Imago Templi/ Book IV - 2nd part
by Athos A. Altomonte
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Index : Fragrance and man, from Natural to Sexual Magic – Ritual Fragrances – Fumigations in the Temple – Fumigations in the Masonic Temple

Fragrance and man, from Natural to Sexual Magic

The animal-man in his religions has in actual fact only loved or feared himself and his attributes.

In building his nuclei, from family to nation, in his choices and desires, in the tireless defence of his territories up to the extreme violence of murder, he underwent the confluence of animal aggression with intelligence not yet developed and still lacking the guide of one's own Self : Intellect.

Let's think about the fact that we say that an underdeveloped man, viz. where there is a high presence of animal instinct, follows his mood.

In the Teaching of the Alchemic Tradition, by mood or moods we mean the variations in the essence of Personality (the changing element) because of the change of physiologic balances in the Humid Essence (Form).

In order to better understand a hidden reality of the physical life, let's consider the attracting effect (for example thanks to pheromone) or the repulsive effect of the sense of smell to odors , or the sight to colors . By adding significant charges of male or female (testosterone and estrogen) hormones (from the Greek word Ormao , excite), adrenaline or endorphins, we will discover how in certain periods of life and in certain cycles of the year the changing balance of these substances unperceivably but obviously surrounds the animal and determines and conditions its desires and choices in the mind of the man who lives in him, above and beyond his real ability of conscience and Free Will.

This is the true charme and real power of the Physical World (the Prince of Darkness in the profane Tradition on Man), which the Initiatory Tradition teaches us to oppose with the Art of Indifference and the Science of Detachment from one's own animal and its habits.

In the innocence of his childhood, the recently individualized humankind started observing all that was obscure and wonderful around itself . One of the first great mysteries observed was fertility and birth; fruits as well as pups, in the earth as well as in females. From the astonishment for wonderful things to reverence for them it was a short step away, even more so because the bearers of the ‘mystery' made it even more mysterious by using it as a tool of power in the group.

With the degeneration in the abused use of sex that followed, they went from the satisfaction of an instinctual need to the search for a mental passion and from a ‘Natural' phenomenon to a tool of trade and social strength.

From the concept of ‘Energy', desire was consecrated, exalting the physical appendix through which satisfaction was gained.

In short this is the genesis of the decadence of ‘Natural' religion to become sexual religion, through which man and woman chose to adore themselves through their own organs, nursing Gods-Monsters that reflected their passion.

If the result of this first Great Heresy had simply been to build Cults for Gods born from the sexual frenesy of its Priestesses or to turn to Cults originated from the idealization of the penis or the vagina, this topic wouldn't have found any space in these pages. But those Cults, in different times and places, caused the birth of religious phenomena whose ill-omened culture has left signs so strong in human ignorance that its presence can be felt in the superstition of present cults and beliefs. Black and African cults, satanic, woodoo, macumba and similar cults were the result.

We find traces of this huge plague in all the Holy Scriptures of all Peoples. And for the Law of Cause-Effect or Law of Karma, it still has clear negative effects on the humankind.

Even not considering their moral Aspect – it is not our place to judge the evils that man can provide himself with – these mistakes help us understand the true age of the People of Humans.

Man loved himself so much that he honored Gods that resembled his passion; he gave them desires similar to his own faults, such as anger and revenge, possession and egoism, wish to punish and hatred.

He claimed to understand and interpret in order to cover his misdeeds in the name of Truth.

But now man has grown and he doesn't adore himself so strongly. Now he adores and worships his own work.

He cannot manage to love his Creator, yet, but he adores the bold Cathedrals that he built in His Name.

In the primitive Natural religion the devotee had the habit of offering the fruits of the soil, creating a ritual for himself and his Gods made of flowers with a deep meaning of smells and colors .

Nowadays a vivid presence of this Natural religion is kept in the countries that have a non urbanized and industrialized culture.

In the Temples the games of colors increase in the mosaics that join the harmony of the flowers that ritually cover men and Divinity.

