[Excerpted from Secret Societies and How They Affect Our Lives]
Book by: Sylvia Browne
Excerpt by: Johnny Lone
Suppression of The Gnostics
Before we delve into this chapter, I’d like to give you some background about Gnosticism. Many historians say that the belief stemmed from Zoroastrianism, which was founded by the ancient Iranian prophet Zoroaster, whom scholars believe lived sometime between 100.0. and 140.0. B.C. Zoroastrianism is perhaps the first religion to put forth the concept of angels, and a summary of its tenets would be: “Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.” As it was one of humankind’s earliest organized faiths, it had great influence on many that came after it, such as Buddhism, Islam, Manicheanism, and , Mandaeanism.
Mandaeanism is interesting because its adherents who are still practicing today but only number around 50.000 to 75.000) don’t believe in Buddha, Jesus, or Mohammed, but they do have a great reverence for John the Baptist. In. fact, all of these early Gnostic religions claimed a connection to various biblical figures, yet they tended to differ about whom they recognized.
Ancient Gnostics also felt that there were two forces in creation: a good god and a bad one (or what we in modern times might call “the devil”). The good god was basically unreachable, but the bad one created the earth plane and all of its evil and temptations. This is known as “dualism,” and if you do any research on Gnosticism, you’ll run across this term frequently. (It also signifies light and dark and good and evil.) In fact, all of the early Gnostic religions, such as Zoroastrianism, Mandaeanism, and Manicheanism, believed in the concept of dualism.
Modern-day Gnosticism differs greatly from the ancient sects, especially when it aligns with Christianity, as is the case with my church, the Society of Novus Spiritus. For example, while we recognize that Jesus Christ was a special and Divine creation from God and His messenger, we also believe that we are all sons and daughters of God- that is, Jesus wasn’t the only one.
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An extremely important part of historical Gnosticism was the belief in the Divine feminine, or “Mother God.” This didn’t mean that they worshipped Christ’s mother, but rather the, female co-Creator of the Universe with “Father God.” Naturally this whole philosophy was heretical as far as the Catholic Church was concerned, so it was kept underground. But if we, as the Bible states, were made in the image and likeness of God, then we can only assume that there’s a duality in our Creator, just ‘as there is in humankind and all of nature. In ancient times, most of society deemed the male superior to the female because of his physical strength. This, of course, is no longer the case; nevertheless, it’s still more convenient to have a patriarchal religious society.
Yet as I’ve written in other books (particularly Mother God), the vast majority of human beings believed in the Mother, God or Goddess before the time of Christianity, including people’ living in various powerhouse empires such as the Romans, Babylonians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians, Turks, and Greeks. And since vanquished nations invariably accepted the religions, of it heir conquerors, the Mother Goddess came to be worshipped, by almost every me in ancient times. So it wasn’t until Christianity became widespread during the time of Roman emperor, Constantine, that suppression of the feminine principle gained steam which actually had more to do with Christian factions than the emperor.
You see; since Constantine was Roman, he already worshipped the Mother God, but the empire was in decline, and the Christians were creating a lot of trouble for him. So, Constantine negotiated with Christian leaders and came up with the Edict of Milan, which, granted religions freedom. He became a Christian himself and was the head of the Church as well as emperor of the land.
Also, since Romans devoted a day of worship to their sun god, Apollo, Constantine designated Sunday to be a day of rest. (Interestingly enough, Constantine is recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church but not by the Roman Catholic Church.)
The Emergence of Pauline Christianity
When Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, he probably thought that the infighting within Christianity would cease, but it didn’t. After several years of constant bickering among various early sects over interpretations of dogma, he evidently got fed up and called the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 to end conflict once and for all (it didn’t, but he made a valiant effort). At the council, the emperor laid down the law and forced the various hierarchies of the early Christian Church to agree to some uniformity and to set up a better infrastructure for the purpose of stabilization.
The battle among these factions during Constantine’s reign ultimately resulted in a showdown between Pauline and Jewish Christians. As their name suggests, the Paulines followed the teachings of the self-proclaimed apostle Paul, and they fought for members with the Jewish Christians who followed the teachings of James and John the Baptist. (Paulines are also called “gentile Christians” because they didn’t tend to have Jewish ancestors.) These two factions were in conflict with each other not only over doctrine, but especially over how Paul had interpreted the life of Jesus and his teachings on what kind of person Jesus was.
