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 It is well documented that many of the men involved in writing and signing the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U. S. Constitution were Deists and Freemasons, and the philosophy of both can be associated with the Divine Feminine as a co-participant in the process of Creation.

Deism as understood by our Founding Fathers is best defined by one of the most important participants in the American Revolution, Thomas Paine. He compared Deism to Christianity in his masterpiece, The Age of Reason:

True Theology and That of Superstition

As to the Christian system of faith, it appears to me a species of Atheism – a sort of religious denial of God. It professes to believe in a man rather than in God. It is a compound made up chiefly of “Manism” with but little Deism, and is as near to Atheism as twilight is to darkness. It introduces between man and his Maker an opaque body, which it calls a Redeemer, as the moon introduces her opaque self between the earth and the sun, and it produces by this means a religious, or an irreligious, eclipse of light. It has put the whole orbit of reason into shade.

“That which is now called natural philosophy, embracing the whole circle of science, of which astronomy occupies the chief place, is the study of the works of God, and of the power and wisdom of God in His works, and is the True Theology.” Note Paine’s two-fold characterization of God: Power and Wisdom.

“As of the theology that is now studied in its place, it is the study of human opinions and of human fancies concerning God. It is not the study of God Himself in the works that He has made, but in the works or writings that man has made; and it is not among the least of the mischiefs that the Christian system has done to the world, that it has abandoned the original and beautiful system of theology, like a beautiful innocent, to distress and reproach, to make room for the hag of superstition.”

Natural Philosophy or Natural Religion, as well as science, recognize that both masculine and feminine forces are necessary for the Creation of the physical Universe, whether visible or invisible to our senses. Science refers to these two forces as “Light” and “Energy”; ancient and natural religions refer to them as “God and Goddess.” The two can be seen as parts of a Single Whole, which is Creative Energy – Power and Wisdom – aka, God.

 The underlying philosophy of Freemasonry is a bit more difficult to pin down. It is, after all, a “Secret Society.” Now public, however, are their symbols and ceremonies, most of which are easily decoded with a little knowledge of mythology and ancient history.

 We also know that that some of the best known participants in the American Revolution were Freemasons: Ethan Allen, Edmund Burke, John Claypool, William Dawes, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Robert Livingston, Paul Revere, Colonel Benjamin Tupper, and George Washington. Of the fifty-six signers of The Declaration of Independence, eight were known Masons and seven others exhibited strong evidence of Masonic membership. Of the forty signers of the Constitution, nine were known Masons, thirteen exhibited evidence of Masonic membership, and six more later became Masons.

The French General Lafayette, without whose aid the war could not have been won, was a Freemason. The majority of the commanders of the Continental Army were Freemasons and members of "Army Lodges." Most of George Washington's generals were Freemasons. The Boston Tea Party was planned at the Green Dragon Tavern, also known as the "Freemasons' Arms" and "the Headquarters of the Revolution." George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States by Robert Livingston, Grand Master of New York's Masonic lodge, and the Bible on which he took his oath was from his own Masonic lodge. The Cornerstone of the Capital Building was laid by the Grand Lodge of Maryland.

In fact, Freemasons consecrated the cornerstones of a number of major public and private buildings in the early days of our Nation, as well as the most famous statue in America. A vessel called Bay Ridge carried about a hundred Freemasons to Bedloe’s Island for the consecration ceremony of the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty. Several items were held in a copper box within the cornerstone: a copy of the United States Constitution; George Washington’s Farewell Address; twenty bronze medals of U.S. Presidents including Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Johnson, Garfield, and Arthur (all of whom were Freemasons); copies of New York City newspapers; a portrait of Bartholdi; a copy of ‘Poem on Liberty’ By E.R. Johnes; and a list of the Grand Lodge officers.

The principal address was delivered by the Deputy Grand Master Freemason who observed, “Massive as this statue is, its physical proportions sink into comparative obscurity when contrasted with the nobility of its concept. Liberty Enlightening the World! How lofty the thought! To be free, is the first, the noblest aspiration of the human breast. And it is now a universally admitted truth that only in proportion as men become possessed of Liberty do they become civilized, enlightened, and useful.”

The cornerstone was “found square, level and plumb,” the Grand Master applied mortar, and the stone was lowered into place. He struck the stone three times, declaring it duly laid. Then the “Elements of Consecration” were presented: corn, wine, and oil. 

The “Most Worshipful” Grand Master noted: “No institution has done more to promote Liberty and to free men from the trammels and chains of ignorance and tyranny than has Freemasonry.” 

The statue was conceived by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. His biographer wrote, “…he caught a vision of a magnificent Goddess holding aloft a torch in one hand and welcoming all visitors to the land of freedom and opportunity.”

And so, the Statue of Liberty – Lady Liberty – was intended to represent the Goddess who brings light – Astarte, aka Venus, The Morning Star – the precursor of the rising Sun, the “Light Bearer.”

The Church and others opposed to the resurrection of the Divine Feminine demonized the Goddess by associating her with Satan. Luc means light; ferre means bringer. Associating Lucifer with Satan was the Church’s attempt to demonize The Bright Morning Star – Venus – in spite of her importance to some early Christian sects:

2 Peter 1:19: “You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.”

Revelation 22:16: “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I AM the root, the descendant of David, and the Bright Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit AND THE BRIDE say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”

Although a Jew, perhaps Emma Lazarus was inspired by this invitation in Revelation when she wrote her famous words now engraved on a tablet within the pedestal on which Lady Liberty Stands. She titled it THE NEW COLOSSUS:

 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles.

 

From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

“The Golden Door” is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Rome, a time of relative peace and prosperity for even the lowest level of Roman citizen. Freedmen during the reign of Emperor Claudius were reviled by some in the Senate for wielding too much power over the Emperor’s decisions. The former slave Pallas was honored with statues and honorary plaques, gracefully accepted, and the offer of immense wealth, which was politely turned down. Pallas and Claudius reigned with wisdom rather than might; Roman citizens were provided with resources that enabled them to care for their families without fear of famine or oppressive taxes. The Pax Romana, Roman Peace, was the by-product of a sense of security shared by all loyal Romans.

 America’s “New Colossus,” the "Mother of Exiles," invited other lands to send their unwanted and hungry to the United States, giving the Statue of Liberty special meaning for immigrants coming from other oppressive lands. “The Golden Door” promised a New Golden Age for the oppressed. Lady Liberty promised the freedom to prosper.

The  "Old Colossus" was the “Colossus of Rhodes,” an ancient statue built to thank Helios, the sun god, for protecting Rhodes from invaders. "The New Colossus" points out that the American statue is one welcoming foreigners rather than fighting them off.

Congress accepted Lady Liberty as a gift from the French people on Washington’s birthday, 1877. However, it wasn’t finished until May 21, 1884. It was presented to Ambassador Levi Morton on July 4, 1884, by Ferdinand de Lesseps. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of Lady Liberty. The main address was given by Freemason Chauncey M. Depew, a United States Senator.

A great deal of controversy exists over the Freemasons’ influence in the founding of our country. And in spite of the well-publicized fact that George Washington was an avowed and proud Freemason, their influence is generally depicted as being negative and Freemasonry as something to be feared. The reasons are clear: Freemasonry was and is perceived as the enemy of fundamental and orthodox Christianity. Whether passed to them from the Knights Templar or through some other source, Freemasons seemed to know that the authentic religion of Jesus had been hijacked and replaced with the Jewish superstition of vicarious atonement. The Freemason Founding Fathers may have possessed ancient secrets that led them to that authentic religion, reason enough for the Orthodoxy and Fundamentalists to attempt to build a case for the Freemason’s association with Satanic worship.

But some who have investigated the symbolism of Freemasonry are beginning to suspect something else, something Orthodoxy and Fundamentalism fear almost as much as they fear Satan: The Goddess in Judaism and Christianity!

The following is excerpted from an article by William Bond’s, Goddess Symbolism Within Freemasonry, an article worth reading in its entirety: http://www.womanthouartgod.com/wmbondfreemasonry.php.

"It is of interest that Christianity came back to Egypt where it grew into a strong religion until Christianity became the Roman state religion. Then the Roman Christians had all the Egyptian Christians slaughtered who didn't follow the Roman version of Christianity. Destroying also all the Egyptian Christian texts, of which only a small amount have survived today. The result is that the Roman version of Christianity became more like a Jewish religion, as they put more emphasis on the Old Testament than on the teachings of Jesus. So the compassionate Goddess teachings of Jesus became largely ignored by the Christian Church until modern times.

“When archaeologists excavated Ancient Palestine and the area around it, the Canadian archaeologist John Holiday claims that, "…biblical descriptions do not match what is found in the dirt." What became clear from archaeological evidence is that the Hebrew Bible was a very biased and heavily censored version of Jewish History.

“The evidence unearthed shows that Goddess worship was commonplace in Israel right up to early Christian times. With large numbers of Goddess statues discovered in the homes of common people. Archaeologists have shown that the Hebrews worshipped the Goddesses Asherah and Astarte as much as the countries around Israel. So is this what this Freemason symbol is trying to tell us? That within the Bible is a hidden Goddess?”

Bond is onto something, and others are beginning to see the same signs. Just as The Bright Morning Star was associated with Lucifer, which simply means, the Light Bearer, so, too, is Freemasonry associated with Lucifer. And although there is nothing in the Bible to associate The Bright Morning Star with Satan, the fear-mongers, nevertheless, make the association and the ignorant masses accept the false claim as fact.

The Bright Morning Star was Venus, aka Astarte – The Goddess. During his brief appearance, Jesus attempted to resurrect the Divine Feminine, a vital component of Creation. He called her “The Bright Morning Star.” Moses attempted to do the same when he identified the “God of the Mountain” as Asherah – the Goddess. “I am that I am,” in Hebrew, is “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.”

Lady Liberty holds the torch of enlightenment high over America, reminding those with ears to hear of Jesus’ last recorded words in Revelation:

"The Spirit and The Bride say, Come. All who thirst for freedom and knowledge are invited to drink freely from the Waters of Life.”

The Spirit of God – Knowledge – and his Goddess-wife – Wisdom – hold the key to Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men and women. Yes, the Goddess can be found throughout the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments. The Keys to uncovering this Ancient Wisdom hidden in scripture are held by Philo of Alexandria.  

May the Goddess Bless America and the World with the Wisdom to reject irrational, manmade fear that leads to war, and turn instead to the Source that reveals all Knowledge and Truth.

Pax Amo Lux

 

 

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