William Cooper's Mystery Babylon: Part 09 Gnosticism (aired February 17th, 1993)

(audio link: http://www.remnantradio.org/Archives/articles/William%20Cooper/Myst

ery%20Babylon/audio/mystery%20babylon%209.mp3)
Transcribed by wakingup72 @ http://www.waronyou.com/forums

**FINAL TRANSCRIPTION**
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Reference link: [i]A History of Secret Societies[/i]: http://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=4YkJ3bFr4GUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&
q=&f=false
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Welcome once again, folks, to the Hour of the Time, and our ongoing series of th
e exposure, of the origins, the history, the doctrine, and the identity of Myste
ry Babylon. I'm William Cooper.
Many of you have written letters and asked, How does one get into the Mystery Sch
ools since no one ever hears anything about it? And there appears not to be a ca
mpaign of recruitment, and you're absolutely right. In our research, we have foun
d the requirements to be simple: be of sound mind and body, have a sincere desir
e to be illumined, and simply knock up on the door.

(Opening music: Opening theme from [i]Phantom of the Opera[/i])

Remember folks, Monday, March 5...(William Cooper plugs an appearance, asks for
donations to stay on the air and offers CAJI memberships)

Well, to continue...remember that the first religion in the world was the religi
on of the worship of the heavens. And man eventually came to recognize the sun a
s the representation of the power and the ability of the hidden god of the unive
rse. The invisible god of the universe, the all-powerful creator of everything.
But man, as he gained his intellectual ability, began to look toward himself, to
ward the intellect as that god. And the sun, the representation of what used to
be the invisible god of the universe then because the representation of the inte
llect, the light, Lucifer. And man began to worship the Luciferian philosophy.
He believed -- these people who call themselves the "Guardians of the Secrets of
the Ages," and still believe -- that man was held prisoner in the Garden of Ede
n by an unjust, vindictive and very cruel God, the God of the Bible. And that he
was set free from the bonds of ignorance through the gift of intellect, given t
o him by Lucifer through his agent, Satan. Now, many people believe that Lucifer
and Satan are the same individual entity, and they may be. I don't know the ans
wer to that, I just know what the Mystery Schools believe, and I know what I per
sonally believe and what I personally believe doesn't have any bearing on anythi
ng. Knowledge, the truth, is what counts, and that's what we're trying to get to
the bottom of here. Now, eventually this philosophy of worshiping the intellect
, or wisdom, or the mind became known as [i]Gnosticism[/i]. And the followers of
Gnosticism began to be known as the Gnostics.
(Reading from [i]A History of Secret Societies[/i], written by Arkon Daraul):

