As Above, So Below
When Neal Armstrong landed on the moon in 1963 he declared, “The Eagle has Landed” and so it had, for while the American flag was dutifully inserted into the lunar surface, the real “Eagle”, a flag displaying a double-headed eagle that is emblematic of the Scottish Rite and a symbol of Freemason spirituality, was also apparently embedded into the lunar surface. Afterwards a mysterious Masonic ritual was said to have taken place.
Now while Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin is a Mason, Neal Armstrong has never claimed membership with a lodge. The ‘ritual; is said to have been only communion as outlined in Aldrin’s autobiography, a bland, white bread explanation that doesn’t chime with the secrecy and esoteric rituals so beloved of the Masons.
The Masonic flag that Aldrin carried to the moon was later presented to the Sovereign Grand Commander" Smith who was the Supreme Commander of the Supreme Council of the World at the time and later hung in the Library Museum in the Scottish Rite Temple in Washington, DC located at 1733 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC.
The moon within Masonry has an important place since it is identified as the ruler of the night and is always associated with the Senior Warden in the West, following the tradition of the Ancient Egyptian Mystery Schools. The moon also represents strength and the Doric column, columns being of great significance to Masons.
If a ritual did take place, crafted beforehand to specific rules and words, was it to claim the Moon as the preserve of the Masons, or were the Masons closing a mystical circle, one that began in the Mystery Schools of Ancient Egypt? Did the words, “as above, so below” figure in their ritual?
The immortal words “as above, so below” were first discovered, it is said, on an Emerald Tablet found in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Cheops and encoded there by Hermes Trismegistus. But what does it mean, and why is it still important? And for those not in the know, who was Hermes Trismegistus?
During the period of Hellenistic Egypt Greek names were often given to Ancient Egyptian gods and blended with native Greek gods. In this case, Hermes stood for the Ancient Egyptian God, THOTH, god of the moon, wisdom and learning, and depicted with a human body and head and neck of an ibis. The ancient Greek god, HERMES, was the messenger of the Gods and likewise associated with communications, writing and magic. Today his image is a symbol of the speedy delivery of flowers, his divine origins unremarked by the majority.
Over time the two gods blended to produce Hermes Trismegistus and embodied a divine source of wisdom that dated back a staggering 9,000 years, a time period that coincides with tales of Atlantis.
The famed Edgar Cayce, the “Sleeping Prophet” stated in a trance that Hermes, or Thoth was an engineer/builder who had escaped the destruction of Atlantis and was the architect and creator of the pyramids of Egypt.
His descendants continued the Mystery School traditions of Ancient Egypt which were later to play an important part in the Masonic mysteries of today. As the first true “Mason’ he is recognized by the Freemasons as their forefather.
Plato stated that in the temple of Neith at Sais existed the Secret Halls of Records (the connection to Atlantis is inescapable) containing the 42 sacred writings of Hermes Trimegistus . Considered the “bible” of the Ancient Egyptian mystery school it contained the teachings that were imparted by the priests to their initiates.
The “Hermatic Writings” that we have today have infused such philosophies and religions as Neoplatonism, Judaism, Mithraism and early Christianity. The wisdom expounded by Hermes Trimegistus includes the notion that only one theology infiltrates alll religions and is passed along by a series of prophets.
Trismegistus, the last name by which Hermes is know, meaning “Thrice Great” has been interpreted in several ways: as the greatest priest, philosopher and king; that he knows the three parts of wisdom, alchemy, astrology, and theurgy ( meaning the practice of rituals); or because he recognized the trinity, saying that there is one divine nature in the trinity.”
While there are countess interpretations of the Emerald Tablet text many of which are highly esoteric and mind-numbing, there are other simpler ways of viewing his most famous statement, " as above, so below.”
For instance, it has been conclusively demonstrated that the pyramids of Egypt, specifically the Giza plateau pyramids, including the Great Pyramid, align with the three specific stars in Orion’s Belt with startling precision as do the pyramids at Dashur, and two more pyramids of Abusir whose positions are a match for other star alignments.
Were the Ancient Egyptians paying homage to the stars because it was believed that the divine King could return to the stars as a star soul and take his place in the heavens to live for all eternity?
Was part of the Masonic ritual on the moon, if it indeed did take place, homage to its Ancient Egyptian Mystery School roots?
Only Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin know for sure.
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
FROM THE EMERALD TABLET
True it is, without falsehood, certain and most true. That which is above is like that which is below and that which is below is like that which is above, to accomplish the miracle of unity.
Everything is formed from the contemplation of unity, and all things come about from unity, by means of adaptation.
The father thereof is the Sun, the mother the Moon.
The wind carried it in its womb, the Earth is the nurse thereof.
It is the father of all works of wonder throughout the whole world.
Its power is complete.
If it is cast upon Earth, it will separate the element of Earth from that of Fire, the impalpable separated from the palpable.
Through wisdom it rises slowly from Earth to Heaven.
Then it descends to Earth, combining in itself the force from things superior and things inferior.
Thus you shall have the glory of the illumination of all the world, and all obscurity will fly far from you.
This is the power of all strength--it overcomes every subtle thing and penetrates every solid substance.
This was the means of the creation of the world.
In the future wonderful adaptations will be achieved, and this is the way.
I am Hermes the Threefold Sage, so named because I hold the three elements of all wisdom. And thus ends the revelation of the work of the Sun.
The Egyptian Connection
I have always been fascinated by the Masonic-Ancient Egyptian connection. As a tour and travel provider in the Washington, DC area I live close to Alexandria, Virginia. I recall always being under the assumption that Alexandria was named after the city of Alexandria, Egypt.
When I studied the history of this quaint 18th century town on the Potomac, only 8 miles from Mount Vernon I learned that (supposedly) the city was named after John Alexander, a Scottish immigrant.
I never did really buy this for some reason, and the more I study the history of freemasonry in connection with the founding of the United States the more I become convinced that Old Town Alexandria was indeed named after the ancient city in Egypt where fabled Cleopatra dwelt.
Even a quick study of Freemasonry indicates that there is special connection between the Ancient Egyptians and the founding of Freemasonry. Indeed, it is asserted that the Freemasons adopted much of the philosophy of the Ancient Egyptians that was later incorporated into the metaphysical belief systems of the Order.
Yet while the origins of Freemasonry are lost in the mists of time, and the debate continues over whether or not it is descended from the Knights Templar there are certain commonalities that indicate that the Ancient Egyptians, their religion and beliefs, influenced the Masons to a great degree.
One only has to look at the giant obelisk known as the Washington Monument to realize this. The Masonic Temple is Alexandria, Virginia is another example of this connection since the temple is constructed along the lines of the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
But to really see the Egyptian connection you only have to click on this link: http://ancientegypt.hypermart.net/freemasonry/index.htm which is an amazing site that details the Masonic temple in Port Adelaide in South Africa.
Entitled "The Legacy of the Ancient Egyptians" we are given a visual tour of this Port Adelaide Masonic Centre, Number Two Lodge in South Australia that is built in the form of an Egyptian Temple.
The Ancient Egyptian symbology etched into the temple in this day and age is stunning proof that the Egyptian connection is alive and well in the modern age and as important now as it was in George Washington's day.
In my next blog we will look more deeply into why the Ancient Egyptians play such an important part in Freemasonry.
Welcome
As the blogmistress (is this term politically correct?) I plan on keeping my readers entertained and up to date on the latest in the on-going saga of the Freemasons and the Lost Symbol book by Dan Brown and related activities.
Stay tuned for my first installment!
Gilda Caudron
