Editor’s Note: This text forms the second subsection of Section III of the surviving “Würzburg Manuscript,” an amanuensis copy representing an early, 1885–1886 stage in the composition of The Secret Doctrine. It occupies pp. 101–111 of the original manuscript pagination (pp. 57–61 in the 2014 Eastern School Press edition). It was first published by C. Jinarajadasa in his serial presentation of the manuscript, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. I. Original Manuscript of 1885, in The Theosophist, March 1933, p. 628, and April 1933, pp. 9–14.
The greater part of the text was subsequently revised, but with comparatively little rearrangement, into Section XI of the posthumous third volume of The Secret Doctrine (1897), “The Hexagon with the Central Point, or the Seventh Key,” pp. 105–108. Much of the sequence—from the universality of the double triangle and the symbolism of the “Seventh Key,” through ancient magical literature, the astra, Tantric and Tibetan traditions, the Petit and Grand Albert, Charlemagne’s talisman, and the Tarot—is preserved very closely. The later text nevertheless contains several developments not found here, notably an explanation that the familiar hexagram is only a substitute for the true initiatory sign, and concluding paragraphs distinguishing White from Black Magic according to motive and introducing the projected discussion of Gupta Vidyā and the post-Christian Adepts. Conversely, the manuscript’s reference to Napoleon’s abolition of the Inquisition was omitted.
A more significant alteration occurs at the close of the subsection. In the Würzburg manuscript the discussion passes directly from the Tarot to Apollonius of Tyana, interpreting the incidents of his traditional biography as an allegorical account of initiation. This material—itself an expanded reworking of a passage in Isis Unveiled, I, p. 19—was removed from this position and appears, with further development, at the opening of Section XVII, “Apollonius of Tyana,” pp. 129–130. The manuscript then closes with a programmatic statement proposing Simon Magus and Apollonius as historical examples through whom the survival of a Secret Science might be demonstrated. Although this transition was not retained verbatim, its proposed plan is substantially realized in the sequence of sections on the post-Christian Adepts that follows in the 1897 volume. The Würzburg text therefore preserves not only an early form of Section XI, but also an important indication of the developing arrangement of material that was later separated and expanded into Sections XIV–XVII.
2—The Key of the absolute in Magic—the Hexagon with the Central Point—or the SEVENTH key. The Tantrika Sutras and the Kuku-ma.
Arguing upon the virtue in names or Baalshem, Molitor thinks it is impossible to deny that the Kabala, its present abuses notwithstanding, has some very profound basis to stand upon. And if it is claimed, he adds “that before the name of Jesus every other name must bend, why should not the Tetragrammaton have the same power?[”]1 This is good sense and logic. For, if Pythagoras viewed the hexagon formed of two crossed triangles as the symbol of creation, the Egyptians—as that of the union of fire and water, the Essenes as the Seal of Solomon, the Jews,—the shield of David, the Hindus as the sign of Vishnu to this day, and that even in Russia and Poland the double triangle is viewed as a potent talisman, it only stands to reason that all nations ancient and modern, should have a right to their opinion and truth on their side as much as their opponents have.
The great power of the hexagon, with its central mystic sign, the T or the swastica—a SEPTENARY, is well explained in the 7th key of “Things concealed” for it says: “The seventh key, is the Hieroglyph of the sacred Septenary, of Royalty, of the Priesthood (the Initiate), of triumph and true result by struggle. It is Magic power in all its force, the true ‘Holy Kingdom.’ In the Hermetic Philosophy it is the quintessence resulting from the union of the two forces of the greatest MAGIC AGENT”—Akasa, Astral Light.
“It is equally Jakin and Boaz bound by the Will of the Adept and overcome by his Omnipotence.”
The force of this key is absolute in Magic. All Religions have consecrated this sign in their rites.
We can only glance hurriedly at present at the long series of antediluvian works in their post-diluvian fragmentary, often disfigured form. Although all of these are the inheritance from the 4th Race—now lying buried in the unfathomed depths of the oceans—still they are not to be rejected. As shown, there was but one science at the dawn of mankind, and it was all divine. If when Humanity having reached its adult period has abused of it [abused it?]—especially the last Sub-races of the 4th Root-Race—it was the fault and sin of the practitioners who desecrated the divine Knowledge, not of those who remained true to its pristine dogmas. It is not because the modern Roman Catholic Church, true to her traditional intolerance is now pleased to see in the Occultist and even in the innocent Spiritualist and Mason “the descendants of the Kischuph, the Hamite, the Kasdim, the Cephene, the Ophite and the Khartumin”—all these being “the followers of Satan,” that they are such indeed. The state or national Religion of every country has ever disposed easily of rival schools and at all times, by professing to believe they were dangerous heresies, the old Roman state-religion as much as the modern one. If Napoleon the Great has one meritorious act to boast of during his career of slaughter—it is that of having abolished the “Holy” Inquisition.
The abolition however, has not made the public any the wiser for that, in the mysteries of the Occult Sciences. In some respects the world is all the better for such ignorance. The secrets of nature are generally double edged weapons and in the hands of the undeserving are more than likely to become murderous. Who knows anything in our modern day of the real significance of and the powers contained in, certain characters and signs, talismans, whether for beneficent or evil purposes? Fragments of the Runes and the Kischuph, found scattered in old mediæval libraries; copies from the Ephesian and the Milesian letters or characters; the thrice famous Book of Thoth, and the terrible treatises (still preserved) of Targes, the Chaldean, and his disciple Tarchon, the Etruscan—who flourished far before the Trojan war—are so many names and appellations void of sense (though met in classical literature) for the educated modern scholar who believes in the XIXth cent. in art, described in such treatises of Targes of evoking and directing thunderbolts. Yet the same is described in the Brahmanical literature and Targes copied his thunderbolts from the astra2 that terrible engine of destruction known to the Mahabharatan Aryans. Before this art if ever understood by the Western,—would pale a whole arsenal of dynamite bombs, for it is from an old fragment read and translated to him that Lord Bulwer Lytton got his idea of vril. It is a lucky thing, indeed, that in the face of virtues and philanthropy that grace our age—the age of iniquitous wars of anarchist and dynamiters—the secrets contained in the book discovered in Numa’s tomb should have been burnt. But the Science of Circe and Medea is not lost. One can discover it in the apparent gibberish of the Tantrika Sutras and the Kuku-ma of the Bhootanee and the Sikkim dug-pas the “Red-caps” of Tibet and even in the sorcery of the Nilgery Mula Kuroomba. Very luckily few outside the high practitioners of the Left Path—and of the Adepts of the Right one in whose hands the weird secrets of the real meaning are safe—understand the “black” evocations. Otherwise, the Western, as much as the Eastern dug-pas might make short work of their enemies. The name of the latter—is legion, for, the direct descendants of the antediluvian sorcerers hate all those who are not with them, arguing that therefore—they are against them.
