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Symbols in Secret Societies

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posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 09:53 AM
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"Symbols are oracular forms–mysterious patterns creating vortices in the substances of the invisible world. They are centers of a mighty force, figures pregnant with an awful power, which, when properly fashioned, loose fiery whirlwinds upon the earth." ~ Manly P. Hall


The beauty behind symbols is that there are so many interpretations and meanings, and every symbol means something different to each person who beholds it.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a student of symbols, symbolism, sigils, and the myths and legends surrounding them. I have books going back 200 years on the origins of symbols and their uses and interpretations within Secret Societies, and yet, I cannot get enough of them.

Therefore, I have decided to start a thread on symbols, their interpretation, their power, their use in Magick, in Ritual and in Secret Societies and it is my hope that I will learn from those who share in this thread.

I love the ancient myths surrounding certain symbols. For instance, although the origin of the Masonic apron is unclear, many Masons have told the following story, in books dating back to over 200 year ago:

During the building of the pyramids, volunteers were called on during the inundation of the Nile to assist with the building of the pyramids. These volunteers were rewarded by being given a certain gown, which gave them a particular elevated status as stonemasons who worked on the pyramids.

This gown would allow the wearer free passage down the Nile on any boat which they chose. Such a mason would be allowed to flag down any boat which passed by, and travel freely of that boat.

This gown, which gave the worker prestige and certain privileges or freedoms became an inspiration for many others to volunteer to work on the pyramids.

It later became adopted by Freemasonry as a symbol of freedom of Masons.


edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 09:56 AM
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reply to post by Saurus
 


Have you ever interacted with a symbol during an altered state of transpersonal/mystical consciousness?



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 09:59 AM
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The beauty behind symbols is that there are so many interpretations and meanings, and every symbol means something different to each person who beholds it.
reply to post by Saurus
 



That is just what the devil wants you to think though every satanic ritual uses them in there incantations and therefore they have a single meaning and even though others believe it to mean something other then its original intention they are helping to empower the spirits or gods of that symbol to have greater control upon man.

As with words symbols have meaning and the ancient meaning is the original meaning one can not change it for there desire, but can to cloak the original meaning for the unlearned to be a patsy for the plan of the devil.



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:07 AM
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Originally posted by ACTS 2:38



The beauty behind symbols is that there are so many interpretations and meanings, and every symbol means something different to each person who beholds it.
reply to post by Saurus
 



That is just what the devil wants you to think though every satanic ritual uses them in there incantations and therefore they have a single meaning and even though others believe it to mean something other then its original intention they are helping to empower the spirits or gods of that symbol to have greater control upon man.

As with words symbols have meaning and the ancient meaning is the original meaning one can not change it for there desire, but can to cloak the original meaning for the unlearned to be a patsy for the plan of the devil.





posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:11 AM
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Originally posted by BlueMule
reply to post by Saurus
 


Have you ever interacted with a symbol during an altered state of transpersonal/mystical consciousness?


No, I always use sigils while conscious, using techniques such as sigil-webs (mind maps).
I write symbols and sigils on the whiteboard on my office and reflect on them when I need to get my mind around something or get a certain task done, for example.


edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:17 AM
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Originally posted by ACTS 2:38



The beauty behind symbols is that there are so many interpretations and meanings, and every symbol means something different to each person who beholds it.
reply to post by Saurus
 



That is just what the devil wants you to think though every satanic ritual uses them in there incantations and therefore they have a single meaning and even though others believe it to mean something other then its original intention they are helping to empower the spirits or gods of that symbol to have greater control upon man.

As with words symbols have meaning and the ancient meaning is the original meaning one can not change it for there desire, but can to cloak the original meaning for the unlearned to be a patsy for the plan of the devil.


Why, then, do Christians use a Cross when its original meaning predates Christ by thousands of years and was originally used by pagans in their rituals in the ancient faiths?


edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:30 AM
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reply to post by ACTS 2:38
 


is that what Satan tells you when you pray at your Satanic mass?

