phallic worship - forgotten books

PHALLIC WOR SHIP

AN OUTLINE OF THE

WORSHIP OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS ,As Being. or as Rep resen ting, the D ivine Creator , W i th Suggest ion s as to the Influence

o f the Phal l ic Idea. on Rel ig ious Creeds , Ceremon ies , Custom s

and Symbol ism Past and Present.

B

fROBERT ALLEN CAMPBELL , C . E .

ILLUSTRATED W ITH 200 ENGRAVINGS .

In Sc ience , Ph i losophy and Rel igion ,

The truth , the Who le truth , n oth ing bu t the truth .

ST. LOUIS

R . A . CAMPBELL COMPANY.

Copyrighted byR . A . CAMPBELL ,

1887 .

PR E F A C E .

HE aim of this work is simply to present a popular

sketch Of the history,customs

,and symbolism Of

Phallic Worship past and present written in plain

English .

Most of the facts and illustrations given are already

in print . Some o f them have come down by tradition

from the remote past . Many are taken from modern ,and some from recent

,publications . Without using

quotation marks,or announcing special credits in de

tail,the ”author desires to say that he has quoted a truth ,

culled a fact,borrowed an illustration

,and adopted an

interpretation wherever found or by Whomsoever before

stated and Often in nearly,or even exactly

,the words

of the earlier writer . Those who are familiar with

Higgin ’ s Anacalypsis and his Celtic Druids,Payne

Knight’ s Worship Of Priapus and his Symbolic Lan

guage,Furlong’ s Rivers Of Life

,Inman ’ s Ancient

Faiths and his other kindred works,Lajard

’s Culte de

Venus , D ulaure’s Divinités Génératrices chez l es An

ciems et les Modernes,Hargrave J enning’ s Rosicrucians

( 5 )

(3 PREFACE.

and his Phallicism,etc .

,will readily recognize the

sources from which much in this work has been culled .

A l l these works , while of the highest merit as to

scholarship and reliability,are n ot popular for they are

redundant with masses of minutia which,while impor

tant and of essential n ecessity to the student m aking

an exhaustive examination Of the subj ect,are burden

some and confusing to the general reader . These

works,too

,are plentifully interlarded with mul titudin

Ous quotations , descriptions , and suggestions in foreign

or dead languages thus veiling from all but the ao

complished linguist much Of interest and of importance

to a fair understanding of this subj ect .

This work is intended,then

,for the honorable and ih

tel ligent general reader who desires a fairly full outline

Of this interesting and important department Of relig

ious,social

,and political knowledge—ou E nglish

and without the constant veiling of socially tabooed

ideas,organs

,and operations in other languages .

This work is not meant for the instruction of the

erudite and exhaustive student who wants a complete

catalogue of facts , dates , and names . Such readers are

referred to the works named above .

Nor is this book meant for the young , the ignorant ,

or the evil—minded for it necessarily treats very fully ,and in very plain English , upon topics and natural

PREFACE. 7

Operations that in this day are denied discussion in

a promiscuous assembly .

As to the importance and dignity of the theme,and

hence the propriety Of its treatment— which some may

question ; and as to its purity , which many’

will ques

tion— the author simply quotes Hargrave Jennings

whose learning and purity no on e who knows him

will question and whose extensive and patient study

of this and kindred subj ects renders his Opinion valu

able . H e says

It may be boldly asserted that there is not a religion that doe s n ot spring from the sexual distinction .

There is not a form ,an idea

,a grace , a sentiment , a

felicity in art which is not owing,in One form or another

,

to Phallicism,and its mean s Of indication

,which

,at

On e time , in the monuments s tatutesque or architectural covered the whole earth . All this has been ignored— averted from — carefully concealed (togetherwith the philosophy which went with it) because it wasjudged indecent . As if anything seriously resting innature

,and being n otoriously everything in n ature and

art (everything , at least , that is grand and beautiful) ,could be—apart from the mind making it so — indecent .

CONTENTS .

PREFACE,

DEFINITIONS ,INTRODUCTION,

CHAPTER I .

THE FIVE GREAT SYMB OLS .

CHAPTER II .

GENERAL D IFFUSION AND MODIFIED F ORMS OF

PHALLIC SYMB OLS .

The Pillar,

The Cross,

Serpen t Symbols ,Miscel laneous Symbols

,

10 CONTENTS .

CHAPTER III .

PHALLIC CULTS AND CEREMONIES .

Phal lism in India ,Phal l ism in Egyp t ,Phall ism in Assyr ia , Phoen icia , Syr ia , and Phryg ia,Phal lism Among the Jews ,Greek and Roman Phal lism ,

Non-Phall ic Zoroasterism ,

Middle Age and Modern Phal l ism ,

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .

F igure.

FrontIspIece.

Pi llar and Triadic Symbo ls ,Yon ic Symbols ,LINGA-Yon i Symbols ,YONI-L inga Symbols ,LINGA-YONI Symbols ,L inga-ih Yon i Symbo ls ,The

o

Cross ,The Cobra de Capella ,Stonehenge , England

,

Irish Roun d Towers ,Newton Stone, Scotland ,Rude S tone , England ,Inn i s Mura Stone , Ireland ,Pillar

,Kerry County , Ireland ,

Phall ic Monumen ts , Pompei i ,Parthian L inga,L inga and Sun stone , F ig i Islands ,Sivaic Shrine , Ind ia ,L inga-Yon i Temples , India ,Menh i r Temple , Petrea ,Rude L inga-ih -Yoni , Gothland ,

Figure

CONTENTS.

Sacred Hill , Karnak , Egypt ,L inga-Yon i Picture , Rome,L inga and Yon i Stones , Gozo ,Phall ic Co lumn , Cuzco ,Phal lic Shr ines , Mexico ,TA-AROA and Ta-rao , PolynesIa ,The Cross ,Crux Ansata ,Egyptian Crosses ,Hindu Cross—S imp le ,Kaca Cross ,Assyrian Cro sses ,Ancient Cross

,Egyp t ,

Ezek iel ’ s Tau ,T

’hor s Hamm er , Norsland ,

Or iginal Greek Cross ,Maltese Cross Tr iadic ,Greek Cross—Triad ic ,Latin CIoss TIiadic ,Templa I s Cross ,L inga-Yon i Cross elabOI ate ,L inga-Yon i Crosses

,

Hindu Cross , An cien t ,Cross and Crescen t , Greek Church ,Middle Age Cross ,Hindu Crosses ,L inga-in-Yon i Symbol s , Ind ia ,Impregnation of Mary Catho l ic ,The Serpent ,Etern ity

,

W isdom ,

Rod of L ife ,Rom an S tandard ,Tree of L ife and Serpen t ,S taff of Salvation ,Triden t of Jupi ter ,FiIe Pi l lar ,The Temptat ion

,

Serpent Goddess o r W i tch ,

Serpen t , Sun and Moo n Gem ,

Serpen t and Pi l lar Gem ,

Serpent , Tree , Pi l lar and Ark Gem ,

1 ]

12 CONTENTS.

Crozier five form s,

D iv ining Rod ,Ind ian Amu let ,The Great Four Em blem

,

S taff of Isis ,The Arrow ,

The Steering Car,The Hammer ,The S taff in the R ing

,

The Sun and Moon,

The Crescen t Moon,

Phallic Triads ,Phal lic Tr iads India ,Mascu line Hand ,Triad ic-Yonic Hand ,Horseshoe ,Ves ica Picis Hindu

,

Another Form of same,

Vesica Picis Catho l ic Picture ,Vesica Pic is Catho lic Medal ,Yon i Worsh ip ,Concha Vener is ,Cornucop ia

,

Fem in ine Hand ,The Eye ,Shekel , Seven bran ched Palm , Jewi sh ,Time and TIuth Worshiping S iva , Ind ia ,Maia Wo rsh iping the L inga , Ind ia ,Temple of Peace , Th ibet ,The Masculine Hand , Ind ia ,The Yon ic Charm Hand , IndiaL inga-in -Yon i , India ,Ardanari-Iswari , Ind ia ,Addha-Nar i , India ,The Torto ise, India ,Is i s and Horus , EgyptThe S is trum of Isis , Egypt,The Grove,The Worsh ip of the Grove,The Royal Co l lar,Triune Design ,Baby lon ian Gem ,

Ancient Gem ,

D E F IN I T ION S .

RELIGION AND WORSHIP .

ELIGION is man ’ s worship of invisible power orpowers

,o r Of an invisible being or beings

which he conceives Of as like himself,but superior to

himself ; and which he usually denom inates God— or

the gods— or the divine .Worship consists o f the adoration bestowed upon this

divin e ; of thanks for favors received and prayers forfavors desired from this divine

,and Of Obedience offered

or rendered to the supposed requirements Of this divinepower o r person -conceived of by the worshiper aslike himself

,but superior to himself .

One ’ s religion and worship will,there fore

,depend

upon his conception of the attributes Of the divine .

One ’ s conception o f the divine attributes will dependupon the unfolding and development Of his conceptionsof m an and his attributes .One cannot conceive o f the divine with any attribute

,

the germ at least of which he has not recognized inman , any more than a blind man , who had never heardOf light or color

,could conceive Of a being endowed

with sensual vision .

14 RELIGION AND WORSHIP.

Let the reader understand here,that this is n ot a

statement as to anything the divine is or may be butimply as to man ’ s conception of the divine .

As the ancients did not conceive of an infinite divin ebeing , they naturally thought of a number of gods ,each greater and more powerful than man

,but still

,like

man— swayed by like motives and subj ect to similarlimitations each endowed with certain special powers

,

and with evil as well as good attributes ; and alwayssexed—masculine or feminine . When these evil attributes were supposed to predom inate in any god he wasfeared and avoided and they called that being a demon .

All ancient cults and most modern as well recognize one among the good gods as being especiallysuperior

L the god Of gods ; and likewise on e amongthe evil gods as being especially malignant the worstof demons a devil .The earliest worshipers probably made or adoptedsome physical entities which they regarded as gods .As their ideas unfolded

,these images were retained as

representing the conceived Of,but invisible

,powers or

persons which they came to think upon as divine .Then symbols were introduced to represent the im ages

,

as well as the unseen,but believed in

,gods and the

gods were more fully defined . That is,images were

replaced by definitions of the gods,and the statements

of the divines ’ attributes were formulated in dogmas ;and these definitions and dogmas were taught and impressed in ceremonies .The religious world of to-day even the Christian

RELIGIoNAND WORSHIP. 15

world— has not outgrown these conditions . The attributes o f the divine are still defined as those of a good

,

wise,and powerful man— only complete in aggregate

and infinite in degree . God is defi ned as one,but there

is a polytheistic personalization of his attributes asFather , S on and Spirit— each Of whom have Specialand clearly defined characteristics

,which are essentially

distinct , as ruler , advocate , witness —the offended king ,unyieldingly exacting j ustice— the merciful martyr

,by

works Of supererogation , securing the criminal’ s par

don—the enlightener,making this fact and its con

dition s known to man . Each of these persons is in away considered supreme in his own domain but when

,

regarded as compared with each other,the Father is the

head— Lord o f Lords God over all . God is definedas infinite (as if infinity could be defined) , stil l hispowers are clearly and definitely limited— not only ineach Of the three personalized attributes , but as to theaggregate . God is defined as m asculin e

,and all his

names— Father , SOII and Spirit— are Of that gender .Material images representing God are generally discarded

,and by most denominations den ounced ; but

dogmatic definitions man -made,verbal

,or i ntellectual

images— o f God are held as sacred and defended asvaliantly as ever pagans protected their idols . As itis clearly illogical to define a perfectly good

,wise

,and

powerful God as having any evil or weak attributes ,these latter— which again are only those recognized inman—are recognized as aggregated in evil Spiritsmore w icked than men— or

,as they are generally


called,demons

,and among whom the chief and ruler

is - the Devil .This is not written in a spirit of adverse criticism ;but simply to illustrate that the peculiarities of m an ’ smind

,which in early days multiplied gods of compara

tive rank giving them each human characteristics,

good and bad— allotting to each one Of them specialpowers and performances in the creation Of man an d

matter— and striving , by imagery , m aterial or verbal ,to describe them and their attributes— is still m an ’ speculiarity Of mind in the foremost religion and civilization .

By phallic religion in this book is meant any cu lt inwhich the

’

human generative organs (male or female) ,their use

,realistic images representing them

,or sym

bols indicating them,form an essential or important

factor in the dogmas or ceremonies .Phall ic worship

,in its origin and early use

, w as aspure in its intent and as reverent in its ceremon ies

,as

far removed from anything then looked upon as trivialor unclean in its symbolism , as is the worship and symbolism Of to-day . No people

,however ignorant and

savage,would deliberately allow— much less designed

ly int'roduce —any ceremony in their worship whichappeared in their eyes as degrading .

The dogmas entertained by the poor heathen of

primitive ages which,to our enlighten ed minds

,seem

absurd,and the ceremonies by them practiced which

,

in this day,would be immoral or indecent

,were— to

those who believed in and practiced them as dear and

RELIGION AND WORSHIP. 17

necessary as are now the modern creeds and ceremoniesto the m ore enlightened worshipers of to-day . Theycould not then

,as they cannot n ow

,be dislodged by de

nun ciation s .

The on ly way to rectify the creeds and purify theconduct and ceremonies o f worship Is by the enlightened and earnest teacher leading the ignorant sec

tarian to a higher development,so he can see the truth

in a clearer and broader light ; and , therefore , enablinghim to interpret his Old dogmas anew or to form newerand holier creeds— and hence m odify and purify hisworship accordingly .

Divine truth,as man sees and interprets it

,is the soul

of all worship— past , present , and future . As thecon ception enlarges and clears , the forms change , butdivine love and tru th

,as man conceives of it

,is the

everlasting spirit of all religion . Rites which,in our

eyes,are indecent

,were doubtless practiced by a primi

tive people with the greatest purity of intent .Indeed

,it probably n ever occurred to the minds of

these simple people that any work Of nature— muchless its highest and holiest activity producing itscrown ing work Of creation— man could be indelicate much less Offensive or obscene .

Even the cynica l and sarcastic philosopher, Voltaire ,

says,speaking of Priapic worship It is impossible

to believe that depravity of manners would ever haveled among any people to the establishment o f rel igiousceremonies . On the contrary , it is probabl e that thiscustom was first introduced in times of simpl icity

,and

1 3 RELIGION AND WORSHIP.

the first thought was to honor the deity in the svmbo l

of life which it has given u s.

And Mrs . Child— whose intelligence,purity

,and

modesty needs no one'

s indorsement— ih sp eakin g Of

ancient Egyptian and Hindu religions and their sym

holism . savs : The sexual emblems every where conspicuou s In the sculptm es of their temples would seemim pure in description , but no clean and thoughtfu lmind could so r ’

egai d them while witnessing the Obvioussimpl icity and solemn itv with which the subj ect istreated .

In another p lace she say s : “ Let us not smile attheir mode of tracing the Infinite and In comprehen

ble Caus e throughout a l l the m vsteries of n ature , lest .bv so doing , we cast the shadow Of our own grossn esson their patriarchal simplicity .

”

W en Abraham‘s servant laid his hand upon the

master'

s generative organs , in tak ing an oath,he w as

simply follown the cus tom of the times in taking asolemn Obligation . The intent was as pure

,and the

appeal to their recognized creator as honest , and w ithas little thought of indecen cv as in modern times wehave in swearing by the uplif ted hand or kissing theBible . Jacob , j ust before his death , swore his sonJoseph —in the same solemn manner ; and the samecustom is stil l used among some modern Asiatic an d

African tribes .The ancient matron who wore a phall ic amulet , ormade a votive off ering to the image of an erect lingam ,

praying for children , was as earnest and as modest as

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conclusions . The foundations of essential principleswhich they laid and the superstructure of dogma whichthey erected thereon sti ll remain in the greater part .Only the vitality of essential truth would give suchenduring life . The foundations have been deepened

,

broadened , and in every w ay improved ; the superstructure has been enlarged and beautifi ed ; but the grandand etern al essentials of their cults. were the germsfrom which have been unfolded al l that we have superior to them in religion . The w orship Of one ’ s creator

,

and the ruler of his destinies,was with them

,as with

us,and as it must ever

‘

be,the life of all religion .

I N T R O D U C T I O N

HE masses Of mankind,especially in religious

dogmas , have always looked , as they now look ,to their recognized leaders for instruction and example .

These leaders have always been,as they are n ow

,either

conservative or radical . The conservative and the radical are the natural developments of two fundamentallydifferent orders of mind , and neither class is capable Offully understanding or fairly appreciating the otherclass . They are opposed in purposes , plans , andmethods of procedure ; and are , hen ce , always antagonists in religion , philosophy , and politics .Notwithstanding this continual conflict—nay

,to

speak correctly— in consequence of this antagonism,

they are the essential and effective factors in the development of the race . They are

,as it were

,the

centripetal and centrifugal forces in humanity . Thecentripetal force alone would carry the earth directlyto the sun

,and thus to immediate destruction by in

stant confiagration ; while the centrifugal force alonewould scatter the earth into impalpable dust

,and it

would be lost in the immeasurable frigidity of infinitespace . So

,if minds were a l l conservative

,there would

be unchanging stagnation —but no progress ; and the

( 2 1 )

22 INTRODUCTION.

race would wither and die out from lack of mentalnourishment and needed exercise . If minds were allradical there would be incessant and grinding agitation— but no stability ; and the race would destroyitself by constant and consuming friction . Yet boththese parties are essential to the existenc e

,continuance

and betterment of the race ; for j ust as the coOrdin ateOperations of the centripetal and centrifugal forces inn ature causes the planets to revolve and circle in theircourses around the central sun

,so it is only by the

constant activity of the conservative and radical mi nds,

in their opposite tendencies,and in their apparently

mutually destructive— but really coOperative forces,

that humanity is developed in affection,intellect

,and

power .The conservatives

,in religion

,in their teachings

,

appeal to authority , precedent , and the pronunciamen

toes Of that lamented past,when God— o r the gods

they say— walked the earth ; and , standing face

to face with the wise and holy m en o f Old,del ivered

their celestial messages which embodied a l l the truthnecessary

,best

,o r possible for man to know . They

naturally formu late exact creeds,and reiterate in the

same formula of words the traditional revelations .They insist that the time-honored ceremonies were instituted by the wise and holy fathers as a means of

pleasing God— or the gods ; and thereby securing thedivine favor upon those who punctiliously and reverently observe and perform these ceremonies . Theycl ing tenaciously to al l the old symbols . They build

CONSERVATIVE AND RADICAL. 23

monuments to the Holy Prophets of olden time whomtheir predecessors in conservatism persecuted as innovators and blasphemers— but who are

,n ow that their

teachings are accepted,canoniz ed as inspired saints .

They appea l for instruction and guidance to thatlamented past

,from which

,they say

,mankind has de

generated . Their great Obj ect is , by constant reiteration o f the accepted revelation , and Of the establisheddogmas

,by never flagging insistence upon the full and

frequent performan ce and observation o f all the tradition al ceremonies

,and by the careful and effectual

supp ression of all false teachings (and teachers)— asthey denominate all that tends in the least degree tomodify the Official worship— to retard the terrible andgenerally inevitable retrogression from the holiness andwisdom of man ’ s first estate ; and gradually , though ,of course

,slowly

,regain

,for the faithful and obedient

f ew,a return to paradisiacal peace . In short

,they look

back,they say, to the glorious sunrise of the past for

enlightenment . By an u nquestioning acceptance of

the dogmas then formulated,by a strict obedience of

the duties then enj oined,and by a ful l and constant

Observance of all the ceremonies then established,they

seek to gain the special but uncertain favor of Godor the gods — they worship . They thus seek to secure

,

for a favorite— because obedient— few,release from

the ills of this life,as well as desirable advantages in

the life to come . They oppose all change o f creedlament every modification of ceremony as a degeneracy ;and leave it for their children and successors to adapt

24 INTRODUCTION.

themselves to the n ew order of things by accepting theinevitable in progress .The radicals m ay , to some extent , ackn owledge thetruth and the authority of former revelations— for thetime when it was given . They m ay also recognize ,more or less

,the time-honored tradition s

,as well as en

gage reverently in the observance o f the establishedceremonies . They w ill , however , claim that the truthw as n ot fully revealed to the prophets of o ld— wiseand holy though they were . At least they will claimthat even if these ancien t prophets were fully instructed

,

still we do not , from their revelation s , fully understandall truth . They will assert that revelation has not

entirely ceased ; and will m aintain that God— or thegods— will n o more retire from the world as teachersthan as creators and preservers . They profess to ac

knowledge the teachings o f traditions and phen omen a,

but claim to look upward and onward for fuller lightthrough intuition and n ew revelations . Their almostconstant argument is that the asserted new revelationis in perfect harmony with the older with all that isunderstood to be true an d useful in the established cult .Thei r claim usually is , that the n ew l ight restores alost or brings into promin ence a n eglected mean ingthat it unfolds an internal or spiritual interpretationhigher and fuller than the m ere literal statement

,or

that it adds to it a n ew ,but still harmonious

,unfold

ment of truth . In either case they w ill generally claimthat there is no attempt and nodesire— to substitutea new worship in the place of the old on e . On the

CONSERVATIVE AND RADICAL. 25

contrary,they aim simply to develop the already ac

cepted dogmas and practices into a clearer light and abroader usefulness .The radicals

,when w ise , honest , and enthusiastic , are

the real “ reformers They do not seek to substitutean entirely n ew authority , creed , or ceremony , but to improvingly modify “ reform ” those already acceptedand in u se .

True reformers,by the very constitution of their

mental make-up ,necessarily value more the truth than

the Special method o f its expression ; and they hold inhigher estimation the spirit of the doctrines than theformal ceremonies and conventional symbols w hichillustrate

,impress

,and represent those doctrines . Their

policy is,therefore

,to unfo ld and enlarge dogmas

,to

re- interpret ceremonies and symbols . They seek toexcise only that which the newer and clearer lightshows to -be false in creed

,and misleading in ceremony

and symbol . They aim to add only such n ew statemen ts of doctrine as will express more clearly the largertruth of the n ew revelation . They profess to introduceonly such modifications of ceremony and symbol as areabsolutely n ecessary to m ore fully and more distinctlyrepresent and impress this broader and clearer truth .

The typical conservative and radical is here drawn withsufficient distinctness for the purpose in hand . It must

,

however , be remembered that mankind as they areand were range in al l possible gradation s of mentalidiosyncrasy from the bigot—who says no change is

26 INTRODUCTI ON.

desirable,to the fanatic who wants every thin

changed and at once .

Ki ngs an d priests— those who are in possession ofinherited . vested , or permanent position . influence , or

income are , n atm al ly, both from education and selfishinterest

,conservative in all things . The masses

that is . a maj ority of them are n ot on lv naturallyconservat ive . but lack the development to readilv understand enlarged statements Of truths . The vast maj orityof mankind are religious aft er the definit ion of religion ,which is given elsewhere . All religion is based uponwhat is

,according to some definitions . diti n e revelation .

There is no God but God : Mohammed is the

prophet of God ,

' say s the follower of the faith foundedupon the Koran as the only inspired and perfect revelation of Allah . theMost High . An d the Mohammedanis as earnest and piou s in his devotions , and as wellconvinced that he is a professor of the only true religionas is the Chr istian who accepts his Jew ish Bible an d

the Gospel as the only revelat ion of God to m an an d

who dec lares there is no God but Jehovah . and noSavior Of m an but Jesu s

,the Christ— the only begot

ten Son of the Father . The Brahmin , the Buddhistand the Pars ee , are each equally well assured that hisis the only true religion . his Obj ect of w orship the onl v

real God , and his sacred books the on lv truth m an has

received from the creator . preserver . and savior of therace .

This truth concerning the dom in ant cul ts of the pres

28 INTRODUCTION.

wisdom and power who created the world and supervisedhumanity and human affairs ; that the good w ill ofthis power w as to be propitiated

,and hence man ’ s w el

fare secured by the worship and obedience of thisbeing

,while the ill-will , and hence misfortune to man ,

resulted from denial and disobedienceEvery cult has taught that it worshiped the only tr ue

god or gods and that hen ce its followers were thefavorite or chosen people the rightful lords of creation . Every sect claimed that all others were worshiping false gods (or worshiping the true god or godsih an imperfect and unholy m anner) that hence theywere enemies of the true divine aliens

,heathens

,and

barbarians who had no rights that the true believerswere bound respect .

-As a result o f this belief,domin ant and strong relig

ious nations and sects have always persecuted theweaker “ worshipers of false gods . ” These persecutions were graded in severity . This severity dependedUpon many circumstances , such as the development ofphilanthropy and intelligen ce

,the comparative power

of the opposing sects , and the co-operation or opposition Of the civil authority . Sometimes these persecutions went as far as the extermination of the weaker“ heretics

,and the confiscation or even the total de

struction o f their property . Sometimes only the maleswere killed—o r castrated and held as slaves thewomen carried Off as concubines or servants

,while

their property enriched the stronger worshipers of thetrue god .

”

MYSTIC UNFOLDMENT. 29

The faggot pile,or the headsman ’ s axe

,the confi sca

tion of estates , and the abrogation o f civil and religiousrights are matters o f a more recent h istory .

