TRAPPED IN A MASONIC WORLD

- 309 -
demons that King Solomon is said to have bound in the Western tradition of magic, and found in the
Lesser Key of Solomon and one of the most popular books of demonology. It has also long been widely
known as the Lemegeton. The Lesser Key of Solomon [10] is divided into five parts; Ars Goetia, Ars
Theurgia Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel and Ars Notoria.
A revised English edition of the Ars Goetia was published in 1904 by Aleister Crowley, as The Book of
the Goetia of Solomon the King. It serves as a key component of his popular and highly influential system
of magick, and used to conjure up and evoke sprits. In regards to the Ars Theurgia Goetia [―the art of
goetic theurgy‖] is the second section of The Lesser Key of Solomon. It explains the names,
characteristics and seals of the 31 aerial spirits [called chiefs, emperors, kings and princes] that King
Solomon invoked and confined. It also explains the protections against them, the names of their servant
spirits, the conjurations to invoke them, and their nature, that is both good and evil. The spirits in this
section and the next, Ars Paulina, correspond to the names given in Steganographia of Trithemius. [8][9]
Their sole objective is to discover and show hidden things, the secrets of any person, and obtain, carry
and do anything asked to them meanwhile they are contained in any of the four elements, Earth, Fire, Air
and Water. These spirits are given in a complex order in the book, and some of them have spelling
variations according to the different editions, [10] and many people into this sort of thing give them self
―second‖ names after some of these 72 demons, such as King Bael, Duke Agares, Prince Vassago, Marquis
Samigina, President Marbas etc. Many if not all Masonic Grand lodges have this kind of layout that
represents the following known as the Furnishings of the Temple & The Three Worlds: - The two Altars,
the Menorah, the Table of Shewbread, and the Tablets of Moses are all furnishings of the Tabernacle
[Hebrew: ןכשמ ―Mishkan‖, literally ―Residence‖ or ―Place of Dwelling‖; see Exodus chapters 25-27],
which later became the furnishings of Solomon's Temple. The ―Place of Dwelling‖ was split into three
parts: the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The ―Outer Court‖ lay behind a veil of cloth
removing it from Earthly influences, and contained both an Altar of fire, as well as an Altar of water, [the
associated triad is named Mundus Elementorum, World of Elements by Kircher in his diagram]. The
―Holy Place‖ lay behind another veil and contained the ―Menorah‖ and the ―Table of Shewbread‖ of 12
loaves amongst other objects that are patent representations of the 7 Luminaries and the 12 fold Zodiac
[the associated triad is named Mundus Orbium, World of Stars]. Behind the last veil lay the Ark of the
Covenant which contained the Tablets of Moses [the associated triad is named Mundus Archetypus, World
of Ideas]. [6][7]
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion and a form of modern witchcraft, often referred to as Witchcraft or the
Craft by its adherents, who are known as Wiccans or Witches. Many of its symbolisms, beliefs and rituals
are in fact very similar to that of Freemasonry, and which also practices various aspects of the occult.
Wicca‘s disputed origins lie in England in the early 20th century, though it was first popularised during the
1950‘s by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it the Witch-cult and
Witchcraft, and its adherents the Wica. From the 1960‘s the name of the religion was normalised to Wicca
from its public emergence in the early 1950‘s in southern England to contemporary times as a worldwide
faith. Historian Professor Ronald Hutton of the University of Bristol, who specialises in 17th century and
the history of paganism in the British Isles, was in July 2009 appointed a Commissioner of English
Heritage, and described Wicca; as the only religion that England has ever given to the world. Wicca is a
recognised religion and in the 1990‘s and 2000‘s, Wicca has gradually started to become engrained in
popular culture. [11][12]
Aspects of Wicca were incorporated into the New Age movement, and many Wiccans took on ―New
Age‖ beliefs and practices. Wicca was also taken up by popular entertainment; in 1996, the American film
The Craft was released about four witches who are corrupted by their power. The same year the television
series Sabrina the Teenage Witch appeared which was followed the following year by Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, and then the year after that, the series Charmed and the film Practical Magic. Whilst these were
heavily criticised by many Wiccans, they did encourage many teenagers and young adults to investigate
more about the so called religion. Most covens and Neo-pagan groups refused to allow under 18‘s into
their ranks, and so many teenagers turned to books and websites to find out more, and in turn several books
were published to cater for this market, including Silver Ravenwolf‘s Teen Witch: Wicca for a New
Generation and Scott Cunningham‘s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. [12] This helped to bring
about the Teen Wicca movement, and it has been suggested that the reason why so many young adults are
attracted to the faith can be attributed to the fact that it tackles issues that teenagers are interested in, and in
a way that other religions do not. The popularity of Wicca amongst teens has also brought problems; in
2001, a 12 year old American schoolgirl named Tempest Smith committed suicide after being bullied for
her faith, no doubt by loving Christians!