"In extraordinary number [folks] of exceedingly bizarre talismans and inscribed

stones bear witness to the power of the secret Gnostic organizations which flour
ished in various forms during the few centuries immediately before and after the
rise of Christianity in the Middle East. [You see,] one of the oddest emblems o
f these schools was the figure of Abraxas. [Now, that's] a human body clothed in
a Roman soldier's garb wielding a battle-axe, as if threatening an enemy. [Now]
in its left hand it carried an elliptical shield, upon which the words of power
'IAO' and 'Sabaoth' were sometimes written. The head of this fearsome being was
that of a cock with open beak. [William Cooper: Now, that symbolized the rising
of the morning sun, because the cock crows with the sunrise.] For legs, it had
twin serpents [William Cooper: The serpent throughout history has always been a
symbol for wisdom, the gift of intellect], coiling to either side. Underneath th
e figure sometimes lay a conventionalized thunderbolt.
"[Now] who was Abraxas? His name, in accordance with cabalistic computation, is
decoded to mean 'three hundred and sixty-five'-- [William Cooper: Isn't it absol
utely incredible that every single time we investigate one of these, it leads di
rectly to the sun. For three hundred and sixty-five days are] the number of days
in the year. [William Cooper: or the exact number of days that it takes for the
earth to make one revolution around the sun. Amazing!] There was no god or idol
belonging to the society. [William Cooper: And this is where man made the trans
ition from worshiping a god to worshiping the mind.] The Abraxas figure merely r
epresented the aspects for power which went to make up the supreme intelligence,
the all-power. The body was man himself; the bird stood for intelligence, and t
he hailing of light [illumination] which is the cock's habit at dawn. The tunic
represented the need for struggle [or revolution, Socialism], the arms the prote
ction and power given by the dedication to the Gnosis -- [or] knowledge. The shi
eld was wisdom, the club or whip, power. The two snakes meant [i]nous[/i], insig
ht, [or] [i]logos[/i], understanding. [William Cooper: primordial knowing, which
was the gift from Satan, the snake, the serpent.]
"By means of this diagram Gnostic teachers inculcated the theory that man comes
to his power by developing certain facets of his mind. He must struggle to arriv
e at [i]gnosis[/i]; but this knowledge if of the mystical kind and it is not the
mere collection of facts. [You see] great stress was laid upon personal mystica
l experience, to and through which the initiate was guided under conditions of g
reat secrecy.
"The Gnostics did not confine their studies, or their teachings, to anyone of re
ligion, but borrowed illustrations from all that were accessible to them. This c
aused them to be considered Christian, heretics, Jews, who were trying to underm
ine Christianity, remnants of the Persian sun-worshipers. They have been widely
studied by early Christian sages, and it is upon the opinions of these latter th
at many conclusions have been formed. Little or no investigation of these 'Peopl
e of Wisdom' has been done by research workers on the spot--in Asia and North Af
rica--where strong and interesting traces of their beliefs and practices still r
emain.
"The main teaching states that there is a Supreme Being, or power which is invis
ible and has no perceptible form [William Cooper: it is [i]pantheism[/i]]. This
power is the one which can be contacted by mankind, and it is through it that ma
n can control himself and work out his destiny. The various religious teachers t
hrough the ages, putting on their creeds in many different ways, were in contact
with this power [they claim], and their religions all contain a more or less hi
dden kernel of initiation. [Now] this is the secret which the Knowers can commun
icate to their disciples. But the secret can be acquired only through exercising
the mind and body until the terrestrial man is so refined as to able to become
a vehicle for the use of this power [William Cooper: or, in their terms, 'illumi
ned']...
"...Eventually, the initiate becomes identified with the power, and in the end h
e obtains his true destiny as purified personality, infinitely superior to the r
est of unenlightened mankind [William Cooper: to the state of [i]Apotheosis[/i],
where he himself is god].
"The symbolism in which this teaching is concealed, the methods by which the mys
tical power is attained, vary from one Gnostic society to another. But the const
ant factor is there: the attainment of that which humankind unconsciously needs.
[You see] the Gnostic claims that within every man and woman, there is an unful
filled urge which cannot be given expression in the normal way because there is
social means by which it can be fulfilled. This feeling has been put into man in
