6. Egypt

The beginning of the Johannite legend shows us that Moses and Aaron were Initiates from Egypt. Yeshu ben Pandiru was taken as a boy, to Egypt. It was in Egypt where St. Mark had his ministry and converted Ormus to Christianity. The Pagan Mysteries were fused with Christianity and became the Rose-Croix. The Knights of the Morning and of Palestine were solitary desert hermits who lived in Egypt. Egypt, then, figures into this story quite considerably.

If we enumerated the ways in which Egypt is connected to the Tradition, we would have a very sizeable list. Some of these items are:

1. Memphis was set up by Ptah, the land was raised, and a temple was built. Ptah is to Egypt what EnKi was to Sumer. In fact, they are one and the same.

2. When Israel was threatened with its first defeat, during Manasseh's reign, some of the priests secreted the Ark of the Covenant away from Jerusalem, travelling to Egypt. There, they established a base of operations on the island of Elephantine, where ruins of a Temple of Khnem exist, Khnem being another form of Ba-Neb-Tettu, the Ram-God of Mendes.

Also, close to this time was the ill-fated 26th Dynasty. This Dynasty was crushed by the Persians, who employed a particularly insidious form of psychological warfare. This was by charging the people with burning cats. Heresy!!! This all took place in 525 B.C.E. Cambyses was responsible for it. The number 525 is of importance in some of the High Degrees of the AASR, for which see The Book of the Words, p. 116, in in re. the 13°. Later, Alexander would overturn the Persians, and reestablish the Egyptian Religion. He would cause to be founded the city of Alexandria. After this, would come the Gnosis, and many mystery schools.

3. Yeshu ben Pandiru, as we have stated, was taken to Egypt, and schooled in the Mysteries, and was proclaimed by the Hierophants as the long-awaited incarnation of Horus.

4. Saint Mark converted Ormus to Christianity in Egypt, thus fusing together the Mystery Tradition with the Christian Church, according to the legends.

5. The Essenes had a school in the Fayyum, and they were called the Therapeuts.

6. Egypt was the location of the Thebaid Brethren, or the Desert Fathers, including the same Saint Anthony who was tempted. This saint would appear later in a famous painting by David Teniers.

These are the Qadosh Fathers, who split up after the loss of Jerusalem in 66-70 e.v. This is the group that came to the Thebaid.

7. Carpocrates' disciple Epiphanes is said to have been in Egypt. Several Gnostic schools set up in not only Alexandria, but in the Thebaid region, including Nag Hammadi, not far from Denderah, Hathor's special city. Egypt was the home to the schools of Basilides and Valentinus, and these Gnostics lasted until the middle of the Fourth Century e.v. Also, the various groups of Gnostics denominated as "Sethians" were located in Egypt, before they escaped to Mesopotamia. The Sethians are said to derive their name from at least two possible Seths: Seth, son of Adam, Seth the brother and slayer of Osiris. Also, Seth is said to be a creation independent of these, as can be seen in the Gnostic Mythos. Also, the Sethians were first called in Greek, "Sithians" which may be a corruption of Dositheos, because the Three Steles of Seth show that they were revealed to Dositheos, in Egypt. At any rate, before the Sethians became known as Barbelo-Gnostics, and were located in Syria and the Middle East, they had established several schools in Egypt, at various locations along the Nile. These were the Phibionites, the Borborites, the Secundians, etc. The Mandaeans themselves are said to have originated in Egypt, but migrated to the shat-al-Arab region.

8. The Hermetica existed in Egypt, probably at Alexandria primarily, but some of it turned up in the Nag Hammadi Library. Later, it would make its way to Baghdad, then to Harran, then to Byzantium, finally to Italy, at the time of Marsilio Ficino. Some of the Harranian traditions resemble those of the Mandaeans, and the Yezidis. Some don't.

9. During the Fatimite period, in Cairo, the famous House of Wisdom was established, initiating many famous Isma'ilis including Hassan-ibn-Sabah, Omar Khayyam, and others. It is from this place that the Druzes (as a political group) derive their origins.
10. During the Crusades, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen sought to form a diplomatic alliance with the Sultan of Egypt, in order to secure the Red Sea Route, whereby European merchants could have access to the spice and silk trade with Asia, without having to go through hostile territory in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia.

11. During the Napoleonic conquests, Napoleon and his generals encountered an old sage, who claimed to belong to a sect which had survived to that time, whose existence went back to the beginnings of Egypt. This Initiation included the bestowal of a ring. This led to the Rite of Memphis, we are told in Mackey's Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry. Samuel Honis was a native of Egypt. He came to the Languedoc, to Montaubon, a city long associated with the Cathar tradition.

12. In 1904 e.v., Aleister Crowley received the dictation of the Book of the Law, in Cairo, on 8 9 and 10 April 1904 e.v., after discovering the Stele of Ankh f n Khonsu, in the Boulak (now Cairo) Museum. He was led to this discovery via Rose Edith Kelly, whom he married on 12 August 1903 e.v. She was directed by the Gods themselves to lead A. C. to this discovery, and eventually to the reception of Liber AL vel Legis. Notice Number 16 below.