As for the “Little Albert”—though even this half-esoteric, small volume has become a literary relic and even the “Great Albert[”] or the “Red Dragon” together with the numberless old copies still in existence, the sorry remains of the mythical Mother Shiptons and the Merlins—(we mean the false one)—all these are vulgarised imitations of the original works of the same names. Thus the “Petit Albert” is the disfigured imitation of the great work written in Latin by Bishop Adalbert—an occultist of the VIIIth century sentenced by the second Roman Concilium—a work printed several centuries later and named Alberti parvi Lucii libellus de Mirabilibus Naturæ arcanis. The severities of the Roman Church have ever been spasmodic. While one learns of this condemnation, which placed the Church as will be shown in relation to the Seven Archangels—or “Virtues” and “Thrones” of God in the most embarrassing position for long centuries, it remains a wonder indeed, to find that the Jesuits have not destroyed the Archives with all its countless chronicles and annals of the History of France—and those of the Spanish Escurial—along with it. Both History and chronicles of the former speak at length of the priceless talisman received by Charles the Great from a Pope. It was a little volume on magic—true sorcery rather, all full of cabalistic figures, signs, mysterious sentences and invocations to the stars and planets. These were talismans against the enemies (les ennemis de Charlemagne) [of] the King, which, talismans—the chronicler tells us “proved of great help as every one of them died a violent death.” The small volume Encheridium Lesoris Papœ—has disappeared and is out of print—very luckily. As to the Alphabet de Thoth, it can be dimly traced in the modern tarot which can be had at almost every stationary in Paris. As for its being understood or utilized, the many fortune tellers in Paris, who make a professional living of it, are a sad specimen of the failure one is sure to encounter in an attempt to read, let alone correctly interpret Taro’s symbology without a preliminary philosophical study of the science. The real taro, in its complete symbology, can be found only in the Babylonian cylinders that every one can survey and study in the British Museum and elsewhere. One can see, those Chaldean, antediluvian rhombs or revolving cylinders covered with weird signs, as for understanding them, the secrets of those divining “wheels” or as de Mirville calls them, “the rotating globes of Hecate” have to be left untold for some time to come. Meanwhile there are the “turning-tables” of the modern medium—for the babes—and the Kabala for the strong. This may afford some consolation.
The greatest teachers of divinity agree that nearly all ancient books were written symbolically and in a language intelligible only to the initiated. The biographical sketch of Apollonius of Tyana affords an example. As every Kabalist knows, it embraces the whole of the Hermetic philosophy, being a counterpart in many respects of the traditions left us of King Solomon. It reads like a fairy story, but, as in the case of the latter, sometimes facts and historical events are presented to the world under the colours of a fiction. The journey to India represents in its every stage though of course allegorically the trials of a neophyte giving at the same time, a geographical and topographical idea of a certain country as it is even now. The long discourses of Apollonius with the Brahmins, their sage advice, and the dialogues with the Corinthian Menippus would, if interpreted, give the esoteric catechism. His visit to the empire of the wise men, and interview with their King Hiarchus, the oracle of Amphiaraüs, explain symbolically many of the secret dogmas of Hermes—in the generic sense of the name—and of Occultism. Wonderful to relate, and, were not the statement supported by numerous calculations made, and the secret half revealed, the writer would never have dared to say it. Notwithstanding, that the travels of the great Magus are correctly, though allegorically described, that is to say all that is related by Damis under the guidance of Apollonius and translated by Philostratus—it is a marvel indeed. At the conclusion of what remains to be said of the wonderful Adept of Tyana the meaning of this shall be made clear. Suffice to say of the dialogues given that they would disclose if understood, some of the most important secrets of nature. Eliphas Levi points out the great resemblance which exists between King Hiarchus and the fabulous Hiram, of whom Solomon procured the cedars of Lebanon and the gold of Ophir. Only Eliphas Levi according to his invariable habit, mystifies more the reader than he divulges and thus leads him off the right track.
Once the subject broached, it may be as well to exhaust the data about Apollonius; the more so, as his biography and post mortem reputation have served as a key-note to his enemies—the Christian clergy, to slander the memory of other Adepts as great and as historical. For there is no use in trying to conceal the truth. Neither the actual existence, nor the memory of the wonderful miracles produced by Apollonius can be obliterated from History and—preceding him—the life and powers of Simon the Magian. There is more than usual malice displayed by the Church in relation to both—there is positive fear for reasons that shall be shown.
As a proof of the existence of a Secret Science, which the Church has vainly tried to discredit, Simon and Apollonius are selected as historical personages of the first century to demonstrate it and the causes why they are so anathematized explained.
1. See Molitor’s Tradition, Chapt. on NUMBERS.
2. This is a kind of magical bow and arrow calculated to destroy in one moment whole armies; it is mentioned in the Ramayana, the Puranas and everywhere.