order that he may seek the fulfillment which the Gnostics can give him. His sea
rch for completeness in love, trade, professions, theology is vain and unsuccess
ful.
"The theories of the various schools [folks] of Gnosticism with which the Christ
ian clerics came into contact are very much secondary to the [rituals and] pract
ices which are used to produce the Gnosis, the enlightenment [the illumination].
This has not been fully understood by too many [people], who devote much space
to trying to work out the beliefs of the Knowers by a perusal of their writings,
or by reports which had been given them by others."
[William Cooper]: Simply, folks, because they do not understand the symbolism. I
t is not clear to them; it is veiled. It is the esoteric wisdom.
"What were--and are--the Gnostic practices? [Well] first, discipleship and the i
nculcated belief that the initiate must struggle, must devote himself as much as
possible to the identification with the power which inspires all. Secondly, the
re are two kinds of men, those who are bound to the earth and matter, and those
who can refine themselves. It is from the latter class that the aspirants are ch
osen [William Cooper: they claim. In every instance that we investigated, they m
any choose them from the latter class, but they all end up in the first]. Thirdl
y, the methods by which the divine illumination may come are many and varied; an
d it is the providence of the teacher to choose which path he will give to his d
isciple to follow. Some Gnostics believed that frenzy and excitement would produ
ce the necessary liberation of the mind from the fetters of the body [William Co
oper: Remember the sphinx?]; others [consider] that this could be done best by f
asting and meditation. Present-day Gnostic practice in the East has it that diff
erent methods suit different temperaments: and this [could] be one cause for the
historical confusion as to which branch of 'heretics' practiced what.
"The Gnostics believed themselves to be intellectual aristocrats: their knowledg
e was only for the few who were ready to receive it. [William Cooper: And that's
why they do not recruit. You must knock at the door. And you, and only you, kno
w when you ready to receive it.] And this is what made them a secret cult, not t
he fear of persecution. They had their own passwords, in shaking hands they tick
led the palm as an identification signal, and they helped one another in every c
onceivable way."
[William Cooper]: Just as Freemasons do today, for they are one and the same, as
they have always been one and the same with all the different versions of the M
ystery throughout the ages.
"[Now some say that] they could not pantheists...that the doctrine was secondary
to the experience of religion; and the theologians and ordinary priesthood of a
ny religion did not approval of that. They were not, in fact, a religion like mo
st others, because they stressed the importance of the individual before that of
 the community. Those who were more enlightened were more important in every pos
sible way, because they were valuable, refined, aristocrats. At the same time th
ey taught that providing the wellbeing of the Gnostics was assured, so was that
of the community at large. [And] this meant that they could subscribe to the out
ward doctrines of any religion, and could continue to operate under many differe
nt politico-religious systems. Gnosticism profoundly influenced men's minds even
in Europe up to and after the Middle Ages, and its basic way of thinking is pro
bably an underlying factor in other secret societies whose members would be surp
rised to know it."
[William Cooper]: Because the pyramidal, organizational structure of membership
of these organizations means that nobody below the top, the very top, really kno
ws anything of the true religion and goals of the society to which they belong.
And so these people could truly be said to be the greatest group of followers an
d fools in the history of the world. For they think that they are illumined, but
, in fact, they were never given any real secrets, and only those at the top tru
ly know what is really going on.
"Terrible obscenities and other crimes have been laid at the door of the Gnostic
s by the early ecclesiastical writers. Although there is little doubt that some
of them did believe in mass ecstasy, it seems unlikely that their secrets were w
ell enough known to enable the commentators to assess them."
[William Cooper]: And in most cases whenever the commentators try to assess them
, they were trying to assess the exoteric, or the appearance, but not the esoter
ic, or the real truth of the object of the worship of the Gnostics.
The belief that certain special men could control their destiny and obtain extra
powers thought dedication to Gnostic practices meant that, inevitably, there wa
s a belief in magic.
[William Cooper]: Remember on previous shows we discussed that belief in magic?
Magic is real, folks. I have seen it work, and it is not to be played with or la
ughed at or scoffed about. It is dangerous, extremely dangerous.
"The myriad Gnostic 'gems' (inscribed stones) decorated with serpents, cabbalist
ic names and the rest, are more likely to be proofs of initiation and talismans
than mere identification tokens presented to ensure admission to meetings, as so
me authors have thought. The reason for supposing this is that (1) the 'gems' ar
e very similar in many respects to talismans in use by other communities [Willia
m Cooper: including the ancient Egyptians]; and (2) they can often be interprete
d as containing magical messages or 'diagrammatical invocations'.
"Ethically speaking, Gnostic belief is that there are two principles: that of go
od and that of evil. A balance must be struck between these forces; and the bala
nce is in the hands of the Gnostic--the Knower--partly because nobody else can t
ell whether an action is for the eventual good of the individual or the communit
y. [And] this secret knowledge comes through the mystical insight which the supe
rmen-Gnostics attained."
[William Cooper]: There's that reference to a super-race or a "superman" again,
which always crops up with these people, as it did with Hitler and many others.
"The rise of individuals who wrongly believed that they had attained to Gnosis -
- all knowledge -- some of whom were leaders of Gnostic societies, produced noto
rious characters. Those who followed the way of the Ophite branch glorified the
serpent who tempted Eve [William Cooper: and they still do that today]. They did
this because this snake by his actions brought knowledge into the world. [Willi
am Cooper: Gave man the gift of intellect, the use of which will bring him to th
e state of [i]Apotheosis[/i], where man himself will be God.]
"...Basilides was a leader who taught that Jesus did not die on the cross. [Will
iam Cooper: And you will see this crop up all through the history of the Mystery
Schools, even in the Knights Templar.] Since matter and material things were co
nsidered to be a part of the inferior, non-spiritual world, the sect known as th
e Cainites called upon everyone to destroy those things which belonged to the wo
rld. [William Cooper: And they called themselves 'the destroyers,' and their god
is the Destroyer.]
"These deviations and aberrants have attracted the greatest attention -- as is n
atural -- and the quieter teachers of the creed have received less attention. Th
e pious horror with which the less respectable Gnostics were viewed by the early
Christian father has stamped itself for ever on Western literature and belief a
bout the ['Enlightened Ones']. But, in more than one place in the Middle East, a
s well as in small groups in Western Europe, there are still followers of variou
s schools of Gnosticism. They mainly follow the ideas held by Valentinus, with s
ome variations. [And] this school teaches its initiates that matter is more evil
than good; that man must be purified by mental concentration; that after death
man will rejoin that from which he has been severed, and will be unified with th
ose whom he loves [William Cooper: in the [i]Great Intelligence[/i]]. They also
believe that all matter will eventually be destroyed by fire."
[William Cooper]: And if they have their way, that could be absolutely true.
"The Mandaeans, a small but tenacious community which dwells in Iraq, follow an
ancient form of Gnosticism, which practices initiation, ecstasy and some rituals
which have been said to resemble those of the Freemasons."
[William Cooper]: And of course they do, because they are. (laughs) In every Mas
onic temple you will see somewhere up on the wall a big letter 'G'. And you will
see it in their symbology, in their books. You will see this letter 'G'. And if
you ask a Freemason, being bound by the oath never to tell you or reveal you th
e secrets to the profane -- which is what they call those who are not initiates,
or adepts in the Mysteries -- he will tell you it's for God, but that is a lie.
That does not stand for God, for I have researched it deeply, all the way up th
e ladder of the stages of initiation. And at the top, those adepts known as the
Priesthood know this large letter 'G' to represent Gnosticism. And it is an admi
ssion that they are indeed the recipients of the ancient Gnostic. They are Gnost
ics, and they are looking to attain the [i]gnosis[/i], through which they will r
eceive [i]Apotheosis[/i]. And they believe that they are the only ones in the wo
rld who possess truly mature minds and, thus, the only ones in the world capable
of ruling the rest of us, whom they refer to as cattle. Cattle.
[William Cooper]: Well, it's time to take a break, folks. Don't go away, I'll be
right back after this very short pause.

(break music: [i]Overture to Sleuth[/i], written by John Addison)

That was [i]Overture to Sleuth[/i], conducted by Erich Kunzel, the Cincinnati Po

ps Orchestra. Cincinnati is the home of the order of Cincinnatus and the Knights
of the Golden Circle. You see, everything that I do on this show has meaning --
even the music, folks. Now, whether you like the music or not makes no differen
ce. [i]Listen to the words[/i]. Research the title. Try to find out what the mus
ic means before you condemn it. And remember that you're not the only one out th
ere. Your age group is not the only age group listening. So, whether you like th
e music or not, it doesn't make any difference. It all has a message. All has a
message, folks, and I hope you get the message, for it is extremely important th
at you do.
"[The] most detailed account on what was said to be the seven highest degrees of
secret Egyptian initiation was first published in Germany in the eighteenth cen
tury. This strange and very exhaustive document combines many elements from the
ancient mysteries...It seems to come from Greek sources, because many of the wor
ds used are Greek; and it [could] well be that we have here the modern beginning
s of an attempted revival of ancient mysteries. Whatever [it is], it is not one
of those fanciful and spurious ones which used to be printed merely to attract t
he credulous: because it is plausible in containing the sort of material which m
ight well have formed the content of an initiation and mind-conditioning system.
"
[William Cooper]: And if you understand the secret religions as I do, and specif
ically the modern ones, you will quickly recognize this as authentic.
"The earliest version known is in the form of an anonymous pamphlet (probably no
t intended for public sale) or thirty-odd pages, [which was] printed in 1785. (l
aughs) [William Cooper: Right in that area of history is momentous occurrences [
sic].] It was republished in a French translation thirty years later, purportin
g to be the ritual of the Master degree in Freemasonry. [William Cooper: And if
you know anything about the Master degree in Freemasonry, you will soon see that
it's certainly (laughs) is exact in its description.] The French editor claims
that it is a composite ritual, derived from the works of some fifteen Greek and
Roman writers.
"This degree, we are told, was open to Egyptian kings and priests alone; and onl
y those specially recommended by an initiate could enter it. The usual procedure
was that the Pharaoh himself introduced the candidate to the priests. By them h
e sent from Heliopolis [William Cooper: the city of the Sun, and you will never
escape from the sun when you're studying the mysteries] to the Memphis priests;
from there we went to Thebes. He was circumcised, forbidden to eat pulse or fish
; and generally had to abstain from wine. He was put for several months in an un
derground cave, and asked to write down his reflections. [After] he had done thi
s, he was led to a passage supported by the pillars of Hermes where he had to le
arn certain things which were inscribed thereon. As soon as he was word-perfect,
the Themorphous (introducer) came to him with a strong whip, to keep the uninit
iated at bay. He was blindfolded, and his hands bounds with cords.
"Now follow the procedure from the first degree of this elect body. The candidat
e was led to the Gate of Men, where the introducer touched the shoulder of an ap
prentice (Portophorus) standing there on guard. He in turn knocked on the gate,
which was opened. When the aspirant entered, he was questioned on various matter
by the Hierophant, after which he was led around the Birantha in an artificial
storm of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. If he showed no sign of fear, Menies
the Expounder explained the laws of the Crata Repoa, to which he had to agree.
He was then taken in front of the Hierophant, made to kneel, and vowed fidelity
with a sword-point at this throat. As witnesses he called upon the sun, moon and
stars."
[William Cooper]: And where have you heard that before?
"'His eyes were then unbandaged, and he was placed between two spare pillars, ca
lled Betilies, where lay a ladder of seven steps, behind which were with doors o
f different metals of gradually increasing purity. The Hierophant then addressin
g those present as [i]Mene Musae[/i], or children of the Work of Celestial Inves
tigation, exhorted them to govern their passions and fix their thoughts upon God
.'"
[William Cooper]: Now the sun, the moon and the stars, you should know by now, r
epresent the doctrine, the church, and the initiates. The sun, of course, is the
 doctrine, the moon is the church, and the stars are the body of initiates, or t
he "thousand points of light."
"The candidate was taught [folks] that the ladder symbolized the wanderings of t
he soul; he was told the causes of wind, thunder and lightning; and given other
valuable information, such as medial lore. He was given the password of recognit
ion of this degree, which was [William Cooper: and I spell it because I don't kn
ow the correct pronunciation...A-M-O-U-N], meaning secrecy. He was taught a grip
, given a pyramidal cap and an apron called Xylon. Around his neck was a collar;
and he word no other clothes. His duty was to guard the Gate of Men in his turn
.
"The Portophorus was now able, after showing his devotion, to proceed to the Sec
ond Degree. Following a prolonged fast he was taken to a dark chamber called End
imion, the invitation grotto. He was now of the degree of Neocoris. 'Handsome wo
men brought him dainty food; they were the wives of the priests, who endeavored
to excite his love.'
"If he resisted these advances, he was further lectured by the Master of Ceremon
ies and led into an assembly, where the Stolista ([or] water-bearer) poured wate
r over him. Then a living serpent was thrown at him. The whole room was full of
snakes, to test his courage. 'He was then led to two high pillars between stood
a griffin driving a wheel before him. The pillars symbolized East and West, the
griffin the sun and the wheel of four spokes the four seasons. He was taught the
use of the level and instructed in geometry and architecture. He received a rod
, entwined by serpents [William Cooper: and that rod is still used today by the
medical community. It's called the [i]caduceus[/i]] and [he received] the passwo
rd HEVE ([meaning] serpent), and was told the story of the fall of man. The sign
consisted in crossing the arms over the chest [and] his duty was to wash the pi
llars.
"[Now when the initiate] was initiated into the Third Degree, the member was giv
en the title of Melanophoris. He was led to an anteroom, over whose door was wri
tten 'Gate of Death'. The room was full of copies of embalmed bodies and coffins
. Here too were a number of dissectors, embalmers and so on.
"'In the centre stood the coffin in Osiris. The Melanophoris was asked if he had
had a hand in the assassination of his master. On his denying the question , he
was seized by two Tapizeites, or men who buried the dead, and led into a hall,
where he found all the other Melanophores clothed in black. The King himself, wh
o always was present on these occasions, addressed him in an apparently friendly
way, begin him if he did not feel courage enough to undergo the test no to be a
pplied to him, to accept the golden crown he was offering him.'
"[Well] he had already been coached to refuse the crown and tread it underfoot.
At this 'insult' the King called for revenge. Raising his sacrificial axe he tou
ched the head the initiate."
[William Cooper]: And in one famous initiation, the King actually beheaded the m
an.
"The two corpse-carriers threw him to the ground, and the embalmers wrapped him
in bandages. All who were present wept. Now he was led to a gate over which was
written [i]Sanctuary of the Spirits[/i]."
[William Cooper]: Now, the initiate was not supposed to be beheaded in that one
famous initiation. And I don't know what they chalked [i]that[/i] up to. Now, st
anding before the gate, the initiate waited.
"'On its being opened, thunder and lightning struck the apparently dead man. Cha
ron received him as a spirit into hit boat and carried him to the judges of Hade
s. Pluto sat on his judgment seat, while Rhadamanthus and Minos as well as Aetho
n, Nycreus, Alaster and Orpheus stood beside him. Very severe questions were put
to him as to his former life and finally he was sentenced to remain in these su
bterranean vaults.'"
[William Cooper]: Now, remember, this was an initiation which sometimes lasts fo
r months, and even years.
"The bandages were removed, and he was told never to desire blood, never to leav
e a corpse unburied; and to believe in the resurrection of the dead and the judg
ment to come."
[William Cooper]: Now remember, this was [i]long[/i]...centuries before Christia
nity.
"He was taught coffin-decoration and the peculiar hierogrammatical script. The s
ign was an embrace, to express the 'days of wrath'. He was kept in these undergr
ound chambers until thought fit to proceed to a higher degree.
"These 'Days of Wrath' generally lasted for a year and a half, until the initiat
e was ready for promotion to the Fourth Degree: 'The Battle of the Shades'. He w
as handed a sword and a shield and taken though dark passages. He met 'certain p
ersons, presenting a frightful appearances, carrying torches and serpents". He w
as attacked, with the cry of [i]PANIS![/i] He defended himself bravely, but was
[always] taken prisoner, his eyes were bandaged and a cord placed around his nec
k. Dragging him into a hall, the specters disappeared. He was led into the assem
bly of initiates, and his eye unbandaged. Before him saw a magnificent hall, dec
orated with beautiful paintings; the King and the highest dignitary--the Demiurg
os--were present.
"All were wearing their Alydei, and Egyptian Order composed of sapphires. Among
those present were the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Master of Feats. The Ora
tor made a speech, congratulating the new member on his fortitude. He was given
a drink, called Cyce, which he drank to the dregs. This was probably the ritual
drink of honey or milk, water, wine and gruel--and perhaps some hypnotic drug. H
e donned the boats of Anubis, took up the shield of Isis, put on the cloak and c
ap of Orcus. He was handed a sword and told that he must cut off the head of the
next person he met in a cave and bring it back to the King.
"This cave was pointed to him. Entering it, he saw that seemed to be a beautiful
woman, but in reality was a model of one. [William Cooper: And notice it's a wo
man.] He seized this by the hair and severed the head. This he brought back to t
he monarch, who praised him, telling him that he had symbolically won the head o
f the Gorgon, wife of Typhon, who had caused the death of Osiris. He was not per
mitted always to wear the dress which had been given to him, and he was entered
in a book as one of the judges of the land. [William Cooper: Notice that: one of
the judges of the land.] He was able to communicate at any time with the King,
and received an allowance from the court. He was invested with an Order (that of
Isis in the shape of an owl) and it was revealed to him that the secret name of
the lawgiver was 'JOA', which was also the password of this Degree. But the pas
sword for the meetings of the Christophori (as the Fourth Degree initiates were
called) was 'SASYCHIS'.
"The Fifth Degree, that of Balahate, could not now be refused to the Christophor
u. He was led to a hall to watch a play, at which he was the only onlooker. Othe
r members of the degree went through the hall, as if looking for something. One
drew this sword, and the terrible figure of Typhon appeared. [Of course] he was
slain. Now the new Balahate was told that Typhon represented fire, a terrible el
ement which was at the same time indispensable. The password was 'CHYMIA', and t
he teaching was in chemistry [or alchemy].
"In order to become an 'Astronomer at the Gate of the Gods'--the Sixth Degree--t
he candidate was taken to the hall of assembly, bound, and led to the Gate of De
ath. He was shown corpses which had been cast into water, and warned that he mig
ht be similarly treated if he broke his oath. He was given some teaching in astr
onomy, and taken back to the Gate of the Gods, where he looked at the pictures o
f the gods while their histories were explained to him. A priestly dance took pl
ace, symbolizing the course of the heavenly bodies; he saw a list of members of
the Order throughout the world, and learned the password: 'IBIS', for watchfulne
ss.
"The last and the highest degree was that of 'Propheta', in which all secrets we
re laid bare. It was conferred following public processions, and when the permis
sion of the King and all the highest members had been obtained. The members secr
etly left the city by night, 'and retired to some houses built in a square and s
urrounded by pillars by the sides of which were placed alternately a shield and
a coffin, whose rooms were painted with representations of human life'. [Now] th
ese houses were called [i]maneras[/i], for the people believed them to be visite
d by the manes of departed men. On their arrival at these houses the new member,
now called prophet or Saphennath Pancah (a man who knows the secrets), was give
n a drink called [i]oimellas[/i] and told that now all trials were over. He rece
ived a cross of peculiar significance, which he was always to wear. He was cloth
ed in a wide, white-striped dress, called [i]etangi[/i]. The usual sign was cros
sing his arms in his wide sleeves. He could peruse all the sacred books written
in the Ammonite language...his greatest privilege was having a vote in the elect
ion of a king [and] the password was 'ADON'."