I would rather talk to God, he is a lot nicer. If Satan is real, I think he would be mean. Mean people suck.

Break free from your satanic ways! Be gone SATAN!

I hope I have helped you find the lord. Following Satan is a bad way.



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:34 AM
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reply to post by TechVampyre
 


...that's my x.



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:51 AM
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Originally posted by SarnholeOntarable
reply to post by TechVampyre
 


...that's my x.




Anyway back to business as usual.. It amazes me how blinded society is by images and symbolism.. Next we will be finding the way to god through a damn "McDonald's" ad.. I can see it now.. Follow the golden arches to heaven..

But don't be blinded by the false prophet the "Hamburgler" .. Sorry if that makes no since I just woke up.. and frankly I don't care..



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 10:57 AM
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reply to post by TechVampyre
 


Symbols have immense power. Try and imagine a McDonalds outlet without the big M at it's entrance. Do you think an outlet without it would survive?

Symbols create an idea in one's mind. An acceptance that when a person sees a symbol, a certain event or outcome related to that symbol will occur. When you see a big M, you know what you will get when you go to that store.

And through repetition, the effectiveness of a symbol gets continually greater and greater. This is a key facet in the way that the mystery schools teach.


edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 11:01 AM
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Originally posted by Saurus
reply to post by TechVampyre
 


Symbols have immense power. Try and imagine a McDonalds outlet without the big M at it's entrance. Do you think an outlet without it would survive?

Symbols create an idea in one's mind. An acceptance that when a person sees a symbol, a certain event or outcome will occur. When you see a big M, you'll know what you will get when you go to that store.
edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)


That was my point exactly.. And you are correct sir!
.. When i see those giant golden arches.. I expect nothing more then a artery clog induced heart attack..



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 11:07 AM
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I think this pretty much sums up my point..




posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 11:49 AM
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OK, so here's a bit about one or two Masonic symbols:

The Hexagram

The hexagram (interlocking triangles) go back way before Freemasonry, and have been adopted by Freemasonry, and also by many religions such as Judaism and others, and denotes God.

So, first a bit of history about the symbol...

The hexagram within a circle dates its origins back to the Brahmins in the highland plateu north of the Hindu-Kush.

According to the Brahmins:

The equilateral triangle, Trikum, represents Brahma, the Triune god, with his visible attendants, Vishnu (water) and Siva (Fire).

The triangle with its point turned upwards, as flames dart upwards to the sky, denote Siva, the Spirit of fire.

The triangle with its point turned downwards, as rain falls to the earth, denote Vishnu, the Spirit of water.

The two triangles interlaced, called Sherkum, represent Vishnu and Siva, being the visible spirits, and therefore denoting Brahma, the Triune god.

The encircling ring is an emblem of eternity and infinity.

The hexagram was later adopted by many as a symbol for God.

In Masonry , the position of the square and compasses in the symbol for freemasonry makes up the entire hexagram, except for two parallel lines. In early Masonry, the square and compass, when placed on the Volume of the Sacred Law, were placed so that the top and bottom of the pages of the bible made up the two missing parallel lines of the hexagram. (with the S&C overlapping the pages.)

(Recall that the two parallel lines in the ritual represent Moses and King Solomon, and are therefore an allusion to the VSL.)


The Square and Compasses

So where did the Square and compass symbol originate? In Masonry, the square and compasses themselves are placed the way they are because originally, their placement on the VSL would make up the hexagram, a symbol denoting God.

Thus, symbolically, the square and compass were incomplete, except when they were placed on the VSL, as in open lodge.


A point within a circle

In the same Brahmin teachings, the point within a circle was called Purm, which represented the inner essence of Brahm, from which "all emanates, and around which all revolves."

Put together the S&C, the parallel lines, and the point within a circle, and there is the perfect, complete symbol for the inner essence of god, by the ancient Brahmin teachings.