13. In 1907 e.v., Crowley is given instructions (in Liber LXV), to go to Egypt, as per Chapter IV, verses 61-3. Also, there is discussion of the Magical Ring, which reminds us of the ring mentioned in number 11, above. This is in Chapter V, 15-17. According to the Comment to this Book, Crowley never made this journey. He was later charged in 1918 e.v. during the Amalantrah Working (and similar tasks were delineated, which have a bearing onthis Mystery of Mysteries, in 1911 e.v., during the Abuldiz working). In Amalantrah, Crowley was charged to go to Egypt to find the Egg, -- "It's all in the Egg!" -- to find some artifact. Now, if this is a real artifact, or a metaphor for an Initiation, or for revealing some extremely vital Lost Knowledge, we are still in the dark. However, we feel, from our own personal experiences, experiences which have a bearing on THIS Mystery, that it contains all of the above. And it is not only connected with Egypt, but with the Languedoc, and with Sumer. Crowley states in his Commentary to Liber 65 that Chapter IV, verses 61-5 relate to the Grid Page in Liber AL vel Legis (i.e., Chap. III p. 16 of the holo ms.). See also The Stone of Cybele, for an interesting allegorical reference to all of this, though the Stone may not necessarily be the Stone from the Mysteries, for which see an older version of Encyclopaedia Britannica, i.e., the 11th or 14th Editions, s.v., "Great Mother of the Gods, the". It describes the Meteorite which was a part of the Mysteries of Cybele. It evidently got lost at some point, after the Romans co-opted the Phrygian Mysteries.

14. In 1945 e.v., at Nag Hammadi, several papyrus codices were discovered, which contained some Gnostic scriptures, some of which were thought lost to the world. It would take many, many, years before these would be made available to the public at large, i.e., three decades, as The Nag Hammadi Library in English. See also, Bentley Layton's The Gnostic Scriptures.

The discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library took place near some Tombs from the VIth Dynasty. Not only that, it was near Chenoboskion, which was once known as Diospolis Parva, a Nome once sacred to Hathor. Two grain receipts were found in the bindings of the codices, one from Denderah, the other from Diospolis. If this Diospolis was Diospolis Parva, we have then two Nomes which were sacred to Hathor. At some point in the early-mid 4th Century e.v., Father Pachom came from Alexandria to Chenoboskion and set up shop. Up to that point a thriving Gnostic community had existed there. After that point, the Coptic Church, on the one hand, the Desert Fathers (Thebaid Brethren) on the other. Before that time, the Qadosh Fathers who made it there, were probably involved with these texts. We shall see, too, that the locations involved with the creation, preservation, and discovery of these codices are possibly connected to the above-mentioned grid page in Liber AL vel Legis, and the prophecies about the Egg, if we are correct.

15. Murry Hope, in The Sirius Connection (1990 e.v.), mentions a secret priesthood which established contact with her as she was finishing the preparation of her book. This was in April, of 1990 e.v. These were, in Hope's words, "those kindly Egyptian followers of the Old Ways." The letters she received contained information on the Egyptian traditions concerning Sirius. Including an Egyptian interpretation of the story of how Hathor destroyed humanity. It is stated that this group is a lone survivor of the Egyptian Mystery tradition.

Also at this time, we received certain information from the Inner Planes regarding this current, information that makes some sense out of the anomalies of history left to us in Crowley's notes, and other anomalies of the past. As we have been charged to secrecy, we cannot under any circumstances reveal the details of this, outside of what we are in the process of revealing. Suffice it to say, there are certain Mysteries and Secrets which are not merely metaphors for the human condition, they do exist, as real secrets.

16. In 1998 e.v., the Chevalier Michael, King of Arms of the Imperial and Royal Dragon Court and Order, states that "The Dragon Court can first be identified in Egypt under the patronage of the priest prince Ankh f n Khonsu in about 2170 b.c." This is a very interesting admission, what is the documentation to back it up? If the Dragon Order (whose web site is no longer accessible by the way, it was accessed via the Royal House of Stewart Website) regards Ankh f n Khonsu, as its first patron, what is its position in re Thelema, Thelemites, Aleister Crowley (who was himself a member of the Celtic Church), and any and all incarnations of Ankh f n Khonsu that have existed in history and which exist today?

These are all related to the same story. However, we will now turn our attention to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. In the AASR system, we find hints of a secret Initiation, a secret Temple Worship, a secret Liturgy. This is part of the Sacerdotal Tradition which Waite and others allude to in their narratives on the Secret Church. Indeed, it is not impossible that the Scottish Rite could have a Rite within a Rite, or at least be designed to have it. See, however, our essay, Was Albert Pike REALLY in France on July 14, 1889? at this site.

Even so, we don't see what the big deal is. If there was a Rite of the Palladium, operating in the United States, so? Is that the business of naive spinsters and hack writers? These are secret things, not for the average person.

