A Coded Novel?
Etidorhpa can be read in a number of ways. Some commentators emphasize that it belongs to the tradition of nineteenth century novels espousing the "Hollow Earth" theory. In fact, if taken literally, this is the most absurd aspect of the book. The descent into the earth is a metaphor for a mystical journey undertaken by an adept of the Illuminati.
Etidorhpa is well summarized by Bruce Walton in
http://www.holloworbs.com/Etidor_william_morgan.htm:
Few Hollow Earth enthusiasts, I believe, are unfamiliar with the fascinating story of "I Am The Man", as it appears in John Uri Lloyd's book Etidorhpa. The original manuscript was allegedly given to a Cincinnati man named Llewellyn Drury by a mysterious being who materialized in his room on a cold November night in the mid-1800s over 30 years before the volume was eventually published by a friend of his, John Uri Lloyd, also of Cincinnati.
This strange being claimed to have formerly been a Freemason who had, through some unusual encounter with destiny, undertaken a remarkable journey into the center of the earth and eventually into the hollow interior itself, some 800 miles beneath the outer surface of the earth. This mysterious being handed Llewellyn a large stack of old, yellowed paper, which he learned recorded the fantastic story of this strange visitor known only as "I Am The Man". The story recounted his experiences from his early days as a mortal and a Mason to his fateful journey into the unknown and eventual transformation into an immortal being. Llewellyn Drury had promised the visitor that he would hide the manuscript, and as instructed, he would publish the manuscript after an interval of 30 years. After the agreed upon interval Llewellyn uncovered the manuscript and, evading his responsibility, he gave the manuscript to a friend of his, the author John Uri Lloyd, who, after hearing his story of the visit by the mysterious man, enthusiastically set upon the task at hand. Also, as the being instructed, he hired an artist, J. Augustus Knapp, to illustrate the volume.
Shortly after the book was first published in 1896, it became quite popular and widely read, as well as highly controversial. Most people considered, and perhaps still do, that the story was the work of the imaginative mind of John Uri Lloyd. However, due to the descriptions of the earth's interior, which parallel so closely with other accounts of the Inner Earth, Lloyd must have either done a great deal of research on the various "hollow earth" theories of the day, or the story of the visitation of "I Am The Man" to Llewellyn Drury was in fact a true occurrence.
I Am The Man's story begins when he receives a strange letter in the mail. Previous to this he had done some searching and delving into the mysteries of life and the Masonic science. A translation of Gerber's "De Claritate Alchemiae" by chance came into his possession and afterwards an original version from the Latin Boerhaave's "Elementa Cheniae," published and translated in 1753 by Peter Shaw. It was these volumes more than anything else, which introduced him to a brotherhood of adepts, with whom he eventually gained membership through initiation. But it was before being initiated that "I Am The Man" received the strange letter. The letter was from an anonymous source who was apparently well-versed in masonry; it carried a history of the secret order from ancient times preceding the days of Hermes Trismegistus.
It set forth instructions for the reader, if he be willing, to become a member of the secret order of masons, if they were not already, and learn its most hidden secrets and reveal what they had learned to the world, thereby enlightening mankind to the ancient mysteries which have for so long been guarded by the elect few. He noticed that the letter had been passed through the hands of many other masons and scholars, but the very fact that the letter was passed on to him made it clear that none who received the letter dared to undertake such a dangerous task.
The writer then outlines the history of William Morgan, with whom he identifies "I Am The Man". A mysterious man then leads I Am The Man to the "Cave of Zoroaster" where he meets a strange being from the earth's interior who is to guide him through zones of inner earth light towards the center of the earth.
Lloyd's book describes the strange creature as follows:
"The speaker stood in a stooping position, with his face towards the earth as if to shelter it from the sunshine. He was less than five feet in height. His arms and legs were bare, and his skin, the color of light blue putty, glistened in the sunlight like the slimy hide of a water dog. He raised his head, and I shuddered in affright as I beheld that his face was not that of a human. His forehead extended in an unbroken plane from crown to cheek bone, and the chubby tip of an abortive nose without nostrils formed a short projection near the center of the level ridge which represented a countenance. There was no semblance of an eye, for there were no sockets. Yet his voice was singularly perfect. His face, if face it could be called, was wet, and water dripped from all parts of his slippery person. Yet, repulsive as he looked, I shuddered more at the remembrance of the touch of that cold, clammy hand than at the sight of his figure, for a dead man could not have chilled me as he had done, with his sappy skin, from which the moisture seemed to ooze as from the hide of a water lizard.
Turning to my guide, this freak of nature said, softly:
"I have come in obedience to the signal."
The human guide then departs from I Am The Man with the following words:
"Then, farewell; this archway is the entrance that will admit you into your arcanum of usefulness. This mystic Brother, though a stranger to you, has long been apprised of our coming, and it was he who sped me on my journey to seek you, and who has since been waiting for us, and is to be your guide during the first stages of your subterranean progress. He is a Friend, and, if you trust him, will protect you from harm. You will find the necessaries of life supplied, for I have traversed part of your coming road; that part I therefore know, but, as I have said, you are to go deeper into the unexplored, - yes, into and beyond the Beyond, until finally you will come to the gateway that leads into the " Unknown Country."
Greg Jenner in NIBIRU AND THE SUBTERRANEAN CONNECTION (http://www.darkstar1.co.uk/gregjenner1.html) also provides a useful synopsis:
The report from the book Etidorhpa takes place in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1860's regarding a student of science named Llewellyn Drury that had a visitation from a mysterious stranger. This strange being claimed to have formerly been a Freemason who undertook a remarkable journey into the Earth's crust and eventually into the interior itself, some 800 miles beneath the outer surface of the earth.
Unfortunately his name was never revealed but he made a promise with Mr. Drury to write a manuscript in which the stranger was to read to him and publish 30 years later.
Requiring many sessions, the manuscript was then read aloud over a period of time. After the last reading the manuscript was presented to Llewellyn Drury along with sealed instructions to be opened at the proper time.
After the agreed upon interval Llewellyn uncovered the manuscript and gave it to a friend: the author John Uri Lloyd, who, after hearing his story of the visit by the mysterious man, set upon the task at hand. Also, as the being instructed, he hired an artist, J. Augustus Knapp, to illustrate the volume.
According to the manuscript, the stranger who was only referenced as "I Am The Man" was taken into the inner-earth through a cave in Kentucky during the early nineteenth century. His guide was a subterranean dweller who was a member of a secret society whose objective was the preservation of important knowledge or wisdom for the future enlightenment of mankind. The objective of this excursion was to learn about the Earth's inner shell, where the student was to receive advanced schooling in the mysteries of the universe. The book Etidorhpa described this amazing descent through the caverns of the inner earth in detail.
The frontispiece of the novel says the following:
ETIDORHPA
Or the
END OF THE EARTH.
THE STRANGE HISTORY OF A MYSTERIOUS BEING AND THE ACCOUNT OF A REMARKABLE JOURNEY
AS COMMUNICATED IN A MANUSCRIPT TO LLEWELLYN DRURY WHO PROMISED TO PRINT THE SAME, BUT FINALLY EVADED THE RESPONSIBILITY WHICH WAS ASSUMED BY JOHN URI LLOYD.
Lloyd, a distinguished American pharmaceutical chemist, says:
For vexing my friends with problems that seemingly do not concern in the least men in my position, and for venturing to think, superficially, it may be, outside the restricted lines of a science bound to the unresponsive crucible and retort, to which my life has been given, and amid the problems of which it has nearly worn itself away, I have no plausible excuse, and shall seek none.
He can now formulate his conclusions as well perhaps as I, regarding the origin of the manuscript that is to follow, if he concerns himself at all over subjects mysterious or historical, and my connection therewith is of minor importance. Whether Mr. Drury brought the strange paper in person, or sent it by express or mail, - whether it was slipped into a box of books from foreign lands, or whether my hand held the pen that made the record, - whether I stood face to face with Mr. Drury in the shadows of this room, or have but a fanciful conception of his figure, - whether the artist drew upon his imagination for the vivid likeness of the several personages figured in the book that follows, or from reliable data has given facsimiles authentic, - is immaterial.
Sufficient be it to say that the manuscript of this book has been in my possession for a period of seven years, and my lips must now be sealed concerning all that transpired in connection therewith outside the subject matter recorded therein. And yet I cannot deny that for these seven years I have hesitated concerning my proper course, and more than once have decided to cover from sight the fascinating leaflets, hide them among surrounding volumes, and let them slumber until chance should bring them to the attention of the future student.
These thoughts rise before me this gloomy day of December, 1894, as, snatching a moment from the exactions of business, I sit among these old volumes devoted to science-lore, and again study over the unique manuscript, and meditate; I hesitate again: Shall I, or shall I not? - but a duty is a duty. Perhaps the mysterious part of the subject will be cleared to me only when my own thought-words come to rest among these venerable relics of the past - when books that I have written become companions of ancient works about me - for then I can claim relationship with the shadows that flit in and out, and can demand that they, the ghosts of the library, commune with the shade that guards the book that holds this preface.
In this preface, Lloyd practically admits that he never actually met anyone called Llewellyn Drury. In a later section, it becomes clear that he himself is Llewellyn Drury. See if you can spot the clues:
"My name was Johannes Llewellyn Llongollyn Drury. I was named Llewellyn at my mother's desire, out of respect to her father, Dr. Evan Llewellyn, the scientist and speculative philosopher, well known to curious students as the author of various rare works on occult subjects. The other given names were ancestral also, but when I reached the age of appreciation, they naturally became distasteful; so it is that in early youth I dropped the first and third of these cumbersome words, and retained only the second Christian name. While perhaps the reader of these lines may regard this cognomen with less favor than either of the others, still I liked it, as it was the favorite of my mother, who always used the name in full; the world, however, contracted Llewellyn to Lew, much to the distress of my dear mother, who felt aggrieved at the liberty. After her death I decided to move to a western city, and also determined, out of respect to her memory, to select from and rearrange the letters of my several names, and construct therefrom three short, terse words, which would convey to myself only, the resemblance of my former name. Hence it is that the Cincinnati Directory does not record my self-selected name, which I have no reason to bring before the public. To the reader my name is Llewellyn Drury. I might add that my ancestors were among the early settlers of what is now New York City, and were direct descendants of the early Welsh kings; but these matters do not concern the reader, and it is not of them that I now choose to write. My object in putting down these preliminary paragraphs is simply to assure the reader of such facts, and such only, as may give him confidence in my personal sincerity and responsibility, in order that he may with a right understanding read the remarkable statements that occur in the succeeding chapters."
Both men have Welsh names and both come from Cincinnati. "John Uri Lloyd" is a name composed of "three short, terse words" that, apart from the letter "i" in Uri could easily be constructed by selecting from and rearranging "the letters of my several names" (Johannes Llewellyn Llongollyn Drury). There can be no doubt that John Uri Lloyd and Johannes Llewellyn Drury are one and the same person.