Jewish Christians, who were mainly comprised of those with Jewish ancestry, also included Christ’s relatives (who purportedly belonged to the Ebionite sect). They didn’t embrace the ideas of the Messiah’s Divinity or his “virgin birth” -in other words, while they felt that Jesus was a great messenger and followed his teachings, they didn’t believe him to be God incarnate. Isn’t it interesting that members of Christ’s own family didn’t consider him to be Divine?
The Paulines won over Constantine, which is why so much of Christianity is apostolic (following the teachings of the apostles) in nature. In fact, the parts of the Bible that are almost always used in Christian theology classes are not the Old Testament and very rarely the four Gospels, but are instead the epistles of Paul.
Here again we must realize that Paul never actually met Jesus. However, he was one of the few in his time who could write, so he made up his own publicity and claimed to know all about the great teacher. If you’ve seen Martin Scorsese’s movie The Last Temptation of Christ (which is banned by the Catholic Church and very controversial for a number of reasons, including a scene of Jesus having sex with Mary Magdalene), you may remember the part when Paul addresses Christ on the cross and remarks that he can make anything he wants out of Jesus. Even though it’s Hollywood, there’s a great amount of truth in that statement-that’s why I say we have more “Pauline” Christians than “pure” ones.
One could go so far as to make the case that Paul has influenced Christianity more than Jesus has. You see, as I mentioned in the last chapter, most Christians have been brainwashed into thinking that the Crucifixion and Resurrection were the most important things, which is what Paul continually emphasized.
Paul is at odds with Jesus here, for Christ’s whole intention was to bring the “new law” of an all-loving God to the people. Many forget that Jesus was a Jew and remaine1 one throughout his life,’ staying loyal to the religion of his birth but offering new and greater interpretations of the scriptures, which ultimately turned into the teachings of Christianity. (Does anyone realize that Jesus wasn’t Christian - Alter all, what did he do, follow himself?) He shared the beliefs of his relatives, who were essentially Jewish Christians. Now since Paulines opposed these individuals, the Christianity of today is actually the direct opposition to the teachings of Jesus. Ironic, don’t you think?
The Church’s Grip Tightens
As the Paulines gained power and influence, their persecution of other sects began to rise. Since Jewish and Christians were so secular and only interested in staying in Israel, they were no real threat and more or less faded away. However, they did share the secret of Christ’s survival of his Crucifixion with the Gnostics.
This group tried to exact changes in the Pauline (Catholic) Church, mostly to no avail. Gnostics also attempted to fight the rising corruption within the Church, but they were simply outgunned. It became more and more apparent that the Church was gaining power, wealth, and influence due in large part to corruption, all of which was only going to be used against the Gnostics. Thus, they did what they had to do in order to stay inconspicuous, holding their secrets tightly to themselves, away from the outside world.
It was during this time that the Church began to run roughshod, bullying its followers by telling them how to worship and live and backing it up with various forms of manipulation and fear. Catholic leaders controlled entire countries under the guise of religion, and they employed fear tactics-including the threat of excommunication and hell for those who failed to cooperate.
These years made the Catholic Church a world power, yet one whose history was tainted with blood and corruption. Murder and assassinations became frequent as rival hierarchies tried to gain power, and indulgences became commonplace. And there was often more than one pope, as different factions tried to rule at the same time. These “anitpopes,” or those individuals whose authentic claim to the papacy was questioned, appeared frequently from the 3rd century until the 12th, and again in the 14th and 15th centuries. This just underscores how corrupt and political the Church was ,during these times-almost 40 times in their history, even they couldn’t decide who the legitimate pope was!
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Since society hl medieval times consisted solely of the poor masses and the elite, there was no middle Class. The upper class consisted of members of the Church and the noble aristocracy, while the majority of people, were condemned to serfdom-mainly farmers and trades people who worked for the few in power. Oh, you had some merchants thrown in there, too, but because communication and travel was so limited, those individuals tended to confine themselves to local areas for both their wares and their customers, so they very rarely had much money.
Except for Catholic leaders, most people were also highly uneducated. Even the aristocracy of the time was illiterate, so the Church gained even more power because it was looked upon as being a learned institution. Lands were either owned or controlled by the Church or the nobles, and the subsequent taxes they charged to the masses kept them wealthy.
During this period, the Gnostics were very secretive and were content to worship out of the sight of the ever growing and powerful Church. Yet suppression of the masses was what eventually led to Gnosticism regaining some influence. Life was so harsh and religion so strict that the general public started looking elsewhere for spiritual sustenance, which many people found in Gnostic sects.
At this time, nobles were continually warring with each other - while they manned their armies with knights m mounted upon steeds, they used the poor as foot soldiers and cannon fodder. The Church was embroiled in all of this as well, making alliances with the most powerful of the nobles and lending money to others to finance their battles in return for land, autonomy, and power.
Consequently, many kings became mere lackeys for the Church and had to do whatever it told them to. Other members of the elite became disenchanted with Catholicism’s power and started giving sanctuary to Gnostic sects, especially in the south of France. Protected by local nobles, these Gnostics began to gain influence as they sought favor with the general populace. Perhaps the most influential group at this time was the Cathars, a Gnostic Christian sect that was truly pious and dedicated to poverty. They became so popular in the south of France that they actually threatened the Catholic Church’s hold on that area for a time.
The Cathars
The Cathars are certainly an enigmatic bunch, seeming to weave in and out of the path of the Knights Templar and other groups. They’re even difficult to research because most of what we know about them comes from the writings of their enemies. I don’t think this is because of historians’ neglect, but rather by the Cathars’ design. I agree with my spirit guide Francine, who states that this group tried very hard to stay pious and private.
According to historians, the group adopted its name around the middle of the 12th century, and the word Cathar is thought to have originated from the Greek term for “pure ones.” This sect seems to have its roots in druids, alchemists, mystics, and early Gnostics; in fact, scholars believe that it evolved from the Gnostic teachings of western Europe, and possibly had ties to Manicheanism. The Cathars were also known as “the Albigensians,” supposedly because of the chronicler Geoffroy du Breuil of Vigeois. In 1181, he referred to the town of Albi in southern France as being the area they came from.
As I explained in the last chapter, the south of France has been the source of myths about Jesus and his family for centuries. Now if these stories aren’t true, why would they continue to have such strength? It’s also interesting that many Knights Templar lived in this area-southern France has certainly been a hotbed of Gnostic activity. (Of course at that point, the area wasn’t yet a part of France but instead, what’s now known as Spain. You must remember that it was a time of kingdoms, fiefdoms, and duchies that ‘were scattered all over Europe-in other words, countries’ boundaries weren’t like to day’s clear-cut borders.)
Like the Knights Templar, the Cathars have a legend in their history that claims they were the keepers of a fabulous treasure. Some say it was none other than the Holy Grail, while other believe it was ancient scrolls of knowledge, and yet another group maintains that it was a sacramental sword in a carved wooden box. Whatever the treasure was, it was supposedly taken by four Cathar monks out of their castle of Montsegur, just a day or so before the stronghold fell during the Albigensian Crusade. The monks then slipped through the armies of the Catholics and escaped to some hidden place, never to be heard from again.
Francine confirms that the treasure was indeed taken out of Montsegur just before its fall and that it consisted of sacred teachings, including information about the bloodline of Christ and his life in France after the Crucifixion. There were no jewels or the like because the Cathars didn’t ascribe value to worldly goods, other than for sustenance or to help the poor.
The nonviolent Cathars made many friend and converts, since the harsh life of medieval times and the constant political squabbles between nobles had made things very tough for the lower classes. Throw in the Catholic Church, which wanted to control everything spiritually and ruled with an iron fist, and you have a fallow field that was ready to be planted with a new crop of ideas.
When the Cathars migrated into what is now southern France, in the Languedoc region, they probably had no idea how successful they’d be. They entered this environment and found a willing audience for their new ways of doing things. They brought with them a type of freedom and solace that hadn’t been seep for as long as the “poor masses could remember. Finally someone was attending to people’s needs without asking anything in return-no tithes or indulgences. There was no taking up of arms to fight some stupid war, and no working from dawn to dusk to help feed an army that was out who knows where.
The Cathar theologians, or “perfecti,” were also known as bans hommes, bonnes femmes, or bons chretiens- “good men,” “good women,” or “good Christians.” Their followers were named “credentes” and were purportedly not initiated into the doctrine at all; instead, if they agreed to receive what was called the “consolamentum” (the baptism of the spirit) before their death, they would be freed from all moral prohibition and religious obligation.
The Cathars impressed people with their teachings. Their acceptance of life with all its faults and frailties prevented them from condemning anyone; consequently, no moral prohibitions or rules were ever put forth (as the Church had done). Interestingly, this had a profound effect on the masses: Instead of running around and partying all the time, they became gentler, kinder, and more helpful to their friends and neighbors. It was almost psychological trickery in that they could raise hell if they wanted to with no punishment, so it wasn’t fun to break the rules anymore. While many loved to challenge Catholic dogma as a rebellious act, the Cathars had no such restrictions and were so kind that many soon found that there was nothing to rail against
This Gnostic group was kind and peace loving and attended to the poor by providing them with an education, setting up hospices, and otherwise taking care of them. Cathars lived frugally, had no strict rules, held services in the open forests and fields, and seemed to genuinely care about people. In addition, women were put on an even plane with men, and priests gave spiritual counseling and performed services in homes if necessary.
In contrast, the bishops representing the Catholic Church were corrupt hypocrites, charged money for sacraments, seemed, aloof and uncaring, and demanded the strict observance of a multitude of harsh rules. It’s no wonder that the Cathars established a firm foothold in Languedoc, so much so that Catholic cathedrals were frequented less and less. Thus, the Church deemed the Cathars to be heretics - regardless of the fact that their followers were receiving much-needed solace and help.
The reigning religious authorities had always dealt vigorously with those whom they considered to be heretical, which heretofore had been composed of small groups who weren’t considered to be any real problem. The Cathars, however, were a different matter. By converting Catholics and thus lowering the Church’s revenue in the area, these Gnostics were becoming a real threat… and as usual, the Church had a response. But before we get into that, let’s first explore the beliefs of the Cathars in greater depth to find out why the populace was so attracted to them.
Cathar Beliefs
The Cathars believed that within every person existed a Divine light or spirit (most commonly known today as the soul), which was trapped in a world of temptation and corruption. As Gnostics, they believed in dualism, or that this world was created by a lesser deity who proclaimed himself to be the one and only Creator (much like Satan).
The Cathars then put forth that orthodox Christianity also believed in a false god and that the Catholic Church was a corrupt abomination that was deeply influenced by the prison of earthly life’s materialism, Spirit, the vital essence of humanity, was therefore trapped in a negative physical realm that was created by a false god and ruled over by his demoralized minions.
To free yourself from this jail of the human condition, the Cathars believed you had to first become aware of the evil and depravity that existed in the reality of human life-which included the ecclesiastical, dogmatic, and social structures of that time. Once you were cognizant of the “prison of matter” and its corruption, then you could set about breaking its bonds, which was a step-by-step progression that was different for each individual.
Becoming kinder, gentler, more spiritual, less materialistically oriented, and freeing oneself from addictions were just some of the ways to set the spirit free.
The Cathars accepted the world as it was and consequently learned to transcend it. They taught that in order to go beyond this earthly life, you had to experience it.
You couldn’t run away from the world, but if you genuinely experienced all it had to offer, both positive and negative, at that point you could throw off the shackles of addictions and attachments. In other words, all of the temptations of life, including the last vestiges of holding on to pain and loss, had to be extinguished before you could begin to transcend. When you were no longer bound to the world, then you could truly enjoy it.
The Cathars believed in reincarnation but never saw it as a necessary or desirable process. Rather, they realized that some individuals wouldn’t be able to free their souls from the earthly prison in only one lifetime, so they recognized that it might take some people more existences to attain their freedom.
This group also completely rejected the Old Testament and embraced the Gospel of John as their most sacred text. In it, Christ states, “A new commandment I give unto you; that you love God with all your heart and soul and mind, and that you love your neighbor as yourself.” With this one simple statement, the Cathars eschewed the rules, regulations, dogma, indulgences, and penances of the Catholic Church. To these Gnostics, loving God and one another was all that was necessary in the spiritual journey. They understood that simply living in this way would help set them free from this “prison of life.”
Cathars believed that Jesus Christ was a pure manifestation of spirit who wasn’t constrained by the limitation of matter and that he was the messenger of the true God of love, which their faith embraced. They pointed out that the false god of the Old Testament demanded fearful obedience and worship from his “children” and if he didn’t get it, the result was often torment and murder. The dogma of the Trinity and the sacrament of the Eucharist were also rejected by the Cathars, as was purgatory, for they believed that life on Earth was punishment enough.
Members of this sect took their beliefs beyond the religious, although most of them directly related to the jail of the human condition. For example, they believed that giving oaths was wrong because it only tied one more to the dominion of the world. This certainly flew in the face of the medieval period, since most business transactions and allegiance to nobles and the like were carried out with oaths due to the level of illiteracy.
Sexual abstinence was also preached by the Cathars, even in marriage, as they felt it freed them from “slavery to the flesh”. Perfecti were expected to practice complete celibacy, often leaving their spouses when they reached that level to lessen the temptation of “senseless intercourse” that continued to imprison those who practiced it. And the destruction of life in any form also went against their beliefs, so perfecti wouldn’t eat any creature except fish, or any by-product of animal reproduction (cheese, eggs, milk, butter, and the like). But interestingly enough, the perfecti didn’t condemn any of their followers for having sexual intercourse or eating food tied to reproduction – they just required these choices of themselves and any who wanted to reach that stage.
As I related before, the followers of the Cathars were freed of any moral prohibitions. I. Although the perfecti certainly preached their beliefs, they led more by the example of their own holiness, which endeared them to the masses. And while the perfecti lived ascetic lives with respect to food, clothing, and celibacy, they maintained an elegance in their simplicity. They wore simple cloaks and didn’t have anything like hair shirts or beggars’ clothing. Everyone they met, regardless of station, was treated the same-from the poorest of serfs to the richest of nobles. And when compared to Catholic monks and bishops”, the Cathar perfecti seemed gentler, kinder, more pious, more honest, and much more moral-not to mention that they led exemplary lives as they educated and helped the unfortunate. Consequently, people flocked to them in droves.
A Most Terrible End
With the “good people” making such inroads into converting Catholics, it was inevitable that something would eventually be done about them. Some say that it began with a political move by the king of France to capture the southern area to enlarge his kingdom, while, others claim it was just the Church exerting its power once again to suppress any perceived threat. Francine says it was a little bit of both: The Church needed an army to fight its battle, which the French king provided, but only if the Church allowed him to keep the conquered land. Much of this had been brewing for a long time, as the nobles of the southern region were quite adamant about not being taken over by France. And since medieval times were very political and the Church had its fingers in almost everything, both the Catholic leaders and the king of France were able to come to an agreement.
The growing influence of the Cathars ultimately led to several significant historical events:
1. It sparked another Crusade by the Catholic Church, this time with the goal of wiping the Cathars from the face of the earth. Called the Albigensian Crusade, the ensuing violence was extreme-even by medieval standards.
2. The Church got its mercenaries to offer conquered lands to the king of France and northern French nobles, which would eventually nearly double the size of that country.
3. The Church had a role in the creation of the Dominican Order, which was founded to “preach the gospel and combat heresy.”
4. The Church created and institutionalized the truly horrible Inquisitions, of which the Spanish is the most infamous.
Speaking of the Inquisitious, millions of women were killed and tortured because they were thought to be witches and “working in league with the devil.” Now why didn’t anyone realize that getting rid of all of the women would cause the population to suffer? This isn’t surprising, though, since from its inception the Catholic Church has always been patriarchal in nature: It demands celibacy from its priests so that they won’t have to support families, women aren’t allowed to serve in the priesthood, and church dogma dictates that women be obedient to men.
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In 1198, Pope Innocent III came to power determined to rid Languedoc of the Cathars. At first he tried peaceful means, such as having his priests in the region try to convert the Gnostic group, but he met with little success. In 1204 he then suspended the authority of the bishops in southern France and appointed papal legates to oversee the situation. Again there was little progress, so the pope sought support from the nobles in the region and excommunicated those who didn’t cooperate.
The powerful count Raymond VI of Toulouse refused to act against the Cathars and was excommunicated in 1207. After a heated argument between the count and a papal legate sometime in 1208, that papal legate mysteriously died. Upon hearing this, Pope Innocent issued a papal bull to start a Crusade against the Albigensians (Cathars) by offering the land of the heretics to any who would fight. Many in northern France took up the offer, and soon it was north against south.
The fighting in the Albigensian Crusade went very well for the pope and the northern armies between 1209 and 1215. Then there was a series of revolts and reverses between 1216 and 1225 in which almost all the lands seized were taken back. France’s king, Louis VIII, finally intervened in 1226. He proceeded to take charge and wiped, out the last Cathar stronghold of Montsegur in 1244. About 15 years before that time, however, Pope Gregory IX instituted the first Inquisition to rid the area of heretics.
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The estimates of Cathars killed even before the formation of that Inquisition is close to 200,000, yet it’s unclear whether or not that number includes those who defended the group. For example, in July 1209, the papal legate Arnaud-Amaury surrounded the town of Beziers, France, with his army and demanded that the Cathars be turned over to him. The town of nearly 20,000 refused, even though there were only about 500 Cathars hidden there. When the legate was asked how to distinguish Cathars from the citizens of the town by another crusader, Arnaud-Amaury is said to have answered, “Kill them all! God will know his own!” Somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people were slaughtered that day, most of whom weren’t even Cathars, according to an eyewitness, writer Caesar of Heisterbach.
Then a ruthless course was started in 1233, as Cathars were burned wherever they were found and dead bodies were even exhumed for that purpose. Having taken religious vows against hurting or killing anyone, the perfecti had been unable to protect themselves, but throughout the Crusade, thousands of people had risen to their defense, including many people of different faiths. After a ten-month siege in which 200 Cathar perfecti and 300 soldiers held off 10,000 crusaders, the Church’s soldiers found a breach in the defenses and the “good people” could no longer be protected.
Although the last known burning of a Cathar by the Inquisition wasn’t until 1321, for all intents and purposes the Cathars fell at their stronghold of Montsegur and were essentially wiped out. While a few monks did manage to slip away with their “treasure,” the remaining perfecti gathered with their supporters and were marched down in front of the castle and put into a huge pyre. It’s said that while they were burning, they left their lives singing a hymn of praise to the true God of Love. In any case, I’m sure that they found their “kingdom not of this world,” as Jesus always said.
Putting the Focus Back on Jesus
The interesting thing about religious secret societies is that almost all of them were Gnostic in nature. That’s because they had to be-not only because of the information they protected, but because it flew in the face of the establishment. Gnostics have tried throughout the centuries to rise up and give back the truth about a loving Father and Mother God, along with Christ’s survival and lineage; and each time they’ve been called heretics and ostracized, persecuted, and killed.
Yet information is coming out fast and furious these days. I personally have no fewer than 50 books that confirm what I’ve related in these pages, much of which Francine reported decades ago. This isn’t my ego speaking here; it’s more to let you know that not everyone goes into trance or hears their guides, as I do. After reading my books (that I know were infused by Spirit), people by the thousands have let me know that “what you said [or wrote about] rang true in my soul” or, “I always felt this way but couldn’t express it-or if I did try to tell anyone, I worried that I’d be called crazy.” Well, I believe that the universal truth resides in every human being and resonates deeply. This especially applies to Jesus - his words were so simple and true that they begin to feel as if they were etched upon our very souls.
I’ve always believed
Kathleen Meadows: Chakras, auras, subtle bodies and energy healing have become much more common topics of discussion in western society. More people are moving to a greater awareness of their own body energy – some from a desire for inner growth, others from a scientific (quantum physics) perspective and still others from a renewed sense of the sacred. For centuries eastern cultures have described energetic connections between the mind, body and spirit. Chinese medicine relies on energy meridians that correspond to psycho-physiological states. Vedic scholars, centuries ago described the seven energy centres of the body (chakras) from a spiritual context.