A l l this will illustrate why mankind are conservativefrom policy as well as from the natural constitution o f

But the mind o f m an is so constituted that he naturally perce ives

,and,therefore , m ust (whether he will or

no,and whether o r not he acknowledges the fact to

himse lf and his fellows) , recognize and accept thehighest truth he is capable o f comprehending wheneverit is clearly presented . The uniform result of thiseternal harmony between mind and truth is , th at however conservative one may be in avowedly changing hiscreed

,still the clear presentation of truth

,to a mind

capable of recognizing it as truth,forces its mental

acceptance.Again

,man

,in all stages of his development natur

ally loves the marvelous . TO a l l classes mystery i sfascinating . The presentation o f a n ew interpretation

,

the pointing out Of a n ew idea as embodied in an Old

saying,the elucidation of a transcendental meaning in a

time-worn proverb in a word the mystic unfolding o fa holier purpose

,a clearer enlightenment

,and a greater

use,in a recognized dogma or symbol

,is always charm

i ng , instructive , and potential .Different classes of conservatives may designate thisunfolding as “ esoteric teaching

,

” “ merely poetical,

”

“ fanciful ” “ impractical transcendentalism ,

”or

nonsense .

3 0 INTRODUCTION.

It is,nevertheless

,fascinating and effective ; for even

if unwarranted nay,if it be even n onsensical and

absurd still it provokes thought,arouses the imagin

ation,stimulates inquiry

,and must result

,therefore

,i n

new and broader perception of truth .

While man cannot avoid believing the presentedtruth

,which he recogn izes as truth

,still there are many

reasons why he m ay not avow the acceptan ce of truth .

The modest man m ay fear being mistaken , and honestly doubt the validity o f his perceptions especiallywhen his acknowledged teachers refuse to accept

,or de

noun ce as false,what appears to him as true . Even if

convinced he may dislike the undesirable prominencethat an avowal of his yet unpopular convictions wouldgive him . The pride Of being consistent or thevanity of being thought consistent will prevent manyan avowal . The fear of being fi ckle— or of beingthought so— w i ll deter m any others . But

,above all

the fear always well grounded of losing favor, po

sitiou,or caste among his fellow s

,keeps many a one

from freely avowing the truth he mentally accepts .Even some of the rulers

,who were convinced by the

gracious and lucid teachings of Jesus,did not Openly

admit the fact,because they feared the Pharisees would

exclude them from the synagogue . The fear of beinglooked upon as unworthy in conduct on account of achange in religious connections

,and especially the fear

in past times— and in some places even n ow — of am ore sanguinary and even deadly persecution

,has

kept and still keeps many a tongue from speaking

ESOTERIC INSTRUCTION. 3 1

a truth clear to the‘

brain and dear to the heart . Thelong line of religious martyrs attest the truth of this

,

and those who are persecuted for heresy know how

severe are the penalties inflicted , even now ,upon a ll

schismatics . ”

The great Gal ileean strove assiduously to enlightenhis chosen and especially intim ate disciples . It is Ofrecord that he gave them esoteric instruction , which theless enlightened could n ot comprehend . Among hislast sayings to these specially instructed followers wasthe assertion

,I have yet many things to say unto you ,

but ye cannot bear them now .

” But for the consolation and instruction o f al l his followers— (for he promised to the humblest of his followers all that he promisedto his immediate disciples ) he immediately added thiswonderful statement “ But the Spirit Of Truth w illcome unto you ; and when he is come he shall guideyou in to all truth .

” He identifies himself with thisSpirit of Truth , an d promises , that for the enlightenmentand assistance of those who believe , LO

,I am with

you always , even unto the end of the w orld .

The professed followers (and there i s no question of

their integrity) o f this great teacher whom they recogn ize as Divine

— constantly pray for the enlightening presen ce o f this Spirit of Truth . Unquestionablyreligions toleration finds its highest development in theChristianity o f this age and nation . Yet Christians

(at least a great m aj ority of its official teachers andprominent members— who are recognized as pillarsin the church and strong 0 11 the faith) , even in this ad

3 2 INTRODUCTION.

van ced civilization , and in this age of unprecedentedreligious freedom , denoun ce w ith anathemas and persecute w ith Vigor al l heretics and schismatics . ”

The Simple truth is now ; as it has always beenthe great majority of official religious teachers

,and

their lay adherents , persecute relentlessly all“schism at

ics and “ heretics,

” punishing them with al l the denun ciation s , pai ns , and penalties that their sectarianprejudices prompt

,and that civil law and public Opin

ion w ill allow them to inflict .Modern religious persecution is still j ustified by those

who practice it , j ust as it was in former times , by thespecious

,but false

,plea

,that the revealed will of God de

mands that heathen ”should be— not converted to

the truth— but punished for their errors .The crucifix , the faggot pile , and the thumb- screwcannot in this age , and in western civilization , be u sedto punish ‘religious innovators ; but there remains

and they are in constant u se anathemas (that is God

damnings) denunciation from the pulpit,denial of

church privileges and social ostracism .

The outcome Of all this i s that,in nearly every com

munity certainly in every civil ization past and present

,there were

,and are

,those who repeat the same

creed,perform the same cerem on ies

,and use the same

symbology,and yet give to nearly every sentence

,act

,

and Sign an almost totally different interpretation fromthat given by another of the same cult .There may be in the same association there surely

is in every nation —those who , in their worship , regard

MODERN RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. 3 3

the symbol merely,looking upon it as a fetich

,which

they fear or invoke for its intrinsic power merely .

The writer became convinced Of the truth o f thisstatement by careful and extensive investigation in theprincipal cities of the United States .On the other hand there are those who entirely losesight—or at least cognizance— of the symbol

,and

looking beyond all creeds and forms , worship in spiritand in truth ” that which they think of as the ineffablelove

,wisdom

,and power

,

” and which they do not assume to name much less define .

Such worshipers are numerous in modern times,and

include many who are honored for their exceptionalpurity

,admired for their superior intelligen ce

,and

revered for their philanthropic lives . That they hadrepresentatives in the olden time might be shown byinnumerable citations from ancient writings . Homersays “ Hear m e

,oh King

,whoever thou art . ”

Plato and Socrates are abundant in sayings which Show

It has come under the persona l Observation of the w riter that one man in

Wiscons in w as excluded from church fellowsh ip for cutt ing w ood on Sundayfor a sick woman . H is fau lt w as not the charitable w ork of provid ing aSunday fire ; but because he out enough to keep the poor and bed-riddenwoman w arm on Monday and Tuesday . Another w as excluded for teachinghis Sunday-schoo l class that he bel ieved that a non-professor, who l ived agood l ife , w as j ust as l ikely to be saved as one who professed Christ, butl ived a bad l ife . He has it upon undoubted ly truthful information that inOhio , recently , a man was excluded from his church (the Dunkers) for trimm ing his beard round at the corners , and another for hav ing his ha i r shingled—because the B ible says “You shal l not round the corners of yourheads ; ne i ther shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard .

” A man was

excluded from his church (the Am ish Brotherhood) for having buttons onhis coat, and a woman for w earing ear-rings .

3 4 INTRODUCTION.

they did n ot attempt to define the great first cause .Philom on writes ' Revere and worship God ; seeknot to kn ow mere ; you need seek n othing further . ”

Meander says : Seek not to learn who God is theywho are anxious to know what may not be known areimpious .

”

Every change in dogma an d consequent m odifica

tiOn Of ceremony and interpretation of symbol —is,of

n ecessity,based upon a real or supposed larger and

clearer perception of truth . It is always easier,as well

as safer,for one w ho has this new en lightenment , to

secretly read into the official creed a n ew meaning,and

to give the established ceremonies and symbols a newinterpretation

,than to meet the Opposition of the powers

that be by any open advocacy or p racticeof an innovation . Many m otives , commendable , permissible , andsel fish

,prompt— nay

,almost

,in m any instances , force

such a course o f procedure . Then , agam ,the order

and development Of mind which discovers or readilyrecognizes the larger truth when presented is also theorder o f m ind which values forms as relatively of lessimportance than truths . It is u sual

,too , for those of

advanced Views to claim that the recognition of the

larger light requires a preparation and expansion of

m ind which they profess to think the m ultitude do notpossess ; and this consideration will also keep manyw ise and. prudent m en from freely stating or discussingnewly perceived truths .But men

,in their rel igIou s and intellectual pursuits ,

desire and require— as in other avocations i n life

3 6 INTRODUCTION.

receive them ; and of such fidelity that they would notbetray the association , or any of its members or teachings .The founder of Christianity selected and instructedhis disciples on principles sim ilar to those upon which thissociety w as organized . He taught the multitudes by allegory and parable

,as they were able to hear that is

,uh

derstand . When he was alone with his disciples he expounded all things unto them , because

,

” he said tothem

,

“ unto you it Is gIven to know the mysteries of

the kmgdom Of God , but unto them that are without ,all these things are done in parables .

”

The prime obj ect of this association w as not,as has

been plausibly maintained by some,to veil the truth from

the masses,retain ing it as the means of personal grat

ifi cation ,and for profitable use , in the close corporation

of a select and selfish f ew . The grand purpose was todevelop the truth to broader dimensions and a clearerlight ; to unveil it to all who could appreciate and re

ceive it—and , therefore , be benefited by its possession to insure that those who entered upon its studywould

,so far as they were capable

,continue and com

plete their labors ; and to prevent the profanation of

the truth by its misuse . These associations graduallydeveloped into secret societies

,composed of members

whose fitness as to intelligence , fidelity , discretion , andcourage was not only vouched for by members Of thesociety who knew them

,but who were tested by exami

nation and trial,and who were solemnly sworn to se

cresy, under painful penalties for any unfaithfulness .

THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES. 3 7

This was the origin of the Ancient Mysteriesand

,in fact

,of all subseque nt secret societies . Whether

there was only one original organization , an d the otherswere all o r mainly descended from it or whether therewere independen t orders originating in different placesunder sim ilar circumstances , cannot now be definitelydecided . Each View is advocated by intelligent students who have given the subj ect patient and seeminglyexhaustive study .

AlexanderWilder,whose natural bent of mind and

scholarly attainments peculiarly fit him for the patientand exhaustive study he has given this matter

,says

It is not practicable to ascertain with certaintywhen or by whom the AncientMysteries were instituted .

Their forms appear to have been as diversified as thegenius Of the worship that celebrated them

,while the

esoteric idea was so universally similar as to indicateidentity of origin . III some were performed the riteso f the B ona D ee

,the Saturnalia

,and Liberal ia

,which

seem to have been perpetuated in our festivals o f Christmas , the Blessed Virgin , and St . Patrick ; in Greecewere the Eleusinia , or rites of the Coming One , whichw ere probably derived from the Phrygian and Chaldeanrites also , the Dionysia , which Herodotus asserts wereintroduced there by Melampus

,a mantis

,or prophet

,

who got his knowledge o f them by the way of theTyrians , in Egypt . The same great historian

,treating

of the Orphic and Bacchic rites,declares that they

are in reality Egyptian and Pythagorean .

’ TheMysteries o f Isis in Egypt and of the Cabeirian divinities in Asia and Samothrace

,are probably anterior and

the origin of the others . The Thesmophoria,or as

3 8 INTRODUCTION.

semblages of the women in honor Of the Great Mother

,as the in stit uter o f the social state , were celebrated

in Egypt , Asia Minor, Greece , and S icily ; an d we notice expressions in Exodus (xxxviii Samuel (I—ii

and Ezekiel (xi ii : which indicate that theywere observed by the Israelites in Arabia and Palestine .The rites o f Serapis were introduced i nto Egypt byPtol emy

,the Savior , and superseded the worship of

Osiris ; and after the Con quest of Pontus , where thePersian religion prevailed

,the t steries of Mithras

were carried thence into the countries Of the West,and

existed among the Gnostic sects many cent uries afterthe genera l dissemination of Christianity . The Albi

gen ses , it i s supposed , were Manicheans o r Mithracising Chr istian s . The Mithraic doctrines appear to havecomprised al l the prominent features of the Magian or

Chaldean system . The Alexandrian Platonists evi

dently regarded them favorably as being Older than thewestern systems . and p robablv more genuine .

”

From the verv nature o f the case we can have butl ittle direct information as to the special dogmas taught

,

the ceremonies practiced,or the higher interp retations

of the symbols used in the secret proceedings of theMysteries . ”

THE ELEUSINIAN MY STERIES

were the most celebrated , an d are the better Im derstood .

What we can learn concerning them m ay ,therefore

serve as a general ty pe of a l l the others . Althoughposition . influence , and wealth , no doubt , had their ihfluen ce 111 recommendn a candidate , they were certain

LESSER AND GREATER MYSTERIES . 9

ly not all- suffi cien t ; for Nero could not , by persuasionor threats , secure admission . Persons of all ages andboth sexes were admitted .

One must have had much to recommend him beforehe was even thought o f as a possible member . Ifsearching inquiry concerning him resulted satisfactorilyhe was formally announced as a “ candidate .

” If hewas chosen

,he w as

,under the most solemn vows Of

obedience,study

,and secrecy inducted by a purifica

tion including much fasting into the Lesser Mysteries . A S a concluding part of the ceremony thecandidate was instructed

,by the Hierophant , to look

within the chest or ark which contained the mystic ser

pent,the phallus

,the egg

,and grains sacred to

Demeter . The epopt then,as he was reverent or

otherwise,k new himself by the sentiments aroused .

The real seer beheld in these emblems the symbols ofdivine and infinite generators— towards whose n aturehe aspired ; the sensual and unregenerate natural m an

saw the representations of that which his lust hungeredfor . Plato and Alcibiades were aroused by very differentemotions . He thus became a Neophyte— new-born

,

or mystic a veiled one . He then passed a probationof from one to five years in study and purification .

During this period he was subj ected to various and frequent severe trials of his obedience

,fidelity

,courage

,

and discretion . When he had proven himself everyway worthy as to character , and his m ind was properlyprepared for the reception of the higher truths , theNeophyte was conducted into the inmost secret reces ses

40 INTRODUCTION.

of the temple , and initiated into the Greater Mysteries ,becoming a Seer or Initiate .

” Into some of theinterior mysteries

,however

,only a select few were ever

admitted .

He was then instructed in the essential prin ciples of

religion fi l e knowledge of the God of n ature - thefirst

,the supreme , the intellectual by which men had

been reclaimed f rOm rudeness and barbarism to eleganceand refinement , and been taught , n ot on ly to live inmore comfort

,but to die with better hopes .

This Shows that the Initiates were acquainted witha higher and clearer View of the Creator

,and Of the

present an d future life , than the masses could probablycomprehend .

These truths were taught,in part at least

,and illus

trated by allegories the exposition of Old Opinionsand fables — and by symbols . The last offering madeby on e initiated into the Greater Mysteries w as a cockto f Escu lapius .

From among the initiates some were selected whowere “ crowned ” as an indication that they were authorized to communicate to others the sacred rites inwhich they had been instructed . That is

,they were

made,as it were

,priests or teachers for those initiated

but who did not remember or understand al l they hadseen or heard in the ceremonies .The H Ierophant who presided was bound to a life ofcelibacy

,and also required to devote his entire life to

his sacred Office . To reveal any of the secrets ofthe Mysteries was adj udged as the basest wickedness ;

DIFFERING INTERPRETATIONS . 41‘

and in Athens was punished by death . Uninitiatedpersons found unlawfully witnessing the ceremonieswere also put to death .

The intention of al l mystic ceremonies is to conj oinus with the world and with the gods . ” The grand consummation sought for in these initiations was

,

“ F riendship a nd interior commun ion w ith God,and

the enj oyment of tha tf elicity w hich arises f rom in tim ate

converse w ith divine beings .

A most interesting study to on e who can appreciatewithout prej udice that two good and intelligent mencan honestly differ most radically 0 11 the mean ing Of asimple myth

,and the ceremonies illustrating that

myth,would be to carefully follow AlexanderWilder

and Thomas Taylo r in their essays upon Eleusi nianand -Bacchic Mysteries ; and then turn to the den un ciation and bitter abuse of these same ideas andproceedings by celebrated and honest writers , who findin them only incarnated folly , ignorance , and worsethan beastly sexual abominations .

The Initiates in their public worship professed thesame creed

,engaged in the same ceremon ies

,and used

the same symbols as the masses . It is,therefore

,

almost certain that their private work was simply anesoteric instruction or deeper interpretation Of theseexternals o f their religion . Very gradually the permauently vita l part of these secret teachings became thereformed beliefs of the masses and were incorporatedinto the publicly accepted dogmas . The consequenceof this was the gradual rc-interpretation of some cere

2 INTRODUCTION.

monies,and

,l ittle by little , the modification of such

others as were supposed by their dramatic action toteach something radically inconsistent w ith the n ewerand broader recognition of truth .

As symbols have no intrinsic religious meaning,but

depend entirely for their value upon the arbitrary sign ifi cation bestowed upon them

,they were naturally

retained in their established form,while their traditional

interpretations were so enlarged as to harmonize withthe broader teachings of the clearer truth . The studentof religious history and development finds that creedschange very gradually under the influence of in creasing intelligence and varying circumstances , and he haslittle t rouble in tracing their relationship and growth ;that ceremonies

,while they are modified in form to

illustrate and impress the changed creed,are always a

compromise between the traditional custom and theinnovating dogma

,generally retaining the familiar

dramatic elements as well as the time-honored times,

seasons , and “ high days ; and that the‘ Original sym

bols,which represent the fundamentals in religion

,re

main n early the same,the change being almost w holly

in interpretation—which is the greater unfolding of

the original teaching . The innovating ideas,the

changed mode o f thought,the n ew and ever- shifting

conditions and circumstances of life , together withman ’ s natural love o f novelty and variety in modes of

conception and expression,will evolve m any n ew sym

bols and numerous modifications of those already in

44 INTRODUCTION.

as limited in locality , as well as in other respects . Theyw ere , therefore , thought Of as frequently having different

,and Often contrary , purposes , which brought them

into contention with each other . L ike m en, too , they

were of different rank , honor , and station . They were,

however,divided into two general classes—the good

and the bad,those who w ere friendly to mankind de

siring to Show him favor ; and those who strove toinjure

,annoy

,and destroy hum anity .

One among them w as generally considered farsuperior to all the others in goodness

, intelligen ce , andpower ; and this supreme being was cal led the God

, or

Great God,while the others were called

,simply and

collectively,the gods . This supreme being

,and a few

of his chief associates , were also g iven individual names .This superior being w as mascul ine

,the creator o f all

that is,the father

,not only of men

,but Of the other

gods,whom he dominated . All these gods were con

ceived of as masculine , like the principa l on e . Theyhad

,however

,goddesses for associates the superioress

of whom was the consort of the ruling god . These godsand goddesses were n ot only thought o f as distinctlymasculine and feminine ; but they were con sidered asremarkable for their virility as for their other superhuman attainments . Their amours and creative en

durance and activity forms an important part of allmythology . The bad gods

,while inferior to the good

ones,were superior to m an in w isdom , strength , and

Virile activity and had,also

,goddesses for consorts and

associates . The evil gods and goddesses,however

,were

MASCUII NE AND FEMININE DEITIES . 1 5

destructive rather than creative and the evil goddessesplay a very inferior role in all myths . The suprememasculine creative power , principle , or person , by whatever name known

,and whatever his recognized attri

butes,was the great Obj ect of worship and veneration ;

and w hateyer measure Of reverence was shown the

others,was bestowed upon them as the associates and

assistants of the “ Lord of Lords . ”

The supreme fem inine creative power , principle , or

person,by whatever name designated , or whatever her

recognized attributes,was considered the consort or

favorite associate of the masculine creator,and shared

the honors bestowed upon him . This honor w as in afew isolated cases

,as to time and place

,greater than

that bestowed upon the royal god . In a greater number o f instances they received equal honor , Generally ,however

,While they were nominally equal

,the creative

god was considered the wise and powerful ruler whowas feared , and who , hence , received the greater shareof dogmatic ceremonial and recognition but the creatress goddess was looked upon as the tender and lovingmother

,and received the sincerer affection of the hum

ble worshiper,who appealed to her as the more likely

to sympathize with and assist her n eedy and sufferingchildren .

Even in this day we see the same principle’

car

ried out in the purest religions . The Buddhist devotee , the pious Catholic , and the penitent Protestant ,all laud the greatness

,power

,and wisdom of the masen

line Father ; but look to the immaculate Devi , the

46 INTRODUCTION.

Holy Mary,or the transcendent womanly love of Jesus

,

for special favors in times of unusual trial and deeptribulation .

While the above is a general outlin e of the supposedcharacter and relative rank of the unseen gods

,it must

be borne in mind that each civilization and sect of w or:

shipers attributed to each of the principal deities,m od

ified qualities , purposes , and powers ; and sometimeschanged their rank , actually and relatively .

In India the divine fatherhood w as the ineffableBrahm

, or great one. He manifested him-herself

(for he is an drogynous) first as Brahma,the creator .

From the latter proceeded Vishn u , the preserver , andSiv

’

a,the changer . The latter is the creator and de

stroyer of m ankind . His destruction,however

,is n ot

ann ihilation,but

‘

change , hen ce generally , improvement .The divine motherhood (also in Brahm ) is manifest edin the mothers or S a ctis Saraswati , Lakshmi , ParVati

,or Devi , who are the consorts of the m asculine

trinity . The latter,as the wife Of S iva

,is the mother

of mankind . This religious system is by all odds them ost exten sive in myth and dogma

,the most finished

and consistent in theology , the most elaborate anddramatic in ceremony , and the richest and m ost poetical in symbolism of any cult in the world . It wasprobably the earliest in origin

,has certainly been the

m ost presisten t in continuity , and is claimed by its adheren ts to be —and thought by most scholars to bethe origin o f all other '

systems . It is as Brahmanismand Buddhism to the orient what Judaism and Chris

JESUS AND SIDDARTHA. 47

tian ity is to the occident . There should certainly be noquarrel between these two transcendent systems

,for the

ethics— Spiritual,moral

,and philan thrOp ic— o f S iddar

tha and J esus— the Buddha and the Christ— have notbeen improved upon . Whatever Of uncleanness

,dis

honesty,o r cruelty may be practiced by the professed

followers o f eith‘er of these illuminated instructors is

certain lv contrary to their transcendental precepts andpure examples and whatever o f purity

,usefulness

,

and brotherly love may be developed or exhibited byregenerating men

,will be only the realization of their

divine teachings and philanthropic lives . They eachtaught a Supreme Being o f infinite love

,wisdom

,and

power,revealed the beauty of holiness

,brought life and

immortality to light,announced and enforced the eter

nal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood ofal l men . They each set the example of worshiping theHighest by giving their lives for m ankind

,teaching

that the purest praise most acceptable to the DivineCreator— was n eeded service rendered to his humblestchildren— the sick

,the hungry, the suffering , and the

outcast .

C H AP T E R I .

THE FIVE GREAT SYMBOLS .

THE PILLAR TRIAD , TR IANGLE ,CR OSS , AND SERPENT .

THE PILLAR .

HY were these emblems chosen as the symbols of religious ideas ? What did they

originally represent? When were they first adopted?Why are they in such general use ? What do they meannow ? When , how , and why were the m eanings of

these symbols changed from their original value to theirpresent interpretations? TVhy have these forms beenso tenaciously retained , while their sign ification s haveso frequently and so radically been modified ?An answer to these questions will be not only interesting historically

,but instructive in a more vitally im

portant department of human kn owledge m an ’ sspiritual development . Answ ering these questions

,

even in the brief and general way Which a work of thissize w ill permit , shows that the fundamen tal idea o f a ll

religions is the worshiping of the Creator . Such answ ers will also illustrate the many and persistent Opposition s which every innovation in dogma and ceremony

4 (49 )

50 THE FIVE GREAT SYMBOLS .

must meet , before even the fairly intelligent truthseeker will accept them as improvements on the old

creeds and forms Of worship .

The early u se of these symbols— dating beyondhistory into the dimmest traditions their general use

,

among al l peoples and in all times ; their persistentcontinuance

,through all the ages their general use in

our own day, when they are used by worshipers themost diverse in creed

,ceremony

,and life

,in all stages

of development - intellectual and moral—from thesavage Ocean ican to the cultured metropolitan , is theconstant wonder of history .

PRIMITIVE MAN

w as the child of Nature the infant of the race . Inthe early dawnings Of his twilight intelligence histhoughts were doubtless almost exclusively occupiedconcerning his pure ly physical necessities of food

,shel

ter,and defense against his enemies man and beast .

Being the child of Nature,from whom the race

,with

all its improvements has developed,he , like al l other

children,since and now

,ate his food because hunger

prompted him to this pleasing satisfaction of his appctites . He put on his mantle of skin or laid it o ff

,and

walked out under the sky or sought his shelter,becau se

his bodily comfort suggested such procedure .

The child of to-day sees its father at work “ makingthings ; it sees its mother , or her assistants , cookingor sewing

,providing food and clothing so it can in its

limited way account for the supply of its bodily wants .