Lloyd goes on:
"The story I am about to relate is very direct, and some parts of it are very strange, not to say marvelous; but not on account of its strangeness alone do I ask for the narrative a reading; - that were mere trifling. What is here set down happened as recorded, but I shall not attempt to explain things which even to myself are enigmatical. Let the candid reader read the story as I have told it, and make out of it what he can, or let him pass the page by unread - I shall not insist on claiming his further attention. Only, if he does read, I beg him to read with an open mind, without prejudice and without predilection."
In a letter to a friend, Lloyd says:
It matters little who recorded the words, nothing at all, the question that concerns me is have I done my part creditably? A work must be done well or done over again and I hope that this will not have to be repeated by another person.
Some of us come into the world to teach, we cannot evade our destiny. Whether we teach from our own selves or from others, is of no moment, the important point is whether we teach properly. Will the result of our instruction tend to elevate the thought of others and thus lead to truth and self humility, to love and charity?
Etidorhpa is not an idle creation. The mission of this book is unseen by most of its readers. The thought current will be felt though by every reader and it pains me to appreciate the fact that to some the beauties of the work will serve but to deepen their hatred of conceptions holy and sublime.
Very Sincerely Yours
John Uri Lloyd
When the being known as I Am The Man meets Llewellyn Drury, the following conversation takes place (I Am The Man speaks first):
"Very good, then; we will not pursue this subject further, as it is not relevant to my purpose, which is to acquaint you with a narrative of unusual interest, upon certain conditions, with which if you comply, you will not only serve yourself, but me as well."
"Please name the conditions," I said.
"They are simple enough," he answered. "The narrative I speak of is in manuscript. I will produce it in the near future, and my design is to read it aloud to you, or to allow you to read it to me, as you may select. Further, my wish is that during the reading you shall interpose any objection or question that you deem proper. This reading will occupy many evenings, and I shall of necessity be with you often. When the reading is concluded, we will seal the package securely, and I shall leave you forever. You will then deposit the manuscript in some safe place, and let it remain for thirty years. When this period has elapsed, I wish you to publish this history to the world."
It is just a year ago tonight since we first met. Upon that occasion you made an agreement with me which you are in honor bound to keep, and " - here he paused as if to note the effect of his words upon me, then added significantly-" will keep.
"What shall I call you?"
"Why call me aught? It is not necessary in addressing each other that any name be used."
"But what are you?" I persisted.
A pained expression for an instant rested upon his face, and he said, sadly, pausing between the words: " I-Am-The-Man-Who-Did-It."
"Did what?"
"Ask not; the manuscript will tell you. Be content, Llewellyn, and remember this, that I Am The Man."
The two most intriguing and revealing chapters of the novel are then presented. Many leading figures in the history of the Illuminati are mentioned, and several of their secret practices.
THE MANUSCRIPT OF I AM THE MAN
CHAPTER IV
A SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE-THE ALCHEMISTIC LETTER
I am the man who, unfortunately for my future happiness, was dissatisfied with such knowledge as could be derived from ordinary books concerning semi-scientific subjects in which I had long been absorbed. I studied the current works of my day on philosophy and chemistry, hoping therein to find something tangible regarding the relationship that exists between matter and spirit, but studied in vain. Astronomy, history, philosophy and the mysterious, incoherent works of alchemy and occultism were finally appealed to, but likewise failed to satisfy me. These studies were pursued in secret, though I am not aware that any necessity existed for concealment. Be that as it may, at every opportunity I covertly acquainted myself with such alchemical lore as could be obtained either by purchase or by correspondence with others whom I found to be pursuing investigations in the same direction. A translation of Geber's "De Claritate Alchemiæ," by chance came into my possession, and afterwards an original version from the Latin of Bœrhaave's "Elementa Chemiæ," published and translated in 1753 by Peter Shaw. This magnificent production threw a flood of light upon the early history of chemistry, being far more elaborate than any modern work. It inspired me with the deepest regard for its talented author, and ultimately introduced me to a brotherhood of adepts, for in this publication, although its author disclaims occultism, is to be found a talisman that will enable any earnest searcher after light to become a member of the society of secret "Chemical Improvers of Natural Philosophy," with which I affiliated as soon as the key was discovered. Then followed a systematic investigation of authorities of the Alchemical School, including Geber, Morienus, Roger Bacon, George Ripley, Raymond Lully, Bernard, Count of Trevise, Isaac Hollandus, Arnoldus de la Villanova, Paracelsus, and others, not omitting the learned researches of the distinguished scientist, Llewellyn.
I discovered that many talented men are still firm believers in the lost art of alchemy, and that among the followers of the "thrice-famed Hermes" are to be found statesmen, clergymen, lawyers, and scientific men who, for various reasons, invariably conceal with great tact their connection with the fraternity of adepts. Some of these men had written scientific treatises of a very different character from those circulating among the members of our brotherhood, and to their materialistic readers it would seem scarcely possible that the authors could be tainted with hallucinations of any description, while others, conspicuous leaders in the church, were seemingly beyond occult temptation.
The larger number, it was evident, hoped by studies of the works of the alchemists, to find the key to the alkahest of Van Helmont, that is, to discover the Philosopher's Stone, or the Elixir of Life, and from their writings it is plain that the inner consciousness of thoughtful and scientific men rebelled against confinement to the narrow bounds of materialistic science, within which they were forced to appear as dogmatic pessimists. To them scientific orthodoxy, acting as a weight, prohibited intellectual speculation, as rank heresy. A few of my co-laborers were expert manipulators, and worked experimentally, following in their laboratories the suggestions of those gifted students who had pored over precious old manuscripts, and had attempted to solve the enigmatical formulas recorded therein, puzzles familiar to students of Hermetic lore. It was thus demonstrated, -for what I have related is history, -that in this nineteenth century there exists a fraternity, the members of which are as earnest in their belief in the truth of Esoteric philosophy, as were the followers of Hermes himself; savants who, in secret, circulate among themselves a literature that the materialism of this selfsame nineteenth century has relegated to the deluded and murky periods that produced it.
One day a postal package came to my address, this being the manner in which some of our literature circulated, which, on examination, I found to be a letter of instruction and advice from some unknown member of our circle. I was already becoming disheartened over the mental confusion into which my studies were leading me, and the contents of the letter, in which I was greatly interested, made a lasting impression upon me. It seemed to have been circulating a long time among our members in Europe and America, for it bore numerous marginal notes of various dates, but each and every one of its readers had for one reason or another declined the task therein suggested. From the substance of the paper, which, written exquisitely, yet partook of the ambiguous alchemistic style, it was evident that the author was well versed in alchemy, and, in order that my position may be clearly understood at this turning point in a life of remarkable adventure, the letter is appended in full:
THE ALCHEMISTIC LETTER.
TO THE BROTHER ADEPT WHO DARES TRY TO DISCOVER ZOROASTER'S CAVE, OR THE PHILOSOPHERS' INTELLECTUAL ECHOES, BY MEANS OF WHICH THEY COMMUNICATE TO ONE ANOTHER FROM THEIR CAVES.
Know thou, that Hermes Trismegistus did not originate, but he gave to our philosophy his name-the Hermetic Art. Evolved in a dim, mystic age, before antiquity began, it endured through the slowly rolling cycles to be bandied about by the ever-ready flippancy of nineteenth century students. It has lived, because it is endowed with that quality which never dies - truth. Modern philosophy, of which chemistry is but a fragment, draws its sustenance from the prime facts which were revealed in ancient Egypt through Hermetic thought, and fixed by the Hermetic stylus.
"The Hermetic allegories," so various in interpretable susceptibility, led subsequent thinkers into speculations and experimentations, which have resulted profitably to the world. It is not strange that some of the followers of Hermes, especially the more mercurial and imaginative, should have evolved nebulous theories, no longer explainable, and involving recondite spiritual considerations. Know thou that the ultimate on psychochemical investigation is the proximate of the infinite.
Accordingly, a class came to believe that a projection of natural mental faculties into an advanced state of consciousness called the "wisdom faculty" constitutes the final possibility of Alchemy. The attainment of this exalted condition is still believed practicable by many earnest savants. Once on this lofty plane, the individual would not be trammelled by material obstacles, but would abide in that spiritual placidity which is the exquisite realization of mortal perfection. So exalted, he would be in naked parallelism with Omniscience, and through his illuminated understanding, could feast his soul on those exalted pleasures which are only less than deific.
Notwithstanding the exploitings of a number of these philosophers, in which, by reason of our inability to comprehend, sense seemed lost in a passage of incohesive dreamery and resonancy of terminology, some of the purest spiritual researches the world has ever known, were made in the dawn of history. The much-abused alchemical philosophers existed upon a plane, in some respects above the level of the science of today. Many of them lived for the good of the world only, in an atmosphere above the materialistic hordes that people the world, and toiling over their crucibles and alembics, died in their cells "uttering no voice." Take, for example, Eirenæus Philalethes, who, born in 1623, lived contemporaneously with Robert Boyle. A fragment from his writings will illustrate the purpose which impelled the searcher for the true light of alchemy to record his discoveries in allegories, and we have no right to question the honesty of his utterances:
"The Searcher of all hearts knows that I write the truth; nor is there any cause to accuse me of envy. I write with an unterrified quill in an unheard of style, to the honor of God, to the profit of my neighbors, with contempt of the world and its riches, because Elias, the artist, is already born, and now glorious things are declared of the city of God. I dare affirm that I do possess more riches than the whole known world is worth, but I cannot make use of it because of the snares of knaves. I disdain, loathe, and detest the idolizing of silver and gold, by which the pomps and vanities of the world are celebrated. Ah! filthy evil! Ah! vain nothingness! Believe ye that I conceal the art out of envy? No, verily, I protest to you; I grieve from the very bottom of my soul that we (alchemists) are driven like vagabonds from the face of the Lord throughout the earth. But what need of many words? The thing that we have seen, taught, and made, which we have, possess, and know, that we do declare; being moved with compassion for the studious, and with indignation of gold, silver, and precious stones. Believe me, the time is at the door, I feel it in spirit, when we, adepts, shall return from the four corners of the earth, nor shall we fear any snares that are laid against our lives, but we shall give thanks to the Lord our God. I would to God that every ingenious man in the whole earth understood this science; then it would be valued only for its wisdom, and virtue only would be had in honor."
Of course there was a more worldly class, and a large contingent of mercenary impostors (as science is always encumbered), parasites, whose animus was shamefully unlike the purity of true esoteric psychologists. These men devoted their lives to experimentation for selfish advancement. They constructed alchemical outfits, and carried on a ceaseless inquiry into the nature of solvents, and studied their influences on earthly bodies, their ultimate object being the discovery of the Philosopher's Stone, and the alkahest which Bœrhaave asserts was never discovered.
Their records were often a verbose melange, purposely so written, no doubt, to cover their tracks, and to make themselves conspicuous. Other Hermetic believers occupied a more elevated position, and connected the intellectual with the material, hoping to gain by their philosophy and science not only gold and silver, which were secondary considerations, but the highest literary achievement, the Magnum Opus. Others still sought to draw from Astrology and Magic the secrets that would lead them to their ambitious goal. Thus there were degrees of fineness in a fraternity, which the science of today must recognize and admit.
