The Masonic Magician. The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite. Philippa Faulks and Robert L.D. Cooper
"The Masonic Magician" by Philippa Faulks and Robert L.D. Cooper is one of the best researched and most entertaining Masonic books I've ever read. It was really hard to put this one down...
"Miracle-worker or man of straw? Count Alessandro Cagliostro was a cult figure of European society in the tumultuous years leading to the French Revolution. An alchemist, healer and Freemason, he inspired both wild devotion and savage ridicule – as well as novels by Alexandre Dumas, a drama by Goethe and Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute. Count Alessandro Cagliostro’s sincere belief in the magical powers, including immortality, conferred by his Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry won him fame, but made him dangerous enemies, too. His celebrated travels through the Middle East and the capitals of Europe ended abruptly in Rome in 1789, where he was arrested by the Inquisition and condemned to death for heresy. The Masonic Magician tells Cagliostro’s extraordinary story, complete with the first English translation of his Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry ever published. The authors examine the case made against him, that he was an impostor as well as a heretic, and find that the Roman Church, and history itself, have done him a terrible injustice. This engaging account, drawing on remarkable new documentary evidence, shows that the man condemned was a genuine visionary and true champion of Freemasonry. His teachings have much to reveal to us today, not just of the secrets of the movement, but of the mysterious hostility it continues to attract."
Long misunderstood and mislabeled as a charlatan, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (also known as Giuseppe or Joseph Balsamo) continues to fascinate historians and stir debate within the academic realms of Freemasonry and the Catholic Church. Arrested, tried and condemned in 1789, with no provable offense beyond being a Freemason, Count Cagliostro's squalid imprisonment and lonely death is just one of the many injustices perpetrated at the hands on the Inquisition.
In The Masonic Magician: The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite, Philippa Faulks and Robert L.D. Cooper provide a long overdue examination of Cagliostro's Masonic career with an unbiased view not found in earlier volumes. The work began in earnest when Bob Cooper, himself a renowned Freemason and curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, had the text of a handwritten copy of Cagliostro's ritual of Egyptian Freemasonry translated from the original French. It is beautiful document, full of ancient Hermetic wisdom and esoteric values. The text, once rightly examined, provided clear evidence of Cagliostro's love and respect for the Craft… and his desire to build upon it's degrees and teachings (through his new Egyptian Rite) for the betterment of mankind. However, it was precisely in this desire to help humanity that he fell afoul of the Church. "Cagliostro was in possession of something the Church wanted to destroy- he offered mankind a chance to reach divine enlightenment without a church, without a priest and without fear." Just as interesting as the printed Egyptian Freemasonry ritual are the biographical elements provided by the authors, giving proper context as to how Cagliostro fit into the Age of Enlightenment. An occultist, he sought to unravel and master the mysteries of the ancients: Alchemy, Astrology and Theurgy. Cagliostro saw the Philosopher's Stone not merely as a means to turn base metals into gold, but as an attempt to achieve "the moral and spiritual birth of mankind." In Freemasonry, Cagliostro found a useful tool in symbolism, believing that "symbols can unlock the hidden connecting door between the microcosm (this world) and the macrocosm (the spiritual world)." Well worth the cover price and the time spent reading it, The Masonic Magician is a concise masterwork in Masonic Education and a well-versed portrait of a misunderstood genius.
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
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Robert L.D. Cooper: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Philippa Faulks: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Giordano Bruno: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Home of Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Cagliostro Tarot Deck: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Fortress of San Leo, Urbino: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Cagliostro's Cell - Fortress of San Leo, Urbino: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Cagliostro's Cell - Fortress of San Leo, Urbino: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Cagliostro's Cell - Fortress of San Leo, Urbino: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Cagliostro's Cell - Fortress of San Leo, Urbino: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
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The Masonic Magician
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Joseph Balsamo: The Masonic Magician. Philippa Faulks & Robert LD Cooper
The Truth About Solomon's Key and the Brotherhood"
by Robert L.D. Cooper
Atria Books, 2006
Brief Review by Travis Simpkins
Told from an avowedly Scottish perspective, Robert L.D. Cooper's Cracking the Freemasons Code: The Truth About Solomon's Key and the Brotherhood offers a passionate overview of the origins of the Craft. In his job as Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland Museum & Library, Bob Cooper is in a privileged position to have access to original antiquarian source documents. He is a learned scholar and is recognized as one of Britain's leading experts on Freemasonry. The book, approachable in it's format, presents many basic and key elements of Masonry, as well as a thoughtful look at the mysterious and varied history surrounding the brotherhood. Topics covered in the text include mysteries of the Masons, the earliest rituals, the Masonic lodge and the three degrees, tools, symbols, signs, constitutions, orations and a brief aside about alternate secret societies like the Order of the Free Gardeners. Of note are the chapters describing the tracing boards and symbols of the first three degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason), all beautifully described. Bob's grasp and interest in the early history of Masonry, and it's transition from operative to speculative, is palpable. From William Schaw to James Anderson, Samuel Pritchard and Andrew Ramsay… the storied contributions of Masonic forebears make for intriguing study. The writing style and tone are particularly gripping and admirable, as it is evident that Brother Cooper has great respect and passion for the Craft and it's teachings have become integral to his way of life.
Robert L.D. Cooper: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
King Solomon's Temple: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Constitutions of the Freemasons: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
3 Tracing Boards of Freemasonry: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
The Structure of Freemasonry: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
The Grand Lodge of Scotland: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
The Third Degree: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Past Master Masonic Jewel, 18th Century: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
King Solomon's Temple: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
The Grand Lodge of Scotland: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Masonic Apron: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Masonic Hall: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Masonic Jewels: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Pocket Companion, History of Freemasons: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
The Third Degree: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
George Washington as a Freemason: Cracking the Freemasons Code. Robert LD Cooper
Cracking the Freemasons Code by Robert L.D. Cooper
Robert L.D. Cooper: The Evolution of Scottish Freemasonry
