Masonic & Occult Symbols Illustrate

power, beauty, and protection of the Rosicrucian Order.” The above description is just filled with OCCULTIC connotations. It is far too extensive to mention here but I want to point out three things. First of all, the word “alchemy” was mentioned. According to the book, Power of the Witch, written by a witch, Laurie Cabot, we discover: “Witches are called many things—shamans, sages, medicine people, ALCHEMISTS, mystics, psychics. But no matter what the appellation, these magical people share a common bond: a unique relationship with nature, with divinity, and with human society.” Cabot states elsewhere: “The Science Tradition [Witchcraft] is based on the Hermetic principles that parallel the principles of the new physics. They have their origins in the teachings of Hermes, known to the Egyptians as Thoth, and to the Romans as Mercury....Actually HERMES seems to have been a universal Indo-European god who TAUGHT ASTROLOGY, ALCHEMY, AND THE MANY MAGICAL PRACTICES THAT ARE AT THE HEART OF WITCHCRAFT. He seems to have taught the universal truths everywhere, for he even pops up among Native Americans as the trickster gods Raven, Coyote, and Hare.” We can easily see that witchcraft uses alchemy. Of course, alchemy is also important in Masonry. For example, in the 21st degree of Masonry, the initiates are told the following: “The Hermetic philosophers may also be called speculative alchemists. The name ‘Hermetic’ comes from a tradition that the founder of alchemy was an Egyptian (Thoth) whom the Greeks called Hermes Trismegistus or Hermes the Thrice Great, identifying him with their Hermes, the Roman Mercury. “The tradition of alchemy is best understood by separating its practitioners into two groups: the first group, who we may term ‘operative alchemists,’ truly believed the transmutation of metals was possible. Their goal was to transform base metals, such as lead or copper, into silver or gold thereby creating wealth. The second group, the ‘speculative alchemists,’ were mystics who declared