The Hidden Hand that Shaped History
The Hidden Hand that Shaped History
By Vigilant
Has
the course of History been directed by a small group of people with
common interests? The paintings and pictures of the great men of the
past centuries reveal a common thread which links them together. Is it a
coincidence that many of them hid one of their hands when posing for a
portrait? It seems unlikely. We'll look at the Masonic origin of the
"hidden hand" and the powerful men who used the sign in famous
portraits.
Stalin and Washington - two opposing ideologies, one hand gesture
"Today's
thinking toward a democratic world state is neither a new trend nor an
accidental circumstance; the work of setting up the background of
knowledge necessary to the establishing of enlightened democracy among
all nations has been carried on for many hundreds of years by secret
societies."
-Manly P. Hall, Secret Destiny of America
Is
there a hidden force behind the world events of the past centuries? Are
the fall of European monarchies, the bringing forth of the Age of
Enlightenment and our path towards a world democracy, part of a great
plan lead by a "hidden hand"? Before the advent of mass media, portraits
depicting their leaders in majestic poses were the only artifacts
people had. Do these portraits have an occult meaning?
One
of those poses is the "hiding of the hand". I remember my history
teacher trying to explain why Napoleon was often shown with a hand
inside his shirt. The common explanation went along these lines:
"Many
theories have been presented as to why Napoleon is traditionally
depicted with his hand in his waistcoat. Some of these theories include:
he had a stomach ulcer, he was winding his watch, he had an itchy skin
disease, in his era it was impolite to put your hands in your pockets,
he had breast cancer, he had a deformed hand, he kept a perfumed sachet
in his vest that he'd sniff surreptitiously, and that painters don't
like to paint hands"
-Tom Holmberg
Unless
all the individuals discussed in this article had stomach ulcer or
deformed hands, the gesture of hiding one's hand simply has to have a
specific meaning. It does. Most of the people using this sign are proven
(and often enthusiastic) members of the Freemasons. Considering the
great importance of this gesture in Masonic rituals and the fact that
all of the elite were either part of Freemasonry or knew of it, it is
simply impossible that the recurrence of this sign could be the result
of a coincidence. The "hidden hand" can in fact be found in the rituals
of the Royal Arch Degree of Freemasonry and the world leaders that use
this sign are subtly saying to other initiates of the order: "This is
what I'm part of, this is what I believe in and this is what I'm working
for".
The Royal Arch Degree
The Triple Tau
The Royal Arch Degree (the 13th degree of the Scottish Rite or the 7th degree of the York Rite) is also known as the Mason of the Secret. During this Degree, initiates are said to receive great Masonic truths.
"The
members of this Degree are denominated companions, and are "entitled to
a full explanation of the mysteries of the Order"; whereas in the
former Degrees they are recognized by the common, familiar appellation
of brothers, and kept in a state of profound ignorance of the sublime
secret which is disclosed in this Chapter. This accords with the custom
of Pythagoras, who thus distinguished his pupils. After a probation of
five years, as stated before, they were admitted into the presence of
the preceptor, called his companions, and permitted to converse with him
freely. Previous to the expiration of that term he delivered his
instructions to them from behind a screen"
-John Fellows, Fellows's Inquiry into the Origin, History, and Purport of Freemasonry
"If
we pass on to the Royal Arch, we receive a wonderful accession of
knowledge, and find every thing made perfect; for this is the nec plus
ultra of Masonry, and can never be exceeded by any human institution."
-George Oliver, Lectures on Freemasonry
It is during this degree that the initiate learns the sacred name of God.
"A
Degree indescribably more august, sublime, and important than any which
precede it, and is, in fact, the summit and perfection of ancient
Masonry. It impresses upon our minds a belief in the being of a God,
without beginning of days or end of years, the great and
incomprehensible Alpha and Omega, and reminds us of the reverence which
is due to His Holy NAME."
-George Oliver, Historical Landmarks
This holy name is Jahbulon, a combination of words meaning "god" in Syriac, Chaldaic and Egyptian.
"JEHOVAH.
Of the varieties of this sacred name in use among the different nations
of the earth, three particularly merit the attention of Royal Arch
Masons:
1. JAH. This name of God is found in the 68th Psalm, v. 4.
2.
BAAL OR BEL. This word signifies a lord, master, or possessor, and
hence it was applied by many of the nations of the East to denote the
Lord of all things, and the Master of the world.
3. ON. This was the name by which JEHOVAH was worshiped among the Egyptians."
-Malcolm C. Duncan, Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor
The
initiation ritual to this degree re-enacts the return to Jerusalem of
three Most Excellent Masons who were held captive in Babylon. I won't go
through the whole ceremony and symbolism but at one point, the initiate
is asked to learn a secret password and a hand sign in order to through
a series of veils. The following image depicts the hand sign required
to go through the second veil, as documented in Duncan's Masonic Ritual
and Monitor:
"Master
of Second Veil: "Three Most Excellent Masters you Must have been, or
thus far you could not have come; but farther you cannot go without my
words, sign, and word of exhortation. My words are Shem, Japhet, and
Adoniram; my sign is this: (thrusting his hand in his bosom); it is in
imitation of one given by God to Moses, when He commanded him to thrust
his hand into his bosom, and, taking it out, it became as leprous as
snow. My word of exhortation is explanatory of this sign, and is found
in the writings of Moses, viz., fourth chapter of Exodus":
"And
the Lord said unto Moses, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put
his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was
leprous as snow"
-Malcolm C. Duncan, Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor
As
stated above, this hand gesture is said to be inspired by Exodus 4:6.
In this biblical verse, the heart ("bosom") stands for what we are, the
hand for what we do. It can thus be interpreted as : What we are is what
we ultimately do. The symbolic significance of this gesture might
explain the reason why it is so widely used by famous Masons. The hidden
hand lets the other initiates know that the individual depicted is part
of this secret Brotherhood and that his actions were inspired by the
Masonic philosophy and beliefs. Furthermore, the hand that executes the
actions is hidden behind cloth, which can symbolically refer to covert
nature of the Mason's actions. Here are some of the famous men who used
this hand signal.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon, a known Mason in his study at the Tuileries, 1812
Napoleon
Bonaparte (1769-1821) was a military and political leader of France
whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century. He was
initiated into Army Philadelphe Lodge in 1798. His brothers, Joseph,
Lucian, Louis and Jerome, were also Freemasons. Five of the six members
of Napoleon's Grand Councel of the Empire were Freemasons, as were six
of the nine Imperial Officers and 22 of the 30 Marshals of France.
Bonaparte's association with Masonry has always been played down in
historical records. Masonic researcher J.E.S. Tuckett addresses the
situation:
"It is strange that
evidence in favor of the Great Napoleon's membership of the Masonic
Brotherhood has never been examined in detail, for the matter is surely
one of interest, and - seeing the remarkable part that remarkable men
played in the affairs of Europe, at a time when Continental Freemasonry
was struggling out of chaos into regular order - it cannot be without an
important bearing upon Masonic history"
In his essay on Napoleon and Masonry, Tuckett claims:
"There
is incontestable evidence that Napoleon was acquainted with the nature,
aims and organization of Freemasonry: that he approved of and made us
of it to further his own ends"
-J.E.S. Tuckett, Napoleon I and Freemasonry (source)
Napoleon
was also said to be aided by occult powers. In 1813 he was defeated at
Leipzip and behind him was a "Cabinet of Curiosities" in which a
Prussian officer discovered his Book of Fate and Oraculum. Originally
this Oraculum was discovered in one of the Royal tombs of Egypt during a
French military expedition of 1801. The emperor ordered the manuscript
to be translated by a famous German scholar and antiquarian. From that
time onwards the Oraculum was one of Napoleon's most treasures
possessions. He consulted it on many occasions and it is said to have
"formed a stimulus to his most speculative and most successful
enterprises."
Karl Marx
Karl
Marx is known today to be the founder of modern Communism. Despite
being denied by some Masons, Marx is said to have been a 32nd degree
Grand Orient Freemason. Marx became the spokesman of the atheist and
socialist movement of Europe. He planned the replacement of monarchies
with socialist republics, with the next step conversion to communist
republics.
George Washington
George
Washington was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and is
considered to be the "most important American Mason". Charles Willson
Pealed produced this painting when Washington was 52 years old. Notice
the position of Washington's feet: they form an oblong square. The
position of the feet are of utmost importance in Masonic symbolism.
Compare this with this excerpt from Duncan's Ritual Monitor:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart is considered to be one of the most prolific and
influential composers of music ever. He also was a Freemason and was
initiated in the Austrian lodge Zur Zur Wohltatigkeit on Dec. 14th 1784.
Mozart's creations often incorporated important Masonic elements. The
Magic Flute opera was mainly based on Masonic principles.
"The
music of the Freemasons contained musical phrases and forms that held
specific semiotic meanings. For example, the Masonic initiation ceremony
began with the candidate knocking three times at the door to ask
admittance. This is expressed musically as a dotted figure: meanings.
For example, the
This figure appears in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute in the overture, suggesting the opening of the Masonic initiation."