This ancient symbol of the interlaced triangle with the point within a circle (purm) is found on many ancient Indian monuments, such as on the tomb of Hamayun, and on the gateway of the fort of Agra, to name a few.


edit on 6/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 6 2012 @ 05:02 PM
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The viral sigil also known as the BRAND or LOGO is not of recent development (see"Christianity," "the Nazis" and any flag of any nation) but has become an inescapable global phenomenon in recent years. It's easy to see the Nazi movement as the last gasp of ImperialAge thinking; the visionary savages still thought world domination meant tramping over the"enemy" and seizing his real estate. If only they'd had the foresight to see that global domination has nothing to do with turf and everything to do with media they would have anticipated corporate stealth-violence methods and combined them with their undoubted design sense; the rejected artists who engineered the Third Reich might have created the 10th century's first global super brand and spared the lives of many potential consumers. The McDonald's Golden Arches,the Nike swoosh and the Virgin autograph are all corporate viral sigils.

Corporate sigils are super-breeders. They attack unbranded imaginative space. They invadeRed Square, they infest the cranky streets of Tibet, they etch themselves into hairstyles. They breed across clothing, turning people into advertising hoardings. They are a very powerful development in the history of sigil magic, which dates back to the first bison drawn on the first cave wall.

The logo or brand, like any sigil, is a condensation, a compressed, symbolic summoning up of the world of desire which the corporation intends to represent. The logo is the only visible sign of the corporate intelligence seething behind it. Walt Disney died long ago but his sigil, that familiar,cartoonish signature, persists, carrying its own vast weight of meanings, associations, nostalgia and significance. People are born and grow up to become Disney executives, mouthing jargon and the credo of a living corporate entity. Walt Disney the man is long dead and frozen (or so folk myth would have it) but Disney, the immense invisible corporate egregore persists.

Corporate entities are worth studying and can teach the observant magician much about what we really mean when we use the word "magic". They and other ghosts like them rule the world of the early 21st century.
from "Pop Magic!" by Grant Morrison

I think it's important for people to understand that corporate symbols don't have any power over us. The logo has a power to the company, but we, the spectators, give it whatever power we will it to have.



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 07:03 AM
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reply to post by JoshNorton
 


Are you sure?

Some symbolism is so subtle that few are even aware of it, and yet, people make use of such subtleties every day to get messages across to others or make others do certain things.

If a book begins: "Peter got out of his car and put his keys in his pocket", you know that Peter is likely to be the main character in the book. However, if someone said the exact same line to you in a conversation, you would ask: "Who is Peter?" In a book, treating the main character as if you already know him is a code, programmed into us since childhood.

People rarely think about the codes we use to interpret symbols. We learn them so early and effortlessly that we rarely need to. Yet, they are there, and the human mind responds to them.

Take, for instance, a child's drawing of a tree. We know that it is a tree, but what tree does it refer to? An oak? A cedar? The tree outside your window? A symbol of a tree refers to a class of objects that share certain similarities. The link between the symbol and the reality is determined by experiences - a set of interrelated and self-referencing realities - codes. Changing the codes changes someone's reality.

Like always using the same way to start a book.

Think about it...


edit on 7/7/2012 by Saurus because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 02:55 PM
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reply to post by JoshNorton
 


Damn Josh great passage, I'm gonna have to pick up that book. I finally have an explanation to this problem which has been plaguing me for a while. I feel like I see symbolism everywhere (obviously, but the "sheeple" don't "notice" symbols cosciously, that's an occult secret right?). This really isn't a problem but for years I have literally felt a tangible power from these symbols. Some big mega corporation will have some advertisement or something and the only way I can describe it is that I feel power from it.

Masonic symbolism is also at a ridiculous level right now. I mean, if people don't want to have conspiracy theorists talking about them then why the hell are they blasting every kind of symbol out there. I recently ate at a deli in some random city in a random state while I was on tour. The main logo which was blasted on the front of their T shirts consisted of

1. The name of the restaurant
2. A sun rising above the name
3. The logo rested on top of a checkerboard floor
4. This was bordered like a picture frame by the pillars of NSEW

This was just some no name deli in the middle of nowhere. Until today I have not put the word "sigil" in context with corporate symbolism. Now I can say I have an explanation to why I feel this pervasive, claustrophobic, oppressive paranoia when I see the thousandth pyramid logo.

