Drinking the blood of the Master

 

I recently summarized an interesting article on the Swedish Order of Freemasons, only available in Swedish, and then came across another one, based on the same Norwegian book, “Frimureri” by Sverre Dag Mogstad, which I unfortunately haven´t read (it was published in 1994). The second article is written by Per Beskow, a highly erudite Catholic writer and scholar (he passed away a few years ago). He is mostly known for his book “Fynd och fusk i Bibelns värld”. I think “Strange Tales about Jesus” is the English translation. The Catholic Church prohibits its members from becoming Freemasons, so Beskow naturally has a critical outlook on the topic from the start. And yes, the Masons turn out to have some *very* strange tales about Master Jesus in their closet!

The short story of Svenska Frimurare Orden (SFMO) is that its rituals were developed by Duke Karl (Duke Charles) by the year 1800. Karl later became King of Sweden and Norway, using the title Karl XIII in Sweden (sometimes rendered Charles XIII in English). The Swedish Freemasons, who on many points differ from other branches of Freemasonry, have long been connected to the royal power, with many kings serving either as Grand Masters or Protectors of the Order. The present king, Carl XVI Gustav, is Protector but doesn´t participate in Masonic activities, apparently not even being a member of the Order. The last royal Grand Master, Prince Bertil, passed away in 1997. Apart from their close connection to the royal court, the SFMO also has a strong Christian (Lutheran) profile, actively recruiting and initiating priests. This is where it gets interesting…

The SFMO is also active in Finland (which until 1809 was part of the Swedish kingdom). The Swedish Rite or Swedish system also exists in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and parts of Germany. In these territories, it´s worked by independent Masonic bodies with fraternal relations to the SFMO.

The rituals and even some of the degrees and activities of the Order are kept strictly secret, but as usual everything has leaked out anyway. What makes the SFMO peculiar seems to be what Beskow calls its “pseudo-sacramental” character. There is a “clericate” of clergymen from the Lutheran Church of Sweden (the erstwhile national Church). The initiation rituals for clergy to some extent mimic Church rituals. The Catholic Beskow is particularly intrigued by the use of vestments, holy water and incense during a period when official Lutheranism in Sweden tended to shy away from such things. In the tenth degree, even a kind of communion is celebrated.

The most sensational and bizarre ritual comes in a degree known as X:2, an alternate tenth degree the very existence of which was kept a secret from non-initiates (the majority of the membership). Yes, the high degree Masons really drink blood! The initiate is supposed to partake of a liquid containing wine and blood. The latter comes from a mysterious “prism” which is said to contain a mix of the blood of every previous member of X:2. He also adds his own blood to the liquid. And now comes the clincher: the “prism” is even said to contain the physical blood of Jesus Christ?! To their credit, even some of the leading Swedish Masons were skeptical to the blood ritual. Karl XIII apparently feared that his own adopted crown prince, Karl Johan (the former French general Bernadotte), might destroy the “prism”, so he carefully hid it before his death in 1818. It didn´t resurface until 1852, but the new Grand Master, king Oscar I (Bernadotte´s son), refused to reinstate X:2. His successor Karl XV, by contrast, did so. The blood drinking and its appendant degree was finally abolished in Sweden in 1981, but is still practiced in various forms in the other Swedish Rite jurisdictions. The quasi-official position of the SFMO seems to be that the ritual hasn´t been practiced at all since at least 1900. It´s also interesting to note that the present HQ of the Swedish Order lacks an “Adytum Sacrum”, the secret vault in which the blood drinking was to take place.

Beskow, still basing himself on Mogstad´s book, then describes the secret legends of the Swedish Order of Freemasons. While they have a strong Christian coloring, they are also strongly heterodox or heretical from a more traditional Christian viewpoint. One of the legends claim that Jesus was initiated into the Essenes by John the Baptist. John is said to have transferred the wisdom of this ancient society onto Jesus at the baptism in the river Jordan. Jesus, now the new Grand Master, in turn initiated his favorite disciple, none other than John the Evangelist. I assume it´s not a coincidence that both the predecessor and successor of Jesus were named John! There is a claim in conspiracy circles that the Masons really are “Johannine” heretics, who believe that John the Baptist was the real Messiah. Is this true, then? Or is it a distortion of actual Masonic myths? The same myth further states that the Knights Templar met seven mysterious Syrian Christians when guarding the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and these men revealed the Essene-Jesus secrets to the crusading knights. (Compare legends about how Christian Rosenkreuz found wisdom in the Middle East, and so on.)

Interestingly, the idea that the Templars had the blood of Jesus in their possession comes from the 13th century, when the Templars were still thriving, and was thus no secret. The blood relic was supposedly bestowed onto the Templars in 1247 in the form of a crystalline flask containing the priceless liquid. Nor is this even considered heretical: Beskow mentions that the Benedictine abbey at Weingarten in Germany still to this day hosts a similar relic. Esoteric Freemasons has expanded considerably on these notions. In their version, Jacques Molay (the last Grand Master of the Templars), had an otherwise unknown nephew named Frankois de Beaujeu, who took possession of the most precious relics of the Templars after Molay´s execution in 1314. These included the “prism” and the royal crown of Jerusalem. Beaujeu and his associates also removed the body of Pope Clement V (who had ordered Molay´s execution) from his crypt, and replaced them with the ash from Molay´s burned body! Later, these last Templars absconded to Scotland and established contacts with the Stuart family. It´s interesting to note that the Swedish king Gustav III (a relative of Duke Karl) was an initiated Freemason and sent a delegation to the Stuart pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie, whom he believed was the secret Grand Master of the Temple. After the death of the “Young” Pretender in 1788, Gustav III forged a document according to which Bonnie Prince Charlie had transferred the grand mastership of the Temple to Gustav. Note the theological weirdness of this: a Lutheran king claims to head a secret version of a Catholic crusading order!

Beskow´s article ends with a more general criticism of Masonic esotericism contra Christian exotericism-only.

Very interesting!