52 INTRODUCTION.

isfactory to themselves , much less satisfactory to thecomprehension of the inquisitive child . These questions

,which every one asks wonderingly

,as a child

,and

seriously, as a mature thinker , and which nearly everyon e answers glibly , without thought , and hesitatingly ,as he is more intelligen t , but which have never beenfully answered , are these

Who or what is this little stranger?Where did this l ittle stranger come from?H ow did this little thing get here?In a word :“WHO MADE THE BABY ?These universal and ever-present questions have universal and ever-present responses

, which may be formu

lated into universal and ever-present answers,Viz

This little stranger is a human being . It came fromGod or the gods . God or the gods sent it here . ’

In short,God or the gods —made the baby .

”

(Edipus answered the riddle of the Sphinx by pron ouncing the word man but he failed to solve theen igma behind the riddle , because he did not— andcould not define man . And he could not define manbecause he did not know himself—much less humanity .

So these formulated replies answer these questions,

but they do n ot solve the mysteries behind these questions . They do not answer the Spirit o f the questions

,

because they do not define man or describe God . Whois he who knows man

,fearfully and wonderfully

made ? ” and “who is he who can , by searching , find

THE PILLAR. 53

out the deep things of God,or find out the Alm ighty

to perfection ? ”

All religions,past

,present

,and possible

,must be

based upon the attempt to understand and define m an

and God and hence to understand and define m an ’ srelations to God and to his fellow-man . It

,therefore

,

naturally follows that al l symbology in the statement,un foldment , and illustration , of any and ev ery religionmust have reference— directly or remotely— to thesupposed character and attributes o f the God— or

gods— which that cult recognizes .Man , in every stage o f his development

,considers

himself superior to the other creatures he sees aroundhim ; he would , therefore , naturally consider his makeror

‘ creator superior to the fashion er o f those creatures .Again

,as man is Observing before he is reflective

,and

scientific before he i s speculative,he is prone to sup

pose that the imm ediately preceding operation is thecause Of the immediately succeeding result . Primitiveman readily noticed that his eyes saw ,

his ears heard,

his tongue spoke,his hands fashioned his implements

of industry and war ; and he derived pleasure as wellas profit from the use of these organs . His sexualorgan voiced itself in his strongest passion

,its appro

priate activity was the source O f his incomparablygreatest pleasure

,and produced the most wonderful

and most prized result— a new human being like himself . He , therefore , natu rally exalted this organ as thecreator of the little stranger

,who would

,in his turn ,

become a man . Among all primitive races woman was

54: THE FIVE GREAT SYMBOLS.

simply a chattel,and he no more thought Of giving any

credit to the femin ine organs,in producing the child

,

than he thought Of considering the flint as his associatein making an arrow head . Primitive m an w as n ot yet

so enlightened as to distinguish between the principleand its mode o f manifestation— between the u nseenforce and the means o f transmitting that force— be

tween the intent that directed the instrument and theinstrument itself; he , therefore , came to recogn Ize thephallus as the creator of m an .

The erect phallus was,therefore

,the first obj ect of

m an ’ s adoration and worship .

Even among the earliest worshipers some of the morespeculative would very soon distinguish between thephallus as a creator and the phallus as the instrument

of a power which created by its u se . Such m en would ,however

,distinguish this unseen power as being mas

culine,and hence worship the masculine principle as the

creator still,however

,using the phallus to symbolize

this unseen creator .Large m en of muscular development

,and aggressive

natures,were the m asters among their fellows . They

could,and did

,on this account

,becom e possessed of

more women,and hence beget more children— thus

becoming of even greater renown so stature , strength ,courage

,prowess

,and dom ination became

,in a measure

at least,identified with Virility . It was

,no doubt , soon

discovered that the man who had lost , or seriously injured

,his phallus

,was generally lacking , also , in

strength , courage , and endurance . Above all , he

THE PILLAR. 55

was totally unfitted for what was then considered thegreat and distinctive duty and privilege o f man— be

getti ng sons and daughters . Such men were,there

fore,despised and outcast . They were denied the rights

of citizenship,or even the privilege of engaging in any

public worship .

Phallic images,representing the organ itself

,the

masculine principle,or the invisible mascul ine creator

according to the different Views and interpretations ofthe worshipers—were

,from the earliest tradition al

times,made in every conceivable Variation of form and

size . The obj ect presented to the eye was,from a

modern stand-point of View,gross ; but the idea sym

bol ized was grand ; and reverence for the creator wasproved by paying abundant honor to the s ign—andespecially to the organ it represented . The commonest

,

and probably the ceremonial,or Official

,form

,was that

however,of the erect phallus

,in natural proportion

but o f all sizes,from the tiny amulet worn by p ious

matrons and innocent maidens as a charm,up to the

imposing Shaft erected over the grave of the honoredhero— from which has descended the memorial columnsin our modern cemeteries—and even to the gigan ticphallic tower dedicated with solemn ceremonies— andthe presence of which indicated a holy place— Bethc l—r—house of God .

This phallic tower,though of course conventional

ized in form,is still common as a church steeple

,and

suggests the Father of us all ; while it designates aholy place

,which has been

,by solemn religious cere

56 THE FIVE GREAT SYMBOLS.

m ony,dedicated as a house of God .

” Our own na

tion— the freest in religious toleration— the wisest inphilosophy—the purest in morals —: the m ost prosperous in production that the world has yet seen , has recen tly symbolized its superiority by

“ erecting a pillar,

”

or building a “ tower,

” higher than the 'w orld ever be

fore saw ,to commemorate the life and Virtues of its

foun der,and mark the world ’ s holiest ground—the

final resting place of the Father of his Country .

”

THE MASCULINE TRIAD

As men begat both sons and daughters,and as the

former were much more desired than the latter , it wasn atural that a reason for this should be sought so that

,

if possible , the sex o f the Offspring could be controlled .

As the phallus w as the great Obj ect of veneration,itw as

,

no doubt,carefully scrutin ized and closely examined in

all its peculiarities ; but no marked difference Of size ,form

,or condition was found that would account for

the difference of begetting son s in on e case,and

daughters in another . It was Observed,however

,that

men who had diminutive test icles , as a rule , lacked inVirility

,and that those who had none naturally or

who had lost them— were unable to become fathers .This w as a revelation that the tests performed an important part in generation ; and hence led to closerobservation of their peculiarities . A marked and un i

form difference was easily discovered . The right testis the more prominent

,and hangs at a lower level than

its smaller and less pronounced fellow on the left . The

THE TRIAD . 57

dimmest traditions of the remotest past,therefore

,

brings us the theory that the larger right testicle hasthe honor of giving the world its men while the lesseron e 0 11 the left has the minor distinction of being re

sponsible for the weaker sex— a belief which is quitegeneral at the present time in nearly every civilization .

How soon after the recognition of the phallus ascreator — Or as the instrument and representative of

the Creator— that honor was divided with the less conspicuous , but equally n ecessary testicle appendages we

have no means of definitely determining ; certain i t is ,however

,that the generative supremacy at first accorded

to the phallus was in tim e divided with the tests —thusrecognizing coOperation in the m asuline organs of gencration .

The phallus was called ASHER , which signifies to bestraight

,

” “ upright,

” “ the erect one,

” happiness a nus ca i membrum erectum es t

,vel f ascinam

ip sum the erect Virile member , charmed in the actof its proper function ANU , probably from On ,meaning strength ,

” power especially Virilepower

,

” the m ale idea o f creator , was the name giventhe right testicle

,which , as the assistant in the genera

tion o f male children , was held next in rank to thephallus itself . This will readily explain why Jacobcalls his son Benj amin “

son Of my right sidewhile the mother called him Benoni SOII o f Ann

son o f my On .

” HOA , or HEA,

—while of Obscureorigin

,and o f doubtful meaning

,is clearly feminine


and w as the n ame applied to the third in rank—theleft testicle .The first sacred creative trinity

,as recognized by the

Assyrians, w as

,therefore

,Asher

,An n ,

and Hoa

three distinct entities (principles or persons) each perfeet in itself , each necessary to the other , working inharmony as on e

,towards on e end a veritable three

in on e— and on e m ade up of three . In this—as inall subsequent trinities and in fact

,as in all polythe

istic cults —the different organs,principles

,or person s

were of relative rank . One w as the superior— evensupreme among the others . Their n ames

,when

spoken of or written together , were arranged in theorder of their rank

,beginning w ith the one considered

as the Lord of the others— Lord of Lords . Whenthey were spoken Of as a whole

,sometimes this trini

ty again,like subsequent trinities— bore a n ame dis

tinct from the three -members,but frequently the

collective unity w as referred to under the name of theone recognized as highest in rank .

In comparatively later times the Jews kn ew and recogn ized this masculine triad , giving the testicles j ointhonor with the phallus for their law made them sacred

,

so that even a profane touch was punished with death ,and a man who had lost the one , or who was woundedin the other

,could not enter the congregation of the

Lord .

” That is,a m an whose creative triad was im

perfect was an abomination . Even a descendant ofAaron could n ot be initiated as a priest if he was sex

nally imperfect . This rule was not confined to the be


No race of m en,however primitive in development

,

or however low in the scale of intelligence,would contin

ue long to worship the phallus,or the phallic triad

,before

some of the more intuitive and speculative among themwould perceive that this organ was not the real creator .It would soon be recognized that

,as the picture or

statuette Of the organs only represented the organs, so

the organs themselves were only representatives of thereal creator . This dawning o f truth would have twomarked effects upon those who perceived it ; first , todevelop a deeper and purer respect for the unseen powerrepresented by the organs and second

,to introduce

symbols,less realistic in form

,but equally suggestive ,

of these organs and,hence

,o f the real creative power .

At what period this open and portraitive imagerybegan to be Veiled in symbols — Or how rapidly themodification was generally accepted is unknown . Theprobability is that , at a comparatively early date asis the case even n ow— the exoteric or realistic repre

sen tation s and the esoteric or veiling sym bols were u sedcontemporaneously among different classes or underdifferent circumstances . The earliest traditions and theoldest religious rel ics Show them both in general u se .

Among the earliest modifications ofI

phal lic repre

sentation s was the substitution of plain or ornamentedcolumns

,and the single upright stone hewn or un

dressed for the shafts of realistic form . These again,

or rather the organ or the creator represented by theorgan— were symbolized in the single perpendicularline

,Figure 2 .

THE TRIAD. 61

In the same way , under Similar influences , the masenline triad came to be represented in a triune symbol of

F ig. 3 . Fig. 4 F ig. 5 . l ’ ig 6. F ig . 7.

a single upright l ine with two shorter l ines one eachside

,as in Figure 3 . This was again modified into the

on e upright and two shorter horizontal l ines , Figure 4which

,in its next form

,became the more permanent

symbol of the single upright line,resting upon a hori

zon tal line of equal length , or mortised into it andprotruding through it

,as in Figures 5 and 6 . This

was,when erected 0 11 the ground

,or set up on the

temple floor,not readily distinguished from the Single

upright shaft . It was probably to render itmore distinct that the transition was made in this form to thenext

,by placing the horizontal bar or l ine at the top

of the upright as shown in Figures 7 and 8 . The lastfour symbols seem to have been u sed interchangeably .

A A verbal form of the triad whichesoterically contains all the doctrines of the masculine creativetrinity is occasionally found in an

A N U— R—H o A cient sculptures and is shown in itsFIGUR E 9‘ translated form in this diagram .

In all these representations,however

,whether real

istic, with al l the detailed form and features of the

erect Virile member— or whether suggestive in theplain or ornamental column , or in the single upright


stone or post or when symbol ic,III the perpendicu lar

line,they each and all pointed to the living erected

phallus . When the triad was indicated,realistically or

symbolically , still the central and overshadowing feature was the erected phallus , representing creativepower .This creative power

,whether regarded as the phallus

,

as the triad o f male generative organs,as the whole

man,as an unseen power

,as an intelligen t force

,or as

an intelligent and powerful , but unseen being (for wemust always bear in mind that all these ideas con cerningthe creator 'have been contemporaneously held from timeimmemorial) , was , up to the time of which we writeor rather up to the stage of development referred tothought of and spoken of as masculine— and masenline only :

THE FEMININE SYMB OL .

Up to this stage of hum an development the femaleorgans of generation

,the fem inine principle

,the femi

nine creative powers,had not been regarded as factors

in generation — in a word , woman had not been recogn ized as human ; and , hence , the creator— whetherprinciple

,power

,or person— w as not thought of as

having feminine characteristics or attributes .Among the intelligent and intuitive m en of this de

velopm ent there arose a new prophet , who became so

enlightened that he was enabled to perceive a n ew and

beautiful unfolding o f truth . This n ew teacher had the

seership to recognize , and the enthusiastic boldness to

THE TRIANGLE. 63

announce,the wonderful revelation

,alike new and

startling to priest and people , that the accepted andofficial dogmas of worship were susceptible of improvement

,because a broader truth had been discovered .

He announced that,while recognizing the honor and

worship due the phallus , the male generative triad , themasculine principle

,the masculine creator

,still they

were n ot the all , n or the all -sufficien t,in generation ;

that important and essentially potent as is the masenline

,still the yoni— woman —the feminin e principle

the feminine generative power— the feminine creator— was also a factor , an essential factor, in fact anequa l partner

,in the generation o f human beings .

Some students of ancient worship,whose patient re

search and eminent scho larship give their opinionsgreat weight

,are inclined to think that among the

early innovators were those who not only claimed thefeminine as every way equal in honor to the m ascu

line,but carried their Views to the other extreme

,and

exalted the feminine into the supreme place ; and re

fused to recognize the masculine as at all worthy ofcoOrdin ate worship .

The conservative priesthood and their adherents wouldnaturally cling persistently to the o ld cult , denouncingthe n ew doctrine as a blasphemous and damning heresy

,

and persecuting bitterly those who accepted— and

especially those who taught the worship of a strangegod . The radicals would j ust as n aturally go to theextreme of their position

,and in a similarly intoleran t

spirit,denounce their persecutors as bigots . Each ex


treme party would have the same form of watchwordand battle cry : There is but one god'Our god isgod .

” “A ll honor to our god -l Death to all whoworship any god but our god .

” These extremists,in

true sectarian spirit,waged a bitter war of words

,and

carried o n a more sanguinary and more destructive warfare of weapons . Families were divided

,tribes were

broken up,nations rent asunder

,in this controversy ;

and not only families and tribes,but nations

,were ex

terminated in the long and savage wars which grewout of the question of which was the true worship , thatOf the phallus or the yoni— or the principles and godswhich they represented . In the mean time the great middle classes— those of the golden mean— among whomall real reforms find their constituents— were comingmore and more to see and understand the mutual importance of the two principles

,and to acknowledge both

as essential . This great middle class included a l l between the extremists and their acceptan ce of the twogods ranged in every possible degree of difference fromthose who ,

while they acknowledged both gods,held

the masculine as so much superior as to consider theconservatives practically right

,to those

,on the other

hand , who so exalted the feminine as to be almost in full‘

accord with the radicals . Still,the theory of their sub

stan tial equality in power and worthines s of worshipgradually gained ground and adherents

,and finally be

came the dominant cult . Then , and ever since,the

worship o f the creator has,in its realistic aspect or

spiritual interpretation,ranged in the same general

THE TRIANGLE. 65

direction . Then,as ever si nce

,and now (always bear

ing in m ind that creeds,as well as ceremonies and sym

bols,are what we read into them , in the interpretation

through them o f our OWII feelings and thoughts) , theworshiping part o f mankind might be arranged underfive titles

,which

,in the Hindu terminology

,would be

as fo llowsLINGACITA S ,

LINGA-yon igas ,LINGAY-ONIGAS ,YONI- lingacitas ,YONIGA S .

The conservatives,who m aintained the old faith

would,of course

,retain the old ceremonies

,as well as

the o ld symbols of Single phallus,or the masculine

triad . The radicals would naturally adopt the yoni asthe literal image to announce and illustrate the cardinal doctrine of the new cult . The yoni being lessprominen t

,and hence m ore difficult to reproduce in full

detail— the representations w ere o f n ecessity moreveiled . The artist , therefore , depended more uponsuggestion than upon realistic reproduction to indicatethe organ and all it typified . The same natural reservewhich veiled a literal exposure or a picturative represen tation of the yoni

,would also suggest other rep

resen tation s . The mons veneris,with its hirsute

covering , was often substituted for the organ it concealed . This substitute is in the form of an invertedtriangle ; and this is the reason why the triangle waschosen to symbolize the yoni . Besides the triangle

5


would suggest the fem inine trinity the sacred locality,

the yonic orifice , and the prolific womb and would , therefore

,be an especially appropriate symbol . This tri

angle was usually drawn plain , as in Figure 10 . Itwas

,however

,frequently rendered m ore literal by

adding a short interior upright line,as in Figure 1 1 .

A symbol of the yoni— and hence of the feminineprinciple or personality which was common inancient

,and to some extent in modern

,times— though

often used with indelicate suggestiveness— was thepointed oval

,Figure 12. This was sometimes soft

ened into the ellipse,rendered angular in the lozenge

,

or expanded into the circle,as shown In Figures 1 3

,14

,

an d 15 .

F ig. 10. Fig. 11. Fig. 12. F ig. 13 . Fig. 14. Fig. 15.

Then the woman ’ s breast,Figure 16

,with all its

attributes of nourishment and beauty,was also adopted

as a representative of the feminine in all its peculiarities . This was ah especially acceptable and popularsymbol ; because it could be interpreted according tothe reader’ s nature either sentimentally or fleshim en

tally . In the swelling breast , too , the feminine triadwas suggested by the two curving lines of beautyone above

,the other below— and the n ipple in which

they culminated . The feminine trinity was also represented by the three living colors of the pink nipple ,


acknowledged both , but held the m asculin e as superior ,used such symbols as Figures 20 to 3 1 .

Those on the other hand who revered the femin ine assuperior to the masculine would reverse the arrange

F ig. 3 2. F ig. 3 3 . F ig. 3 4. Fig. 3 5 . F ig. 3 6.

ment of these emblems and Show their peculiar Opinionsand religious ideas in such symbols as Figures 3 2 to 43 .

Fig. 3 8 . F ig. 3 9. Fig. 41. F ig. 42. Fig. 43 .

Those who contended for the equality of the femin ineand masculine principles

,used also the latter symbols

,

but interpreted them differently saying,in substance

“We represent the m asculin e as a triad and the femin ine as a m OIIad or fourth member ; we , therefore , represent their equality by placing the single feminin esymbol over the masculine three .

” This class also u sedthe symbolism of the conservatives in some casesIh the masculine triad they interpreted the upright lineas the m asculine and the long horizontal line as thefeminine . Again

,as the single upright line symbolized

the masculine,this class once m ore adopted that Sign

and added their own ideas to it by placing another sim

THE CROSS. 69

ilar l ine by its side , forming the double upright lineFigure 48 .

F ig. 45 . F ig. 46. F ig . 47. F ig. 48. Fig. 49.

This simple symbol is unfolded by mystical interpretation in the most far- reaching application

,but always

with the same generic value . Thus it means the masculine and fem inine creators , Adam and Eve , Cainand Abel

,Jacob and Esau , Moses and Aaron , Jachin

and Boaz,—the two pillars at the entrance o f S 0 10

mon ’ s Temple,Peter and John

,and so on , w ith Jeho

vah the Eternal Father , and Mary the UniversalVirginMother

,as the last interpretation .

The same ideas are represen ted,and the same mysti

cal interpretation unfolded by placing the upright lin eand the circle together , as in Figure 49 .

THE CR OSS .

The race— that is the more developed part o f itwas again ready to recognize , and , therefore , to accepta still further unfolding of the truth in regard to creation . Again , the intuitive class—who are the Spiritualeyes of mankind— furnished the seer , who , by his superior illumination , was able to perceive the n ew

,the

needed,and the acceptable light . He recognized the

truth in the old and modified dogmas,and saw

,too

,

that a clearer view of these,and a larger comprehension

of their relationship to each other and to creation ,

70 THE FIVE GREAT SYMB0LS.

would enlarge and improve these creeds . He fullyand heartily indorsed the equal importance , power , andglory o f the masculine and feminine creative powers .

He taught,however , that gen eration did not result

simply from the fact that such powers are,or are equal

,

but from their activity in generative operation and not

from their separate and independent operation— butfrom their mutually reciprocal

,coOperative and there

fore harmoniously combined activity . This n ew perception of truth illumination revelation call itwhat w e may— which to u s may seem a Very simpleand obvious truism

, w as to the less developed race amost wonderful and important statement ; for it shed abeauteous light upon many of the obscure and

,therefore

,

disputed elements in the already established creeds . Itpaved the w ay for sweet reconcil iation between the bitterly warring sects , by Showing that however thecomparative power an d honor of the contended-forcreating principles m ight be regarded

,that

,still

,each

m ust co'

operatively act with the other .This n ew doctrine did not abridge the

'worship ac

corded to any recognized principle or person . It did notintroduce any n ew obj ect of worship . It only recogn ized an activity and that a mutual activity 0 11 thepart of the creators which m ankind (in cluding , of

course,womankind

,as well) , have always recognized

as a delightful occupation o f their energies,and for

which they were,n o doubt

,pleased to have a divine

example and indOIsem en t .

This n ew docti ine seems to have been Ieadily rec

THE CROSS. 71

ogn ized and generally adopted by the different sects ;for while some o f them contended—and in some placesstill contend for the superiority of on e or the other ofthe sexua l principles

,all seem to hold to the n ecessity of

their m utual,coOperative , creative w ork . The accept

ance of this addition—not otherwise a radical changeto the dogmas

,as was n atural

,resulted in n ew cere

m onials made up of the o ld w ith added n ew features,

some o f which in time became while heartily w el

comed and greatly en j oyed by the worshiping participants o f a character which in this day and civiliz ationwould be den omi nated scandalously licentious .The fundamental idea of the in ew modification of

creed w as the active co-operation o f the seemingly op

posing m ascul ine and femini ne principles and powers as

Fig. 50. Fig. 51. Fig. 52. F ig. 53 . Fig. 54. Fig. 55.

the creative c ause of al l that is . The imaged or pict

ured represen tation of this w as naturally , of course , themasculine and feminine orgafi

'

s,not only in full power ,

ready for their special work , but actually engaged intheir reciprocal and coOperative struggle to bring aboutthe greatest o f all desired results , a n ew creature .

The symbol to veil this imagery was naturally an upright line in a tr iangle

,pointed oval , ellipse , circle , or

lozenge . Figures 50, 51 , 52, 53 and 54 .


The upright l ine and circle side by side,Figure 55

,

often modified into IO,and in more m odern times into

10, Figu res 56 and 57 , are symbolsalmost synonymous w ith the cross .

Fig. 56. Fig . 57. They represent the union of the

sexual organ s the co-operation of the m asculin e andfeminine powers or persons . 1 , the masculine , alone issimply on e ; 0 , the femin ine , alone is nothing . Theirunion is n ot 1 O 1

,but 1 + 0 annexed 10 or

many . 1 is the masculine God,alone in his maj esty

O is the feminine Nature,w ith only receptive power .

10 is God and Nature,the all-producing . 1 is the

creative but invisible spirit ; 0 is the existence or expression of this spirit the Visible universe 10 is all inall

,and all expressing all . The Lingacitas say 1 is

all,0 s imply a servant . The Yon igas reverse this ,

making 0 all important , with 1 as an assistant .But there was a sacred symbol

,the combination of

the upright and horizontal line,already in popular use

it w as reverenced,time-honored and well understood it

was therefore policy as wel l as n ecessity to retain it .The inverted triangle

,pointed oval

,ellipse

,circle

,and

lozenge could easily be replaced by the horizontal line,

especially when a change of position would at once indicate the same m eaning and also symbolize the n ew

dogma . This w as effected by placing the horizontalline across the m iddle of the upright lines , thus producing the ancient

,modern

,and everlasting religious sym

bol the cross .The cross

,we thus see

,was originally formed by the

THE CROSS. 73

combination of the two simplest , best-kn ow n and mosttranscendeiita l ly interpreted religious symbols . Theupright line— the m aj or element in thecross

,still retained all its former symbolic

significance as the erect p illar . Thehorizontal line crossing it carried w ith itall the meaning o f the masculine triad .

Changing this l ine from the extremity to them iddle of the upright line not only conferred F‘g' 5”

upon it,in this position , a ll the significance o f the

revered triangle,pointed oval , and circle— in a word

the yoni or woman-hood the feminine creative principle ; but it did much more , for it gave both the m ascu

line an d feminine emblems and principles a livingvalue

,because it represented an active cooperative

union in the work o f creation .

The cross,then , when first adopted as a rel igious

symbol meant,

on the purely sensual plane,linga

in -yoni,generation by the union and coOperative

activity of the sexes . It was even then,however

,i n

terpreted to signify the creation of children—on thephysical plane , o f course—by the orderly and designed activity of the unseen powers typed by the

masculine and feminine organs . By the Simplefolding

,developing , spiritualizing of this original

interpretation it has come to mean regenerationthe union and Cooperative activity of the masculine andfeminine principles (which are variously interpreted asDivine and human—God and n ature

,love and w is

dom,will and intellect , faith and works , to devel

THE FIVE GREAT SYMBOLS.

ope n ew creatures , who shall not only inherit theeart on the sensual plane , but w ho shall in thespiritual realm possess the heavens and fill them .

