The Trail of the Serpent

by Inquire Within

The Trail of the Serpent is a book written by Inquire Within, a pseudonym for a group of anonymous authors. The book is a collection of essays and articles that explore the history, symbolism, and mythology surrounding the serpent. The authors delve into various cultures and religions, including ancient Egypt, Greece, and India, as well as Christianity and Freemasonry, to uncover the meaning and significance of the serpent in each. They also examine the role of the serpent in literature, art, and popular culture, from the Garden of Eden to Harry Potter. The Trail of the Serpent is a fascinating and informative read for anyone interested in the history and symbolism of this enigmatic creature.1936. An account of investigations into various individual secret societies, their occult practices, pseudo-religious and political activities with the intent of proving that the aim of the higher grades of these varied mysteries and cults is to awaken the serpent, the sex-force or God within. Sabeism. Eleusis and Mithras; Cabalists, Gnostics, and Secret Syrian Sects; Rosicrucians and Illumines; Weishaupt's Illuminati and the French Revolution; Carbonari, Mazzini, l'Alliance-israelite-universelle and Karl Marx; The Jewish Question; Continental Freemasonry; Theosophy and India. Co-masonry; Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy; Fraternity of Inner Light and Yoga; Aleister Crowley and the Golden Dawn; American Groups; Secret Societies in America, Tibet and China; and The Synarchy of Agarttha.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

334 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2003

Reviews

[Bill Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the Golden Dawn and other mystic orgs, members often take mottos to adorn their names. For example, Crowley’s was “Perdurabo” or “I will endure.” A member named Christine Stoddard took the magic motto “Inquire Within” and wrote this little history of Western esotericism that must have been a handbook for Robert Anton Wilson when he was writing his trilogy. The pan-millennial craziness would be amusing, except that it’s also violently anti-Jewish and possibly paranoid-schizophrenic.

The book has some value as a compendium of cracked history, some of which has new currency in the MAGAverse. Know-nothing, one-world paranoia and wacky Christian fundamentalism seem to be an ineradicable part of our national character.