In urbanized cultures like ours the memory of this naturalness has been lost and it remained only in the game of ornaments and furnishings.

I don't think that it is wrong or useless for the Apprentice to remember that from this Natural religion origined a kind of magic, just as natural, which passed through Alchemy and that is still used with the name of omeopathic medicine, as alternative to allopathic medicine, which is considered artificial and with dangerous side effects that cannot be easily estimated.

It is taught that man's medicine will reach the appropriate level when it will understand and will be able to recognize as causes the negative effects of the mistakes of the concrete mind in the physical world. The future of medicine consists of becoming able to intervene in the world of prime causes, through a further development of psychoanalysis in the technique of psycho-synthesis.

Ritual fragrances

Patchouli as well as opium and hashish, peyote and mescaline, just to give a few examples, are actual presences of the times where it is reminded that narcotizing or inebriating drinks such as ‘soma', just to mention one, became part of sacerdotal and initiatory rites profaning the purity of Tradition.

Since this short chapter is focused on the history and use of ritual perfumes, I don't think that I can help mentioning another important collateral topic, viz. ritual drugs and psychotrope plants used for the alteration of states of conscience and allucinations of mystics in the traditions of sexual magic and tantrism. After dedicating long research and experimentation to this topic I don't think it deserves only a chapter, but a whole book.

In the Third Race up to the Fourth, human families were upset by the advent in their religions of bloodthirsty Gods, which had to be tamed with human sacrifice.

There are many experts on the subject close to the Rosicrucian Confraternite who committed to the research of answers and reasons; therefore I will leave to the ability of the individual Brothers the choice of the language that satisfies their needs and their study of the above mentioned topics.

In its slow evolution through superstition, man, who had suffered the rules imposed by sexual and religious matriarchy, refused the feminine presence from his ideal of faith so strongly that still nowadays, even in more recent traditions such as those born from the Hebrew branch, like Catholic and Islamic, they don't allow the access of female figures to their Rites but as Virgin Mary, viz. lacking any attribute that can identify them as ordinary women and, however, always in a subaltern position, far from knowledge and power.

Continuing in our visitation of this topic from here, we shall probably leave behind a subdole theoreme: female + sex = sin , falling in the typical assumption of exoteric religious philosophies that commonly claim that the woman is guilty of making those drives and desires alive, but which, in actual fact, only originate from the fanciful animal minds of the ignorant people who administer it.

We don't mean that the female counterpart is guilt-free, but certainly women haven't contributed to all guilts.

It is important to explain that women as well as men concur to their own ‘initiation' and similarly to the initiation of the others.

The Third originates and unveils itself from the assimilation of the Two (masculine-feminine). This is the center of knowledge to access the Initiation of the Greater Mysteries.

Motion is the Threshold through which we can access the Greater Mysteries where Masculine and Feminine join and blend in a Three-fold effect,

Dynamic – Centripetal - Fluid,

Intellect – Perception –Voice (sound of).

In CREATING,

Personalities as qualified vehicles for the Triads,

In GROWING,

Without egoism or possession, Little Brothers and Sisters for the Common wellbeing (Communion, Community),

In INSTRUCTING,

Consciously as ‘Mother', citizens initiated to the Lesser Mysteries.

Man will find his own Initiation towards the maximum expression of the Point, the dynamic Will (of motion); woman will find her own Initiation towards the maximum expression of Circumference, Being able to close by holding (the motion).

This is the future that awaits the People of Man, which at the moment is veiled.

The Fumigations of the Temple

From a matriarchy that is the keeper of the ability to create new human forms ( Earth element that finds its highest expression in the Water element) linked to the sphere of sexual rituality , with the knowledge and use of lower physical centers inherited by the Black Race (from which the name of black magic ), originated the blossoming of an infinite series of interpretations and religious languages, full of hatred for everything that was different or incomprehensible and for the appearance of anthropomorphic representations with Gods more and more human in forms and characteristics.