The cross has n ot , however , by this Spiritual in ter

pretation lost any o f its interest or significance muchless had its teaching negated on the sensual plane ofman ’ s life . Its primitive m eaning and earliest interpretation i s ever Vital and ever present— or should beto even the most spiritually developed . Ascetics mayclaim that they aim to be so busy in the work of savingthe souls of themselves and others that they will haveno time to engage in physical procreation ; that theyaim to labor so continuously and so exhaustingly inspiritual work that they w ill lack the power to obeytheir God ’ s first comman d to the first parents in Paradise Be fruitful

,m ultiply

,fill the earth and subdue

it ;” that they strive to be so enamored of Spiritual

purity and future glory that they w ill have n o inclination to admire the flesh or partake of its Sensualfelicities . There seem s

,to say the least , an inhar

mony between the teachings of God to the perfectpair

,and the ascetic ’ s ideal life o f perfect m an and

woman now . Certain it is that if they could convert allmankind to their ideal St . Peter would have to searchout some other source than Earth for a supply of

heavenly inhabitants .Another class will claim that the tran scendental m eaning of the cross as a symbol o f regeneration in spiritshould n ot replace but simply supplement its in terpretation as to creation 0 11 the sensual plane . They w ill

76 THE FIVE GREAT sYMBOLs.

to tear down religious ideas or to discard the cross, but

to more fully unfold the i nterpretations of that reveredand time-reverenced symbol . Accepting the cross andits symbolism of generation 0 11 the plane of n aturephysically

,they unfolded its transcendental m eaning as

the emblem of the divine and the human,actively

co'

operating to beget new creatures,that is , regenerated

or divine men and women .

To w rite fully of the interpretations of the cross,to

gether with its associated symbols,would be to give the

religious history of the race from its primitive childhoodup to its present state of comparative m aturity . To

prophesy correctly its yet to be unfolded mean ingswould be to foretell the manner and result of man ’ s continned growth until every son and daughter of Godshould attain to be perfect even as the Father-Motherin heaven is perfect .

THE SER PENT .

Probably the next new symbol,with a mean ing f un

dam en tal ly distinct from that of the cross,either as a

whole or considered in its constituent elements,and

yet representing an essential element in creation or gencration

,was the serpent . This symbol of the serpent

is nearly as o ld,and almost as n early universal both

as to times and places as the pillar . N0 other symbol has been or is so variously interpreted . It hasmeant

,and is now esoterically taught to mean

,nearly

every transcendental truth from life to the individual onearth , and continued life of the individual and the race

THE SERPENT. 77

in the recurring generations by offspring , to the eternallife of the individual in a future and spiritual phase ofexistence ; from S imple cunning or craftiness to thebroadest and clearest wisdom ; and from simple sen

suons light to divine illumination . The serpent has alsobeen u sed to represent nearly every feeling possible tohumanity

,from the purely animal sexual passion to the

passion of the divine m an 0 11 the cross ; an d to sym

bo lize every possible sensual and spiritua l being,fromthe slimy and poisonous snake in the grass to the orthodox personal devil

,who seduced our paradisical

mother Eve and who still roams the earth,seeking

whom he may devour ; from Lucifer the fallen angeland prince of darkness , to Lucifer— the torch bearero f the Divine

,who sheds abroad in the world all the

light it has or can have in a word from the great reddragon

,the seducer of hell , the prince of error

,the

malignan t an d eternal enemy o f m an , to the favoritearch-angel nearest the celestial throne , the everlastingspirit of truth

,the only divine instructor of man

,and

even the Holy Spirit on e with the Most High .

The wise men of old,

” therefore,did not adopt the

serpent OII account of its beauty only or for ornamentsimply ; but because they had a new and larger perception o f truth and

,hence

,needed a n ew symbol to

represen t a new element in their philosophy . Thesemen

,being close Observers

,would soon notice that while

the coOperative union of the sexes was n ecessary to,

and resulted in ,the bringing forth of children

,which

were much prized,that still this desire of procreation


was not then— as it is not now— the only,or even

generally,the main incentive to the creative act . They

doubtless recogn iz ed'

that if the love of the offspringthe special desire for a child at a certain time -was theonly m otive

'

for procreative activity,that this

,like

many other important duties,would often be seriously

neglected and that,as a n atural result

,the earth would

be filled and subdued very slowly— if indeed it werefilled or subdued at all . They , therefore , recognizedthe passion

,which insured the prompt and constant

activity,resulting in populating the world

,as a divine

factor in creation . Regarding it thus,they

,in accord

ance with their custom ,sought out a represen tative

symbol . They had also , no doubt , n oticed that the

cobra de cap el la ,or hooded snake o f India (where the

serpent symbology probably originated) had a peculiarpower of puffing itself up— enlarging and erecting itsneck and head when aroused to excitement . Thispeculiar power

,and its size

,shape

,position

,and regu

lar pulsations when in this condition , as well as its wellknown power of fascin ation— which subdues its whilom

fearful and trembling Victims,were

a ll very suggestive . This snake,

which is the favorite form of theearlier representations of the ser

pent,was

,probably

,for these

,and

,

perhaps,other reasons

,chosen to

symbolize that purely selfish andsexual passion which for the sim

ple end of sensua l gratification prompted the fleshly

F ig. 59.

THE SERPENT. 79

union of the sexes . This significance would n aturallyun fold very speedily

,even to the primitive race

,so as

to also include all those sentimental promptings whichbrought the sexes into harmonious and enjoyable association . Indeed the race may have been S O developed asto recognize both of these interpretations from the firstuse o f this symbol .And the ancients were right in regarding sexual passion as divine . It is simply the divine impulse whichstimulates sensual m an

,from purely selfish motives ,

and . without regard to duty or divinity , to sufferinglydesire and ardently enj oy

,an d

,therefore

,to energetic

ally and industriou sly engage in procreative activity .

Among purely animal m en — if an y such there bethis passion is

,therefore

,instin ctive but none the less

divine— in its intent and result o f perpetuating therace . Among animals it is called instinct . III the vegetable world we recognize it as tendency to cellulardevelopment and multiplication . III the mineral kingdom it is known as chemical affin ity . III the domain ofintellect it is the spontaneous craving that seeks enj oyment in the mental activity of evolving or receivingideas . In the realm o f affection it is the anxious agitation which revels in the exciting play o f the emotion s .

In a word this passion is,in its OWII domain , the Special

manifestation of the un iversal divine impulse seekingsatisfaction in the reciprocal activity o f creative forcesand in man prompting him— before purity would induceor intelligence guide him —to procreative activities .So we find that

,independent of the u ltimate aim of


perfecting the un iverse,affin ity

,in stin ct

,and impulse

are constantly prompting and securing the energeticcoOperative activity of apparen tlv con tending , but , inreality

,supplementary creative

‘

pow ers in the productionof new creatures .Sensual pleasure

,intellectual delight

,moral rapture

in a word , happiness , OII every plan e o f man’ s n ature— is

constantly resulting from the obedience he accords tothe promptings o f impulse

,long before he atta in s the

m oral and m ental development o f designedly and

with holy purpose aforethought engaging in the sameoutward work .

And this impulse— whether man ifested as sexualpassion on the sensual plane

,seeking and securing

fleshly gratification or whether it is recogn ized as

pious fervor in the Spiritual domain , longing for and exerting consecrated activity for regenerated emotionalsatisfaction this impulse , so long as it is the Sponta

neons promptings o f vita l strength to go forth in energetic activity

,because that activity is self-satisfying , is

what is symbolized by the serpent .From these fundamental ideas

,which the serpen t has

from time immemorial represented , it came to havem any other signifi cation s . Its every interpretation

,

however,as a religious or mystic symbol has been de

veloped out of - and is the legitim ate offspring of

this primitive and essential esoteric value .

C H AP T E R II .

GENERAL DIFFUSION AND MODIF IED F ORMS OF PH ALLICSYMB OLS .

E cannot too fully appreciate,nor too often

,

in pursuing this study,remind ourselves

that the use of phallic symbols,and even the u se of

realistic representations o f the sexual organs,was , in

the eyes of the worshipers using them,dignified and

pure in purpose , and free from any recognized nu

cleanness .

THE PILLAR .

The use of the pillar in some of its varied formswas almost universal

,as a religious symbol . The

,Teutons and Scandinavians worshiped their gods undervarious names

,and with different attributes ; but how

ever diff erent sects might disagree on the m inor points ,they a ll regarded the Creator as masculine , and usedthe phallus or its symbols as representing the Divine .The Spaniard gen erally worshiped a Sim ilar deityunder the name o f Hortan es

,and u sed the same staff

of life ” as his emblem . England , Scotland , and Ire( 8 1 >

82 DIFFUSION AND MODIFICATION OF SYMBOLS.

land still bear evidence of the generality and dominancyof the phallic idea in

worship . To catalogueand explain the monuments and rem ains of thiscult in the British Isleswould require a ponderousv o l u m e . Stonehenge

,

the ground plan o f whichFig- GO is shown in the annexed

figure,has been so often written about that n o descrip

tion is n eeded .

This shows,I,the elevation as it n ow appears ; II ,

an enlarged View of the Friar ’ s Il oll III,the ground

plan of this ancient phallic temple .

Fig. 61 . Fig. 62. F1g. 63 . Fig. 64. F ig. 65.

Figures 61,62

,and 63 are outlines of ancient Irish

Round Towers,while two views o f the celebrated New

ton stone are given in Figures 64 and 65 .

84 DIFFUSION AND MODIFICATION OF SYMBOLS .

found in the B aktyari Mountains . To show how widespread in Space and time similar symbols m ay be found ,

F ig . 73 . F ig. 74. F ig. 75.

there is given in Figures 73 and 74 the pictures of amodern Phallic Pillar ” and Sun Stone

,

” as foundin use as a religious emblem— or fetich

,at the present

time,in the Figi Islands . The shape , adornm ents , and

material of Figures 72 and 73 are almost identical .Are these m odern emblems of the Figian s any kin ,by w ay of offspring , to the ancient symbols ; or did

similar ideas suggest and originate the similar repre

sen tatives ?

The Sivaic Shrine shown in Figure 75 n eeds no comment to point out its phallic character .Almost exactly similar emblems are found in Javaand Ceylon .

The L inga and Yonic Temple of India Shown inFigures 76 and 77 - are usually (at least frequently)cal led Buddhist Shrines .Whether the authors are mistaken

,or whether som e

Buddhists wander so far from the doctrines of Siddarthaas to erect and use such phallic temples is n ot certainbut surely all idolatry and sensuality is as far from

THE PILLAR. 85

Buddhism as it is from Christianity ; for the teachingof S iddartha and Jesus are alike on the subj ect o f idolsand chastity .

Fig . 76. F ig. 77. F ig . 78

The Petrean Menhir,shown in Figure 78

,is a com

plete combination o f the masculine emblem of thetow er ,

” with open ings o f a similar shape,and of the

feminine ark ,”

or base,together with “ doors ”

linga in form,but yonic

,from the fact of being ave

nues of admission .

F ig. 79. Fig . 80.

The linga-in -yoni,Shown in Figure 79

,presents a

Very interesting example of the rude but emphaticm ethod of a primitive people in Goth land

,in expressing

the recognition of the masculine and feminine pri nciples


and their Cooperative union in the grand work of ore

ation . The sacred hill at Karnak , in Egypt , the phalliccharacter of which is Obvious , i s shown in Figure 80 .

In a bone-cave recently excavated near Venice , andbeneath ten feet of stalagmite , were found bones of

animals,flint implements

,a bone needle

,and a linga

of baked clay .

Figure 81 is a copy of a picture found at Rome whenexcavating the foundations of

the BarbarInI P a l a c e . Themound of masonry

,surm ounted

by the round,short pillar

,is Sim

ilar to those foun din India

,in Amer

ica,and in many

parts o f Europe .

“E SL The oval p e d i F‘g'sz'

men t and the solitary pillar have the same significanceas the Caaba and hole— the upright stone an d pitrevered at Mecca

,ic iig before Mahomm ed’

s time . Thetree and pillar mutually interpret each other . Thesame idea is exhibited in modern times by two stones ,Figure 82

,one upright and the other with a hole in it ,

through which on e of moderate siz e could pass , n owfound on the Island of Gozo

,n ear Malta .

Ston e phalli are common in the temples of China andJapan . Passing to theWr

estern Hemisphere,the phallic

idea is almost universal among the ancient remains Ofprehistoric races . In Yucatan the phallic pillar standsin f ront of every temple . III Panuco they adore the

THE PILLAR. 87

phallus,preserve it in their temples

,and have bas-rel iefs

show ing congress of the sexes ; which is also true OfTlascala . III Honduras

,the great idol is a round up

right stone with two faces the Lord o f L ife,

” whichthe Indians adore in some ceremonies they offer it thesacrifice of blood

,which they draw from the prepuce .

In Peru have been found ancient Clay phalli,and also

water j ars 0 11 which were figured gods and goddesseswith greatly enlarged generative organs —male andfemale .

Fig . 83 . Fig. 84. F ig. 85 .

In the center of the great square of the temple of

the sun at Cuzco , the early European explorers founda stone column shaped like a sugar loaf , an d coveredwith gold leaf

,which w as the obj ect of Special vener

ation 0 11 the part of the populace . Ancient phalli arefound in different parts o f Hayti . Figures 84 and 85Show two forms o f Mexican Shrines— common in thepast and not infrequent at the present day .

The similarity in the outlines o f these shrines ortemples in Ireland , India , Petrea , Rome , and Mexico isvery suggestive . III various parts of the United Statesthere have been found excellent examples of phallicworship remains . An image found in Tennessee has


an en ormous phallus . Two stone phalli on e twelve,

the other fifteen,inches long—were also discovered in

that State . III the mounds n earNew Madrid,Missouri

,

among thousands of specimens of prehistoric pottery,

there were found numerous examples o f w ater j ars exhibiting breasts and yon ii o f exaggerated S ize . Thesewere by some supposed to be s imply obscene articles ;but such an idea is a great m istake— for they werefound in only two kinds o f localities worshipingplaces and in burial m ounds . And n o race of peopleare so indecent and degraded as to designedly desecratethe s ilent city of their dead ancestors and comrades , orpurposely pollute thei r sanctuaries .The Antiquarian Society o f Rio Jan eiro

,in a recently

published report,state that phallic worship was common

in Brazil in prehistoric times and up to a comparativelyrecent date ; and they give illustrations of the imagesand symbols u sed in the ceremonies , and of the o rnaments worn by the devotees . These are all m asculinesom e of them Very realistic.

Phallic worship,w ith all the realistic emblem s

,is now

preval ent in India , as the chapter on that coun try willillustrate . Mahommedan women even in this dayreverently kiss the phallus o f an idiot or a saint

,recog

nizing them as being so holy and passionless as not tobe effected by such a caress . The linga is carried inprocession in Japan and in the Marianne Islands .In Dahomey priapic figures are foun d in every street

of their ~

settlem ents . III an Egba temple Burton re

cen tly found an abundance of carvings of the masculine

THE PILLAR. 89

and feminine organs and in the innermost sacred precinct a phallus and yoni in coition . Som e n atives o f

Africa,when traveling

,carry a priapic image and pour

a l ibation over its linga before they drink from a newlyarrived at river or Spring .

In some of the Pacific islands the phallic ceremoniesare common . An early n avigator w rites o f attendinga native religious festival

,at which a young m an of

fine Size and perfect proportion s performed the creativeact with a little m iss o f eleven or twelve

,before the

assembled congregation , amongWhom were the leadingpeople of rank

,o f both Sexes

,without any thought

of observ ing otherwise than an appropriate religiousduty .

The designs in figures 86 and 87 are representationsof the straw pillars of the

Polynesians . The s In a l l e ron e

, which they cover w ithfeathers

,is the more common

,

representing on e of their gods .The “ Royal God

” is,how

ever,represen ted by one of

larger siz e , banded and term in ating in a more realisticapex

,and given a modified

n ame showing its superiority .

Fig-86 Fig-87 Straw figures are frequent inIndia

,especially in harvest time

,when they are made

in m ost realistic sexual forms , or of human figures ,exhibiting both sexes very OOIISpicuou sly .

90 DIFFUSION AND MODIFICATION OF -SYMBOLS .

Although the San dwich Islanders have been to someextent Christian ized still it is well kn own that their o ldfaith frequently crops out

,and there are numerous n oc

turn al assemblies , when the an cient worship o f theirfathers i s resumed during which the promiscuousand frenzied association of the sexes takes p lace as thecrowning part of the ceremonies . As these lapses intophallic worship u sual ly occur at times o f threatened or actualm isfortune and suffering , such as pestilen ce , famine ,or oppression , it would seem that the rel igious idea , andnot the sensual impulse

,i s the great motive for the ap

peal to their traditional gods . When the late spinsterprincess , heiress apparent to the throne , died , the n ativesperformed their time-honored and traditional funeralservices all over the kingdom . These services were verysimilar

,in some respects , to the Irish w ake gather

ings in which , during the entire night , there was feast

ing ,drinking

,and s inging the praises of the deceased .

Her dominant Virtue,which w as universally acknow l

edged,and often and again extolled , was her inexhaust

ible virility and passion ,which no m an

,or troop of m en

,

could cool ; and even In her embraces with the gods shewas credited w ith being uniformly v ictorious for shesent them away exhausted and discomfi ted

, becausetheir potency being expended , they could n ot accepther invitation for repeated coitions . S imilar Cerem oniesare common in Africa— and in m any parts of the m orecivilized world . The witches sabbat o f Europe , andtheVoudoo feasts of America are isolated and irregularexamples of an un regulated mixture of phallic worship ,


Shown by its use to design ate allegiance to the worshipof Isis and Osiris . Small statues of Horus are foundal so

,in which he holds this symbol in his left hand

,and

which there m eans the same as the other statues of thatgod

,where he holds the detached generative organs of

Typhon . Isis is represented as holding this cross . III

a bas-relief,from the Temple of the South

,on the Isle

of Elephantine in the Nile , called the Marriage of theHierophant that is , his initiation the candidateand the priestess both carry this cross in their han d .

Assy rian and Babylonian sculptures frequently exhibitthis form of the cross . Coin s found in the temple ofSerapis Showed this cross prominent

,and were inter

preted by the early Christian fathers to mean a futurelife . Early Phoen ician coins Show a circu lar chainof beads w ith this form of the cross attached Similarin every respect to the modern rosary of the Catholicchurch . S imilar rosaries are found among the Japanese Buddhists , and the Lamas Of Thibet .

Fig. 89. F ig. 90. F ig. 91 . F ig . 92. Fig. 93 . F ig. 94.

The Cruse Ansa ta is also foun d on the ancientRunic monuments of Denmark and Sweden thesemonuments are certainly older than the introduction ofChristianity to these countries

,and were probably erected

before the Christian era . This form of the cross is the

THE CROSS. 93

usual symbol of the planet Venus , as well as of thegoddess of the same n ame . III the reversed form

, as i n

Figure 92,it is still the coronation emblem of modern

Christian countries . Figure 93 i s a modification of theCrux Ansa ta . Figure 94 is copied from Pugin ’ s Glossary o f Ecclesiastical Orn aments

,and is Simply another

modification of the Maltese cross united to the symbolof th e Virgin . It is essentially the Gothic conven tionalizing o f the Crux Ansa ta . The Egyptians markedtheir sacred water j ars

,dedicated to Can opus

,w ith a

cross like Figure 95,and sometimes with on e like

Fig. 95. Fig. 96. Fig. 97. Fig. 98.

Figure 96 . The Hindus use nearly the same forms , andalso one like that shown i n Figure 97 . The distinctivebadge o f the Xaca Japon icus is the cross as shown inFigure 98 .

The Assyrians and Babylonians also u sed the crossas Shown in Figures 99 and 100

,

to represent their“Arba-il” FourGreat Godswhom they alsooften represent by Fig. 99. Fig. 100.the masculine triad in connection with the yoni .


III the cave at Elephanta , near Bombay , is a sculpturing which records the destruction of the male childrenin the attempt to slay Christna , and over the head of

the slaughtering execution er , surrounded by supplicating m others , is a cross .The museum Of the London University has a mummy

upon the breast of which is a crossin the form Shown in Figure 101 .

Plato,in his Tanaeus

,says : The

n ext power to the Supreme God

F ig. 101 . Fig . 102. w as decu ssated,or figured in the

shape of a cross , on the universe . ” Plato drew hiscross like the letter X.

A Pompeiian fresco exhibits a phallic cross associatedwith a small figure of Hermes . Ezekiel Speaks of theTau Figure 102 as the mark to be placed upon theforeheads of the faithful Jews

,so that they m ight be

known an d spared in the massacre of the UnworthyThe Tau

,in ancient Hebrew , was written or X,

andin Phoen ecian thus , I .

The Greek cross—while u sually represented as aSimple equal armed figureof two straight lines w as

not and is not now,in

many cases so simple .

F ig. 103 . Fig-104“ It has a much m ore ex

pressive and realistic form — four m asculine triadsmeeting in a yoni as a common center , as Shown inFigure 104 .

The Norsemen changed the form of the Tau into a

THE CROSS . 95

cross with four equal arms,and called it Thor ’ s ham

mer,Figure 103 .

Fig . 105. F ig. 106 . Fig. 107. Fig. 108.

The Maltese cross,shown in Figure 105

,is the same

symbol . The form is m ore conven tionalized ; and ,hence

,more Obscurely suggestive ; but the character

is no less phallic and triadic . Figures 106 and 107are simply “ triads ” forming the Greek and Latincrosses .The Templars ’ cross Figure 108

,i s only a modifi ca

tion of the triadic Greek cross retain ing all its originalsignificance .Another form of the cross

,similar in outline to the

Greek cross,was formerly Very common

,but w ith the

essential difference that the position o f the organ s w erereversed

,so that the phallus pointed outward— the

other organs,however

,still forming the center .

III Figure 109 i s reproduced,in a conventionalized

form,a copy of a golden cross

,evidently worn by a

person of rank,and possibly a high ecclesiastic

,found

at St . Agati di Goti,near Naples . In the original the

organs were figured realistically . The four arm s ofthe cross were phalli

,in erect form

,pointing out

wardly, the four ovals at the cen ter were tests . and thepointed ovals at the bases of the phall i

,and between


them,were images in detail of the yon i , while the

sacred seven was Shown in the small circles forming each quarter of theornamental border ; andthe whole number twentyeight r e p r e s e n t e d t h elun ar month and the femin ine functional m onth .

There could,therefore

be no doubt of the phallicrepresentation n o r o f

the religious symbolismblended in mystic union ;

Fi8 . 109. thus showing what constantly recurs , the sacred and revered truths or dogmassensuously expressed in the accentuated forms of

phallic imagery or symbolism .

Fig. 110. Fig. 111 . Fig. 112.

Figures 110,111

,112, and 11 3 represent m odifica

tion s Of the same ideas,and crosses in m ore or less

conventionalized forms . III Figure 110 the maj or member o f the triad is modified into a minor triad ; while the

THE CROSS . 97

minor members are quite realistically covered . III

Figure 113 the feminine is more prominent,while in

Fig. 113 . Fig. 114. Fig . 115. Fig. 116.

Figur es 111 and 112 the conventionalizing is carriedstill farther .A design often foun d in Greek churches a curiouscombination of Christian and Mahommedan symbolism

,

is reproduced in Figure 1 15 . Figure 116 reproducesthe outline of a pectoral or nament worn by certa in Catholic ecclesiastics in Italy about the beginning of thefourteen th century . It is Simply a modification of theGreek Crux Ansa ta .

The cross w as not only kn own and u sed as a religiousemblem i n ancient times in India

,but is to-day one

of the prominent symbols o f the Hindu cults . TheHindus have various modifications of this symbol , theCrux Husata being at on ce sacred and common andesoterically interpreted in wonderful beauty . TheHindu cross (again conventionalized) , Shown III Figure114

,belongs to ancient days when the symbols were

little veiled , while Figure 1 18 IS the m o i e m odei n form .

The foundation is the same in both,but the latter has

,

as it were,blossomed out into a veritable “ tree of

life draped,however

,in the living leaves of modern


delicacy,so as to veil the nakedness of its primitive

ancestor .

F ig. 117. Fig. 118.

Figure 1 17 presen ts the conventionalized form of

another Indian cross,in which is Shown four phalli

,four

yon ii, and four con j unctions of the sun and moon .

The Hindus have many symbols,

o f the samevalue that the cross had originally , to indicate this activeconjunction of the sexes in the w ork of propagatingand perpetuating the race . The emblem most common

Fig. 119. Fig. 120. Fig. 121. F ig. 122.

and most revered is the on e presented in Figu re 119 .

By this symbol al l the others presented in Figures 120to 141 must be interpreted .


Shall come upon thee,and the power of the Highest

shal l overshadow thee .

” And Joseph was sim ilarlyinformed “ that which is conceived in her is of the

F ig. 1 3 9. F ig. 140. F ig 14 1.

Holy Spirit . ” So it seems that it n ever occurred toMary

,

‘Joseph , the angel , or the writers o f the Gospelthat a woman could become pregnantWithout m asculineassistance .

The impregnation by which to m anifest the Son is ,therefore

,held as true on the spir

itual plane as a cause,and 0 11 the

physical plane as a result . Thisidea is illustrated in the aecompanying design , copied from aRoman Catholic “ Rosary o f theBlessed Virgin ,

” l icen sed by theInquisition (and , therefore , oth

cially orthodox) , and printed atVenice in 1524 . The denomin ations

,which do not

,in set term s ,

Fig, 142,acknowledge a feminine divine

personage , as a divine creator , still teach that gen erationis accomplished by the use of m ean s .How Adam w as brought into the world without a divinefeminine assistant

,and how Jesus w as produced without

a man— or why no wom an w as required in the firstcase , and why She was n ecessary , but a m an was n ot

,

in the other— are mysteries n ot explained .

SERPENT SYMBOLS . 101

SERPENT SYMB OLS

The symbolism of the serpent is very extensive and

found in a wonderful variety o f forms and combinations .As it represen ts a feeling

,n ot a

thing ; an emotion , not an expression ; an enthusiasm ,

n ot an action ;a prompter

,not a performer

,it is

seldom found as a simple or isolatedsymbol . Even as a ring or braceletit is nothing— unless worn . Themeaning of the serpent must

,there

fore,be learned from its associated emblems ; and

then,also

,from its form

,position

,an d prominence

,

whether superior or subordinate to those that aregrouped w ith it .It would be most interesting to trace fully the sym

bo lism Of the serpent,but the phallic idea is the only

on e appropriate to the present work .

The serpent having been recogn ized as a sacredanimal or emblem

,it would

,as a m atter of course

,be

carefully. studied , and all its peculiarities closely oh

served . As it casts its skin and thus seemingly renew sits youth every year

,and as it is remarkably tenacious

of life,and as its bite is usual ly fatal— thu s show ing

great power— it came to be recogn ized as an appro

priate symbol of life , generative potency , and immor

tality .

Fig. 143 .


The serpent , with his tail in his mouth , with or

without a motto,is a Very

general emblem . It originallysymboliz ed the passion whichprompts sexual activity , an d

thus the perpetuation of therace . It also suggests the

Fig. 144. an imal Side of human ity m inistering to , su staining , and upbuilding the divin e m an

hood ; and from these meanings it easilycame to m ean immortality

,future life

,

and etern ity . Figure 145 reproducesa Hindu emblem o f the m asculine andfeminine principles un ited by the divineimpulse of propagation . It also signi

Fig. 145. fies w isdom intelligent,useful

,pleas

ant activity .

The linga,with two serpents twined around it

,Fig

ure 146 , is a very old and still common emblem . It is variously called the Caduceus o f

Mercury,the Rod o f L ife

,the f Escu lapius

Rod,and the Wan d o f Hermes . It probably

originated in India , where it w as called theFig. 146. Staff of S iva and is there interpreted to meanthe linga receiving energy and poten cy from the divineinflux o f passion from S iva . It rece ived this S ign ifi

cation from the fact that the sacred serpents— the

C obras— unite sexually in this double circular erectform . Eastern teachers avow that it is most fortunate

for any one to see this serpen tine congress , and declare


is interpreted as the staff of life , permeated and guardedby the divine energy— inviting the emission that willproduce new beings .

F ig. 152.

Ideally,it is the Divine Creator

,

sending forth the Word toenlighten by the Holy Spiritthe new creatures in regeneration . The t e m p t a t i o n ,Figure 152

,needs no expl an a

tion . The story of the Serpent inducing the woman

,

and,through her the m an

,to

eat of the tree of knowledgeof good and evil

,so as to

become like the gods,and

thus be in a situation and condition to continuallydevelop towards the divine , is familiar to all .The Serpent Goddess nourishing the divine im

Fig. 153 .

pulse by which She is arousedto enthusiastic creative activ

ity,thus increasing the number

and improving the character ofher children

,is shown in Fig

ure 153 . The same design isalso used to indicate the selfishand vampire w itch who thusseeks to renew her Vitality F ig . 154.

and arouse her failing pa ssion,so as to indulge in pros

tituting and destructive lechery , which depletes and destroys her beguiled associates

,without increasing or

improving humanity . In on e case the ring in which

SERPENT SYMBOLS. 105

she stands is the celestial womanhood of eternal andVirginal motherhood in the other the infernal region ofburning sensual desire— n ot only sterile

,but murder

ous . In the first i nterpretation it is the door of lifeand the vestibule of heaven— which it is every Virileman ’ s duty and privilege to enter and occupy . In theother it is the entrance of the grave and the portal ofthe hells to all who therein pour their passion-poisonedseed upon a burning soil where it is always consumed

,

but n ever germ inates . Most m en plant in on e region orthe other , and sow the seeds of humanity in soil of fertility or destruction . Momentous nay

,eternal results

to the sowers and the fields— and to posterity—depend upon the choice of which door they enter

,and

,

therefore,which region they occupy . In on e case they

develop purity,intelligen ce and power in themselves

,

and procreate n ew beings in the image of their highestideals ; and these children are born with a natural impulse toward divine perfection . III the other they areprostituting their divinest endowments

,committing sui

cide —Spiritua.l and sensual and in reality murderingtheir possible offspring .

In the expressive design show n in Figure 154,taken

from an ancient gem , the m asculine creator , indicatedby the sun

,and the feminine associate

, symbolized bythe moon

,are represen ted as brought into creative

union through the impulse of divine enthusiasm,of

which the serpent is the emblem . The moon being exalted , Shows it to have been designed by one who

106 DIFFUSION ANDMODIFICATION OF SYMBOLS .

worshiped the feminine as superior to the masculinea devotee of Isis or Diva .

The following beautiful designs are also copied fromancient gems

,and are each a text from which the whole

system of ancient and modern ideas of creation, sen

sual and Spiritual , might be unfolded .

Fig. 155. Fig . 156.

In Figure 155 we have the large pillar the divineCreator— entwined by celestial wisdom and purpose .On either Side is the Shell representing the femaleand the tree indicating the male . The latter two are

,

of course,the means— the agency—“ the servants of

the former in generating the race . III Figure 156 thetree and the two minor pillars , on e on each side

,repre

sents the masculine triad . The ark below is a type ofthe feminine . The serpent indicates the divine impulsewhich secures active and creative union .

MIS CELLANE OUS EMBLEMS

The crozier is simply a modification of the originalRod of Moses or Staff of Li fe

,

” which the Jew ish lawgiver adopted from his teachers when he w as instructed


ward off evil spirits . They interpret it to signify the

mascu line triad or phallus according to their ideas ofthe masculine principle . Figures 164 and 165

,Copied

from Lajard’s S ur te Cu lte de Venus

,are symbols in the

hand o f a large femal e figure sculptured in bas- relief ona rock at Yazili Kaia . Figure 164 is a complicatedsymbol of The Great Four

,

” while 165 is the masenline staff surmounted by the crescent moon the symbol of Isis .The arrow Figure 166—the emblem o f Cupid

,or

as he m ay appropriately be called,St . Desire

,is synony

mous w ith the pillar . ” The bow relaxed or str ungand taught is a symbol o f Virility Spent or in abundant plenitude . Hence

,the store of the arrows in the

quiver Shows a reserved stock o f v irility , capable of re

peated encounters . We thus see the m eaning of thecomposition in which appears the spent arrow or Virilitym anifested the quiver or reserve force awaitingopportunity —the bent bow with taught string , immediate readiness

,and Cupid or desire to ultimate this

force .Fortune or Saint Luck or Saint Good Fortune

,

is always depicted as a woman . She u sually holds inher hand the steering oar or rudder Figure167—which she offers to him who has the courage toaccept it

,with the strength and skill to use it . Such a

rudder and such a helm sm an w ill insure Speedy , of t re

curring and delightful voyages,with abundant and

increasingly prosperous results . When it is borne in m indthat the oar Fortuna offers is an emblem of the

MISCELLANEOUS SYMBOLS. 09

“ staff of life ” we can easily see the beautiful appro

priateness of her motto , Fortun e favors the bold .

”

Fig . 168. Fig. 169. Fig . 170. F ig. 171. Fig. 172

Figure 168 gives a symbol less common but the interpretation is quite as forcible . It is the “ hammerwhich strikes the “ anvil ” and forges out children .

And this symbol is associated with the motto,Every

on e is either hammer to strike or anvil to bear .The “ staff in the ring

,

” shown in figure 169,is

found on coins in connection with the bull they represent the Great Four

,

” and are used like the aboveas charms .While the conven tiOnalized forms to symbolize thetree of life

,and the masculine triad are so numerous

and varied , still there are many ceremonies and occasions when the realistic forms are required and u sed ;and wherever the real meaning of the emblem is recogn ized

,the more realistic representations are generally

supposed to be the more potent .The sun , being credited with the active and fructifying powers of nature

, was among the ancients regardedas the father

,masculine principle

,or God paternal

,o f

all that is . The moon and the earth,being looked upon

as receptive only were in l ike manner denominated


mother—feminine creative principle,or goddess m atern al

of all that is created . To the sun,therefore

, w as at

tributed all m anly and Viril e attributes . David , in hispsalms

, shows this idea as common to the Jews , f or hespeaks of the sun as a bridegroom coming out of hischamber

,i . e.

, as a Virile man replete w ith generativevigor . The vernal equinox w as celebrated as the m ar

riage of the sun and earth . The swelling bud and opening flowers typed the promise of fruit

,as the result of

their consummating this union 5and the clusteringgrape ,luscious fruits and sustaining grains w ere welcom ed asthe offspring o f this celestia l-natural union of themasculine and feminine creative principles .AS the sun and m oon and face of nature remain thesame from year to year - with apparently ever ren ewedlife and vigor fi rem ain ing as it were in the prime of

life,fresh and unchanged by age

,and unweakened by

use, the ancients came to think Of the m oon as the evercontinuing virgin wife of the sun -god and theeverlasting virgin m other of all inferior deities andbeings . The ancient m onth was measured by the interval between a n ew moon and the n ext n ew m oon .

This interval of time also marks the recurrence of thefunctional peculiarity of women

, which ceases as soonas pregnancy occurs . The lunar crescent n ew

m oon -probably from this cause among others be

came a symbol o f virgin ity . This is on e of the mostcommon and widely diffused emblems

,and is found in

most cults,ancient and m odern , adorn ing the brow ,

or

in some other w ay designating the feminine , maternal ,

1 12 DIFFUSION AND MoniFicATION oF SYMBOLS.

The symbol of the hands , as shown in Figure 184is also an ancien t emblem . The hands againeach sign ify the m asculinetriad ; the opening be

tween them types theyon i ; the whole symbol

Fig. 184 izes,the Four Great

Gods,

” from whom al l beings emanate . This is theform in which the Jewish rabbi raise their hands whenpronouncing benediction .

In many ancient countries— and the same is true ofsome modern peoples the seeing Of the living yoniespecially that Of a m aiden— w as considered the cer

tain harbinger of good fortune .Ceres wandered over the earth

,seemingly discon so

late beyond cure . Baubo,after exhau sting all other

means of cheering the goddess,finally retired

,shaved

the hair from her mans veneris,and returned to the

celestial presence . She then sat down before Cereswith her legs wide apart an d her skirts drawn up so as

to exhibit her now youthful- like yon i . ’ This sight soattracted and pleased the discon solate goddess that Sheimmediately smiled with hope , partook of refreshmentsand renewed her gladness of heart .This myth is interpreted to m ean that philosophy or

ideality alone w ill not produce happiness but that thethoughts and the activities of l ife must engage in thesensual

,as wel l as the ideal

,in order to secure the

sweetest and best results in this life as well as in the

MISCELLANEOUS SYMBOLS. 11 3

future . Without the participation of the intellect inthe corporeal operations of n ature

,only brute life wou ld

be generated and perpetuated ; and without the cor

poreal activities Of generative energies , purity and truthwould have no m ean s o f expression or of increased developmen t in humanity .

The eye,or yoni

,was placed over the portals of

temples and tombs in Egypt , S icily , and other countries ,and was everywhere the emblem of life

,hea lth

,and

good fortune .

In Irelan d , until recently , several churches bore overtheir main entrance the rude

,but elaborate

,sculpture

of a woman pointing to the realistic , but exaggerated ,representation of her yon i . A similar woman wassculptured on the side of the church entrance at Servatos

,in Spain

,while an equally phallic man was exhibited

on the other side . In some other cases the key-stoneover the portal bore the realistic yoni only . Similarrepresentations were found in Mexico and Peru . Itwas a common practice among the North AfricanArabs to place over their dOOr the genital parts of acow ,

mare,or female camel representing to them the

human yoni— as a talisman to avert evil influen ces .There is among a l l peoples more delicacy about exhibiting the yoni and its realistic representations than is

observed in regard to the phallus hence,there has al

ways been the custom of using veiled and suggestiveemblems for the female organs .

8


The most popular m odern represen tative of this yoniccharm above the door is the plain horseshoe

,

so common,and by m any con sidered so potent

for securing good luck . It is often associatedwith the cross

,and frequently with the arrow

,

as shown in Figure 185,which is a very mys

tic Templar and m agic emblem of the MiddleF ig. 185. Ages .The pointed oval , or as it is called , the Vesica Picis

,

is sacred in the church , ancient and modern . Itis Often the frame—or rather the “ door of life

Fig. 186 . Fig. 187.

in which appears the Celestial Mother . Figure 186 isan Indian representation of the Gate of Heavencopied from a sculpture of an ancient D agopa in theJunnar Cave

,Bombay Presiden cy . The same idea is

also represented in a modified form in the monastery atGopach , in the valley Of Nepaul ,

‘

as Shown in Figure187 . It is possible -but not probable that the sym


of the yon i is simply their method of v owing m utualfriendship and is similar in meaning to swearing by thegrasping of the phallus

,and— like our uplifted hand

F ig. 189. Fig. 190. Fig. 191. Fig. 192. Fig. 193 .

when taking an oath—is an appeal to the divine creatoras a witness of truth and good w ill .The shell or Cand id Veneris , Figures 191 and 192 ,is a very common Symbol o f the yon i

,and

,hence

,of

all it represents . This i s an ancient and modern sy m

bol,Often worn as an amulet . It i s common in Italy

,

and is there the especial badge of pilgrims to someshrines .The cornucopia

,Figure 193

,is a similar symbol . It

contains libations which are poured upon the phal lus ,but more especially Upon the prolific womb . It hencesignifies abundant felicity

,plenty

,and good fortune .

The feminine hand,shown in Figure 194

,is of similar

import as the shell,cornucopia and Cesica

p icis— that is

,the making o f th is S ign is

interpreted to mean that al l the felicity andblessings represented by these emblems areWished by the signal er to fall upon and

follow the on e to whom the hand thusFig- 194 formed is shown .

MISCELLANEOUS SYMBOLS. 1 17

The eye is a well kn own and very common symbolof Devi

,and plays a very conspicuous part

in many ceremonies having a phallic originor intent . In India it is drawn plain as in

Fig. 195. Figure 195 ; but Ashtoreth , or Astarte,is

Often represented by an eye drawn in rough outline,as

presented in Figure 196,and is then interpreted to

mean the door of life feminine fecundity the MotherCreator . There is n o physiOlogical reason why the eye isany more appropriate to symbolize a goddess than a god Fig. 196,

for s ight is equally an endowment o f both sexes . Theeye

,as drawn horizontally

,i s simply the oesica p icz

'

s ina changed position from its n atural perpendicularity ;and the pupil represents the m asculine emblem in itsunion therewith that is the androgynous character ofthe Creator . The Indian myth explains how and whythis symbol w as adopted

,and also explains the mean ing

of the spotted robe Of divine person ages , as w ell as thespots on sacred or symbolic animals . The story relatesthat Indra

,like David

,became enamored of a beautiful

woman whom he accidentally saw ,but who w as the

wife of another man . This wom an ’ s husband had , byhis piety and austerity

,attained to almost divine power .

He forgave his erring wife (a really divine thing to do) ,but he punished the adulterous god o f the Sky by cov

ering him with a multitude o f pictures o f the yoni .This was a terrible m ortification to Indra ; but , by the


intercession Of the other gods,the wronged husban d

was induced to change the yon ii on the culprit’ s body into

eyes . These , however , were to be so arranged in threesor fours as to preserve their phallic m eaning .

The eye the all-seeing eye - i s a favorite modernsymbol

,especially w ith secret societies . It m ay have

had its origin as above suggested but , independent Ofthis myth

,it has a good foundation as the symbol of

the Mother Creator,or as the-feminine S ide or attributes

of a masculine or androgynous creator . The ancientsand m any moderns as well , considered reason - in thesense Of logic and calculation as a peculiarity Of themasculine mind

,while they looked upon perception and

intuition as especially feminine attributes . The eye ,

as the organ of s ight,would

,therefore

,n aturally rep

resent intuition,and hence the Celestial Mother .

TH E COOK has from time immemorial been the sym

bol of m asculinity . The doctrine and interpretationseems to be that the cock announces the rising sun

the god of day . For its size this bird is remarkablystrong

,courageous

,and enduring , and he seems to

have unlim ited virile powers am ong the hens .Minerva also called Pallas— i s Often shown witha cock s itting on her helmet ; and her crest denotes heradmiration for this salacious bird . The sacrifice of acock was a solemn ceremony o f the highest order inGreece . The Celts also practiced the same ceremony .

The sacrifice is common n ew in m any parts of Asia,

where the priests select at will for n o refusal is anticipated

- the finest bird in the village . They carry it


where it was the great tree , w as used for the samepurpose

,and so palm branches have been used as they

are now,and

,in their absence

,pine or other evergreens

,

as emblems o f life , peace , and. happiness .Even within the present century thewomen of France

,

on Palm Sunday , carried in procession ,at the end of

their palm branches , phalli made of bread,which they

called “ la p ine ” the French euphonism of the phallus—whence it w as called the F east of the Pines .

These “ pines,

” having been blest by the priest,were

kept for the year as an amulet .The palm tree , when used as a sacred emblem

, was

usually conventionalized as having seven branches .The first Jewish coinage

,under the Mac

cabees , shown by the Shekel given inFigure 197

,at once tells of the palm as

being a sacred tree and also that sevenbran ches

,as spoken of in Exodus and

F ig. 197. Revelation,was likewise a revered na

tional emblem .

For similar reasons the oak,in the countries where it is

the tree dominant in Size,has been dedicated to similar

purposes with like interpretation .

In India the Banyan is,f or like reason s , the sacred

tree .

C H A P T E R III .

PHALLIC CULTS AND CEREMONIES .

PHALLISM IN IND IA .

IT is questioned whether the wr iters Of the Vedaswere acquainted with— or

,at least

,whether they

recognized or practiced any form of worship in whichthe generative organs or their symbolic representationswere used in any sensual way .

LINCA WOR SHIP

however,is spoken of freely in the Puranas

,and on e of

them is called the L inga Purana . The authority for,and

the origin Of,L inga worship

,as well as the prom inence

and prevalence Of its imagery and symbolism,is ac

counted for in a myth w ith the following outline

A powerful company Of wicked conspirators,whose

hypocrisy S iva had exposed,sent a consuming fi re to

destroy the genital organs of the latter . S iva was soindign ant at this attempt to unsex him that he threatened to destroy the human race . Vishnu implored himto suspen d his wrath . Siva relented in his purpose of

extermination ; but ordained that in h is temples thoseparts which his enemies had attempted to destroyshould forever be worshiped .

”

122 PHALLISM IN INDIA.

The Eastern devotees n ot only Obey this ordinan cebut go farther an d model the architecture of their temples after the phallus

,as the divinely formed and in

dispensible medium ordained by God himself for humanpropagation . Lucian Speaks Of such a phallic templeof great height as existing in Syria . The primitivelinga is said to have been a radiant pillar in whichMahesa whose form is radiant as a mountain Of Silver , lovely as the crescent of the new m oon

,resplen

dent with dwelt , and on which was visible thesacred word OM . How suggestive this is of the pillarOf fire in which Jehovah went before the Israelites .The linga is always found in the H indu temple . Itis generally in the sanctum

,or holy Of holies

,and is

made of granite,or other stone

,ivory or precious wood .

On certain occasions it is garlanded with flowers sometimes above it is a brilliant golden or Silver star . Ongreat occasions it is honored by a light from a sevenbranched lamp . The same emblem

,smaller in size ,

carved in gold,silver

,ivory , crystal or sacred wood , is

worn abou t the neck , in the turban , or in the bosom ,as

a charm,o r amulet and as a declaration of faith . The

Hindus u se it in prayer as the pious Catholic u ses theimage o r symbol of his patron saint . It is also oftenburied

,by request , with the body of its former owner .

Worshipers of S iva also m ark his symbol an uprightline on their foreheads while the followers Of Vishnuu se a horizontal line with three Short perpendicularlines .There is much misapprehension in regard to S iva

,


the Lord Of All .” His symbol is a linga ; and

most of the obj ects of pilgrimage are kindred stone

symbols .These temples are square buildings with round roofstapering to a point . In Bengal each on e c0 11SIsts of a

Single small square chamber surmoun ted by a pyramidal center . The linga occupies the center , and theoff erings are made on the threshold .

Strangers are not ; Of course , generally admitted tothese sacred precin cts but a French gentleman gainedaccess to the Sivaic temple at Treviscare , and therefound a granite pedestal in which w as a large cleft represen ting the female Sex . On this base was a columnsupporting a basin

,from the center of which arose a

colossal linga about three feet in height . This sanct

uary is lit from above only .

Figure 198 , which is said to be Time and Truth worshiping S iva

,illustrates this ancient

worship in India . In this there is nosuggestion Of the feminine principle .The Serpent is a common religious

Fig‘ 198°Symbol in India as indeed it is near

ly everywhere and is frequently u sed in conn ectionwith the l inga to indicate passion , power , v itality , andactivity as well as wisdom ,

discretion,and use and

,

hence,active application for increase , both physical

and m en tal .The Serpent

,w ith the masculine tail in the feminine

mouth, (Figure 144

,page typing their active

union to perpetuate the race either with or without an

SIVA WORSHIP. 125

inscription forming the rin g of eternity,is a common

ymbo l in India .

The Staff of S iva ” (Figure 146 , page eon

Sisti ng o f the upright p illar,with the two entwining

serpents,is a constantly recurring symbol .

Figure 199 represents Maia-Devi in a sea of ser

pents worshiping the linga WhichShe holds in her hands in such a positiou that She can contemplate aton ce this emblem and her n avelwhich to her is

,in this meditation

,

the representation of the n avel OfVishnu

,or creative power . Devi is

Fig , 199' also frequently represented with alinga on her head .

The Tibetan Buddhists (who are Indian in their religion and practice

,and

who are less progressive ,and

,therefore

,r e t a i n

longer the primitive dogmas and ceremonials) arein the practice of seekingthe assistance Of the divine

,when in danger

,by

building a “ T emple o f

Peace,as Shown in Fig

ure 200. The worshipers bow in silent medita Fig. 200.

tion and adoration before it ; while the priest callsupon it to p rotect them from their enemies . It is


usually built of clay and plastered with lime and

whitewashed .

The masculin e hand , or hand of wisdom—hand of

mystery— is a sign which the L ingacitas interpret as the creative triad .

Lingas are made by the women— or

by the priests for them— for temporary u se

,of clay from the Ganges , and

Offered in S iva ’ s temples , and thrownback into that river after use . Thepriests of S iva are vowed to the strictest

chastity . As they are nude w hen officiating , any excitement o f the imagination which manifested itself in theexternal organs would be readily n oticed by thepeople , who would proceed to punish such clericalun faithfu lness by immediately stoning the offender .It is n ot an uncommon custom for women who arebarren to kiss the inert organ o f on e of these priests

,

or of an idiot,as a charm to render them fruitful .

Among the Druses,on a certain day

,the chief Sheik

attends at a sacred place for the purpose of allowingthe female devotees

,for a similar purpose

,to kiss his

living symbol of creation .

The S ivaites n ever carry the linga in procession ;and do n ot present

,to the outside observer at least

,any

indecent ceremonies,or suggest any impurity or indel

icacy in the m ind of the devotee . They are thus instriking contrast with some of their neighbor phallicworshipers

,as well as with Western Orien tals , Greeks ,

Romans,and Egyptians ; showing that the use o f


o f kindly aspect and had a beautiful complexion . Furious contests ensued between the two faiths

, in w hichthe Saetas were victorious . S iva threatened to destroythe victors , but relented upon condition that they forever leave the country .

The Saetas — Yonigas— worship the female emblem

or principle with all the devotion that the Lingacitasbestow upon the linga and its interpretations but withdifferen t rites and ceremonies . They interpret Sacti tomean wisdom —it literally m eans force— thus identifying her with what the Greeks meant by Sophia or

Logos,and offer her the most endearing and flattering

phrase . She is endowed with lovely attributes and re

ceives very much such adoration as piou s and en thusi

astic Catholics pay to the Virgin . The ceremonieshave

,however

,another Side when the feasting and

merry making concludes the ceremonies ; then the devotion al is replaced by the reveling ; the mystic givesplace tO the real ; and the orgies eating

,drinking

,and

promiscuous m ingling of the sexes— m ay be betterimagined than described .

