Born with two, then three degrees, Freemasonry developed many more based on legends connecting its origins with the European aristocracy and the Knights Templar.
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Freemasonry, What Is It Exactly? 4. Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723
Modern Freemasonry was born in 1717, and its Constitutions were published in 1723. Since the beginning, their reference to God created problems and schisms.
Freemasonry, What Is It Exactly? 3. The Temple of Solomon and the “Masonic Word”
Legends about Solomon’s Temple and a word identifying the genuine members of the guild were passed from the “operative” to the “speculative” Freemasons.
Freemasonry, What Is It Exactly? 2. Operative Freemasonry
Before “accepted” and “speculative” members who were neither stonemasons nor architect were allowed to join the craft, it operated for centuries as a professional guild.
Freemasonry, What Is It Exactly? 1. Rosicrucian Antecedents
Controversies about Freemasonry often ignore the context and circumstances of its origins. At a time of deep social transformation, the legend of the Rosy Cross was born.
Two Gifts from Ivan Aguéli: Sufi, Anarchist, Theosophist, Painter
A museum in Sala and a book on his magazine “Il Convito” help understanding the different aspects of the extraordinary career of the Swedish artist.
Paintings from Another World: Spirit Painting and “Precipitated” Art
Spiritualist mediums claimed that in their presence works of art appeared on previously blank canvas or paper without the intervention of human hands.
Liudas Truikys: A Clandestine Theosophical Artist in Soviet Lithuania
An exhibition in Kaunas lifts the veil on an important painter and opera set designer, who managed to hide in his works symbols the censors did not understand.
Nicholas Roerich, Shambhala, and Agartha. 3. New York and Connecticut
Disillusioned with Stalin, the painter believed for a while that his messianic utopia would be supported by Roosevelt’s United States.
Nicholas Roerich, Shambhala, and Agartha. 2. Moscow
That Shambhala can be established on earth was an idea Roerich was able to sell to Stalin. But the dictator and the artist had in mind different kinds of kingdoms.