The advent of patriarchy ( Air element that finds its highest expression in the Fire element) at the origins of the Arian Race, even with the heavy burden inherited by the previous system, started the difficult Work of addressing itself in the re-conversion of the Universal Religion of the ONE, through hard work that still lasts nowadays.

The exposition of a religious Thought, although strictly masculine, slowly re-connected part of the Humankind to the ideal of the ONE that manifests itself through the TWO creating between them the THREE

This new Thought lead many men to abandon the multiple cult and the adoration of images that, heritage of sexual magic, remained expressedly forbidden in all the sacred Texts following that Era. Also forbidden was any representation of a super-mundane God, with human features and characteristics and, given the unutterability of His name, because His Sound had been definitely retired (with the necessary exceptions) , the irreverent habit of giving him a man's name was abandoned.

Yet, in the centers of cult we can still see the heritage of superstition and magic of that time, in the disobedience to the monotheistic rule. The super-mundane God still shows himself with human characteristics and attitude; the habit to personal or particular Gods has been ‘hidden' for the same purposes that it had then, in order to obtain personal indulgence through an exclusive and privileged relation of particular subjugation , in the ritual adoration of images of other men and in the trade of so-called sacred objects and relics.

With the new religious Thought the center of attention for many men changed; but this time the passage was from a real physical to a real metaphysical, through the separation of Reality and beauty from superstition and ephemeralness; this originated the birth of Philosophy which, through speculative thought, was the origin of all future sciences and arts.

These changes in the thought of man towards unmanifested and wondrous created changes in his Rituality as well. The most evident symptom for us, whilst we re-trace the path of Tradition, can be easily found in the changing, by evolving, of the kind of offer that man considered right or wanted to tribute to the Divinity he was addressing.

Let's consider, then, the four fundamental stages that characterized the evolution of mind, instrument of human expression, through individualization.

First stage – appearance of the Astral side developed from animal instinct , egocentric stage, appearance of magic connected to it, drive for desire and possession, sex as means of perpetuation of species. Strong rituality of the lower centers, but linked to the cycles of Nature, Natural Magic .

Second stage – appearance of lower mental aspect but strongly linked to the Astral one. Rationalization of the drive for desire and possession, violent centripetal stage. Research of sex as means of expression and personal communication, domain and affirmation on other people. Strong rituality of the lower centers linked to desire and personal satisfaction. It is the sexual Magic linked to sanguine impulse, adoration of blood as a ritual vehicle , with consequent offer of human sacrifices.

Third stage – appearance of the concrete mental side linked to the center of the solar plexus through which a first personal will change violence into strength. With strength in man appear the first reflections of what will be his Will and that show themselves as determination/discipline/ability to suffer for an Ideal; they lead to the manifestation of the phenomenon that esotericists of any People call Devotional Aspect , which even in the continuous diversification of many religious languages allows to pass on the experience of mystical events, identical for groups of men in all the Nations.

There is the conception of an inner image of the super-mundane God, although with human characteristics:

1) more and more a God of tolerance , 2) of love and finally with the advent of Christ 3) of forgiveness .

In these last features the offers of men change in different Sacrifices :

• sacrifical offer of animal lives , in connection with the habits of the past but through the fire element of the Altar.

• Sacrifical offer of lives of the earth , result of one's own work and through the fire element of the Altar.

• Sacrifical offer of oneself , up to the total sacrifice of mystics and heroes (!), through Total Dedication, seen as food for the soul and ereceted through the Fire element of the Spirit.

It is the polarization of the emancipated Conscience from a microcosmic to a macrocosmic reality where reality and objectiveness became the metaphysical and super-mundane aspect.

Plan of the Work.

On this subject as well I don't want to leave behind rushed interpretations and judgments on what has been done by Us in Our past. All that the humankind faced and still has to face, with lots of pain, is part of an exact and predictable evolutionary process from the people who develops the ability to understand it.

We cannot but be wrong if we haven't been able to build yet the instruments that allow to avoid the mistake through the real ability to recognize it in ourselves before finding it in the outside, now become effect ( the parable of the log and the speck in the Gospel ). For this reason the Humankind has been given the gift of Forgiveness .