Bœrhaave, the illustrious, respected Geber, of the alchemistic school, and none need feel compromised in admiring the talented alchemists who, like Geber, wrought in the twilight of morn for the coming world's good. We are now enjoying a fragment of the ultimate results of their genius and industry in the materialistic outcomes of present-day chemistry, to be followed by others more valuable; and at last, when mankind is ripe in the wisdom faculty, by spiritual contentment in the complacent furtherings beyond. Allow me briefly to refer to a few men of the alchemistic type whose records may be considered with advantage.
Rhasis, a conspicuous alchemist, born in 850, first mentioned orpiment, borax, compounds of iron, copper, arsenic, and other similar substances. It is said, too, that he discovered the art of making brandy. About a century later, Alfarabe (killed in 950), a great alchemist, astonished the King of Syria with his profound learning, and excited the admiration of the wise men of the East by his varied accomplishments. Later, Albertus Magnus (born 1205), noted for his talent and skill, believed firmly in the doctrine of transmutation. His beloved pupil, Thomas Aquinas, gave us the word amalgam, and it still serves us. Contemporaneously with these lived Roger Bacon (born 1214), who was a man of most extraordinary ability. There has never been a greater English intellect (not excepting his illustrious namesake, Lord Bacon), and his penetrating mind delved deeper into nature's laws than that of any successor. He told us of facts concerning the sciences, that scientific men cannot fully comprehend today; he told us of other things that lie beyond the science provings of today, that modern philosophers cannot grasp. He was an enthusiastic believer in the Hermetic philosophy, and such were his erudition and advanced views, that his brother friars, through jealousy and superstition, had him thrown into prison-a common fate to men who in those days dared to think ahead of their age.
Despite (as some would say) of his mighty reasoning power and splendid attainments, he believed the Philosopher's Stone to be a reality; he believed the secret of indefinite prolongation of life abode in alchemy; that the future could be predicted by means of a mirror which he called Almuchese, and that by alchemy an adept could produce pure gold. He asserted that by means of Aristotle's "Secret of Secrets," pure gold can be made; gold even purer and finer than what men now know as gold. In connection with other predictions he made an assertion that may with other seemingly unreasonable predictions be verified in time to come. He said: "It is equally possible to construct cars which may be set in motion with marvelous rapidity, independently of horses or other animals." He declared that the ancients had done this, and he believed the art might be revived.
Following came various enthusiasts, such as Raymond, the ephemeral (died 1315), who flared like a meteor into his brief, brilliant career; Arnold de Villanova (1240), a celebrated adept, whose books were burned by the Inquisition on account of the heresy they taught; Nicholas Flamel, of France (1350), loved by the people for his charities, the wonder of his age (our age will not admit the facts) on account of the vast fortune he amassed without visible means or income, outside of alchemical lore; Johannes de Rupecissus, a man of such remarkable daring that he even (1357) reprimanded Pope Innocent VI, for which he was promptly imprisoned; Basil Valentine (1410), the author of many works, and the man who introduced antimony. (antimonaches) into medicine; Isaac of Holland who, with his son, skillfully made artificial gems that could not be distinguished from the natural; Bernard Trevison (born 1406), who spent $30,000 in the study of alchemy, out of much of which he was cheated by cruel alchemic pretenders, for even in that day there were plenty of rogues to counterfeit a good thing. Under stress of his strong alchemic convictions, Thomas Dalton placed his head on the block by order of the virtuous (?) and conservative Thomas Herbert, 'squire to King Edward; Jacob Bohme (born 1575), the sweet, pure spirit of Christian mysticism, "The Voice of Heaven," than whom none stood higher in true alchemy, was a Christian, alchemist, theosophist; Robert Boyle, a conspicuous alchemical philosopher, in 1662 published his "Defense of the Doctrine touching the Spring and Weight of the Air," and illustrated his arguments by a series of ingenious and beautiful experiments, that stand today so high in the estimation of scientific men, that his remarks are copied verbatim by our highest authorities, and his apparatus is the best yet devised for the purpose. Boyle's "Law" was evolved and carefully defined fourteen years before Mariotte's "Discours de la Nature de l' Air" appeared, which did not, however, prevent French and German scientific men from giving the credit to Mariotte, and they still follow the false teacher who boldly pirated not only Boyle's ideas, but stole his apparatus.
Then appeared such men as Paracelsus (born 1493), the celebrated physician, who taught that occultism (esoteric philosophy) was superior to experimental chemistry in enlightening us concerning the transmutation of baser metals into gold and silver; and Gueppo Francisco (born 1627), who wrote a beautiful treatise on "Elementary Spirits," which was copied without credit by Compte de Gabalis. It seems incredible that the man (Gueppo Francisco), whose sweet spirit-thoughts are revivified and breathe anew in "Undine" and "The Rape of the Lock," should have been thrown into a prison to perish as a Hermetic follower; and this should teach us not to question the earnestness of those who left us as a legacy the beauty and truth so abundantly found in pure alchemy.
These and many others, cotemporaries, some conspicuous, and others whose names do not shine in written history, contributed incalculably to the grand aggregate of knowledge concerning the divine secret which enriched the world. Compare the benefits of Hermetic philosophy with the result of bloody wars ambitiously waged by self-exacting tyrants - tyrants whom history applauds as heroes, but whom we consider as butchers. Among the workers in alchemy are enumerated nobles, kings, and even popes. Pope John XXII was an alchemist, which accounts for his bull against impostors, promulgated in order that true students might not be discredited; and King Frederick of Naples sanctioned the art, and protected its devotees.
At last, Count Cagliostro, the chequered "Joseph Balsamo" (born 1743), who combined alchemy, magic, astrology, sleight of hand, mesmerism, Freemasonry, and remarkable personal accomplishments, that altogether have never since been equalled, burst upon the world. Focusing the gaze of the church, kings, and the commons upon himself, in many respects the most audacious pretender that history records, he raised the Hermetic art to a dazzling height, and finally buried it in a blaze of splendor as he passed from existence beneath a mantle of shame. As a meteor streams into view from out the star mists of space, and in corruscating glory sinks into the sea, Cagliostro blazed into the sky of the eighteenth century, from the nebulæ of alchemistic speculation, and extinguished both himself and his science in the light of the rising sun of materialism. Cagliostro the visionary, the poet, the inspired, the erratic comet in the universe of intellect, perished in prison as a mountebank, and then the plodding chemist of today, with his tedious mechanical methods, and cold, unresponsive, materialistic dogmas, arose from the ashes, and sprang into prominence.
Read the story backward, and you shall see that in alchemy we behold the beginning of all the sciences of today; alchemy is the cradle that rocked them. Fostered with necromancy, astrology, occultism, and all the progeny of mystic dreamery, the infant sciences struggled for existence through the dark ages, in care of the once persecuted and now traduced alchemist. The world owes a monument today more to Hermetic heroes, than to all other influences and instrumentalities, religion excepted, combined, for our present civilization is largely a legacy from the alchemist. Begin with Hermes Trismegistus, and close with Joseph Balsamo, and if you are inclined towards science, do not criticise too severely their verbal logorrhea, and their romanticism, for your science is treading backward; it will encroach upon their field again, and you may have to unsay your words of hasty censure.
These men fulfilled their mission, and did it well. If they told more than men now think they knew, they also knew more than they told, and more than modern philosophy embraces. They could not live to see all the future they eagerly hoped for, but they started a future for mankind that will far exceed in sweetness and light the most entrancing visions of their most imaginative dreamers. They spoke of the existence of a "red elixir," and while they wrote, the barbarous world about them ran red with blood, -blood of the pure in heart, blood of the saints, blood of a Saviour; and their allegory and wisdom formulæ were recorded in blood of their own sacrifices. They dreamed of a "white elixir" that is yet to bless mankind, and a brighter day for man, a period of peace, happiness, long life, contentment, good will and brotherly love, and in the name of this "white elixir" they directed the world towards a vision of divine light. Even pure gold, as they told the materialistic world who worship gold, was penetrated and whelmed by this subtle, superlatively refined spirit of matter. Is not the day of the allegorical "white elixir" nearly at hand? Would that it were!
I say to you now, brothers of the eighteenth century, as one speaking by authority to you, cease (some of you) to study this entrancing past, look to the future by grasping the present, cast aside (some of you) the alchemical lore of other days, give up your loved allegories; it is a duty, you must relinquish them. There is a richer field. Do not delay. Unlock this mystic door that stands hinged and ready, waiting the touch of men who can interpret the talisman; place before mankind the knowledge that lies behind its rivets. In the secret lodges that have preserved the wisdom of the days of Enoch and Elias of Egypt, who propagated the Egyptian Order, a branch of your ancient brotherhood, is to be found concealed much knowledge that should now be spread before the world, and added to the treasures of our circle of adepts.
This cabalistic wisdom is not recorded in books nor in manuscript, but has been purposely preserved from the uninitiated, in the unreadable brains of unresponsive men. Those who are selected to act as carriers thereof, are, as a rule, like dumb water hearers, or the dead sheet of paper that mechanically preserves an inspiration derived from minds unseen: they serve a purpose as a child mechanically commits to memory a blank verse to repeat to others, who in turn commit to repeat again-neither of them speaking understandingly. Search ye these hidden paths, for the day of mental liberation approaches, and publish to the world all that is locked within the doors of that antiquated organization. The world is nearly ripe for the wisdom faculty, and men are ready to unravel the golden threads that mystic wisdom has inwoven in her web of secret knowledge. Look for knowledge where I have indicated, and to gain it do not hesitate to swear allegiance to this sacred order, for so you must do to gain entrance to the brotherhood, and then you must act what men will call the traitor. You will, however, be doing a sacred duty, for the world will profit, humanity will be the gainer, "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Man," will be closer to mankind, and at last, when the sign appears, the "white elixir" will no longer be allegorical; it will become a reality. In the name of the Great Mystic Vase-Man, go thou into these lodges, learn of their secrets, and spread their treasures before those who can interpret them.
Here this letter ended. It was evident that the writer referred to a secret society into which I could probably enter; and taking the advice, I did not hesitate, but applied at once for membership. I determined, regardless of consequence, to follow the suggestion of the unknown writer, and by so doing, for I accepted their pledges, I invited my destiny.
My guest of the massive forehead paused for a moment, stroked his long, white beard, and then, after casting an inquiring glance on me, asked, "Shall I read on?"
"Yes," I replied, and The Man Who Did It, proceeded as follows:
CHAPTER V
THE WRITING OF MY CONFESSION
Having become a member of the Secret Society as directed by the writer of the letter I have just read, and having obtained the secrets hinted at in the mystic directions, my next desire was to find a secluded spot where, without interruption, I could prepare for publication what I had gathered surreptitiously in the lodges of the fraternity I designed to betray. This I entitled "My Confession." Alas! why did my evil genius prompt me to write it? Why did not some kind angel withhold my hand from the rash and wicked deed? All I can urge in defense or palliation is that I was infatuated by the fatal words of the letter, "You must act what men will call the traitor, but humanity will be the gainer."
