The Pansophy Secret Behind Western Initiation

Proposing Arthurian, Masonic and Rosicrucian Initiations as One Path

And Thoughts Regarding Why a Master of the Third Degree
Should be an Adept Regardless of Tradition

Hello friends and readers.

Today’s post will leave our Rosicrucian Reviews and offer something important for all leaders and students for consideration, as I believe there are better ways we may work together…

And I mean across the major forms of European initiation.

There are many kinds of Orders, and many of them seem to offer a ‘different’ initiation.

There is masonry, Rosicrucian, Golden Dawn, Martinism, yet are they really unique?

My belief is that they are only different in so much as they diverge from the greater western system of initiation. You see, at their foundation there is a more universal pattern. That most have forgotten.

It’s good to have a variety of Orders to choose from. Everyone seems to have their own taste, looking for certain things that appeal to them, whether it is the Egyptian gods, Christian mysteries or Knighthood. But at their backbone, I say, they are not so different after all.

That is to say, not so different when viewed ‘correctly’ according to Pansophy.

Indeed I predict Pansophy might become popular in future years.

People are starting to look at the varying degrees of initiation across all the forms of initiation, and look at the myths they represent and say ‘hey, there really is a pattern here.’

Pansophy is, dare I say, the only universal system that has the ability
to unite the various Orders and branches of European initiation once and for all.

This only makes sense if you understand the Pansophic keys, which I’ll explain below…

If you’ve been reading my Rosicrucian Reviews you’ll know I’ve repeatedly stated that one of the main properties of a truly Rosicrucian system is that it is Pansophic. By Pansophic I mean that it adheres to a set of beliefs, images and holds true to a certain universal cycle of initiation.

But, not only Rosicrucian Orders adhere to this system, seeing that the Pansophic blueprint of initiation is to be found within several Orders and their varying mythologies as this post reveals.

As far as Pansophy is concerned the main mythologies that truly are Pansophic are:

1. The legend of Christian Rosenkreuz.
2. The legend of King Arthur.
3. The legend of Hiram Abif.
4. The legend of Isis and Osiris.
5. The legend of Christ and Sophia.

It may surprise you, but many scholars agree that the Rosicrucian phenomenon was but one branch of Pansophy, where Pansophy itself was the greater subject and vaster in scope.

If you understand how Pansophy works then when looking at Masonic initiation, or the legend of King Arthur you’ll find you suddenly have eyes to see. All the traditions unite, especially seeing that much of Pansophy has to do with the appearance of a goddess redeemer figure who appears to the fallen hero.

I’ve already covered this in my previous post, but briefly this is what we know:

1. Hiram Abif is slain in Masonry.
   1. A Virgin Maiden plants an acacia sprig upon his tomb.
   2. She stands next to a broken pillar.
2. Osiris is slain in Egyptian lore.
   1. The Virgin Isis plants a new phallus upon him.
   2. His old phallus was stolen by Set.
3. King Arthur is defeated.
   1. The Lady of the Lake gave him a new sword.
   2. His old sword was broken.
4. Percival replaces King Arthur as the good knight.
   1. He sees the Holy Grail (female symbol.)
   2. He sees alongside it a bleeding lance.
5. Christian Rosenkreuz is entombed.
   1. He dreams of the goddess Venus.
   2. She appears to him first holding a horn.

Now, unless I am deluded here, there seems to be a pattern.

(The Maiden in Masonry starts in American Masonry from 1810 onwards it seems.)

This is something my own Pansophic mentor told me to study and indeed it has taken me places. The Rosicrucian and King Arthur legends both inter-mix Germanic-Anglo influences. But only when you view each of these traditions in Pansophic Light do they come together.

Note that the bird figure to the right is important…

Any beginner knows there is a slain hero and goddess in most of the ‘solar myths.’

But that is not enough to be termed Pansophic. Most of the authors covering the solar mysteries and the goddess mysteries have missed the point. The point is often sharp and pointy, a phallus, a rod, a pillar, or a tree, that was broken, stolen or taken. The hero always seems to get it back from the Goddess once she appears and the metaphor of initiation implied is profound.

A Universal Approach of European Traditions

If we are to accept that these symbols are universal to the European traditions, then we are left only with one conclusion; that in fact there is indeed a blueprint system that is the true backbone to European initiation. And if that is the case, then western Orders have the compass that steers the ship.

If all the traditions utilized these symbols, emphasizing them as they should be, then you would end up having a more universal western tradition of initiation. It would bring more respect and understanding for each other. Initiates of the same degree from each tradition may see each other as equals.

An Adept is an Adept after all, especially if the western tradition has degrees that offer similar levels of initiation across the varying bodies. The third degree should be more universal across all bodies.

What I am suggesting here is a potential union of Orders, to unite in recognition of Pansophy.

It might only be loose-knit and not official, but the potential is huge.

If Orders recognize this skeletonic framework behind their traditions, if they also recognize that it exists in other Orders, then we may start to come together. All that really needs doing is a tweaking of a few points in their rituals to emphasize the fact, to highlight the Pansophic symbols.

It wouldn’t require an absolute overhaul of said rituals, as the goods are already there.

There is more than one way to skin a rabbit. That is why having a King Arthur tradition is as important as having Rosicrucian, or an Egyptian Order. Everyone needs a different door. Some people need a Christian one. Some people need pagan symbols. We are to be caught up in the symbols, enraptured in the mystery and taken, completely, to the same embrace of the goddess.

At in Inner Order level, there is no reason why an Adept
of the third degree in a Christian Order should not recognize
a brother or sister of the third degree from an Egyptian Order,
as their mystical peer & EQUAL.

This is why in future I will be drafting an outline of Pansophic Orders, a kind of union between various groups who wish to adhere to a more universal western tradition suggested here.

It is quite simple really; each to their own, enjoy the colorful traditions to which you belong, but providing that certain signpost are present, then each of these traditions have the chance to align to the greater scheme of Pansophy and offer a more unified approach to western initiation.

To be clear, I don’t want to be the leader of any umbrella organization. Independence is important. What such an alignment offers is a brighter future for initiation and better standards.

The Orders in Their Pansophic Likeness

Below I describe what symbols would need to be in place, within two traditions, in order to demonstrate how a tradition might stand within the light of Pansophic initiation. In order to understand the outlines you might want to read my previous post where I describe the main blueprint of Pansophy and its legends. In that post I already touched upon King Arthur, the Rosicrucians and Isis and Osiris.

Here I’ll work with Masonry and the King Arthur tradition and show what they might look like if they were to align themselves to Pansophy. As you’ll see several Orders already stick to this system and that makes them Pansophic after all. Here I’m starting to give away some of the inner teachings of Pansophy, particularly in its Hermetic standpoint on the greater views of initiation.

A Pansophic Order of the Knights of Arthur and the Grail

In the first phase the ‘Age of Darkness’ is covered in the fall of Europe, including barbarianism, lawlessness and loss of true Christendom, or, in comparison the decline of the old Druidic gods. Merlin as ‘Merlin Merculinus’ appears as the Hermes type guide for Arthur. The young king draws the sword from the stone. However as in the Arthur legend this sword is broken, which takes you to the death drama of the duel in the second degree. Mordred and Morgan le Fay are the dual contenders against Arthur in the drama, who are the Hermetic Typhon and Apophis as destroyers. These are typically shown on the Tree of Life by the cards of Death and the Devil, which both lead to Tiphareth.

As previously shown in my Arthur post, King Arthur is sealed in a tomb of seven sides, which has an ever burning fire and a magical entrance. This was an identical twin of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz, which is often a third degree temple of initiation when used by Rosicrucians.

But the story does not end there. A new ‘young Knight’ Percival experiences the legend of the ‘Wounded King’ who is naturally Arthur in kind of limbo state, not unlike Osiris in the underworld.

In the Wounded King’s castle Percival sees the Holy Grail for the first time, as well as the bleeding lance. The feminine element is also recalled here in relation to the Lady of the Lake who offered the sword, just as Isis placed a new phallus upon the slain Osiris, as his first was stolen by Set. The Grail mystery of the fourth degree concludes with purity and meeting of a Grail Maiden, whom Percival adores. Note Grail Dove in Percival to the right. Birds again…

If you don’t see the universal signpost, then maybe the next section will help.

A Pansophic Masonry of Hiram Abif and the Maiden

Depending on what kind of Masonry you’re into, the Age of Darkness is represented through the loss of the light of Egypt (Egyptian Masonry) or the loss of the great temple (Solomon Masonry.) Both are viable. The first degree places the candidate in hell for judgment. The second degree offers a climb upon seven steps, representing the seven virtues. The adversary drama is not fully represented here enough I feel to warrant a Pansophic drama and this needs a reworking.

On the Solomon side we should experience the devil or Solomon’s servient spirit genies as the contending forces in full, just like Arthur who meets Mordred/Morgana. Ideally the Freemason should be confronted by the same temptation of summoning spirits that seduced King Solomon, as the powers of the vices, which stand against the virtues presented in the second degree.

Then coming to the third degree we experience the death of Hiram and his resting place tomb. The Rite of Memphis Misraim has it that Misraim, their ancient founder, who established Masonry after the flood by being the grandson of Noah, was also buried in a similar fashion as Christian Rosenkreuz. Here Misraim was placed in his tomb surrounded by seven jewels or precious stones, within which stood an altar raising an ever burning fire. Yes it matches the tomb of Rosenkreuz and Arthur and it appears in Yarkers’ Memphis Misraim book, but few have noticed the connection.

In the legend of Hiram however he is buried next to a broken column. It is reminiscent of the Wounded King Arthur, or the bleeding lance, aside from the stolen phallus of Osiris… At this point, according to American Masonry, a maiden places an acacia sprig upon Hiram’s tomb, planting it upon his grave.

The god-form here is Asherah, the goddess of the Hebrew tradition. Her symbol is both the pillar and the dove. We all know that the dove brings with it an olive branch… While Asherah makes for a powerful godform upon the temple, the maiden of American masonry is mostly called Minerva.

The event of her arrival and her planting the acacia sprig should become a fourth degree, highlighting her more mysterious persona. It is quite typical for the goddess to appear in the fourth phase in Pansophy, after all Sophia as Wisdom is above Tiphareth which is the sphere of the third degree.

The broken pillar upon the tomb of Hiram is of course the phallus Set took from Osiris, or the broken sword of King Arthur, before he got the sword from the Lady of the Lake, which is the sprig.

I probably should mention here that Egyptian Masonry does have a female officer called the Dove which was Asherah’s main symbol. If you look at the original triangular altar (shekinah) it has a bird on it according to the Trinosophia image, and bearing a branch of acacia. Above it is a symbol of Venus.

Thus for the most part, Masonry doesn’t need any real changes, other than a minor point to the second degree and a potential forth degree unraveling this Maiden Goddess. While it is typically found in American Masonry it would benefit all rites of Masonry to look at this further. It seems to have been created in the early 1800’s if not drawing from the Isis visitation to Osiris with his replacement junk.

It is a clever invention that continues the Isis and Osiris mysteries within masonry after all. As far as I know this is the only online source that ties her to the Isis mystery proper, so you saw it here first. 🙂

A Pansophic Future

Pansophy is something I’ll try to disseminate as time allows. Am presently in the middle of moving back to Germany, but this blog will continue with your fan support.

These two examples barely touch upon the surface of what Pansophy can do. Contrary to new agey thinking that ‘all is one’ it actually delivers the main themes and mechanisms required for such a claim. Still yet ‘all is one’ will not deliver, as each tradition is unique and must appeal to different psyches.

We have not touched upon the Rosicrucian tomb of C.R.C here, and how Venus visits him. Nor have we touched upon the required Sophia degree that should come after the third degree of Martinism.

We’ll get to all that and more, so let’s keep this community alive. You make it all happen.

Thanks for reading, please like, share and comment. 🙂

Samuel Robinson, Pooh Bah of the Rosirucian Crips ya’ll.

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