First of, thanks you OP, for dragging me down this rabbithole. (Though it has been hectic, it has been enlightening)
This one caught my interest right away. Just want to share my findings so far and let you draw your own conclusions.
This one really sent me on my way:
Originally posted by Xcalibur254
I've found almost nothing on it. Although the Cyclopaedia of Fraternities does have this do say:
Headquarters “for this country” at Boston. Its motto is: “All things come from within.” Its seal is a circle, formed of three cobras “separated by three swastikas, encircling two interlaced triangles,” which, in turn, enclose “the crux ansata1,“ from which its theosophic temperament and mystical tendencies may be inferred. It declares that Love with Wisdom is the secret of Life, and that the Torch of Life is fed by the Oil of Love. Among its relics is said to be a ”large cube of cream-white stone,“ of great antiquity, presented by ”a Mexican chief.” Membership is small.
Here we go..
This doesn't really give much information about what the S.S.S. or Z.Z. R.R. Z.Z. stands for or what the 'organization' is all about, so i decided to check out a few leads. Sorry if it gets a bit messy.
The cyclopedia i found, has this to say in addition to what has already been posted:
little is kuown of it by others than mem- bers. It publishes the "Free and Eegen- erated Palladium,*' by Avhicli title it is now known
Source
I cannot find verification on these claims and I couln't really find the word Avhicli in any other meanings than vehicle, but when I looked into 'Free and Regenerated Palladium', things started getting tricky.
Some sources indicate that 'FaRP' was a ficticious branch of freemasonry, at the centre of a hoax perpetrated by a french writer, going by the name Lèo Taxil, in the 1890s.
Source
Yet other sources claim there is a REAL 'Free and Regenerated Palladium' DOES exist.
Masonic archive
2nd source
(Just bring up seach, ctrl+f in Firefox, and type in 'Free and regenerated', this should take you to the important parts)
Well.. This didn't really lead to any conclusive evidence of what Order of S.S.S. and Z.Z. R.R. Z.Z. in fact are or do. Have to dig some more, so I did.
After looking into the S.S.S. a bit, I found something that MIGHT be useful:
The Society helped to found and staff for a time St. John's Seminary, part of the Archdiocese of Boston (1884–1911). In that same period, for a brief time they also staffed St. Joseph Seminary, serving the Archdiocese of New York (1896–1906)
Society of Saint-Sulpice
Seems they were active in Boston in the period where this book is written. However, should this be the origin of SSS, it does contradict the idea that this should be tied to Freemasonry as it is a christian order.
Finally, the Z.Z. R.R. Z.Z.
I simply cannot find any information about these letters in this arrangement, so best i can try is the simple number-trick.
With A=1 --> Z = 26 = 2+6 = 8 and R = 18 = 1+8 = 9
So Z.Z. R.R. Z.Z. = 8.8. 9.9. 8.8.
Here you can look at some occult meanings of 88 and 99
(BTW, S.S.S. equals 999)
Sadly, I don't really feel much closer to uncovering the true meaning, but at least this thread lead me to some interesting knowledge.
As a bonus, I can add that the quote:
all things come from within
Often is attributed to Neville Goddard, who seems to be one of the fathers of the idea behind 'New Age' and 'The Secret'.
Goddard apparently became interested in esoteric teachings after meeting a 'Scotsman' .
Source
Well.. This was what I could offer through my research. I'm sorry if anyone found it useless and a waste of time. I try my best.
I am not conviced about any of my theories, so I really hope some brilliant mind finds the answer.
I've got a feeling that there may be some hints in the text for those enlightened enough to see them.
Will follow this thread in hope of further enlightenment.
-FL
(Pardon any spelling/grammar mistakes, english isn't my native language)
edit on 19-4-2011 by Flawless Logic because: Oops, forgot a
word..