In a section of the state in which I resided, a certain creek forms the boundary line between two townships, and also between two counties. Crossing this creek, a much traveled road stretches east and west, uniting the extremes of the great state. Two villages on this road, about four miles apart, situated on opposite sides of the creek, also present themselves to my memory, and midway between them, on the north side of the road, was a substantial farm house. In going west from the easternmost of these villages, the traveler begins to descend from the very center of the town. In no place is the grade steep, as the road lies between the spurs of the hill abutting upon the valley that feeds the creek I have mentioned. Having reached the valley, the road winds a short distance to the right, then turning to the left, crosses the stream, and immediately begins to climb the western hill; here the ascent is more difficult, for the road lies diagonally over the edge of the hill. A mile of travel, as I recall the scene, sometimes up a steep, and again among rich, level farm lands, and then on the very height, close to the road, within a few feet of it, appears the square structure which was, at the time I mention, known as the Stone Tavern.
On the opposite side of the road were located extensive stables, and a grain barn. In the northeast chamber of that stone building, during a summer in the twenties, I wrote for publication the description of the mystic work that my oath should have made forever a secret, a sacred trust. I am the man who wantonly committed the deplorable act. Under the infatuation of that alchemical manuscript, I strove to show the world that I could and would do that which might never benefit me in the least, but might serve humanity. It was fate. I was not a bad man, neither malignity, avarice, nor ambition forming a part of my nature. I was a close student, of a rather retiring disposition, a stone-mason by trade, careless and indifferent to public honors, and so thriftless that many trifling neighborhood debts had accumulated against me.
What I have reluctantly told, for I am forbidden to give the names of the localities, comprises an abstract of part of the record of my early life, and will introduce the extraordinary narrative which follows. That I have spoken the truth, and in no manner overdrawn, will be silently evidenced by hundreds of brethren, both of the occult society and the fraternal brotherhood, with which I united, who can (if they will) testify to the accuracy of the narrative. They know the story of my crime and disgrace; only myself and God know the full retribution that followed.
The above chapters are a dramatised version of a real dialogue that took place between Lloyd and the Illuminati renegade regarding authentic information pertaining to the Illuminati.
The renegade feared he would be tracked down by the Illuminati, just as the Masons had successfully tracked down William Morgan, and he and Lloyd worked out what he might say in his defence in such circumstances. The following is the fictional conversation that Lloyd and the renegade imagined would take place with the Illuminati if they caught him. An Illuminatus speaks first:
"Have you not bound yourself by a series of vows that are sacred and should be inviolable, and have you not broken them as no other man has done before you? Have you not betrayed your trust, and merited a severe judgment? Did you not voluntarily ask admission into our ancient brotherhood, and in good faith were you not initiated into our sacred mysteries? Did you not obligate yourself before man, and on your sacred honor promise to preserve our secrets?"
"I did," I replied, "but previously I had sworn before a higher tribunal to scatter this precious wisdom to the world."
"Yes," he said, "and you know full well the depth of the self-sought solemn oath that you took with us - more solemn than that prescribed by any open court on earth."
"This I do not deny," I said, " and yet I am glad that I accomplished my object, even though you have now, as is evident, the power to pronounce my sentence."
"You should look for the death sentence," was the reply, "but it has been ordained instead that you are to be given a lengthened life. You should expect bodily destruction; but on the contrary, you will pass on in consciousness of earth and earthly concerns when we are gone. Your name will be known to all lands, and yet from this time you will be unknown. For the welfare of future humanity, you will be thrust to a height in our order that will annihilate you as a mortal being, and yet you will exist, suspended between life and death, and in that intermediate state will know that you exist. You have, as you confess, merited a severe punishment, but we can only punish in accordance with an unwritten law, that instructs the person punished, and elevates the human race in consequence. You stand alone among mortals in that you have openly attempted to give broadly to those who have not earned it, our most sacred property, a property that did not belong to you, property that you have only been permitted to handle, that has been handed from man to man from before the time of Solomon, and which belongs to no one man, and will continue to pass in this way from one to another, as a hallowed trust, until there are no men, as men now exist, to receive it. You will soon go into the shadows of darkness, and will learn many of the mysteries of life, the undeveloped mysteries that are withheld from your fellows, but which you, who have been so presumptuous and anxious for knowledge, are destined to possess and solve. You will find secrets that man, as man is now constituted, cannot yet discover, and yet which the future man must gain and be instructed in. As you have sowed, so shall you reap. You wished to become a distributor of knowledge; you shall now by bodily trial and mental suffering obtain unsought knowledge to distribute, and in time to come you will be commanded to make your discoveries known. As your pathway is surely laid out, so must you walk. It is ordained; to rebel is useless."
"Who has pronounced this sentence?" I asked.
"A judge, neither of heaven nor of earth."
"You speak in enigmas."
"No; I speak openly, and the truth. Our brotherhood is linked with the past, and clasps hands with the antediluvians; the flood scattered the races of earth, but did not disturb our secrets. The great love of wisdom has from generation to generation led selected members of our organization to depths of study that our open work does not touch upon, and behind our highest officers there stand, in the occult shades between the here and the hereafter, unknown and unseen agents who are initiated into secrets above and beyond those known to the ordinary craft. Those who are introduced into these inner recesses acquire superhuman conceptions, and do not give an open sign of fellowship; they need no talisman. They walk our streets possessed of powers unknown to men, they concern themselves as mortals in the affairs of men, and even their brethren of the initiated, open order are unaware of their exalted condition. The means by which they have been instructed, their several individualities as well, have been concealed, because publicity would destroy their value, and injure humanity's cause."
…
I had been carried rapidly and in secret a hundred or more miles, perhaps into another state, and probably all traces of my journey were effectually lost to outsiders. I was in the hands of men who implicitly obeyed the orders of their superiors, masters whom they had never seen, and probably did not know. I needed no reminder of the fact that I had violated every sacred pledge voluntarily made to the craft, and now that they held me powerless, I well knew that, whatever the punishment assigned, I had invited it, and could not prevent its fulfilment. That it would be severe, I realized; that it would not be in accordance with ordinary human law, I accepted.
Had I not in secret, in my little room in that obscure Stone Tavern, engrossed on paper the mystic sentences that never before had been penned, and were unknown excepting to persons initiated into our sacred mysteries? Had I not previously, in the most solemn manner, before these words had been imparted to my keeping, sworn to keep them inviolate and secret? and had I not deliberately broken that sacred vow, and scattered the hoarded sentences broadcast? My part as a brother in this fraternal organization was that of the holder only of property that belonged to no man, that had been handed from one to another through the ages, sacredly cherished, and faithfully protected by men of many tongues, always considered a trust a charge of honor, and never before betrayed. My crime was deep and dark. I shuddered.
"Come what may," I mused, reflecting over my perfidy, "I am ready for the penalty, and my fate is deserved; it cannot but be a righteous one."
The words of the occupant of the carriage occurred to me again and again; that one sentence kept ringing in my brain; I could not dismiss it: "You have been tried, convicted, and we are of those appointed to carry out the sentence of the judges."
The black silence of my lonely cell beat against me; I could feel the absence of sound, I could feel the dismal weight of nothingness, and in my solitude and distraction I cried out in anguish to the invisible judge: " I am ready for my sentence, whether it be death or imprisonment for life"; and still the further words of the occupant of the carriage passed through my mind " You will now go into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and will learn the mysteries of Life."
Then I slept, to awake and sleep again. I kept no note of time; it may have been days or weeks, so far as my record could determine. An attendant came at intervals to minister to my wants, always masked completely, ever silent.
Later, a group of Illuminists come to I Am The Man but treat him in a manner that lacks credibility, given that this man was a traitor to the Order and had placed every member in potential jeopardy.
In the depths of night I was awakened by a noise made by the opening of a door, and one by one seven masked figures silently stalked into my prison. Each bore a lighted torch, and they passed me as I lay on the floor in my clothes (for I had no bedding), and ranged themselves in a line. I arose, and seated myself as directed to do, upon the only stool in the room. Swinging into a semi-circle, the weird line wound about me, and from the one seat on which I rested in the center of the room, I gazed successively upon seven pairs of gleaming eyes, each pair directed at myself; and as I turned from one to another, the black cowl of each deepened into darkness, and grew more hideous.
"Men or devils," I cried, "do your worst! Make me, if such is your will, as that sunken corpse beside which I was once seated; but cease your persecutions. I have atoned for my indiscretions a thousand fold, and this suspense is unbearable; I demand to know what is to be my doom, and I desire its fulfilment."
"Horrible," I rejoined, "stop this mockery. Have I not suffered enough from your persecutions to make me reject that word as applied to yourselves? You can but murder; do your duty to your unseen masters, and end this prolonged torture!"
"Brother," said the spokesman, "you well know that the sacred rules of our order will not permit us to murder any human being. We exist to benefit humanity, to lead the wayward back across the burning desert, into the pathways of the righteous; not to destroy or persecute a brother. Ours is an eleemosynary institution, instructing its members, helping them to seek happiness. You are now expiating the crime you have committed, and the good in your spirit rightfully revolts against the bad, for in divulging to the world our mystic signs and brotherly greetings, you have sinned against yourself more than against others. The sting of conscience, the bitings of remorse punish you."
…
"Tell me," I cried, once more desponding, " tell me the full extent of my sentence."
"That is not known to us, and probably is not known to any one man. So far as the members of our order are concerned, you have now vanished. When you leave our sight this night, we will also separate from one another, we shall know no more of you and your future than will those of our working order who live in this section of the country. We have no personal acquaintance with the guide that has been selected to conduct you farther, and who will appear in due season, and we make no surmise concerning the result of your journey, only we know that you will not be killed, for you have a work to perform, and will continue to exist long after others of your age are dead. Farewell, brother; we have discharged our duty, and by your consent, now we must return to our various pursuits. In a short time all evidence of your unfortunate mistake, the crime committed by you in printing our sacred charges, will have vanished. Even now, emissaries are ordained to collect and destroy the written record that tells of your weakness, and with the destruction of that testimony, for every copy will surely be annihilated, and with your disappearance from among men, for this also is to follow, our responsibility for you will cease."
Each of the seven men advanced, and grasped my hand, giving me the grip of brotherhood, and then, without a word, they severally and silently departed into the outer darkness. As the last man disappeared, a figure entered the door, clad and masked exactly like those who had gone. He removed the long black gown in which he was enveloped, threw the mask from his face and stood before me, a slender, graceful, bright-looking young man. By the light of the candle I saw him distinctly, and was at once struck by his amiable, cheerful countenance, and my heart bounded with a sudden hope. I had temporarily forgotten the transformation that had been made in my person, which, altogether painless, had left no physical sensation, and thought of myself as I had formerly existed; my soul was still my own, I imagined; my blood seemed unchanged, and must flow as rapidly as before; my strength was unaltered, indeed I was in self-consciousness still in the prime of life.