Ever look at cigarette company logos? They're all freakin pyramids and winged orbs...there's even a cig company CALLED pyramid. The major one marlboro at first glance you don't see it. Then you see that a different colored pyramid is on the front and when you open the box, the lid moves the capstone so you have the "unfinished" pyramid.

When you see the eye of horus in every town at every street corner, it really does start to feel like Lucifer's gaze.



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 03:52 PM
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This is a fairly obvious thing for me to say, but how we see a symbol is a matter of simple psychology. A meaning associated with a certain symbol becomes ingrained in our minds. The arches of McDonalds are a symbol of the company but can produce a variety of responses; they are a fast food chain so their logo can elicit hunger, bringing in more customers. It can have a negative effect too, anger if you view them as a global spanning corporation spreading everywhere. This can certainly be used to dangerous effect if we are not aware of how subtly these symbols manipulate our thoughts and behaviour subconsciously.

A symbol spread everywhere in the right context can make us trust it, if that symbol is then used by a group we are more likely to go along and agree with them because they have a symbol we are comfortable with. It's something that has been done for centuries, the power of a symbol to provoke a response. It is often not even important what the original meaning of the symbol is, the Swastika being the perfect example. Whatever the past meaning, it is now a symbol of hate and fear. A cross can be a symbol of safety and peace to certain people through Christianity or medical uses. A symbol in itself has no power, only the context and meaning to the individual.

I have never taken much of a notice of masonic imagery in society but it is everywhere if you stop to notice it. Then again, once you start to look for it, you could start to see symbolism in things that are utterly meaningless. You can create a world of paranoia around yourself that is not there because you are constantly searching for the symbol in something. Again, the symbol has no power but we are giving it a meaning, even if there isn't one to begin with. This is why studying symbols can be dangerous, we can sabotage ourselves.

This can give us two frames of mind when it comes to symbols in society:

1 - Ancient symbols are utterly meaningless in their original intentions. They have been taken on by so many people and groups that whatever they are supposed to mean, they have lost that and been given a new, modern meaning.

or

2 - That we have forgotten the true meaning of these symbols, they have new meanings so groups can hide them in plain sight. It is important for us to learn what they truly mean to see what is hidden from us.

Again, this is all fairly obvious stuff but I wanted to say it anyway... also to get a post in a thread that is just starting. So many have had so many people contributing that it's almost impossible to give any kind of meaningful contribution! That passage from Grant Morrison was great, I must find the book.



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 04:05 PM
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reply to post by Hardwired
 


We (Freemasonry) do not own our symbols and have no control over who uses them . If some deli IS using them , it is their choice , not Freemasonry's .

On the other hand , In my jurisdiction if a Mason owns a business , it is a violation of our constitution for him to use Masonic Symbolism in his advertising (it is considered using the Fraternity for personal gain) . So if I owned the deli and used Masonic symbolism (though it is a stretch to make the claim that a checkered board pattern is definitively Masonic) then I could be suspended or expelled .
edit on 7-7-2012 by whenandwhere because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 06:23 PM
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reply to post by whenandwhere
 


It's crazy where I live. Hard not to notice these things it's so prevalent. We have a radio ad that says "we're on the level" at the end and a giant bilboard with the words "we're on the square" under the name of the advertiser.



posted on Jul, 7 2012 @ 10:58 PM
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Oh....how I wish Robert Langdon were here to join this discussion.....



Symbols....and words....all language, both visual and audio, triggers archetypes in the subconscious. Jungian psychology is built upon this concept. Ultimately, it ties into other metaphysical concepts. It is the means to a spiritual end.....whether you are materially conscious of it or not.




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