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Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts
 
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Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts [Paperback]

Ernesto Frers (Author), Ariel Godwin (Translator)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 7, 2008
A look into secrets hidden in music, painting, sculpture, and architecture

• Ranges from paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, music from Mozart to Satanic Rock, and mystery sites from the Pyramids to Andrea Palladio’s Villa Cornaro

• Includes more than 100 color and black-and-white images that reveal the mysteries contained in these artistic works

In Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code, Ernesto Frers presents a virtual museum of artistic works that contain occult secrets. The scope of his research ranges from the paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, from mystery sites such as the Pyramids to the architecture of Andrea Palladio’s Villa Cornaro. He also discusses the hermetic influence on music evidenced in the works of Mozart through to the modern era of rock and roll.

Frers explains that all cultures encode in their architecture, art, and music the instructions and diagram of their esoteric ritual and faith. He shows how during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Church’s severe censure of anything antithetical to its dogma forced artists to conceal mystical references within the religious images or scenes they depicted. By examining works that have not received such scrutiny before, including those of Titian, di Cosimo, Botticelli, and Rembrandt, Frers brings to light the symbols and cryptic messages hidden in these masterworks. He presents his evidence using more than 100 color and black-and-white images to reveal the mysteries contained in these works of art. He also extends his investigation to the occult leanings of modern-day musicians such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"Renowned researcher Ernesto Frers translates the ancient, occult language in this blockbuster book. . . ." (
Gina Barlow, Sun publication
)

" . . . full-color photos literally peppered throughout for a pageant of display and visualization. Perfect not just for new age collections, but for art library holdings, as well." (
The Midwest Book Review, July 2008
)

"This book intends to bring together a selection of those great works that allow for a double or triple reading, forming a kind of secret museum that the reader can visit virtually, with the aid of the illustrations that accompany the text."
(Bruno Gazzo, editor, Pietre-stones Review of Freemasonry, Oct 2009 )

"This is a virtual secret museum in the palms of your hands."
(Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide magazine, Issue No. 33, Jan/Feb/Mar 2010 )

From the Back Cover

SECRET SOCIETIES / ART

In Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code, Ernesto Frers presents a virtual museum of artistic works that contain occult secrets. The scope of his research ranges from the paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, from mystery sites such as the Pyramids to the architecture of Andrea Palladio’s Villa Cornaro. He also discusses the hermetic influence on music evidenced in the works of Mozart through to the modern era of rock and roll.

Frers explains that all cultures encode in their architecture, art, and music the instructions and diagram of their esoteric ritual and faith. He shows how during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Church’s severe censure of anything antithetical to its dogma forced artists to conceal mystical references within the religious images or scenes they depicted. By examining works that have not received such scrutiny before, including those of Titian, di Cosimo, Botticelli, and Rembrandt, Frers brings to light the symbols and cryptic messages hidden in these masterworks. He presents his evidence using more than 100 color and black-and-white images to reveal the mysteries contained in these works of art. He also extends his investigation to the occult leanings of modern-day musicians such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin.

ERNESTO FRERS is an author specializing in medieval history and has investigated enigmatic and occult subjects for many years. He has published widely in his field and is the author in English of The Templar Pirates. He lives in Spain.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Destiny Books (April 7, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594772088
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594772085
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but unreferenced and uneven, July 10, 2008
This review is from: Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts (Paperback)
An interesting read for anyone with Hermetic or occult leanings. The entire piece must be taken with a grain of salt, however, because it is entirely unreferenced. The author does provide a bibliography and, in the absence of references I'm inclined to do some reading from it to see if anything he claims has any accuracy.

That said, the book is mostly very enjoyable. The first section concerning painted art, especially of the Renaissance, was worth the price of the book by itself, providing enough detail to fuel further investigation. The sections on sculpture and architecture are perfectly adequate though not as compelling and the connection to Hermeticism more vague. By the time I got to the section on classical music, things had degenerated into the more general esoteric in the way of connections rather than Hermeticism in specific, the one notable exception being Mozart's Freemasonic influenced work.

For the last section on Satanic rock, I sincerely hope the author intended to switch to satire. It is so hopelessly wrong as to be laughable. He begins by by "proving" Alistair Crowley to be a satanist. Regardless of your personal viewpoint on Crowley; genius, madman, performance artist, or some combination, he wasn't a satanist. The author then goes on to link many of the bands of the sixties and seventies to Crowley or generally to the bragging of these musicians that they are servants of Satan. It is the case that some of these musicians had some affinity with Crowley and it is true that Jimmy Page bought Crowley's Scottish mansion but that is pretty much the extent of true connections to Hermetic in this section. The frustrating thing is that if he had dumped the satanic angle and written about modern rock artists and their connection to Hermeticism, especially Thelemia, he would have had enough material to write a decent piece. I really do have to wonder why the author switched gears from Hermeticism into Satanism suddenly.

I do recommend the book for the first wonderfully written section on Renaissance art. Most of the rest of the book is enjoyable. Read the last section with tongue firmly planted in cheek or just skip it altogether.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Another waste, January 22, 2011
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This review is from: Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts (Paperback)
This book has almost no redeemable qualities, and gives you little or no details on the title subjects or really links them to the info in the book properly in my opinion. If it wasn't for the brief piece on Chartes Cathedral in France, and the discourse on Mozart & the "Magic Flute" this pretty much was a total waste.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect not just for new age collections, but for art library holdings as well, July 10, 2008
This review is from: Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts (Paperback)
Artistic works often hold hidden occult secrets, and so Ernesto Frers's Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code offers up research ranging from the early paintings of Byzantine times to Dali, and from the Pyramids to architecture. Music also is surveyed in a powerful connection between religious societies and artistic codes, with full-color photos liberally peppered throughout for a pageant of display and visualization. Perfect not just for new age collections, but for art library holdings as well.
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