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The Secret Temple: Masons, Mysteries, and the Founding of America
What are the roots of American Freemasonry?
What do Freemasons know and acknowledge about the history of their society?
What truth is there in the legends of Masonic origins in the fabled Knights Templar ... or the ancient Egyptian mysteries?
What is the Mason-Mormon connection?
Were Masons involved in the American Revolution and, if so, in what way?
Is it possible to unlock the secrets of the Masonic code?
Does America have a secret history?
Readers will come away from Peter Levenda's thorough and engagingly written book with many of the answers to these questions about Freemasonry, the fraternal organization that has risen from obscure roots to boasting a worldwide membership of more than 5 million people. Freemasonry is thus a large subject, and Levenda's study provides a history of the Society, highlighting important events, and including some of the more controversial and newsworthy aspects (rumors of satanic rites and nefarious plots) of an organization that boasted George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and so many other Founding Fathers as members Masonic elements to be found in Washington. This is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into the mysteries of, and answers behind, Freemasonry.
What do Freemasons know and acknowledge about the history of their society?
What truth is there in the legends of Masonic origins in the fabled Knights Templar ... or the ancient Egyptian mysteries?
What is the Mason-Mormon connection?
Were Masons involved in the American Revolution and, if so, in what way?
Is it possible to unlock the secrets of the Masonic code?
Does America have a secret history?
Readers will come away from Peter Levenda's thorough and engagingly written book with many of the answers to these questions about Freemasonry, the fraternal organization that has risen from obscure roots to boasting a worldwide membership of more than 5 million people. Freemasonry is thus a large subject, and Levenda's study provides a history of the Society, highlighting important events, and including some of the more controversial and newsworthy aspects (rumors of satanic rites and nefarious plots) of an organization that boasted George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and so many other Founding Fathers as members Masonic elements to be found in Washington. This is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into the mysteries of, and answers behind, Freemasonry.
238 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2009
12 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Peter Levenda
31 books225 followersAuthor who focuses primarily on occult history. He is best known for his book Unholy Alliance, which is about Esoteric Hitlerism and Nazi occultism, and is believed to be the author of the Simon Necronomicon, albeit without much evidence.
He was the president of the international division of Ortronics, Inc., a telecommunications company based in Asia.
He appeared in the TNT documentary Faces of Evil as an expert on Nazi history with special regard to occult and esoteric practices. He has also appeared on the History Channel special Nazi Prophecies. Levenda lives in Miami, Florida.
He was the president of the international division of Ortronics, Inc., a telecommunications company based in Asia.
He appeared in the TNT documentary Faces of Evil as an expert on Nazi history with special regard to occult and esoteric practices. He has also appeared on the History Channel special Nazi Prophecies. Levenda lives in Miami, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 17, 2010
I really liked how this book was put together. I felt that the author was unbiased, he did his research and did well at breaking things down for the reader. Obviously it is more interesting if you have some prior knowledge of the topics and have a general interest in this genre.
I think Levenda points out a lot of "coincidence's" about our government's foundation. He address's VARIOUS topics and manages to make a lot of them still connect. I had no trouble understanding the book [books on this topic can sometimes be too wordy and in depth that I get lost very quickly:] and yet I feel I could easily read it again and pick up more then the first time.
I realize a five star is sort of a bold move for this book but I felt it was a very good read. <--ha
I think Levenda points out a lot of "coincidence's" about our government's foundation. He address's VARIOUS topics and manages to make a lot of them still connect. I had no trouble understanding the book [books on this topic can sometimes be too wordy and in depth that I get lost very quickly:] and yet I feel I could easily read it again and pick up more then the first time.
I realize a five star is sort of a bold move for this book but I felt it was a very good read. <--ha
July 27, 2020
There is one aspect of this book that doesn't make a lot of sense, unfortunately. This is a work about the influence of various mystery traditions on the history of the United States and how it is that a society which views the right to privacy as sacrosanct has such a low tolerance for secrecy in government or secret societies. The author is not himself a member of the Masons or of any similar society, according to his own account, but he clearly is interested in such matters and seeks to write a fair-minded account of such matters while remaining an outsider and recognizing that there are aspects of mystery that are limited for those who are on the outside looking in. What is it that would make someone want to adopt an approach where they were deeply interested in a subject but had no interest in writing about it as an insider but wanted to remain a generally sympathetic outsider and student of such matters and keep things on that level. One wonders the reason why this is the case, and the book itself does not give too much of a hint, though perhaps other works by the author do.