We then get to our present time where we can find precise references. Around 6,000 years ago we find the habit, now spread among all Peoples, to offer animal lives in the Temple and, only occasionally to the outside, human lives. The ritual (unfortunately nowadays both kinds are practiced) involves the excision of the jugular vein and the sacrifical outpouring of the animal blood until death comes or otherwise the cutting of the carothide vein and the extraction of the beating heart that is burnt on the Altar of the Divinity.

In order to cover the constant presence of the smell of the daily poured blood and burnt flesh for the offers, the habit to perfuming the rooms with natural fragrances was introduced. Until the introduction of incense in the ritual, the problem was solved by burning many branches and resinous leaves with different aromas.

With the introduction of incense the man who works in the ritual finally perceives the dual concept of sacred and profane at the same time in the difficult and at the same time ambiguous vehicle of perfume.

The Fumigation in the Masonic Temple

Since the Masonic Ceremonial comes from the Hebrew Concept, it has kept much of its Symbolism.

As far as the rooms of the Temple dedicated to Ceremonies and Initiations are concerned, we still have the occult teaching according to which the ritual fumigation are not useful so much to man, but rather to evoke Superior Spirits or Energies, strongly in sinthony with the vibration of those fragrances. This Thought is shared by all actual churches, where it is said to be the nourishment of Angels.

The Master Mason, in the fumigation, doesn't only look for a purifying act or an act symbolically addressed to metaphysical Entities, but most of all for the creation of a special status of alignment and receptiveness , exalting the planetary correspondences that work in the Occult Geometricity made by the men who make the Lodge.

The Masonic Esoteric Tradition I am referring to transmits these composition of ritual fragrances only for the work in the oblong square .

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Lodge Works for instruction,

Exaltation of intellectual attention: 50% Incense plus 50% Putty (sun + mercury).

Ceremonies of Initiation,

Exaltation of the Emotional and Devotional Body: 50% Incense plus 50% Myrrh (sun + moon).

Ceremonial for the Ritual in the Degree of Master , Solstice Ceremonial or Funeral sessions,

Exaltation of the spiritual center, 50% Incense plus 50% Storax (Sun + Saturn).

For the Masons that work in the Middle Chamber,

4

Benzoin resin from Siam (Jupiter) plus Benzoin resin from Sumatra (Venus) in proportions that will be decided by the M.o.C. depending on the desired exaltation.

For the Masons that work in the Circular Temple ,

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The use of this very advanced sacred geometric form that represents the first syllable of the lost (revealed) Name is only used by particular groups of Masons of 2 nd and 3 rd level of Initiation which are unknown to most people.

Like in the Works on the previous forms, here as well ritual fumigations are used. In Initiations and Ceremonies these must be accompanied by the ritual use of Color in Paraments and the ritual use of Sound, in the Harmony of vibrations and in words in order to reach the Ritual use of Harmony to create Colors and the Ritual use of Sound in order to create Forms and Alliances.

I'll just briefly mention it out of honesty towards the Brothers ; indeed the understanding of the contents of the Middle Chamber and the Circular Temple are far away from real needs and abilities of the people who need to read this treaty.

The Circular Temple that the Knight Kadosch can access, which has actually knocked down the Pillars of the physical and illusory Temple of the oblong square, is divided by Tradition in Twelve sectors, one for each Constellation of the Zodiac Starting with the Aries . In order to have the energy of the Temple flow towards the bottom, the motion created will be anti-clockwise, therefore towards the Constellation of Taurus. If we want to energetically go up, we will do the opposite.

The Adept that supervises the Ceremonial, which for clarity we will keep calling Master of Ceremonies, although this is not His title, in all those Works that are not Initiations and … omissis… will fumigate the room of the Temple with fragrances that have correspondences with the Constellation visible at that time for the rotation of the planetary axis in the motion of the Solar System , respecting the sequence shown in the diagram: