19

He renamed the fortress Alamut,
p. 32
:
It has also variously been identified as
Eagle's Guidance
and
Vulture's Nest
.

“caused to be made a vast garden in which he had water conducted”,
p 33: This description is retold by Thomas Keightley in his 1837 work,
Secret Societies of the Middle Ages—The Assassins, the Templars & The Secret Tribunals of Westphalia
(Boston: Weiser Books, 2005), p. 74. Keightley's research was impeccable and his conclusions were drawn long before the topic was subject to the sensationalist theories of Hollywood and fact-based fiction writers.

And they were the first to be known as the
hashshashin
or assassins,
p. 36: An alternative explanation to the name claims that
assasseen
in Arabic translates to
Guardians of the Secrets
. The hashish connection is more widely accepted, however. In fact, this may be a situation of reverse definition, with
assasseen
derived from the assassins and not the other way around. In any case,
assassins
was almost exclusively a European term for the group; to Muslims they reportedly were known as
Nizaris
.

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism
,
p. 38: Robert Jay Lifton (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989).

…also called Aladdin (Height of the Faith),
p. 41: This is not the Aladdin of the fabled lamp.

…where they became known as the
Khojas
,
p. 41: The Khojas are not to be confused with the Thugees, a Hindu tribe of strangler bandits who terrorized parts of India before being hunted down and hanged by British colonial administrators in 1861.

2. Templars, Freemasons and Illuminati—The Secret Seat of Power, p. 43

…including many signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence,
p. 43: The number of Masons who signed the Declaration of Independence varies with the teller. Some sources claim that most were Masons. Historian Jasper Ridley, who had unfettered access to Masonic archives, could confirm only nine of the fifty-six signers as members.

…the result not of chivalrous intent or even a dedication to the Christian faith, but of feudalist obligation,
p. 45: Much of the information on the Templars was obtained from Keightley's
Secret Societies of the Middle Ages
.

…“sweet-tempered, totally dedicated, and ruthless on behalf of the faith…”,
p. 50: Robert Payne,
The Dream of the Tomb: A History of the Crusade
(New York: Stein & Day, 1984), p. 64
.

“But both names suit them, for theirs is the mildness of the monk and the valor of the knight”,
p. 52: Keightley, p. 193.

…offering to convert to Christianity if the Templars would forego the tribute,
p. 54: F. W. Bussell,
Religious Thought and Heresy in the Middle Ages
(London: R. Scott, 1918), p. 796.

… he faced death by protracted torture.,
p. 54: Keightley, p. 206.

… the Germanic language acquired a new description for a house of ill-fame,
p. 55:
Tempelhaus
:
The description of the Templars’ extracurricular activities comes from G. Mollat,
Les papes d'Avignon
(Paris: Unknown bindery, 1912), p. 233.

… they engaged in a battle launched by the Templars reportedly in pursuit of their rival's treasure,
p. 56: Keightley, p. 219.

“unspeakable apostasy against God, detestable idolatry, execrable vice, and many heresies”,
p. 56: Nesta H. Webster,
Secret Societies & Subversive Movements
(London: Boswell Print & Co, 1924; reissued by A&B Publishers Group, 1998), p. 51. Webster's work is sound in a scholarly manner but her racist views, especially her anti-Semitism, color many of her conclusions.

“… should be so forgetful of their salvation as to do these things, we are unwilling to give ear to this kind of insinuation”,
p. 56: As quoted by Webster from Michelet,
Proces des Temploiers
(1841). Some historians claim the Templars left their riches with the French king, but this contradicts the king's later actions against them.

“The flames were first applied to their feet”,
p. 58: Keightley, p. 326.

No fewer than sixteen U.S. presidents have proudly declared their Masonic status,
p. 61: But not necessarily concentrated power. In this category, Skull & Bones may well dominate.

“Although our thoughts, words and actions may be hidden from the eyes of man…”,
p. 62: Thomas Smith Webb,
The Freemasons Monitor or Illustrations of Masonry
(Salem, Mass.: Cushing & Appleton, 1821), p. 66.

“In the bosom of the deepest darkness…”,
p. 67: Marquis de Luchet,
Eassai sur la secte des illuminees
(Paris, 1789).

In spite of Washington's objections…,
p. 69: Various attributions, including Albert Pike,
Morals and Dogma: Of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
(New York: Nuvision Publications, 2004). This is from
TOTSE.com
.

Among the symbols impressed on Washington's street layout…,
p. 69: Various graphic interpretations of Freemason and satanic symbols on the street grid of Washington DC exist.

….the initiate experiences the point of a compass being pressed against his chest…,
p. 71: There seems to be some confusion about this ritual. Apparently some Mason chapters continue to follow it while others have discarded the practice.

Recently, their image has been tarnished by revelations suggesting that barely 25 percent of their $8-billion charity endowment is spent on actual charitable activities,
p. 72:
TORO
magazine, “Black Shadow” (Summer 2005), pp. 41–45.

“‘Frater’ meaning male brothers….”,
p. 73:
Ibid.
, p. 45.

The shots were to be fired by 77-year-old Albert Eid,
p. 75:
Newsweek
(March 11, 2004). Eid pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years’ probation.

3. Priory of Sion—Keepers of the Holy Grail, p. 77

A Priory is defined as an offshoot of an abbey, whose superior officer is a
prior
.
Sion is the Latin term for Mount Zion, the hill on which David founded Jerusalem.