This is a completely bizarre and ridiculous account of how the Illuminati would deal with a self-confessed traitor and it shows how deluded the renegade was to believe that he might be pardoned and given the chance to have transcendent experiences denied to loyal Illuminists.
The traitor ends up being led into a subterranean world by a strange and uncanny being. This fantastical part of the story is almost certainly fuelled by Lloyd's use of magic mushrooms, or something similar. It is written very much in the manner of a drug-induced, visionary "trip". There is a great deal of scientific and spiritual speculation, containing several elements that might have originated from secrets revealed by the Illuminati renegade.
An article by Matthew J. Baggott describes Lloyd's involvement with psychoactive drugs:
John Uri Lloyd's Secret Psychoactives
John Uri Lloyd, Phr.M., Ph.D. (1849-1936) was one of the most important pharmaceutical chemists of his time. As the head of the Lloyd Brothers pharmaceutical company in Cincinnati and in association with the Eclectic Medical Institute, he oversaw many developments in plant chemistry, colloidal chemistry, and drug extraction procedures. He was among the first to study and document the medicinal uses of native American plants, such as the echinacea genus…Lloyd's research revealed much to the world. However, it appears that he also 'hid' some information, seemingly out of fear that it could be misused or would harm humanity. Two different novels offer hints that Lloyd discovered two natural psychoactives --a narcotic plant and a psychedelic fungus - which he failed to publicize out of fear of the possible consequences.
The Lost Narcotic of the Shawnee
Lloyd's narcotic plant is mentioned briefly in Allan W. Eckert's historical novel The Frontiersmen. This novel depicts a conversation between a young girl and the great Shawnee Leader, Tecumseh. In the conversation, Tecumseh reveals to the girl the secrets of a "strange" herb and the fruit of particular tree. He explains that they are used by the Shawnee as powerful analgesics, allowing them to bear great pain during battle or torture. This conversation would be just another page from an entertaining novel if Eckert had not based it on a real conversation.
…
Etidorhpa: the First Psychedelic Novel?
John Uri Lloyd's first novel was a strange occult story which he originally published only for his friends. Etidorhpa ("Aphrodite" spelled backwards) describes the adventures of a man (called "I-Am-The-Man") who must pursue knowledge for both humanity and a secret society as punishment for trying to reveal the society's secrets. The man's adventures occur in a great network of caves beginning under Kentucky where he meets a variety of supernatural creatures and gains much metaphysical knowledge.
While the story is largely fictional, it is sprinkled with various details of factual inspiration. The character of Llewellyn Drury describes several details from Lloyd's life. The theory of gravitation attributed to Professor Daniel Vaughn is an accurate description of the ideas of a Cincinnati-based friend of Lloyd. The premise of the story is inspired by a well-publicized upstate New York incident in which a Mr. Morgan disappeared after revealing some secrets of the Freemasons.
In addition to these factual details, there seems to be another real experience which inspired the central event in Lloyd's novel. This central event takes place over the seven chapters beginning at the end of XXXIII:
Then I stopped as I observed before me a peculiar fungus - peculiar because it was unlike all others I had seen. The convex part of its bowl was below and the great head, as an inverted toadstool, stood upright on a short, stem-like pedestal. The gills within were of a deep green color, and curved out from the center in the form of a spiral. This form, however, was not the most distinguishing feature, for I had before observed specimens that were spiral in structure. The extraordinary peculiarity was that the gills were covered with fruit. This fruit was likewise green in color, each spore, or berry, being from two to three inches in diameter, and honeycombed on the surface, corrugated most beautifully. I stopped, leaned over the edge of the great bowl, and plucked a specimen of the fruit. It seemed to be covered with a hard, transparent shell, and to be nearly full of a clear, green, liquid. I handled and examined it with curiosity, at which my guide seemed not surprised. Regarding me attentively he said:
"What is it that impels a mortal towards this fruit?"
"It is curious," I said; "nothing more."
"As for that," said he, "it is not curious at all; the seed of the lobelia is more curious, because, while it is as exquisitely corrugated, it is also microscopically small. In the second place you err when you say it is simply curious, 'nothing more,' for no mortal every yet passed that bowl without doing what exactly you have done. The vein of curious, were it that alone that impels you, could not but have an exception."
Then he cracked the shell of the fruit by striking it on the stony floor, and carefully opened the shell, handing me one of the halves filled with a green fluid. As he did so he spoke the single word, "Drink," and I did as directed. He stood upright before more, and as I looked him in the face he seemingly, without a reason, struck off into a dissertation, apparently as distinct from our line of thought as a disconnected subject could be as follows...
What follows is a lecture on Intemperance and how every culture becomes depraved through the use of intoxicants. Our hero then leaves his guide and passes among the drunkards who attempt, through various ruses, to get him to drink more of the green fluid. Amidst this temptation to intemperance, our hero meets Etidorhpa, "the Soul of Love Supreme." He promises to be true to her and resist the intoxicating drink. In further trials and temptation, he "walks over the boundless sands that bring misery to the soul" and, as a statue, see "the frozen universe dissolve. Finally, our hero meets up with his guide and the following conversation ensues:
...Before me the familiar figure of my guide stood, with folded arms, and as my gaze fell upon him he reached out his hand and raised me to my feet. "Where have you been during the wretched epochs that have passed since I last saw you?" I asked.
"I have been here," he replied, "and you have been there."
"You lie, you villainous sorcerer," I cried; "you lie again as you have lied to me before. I followed you to the edge of demon land, to the caverns of the drunkards, and then you deserted me. Since last we met I have spent a million, billion years of agony inexpressible, and have had that agony made doubly horrible by contrast with the thought, yes, the very sight and touch of Heaven. I passed into a double eternity, and have experienced the ecstasies of the blessed, and suffered the torments of the damned, and now you dare boldly tell me that I have been here, and that you have been there, since I saw you stand by this cursed fungus bowl."
"Yes," he said, taking no offense at my violence; "yes, neither of us has left this spot; you have sipped of the drink of an earth-damned drunkard, you have experienced part of the curses of intemperance, the delirium of narcotics. Thousands of men on earth, in their drunken hallucination, have gone through hotter hells than you have seen; your dream has not exaggerated the sufferings of those who sup of the delirium of intemperance."
And then he continued:
"Let me tell you of man's conception of eternity."
The guide then reveals that our hero's suffering and ecstasy all took place instantaneously. It is, we learn, the same sort of timeless eternity which one experiences at death. Depending on one's life, this eternity can be one of joy or anguish. The guide instructs our hero:
...Taste not again of any intoxicant; let your recent lesson be your last. Any stimulant is an enemy to man, any narcotic is a fiend. It destroys its victim, and corrupts the mind, entices it into pastures grotesque, and even pleasant at first, but destined to eternal misery in the end.
If it were not sufficiently clear at this point that the writer of this novel ingested some sort of hallucinogen, John Uri Lloyd adds a footnote which explains:
[Note: Morphine, belladonna, hyoscyamus and cannabis indica are narcotics, and yet each differs in its action from the other. Alcohol and methyl alcohol are intoxicants; ether, chloroform. and chloral are anaesthetics, and yet no two are possessed of the same qualities. Is there any good reason to doubt that combinations of the elements as yet hidden from man cannot cause hallucinations that combine and intensify the most virulent of narcotics, intoxicants, and anaesthetics, and pall the effects of hashish or of opium?
If, in the course of experimentation, a chemist should strike upon a compound that in traces only would subject his mind and drive his pen to record such extravagant ideas as are found in the hallucinations herein pictured, would it not be his duty to bury the discovery from others, to cover from mankind the existence of such a noxious fruit of the chemist's or pharmaceutist's art? Introduce such an intoxicant, and start it to ferment in humanity's blood, and before the world were advised of its possible results, might not the ever increasing potency gain such headway as to destroy, or debase our civilization, or even to exterminate mankind? --J.U.L.]
With this footnote, Lloyd makes it abundantly clear that he has discovered some hallucinogenic material and hidden his knowledge of it because he fears that humanity would 'debase' itself with it.
Lloyd's brother, Curtis Gates Lloyd, was a leading mycologist and probably would have collected samples of Stropharia cubensis or other indigenous American hallucinogenic mushrooms. It is therefore plausible that John Uri Lloyd discovered the psychedelic mushroom years before the Wasson's 1955 historical participation in sacred mushroom rituals in Oaxaca, Mexico. On the other hand, it is also possible that Lloyd discovered some other non-fungal hallucinogen. After all, Etidorhpa describes a green liquid from a fruit-like spore growing on a giant mushroom. Perhaps the mushroom is a misleading 'red herring' and Lloyd discovered some plant with hallucinogenic fruit.
*****
In the following section, I Am The Man reveals what he has learned about telepathy:
"Have you not sometimes felt that in yourself there may exist undeveloped senses that await an awakening touch to open to yourself a new world, senses that may be fully developed, but which saturate each other and neutralize themselves; quiescent, closed circles which you cannot reach, satisfied circuits slumbering within your body and that defy your efforts to utilize them? In your dreams have you not seen sights that words are inadequate to describe, that our faculties cannot retain in waking moments, and which dissolve into intangible nothingness, leaving only a vague, shadowy outline as the mind quickens, or rather when the senses that possess you in sleep relinquish the body to the returning vital functions and spirit? This unconscious conception of other planes, a beyond or betwixt, that is neither mental nor material, neither here nor located elsewhere, belongs to humanity in general, and is made evident from the insatiable desire of men to pry into phenomena latent or recondite that offer no apparent return to humanity. This desire has given men the knowledge they now possess of the sciences; sciences yet in their infancy. Study in this direction is, at present, altogether of the material plane, but in time to come, men will gain control of outlying senses which will enable them to step from the seen into the consideration of matter or force that is now subtle and evasive, which must be accomplished by means of the latent faculties that I have indicated. There will be an unconscious development of new mind-forces in the student of nature as the rudiments of these so-called sciences are elaborated. Step by step, as the ages pass, the faculties of men will, under progressive series of evolutions, imperceptibly pass into higher phases until that which is even now possible with some individuals of the purified esoteric school, but which would seem miraculous if practiced openly at this day, will prove feasible to humanity generally and be found in exact accord with natural laws. The conversational method of men, whereby communion between human beings is carried on by disturbing the air by means of vocal organs so as to produce mechanical pulsations of that medium, is crude in the extreme. Mind craves to meet mind, but cannot yet thrust matter aside, and in order to communicate one with another, the impression one mind wishes to convey to another must be first made on the brain matter that accompanies it, which in turn influences the organs of speech, inducing a disturbance of the air by the motions of the vocal organs, which, by undulations that reach to another being, act on his ear, and secondarily on the earthly matter of his brain, and finally by this roundabout course, impress the second being's mind. In this transmission of motions there is great waste of energy and loss of time, but such methods are a necessity of the present slow, much-obstructed method of communication. There is, in cultivated man, an innate craving for something more facile, and often a partly developed conception, spectral and vague, appears, and the being feels that there may be for mortals a richer, brighter life, a higher earthly existence that science does not now indicate. Such intimation of a deeper play of faculties is now most vivid with men during the perfect loss of mental self as experienced in dreams, which as yet man in the quick cannot grasp, and which fade as he awakens. As mental sciences are developed, investigators will find that the medium known as air is unnecessary as a means of conveying mind conceptions from one person to another; that material sounds and word pulsations are cumbersome; that thought force unexpressed may be used to accomplish more than speech can do, and that physical exertions as exemplified in motion of matter such as I have described will be unnecessary for mental communication. As door after door in these directions shall open before men, mystery after mystery will be disclosed, and vanish as mysteries to reappear as simple facts. Phenomena that are impossible and unrevealed to the scientist of today will be familiar to the coming multitude, and at last, as by degrees, clearer knowledge is evolved, the vocal language of men will disappear, and humanity, regardless of nationality, will, in silence and even in darkness, converse eloquently together in mind language. That which is now esoteric will become exoteric. Then mind will meet mind as my mind now impinges on your own, and, in reply to your muttered question regarding my apparently unaccountable powers of perception, I say they are perfectly natural, but while I can read your thoughts, because of the fact that you cannot reciprocate in this direction, I must use my voice to impress your mind. You will know more of this, however, at a future day, for it has been ordained that you are to be educated with an object that is now concealed. At present you are interested mainly in the affairs of life as you know them, and cannot enter into these purer spheres. We are approaching one of your former friends, and it may be your pleasure to ask him some questions and to bid him farewell."