- Katherine Thompson, The Masonic Thread in Mozart
The
musical progression of The Magic Flute was based on the Golden Ratio
(1,6180...), the proportion of everything that is considered divine by
Mystery Schools.
Here are compositions created by Mozart for use in Masonic lodges:
Lied (song) "Gesellenreise, for use at installation of new journeymen"
Cantata for tenor and male chorus Die Maurerfreude ("The Mason's Joy")
The Masonic Funeral Music (Maurerische Trauermusik)
Two songs to celebrate the opening of "Zur Neugekrönten Hoffnung"
Cantata for tenor and piano, Die ihr die unermesslichen Weltalls Schöpfer ehrt
The Little Masonic Cantata (Kleine Freimaurer-Kantate) entitled Laut verkünde unsre Freude, for soloists, male chorus, and orchestra
Cantata for tenor and male chorus Die Maurerfreude ("The Mason's Joy")
The Masonic Funeral Music (Maurerische Trauermusik)
Two songs to celebrate the opening of "Zur Neugekrönten Hoffnung"
Cantata for tenor and piano, Die ihr die unermesslichen Weltalls Schöpfer ehrt
The Little Masonic Cantata (Kleine Freimaurer-Kantate) entitled Laut verkünde unsre Freude, for soloists, male chorus, and orchestra
Marquis de Lafayette
Marquis
de Lafayette was a 33rd degree Freemason. According to Willam R.
Denslow's 10 000 Famous Freemasons, Lafayette was a French military
officer who was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader
of the Garde Nationale during the bloody French Revolution. Lafayette
was also made an honorary Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of New
York. More than 75 Masonic bodies in the U.S. have been named after him,
including 39 lodges, 18 chapters, 4 councils, 4 commanderies, and 7
Scottish rite bodies.
Salomon Rothschild
Salomon
Rothschild was the founder of the Viennese branch of the prominent
Mayer Amschel Rothschild family. The most powerful family in the world
has greatly influenced the policies of Germany, France, Italy and
Austria. The Rothschilds are also the main players behind the creation
of Zionism and the state of Israel.
The
power of the Rothschilds went way beyond the confines of the Masonic
lodge. They are said to be part of the 13 "Illuminati Bloodlines". An
analysis of the recently built Supreme Court of Israel (see article
here) confirms the Rothschild's embrace of Masonic symbolism.
Simon Bolivar
Known
as "El Libertador" (the Liberator), Bolivar is considered to be the
"George Washington of South America". He joined Freemasonry in Cadiz,
Spain, received the Scottish Rite degrees in Paris and was knighted in a
Commandery of Knights Templar in France in 1807. Bolivar founded and
served as master of Protectora de las Vertudes Lodge No. 1 in Venezuela.
The country of Bolivia is named after him. Bolivar also served as the
president of Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia in the 1820's. He belonged to
the Order and Liberty Lodge No. 2 in Peru.
Notice
in the image above the position of his feet (oblong square) and the
checkerboard pattern of the floor, also Masonic. His stance might have
been inspired by the Knights of Christian Mark Degree as depicted below
in Richardson's Monitor of Freemasonry:
Joseph Stalin
Stalin's
reign of terror in the Soviet Union lead to the deaths of millions of
his own countrymen. He is often shown in pictures using the hidden hand
gesture. No official records have been found which prove Stalin's
initiation into Masonry. Of course dictators such as Stalin tightly
controlled all information concerning themselves and their affairs,
making it difficult to prove anything one way or the other. The hiding
of his hand, however, provides an initiate's clue to his possible
allegiance to an occult brotherhood.
After being shot in 1940, the young man on the right has been
edited out by Stalin's people.
In Conclusionedited out by Stalin's people.
As
seen above, thee leaders using the "hidden hand" gesture had a great
influence on world history and many were confirmed Masons. This gesture
is an obvious yet widely overlooked detail which hints at the leader's
embrace of occult philosophy. By understanding this fact and by
recognizing the IMMENSE influence these leaders had on the course of
History, we can begin to realize the hidden force which is currently
steering the world towards international democracy.
Members
of these brotherhoods might have maintained different opinions and even
adhered to different factions (communism vs capitalism), but the
fundamental philosophy, beliefs and ultimate goals are still the same:
the coming of an "Age of Reason and Enlightenment". Of course, any
serious researcher is already aware of the role of Masonry in the
unfolding of world history. The "hidden hand" gesture, so often used by
historical figures is simply the outward expression of this little known
fact. As Confucius said, "Signs and symbols rule the world, not words
nor laws." These people's words and policies will eventually be twisted
and forgotten, but their image will remain for the ages.
Original source: http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=2536