Masonic
and Occult Symbols Illustrated - Dr. Cathy Burns (p340)
Another name for a four sided pillar is the Obelisk. Pillars
have always been worshiped as gods. In Egypt, the obelisk stood for the
sun god.
The New Age Magazine had an article by
33° Mason,
Henry Ridge Evans, in which he said that Osiris, the god of the
underworld, was also depicted in the form of a pillar.
In fact, in
Numbers: Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtues,
we
find the lingam (male sex organ) was an upright pillar.
H.L. Haywood, another Mason, states: "In some cases these crude rock
pillars were thought to be the abodes of gods or demons: in others,
homes of ghosts; and often as symbols of sex. Of the last-named usage
one writer has said that 'pillars of stone, when associated with
worship, have been from time immemorial regarded as symbols of the
active and passive, the generative and fecundating principles, twin
builders and supporters of the heavens..."
Masonic author, Rollin Blackmer, elaborates: : The Symbolism regarding
solar (sun) worship indicated by the point within the circle has many
variations, but one of the most primitive and natural was the sun was
to be regarded as the male generative power of nature. To the ancient
philosopher the origin and creation of life led to the contemplation of
only one process, the generative act. The sun god was certainly the
generator of life, light and heat, the male principle, and this was
symbolically represented by the phallus or Lingam, which was some
picture, more or less veiled, of the human male generative organ. The
most frequent illustration was of a pillar set up in the center of a
circle. The circle just as distinctively represented the earth or
female principle. The sun was the great father, under his benign
influence all nature germinated, and the earth was the universal mother
in whose ample womb all these germs grew to maturity."
In
Our Phallic Heritage we are told that "All
pillars or
columns originally had a phallic significance, and were therefore
considered sacred." Pan, the goat god and god of sensuality, was often
represented as an obelisk.
A former which gives some interesting information about the obelisk. He
writes: "The obelisk is a long pointed four-sided shaft, the uppermost
portion of which forms a pyramid. The word
"obelisk" literally means
"Baal's Shaft" or Baal's organ of reproduction. This should be
especially shocking when we realize that we have a gigantic obelisk in
our nation's capital known as the Washington Monument."
Of course the Masons and Egyptians aren't the only ones who had
high regard for the obelisk. In front of the Vatican stands the very
same obelisk that once stood in Egypt. Ralph Woodrow explains: "The
very same obelisk that once stood at the ancient temple which was the
center of Egyptian paganism, now stands before the mother church of
Romanism. This seems like more than a mere coincidence.
"The red granite obelisk of the Vatican is itself 83 feet
high (132
feet high with its foundation) and weighs 320 tons. In 1586, in order
to center it in front of the Church in St. Peters square, it was moved
to its present location by order of Pope Sixtus V. Of course moving
this heavy obelisk was a very difficult task. Many movers refused to
attempt the feat, especially since the Pope had attached the
death
penalty if the obelisk was dropped and broken. Finally a man
by
the name of Domenico Fontana accepted the responsibility. With 45
winches, 160 horses and a crew of 800 workmen, the task of moving
began. The date was September 10, 1586. Multitudes crowded the
extensive square. While the obelisk was being moved, the crowd, upon
penalty of death, was required to remain silent. But after the obelisk
was successfully erected, there was the sound of hundreds of bells
ringing, the roar of cannons and the loud cheer of the multitude."
When the children of Israel would forsake God, they turned to
worshiping idols. One of the idols they worshiped was the Obelisk. God
had specifically forbidden them to do so.
The
Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols - Udo Becker (p219)
A tall stone pillar tapering toward the top and having a square
foundation and pyramidical tip. In Egypt, especially in the Eighteenth
and nineteenth dynasties, it was a cult symbol of the sun god: in the
morning, its tip was struck by the first rays of the sun. In addition,
it's strong emphatic, directional shape represents the connectivity
between the earth and the sky or sun. In ancient Egypt obelisks usually
stood in pairs in front of temple entrances. Today, thirty obelisks are
still standing or have been erected, about fourteen of which are in
Rome (they were first consecrated by exorcism and crowned with a
cross); only five obelisks are still standing in Egypt. Since the
Renaissance, they have been a decorative Architectural component and
are used today as a type of monument.