*****
In the following section, I Am The Man reveals that he is talking about the Illuminati rather than the Freemasons by indicating that most Masons are ignorant of what tasks the "secret workers" are engaged in:
The secret workers in the sacred order of which you are still a member, have ever taken an important part in furthering such a system of evolution. This feature of our work is unknown to brethren of the ordinary fraternity, and the individual research of each secret messenger is unguessed, by the craft at large. Hence it is that the open workers of our order, those initiated by degrees only, who in lodge rooms carry on their beneficent labors among men, have had no hand other than as agents in your removal, and no knowledge of your present or future movements. Their function is to keep together our organization on earth, and from them only an occasional member is selected, as you have been, to perform special duties in certain adventurous studies. Are you willing to go on this journey of exploration? and are you brave enough to meet the trials you have invited?"
I Am The Man talks of angels:
"A study of true science is a study of God," he continued. "Angels are organizations natural in accordance with God's laws. They appear superhuman, because of our ignorance concerning the higher natural forces. They exist in exact accordance with the laws that govern the universe; but as yet the attraction between clay and clay-bound spirit is so great as to prevent the enthralled soul of man from communicating with them. The faith of the religionist is an example of the unquenchable feeling that creates a belief as well as a hope that there is a self-existence separate from earthy substances. The scoffing scientific agnostic, working for other objects, will yet astonish himself by elaborating a method that will practically demonstrate these facts, and then empirical religion, as exemplified by the unquestioning faithful believer, and systematic science, as typified in the experimental materialist, will meet on common ground."
The Real Background To Etidorhpa
In 1887, a renegade member of the Illuminati approached John Uri Lloyd, a prominent American pharmaceutical chemist. Lloyd had a great interest in esoteric matters and had longed cherished a desire to join the Illuminati, but was not successful in his attempts to gain admission, and the renegade had become aware of this fact. Lloyd was naturally excited to meet someone who had inside information and the two became confederates. They hatched a plan to publish a book revealing secret matters concerning the Illuminati, wedded with unorthodox scientific and philosophical theories that Lloyd had been formulating for some years.
In an attempt to disguise the renegade's true identity, the two men came up with a cunning scheme to pass off the renegade as the notorious William Morgan, an embittered Freemason who turned against the Brotherhood in the 1820s and wrote a book exposing their secrets and ceremonies.
As previously mentioned, Morgan was kidnapped by Masons and disappeared. It was thought that the Masons murdered him, and a body was found, though it was never conclusively proved to be his (http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/party.html).
Of course, the Illuminati were never fooled by the ruse and they tracked down the individual concerned. We will not name the traitor nor say what his fate was. History has consigned him to the oblivion he deserved. He was just a self-serving, glory-hunting narcissist attempting to make himself seem like a hero. Fortunately, he was unable to profit from his treachery. (And immediately after this episode, the Illuminati changed their recruitment procedure to prevent such people ever again gaining admission to the Order.)
The traitor's actions represented an extremely serious betrayal by a trusted person who fled from his former associates and changed his identity in a futile attempt to evade detection. He attempted to dress up his treachery by proclaiming it to be something noble and done for the good of humanity. Many traitors speak thus. The following is a direct quotation from the book:
"You must act what men will call the traitor, but humanity will be the gainer."
Traitors always try to claim that they are breaking the most solemn vows in order to benefit the human race. Of course, they are always doing it for personal gain, petty revenge or some other selfish end.
No secret society would ever promote treachery, and nor would any adept of any stripe say that betrayal of ancient secrets would lead to humanity being the gainer. Imagine the catastrophe that would result from placing precious secrets in the hands of the likes of Fox TV, Rupert Murdoch, the OWO, and above all, Satan and his archons. Nothing could be more calamitous.
Members of the Illuminati take a sacred oath where they swear not to reveal any secrets unless given explicit permission by the Grand Master to do so.
Many people hold the opinion that any secret to which they are not personally party is wrong per se, but they fail to understand that many secrets are not secrets for selfish reasons. These secrets are being protected and preserved from those who would seek to destroy the truth. If it were an intrinsic good to reveal such knowledge then it would certainly have been done long ago.
Gnostics teach that this world is Satan's creation and that we must acquire the secret and transcendent knowledge (gnosis) to escape. What possible reason could anyone have for betraying these secrets to the controllers of the world, to Satan and his archons? No betrayal could be more serious. The fate of billions of human souls is at stake, and Satan already has most of these souls in his grasp. No nation would hand over its secrets to its deadly enemies, and nor would any secret society.
However, it's also true that times change and the Illuminati is now of the opinion that certain knowledge should be released into the public sphere to dispel the misinformation and disinformation that has long surrounded the Illuminati. The purpose of this site, for example, is to furnish interested parties with the same knowledge that would be available to sixth degree Illuminists.
The three individuals who are responsible for this site are seventh degree Illuminists, all seeking to be admitted to the three "mystery" degrees of the Illuminati. The highest degree of the Illuminati has only twelve adepts, and these form the ruling council of the Illuminati, and from amongst their number the Grand Master is elected. Like the Papacy, this final degree operates according to a "dead man's shoes" principle i.e. a member of the ruling council must die before a new Illuminatus can be admitted to the council.
The Illuminati versus Freemasonry
The Illuminati were the founders of Freemasonry, but they did not run it in a hands-on way (they always leave satellite organisations to evolve in their own way since they have insufficient numbers to manage them themselves). Although it began as a noble, heroic and anti-establishment organisation committed to spreading Enlightenment values, Freemasonry was soon identified by the Old World Order as the weak link in the resistance movement, one that could be "turned". They were not wrong. The central problem with Freemasonry was that it expanded too fast. Originally it only recruited meritocratic individuals, highly committed to political and religious transformation of the world, but, as it expanded, new members joined who had none of the same reforming zeal but were merely curious about the secrets and ceremonial practices of Freemasonry.
This is one of the main reasons why the Illuminati remains a small organisation of only a few thousand adepts. Only by ensuring that new members are of the right type can the Order be protected from the kind of disaster that overtook Freemasonry. The Illuminati uses a "cell" consisting of three senior adepts to handle all matters of recruitment in a consistent way.
The 3-person Illuminati cell that is responsible for this website is a so-called "communication cell" (one of a number of such cells, all of which operate independently and are engaged in a variety of projects) and has no influence over the recruitment cell. We pass on details of individuals who contact us expressing an interest in joining the Illuminati (and we provide a recommendation), but virtually all such candidates are put on a "watch" file. In essence, this means that the progress of such candidates is monitored over a period of years to see if they are committed, zealous, meritocratic individuals who are not susceptible to the corruption of the OWO. "The Movement" is now the testing ground where would-be recruits can demonstrate their credentials.
We must emphasise again that the Illuminati is nothing like the Freemasons. We are not a group that seeks to have lodges in every town, nor to have a mass membership, with money, power and influence rolling in. You can't be admitted to the Illuminati because you know someone who knows someone, and so on. You can't be admitted because you are rich and famous. You can't be admitted simply because you are keen to learn secrets. You must be the right type of person, and the Illuminati usually takes years to decide whether you are or not.
The Illuminati rejects modern Freemasonry utterly because it has been hijacked by the so-called Star Families (bloodlines) of the Old World Order and has become their primary means of upholding their power. Every member of the OWO is a Mason, although they belong to extremely special lodges to which no ordinary Mason is ever admitted.
What most people "know" about the Illuminati concerns the period when, under Grand Master Adam Weishaupt, the Order's existence became a matter of public record. Weishaupt was a professor, an expert in law, canon law and philosophy, who was determined to push forward the agenda of the Enlightenment that had two primary goals: a) to attack the idiocy, hypocrisy, illogic, corruption and oppression of Christianity and b) to attack the inequality, unfairness, tyranny, elitism, injustice and oppression of the European monarchies and the arrogant aristocracies that supported them.
Weishaupt was a highly educated academic (in common with many members of the Illuminati), committed to bringing about a New World Order based on meritocracy where everyone has a fair chance and can rise as high as their talents warrant. It is astounding that Weishaupt's New World Order has been transformed by contemporary mythology from a vehicle to overthrow tyranny into one that, according to the deranged anarcho-capitalist libertarians with their shape-shifting Reptiles, Hollow Earth, Nibiru and microchip theories, will bring about the greatest tyranny of all, where the earth is ruled by fascist aliens. How can any rational human being equate what Weishaupt actually said with what the libertarian lunatics are claiming he said?
Weishaupt's New World Order is the best thing that could happen to this earth. It is the means by which the world will move from the squalid rule of the Old World Order to the visionary society envisaged by Star Trek. Which society would you rather have? Only enemies of meritocracy, justice, fraternity, liberty and equality are opposed to Weishaupt's New World Order.
Reject all of those who condemn the New World Order. It is precisely what we should all be aiming for: the world where all of us have the best chance to make the most of ourselves, to use our talents to the full, to achieve maximum self-fulfilment.
The Illuminati's main problem is its own creation: Freemasonry. Freemasonry was designed as a movement to advance the cause of the Enlightenment. Initially, Freemasonry did exactly what was expected of it. In particular, it helped during the French Revolution to overthrow the evil monarchy of Louis XVI. Before that, it gave rise to the Republic of the United States of America where the great Illuminist Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the inspirational Declaration of Independence. The sentiments expressed there are what the Illuminati stand for, yet the anarcho-capitalist libertarians who, perversely, claim to be on the side of truth, freedom and justice, oppose these principles.
Thomas Jefferson ensured that America allowed its citizens to worship God in whatever way they chose i.e. there was no state church, no state religion, no demands for people to follow particular religious practices.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
A strict "wall of separation" was maintained between religion and state, exactly as any healthy state would desire. It is all the more remarkable that America has become such a Christian Fundamentalist nation that blindly supports Israel, a nation that has an explicitly religious identity i.e. there is no wall of separation in Israel. In fact, the opposite is true: it is a Jewish state. The head of state of the UK doubles up as the head of the state church of England: the Anglican Church. How can a monarch be the leader of a religion? It's absurd. Many nations are explicitly Muslim. Pity those who live in those countries who do not subscribe to Islam. State religion is one of the greatest of all evils. Religious nations should be boycotted and ostracised from the community of nations.
A modern state without monarchy and without a state religion - this was the first part of Weishaupt's New World Order. He wanted the American model to be extended to every European nation groaning under monarchy and state religion. Unfortunately, America soon became as corrupt as the European nations, but the failure of America is to do with the people who have been allowed to rise to power, not with the principles upon which the Republic was founded. Those principles were never fully implemented. If they had been, America would have become the great beacon of hope for humanity that it was always intended to be. America can still be that beacon.
Only those who are opposed to the foundation of the American Republic could possibly oppose Weishaupt's New World Order, and indeed many anarcho-capitalist libertarians do indeed bemoan the creation of America and label it as a sinister Masonic conspiracy from the outset. America has not evolved as its founders intended it should, but that was because the "Empire" fought back i.e. the Old World Order worked out how to sabotage the wondrous American experiment.
They chose Freemasonry as the Trojan Horse that would allow them to infiltrate the new American system of government. This was the logical and perfect choice since most of the leading figures in the American Revolution were Masons. The Illuminati had intended Masons to be Enlightenment warriors - noble, honourable, principled and driven by meritocracy - but the Old World Order appealed to the oldest of temptations: greed and lust for money, power, fame, sex and influence. They turned Freemasonry to the dark side by the simple and brutally effective use of bribery and corruption. It's the tactic they always use to neutralise their enemies, and it rarely fails.
Freemasonry is now a nauseating, unprincipled, self-serving secret society of freeloaders, carpetbaggers, robber barons, gangsters, racketeers and everyone who's fake, on the make and on the take. The only difference between the Mafia and Freemasonry is that the Mafia are outside the establishment while the Freemasons are the establishment.
Notorious mobster Al Capone said:
1) "Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class"
2) "You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."
3) "I have built my organization upon fear."
These are identical to the sentiments of the OWO. The truth is that the OWO are a gangster conspiracy that is treated as legitimate. Washington DC and Wall Street are full of gangsters stealing from the public, committing hold ups in broad daylight, silencing their enemies and doing everything to further "our thing". Like the Mafia, they are family men and women, fully committed to making sure their children get much more than everyone else's children. Like the Mafia, they use force to achieve their ends. They are criminals wearing a cloak of fake respectability.
Economist John Maynard Keynes said, "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the wickedest of men will do the wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."
Isn't it time we wised up? The OWO are arch capitalists (i.e. racketeers) and they have no interest at all in doing anything for the greatest good of everyone. They are in it entirely for themselves. Look at the Wall Street gang: the size of their bonus is their only concern. The whole world can go to hell as long as they get their super-inflated bonus. If their bonus is refused they will threaten to leave the country and go where they are more appreciated. This is essentially the thesis of Ayn Rand's nauseating novel Atlas Shrugged. The rest of us should make it as easy as possible for these people to go elsewhere. Every nation would be better off without these sociopaths.
The great unholy alliance of our time is between Washington DC's Freemasonry and Wall Street's Jewish bankers. The banks provide the financial muscle while the Masons provide the political and social power: a marriage truly made in hell.
Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is engaged to Jewish Goldman Sachs investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, son of former Pennsylvania Representative Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky and former Iowa Representative Ed Mezvinsky. This is how the old World Order works: dynastic marriages stretching across the banking and political worlds, continually extending their financial and political power. It's happening right in front of our faces. How long before Marc Mezvinsky is on the board of Goldman Sachs; how long before Chelsea Clinton is running for President? Already, the wheels are in motion for these things to happen. Already, the OWO are preparing the path for these two chosen ones. Already OWO teams have started work on these projects. Already, others are shut out, blocked, regardless of their merits.
For centuries, Europe was controlled by a group of royal families that engaged relentlessly in dynastic marriages to consolidate their wealth and power. Royalty is no longer what it was, but the OWO have simply replaced it with new dynastic marriages between bankers and politicians, those who control our money and those who control the laws that govern us. They rule us with the same arrogance and selfishness as the monarchs of old.
Bill Clinton was a member of the junior Masonic association the "Order of De Molay" when he was young. He later entered the ultra elitist and utterly secretive OWO Masonic lodge called "The Golden Star of Minerva". (It must be acknowledged that many of the names and symbols associated with Freemasonry ultimately derive from the Illuminati, the founders of Freemasonry. Now the Illuminati can only look on appalled as their ancient names and symbols are abused in the most disgraceful manner by modern Masons as these charlatans desperately seek authenticity.)
Hillary Clinton now has a close friendship with UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband who, like Chelsea's fiancé is Jewish (Miliband's brother Ed is also a senior British politician). We can be sure no substantive pressure will be exerted on Israel by America and the UK to make the Israelis stop their disgraceful treatment of the Palestinians.
When are people going to wake up? We cannot allow these dynasties to keep gathering more and more power.
Never forget the unholiest alliance: Masonic power and Jewish money, the axis of evil around which the Old World Order revolves.
The people of Israel claim that God led them to the "Promised Land" and that they have a divine right to be there. Of course, the Palestinians, once known as the Canaanites, were in the Land of Canaan long before the Hebrews showed up with their "army of God". They, not the Israelis, are the people who can legitimately claim that Canaan is their historical homeland. Only a Satanic god would ever promise a people a land that already belonged to another people. And look how effective Satan's promise proved: thousands of years later, conflict and hatred is still rife in the so-called holy land.
The Old Testament story of how the Hebrews violently seized control of Canaan with the help of their partisan, violent God is one of the most shocking and horrific narratives ever placed before the world. That such a tale should be place in a "holy" book and fed to billions of people over several millennia is one of the greatest sins ever perpetrated against humanity. Marcion was right that this sickening book should be treated with nothing but horror and revulsion. It would have been much better for the world if this tale was never told.
But it must be emphasised that there are many good Jews who are as opposed to what the Jewish banking fraternity get up to as we are. There can be no knee-jerk anti-Semitism. The Old World Order consists of only 6,000 people: a small number of super-rich Jews, a small number of super-influential Freemasons, a small number of members of the aristocratic and royal families of Europe, a small number of super-celebrities and a small number of self-serving "intellectuals" and propagandists. They are backed up by senior members of the world's security forces (military and police) and intelligence services.
Insofar as the Illuminati founded Freemasonry and Freemasonry has now become the opposite of what it was intended to be, it is perhaps not unsurprising that the Illuminati has been condemned in some circles, but this is unjust. Freemasonry was corrupted by the OWO; it is no longer the noble brotherhood originally designed by the Illuminati. That is why the Illuminati now advocate a completely different vehicle for advancing the cause of a New World Order, one to which any motivated person can contribute. The "Movement", as described on this website, is the way forward to change the world. You too can be part of it.
The Hollow Earth
Greg Jenner (http://www.darkstar1.co.uk/gregjenner1.html) says:
According to my subterranean research, there was a vast global ancient underground tunnel system built by Giants before the Flood of Noah. This tunnel system is no doubt derelict in some areas and has been obliterated over the millennia by earthquakes due to plate tectonics, but from what I have investigated, some areas are still intact and possibly operational. I'm documenting all this because I think there is a direct correlation between the passing of Nibiru and the subsequent 'underground' activity of the giants. Call it survival mode if-you-will for the remaining Nephillim. Their descendants were not wiped out after the flood - caused by Nibiru - and the only way they could survive was to occupy the subterranean realm.
…
Like any occupied territory or country though (this is where it gets complicated) there seems to be malevolent groups/races vying for dominance within the Earth, on the other hand, benevolent groups/races have chosen to segregate from the original Nephillim race and go it alone into remote obscurity. The question is will one of these subterranean races ever interact with humanity once again in the future?
…
I should note that the following books: 'Vril, The Power of the Coming Race' (Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton ©1871) and 'Etidorhpa' were written in the form of novels but some theosophists regard them as factual and I must admit, I am strongly leaning in that direction as well.
…
It's surprising that Jenner doesn't also mention Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Hollow Earth theories were popular towards the end of the 19th century, but they were comprehensively disproved in the 20th century (though most modern hollow theory proponents seem not to have noticed).
Of course, plate tectonics, earthquakes, the earth's magnetic field, volcanoes etc all provide conclusive evidence that the centre of the earth is not hollow and has a molten iron core. The Hollow Earth theory is ridiculous. There are no races and aliens hiding down there. And why would "giants" go underground after a worldwide flood? That sounds like the worse place in the world to go. On the same subject, why isn't the hollow earth flooded with water?
Many of these myths arise from the fact that secret societies such as the Illuminati have, throughout history, often used underground chambers to act as sanctuaries during times of persecution. There are subterranean sites all over the world, particularly in Europe, where the Illuminati sought refuge from those hunting them. Some of these were quite large structures and were able to provide a home to hundreds of people for protracted periods. But there were never elaborate underground cities. No human society could flourish below the surface, away from the sun.
There is indeed a "Cave of Zoroaster" in Kansas that is used to this day by the Illuminati (though Lloyd was never able to find it despite repeated attempts). The type of secret ceremony described in The Millionaires' Death Club is loosely what takes place there.
I Am The Man's descent into the hollow earth is not a literal journey. In reality, he is describing the spiritual journey taken by adepts of the Illuminati as they strive to reach the highest levels of wisdom, where they encounter their higher self, the divine spark, the soul, the imago Dei. On the way, they "meet" the contents of their unconscious and are encouraged to activate their "hero program". In Etidorhpa, Lloyd describes the journey in somewhat psychedelic terms, but even in this there is a true element: the Illuminati do use a certain natural psychedelic drug in some of their ceremonies.
The strange guide who leads I Am The Man into the earth takes the role of the Illuminati's mystagogue representing the god Hermes. This person is also known as the psychopompos - the "conductor of souls" - who must lead the "dead" through the underworld. He is also referred to as the hierokeryx (herald of the sacred) or hierophantes (he who shows sacred things).
After taking a psychedelic drug, I Am The Man undergoes temptations, trials and horrors representing encounters with his persona, ego, shadow, aurum, and anima. The strength (or weakness) of his character is fully tested.
One temptation is the easy pleasure of alcohol. I Am The Man is told by his guide:
"This is the Drunkards' Den. These men are lost to themselves and to the world. Every member of this assembly once passed onward as you are now doing, in the charge of a guide. They failed to reach the goal to which you aspire, and retreating, reached this chamber, to become victims to the drink habit. Some of these creatures have been here for ages, others only for a short period."