Despite certainty among Christians, Mary Magdalene was no Jerusalem strumpet,
p. 78: As noted, multiple variations exist of the tale of Mary Magdalene giving birth in France. The basis for this version came from several sources, most notably Jim Marrs,
Rule By Secrecy
(New York: HarperCollins, 2000).

Thanks to several geographic advantages, Rhaede boasted a population at the time of more than 30,000 inhabitants,
p. 80: Details of Renne-leChateau's past were obtained from the town's official Web site,
www.renneslechateau.com
.

Plantard sometimes assumed the clichéd manner and appearance of French underworld characters,
p. 89: Details on Plantard's life were obtained from
GNOSIS
magazine, “The Priory of Sion Hoax” (Spring 1999), and from the Rennes
Observer,
“The Templars of the Apocalypse,” by Jean-Luc Chaumeil, (June 15, 1997) pp. 19–20.

The latter is easily confirmed via French police archives,
p. 90: This information was provided in response to an inquiry concerning a two-page letter dated 8 June 1956 from the Mayor of Annemasse to the Sub-Prefect of St. Julien-en-Genevois, held in the File containing the original 1956 Statutes of the Priory of Sion [File Number KM 94550]: “… in our archives we have a note from the I.N.S.S.E dated 15 December 1954 advising us that Monsieur Pierre Plantard was sentenced on 17 December 1953 by the court in St. Julien-en-Genevois to six months imprisonment for a ‘breach of trust’ under articles 406 and 408 of the Penal Code.” Articles 406 and 408 of the old-style Penal Code correspond to Articles 314–1, 314–2 and 314–3 of the present Penal Code. These articles are classified in Book iii of the Code, “Crimes and offences against property”—theft, extortion, blackmail, fraud, and embezzlement.

Evola supported a philosophy similar to the Divine Right of Kings,
p. 97: Evola's teachings continue to fascinate fringe groups, including substantial
numbers of skinheads and young people caught up in the “Goth” culture. For details on his life and teachings, read Nicholas Goodrick-Clark's
Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity
(New York: New York University Press, 2001).

Correspondence seized from Saunière's church,
p. 99: Details of Saunière's mail-order business in masses were provided by Jean-Jacques Bedu in
Autopsie d'un myth
, published in 1990.

The myth lives on,
p. 100: A final note to the Priory fable: Two of the most exhaustively researched books on this general topic–Keightley's
Secret Societies of the Middle Ages
(1837) and Webster's
Secret Societies & Subversive Movements
(1924)—fail to make any mention of the Merovingian bloodline or the Priory of Sion. Both were published long before Plantard's claim of their existence and their influence on world events. Books published on this topic since 1970, claiming various degrees of authenticity, are legion, of course.

4. Druids and Gnostics—Knowledge and the Eternal Soul, p. 101

Those seeking to become Druids at the height of the movement's influence,
p. 104: The source for this account is Manly P. Hall,
The Secret Teachings of All Ages—Readers Edition
(New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2003).

Caesar, as talented at observing and recording social structures as he was at commanding armies,
p. 106: Julius Caesar,
The Gallic Wars
, Book 6, paragraph 13.

Followers of the Gnostic sect led by Carpocrates,
p. 113: Epiphanius (
ca
. 310–403 ad), Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus, provided this commentary. His zeal for the monastic life, ecclesiastical learning and orthodoxy gave him extraordinary authority and may also have encouraged him to exaggerate some of the more licentious activities of the Gnostics whom he undoubtedly disliked.

A follower of John the Baptist, Simon gathered his own disciples around him and was viewed, not surprisingly, as a potential competitor to early Christian leaders,
p. 114: Simon has his defenders, who note that, as a Samaritan, he was viewed with distaste and suspicion by Jews, and that his words and intentions may have been distorted. The legacy, nevertheless, lives on in English dictionaries.

As Christianity grew in strength it became less tolerant of Gnosticism,
p. 117: Webster,
Secret Societies & Subversive Movements
, p. 32.

Whether or not Gnostics suffered abuse at the hands of Christians,
p. 117:
Ibid
, p. 32.

“In the ancient world,” Jung wrote,
p. 118: Dr. Carl Jung,
Aion
,
Collected Works
, Vol. 9, 2 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1959), p. 10.

5. Kabbalah—Origins of the Apocalypse, p. 119

In addition to these biblical writings, three other books dominate ancient Kabbalah philosophy,
p. 123: Eliphas Levi,
The Mysteries of the Qabalah: Or Occult Agreement of the Two Testaments
(New York: Samuel Weiser Inc., 1974; reissued Weiser Books, 2000) p. 123.

… the “pagans” may well have been Jews seeking to satirize Christianity for their own amusement and ends,
p. 123: Hall hints at this theory in
The Secret Teachings of All Ages
, and then discounts it. Others are not so sure.

The base of the Sephiroth (Malkut) represents the world, with all of its flaws and perfections. The pinnacle (Keter) represents God, or the Supreme Crown,
p. 124: Spellings and interpretation of the Sephirots vary according to sources.

Three triangles are formed by the nine sephirots and connecting pathways above the Malkut. These symbolize the human body; the topmost represents the head, the middle represents the trunk and arms, and the bottom represents legs and the reproductive organs,
p. 125: Other methods of interpreting the Sephiroth are promoted by various factions of Kabbalah. One, for example, teaches that the centers are arranged in three columns. The left column is called the Pillar of Severity and represents the female side. The right column is called the Pillar of Mercy and represents the male side. The middle pillar is called the Pillar of Equilibrium and represents the balance between the male and female pillars.