This book is an average-sized work of about 200 pages long and it is divided into two parts and nine chapters. The book begins with acknowledgements and an introduction, and then discusses the Masons as being veiled in allegory (I), with chapters on the identity of the Masons (1), the prehistory of the organization in the ancient world (2), the connection with the Knights Templar (3), and the importance of sacred geometry (4). After that the author discusses the America beyond and some related tendencies (II). This leads the author to discuss the first rosicrucians in America who came with the pietists who had such problems in Europe with persecution (5), the new rites and ancient memories that resulted from the transposition of European esoteric thinking to America (6), the conspiracy of intriguing men that was involved in both sides of the American Revolution (7), the relationship between magic and Mormonism that demonstrated Mormons as a forgotten and irregular branch of the Masons given the stark similarity in traditions and esoteric interests between the two, even if it is not a similarity that has often been explored (8), and then the question of the relationship between Masons and other secret groups like the Skull and Bones that have elitist interests far beyond what the Masons have been involved with (9), after which there are conclusions, a discussion of Poe's "A Cask Of Amontillado," notes, a bibliography, and an index.
One of the strengths of this book is the way that the author takes a broad view of mystery as it relates to the American religious and social tradition and what that means. As someone who has more experience and reading with that sort of tradition than most people would think, this particular book presented an interesting challenge when it came to dealing with what defines mystery elements. There are a great many things that tie together such matters, and writers about America's mystery tradition note that self-help books, laws of success, and interests in the mysteries of the ages and patterns and cycles of history that provide understanding to a chosen few all tend to be aspects of such religious beliefs. The author also finds it interesting to discuss the relevance of secrecy and privacy to our own times and the question as to what political perspectives and what religious content is related to such matters. It would make the most sense to discuss such matters from the inside rather than from the outside, unless the author wants to know as much as possible without getting entangled or involved.
This book is an average-sized work of about 200 pages long and it is divided into two parts and nine chapters. The book begins with acknowledgements and an introduction, and then discusses the Masons as being veiled in allegory (I), with chapters on the identity of the Masons (1), the prehistory of the organization in the ancient world (2), the connection with the Knights Templar (3), and the importance of sacred geometry (4). After that the author discusses the America beyond and some related tendencies (II). This leads the author to discuss the first rosicrucians in America who came with the pietists who had such problems in Europe with persecution (5), the new rites and ancient memories that resulted from the transposition of European esoteric thinking to America (6), the conspiracy of intriguing men that was involved in both sides of the American Revolution (7), the relationship between magic and Mormonism that demonstrated Mormons as a forgotten and irregular branch of the Masons given the stark similarity in traditions and esoteric interests between the two, even if it is not a similarity that has often been explored (8), and then the question of the relationship between Masons and other secret groups like the Skull and Bones that have elitist interests far beyond what the Masons have been involved with (9), after which there are conclusions, a discussion of Poe's "A Cask Of Amontillado," notes, a bibliography, and an index.
One of the strengths of this book is the way that the author takes a broad view of mystery as it relates to the American religious and social tradition and what that means. As someone who has more experience and reading with that sort of tradition than most people would think, this particular book presented an interesting challenge when it came to dealing with what defines mystery elements. There are a great many things that tie together such matters, and writers about America's mystery tradition note that self-help books, laws of success, and interests in the mysteries of the ages and patterns and cycles of history that provide understanding to a chosen few all tend to be aspects of such religious beliefs. The author also finds it interesting to discuss the relevance of secrecy and privacy to our own times and the question as to what political perspectives and what religious content is related to such matters. It would make the most sense to discuss such matters from the inside rather than from the outside, unless the author wants to know as much as possible without getting entangled or involved.
March 28, 2015
If you did not know much about the masons, this would be a good place to start. It was mostly a review for me, but a good one.
July 29, 2009
The book was an interesting read; however, I'm not sure I would recommend it as I question much of its accuracy, particullarly in relation to Joseph Smith Jr. The standard LDS version of the origins of the Book of Mormon were not presented. I would prefer they be presented even if they were then discounted. Without this presentation it leads me to call into question every other section of the book.
April 17, 2018
A pretty respectable treatment of Masonry by one of the few authors I would trust on the subject. It certainly doesn't have all the answers, and it's a fairly short book at under 200 pages, but I definitely learned some things from it, and feel like I have a better overall grasp of the subject and the context around it.
January 13, 2010
I'm on p 88
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April 18, 2015interesting histories and insights of the occult and everything related, i recommend to anyone who don't know anout esoteric histories and the roots of evil and secrecy
October 13, 2009
So-so. I skim-milked it for the chapter it had on Mormons and Masons. Factual, but dry and a little dull.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews