Cortner Laura - Founding fathers, secret societies: Freemasons, Illuminati, Rosicrucians, and the decoding of the Great Seal

In my darkest hour entered a soul of light who turned tragedy into self-fulfillment. Without Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus this book would have remained forever a work in progress. This work is dedicated to herthe flower of the universe in the garden of my heart.

FOUNDING FATHERS,
SECRET SOCIETIES

Robert Hieronimuss historical analysis could not come at a more crucial time. The United States has reached a critical point in its history, one that will not only affect its destiny but that of the rest of the world. Hieronimus has made an in-depth analysis of the founders of the United States, starting with the League of Iroquois and the European esoteric societies, proceeding to the impact of Masonic symbolism and the creation of the Great Seal, especially the images on its reverse side. He delivers an inspiring message of hope for a culture that is badly torn, a culture critically in need of the renewed vision described in this remarkable book.

STANLEY KRIPPNER, PH.D.,
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, SAYBROOK GRADUATE SCHOOL, COEDITOR OF VARIETIES OF ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE

A vision that can unite, guide, and inspire us is increasingly possible when we know more of the rich history that helped launch our nation. Too much of this history has been unknown; too many facts have been hard to come by. It is a special delight to learn more of our history with Robert Hieronimus who is so careful to not exaggerate sources or certainty.

DAVID A. BURNET,
GRAND COUNCILOR EMERITUS AND FORMER TREASURER OF THE ENGLISH GRAND LODGE, ROSICRUCIAN ORDER, AMORC

Anyone turning the pages of Founding Fathers, Secret Societies opens a secret door to the lost history of our country. By exposing the hidden roots of the United States, Robert Hieronimus has restored a sense of American destiny.

FRANK JOSEPH,
AUTHOR OFTHE LOST TREASURE OF KING JUBA

... makes an intriguing case that combines a number of historical threads to provide a new interpretation of the United States founding. Most importantly, Robert Hieronimus starts at the beginning, with our truly American founding, notably with the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. This work should put to rest any remaining notions that the founding was a result of spontaneous intellectual combustion in a Philadelphia meeting room.

BRUCE E. JOHANSEN,
AUTHOR OF FORGOTTEN FOUNDERS: HOW THE IROQUOIS HELPED SHAPE DEMOCRACY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many have made this book possible. First among them is my wife, Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus, to whom this work is dedicated. A glance at the afterword will tell you why.

Laura Cortner provided invaluable assistance editing, researching, and rewriting for both the first and second editions. Her extreme dedication to the project made it possible to meet the deadline for the revised edition, and I am very grateful for her contributions. Other transcribers were Rebekah Grossman, Janet Kinne, Lisa Burke, and Nate Thompson, the senior producer for Hieronimus & Co. productions. Thanks also to Leyan Darlington and Dr. Peter Hinderberger for keeping my body healthy while I worked under stressful conditions.

My alma mater, Saybrook Institute; my doctoral committee adviser, Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.; and outside reader, Willis Harman, Ph.D., were instrumental in guiding my doctoral studies upon which much of this book is based. This publication would not have taken its present form without their direction. My friendship with David Ovason and his encouragement and advice and extraordinary publications (see bibliography) were paramount in keeping me centered during difficult and trying times. My dear friends and coworkers Margie Herskowitz and Paul Trattner provided timely help with the astrological charts of the Founding Fathers. Thank you also to Jamaica Burns, our editor at Destiny Books, for many excellent suggestions and refinements.

My son, Plato, and daughters, Mar and Anna, have patiently listened to their fathers enthusiasm for this work, which always gives me great pleasure. Inspiration was also provided by the spirits of my patron, Mari H. Milholland; my late mother-in-law, Mrs. Lyn P. Meyerhoff; and my distant uncle, Thomas Galen Hieronymus.

Many thanks also to White Eagle.

INTRODUCTION

I began my research into the Great Seal of the United States in 1966, just after graduating from college, when I discovered the pyramid on the back of one of my few remaining dollar bills. I was familiar with the Great Seals obverse or eagle side, but that day the symbols on the seals reverse captured my attention and filled me with wonder. I wrote the State Department asking about its history and meaning, and their reply was a full-color folder on the seals obverse that made no mention of the seals other side. Thinking this an oversight, I inquired again. They responded with a black-and-white photograph of the seals reverse, but still no explanation. I took that to mean I had to look elsewhere.

The Great Seals reverse entered my life at a critical point. I saw America at that time as a disintegrating culture. To me, the imagery on the seals less well known side suggested a nation with a greater destiny than wars and hypocrisy. I was perplexed by and disappointed with our governments apparent disinterest in this important symbol of our national purpose.

On my own, I soon found several works that fed my curiosity about the reverses meaning and the mysterious origins of its symbols. Some authors asserted that the seals design had originated from secret societies: Freemasons, Rosicrucians, and Illuminati. For these writers the seal was emblematic of a nation in transformation. I felt that I had discovered a potent image that stood for Americas greatness.

All nations and humans have a special destiny, which, if fulfilled, leads to their enlightenment. How does one discover national or world destiny? There are many ways, but often the destiny of a nation is embedded in its national coat of arms or Great Sealespecially if the nations founders are conscious of the importance of symbolsand Americas founders were especially adroit at choosing symbols that expressed the philosophy of the new republic.

It is one thing to express something, however, and another to have it heard, understood, and acted on. The Founding Fathers intention to have a two-sided seal was signed into law on June 20, 1782. Since that time, the State Department and Congress have kept half of the Great Seal in the dark, and at times intentionally. The more familiar obverse of Americas Great Seal is dominated by the eagle. The reverse of the seal bears an eye in a triangle over a pyramid and two Latin mottoes. Most people have seen this symbol only on the back of the one dollar bill, and before 1935, when it was placed on currency, very few Americans had ever seen it at all.

It was not until 1891 that the State Department allowed access to its department files on the Great Seal and, because of this, early seal historians and subsequent generations of historians who depended on sources predating 1891 were often misinformed.

In 1976 the State Department published the definitive history of Americas Great Seal, The Eagle and the Shield. This book is a godsend to those who wish to know the seals history. Like earlier State Department publications, however, it rejects the idea of cutting a die, making a metal impress, of the seals reverse for use on official documents.

What the State Department has not considered are the consequences of not recognizing the importance of the founders vision of America. Will our neglect impair the fulfillment of our national destiny? It seems to me that, by ignoring the vision of our Founding Fathers, we have altered our capacity to fulfill the goals established by those distinguished men. In effect, as interest grows in our national symbol, especially its reverse, the whole country is experiencing a greater capacity to comprehend the spiritual vision of those who brought America into being.