When represented in pictures the Sacti are shown as

ordinary women,modestly draped Often with a child

in the arms or lap .

The inverted triangle,the circle , the fig , the pome

granate,the sea

,all n atural concavities— as caves ,

clefts,

fissures,wells

,tanks

,and generally all that

contains or produces,

” are symbols or representativesof the Sacti.

SIVA-SACTI WORSHIP. 129

The Saetas do not use or acknowledge the m asculinehand of the triad

,but one like that pre

sented in Figu re 202,which they call the

Yonic Cha rm ,or door of life .

” Thisthey “ look through ” to solve al l mys

teries that is,they seek to understand

the feminine power and principle as thesun of enlightenment . Notwithstanding

the facts of former antagonism and wars between theLingacitas and Yonigas , they are now so tolerant or

so politic,and so curtailed of power— that they are

living peaceably side by S ide as n eighbors . They areeach a Small sect as compared w ith those who worshipboth linga an d yoni as of the same —Or at least eachof essential importance and honor as the emblems Of adual or androgynous deity .

SIVA-SACTI WOR SH IP .

It must be borne in mind that the last two and thepresent forms o f worship are practiced by a people OfSimilar general character and habits of thought and industry ; that these worshipers are m ingling more or

less freely together ; that their peculiar dogmas , ceremonies an d symbology are continually approaching andoften even coinciding with each other and that thesedogmas

,ceremon ies and symbols are traditionally as

well as esoterically interpreted differently to the initiated and the ignorant . It is , therefore , impossible foran outsider— and especially one Of a different race ,

9

1 3 0 PHALLISM IN INDIA.

l angu age,and m ental training— to grasp clearly the

subtile distinctions of doctrin e,or interpret very cer

tain ly the graded diff erences of interpretation whichthey give their ceremonies and symbols . It is

,therefore

,

probable that the dogmas and practices of on e of thesesects may be in some cases attributed to the others .Part of the Hindus reconcile the two above men

tioned systems , and quote two myths to explain andauthorize the new departure . One myth is

The divine cause Of creation experienced 110 bliss,

being isolated— alone . He ardently desired a companion ; and immediately the desire w as gratified . Hecaused his body to divide

,and become male and female .

They united,and human beings were thus made . ”

The other allegory says

Siva and Devi found that their mutual concurrencewas essential to produce perfect Offspring ; andVishnu ,at the solicitation of the goddess

,effected a recon cili

ation between them ; hence the navel of Vishnu was

worshiped as one with the sacred yon i .

Modern Hindu phallic worship is mainly of this typeand its adherents are called Sacteyas . As this sectunites the doctrines o f the other two

,it naturally also

combines their emblems . These symbols all , however,directly suggest

,or are interpreted to mean

,linga-in

yoni— that is the m asculine and feminine in activeun IOn In the work of generation . Their ceremoniesare such as illustrate this dogma in imagination andpractice .

13 2 PHALLISM IN INDIA.

linga-in -yoni together w ith the celestial four— w ithcap

,and the serpent . Figure 205 is a copy Of a most

beautiful design a combination Of linga-in—yoni, ser

pent,crescent moon , circles , pentagram ,

and sacredfig leaf .In front Of each principal temple may be founda tank— some Of them beautifully designed and elaborately ornamen ted ; and in the center of the tank a

mast or flagstaff . Upon this staff or mast a flag ishoisted

,garlands o f flowers are hung

,or a light is

placed,at times Of special importance . The temples

of the Saetas have the tank , but no mast . A high,

but flat elevation , a natural circular or oval depression

,a pond or lake , may often be seen with a pole

or p illar erected near the center . If'

a Hindu of thisfaith dig a well or build a cister n, he does n ot consider his work finished until

,after appropriate cere

mony,on a lucky or sacred day

,a mast is inserted

in the center of the mysterious yoni ; thus uniting the“

original S iva and Devi— in the “ marriage of thelinga and yoni . ”

As before stated , Figure 119 exhibits one of themost common

,and themost sacred

,of emblems of

India . This is the key for interpreting all other symbols . This same idea is variously expressed , with delicate Shades o f difference

,in the symbols numbered

from 120 to 141,pages 98—100

,and from 178 to 182,

page 1 11,all of which are of Hindu origin .

The Sacteyas draw three horizontal l ines in black ,and a circle , in red , upon their foreheads

,similar to

SivA-SACTI WORSHIP. 1 3 3

Figure 126 ; and consider it a wonderful charm againstall evil

,as well as a profession o f their faith .

Fig. 206 .—ARDANARI-ISWARI.

'From an original draw ing by Chrisma Swam i , Pund it .]

Figure 206 gives Ardan ari-Iswari , and is an‘ attempt

to express in a design— the following from the

PuranaThe Supreme Spirit

,in the act of creation , became ,

by Yoga,twofold ; the right side was male , the left


was Prakriti . She is of one form w ith Brahm ah . Sheis Maia , eternal and imperishable , such as the spirit

,

such is the inherent energy (the S acti) , as the facultyof burning is inherent in fire .

”

This design is,however

,much conventionalized from

the original for where the CruxAnsa ta appears in ourreproduction

,the original Shows

,in realistic detail

,the

living and erected “ linga-i n-yoni . ”

In Figure 207 is reproduced on e of the most elaborate

,as well as one of the most beautiful

,design s

,

both in execution and interpretation,that is to be

found in connection w ith this worship in India . Thereligious teachers say :When on e can interpret this emblem Of the an

drogynou s divinity , he knows al l that is known ; and

that to learn more he must be enlightened to read yetmore mystically the inexhaustible truth incarnated inthis m ost wonderful symbol .This pictu re has been commented on by nearlyevery student of Hindu religion

,in all degrees of Spirit

,

from scorn to rapture .Figure 146

,page 102

,is a symbol common to the

Sacteyas , who interpret it as the linga entwined by“

a

male and female serpent in sexual congress . This ideais m ore realistically represented , on certain occasions ofhigh religious ceremonies , by the wom en , in gran dprocession

,carrying

,between two living serpents

,a

gigan tic linga,decked in ribbons and flowers

,the

prepucial end of which they present to an equallyprominent yoni . They l ikewise use the symbol of a

1 3 6 PHALLISM IN INDIA.

Figure 199,they recognize D ev i herself the feminine

creator,and

,therefore

,worthy of worship as recog

n izing her m asculin e consort as divine,and thu s

directing her adorei s to also recognize and worship thelinga and all it is interpreted to represent .THE TORTOISE is an important emblem In the Hindu

mythology . They represent the world resting upon anelephant supported by a tortoise . It was chosen becauseit i s popularly supposed to be androgynous , on accountof its great tenacity of life and its great fecundity .

T h e frequencya n d r a p i d i tyw i t h which itp r o t r u d e s i t sh e a d from itsshell and with

Fig. 208 . draws it,Chang Fig . 209.

ing from an appearance of repose to on e of energy andaction

,as well as the configuration of its head and

n eck when aroused,would readily suggest to the

mystic Hindu— the acting linga ; while a front viewwou ld equally bring to his imagination the sacred eye

,

or arba- il .THE LOTUS . Brahma is represented as Sitting uponhis lotus throne . The lotus was the most sacred floweramong the an cients

,and to them typed the two powers

of generation . The germ symbol ized the linga,the

fi laments and petals the yoni . The lotus is“ a nymp hcea .

Nympha signifies a young n ubile w oman , a certain partof the yoni , and the calix of the rose . Hence , a

SIVA-SACTI WORSHIP. 1 3 7

maiden is symbolized as being,or having , a rose. The

lotus not only signifi es the andogynous creator buttypifies Sacti.The modern Hindu phallic worship which recognizesthe essential importance o f both the sexual elements ingeneration is u sually spoken Of as Sacteyan worship ,in much the same way that in the West all kinds of sex

worship is called phallic worship . All Sacteyan worship requires the u se Of some or all Of the five followingnecessities : flesh

,fish

,w ine

,woman

,and certain

mystical performances called dancing,but which

,unlike

the dances Of the West,consists of a pantomim e made

up o f dramatic action,gestures

,twistings

,and undu

latory and expressive motions of the arms,legs

,and

Whole body . This dancing is at once poetical,sensu

ous and skillful,and is performed by professional

nautch girls . Every temple— Of this faith— of any

note in India has a troop of these nautch girls . Theyare generally selected , by the priests , when quite youngon account of their beauty

,health

,strength and

activity . From infancy they are trained in dancing,

vocal and i nstrumental music ; and at an early ageinitiated into all the mysteries and duties of their profession . Their n atural beauty is heightened by all theaccessories of drapery , j ewels , seductive arts , and general feminine witchery . Their chief osten sible employment is to chant the sacred hymns and perform nautchesbefore the idol at high festivals . But they haveanother office to perform . They are the acknowledgedmistresses o f the officiating priests

,and are required to


prostitute themselves—in the courts of the templesto all who desire and will pay for their possession , andthus secure funds to sustain and enrich the temple towhich they are attached . As they are beautiful andaccomplished in all seductive and passion-arousing arts

,

healthy,and

,therefore , safe companion s

,and as it is

considered honorable on their part as well as in theirpatrons thus to swell the temple revenue

,and as there

is absolute secrecy as to their patrons , it n eed not bewondered at that they are much sought after

,and well

paid for this part Of their Service .A S imilar class Of women are found in many otherparts of Asia ; and it is said they are far from rare inTu rkey .

These votaries of the deity ” “ women Of theidol

,

” “ Devadasi ,” “ women given to God

,

” arelooked upon as holy devotees Of the faith . Any wo

man,however, who prostitutes herself for selfish gain

in India is an outcast who bears a disgraceful name .

The principal ceremonies include the w orship Ofpower

,and require the presen ce o f a young

,beautiful;

and naked girl as the living representative o f the goddess . This girl is generally selected from the n autchcompany ; and the on e chosen esteems it as an especialhonor

,as a tribute to her beauty , accomplishments and

ability . The peculiar duties of this office,the n autch

girl is,by experience

,every w ay fitted to meet w ith

better grace and more satisfaction than an innocentand unsophisticated girl . To this naked girl m eat andWine are Offered , and then distributed among the wor

140 PHALLISM IN INDIA .

box,and the woman who has the same number found

on the garment even were she sister or daughter o fthe man who draws it— is his partner for the n ightin the lascivious orgies that follow . All these ceremonies

,in their w ildest excesses

,are engaged in by

the most devout and pure-minded men and womenmost of whom ,

outside o f this ceremony,that they

consider a sacred and solemn obedience to thei r religious requ irements , are , according to their ideas of

purity,as modest and chaste as any devotee of their

more enlightened neighbors o f the Western civilization .

A peculiar custom,still common in IndIa

,is thus

described by General Furlong :

“ Many a day have I stood,at early dawn

,in the

door of my tent , pitched in a sacred grove , and gazedat the little group of fem ales stealthily em erging fromthe adj oining half Sleeping v illage

,each w ith a little

garland or bunch Of sweet flowers,and perhaps costly

Oil,wending their way to that temple in the grove or

garden of the god and goddess of creation ; and , whennone were thought to see

,accompanying their earnest

prayer for pooli-palam (child- fruit) with a respectfulabrasion Of a certain part Of their person on linga-j ee

,

and a little application of the drippings that are forever trickling from the orifice o f the Argha .

”

In Oriental v illages it is common to see tw o stoneson e circular , and the other small , smooth and uprightnear together ; they indicate the m ale and female .Women step upon the circular stone

,adjust their

drapery SO that perfect contact with the vulva can

PHALLISM IN EGYPT. 141

be assured , and seat themselves upon the uprightstone

,with at least partial entrance repeating a short

prayer for any desired favor .According to some Hindu sects women of or abovethe age of puberty , who are m aiden s , cann ot enterParadise . They , therefore , i f den ied marriage , rupturetheir hymen by means of an idol with an iron or stonelinga . Brides in Pondicherry sacrifice their maidenhood in a similar way— in honor Of the deity— towhom they first belong . This w as not an unusualcustom in m any an cient nations . The Moabitishmaidens always thus sacrificed their m aidenhood , as areligious duty

,to their deity

,Peor

,before becoming

kedesha among the Jews .Some Hindu women of some sects regard a childresulting from intercourse with a peculiarly saintly priestas an incarnation by Vishnu ; and , if they can agreeupon terms

,the Official will generally accommodate her .

PHALLISM IN EGYPT .

The Oldest and dimmest traditions,the earliest writers

and the remains of the m ost ancient sculptures,tell us

of phallic dogmas,ceremonies

,and symbols being abun

dautly general in Egypt . In the ancient Egyp tianreligion

,the good and creative power— the masculine

principle— the activeprinciple , as they gen erally calledit w as attributed to

,or incarnated in , Osiris . Osiris

was the child of Time and Matter . He was w orshipedas the being who dwelt invisibly in the sun so the sun

142 PHALLisMIN EGYPT.

was on e of his emblems . From this idea Of the sun,

and its heat and light as creative powers,he w as also

represented by fire celestial fire ; and , hence , by theupright triangle which is a symbol Of Osiris

, be

cause it i s a symbol Of fire . The bull was , however ,his chief symbol , and w as regarded as his real self

,

incarnated in living form . This sacred bull was Saidto be m iraculously begotten by a ray from heaven

,and

bore certain marks which revealed his divine parentage .

The worship of the bull was,in later times

,connected

with the constellation Taurus in the Zodiac ; but thiswas a later adaptation

,and the probability is that the

constellation was so named by those who “ adapted ”

the union o f the two cults . In all interpretations itm ust be borne in m ind that time-honored symbols

,as

Well as sacred days and seasons,are persisten tly re

tained—for t he masses prize forms , times , and ceremonies . The hawk was also a representation of Osirisas an emblem Of directing power . The Nile

,upon

which depended their crops,was called by the Egyptian s

the outpouring Of Osiris,so when they person ified the

Nile or any other river it w as represen ted as a bullor with the attributes of that sacred animal . In Short

,

all ben efi cen t and productive moisture was veneratedas being the substance of the semen of Osiris . Byintercourse with Isis he produced all living beings . Hewas reported dormant or absent for forty days in eachyear which was a season Of sorrow and lamentationand his body was said to be repeatedly torn in pieces byhis bad brother , Typhon .

144 PHALLISM IN EGYPT.

ness among the Roman women,probably wished to in

troduce this practice when the response w as :“ Let

the rough goats approach the Troj an matrons . Butthis mandate w as executed in the very different w ay of

sacrificing the goat and cutting the skin into thongs,

with which the women were scourged upon their barebacks . The desired result Of child-bearing was

,how

ever , thus attained , showing the powerful effect of

flagel lation and an exalted imagination ; for Ovid tellsus “ speedily was the man a father

,and the wife a

mother . ”

This sacred goat of Mendes was by the Greekstransformed into their god , Pan ,

and represented by a

personification half goat and half m an . Satyrs andfauns seem to be degenerate and purely sensual derivatives from Pan .

Representations Of Pan,in some instances

,Show him

with rigid and strained muscles , his face w ild with passion

,and his generative organ ready for his character

istic work . He is at other times shown with relaxedmuscles and a j aded countenance , as if wearied by hisdepleting excesses ; in al l cases

,however

,his phallus

is o f exaggerated proportions , thus representing his pecu liar characteristic .The hereditary priests Of Egypt were

,when ad

van ced to the sacerdotal rank , first initiated into themysteries o f the goat , as a preparation for the higherand more divine mysteries of Isis .The mysteries Of the goat , and the sublimer arcan a ofIsis , as in fact all the esoteric interpretations Of the

GOAT OF MENDES. 145

Egyptian cult,was a sacred trust which was kn own

only to the initiated priesthood (and some secrets wereimparted to only a chosen few Of the most enlightenedand most trusted priests) , and was guarded so zealously and successfully that littl e is known concerningthem . While their religion was clearly phallic— re

cognizing both mascu line and feminine creative deitiesand the necessity of their sexual union in producingnew beings

,and while these views were very realisti c

ally represented in their religious ceremonies,still the

worship or,at least

,the mysteries ” Of the fem

inine were the more exalted .

In later times , the goat was an important element inthe initiations , ceremonies , and occult work o f theTemplars .But the Templars

,in introducing the Goat of Mendes

,

and in the inauguration and continuation of their sabat,

were only adapting to theiruse a well-kn own ancient,

effective and occul t ceremony —which , to the instructedand intelligent initiate

,had a holy esoteric interpretation

,

and which was well calculated to test,secure

,and

maintain the n eophyte’ s integrity

,endurance , and en

lightenm en t .

The Obscene sabat of the sorcerers bore the samerelationship to the Templar ceremonies that prostitutiondoes to holy wedlock .

The Templars,by a series of impressive and instructive

ceremonies,sought to teach transcenden t truths

,which

,

being contrary to the dogmas of the church,were unsafe

to teach Open ly . For this reason the neophyte was10


severely tested and rigidly vowed to secrecy . The

profane sabat,or

,as it was called , the witches sabat ,

”

w as practiced by those who mistook the shadow for thesubstance

,and .who engaged in the w ild orgies— not

for enlightenment— but for selfish gain or lustful

gratification—and were secret because they were

criminal .Osiris w as represented as a m an with an enormous

m ovable phallus , to signify the prolific procreativepower Of the good generative principle . He w as

sometimes represented w ith three phalli,to symbolize

his active creative energy in the three elemental worldsair , earth , and water . The women carried these m an

ikin s in their sacred processions in some of theirreligious ceremonies .Ty phon was the person ification of the evil power or .destroyer

,and w as represented by theHippopotamus

the most Savage an imal known to the Egyptians . Hew as also represented by m aterial fire . To Show thefin al power Of good over evil , it is said Horus castratedTyphon

,and there are statues of the former with the

phallus o f the latter in his left hand .

The same idea is found also in the Hindu cults,from

which it was probably adopted by the Egyptians , andalso in the Grecian myths

,which were borrowed from

one of the above two sources . Saturn is representedas havingcut Off the genital s Of his father . In ancienttimes a castrated god— and

,therefore

,a n on -gener

ating eunuch— lost all claim s to divinity . Defeat inany contest might be condoned

,or the vanquished once


or m arket value as slaves . This w as a practice somewhat in u se among the Jews (whether j ustified or onlytolerated we need not discuss)The slave trade of Africa

,which furn ishes Turkey

and other localities with eunuchs in modern times , issimply the remnant of this ancient custom . Typhonis said to have destroyed on e Of H orus

’

, eyes , so a eertain order o f Egyptian priests were deprived of one

eye—in commemoration of this mutilation of theirdeity . Many Of the Egyptian priests and priestesseswho appeared in Rome were thus deformed .

The good feminine creative power—passive,recep

tive,and n ourishing—w as personified in Isis . This

character w as still more generalized, so as to include

un iversal nature . She saysI am nature

,the parent Of things

,the sovereign of

the elements,the primary progeny o f time

,the most

exalted of the deities,the first Of the heavenly gods and

goddesses,the queen of the shades , whose Single deity

the whol e world venerates— in many ferms,with

variou s rites under many names . The wise and goodEgyptians worship me as Isis .Isis i s identified with nature— hen ce

,with the earth

and with the moon . Her representations are innum er

able,but the cow

,either as a mere animal or as a young

and finely formed woman w ith a cow ’ s head,is the or

iginal and most sacred symbol . She is also representedas a woman w ith a child— Horus— in her lap , or

standing by her side,his m onth at her breast . Figure

210 gives one of these pictures , Which is very sug

ISIS AND HORUS . 149

gestive of the Assyrian grove , portraying to theinitiated the door Of life ” through whichhuman being enters the world . Thewhole design shows Isis and Horus inthe door of life ,

” while the bells in

dicate the breasts , multiplied in number and size

,so they are suffi cient to

abun dantly nourish all whom the Door

of L ife u shers into existence . Thebells— thirteen in number—are ex

plained very differen tly in the Assyrian Fig. 210.cult ; but the phallic character is always maintained .

The sun over head— which is a symbol found overthe porticos o f many Egyptian temples signifies thecentral sun the masculin e creative power, —Osiris . Thecrescent moon is again the f eminiiie the virgin— themother— Isis . The position Of the sun and moontogether is also creation— sexual union— marriage of

Isis and Osiris .Notwithstanding Isis is the DivineMother of Horu sthat is

,of al l created beings and things and that this

motherhood is the n atural result Of copulation withOsir is

,still she is worshiped as the Celestial and the

Eternal Virgin,who , by the use of her S istrum or

Virginal Magic Wand , drove away Typ hon —Or evil,

from her presence . This S istrum,shown in Figures 211

213 represents the yoni , thrice barred across— thusclosing the Door o f L ife . The bars are also bent sothey cannot be removed except by the “ Celestia l

M agic Wand .

” The Virginity Of Isis—the Celestial


Mother—was a tenet Of the Egyptian faith at leastfifteen centuries before the Virgin Mary bore Jesus .

The Egyptians symbolized theirdivine triad by

' a Simple triangle .They compare the perpendicular tothe male , the base to the female ,the sides to the offspring of thetwo creative powers—Osiris as thebeginn ing , Isis as the m edium orreceptacle

,and Horus as the aecom

p l ishing . The pyramid— the ancientand modern achievement and wonder

Fig .211 . Fig .212 . F ig . 21 3 . Of Egypt— is the Solid triangle ;each face a triangle

,the base and four faces again.

the Four Great Gods . ”

Vivant D en on found at Thebes the mummy of awoman who had probably been a lady of rank . In thevagina Of this mummy there was inserted the embalmedphallus of a bull

,which had

,in all probability

,been

taken from a sacred animal after his death . It wasthen embalmed and placed in its human receptacle as acharm against evil spirits which the ancients believedtormented the souls Of the dead .

The Greeks and Romans frequently placed figuresof the phallus in tombs from similar m otives .Josephus tells us that the custom of saying gracebefore meals was practiced by the Egyptians and when

Seventy-two elders were invited by Ptolemy Philadelphusto sup at the palace , Nicanor requested Eleazar to say

grace for his countrymen , instead of those Egyptians

152‘PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PH (ENICA

without any hope of ever equaling— the propagatingperformances of their deities .The supreme masculine creator was by the Assyrianscalled Bel ; and m anifested in the m ale triad , Asherafter whom the empire was n amed

, An n and Hoa .

By the Phoenician s he was called Baal by the Phrygians

,Atys and by the Syrians , Adonis . The feminine

consort of Bel w as Mylitta , also called Ishtar . The

Phoenicians n amed her Ashtoreth,

or D erceto,and

represented her as a woman terminating from the hipsdown in a fish . The Syrian goddess was also D erceto

,

but,u nlike her Phoenician n amesake

, w as a completeand voluptuous woman who was , however , sometimesrepresented as a fi sh to symbolize her fecundity . Shew as also called Atargatis , and as such Shared honorswith her bastard daughter

,Semiramis

,who was repre

sented by a dove ; because the cooing Of the dove In

the night sounded like the Syrian word‘

which m eantcoition Cybele also known as the mother of orgieswas the Phrygian goddess .These deities were generally thought of and repre

sented as distinctly sexed masculine or feminine beings .

They were,however

,often worshiped and figu red

realistically and symbolically , as androgynes . It isprobable that at a later period these deities weregenerally known — in addition to their local n amesas Jupiter

,J un e , and the

“ mysterious third .

” Justwhat this mysterious third m eant was an esoterican d carefully guarded secret , revealed only to theSp ecially favorite associates of the inner circle of the

SYRIA , BABYLON AND PHRYGIA. 153

priesthood . It has been variously explained as thecreative act of the divine creators , the children as theresult o f this act

,and as the illuminated prophets who

talked with the gods and then instructed the people .

The highest interpretation w as Love divine impulseto create .

’

While the dogmas Of these countries named the mascul ine and femin ine deities together , and taught theirqual importance and honor , there w ere some verycurious practical outworkings . The temples were bu iltto the goddesses . The m ale emblems were Often veryrealistic

,and always numerous . The priests and prin

cipal temple attendan ts were males or eunuchs,while

the worship paid was principally to the feminine deityThe men directed the rites and ceremonies

,yet the

women were the more enthusiasti c worshipers . Whilevirginity and chastity were there

,as elsewhere

,woman ’ s

greatest treasure,and profane loss of them w as punish

able with death,still they enthusiastically sacrificed

both— the men gladly consenting— in religious orgiesin honor of their celestial virgin mother . Women whoat home -and in society were modest

,chaste

,and honor

able,when worshiping engaged passionately in the

wildest sexu al excesses,

an d even in the grossestand m ost unnatural satisfaction of frenzied sexualpassions .The religion and consequent ceremonies of Syriaand Phrygia w as at one time very peculiar ; it wasbroadly and intensely phallic

,and ran to the extreme

Of sexual symbolism and licentious excess among the

54 PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PHCENICIA,

m asses Of the worshipers,while it

,at the same time

,

required emasculation of the priesthood and temple at

tendan ts .

Lucian describes the Syrian temple and worship atgreat l ength

,and in wonderful detail— using

,how

ever,the Greek names for the deities instead of their

local equivalents . The following is an outline Of hisstatements

The magnificent temple Of Atargatis , at Hierapolis ,is situated 0 11 a commanding eminence in the midst ofthe city

,and surrounded by a double wall . The porch

of the temple is two hundred yards in circumference .