Our research tells us that there was (at least theoretically) a Palladium Rite, superposed over the whole system, consisting of a very small number of privileged Initiates, male and female, across the United States and throughout Europe. Were they conspiring to overthrow decent God-fearing society? Perhaps, but they probably weren't that interested in wasting their time on that. Advances in scientific discovery held their attention, the Twentieth Century was just around the corner. If there was a conspiracy, it was one which planned to eradicate these very far-sighted visionaries and pioneers, wherever they could be detected. It is no different today. That is why such things need to be hidden from the view of the mainstream. It is one thing to have a group which practices every deviate behavior, but to have a group like the Templars, the Johannites, the Palladium, well... It puts a genuine stamp of Divine Favor on certain things which the authorities, including the Church, the State, the Reality Police of all precincts, want to keep illegal, immoral, or fattening. It generates more revenue that way, and for the authorities who can indulge in private, it keeps out the riff raff.

There is a body of Ritual that suggests the theory of the Johannites, that Moses and Aaron were Initiates, and that the Priesthood was modelled after the Egyptian Hierarchy. In the Council of Kadosh we have the following system:

Beyond these, we have the Administrative Degrees: Grand Inquisitor Commander (Legal); Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret (Military), and Grand Inspectors (Executive). With the above key, it is possible to read some of Morals and Dogma, and see the system we have laid before the reader.

There is an important parallel between the Egyptian Religion and the Qadosh Tradition. When we read about the Templars and the Esoteric Tradition in Europe, we are presented with a couple of images: (1) the Horned God; and (2) the Goddess. Both of these figure in the mysteries surrounding Rennes le Chateau, both of these figure in stories about the Templars and their heresies. And, both of these figure prominently in a secret cult practiced not only in Egypt, but in Israel, and in several other places in the Near and Middle East. They also figure prominently in Gnostic symbolism.

We are supposed to believe that the Horned God is the Devil, the Evil One. But this is simply not the case. We are told to believe and to do a lot of things, which may not be fit for anyone to believe or do. We were once told to believe that the Sun rotated around the Earth. The Horned God is Pan, in the Greek pantheon, and in Egypt, the Horned God is Ba-Neb-Tettu, a special form of Khnem, who is a form of Amen, and, some say, Ptah. The Horned God is raw force, pure sexuality, pure power, untapped. To some, it would in fact be the Devil, because they would be incapable of handling such energy. That is partly why we have Degrees and Rites which gradually develop the Initiate and prepare him/her for the manifestation of this energy. Brion Gysin once wrote that this Horned God, in Morocco, was known as Bou-Jeloud. He said, "Bou-Jeloud is fear and fucking." That is, if you are fearful, then don't even bother trying to summon it. It is raw, primeval energy, creative power. In other parts of the world, like what is left of Tibetan culture, we see the same exact thing in Kuntu Zang-Po. We recommend the interested reader obtain a copy of The Code of the Eternal, (when it is finished, circa 2001-2002 e.v.) and study the essay contained in Part II. This is the Bornless One, in Liber Samekh. The real devil, which the millions worship, is the god of laziness and ignorance. The Horned One is not the god of laziness and ignorance, we can assure you.

The Goddess, on the other hand, is worshipped half-heartedly by all the New Age groups one can think of. We say half-heartedly, because in what we have seen, they leave out the Raw Sexuality element and assume She is a feminazi like her votaries. In reality, quite the reverse is true. If you want to conjure the Goddess, go to an S & M Club, rather than a New Age gathering. At least, go to a good Rave, if they still are happening, but if you are an insomniac, go to a New Age gathering. The Goddess in question is not Isis. The Goddess in question is a Special Goddess, who is a complement to Khnem, as Ba-Neb-Tettu. She figures as Qetesh, in a famous stele. She is also known as Qudshu. Qadosh. She was worshipped by the Egyptians, by the Assyrians, by the Sabaeans, by the Nabateans, by the Syrians, the Phoenicians, the Babylonians, the Sumerians, the Greeks, (Minoan, Mycenaean, Classical, etc.), by the Phrygians, and...by the Hebrews, as Asherah. As the Ark of the Covenant is a manifestation of the raw Divine Power, so the Shekinah is the manifestation of Deity. Shekinah is this Goddess. The two are inseparable, like Nuit and Hadit. Here we have the Divine Sophia, whose complement is the Heavenly Man.

Perhaps it is clear why we have a potent clue in the Atbash Cipher. Baphomet = Sophia. The two are One, yet are two.

This is Qadosh, Holiness. We would be saying too much if we dwelt upon this subject in depth. The devotees of the Ram-God in Egypt had special rites they practiced. The priesthood had peculiar rites, one of which we can see intimations of in the Papyrus of Nesi-Amsu. This tradition did make its way to the land of the 'Chosen People'...until a rival priesthood drove it away. But, it was never very successful, and in the Middle Ages, even though we got images of Lilith, we also got images of Shekinah, in the doctrines of the Qabalah. The rival priesthood in question is that of the Yahweh cult. Sex and Religion go hand in hand, moreso than sex and marriage! This the Initiates have always known.

When we get to the end of our journey, we shall have covered many topics, and visited many places. But we shall return again and again to this basic problem, and to the themes covered in this section. The Horned God and the Goddess are not only Deities, but they are our Ancestors, and they are ourselves. We become these archetypes, we aspire to them. It is to they we give reverence, because it is they who are All. There is no other.

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