One temptation is the perfect partner of love. I Am The Man encounters his anima:
"My name is Etidorhpa. In me you behold the spirit that elevates man, and subdues the most violent of passions. In history, so far back in the dim ages as to be known now as legendary mythology, have I ruled and blessed the world. Unclasp my power over man and beast, and while heaven dissolves, the charms of Paradise will perish. I know no master. The universe bows to my authority. Stars and suns enamoured pulsate and throb in space and kiss each other in waves of light; atoms cold embrace and cling together; structures inanimate affiliate with and attract inanimate structures; bodies dead to other noble passions are not dead to love. The savage beast, under my enchantment, creeps to her lair, and gently purrs over her offspring; even man becomes less violent, and sheathes his weapon and smothers his hatred as I soothe his passions beside the loved ones in the privacy of his home.
"I have been known under many titles, and have comforted many peoples. Strike my name from Time's record, and the lovely daughters of Zeus and Dione would disappear; and with them would vanish the grace and beauty of woman; the sweet conception of the Froth Child of the Cyprus Sea would be lost; Venus, the Goddess of love, would have no place in song, and Love herself, the holiest conception of the poet, man's superlative conception of Heaven's most precious charms, would be buried with the myrtle and the rose. My name is Etidorhpa; interpret it rightly, and you have what has been to humanity the essence of love, the mother of all that ennobles. He who loves a wife worships me; she, who in turn makes a home happy, is typical of me. I am Etidorhpa, the beginning and the end of earth. Behold in me the antithesis of envy, the opposite of malice, the enemy of sorrow, the mistress of life, the queen of immortal bliss.
"Do you know," she continued, and her voice, soft and sweet, carried with it a pleasurable sense of truthfulness indescribable, "do you know that man's idea of heaven, places me, Etidorhpa, on the highest throne? With the charm of maiden pure, I combine the devotion of wife and the holiness of mother. Take from the life of man the treasures I embody, and he will be homeless, childless, loveless. The thought of Heaven will in such a case be as the dismal conception of a dreary platitude. A life in such a Heaven, a Heaven devoid of love (and this the Scriptures teach), is one of endless torment.
…
She shook her head. "You must yet be tempted as never before, and you must resist the tempter. You cannot pass into the land of Etidorhpa until you have suffered as only the damned can suffer, until you have withstood the pangs of thirst, and have experienced heat and cold indescribable. Remember the warning of your former guide, mark well the words of Etidorhpa: you must not yield. 'Twas to serve you that I came before you now, 'twas to preserve you from the Drunkard's Cavern that I have given you this vision of the land beyond the End of Earth where, if you will serve yourself, we will meet again.
…
During his journey, I Am The Man is afflicted by terrible despair, misery and nihilism (the symbolic death of the ego in preparation for becoming the Self). He is also taught that it is mind and not matter that suffers:
"Misery is a thing, misery is not a conception- pain is real, pain is not an impression. Misery and pain would still exist and prey upon mind substance were there no men, for mind also is real, and not a mere conception. The pain you have suffered has not been the pain of matter, but the pain of spirit. Matter cannot suffer. Were it matter that suffered, the heated sand would writhe in agony. No; it is only mind and spirit that experience pain, or pleasure, and neither mind nor spirit can evade its destiny, even if it escape from the body."
…
Reflection after reflection passed through that incarcerated thought entity, and as I meditated, the heinous mistakes I had committed in the life that had passed, arose to torment. God had answered my supplications, successively I had experienced the hollowness of earthly pleasures, and had left each lesson unheeded. Had I not alternately begged for and then cursed each gift of God? Had I not prayed for heat, cold, light, and darkness, and anathematized each? Had I not, when in perfect silence, prayed for sound; in sheltered caverns, prayed for winds and storms; in the very corridors of heaven, and in the presence of Etidorhpa, had I not sought for joys beyond?
Had I not found each pleasure of life a mockery, and notwithstanding each bitter lesson, still pursued my headstrong course, alternately blessing and cursing my Creator, and then myself, until now, amid a howling waste, in perfect darkness, my conscious intellect was bound to the frozen, rigid semblance of a body? All about me was dead and dark, all within was still and cold, only my quickened intellect remained as in every corpse the self-conscious intellect must remain, while the body has a mortal form, for death of body is not attended by the immediate liberation of mind. The consciousness of the dead man is still acute, and he who thinks the dead are mindless, will realize his fearful error when devoid of motion he lies a corpse, conscious of all that passes on around him, waiting the liberation that can only come by disintegration and destruction of the flesh.
So, unconscious of pain, unconscious of any physical sense, I existed on and on, enthralled, age after age passed and piled upon one another, for time was to me unchangeable, no more an entity. I now prayed for change of any kind, and envied the very devils in hell their pleasures, for were they not gifted with the power of motion, could they not hear, and see, and realize the pains they suffered? I prayed for death- death absolute, death eternal. Then, at last, the darkness seemed to lessen, and I saw the frozen earth beneath, the monstrous crags of ice above, the raging tempest about, for I now had learned by reflection to perceive by pure intellect, to see by the light within. My body, solid as stone, was fixed and preserved in a waste of ice. The world was frozen. I perceived that the sun, and moon, and stars, nearly stilled, dim and motionless, had paled in the cold depths of space. The universe itself was freezing, and amid the desolation only my deserted intellect remained. Age after age had passed, aeons of ages had fled, nation after nation had grown and perished, and in the uncounted epochs behind, humanity had disappeared. Unable to free itself from the frozen body, my own intellect remained the solitary spectator of the dead silence about. At last, beneath my vision, the moon disappeared, the stars faded one by one, and then I watched the sun grow dim, until at length only a milky, gauze-like film remained to indicate her face, and then- vacancy. I had lived the universe away. And in perfect darkness the living intellect, conscious of all that had transpired in the ages past, clung still enthralled to the body of the frozen mortal. I thought of my record in the distant past, of the temptations I had undergone, and called myself a fool, for, had I listened to the tempter, I could at least have suffered, I could have had companionship even though it were of the devils in hell. I lived my life over and over, tunes without number; I thought of my tempters, of the offered cups, and thinking, argued with myself:
"No," I said;" no, I had made the promise, I have faith in Etidorhpa, and were it to do over again I would not drink."
Then, as this thought sped from me, the ice scene dissolved, the enveloped frozen form of myself faded from view, the sand shrunk into nothingness, and with my natural body, and in normal condition, I found myself back in the earth cavern, on my knees, beside the curious inverted fungus, of which fruit I had eaten in obedience to my guide's directions.
…
I Am The Man gives a speech clearly inspired by the Illuminati and uses the Illuminati phrase "The Unknown Country" (representing the stage beyond the ego when the Self - the divine spark - is coming into view for the first time):
"You have heard part of my story, that portion which I am commanded to make known now, and you have learned how, by natural methods, I passed by successive steps while in the body, to the door that death only, as yet, opens to humanity. You understand also that, although of human form, I am not as other men (for with me matter is subservient to mind), and as you have promised, so you must act, and do my bidding concerning the manuscript."
"But there is surely more to follow. You will tell me of what you saw and experienced beyond the end of earth, within the possessions of Etidorhpa. Tell me of that Unknown Country."
"No," he answered," this is the end, at least so far as my connection with you is concerned. You still question certain portions of my narrative, I perceive, notwithstanding the provings I have given you, and yet as time passes investigation will show that every word I have read or uttered is true, historically, philosophically, and spiritually (which you now doubt), and men will yet readily understand how the seemingly profound, unfathomable phenomena I have encountered may be verified. I have studied and learned by bitter experience in a school that teaches from the outgoings of a deeper philosophy than human science has reached, especially modern materialistic science which, however, step by step it is destined to reach. And yet I have recorded but a small part of the experiences that I have undergone. What I have related is only a foretaste of the inexhaustible feast which, in the wisdom expanse of the future, will yet be spread before man, and which tempts him onward and upward. This narrative, which rests against the beginning of my real story, the Unknown Country and its possibilities should therefore incite to renewed exertions, both mental and experimental, those permitted to review it. I have carried my history to the point at which I can say to you, very soon afterward I gave up my body temporarily, by a perfectly natural process, a method that man can yet employ, and passed as a spiritual being into the ethereal spaces, through those many mansions which I am not permitted to describe at this time, and from which I have been forced unwillingly to return and take up the semblance of my body, in order to meet you and record these events. I must await the development and expansion of mind that will permit men to accept this faithful record of my history before completing the narrative, for men are yet unprepared. Men must seriously consider those truths which, under inflexible natural laws, govern the destiny of man, but which, if mentioned at this day can only be viewed as the hallucinations of a disordered mind. To many this manuscript will prove a passing romance, to others an enigma, to others still it will be a pleasing study. Men are not now in a condition to receive even this paper. That fact I know full well, and I have accordingly arranged that thirty years shall pass before it is made public. Then they will have begun to study more deeply into force disturbances, exhibitions of energy that are now known and called imponderable bodies (perhaps some of my statements will then even be verified), and to reflect over the connection of matter therewith. A few minds will then be capable of vaguely conceiving possibilities, which this paper will serve to foretell, for a true solution of the great problems of the ethereal unknown is herein suggested, the study of which will lead to a final elevation of humanity, such as I dare not prophesy."
"Much of the paper is obscure to me," I said," and there are occasional phrases and repetitions that appear to be interjected, possibly, with an object, and which are yet disconnected from the narrative proper."
"That is true; the paper often contains statements that are emblematical, and which you cannot understand, but yet such portions carry to others a hidden meaning. I am directed to speak to many persons besides yourself, and I cannot meet those whom I address more directly than I do through this communication. These pages will serve to instruct many people whom you will never know, to whom I have brought messages that will in secret be read between the lines."
…
"Wait a moment; it is unjust to leave the narrative thus uncompleted. You have been promised a future in comparison with which the experiences you have undergone, and have related to me, were tame; you had just met on the edge of the inner circle that mysterious being concerning whom I am deeply interested, as I am in the continuation of your personal narrative, and you have evidently more to relate, for you must have passed into that Unknown Country. You claim to have done so, but you break the thread in the most attractive part by leaving the future to conjecture."
"It must be so. This is a history of man on Earth, the continuation will be a history of man within the Unknown Country."
…
Conclusion
Etidorhpa came into being as an act of treachery by a renegade Illuminist. It betrayed secrets of the Illuminati and could have caused immense damage, but no serious consequences flowed and now the Illuminati are willing to point to Etidorhpa as providing a number of interesting insights into the secret workings of the Illuminati.
But there is also much in the book that originates in the speculations of John Uri Lloyd and has no connection with the Illuminati. Interested readers will have to navigate their own way through the labyrinth to separate genuine Illuminati teachings from Lloyd's flights of the imagination.
I Am The Man claimed to be the Man Who Did It. In fact, all he did was break solemn vows and thereby ensured that he would never attain the things he so desperately wanted. He didn't have the patience, discipline or respect to work his way through the degrees of the Illuminati. He tried to cheat and he failed. That individual never entered the Unknown Country.