Within this porch , in front of the temple,are two

enormou s phalli , each a hundred and fifty yards high,

and bearing the inscription,These phalli

,I,Bacchus

,

dedicate to my step -mother,J uno .

’ A m an once ayear ascends to the top of these phalli

,remain ing there

seven days . At the right of the temple is a little brazenman with an enormous erect phallus . Outside thetemple there is a very large brazen altar and a thousandbrazen statues Of gods and heroes

,priests and kings .

The temple,into which any on e may go

,has golden

doors,a roof of the same material

,and the interior is

gorgeously garnished with a blaze of golden ornam ents .It is filled with a heavy and delicious perfume whichclings a long time to the visitors ’ garments . On theleft as on e en ters there is the throne of the sun

,but n o

representation of that luminary ; because , they say ,all

may see the sun himself,and

,therefore

,n eed no sym

bol . There is also the statue of a woman in man ’ sdress . Next is the statue of Apollo

,with a long

beard and clothed . All the other statues are nude .

156 PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PH(ENICA ,

the Phrygians,which is described by a learned French

author,in substance , as follows

Once each year in the springtime there was a wildand noisy

,though a sacred and solemn

,festival . It

began in quiet and sorrow , for the death-like sleep of

Atys . On the third day j oy breaks forth,and is mani

fested by delirious hilarity . The frenzied priests o f

Cybele rush about in bands , with haggard eyes an d

disordered hair,like drunken revelers and insan e women

,

In one hand they carry burning fire brands , in the otherthey b randish the sacred

‘

knife . They dash into thewoods and valleys

,and climb the moun tain heights

,

keeping up a horrible noise and continual groaning .

An intoxicating drink has rendered them wild . Theybeat each other w ith the chain s they carry . Whenthey draw blood upon others or upon themselves theydance with wild and tumultuous gesticulations , flagellating their backs

,piercing their limbs

,and even their

bodies . Finally, in honor of the god they worship ,

they turn the sacred knife upon their genitals an d callupon their deity

,Showing her their gaping wounds and

Offering her the bleeding spoils o f their destroyed virility .

When they recover from this self-inflicted unmanning,

these eunuchs— or,as they call themselves

,galli

adopt woman ’ s dress . They are then ready to becomepriests

,or

,failing in that , to take their place as attend

ants of the temple worship or to engage in pederastyfor the benefit of the temple treasury , whenever theirpatrons prefer such indulgence to ordinary fornicationwith the enthusiastic women .

”

Whil e this fanatical— but , to the participants , aw

fully solemn—procedure of the would-be priests andtemple servitors was taking place on the hills and in the

SYRIA , BABYLON AND PHRYGIA. 157

valleys,a very different ceremony was perform ed in or

near the temple . There the orgy was as wild , but lessbloody

,and more licentious

,but equally phallic . The

sexual rites were of three orders : First,the devotees

could choose sexual association with the templewomen

,

” who were available to whoever desired to payfor their service— the sums thus realized being turnedinto the temple treasury ; or they could , if they so desired

,engage in what Paul describes as women

changing the natural u se into that which is against nature and likewise also the men , leaving the n atural u seof the woman

,burned in their lust toward on e another ;

men with men working unseemliness . ” The'

galli attendan ts at the temples w ere also sodomites , and theprice of their uncleanness increased the income o f thetemple . Those who did not care to engage in theserites could

,under certain rules

,j oin each other in for

n ication ; and , in many i nstances , all bonds of blood orki nship were totally ignored .

The character o f the religious services in Babylon is

shown from the fact that the chief temple in that cityw as called by the n ame of Bit-Shaggathu ,

which m eansliterally the temple for copulation .

”

Besides many other phallic ceremonies,every native

woman in Babylon w as obliged,as an imperative re

ligious duty , to present herself in the temple of My litta ,and

,once in her life

,del iver herself to a stranger .

They came to the temple wearing a crown Of cord aboutthe head . Most of them were seated in such a mannerthat those desiring their company could pass along


straight aisles among them thus securing a full and fairview Of the candidates . Some , however , proud of theirwealth and rank

,came in covered carriages

,atten ded

by servants , and remained thus apart . Whenever awoman thus presented herself , she w as expected to bein constant attendance until she attained the Obj ect ofher visit . AS the stranger passed along the aisles

,

having made his choice , he threw the selected on e apiece of silver

,saying : I beseech the goddess Mylitta

to favor thee NO m atter what the value Of the sil

ver, large or small , She must accept it from the . first tooffer it : for it was thus made sacred and applied to re

l igious purposes . She then followed him outside thetemple to on e of the semi-seclusive alcoves provided forthe purpose , and there had sexual intercourse with him .

Having thus performed her religious devotions to hergoddess

,Myl itta , She returned home believing she w as

purified . Any subsequent deviation from chastitywould be con sidered mortal sin .

Many were continually coming to thus present themselves in the temple ; and , of course

,many retiring

after their devotions .It will readily be seen that those endowed withbeauty o f features or symmetry and richness of formwere n ot long detained , for n o refusal w as allowed ;while the unattractive or deformed w ere Often com

pel led to experience a weary waiting .

S imilar customs were followed in Armenia,Cyprus ,

and in fact in most ancien t nation s in some period of

their religious development . This practice , however ,

160 PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PHcENICIA,

Mr . Newt on an equally erudite student gives ita more elaborate interpretation

,which is

,however

,

quite as phallic . The truth probably is,that when

used,it w as successively and

,perhaps

,con tempora

n eously interpreted both ways,by those whose views

of the relative superiority or equally exalted value Ofthe m ale and female principles called for the specialmeaning they gave it . According to the latter writer

,

it embodied,in a more complex and veiled way

,all that

is contained in the interpretation of the CruseAnsa ta

or both sexes and their united activity in creation .

The design in Figure 215 Shows the grove receivingthe w orship of the king and his son or successor andtheir attendant genii their rank and character being

Fig. 215.

shown by their head-dresses,costumes

,and the sym

bols carried in theirhands . The kings present to thegrove the phallic right hand

,

” the symbol of life andgood fortune . They each carry in the other hand a rodof l ife or sceptre . The attendants , each with the righthand

,presents the masculine emblem of the pine cone

,

and carries in the left han d a bag or basket , in which is

SYRIA, BABYLON AND PHRYGIA. 161

symbolically stored abundance of energy . The wingedfigure above the grove— originally the dove— is thecelestial bowman

,with string

,bow and quiver full of

arrows which are for the use of all who desire divinevitality and activity in the sensual manifestation Of worship ing the grove .

There are numerous representations of the grove andits adoration in m any modified forms and combinationsbut they a l l agree in the general character above described . Always the central door ” barred andfringed ; always the worshipers— kings , divm e beings

,

warriors,or laymen

,Offer gifts Of phallic and creative

import . The homage took generally— and probablyalways—the form of actual copulation among theworshipers .This grove was evidently the symbol Of Ashtoreth

,

or of the creative union Of Baal and Ashtoreth . Thepractical ultimation in this service took place betweenthe male and female devotees , who retired to a smallbower

,or arched tent

,called a gnbbah— which is also

the Hebrew name o f the yoni . Each kadeshah had

such a tent attached to or n ear the temple or worshiping place where homage was paid to the grove .

”

Many statuettes found in Nineveh , unquestionablyrepresent the feminine deity

,as the yon i i s very oh

trusively represented— the hair on the m ons veneris

being conventionally curled,after the m anner o f the

beards Of the m ales in ancient Assyrian statues . Inothers

,the fissure and hirsute appendages are entirely

omitted . No explanation is known for the difference .11


The royal collar , here presented , was a commonj ewel in Babylon

,Assyria

,and Rom e . It was worn by

all c lasses in those countries , and is worn n ow by piousworshipers of Maha Deva , in India . On the left is theever-recurring m asculine triad , representing the DivineFather

,while on the right is the crescent moon

,

the symbol o f the equally exaltedf e m i n i n e creatress — the e t e r n a lV i r g i n-M o t h e r . The horned cap

,

n ext to the trident,is the Signature o f

royalty or of the divine m an the acting creator or

“ word .

” The cross here again represents cooperativeactivity o f the divine creators in generating humanitythe Arba-il— the divine four— populating the world .

The double triangle in the circle,with the center

marked,is a summing up of all creative arcana . It

is sexual un ion ; it is S iva and Sacti Jupiter andVenu s the sun and the m oon the divine descendinginto the human

,which rises to receive the celestial . In

a word,it is the generation of n ew creatures on

whatever plane the beholder occupies and accordingto whatever love and wisdom the translator ackn ow ledges .Figure 217

,from Lajard , represents an act of wor

ship in the presence of the triune representation of themasculine and feminine creators . We have here thecelestial

,sun

,and m oon ; the mundane , palm tree , and

barred vulva—virginity ; and the sensual , cone , andlozenge the fleshy organ s . Diana

,of the Ephesians

,

was represented by n early every symbol of Isis,in

Fig. 216.

64: PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PHCENICIA,

with the two fruits,on e at either side of the base

,

symbolizes the phallus and tests while the ovals oneither side of the upper point indicate the yoni , withall the occult sign ification s Of these organ s . Thean imals — spotted goats suggestive of great sexualpower and fecundity rampant , represent passion or

desire . The crescent m oon o f Isis,over the head of

the mal e goat , symbolizes the feminine creative power ;and the lozenge below and in front points to its physical manifestation in Sex . The w ings tell of in terpretation

,while the erect phallus shows readiness and

power in physical activity . The crescent moon,on

the female goat,n ear the tail

,shows the sex an d desire

,

wh ile the fleur de lys— emblem of the m asculine

triad— below and in front,suggests its satisfaction .

The priest,who is androgynous shown by the peen

l iarity of the skirt— points to the central palm -tree,

explaining and u rging its worship,and the consequent

obedience to its teachings — physical and mystic . Ofcourse

,he is n ot teaching animals

, but Virile— and,

therefore,exemplary— men and women

, who , in thecondition suggested

,can be more modestly represented

by the rampant and prolific goats .The accompanying design , copied from L aj ard

’s

R esea rches sur le Cu lte de Venus,and taken by that

author from an ancient gem, w as originally engraved

upon the lower face of a cone- shaped white agate .

Wh ite stones— and particularly agates— were muchprized as emblems ; and w ith the name or symbol Of afavorite deity cut upon them were especially sacred .

SYRIA, BABYLON AND PHRYGIA . 165

In the Apocalypse the promise is To him that overcometh I will give to eat o f the hidden mann a

,and I

Will give him a white stone,and upon the stone a n ew

name written,

” which was,in a ll probability

,

“ min eow n new name

,

” referred to inthe next chapter

,as written upon

the same person he that overcometh . This n ew name Of the“ Faithful and True theWordof God

,

” is s u b s e q u e n t l ygiven written “

upon his garment

,and on his thigh,

’KING

OF KINGS,AND LOR D OF LORD S .

”

The cone is the Sivaic symbolof the phallus or masculine generator . It is also sacredto and the emblem of Venus n ot the GrecianVenus of d esire or passion but the androgynousdeity

,or bearded Venus Mylitta .

On the right is a bare feminine face,on the left a

bearded masculine face,and the two heads are united

by the inverted triangle or feminine symbol,and sur

mounted by the radiating solar corona or masculinesign . Across the bust are masculine girdles

,below

which appears the inverted triangle again feminine .The bare masculine arm

,and the feminine arm shown

by the bracelet,and the peculiar form Of the drapery

the upright lines in the center and the drooping lineson either side— from the waist downward to the feetcarry out the same dual symbolism and again suggeststhe Apocalyptic androgynous Son of Man clothed

F ig. 220.

166 PHALLISM IN ASSYRIA, PHCENICIA, ASSYRIA, ETC.

w ith a garment down to his feet , and girt about thebreasts (the word , in the original translated breasts ,being not that which indicates the m asculine bosombut the feminine

,the nutritive , and milk-giving breast)

with a golden girdle .

” Over the head is a triad of six

rayed stars the conjunction of the masculine andfeminine in generation . The crescent moon of Isis isabove

,and the femin ine cup below

,the female snake on

the right . A male serpent— shown by its slimmer andsharper head— Spreads its wings as if attacking thisfemale . The six-rayed phallic star

,the points m eeting

in a circle,i s in perfect harmony w ith the whole design .

The male serpent on the left is approached by a wingedand aroused female of its kind . Below the serpent isa phallic vase with a cup over it— the still favoriteform of oil and water vessels in the temples of S iva .

The lozenge or feminine symbol near the m aleserpent again indicates conj unction Of the sexes — or

dual creative powers . In this little design,therefore

,

may be found the whole doctrine Of phallic worshipthe masculine creator

,whether organ or power

the feminine creatress,whether organ or principle

their mutual desire or attraction— their coOp erativeactivity in the work of generation— and the essentialunity of these organs or powers—in a word

,the an

drogyn ous character Of the great and essential creator .And surely

,the intelligent and aspiring Christian can

,

by spiritually interpreting this unique design,read into

it all the transcendental truths of his beloved faith .

168 PHALLISM AMONG THE JEWS .

and again called the place Beth-e] the house of God .

He also set a pillar upon the grave o f his .wife Rachel .When Jacob and his father-in -law

,Laban

, m ade atreaty of peace

,they set up a pillar , and piled around

it a heap Of smaller stones and while the former gaveit one n ame and the latter another

,still each in his own

language called it the “ Heap ofWitness .

” Joshua,

when about to die,took a great stone and set it up under

an oak that w as near the san ctuary of the Lord, saying

“Behold this stone shal l be a witness unto us for it hathheard all the words of Jehovahwhich he spake unto usSamuel set up a

“ stone of help .

” All these thingswere done by m en exemplary to the Jews ; and thecontext shows that they are Spoken of approvingly .

Jehovah looked upon the Egyptians through a pillar offire and terrified them ; he led the Israel ites by p illarsOf fire and cloud ; he appeared to them in a pillar Ofcloud ; came down in a pillar of cloud Jacob calls himthe shepherd

,the Stone of Israel ; Moses speaks of

him as the “ Rock of our Salvation the rock thatbegat thee—he is a rock . Samuel uses the same symbology . David says Jehovah is my rock . Elohim is

my“ rock and high tower ” in whom I trust .These allusion s to Jehovah an d Elohim

,under the

names Of stone,rock

,tower

,high tower

,pillar

,etc .

,

might be much extended ; an d, while they have al l

been interpreted in quite a different w ay, they areclearly phallic in their origin , as will m ore evidentlyappear when these symbols are spoken Of as desecratedby being used in honoring other gods than Jehovah and

PHALLISM AMONG THE JEWS . 169

Elohim . The Obj ection Of the Jewish cult and prophetsw as not to the u se or recognition of these symbols torepresent the divine but to their profanation in makingthem images or representatives o f strange gods .

The obj ection was n ot to the symbol,but to the inter

pretation for Isaiah says In that day shall there bean altar to Jehovah

,in the midst of the land of Egypt

,

and a ‘p il lar

’ at the border thereof,to Jehovah

,and

it sha ll be for a sign and a w itness ’ to Jehovah.

”

The command in Deuteronomy is n ot against planting groves n or setting up statues (pillars) but againstsuch groves and pillars as “ Jehovah hateth .

”

The worship Of the sun and moon an d of fire and waterare always of phallic o rigin and with phallic inter

p retation ; hence the prohibition Of this worship in the

Mosaic law showed that it w as a practice to be discontin ned . Notwithstanding this law,

we find that thelu ngs o f Judah built temples , ordained priests , and or

gan ized a system of sun and moon worship as gorgeousand sensual as that of the other Oriental n ations

,with

al l the accompaniments of horses , chariots , groves,

”

eunuchs,kedeshim and kedeshuth .

Moses w as commanded to destroy the altars,break

the pillars , and cut down the groves of the heathentribes . Notwithstanding these plain commands

,how

ever,the childrenof Israel did evil serving Baalim and

the groves they also built them high places,and

standing pi llars and groves .Ou every high hill and underevery green tree ; and they burned incense in thesehigh places . The kings of Judah went so far as to

170 PHALLISM AMONG THE JEWS .

ordain priests , of whom there were four hundred and

fifty,for the burning

,of incense in the worship Of Baal

in the courts of the temple and in these high placesdedicated to this idolatry .

The “ groves ,” in the plural

,were the lips of the

yoni . They were made Of wood (sometimes of stone)and carved as images . Gideon used this wood withwhich to Offer a burnt Offering . They usually stood inhigh places under green trees . One w as in the temple .They were sometimes surrounded by hangings or curtains

,forming ten ts

,in which the w orship o f the groves

was participated in by both sexes , with the most licentious rites —1m der the direction of four hundred priests .Solomon built “ high places ” for the worship of

Ashtoreth,Chemosh

,and Molech .

The worship of Baal and Ashtoreth was n ot on lyphallic

,but sensually and broadly so— and, in some

cases,disgustingly revolting— and required the most

intimate and licentious association Of the sexes . BaalPeer—which s ignifies God , the Opener Of the maiden ’ shymen - was represented sometimes with a greatlyexaggerated phallus , and sometimes with that organ in

his m outh . Philo says the devotee Of Baal-Pee r presented to the idol a l l the outward orifices Of the body .

Another authority says that the worshiper n ot onlypresented all these to the idol

,but that the emana

tions or excretion s were also presented tears fromthe eyes

, wax from the ears , pus from the n ose ,saliva from the mouth

,and urine and dej ecta from

the lower openings . This was the god to which

PHALLISM AMONG THE JEWS.

The Jewish law says : There shall be n o where (hadesh in the origin al) of the daughters of Israel

,n or a

sodomite (kadeshu th, masculin e— and u sually castrated) of the sons of Israel . Thou shalt not bring thehire Of a whore (zan ah in the Hebrew) or the price of

a dog (celeb) into the house of the Lord . Here w e

have entirely different words in the same connection tomean those who practice promiscuous sexual union .

The primary meaning of kadesh is “ a consecratedon e

,an d is used to indicate one who serves at or in

the temple of worship ; and it has both the feminineand masculine form indicated by varying terminations .This law does n ot prohibit this class , but declares theyshall not be Israelites . These classes not only existedin Israel

,but they were probably attached to the tem

ples of worship by one set of authorities, who are

blamed ; and those who removed or destroyed them arecommended for so doing . The women of this classw ere a special attire , including a veil ; and conductedthemselves quietly not seeking

'

customers,but wait

ing for them to make the first approach . Tamar wasthus arrayed when Judah thought she was “ a con se

crated one,

or“ temple attendant

,

”or religious

harlot,

” and consequently one w ith whom he waslegally permitted to associate in satisfaction Of hispassion ; and the settlement Of the matter indicatedthat he was excused

,if indeed not wholly j ustified .

The kadeshim and kadeshuth are supposed to have beenthe occupants of the small apartments attached to thetemple or tabernacle

,and were at the service of any on e

PHALLISM AMONG THE JEWS . 173

who desired and could pay for the accommodation and,

as both sexes were included among them , their patronscou ld relieve the monotony of legalized fornication bythe practice of tolerated sodomy . They occupiedamong the Jews at that time about the same place that“ women of the idol ” or nautch girls do among theHindus . They were , no doubt ,

“ the women who assembled in troops at the door of the tabernacle

,

” withwhom the sons of Eli Openly and notoriously cohabited .

The zan ah— literally , semen emitter— was , on thecontrary

,an outcast

,wearing a conspicuous attire

,

without a veil ; and was so bold of demeanor as to rushup and kiss men in public . The celeb— dog , sodomite— was a despised and execrated character

,with

whom no one acknowledged any relationship . Theseoutcasts we re

,therefore

,in wonderful con trast with the

honorable attaches of the tabernacle— the kadeshimand kadeshuth .

All this does not , of course , indicate that the Mosaiclaw j ustifies or excuses these things . It simply illustrates that as a people the Jews were

,in their lapses

from rectitude,given to the worship of phallic gods

,

using phallic emblems,and engaging in phallic cere

monies— as licentious as other neighboring n ations .Hosea

,Jeremiah , Ezekiel , and other prophets are direct

in their charges Of these kinds Of worship and licentiouspractices . Josiah found them all in full flower at Solomon

’s temple in Jerusalem

,in Samaria

,and in every

high place,” and “ beneath every green tree ; and his

praises are sung for destroying the paraphernalia and

174 GREEK AND ROMAN PHALLISM.

idols,driving out the kadeshim and kadeshuth

,and

slaughtering the priests o f this unholy worship . Thatis,he killed the provincial priests , but spared those in

Jerusalem— probably because they were So popularthat he dare n ot go so far in the m etropolis .When Rachel left her father ’ s house

,she carried

away her father ’ s terephirn Dav id w as in possession o f

such images Micah m ade some for himself , which theDanites took from him , and which they worshiped astheir god . These terephims were images of a m an

with phallus prominent and erect . Some of them weresimply phalli

,or the masculine triad . Maachah was

deposed from being queen because She made a similitude of a phallus and worshiped it in a grove . ” AndEzekiel charges this worship upon the Israelites .Circumcision as a religious rite common to m any

ancient and modern civilizations is S O clearly phallic asto n eed n o comment .

GREEK AND R OMAN PHALLISM .

The Greek religion was essentially Indian and Egyptian in its mythology , dogmas and ceremonies . TheGreeks

,however

,were not only extensive but very

complimentary borrowers for they gave to everythingthey copied from others a n ew lustre and an enhancedattraction by clothing it in n ew beauties .The Greek myths

, while essentially the same asthose of the Hindus and Egyptians

,and while

,there

fore,quite as phallic

,were yet so logically constructed


expression— both in word painting and statuary was

connected w ith such v sen sual ceremonies,and that

priests and peopl e alike engaged in such licentious andeven unnatural sexual excesses .

“ In Homeric days ,” says Mr . Gladstone

,we find

among the Greeks no infanticide,no can abalism

,no

practice or mention of unnatural lusts ; incest i s profoun dly abhorred . There is polygamy

,but no domestic

concubinage— iand adultery is detested .

”

Among the sublime teachings o f their grand philoSo

phers , who are even n ow ven erated for their tran scendental u tterances

,and who had been initiated into the

mysteries and helped to initiate others,and

,hence

,of

course,participating in all the Eleusinian and Bacchic

orgies,are the following

The misery which a soul endures in the present life,

when giving itself up to the dominion o f the irrationalpart

,is n othing m ore than the commencemen t

,as it

were,Of that torment which it will experience here

after a torment the same in kind,though different in

degree,as it will be much m ore dreadfu l

,vehement

,

and extended . He who is superior to the dominationof his irrational nature is an inhabitant of a place totally different from Hades .

”(H ow like St . Paul say

ing our citizenship is in Heaven ”) They come to

the blissful regions,and delightful green retreats

,and

happy abodes in the fortunate groves . A freer andpurer sky here clothes the fields with a purple light ;they recognize their own sun

,their own stars .

Socrates says : It is the business of philosophersto study to die

,and be themselves dead ; and yet at

ESOTERIC INTERPRETATIONS . 177

the same time reprobates suicide ; which is Simplysynonymous w ith Peter : “ that we

,having died unto

sins,m ight live unto righteousness . ” Yet Soc

rates was a phallic-worshiping Greek ; for, while h ew as n ot an initiate , as were his pupils , Plato and Aristides

,he approved o f the mysteries .

A great teacher has said ° “ The moral quality of

human action does n ot l ie in the particular thing don e,

nor in its effects upon the actor or upon others , but inthe i ntention or motive of the on e who acts .

” Thegreat teacher of the Indias said

,in relation to those not

his avowed followers If they do it with a firm belief,

in so doing they involuntarily serve m e . I am he whopartakes of all worship

,and I am their reward .

”

Greek instructors taught that ecstacy was sought as astate in which to receive divine influx ; because , in thisecstatic condition the human soul pierces beyond theencumbrance o f the body and enters in to communionwith the gods . Some o f their writers tell us what theylearned in this exalted and enthusiastic state

I w as taught that God is self-generated m ind .

I saw that love was the first creation of the gods,

and that from the divine influence of this impulse allthat is created flows . ” The great phalli at the doorof the temple symbolize the divine activity which im

pregn ates all nature .

’

Appuleius relates that during his initiation into themysteries he saw the sun at m idnight . ” The literalreader disbelieves him or calls it a miracle . The initiate

,

however,does n either . He knows that Appu leius meant

178 GREEKAND ROMANPHALLISM.

that the Sen sual darkness of his natural mind w as

lighted up to a perception of the higher truth whilelooking upon the m aterial symbols of the ~

generatingdeities . Speaking of the sacred ark or cist of the mysteries

,on e said

I saw in the egg the emblem of inert n ature whichcontains all that is , and all that is possible to be in theserpent I beheld the suggestion Of that divine impulseto create which causes a l l productive action the phallusglowed with supernal glory as I r ecognized in it theexalted symbol o f the creative gods

,in generative

activity,producing the universe and all creatures that

are or will be .

”

It will be well to bear in m ind these sublime ideasand interpretations , and to remember the avowed intent of the mysteries and rites

,while reading of the

gross procedures by which they sought to Secure eu

lightenm ent and the favor of their recognized divinitiesfor surely the aspiring men of that day like the sameclass now—w ould Often be led to feel even if theydid not

,like our later and more fortunate poet

,Sing or

sayBut what am I?