(Reading from [i]Behold A Pale Horse[/i], written by Milton William Cooper)

"These mystical societies always continued, and one of special interest is the p
owerful society of Afghanistan in ancient times called the Roshaniya--illuminate
d ones. The major tenets of this cult were: the abolition of private property; t
he elimination of religion; the elimination of nation states; the belief that il
lumination emanated from the Supreme Being who desired a class of perfect men an
d women to carry out the organization and direction of the world; belief in a pl
an to reshape the social system of the world by first taking control of individu
al countries one by one, and the belief that after reaching the fourth degree on
e could communicate directly with the unknown supervisors who had imparted knowl
edge to initiates throughout the ages...
"...The Roshaniya also called themselves the Order. Initiates took an oath that
absolved them of all allegiance except to the Order and stated, 'I bind myself t
o perpetual silence and unshaken loyalty and submission to the Order... All huma
nity which cannot identify itself by our secret sign is our lawful prey.' The oa
th remains essentially the same to this day. The secret sign was to pass a hand
over the forehead, palm inward; the counter-sign, to hold the ear with the finge
rs and support the elbow in the cupped other hand. Does [that] sound familiar?"
[William Cooper]: If you sit in a courtroom in just about any city in this land,
you will see those signs exchanged between lawyers and defendants and judges. A
nd you will see that whenever that...these signs are exchanged, whoever initiate
d the exchange will usually, in fact, most often does, win the court case.
"The Order [of course] is the Order of the Quest. [And] the cult preached [there
was no heaven and no hell, only] a spirit state completely different from life
as we know it. The spirit could continue to be powerful on earth through a membe
r of the Order, but only if the spirit had been itself a member of the Order bef
ore its death. Thus members of the Order gained power from the spirits of the de
ad members.
"The Roshaniya took in travelers as initiates and then sent them on their way to
found new chapters of the Order."
[William Cooper]: and they were called 'fellow travelers . You see, this order, as
all before it, and all since, are Socialist, Communists.
"It is believed by some that the Assassins were a branch of the Roshaniya. Branc
hes of the Roshaniya or 'the illuminated ones' or the Illuminati existed and sti
ll exist everywhere. One of the rules was not to use the same name and never men
tion 'the Illuminati.' That rule is still in effect today [and it's probably] th
e breaking of [that] rule that resulted in Adam Weishaupt s downfall."
[William Cooper]: Remember, folks, that we have really only just begun. And you
are just beginning to understand, although some of you may think that you do alr
eady understand. I can assure you that may be only a very small minority of you
really do. Most do not. We have a long way to go in this history and in your own
particular, individual illumination. (laughs) Oh, I just love it! I just love i
t; exposing these people who claim that they are doing everything for the benefi
t of mankind, who really have all the guilt of everything bad that has ever happ
ened to mankind squarely upon their shoulders.
[William Cooper]: Now, if you'd like a packet of information, if you would like
to know how to join CAJI, if you'd like to purchase my book, or if you would lik
e to donate...

(William Cooper asks for donations to stay on the air and offers CAJI membership
s)

Next time, folks, we're going to talk about the Old Man of the Mountain. And we'
re going to continue the history of the order through the ages.
Good night, and may God bless you all.

(closing music: unknown classical piece)