An infan t crying in the n ightAn infan t cry ing for a l ight :And w i th no language but a cry. ”

The Romans borrowed their religion largely fromthe Greeks . That is

,they borrowed the forms and

ceremonies . They , however , could n ot borrow thepoetry

,sentiment , and enthusiasm . These are attain

ments which must be earned by generations of honest,

180 GREEKAND ROMAN PHALLISM.

the Sun -god. As these idols cou ld n ot con summatethe n uptials , the devotees , amidst rej oicing and revelry ,acted as their proxies by engaging in a general andpromiscuous orgy o f feasting

,drinking

,and licentious

indulgences . This , however , was only the Europeancopy of the u sual yearly Hindu celebration in honor ofthe mystic union of their male and female divinities .In the temple o f Venus , at Cyprus , that goddess was

represented,in realistic detail

,as androgynous ; and

her worship was there under the direction of castratedpriests . Nor was this exception to excessive sexualindulgence an isolated case , for the priests of Dodon a ,the m ost ancient of the Greek oracles

,were likewise

eunuchs . The priests of the Orphic worshipers atThrace were ascetics and devotees , and in many iiistances devoted virgins were required in the most sacredof their ceremonies and rites .Jupiter

,or Z eus

,was represented crowned with Olive ,

oak,or fir ; his sacred color was white , and was wor

shiped in ceremony , partaking comparatively little of thephallic broadness which was bestowed upon his personal ized representatives .

Bacchus — or Dionysus— represented the wholegenerative power He was called “ the father of thegods and of men

,and the begotten love . ” He was

sometimes represented as androgynous,but usually as

a m ale . He was called Choiropsale at S icyon , Priapusat Lampsacu s . L iber was the personalization of

Bacchus as a mode of action as L ibera was of Venus .The goat was a Special symbol of Bacchus ; while

PRIAPUS , PAN AND HERMES . 18 1

satyrs and fauns were his attendants or ministers .Geese— and

,hence

,more poetically swans— were

sacred to Bacchus .Priapus was represented as a man with an enormousphallus ; sometimes with a cock

’ s comb and wattles .He was also Shown as Pan or a faun - with the goat’ shorn s and ears . When he had arms which was notalways the case the right hand held a scythe , and hisleft Often grasped his “ divine symbol ” —which w asalways colossal

,generally aroused and painted red .

Some of these Priapic figures , however , were not sorealistic and coarse . They were u sually—if woodmade from the fig tree

,and often bore bells . Priap ic

figures of the phallus or masculine triad,and these

,in

association with the yoni,were common as amulets or

charms,and were worn either as j ewelry in personal

adornment or in the bosom as charms to secure thefavor of the gods .Greek and Latin authors make mention of the sacri

fi ce of virginity to Priapus by means Of a Priapic stoneor metallic phallus attached to an idol . And in someplaces

,at

'different times

,brides

,led there by their

parents , and in the presence of their newly married orexpectant husband

'

s take their first lesson s in practicalPriapic worship , by means of the iron or stone symbolof the sacred image

,before being del ivered to the hus

band ’ s embrace .

There was found in Pompeii a bas-relief , in whichtwo elderly women— probably the mother and pros

pective mother-ih -law were leading a young and nude


maiden to the Hermes,

” by the phallus of which Shewould give the gods the hon or of her first experiencein coition . Generally , however , this ceremony wassimply the touching of the symbol with the mons Cen

eris —or even pressing against it without raising theskirts the actual in itiation being in the orgies . Later

,

however, the husband was supposed to be the realinitiator . Th is peculiar cerem ony

,like all the others

was n ot a mere indecent procedure , but had a verycommendable Obj ect . The bride w as thus brought tothe Priapic statue immediately before or after the marriage ceremony , and before its consummation , that shemight be rendered fruitful by this contact with thedivine generator

,and be capab le of faithfully and well

fulfilling a l l the new duties of her untried station as awife . An offering of flowers or a libation generally

of wine— was Often Offered an d special requests m adeof the deity . It is reported that a lady— Lalagepresented to the statue the pictures of Elephan tis ,

asking that she might be allowed to enj oy the passion atepleasures over which he presided in all the positionsshown and described in that celebrated treatise and

the n arrator remarks that , like a true devotee , she

probably strove to assist the god in securing a favorable'

response to her prayers .Married women also performed this ceremony inorder to destroy the spell that rendered them sterile ;but more experienced and less fearful they carriedtheir devotions and the symbol farther to actual in

troduction of the symbol into the vulva . Husbands


For instance,the phallus

,bridled and ridden by a

woman her sexual organs also abnormally large,and

exposed to v iew is interpreted to symboliz e Minervabridling Pegassus , that is intuition divine wisdomthe feminine side of intelligence

,as guiding and con

trolling the creative energies and activities of the m as

culine generating powers and processes . Innumerablesuch instances might be cited

,for the classics are full

of them ; and the reflective mind will easily find,what

the poet and the mystic sees at once,the esoteric sign ifi

cance of every such symbol or group . Rememberingthis

,and reading with this idea as an interpreting key

,

and the meaning of the group described in a formerparagraph—in the light of the belief that such a ceremony would produce the desired result and secure alonged-for child—is readily understood . In the expression of that belief

,and to secure that blessing , the

ceremony is n ot only allowable,but commendable

sacred ; and , hence , its representation is as pure as anyother picture of a worshipful ceremony .

Considering the general state o f reserve and restraintin which the Grecian women lived

,it is to us of this

day astonishing to what an excess Of extravagancetheir religious enthusiasm w as carried on certain occasions ; especially on the celebration of the Bacchana

lian orgies . The gravest matron s and the proudestprincesses seemingly laid entirely aside their dignityand decency to vie with each other in revelry ; they ranscreaming through the woods and over the mountains ,fantastically dressed or half naked , their disheveled

REVELING FESTIVALS . 185

hair interwoven with ivy or vine leaves and sometimeswith living serpents . They

~

frequently became so

frantic as to eat raw flesh,and even to tear living ani

mals to pieces,like beasts

,with their teeth

,and devour

them while yet warm and palpitating . The religiousrites of the Greeks

,however , were generally calculated

to arouse a j oyous and festive enthusiasm . Their devotions were always accompanied with music and wine ,as these tended to an exhilaration which assimilated thedevotees to a like mind with the deity . They imitated thegods in feasting and drinking , in gladness and rej oicing ,in cultivating and appreciating the elegant and usefularts

,thereby aiming to impart and receive happiness .

The Greek women,singly or in groups

,went to the

temp le or sacred places—that is,places made holy by

the presence o f a representation of a deity and theremade offerings to the divine emblem . This they didby wreathing the phallus with flowers

,or anointing it

with a specially prepared wine , or other compound , forthe libation .

The mysteries Of Bacchus were celebrated at Romein the temple o f that god

,and in the sacred woods

near the Tiber , styled S imila . At the outset womenalone were admitted to those ceremonies —which wereperformed in the day time . Paccu lla Minia , whenmade priestess

,changed the nature and form of this

worship by initiating her two sons and decreeing thatthe mysteries Should be celebrated at night . Othermen were introduced

,and with them most li centious

practices . The youths admitted were never more than


twenty years of age . Wine,flowing in abundance

,

stimulated excesses,which the Shades of night further

favored .

The priests introduced the young initiates into subterranean vaults . Frightful yells and the din of drumsand cymbals drowned the outcries which the brutalitiesinflicted upon the victims might call forth . Age

, sex ,

and relationship were confounded . All shame was castaside . Every Species of luxury and sen sua l indulgenceeven pederasty and Lesbianism sullied the temple ofthe divinity .

If any of the young initiates resisted the Importunities of the

I

l ibertine priests and priestesses,or acquitted

themselves negligently in the peculiar and oftenunnatural duties required of them

,they were attached

to machines which plunged them into lower cavernswhere they m et thei r death . Their disappearance wasascribed to the action of the angry deity whom theyhad offended by disobedience . Shouting an d dancing

,

by m en and women , supposed to be moved by divineinfluence

,formed a leading characteristic of these

ceremon ies . Wom en with disordered hair plungedchemica lly prepared lighted torches into the waters o fthe Tiber without extinguishing them . At these m idnight revels poisons were brewed

,wills forged

,perjuries

planned,and murders arranged for . The initiates were

of all classes even the highest and m ost in telligent .Their numbers so increased that they were con sidereddangerous to the State

,and the Senate abolished such

assemblies .


and there came to a halt . The most respectable matronof the town as being worthy of this post of honoradvanced and crowned this symbol of the deity with awreath . The more voluptuous part Of the ceremonytook place in the night for it was considered unchasteto engage in this part of the rites in the day time . Theworshipers gathered at the temple

,where they lay

promiscuously together , and honored their deity by aliberal display of the organs which represented him andhis generative consort , as well as by their ardent andoft- repeated u se in displaying the energetic and enduring powers which he conferred and blessed .

The n ext day,or at least soon after

,each lady who

had served as a sacrifice to the Priapic god by in itiationinto these experiences , expressed her gratitude for thebenefits and pleasures she had received by offeringsmal l images of his characteristic emblem equal innumber to the men who had served her as priests inher sacrificial devotions . The n umber offered —asshown in some still extant medals

,illustrative of this

peculiar scene— indicates that the initiates were notn eglected in this part o f their devotions .Some days later was celebrated the festival of Venus

,

also associated at Rome with the same emblem Ofviri lity . During this festival the Roman ladies proceeded in state to the'uirinal , where stood the templeof the phallus . They took possession of this sacredobj ect and escorted it in procession to the temple of

Venu s Erycina , where they presented it to the goddess .A Cornelian gem ,

w ith a representation of this cere

FESTIVAL OF VENUS. 189

m ony upon it , was reproduced in the Cu lte S ecret des

D ames R omaine . A triumphal chariot bears an altarupon which rests a colossal phallus . A genius hoversabove this symbol holding a crown of flowers sus

pended Over it . The chariot and genius are under asquare canopy

,supported at the four corners by spears ,

each in the hands o f a semi-nude woman . The chari otis drawn by bulls and goats

,ridden by w inged children ,

and is preceded by a band o f women blowing trumpets .Further on at the destination of the chariot and itsescort— is a symbolic yoni

,corresponding in Size with

the honored phallus . This female—

symbol is upheldby two genii

, who are pointing out to the approaching phallus the place it is to occupy .

'When this ceremony was accomplished by the unionof these two emblems

,the Roman ladies devoutly es

corted the phallus back to its temple .

At the close of the festival of Venus came the Floralia

,which excelled all the others in license .

The prostitutes of the city m ixed with the multitudein perfect n akedness

,exciting the passions by obscene

songs,j okes

,stories

,and gestures

,until the festival

ended in a scene Of m ad revelry without the least restraint . Cato , the younger , who was noted for hisgravity , was present at on e o f these orgies

,and there

was a hesitancy on the part o f the participan ts aboutgiving reins to their inclinations ; so out o f respect tothe wishes Of the representative citizens and m atronshe withdrew so his presence n eed n ot interfere withtheir worship or lessen thei r enj oyment .

90 GREEK’

AND RCMAN PHALLISM.

A thousand sacred prostitutes were attached to thetemple of Venu s at Corinth , and a similar n umber tothe temple of the same goddess at Eryx . Other temples in Greece were likewise furnished . St . Paul ’ s description Of the

- l icentious practices at Corinth w as,in

a degree at least , true of most temples of Venus at thatand some former times . Juven al tells as that everytemple in Rome was properly designated as a licensedbrothel .The Bona Dea seems to have been a more selectsociety a club

,as it were

,o f the elite of Rome

organized and controlled by the hon ton of the Romanmatrons . These Roman ladies were rem arkable fortheir gravity

,dignity

,and virtue , in their ordinary

life and associations . The stories told o f them,how

ever,r elating their exploits of skill and endurance in

the rites of Venus,Show them to have been fully a

match for the well instructed graduates of the sem

in aries of Corinth and Eryx ; for they were expertsin all the modes and attitudes which the luxuriantimaginations of experienced votaries have invented forthe performance of the practical religious rites of theirtutelar goddess The ceremonies of . . the Bona Deawere a combination of all the rites o f the other festivals . They were

,however

,as already suggested

,

participated in by the intelligent and prominent only,

and hence were more elegant ; and , while more refinedin their procedures

,were quite as free

,licentious

,and

promiscuous —with all the revolting and unnaturalpractices of the more general orgies .

192 NON-PHALLIC ZOROASTERISM.

the Assyrian religion,and worshiped Mylitta under the

name of Mithra or the mediator— but never w ithgross l icentiou sness .The followers of Z oroaster

,the modern representa

tives being the Parsees of India,have n ever in their

worship been gross or unclean in doctrine or ceremonialand have never used any images of the Divine .The serpent is Spoken of as an evil principle

,or as

representing a servant of Ahriman, but n ever figured

as a religious emblem by the followers of Z oroaster .In short , the followers of Zoroaster were in no senseidolators . They were

,from the beginning

,as they are

n ow, worshipers of on e God . They held fire as sacred

not to reverence it for its own sake , but as the primalrepresentative of the living and true , but invisible ,God creator o f all that is .Firdosi Toosi , the celebrated Mohammedan poet , whowrote Shah Nama the history of the Persian Kingsplaced on the title page the following verse as a motto

Ma Pindar ke atush purustan boodundPurustunduya Pack yezdan boodund .

”

“ Don ’ t think they w ere fi re w orshipers ;But worshipers Of one God on ly.”

The Persian version o f the fall of man is nearly likethe Hebrew ,

but m uch m ore explicit : The first man,

Meschia,and the first woman , Meschiane

,were be

guiled by the evil one , Ahriman , who appeared to them

The au thor is indebted to MR . SORABJEE ELCH IDANA, a learned Parsee,a nati ve of Bombay , and now a residen t of LOS Angeles , Cal iforn ia, for thistranslation , and for m ost. that is here said concerning the rel igion of thefo llowers of Zoroaster .

MIDDLE-AGE AND MODERN PHALLISM. 193

in the form o f a serpent . Under his influence theycommitted the sin of carnal intercourse in thought

,

word,and deed— and thus transmitted to all their

descendants the taint o f that sin . This myth , like one

popular interpretation of the Hebrew legend , seems tomany m inds terribly inconsi stent ; for m an was createdm ale and female and directed to populate the earthcven to fill it—and w as furnished w ith n o means of

doing so except the univci Sal one o f sexual congress .Yet these two interpretations m ake this union—thefirst obedience

,to the first god

,of the first command

,

to the first human beings—to be the first sin of thosebeings .

MIDDLE-AGE AND M ODERN PHALLISM .

GNos'rICs .—Much has been said and written con

cerning the Gnostics . Some laud them as the wisestand purest while'others denoun ce and describe themas the m ost professedly and actually vile— amongmen . The Simple fact is

,that both these statements

are comparatively true ; because two entirely differentschools assumed this name . One class were devotedstudents

,austere

,and abstin ent

,who m ortified and

reduced the body crucifying the appetites and passions—in order to purify the impulses and elevate themind . Of this class , while they were fanatical andunpleasant associates

,much m ight be said that is

favorable ; but they do not come in the line o f our

work . Of the other class -who assumed the name in

194 MIDDLE-AGE AND MODERN PHALLISM.

self-suffi cient arrogance - there were many sects .Their generally common dogma

,however

, w as thatthere w as 11 0 moral difference between human actionsand

,hence

,they m ade their religion minister to their

greed and sensuality .

THE NICOLAITANS held that sensual pleasure wasthe true blessedness of man here , and the great endfor which he was created ; and that in the future lifethis realization would be immeasurably increased .

Basilides w as a fountain— or rather n sink— Of alluncleanness . The followers of Carpocrates n ot onlypermitted sensuality and crime , but recommended them .

Only those who daringly fi lled their m easure of

iniquity were saved ; the only sin was in opposing theappetites and passion s— which God had implanted ;so their inj un ction w as to yield to every carnal inclin ation

,and their practices were in keeping with their

doctrinesOne sect entertain ed the stranger with all the plenitude of bed and board ; for, after the m eal wasdisposed o f

,the host would arise and say to his

spouse Go,exhibit to our guest your charity ;

”

whil e he retired , that they might exercise their generating impulses .Another sect revered and exalted Cain ; and yetanother held Judas Iscariot in the highest reverence .These Gnostics o f the left-hand school cast the shadowof their errors and abominations over their purer andwiser n amesakes ; but , in reading of Gnostics

,there

need be no mistake as to which school is described .


Cosmo and Damiana , and carrying baskets full of

these w ax images . The price of these eac fvotos,as they

were called , w as“ the m ore you pay , the m ore the

merit . ” In the vestibule of the church were tables,at

each of which presided a canon of the church crying,

Here m asses and litanies are received,

” and taking theofferings presented . By far the larger proportion of

ex c otos are phalli or masculine triads of all sizes,

and o f varying shapes and conditions . Men Old,

depleted,or diseased offered counterfeits of the ailing

or inert organs,asking for renewed health and vigor .

The great maj ority of the devotees,however

,were

women and girls— widows,m atron s , and maidens

who also presented ex ootos of the m asculine organs of

generation of all sizes,and in forms indicating health

and vigor . These devotees paid the fee,offered their

prayer,and

,kissing the symbol

,handed it to the priest .

Among the prayers heard by an Englishman, who w as

at on e time n ear a table, w ere the follow ing : St .

Cosmo,dear Sain t

,bless me soon “ Let it be a

boy .

” St . Cosmo send him soon . Dear Saint,

let it be like this on e,

” etc .

ST . FOUTIN .— In some parts of France

,until qu ite

recently,St . Fontin received in some respects the same

homage which was bestowed upon Priapus . This saintwas credited with having the power of rendering barrenwomen prolific

,Of restoring exhausted Virility

,and of

curing venereal diseases . It was the custom of themen requiring his assistance to form ea: c oto in wax ,

representing the weak or diseased phallus . The women,

SAINTS FOUTIN AND GUERLICHON. 97

on the other hand , made offerings of the phallus andits appendages in the form and of the size which theydesired

,in order to insure children .

Among the relics of the principal church at Embrunwas the phallus of S t. Foutin . The worshipers of thisidol poured libations of w ine upon its extremity whichwas reddened by the practice . This wine was caughtin a jar

,allowed to turn sour . It was then called

“ holy vinegar,

” and was u sed by the women as alotion with which to anoint the yoni . At Puy enVelay barren women prayed to this saint and scrapedparticles from the enormous phallus , of which theymade a supposed fert ilizing decoction .

At the church of St . Eutrop ius , at Orange , was anenormous phallus

,and its n atural appendages all cov

ered with leather . This covering w as removed whenthe barren devotees desired to worship it . At BourgDieu

,near Bourges , the inhabitants worshiped a Priapic

statue— probably o f Roman origin . The m onks,

fearing the people,did not dare remove or destroy it

,

and so called it St . Guerlichon . Barren wom en flockedto this abbey

,and

,laying this statue upon the ground

,

stretched themselves at full length upon it . This wasrepeated for nine consecutive days . On each day theyalso scraped particles from the exaggerated phallus Ofthis idol

,which was soon very much reduced in size .

The particles in an infusion w as con sidered a certainmeans of overcomin g barrenn ess . A similar statuestood in the chapel of St . Guignolé , near Brest . Thevery prominent wooden phallus of this saint traversed


the statue , so that when the devotees reduced its Sizeby scraping for their fertilizing decoction a malletblow from behind performed the n ot seldom repeatedm iracle o f o restoring that important m ember to all itspristine Size and glory . St . Gilles

,in Brittany

,St .

Rén é,in Anjou

,St . R egn aud , and St . Arnaud were

similarly adored . In the latter case a mystic aproncovered the important symbol . This was raised infavor o f sterile devotees

,and a simple admiring in spec

tion with proper faith w as suffi cient to secure the desiredfertility . There are those who believe and suggest thatthe monks , as the living representatives o f these Virilesaints

,took an active and efficient part i n rendering

these devotions successful , by practically illustratingto these female devotees the m ethod their husbandsought to follow in order to secure fertility . Whatevertruth there m ay be in this suggestion , would only reflectupon the faithfulness o f the m onks , and not upon theCatholic fa ith .

Other cases m ight be cited , and , although this worship w as opposed by the higher dignitaries of the churchthey continued until the Revolution .

An enormous phallus o f white m arble , found at Aix ,in Provence

,was an em f

voto offered to the deity presiding over the thermal waters by a grateful or expectantpatient .The has-reliefs of the Pont du Gard an d the amphitheater a t Nimes Show singular varieties of phallisimple

,double

,and triple

, w ith branches pecked bybirds

,furnished w ith claws , bells , etc . One is bridled ,


engage in sexual intePcourse in the presence of thecommittee— this w as call ed a “ j udicial congress ”

so that the virility or impoten cy of either or both m ightbe proven . The arbitrators had full power , too , to callin other parties as experts or assistants who wouldlikewise in their presence engage on e or the other ofthe disputants in sexual combat —in order to test theircapacity and fitness for married life . Most of the complainants were women . The committee were

,of course

,

men—and had the privilege of testing,as they deemed

it necessary,the question of the woman ’ s inordinate de

s ire— or lack o f proper desire —by a personal en

counter with her . These trials,with their various

m odes,Of “ j udicial congress

,

” can,when these facts

are known , be better imagined than described .

THE MAY-POLE .—The erection of the may

-pole,

surrounding it with w reaths of flowers,or gay and

streaming ribbons,and dancing around it with merri

m ent an d roystering , sometimes ending in revelry andorgies

,i s a relic of the ancient custom of reverencing

the symbol of creation,invigorated by the returning

Spring warmth . And it is realistically,as well as

poetically , true , that

In the spring a livel ier iris changes on the burn ished dove ;In the spring a young man ’ s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love .

”

THE LIBER TY CAP . The mystic cap of libertywas originally red and a badge o f citizenship

,and

,

hence,of freedom from the many burdens and restric

tions imposed upon foreigners . No foreigner wasallowed to wear a cap of this shape or of a red color .

FISH ON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY. 01

When an alien was adopted or,according to American

parlance,naturalized he w as circumcised

,made

a free man,and entitled to wear the cap of liberty

or,as it w as then called , the

“ cap of circumcision .

This cap,when cleft at the top SO as to represent a

fish ’ s mouth,and

,hence

,the adoration of the Celestial

Virgin mother,becomes the insignia of the royal

priesthood,and is the Official red hat ” of the Catho

lic cardinals .ST . PATRICK AND THE SNAKES .

—When St . Patrick went to Ireland he found the people Of thatcoun try much given to serpent worship

,and their

crosses adorned with that symbol some of th em Veryelaborately . He ordered these serpent emblems re

moved from the crosses . The clergy and most o f thepeople obeyed the order . Out of this purification of

the Catholic symbolism in Ireland arose the myth thatSt . Patrick banished all the snakes from the EmeraldIsle .

THE FISH i s a well-kn own phallic emblem ,symb ol

izing the feminine .'

It w as u sed alone,and in m any

designs in combination w ith other elements , always ,however, representing or referring to the SovereignGoddess . Fish w as

,among m any sects

,an essen tial

part o f every feast in honor of the recognized dees , aswell as the

‘

only animal food on days sacred to herservice or worship .

FISH ON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY . The eatingof fish on Wednesday and Friday is usually explainedas simply a sanitary measure or as a fast for spiritual

MIDDLE-AGE AND MODERN PHALLISM.

purification . This practice,however

,was not originally

a fast but,on the contrary

,a feast . It originated

in the pagan practice of the worshipers of on e cult ofeating fish on Venus-day

,or Wednesday

,as w e call

it ; while‘

o f worshipers of another cult,adoring the

same goddess under the name Freya,had their feast of

of fish on Freya-day , or Friday .

Among both these sects of worshipers it was a sacrilege to eat flesh on the fish days or goddess-days .The church adopted both these fi sh- eating feast

days,giving both the days and the diet a very diff erent

value,and an interpretation more 111 harmony with its

own doctrines .THE MISTLETOE was dedicated to Mylitta

, in whoseworship every woman m ust once in her life submit tothe sexual embrace of a stranger . When she concludedto perform this religious duty in honor of her acknow ledged deity she repaired to the temple an d placedherself under the mi stletoe— thus offering herself tothe first stranger that solicited her favors . The modernmodification o f this ceremony is foun d in the practiceamong some people of hangin g the mistletoe

,at cer

tain seasons o f the year , in the parlor or over thedoor

,when the woman entering that door or found

standing under the wreath must kiss the first man whoapproaches her and solicits the privilege .THE DEVIL ’ S HORNS AND CLOVEN FO OT .

—Theidea and belief o f the devil having horns and a clovenfoot

’

origin ated in the horns and eleven foot of the goatas a represen tation

‘

o f Pan or Bacchus— the evil or


un folded to symbolize and emphasize the most exaltedfeminine virtue o f chastity ; and the one who worthilywins and wears this badge of knighthood should be thekeeper and defender o f the purity of every woman whon eeds his sympathy or his protection . It is the Sistrumof Isis the cestus or girdle of the immaculate virgin

,the symbol of the divine woman which every man

worships according to his idea of divinity and womanhood .

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