Dr. David Harrison

Category: Freemasonry

  • The Home of Pierre Lambert de Lintot

    The Home of Pierre Lambert de Lintot

    In my next book, which is due to be published this year, I’ll be exploring the Rite of Seven Degrees, the Masonic rite of engraver Pierre Lambert de Lintot, which flourished in London during the latter eighteenth century. We know from his engravings that de Lintot resided at 5 Cobham Row, Cold Bath Fields, London, so let us explore where de Lintot lived…

    Let us first examine the Cold Bath, which was the idea of a certain Walter Baynes who, in 1697, came up with a plan to convert the ancient conduit and spring near Sir Johns Oldcastle into a cold bath, which could be used to treat various medical conditions, an idea that could be seen in action with the curative waters of Bath in Somerset. Baynes, a lawyer, gathered together a syndicate for the scheme, which included goldsmith John Warner. At first, the project was not a financial success, despite a dwelling house being built for a site manager, with additions that included dressing rooms for the patients, though after Baynes had moved into the building and bought out his partners in the scheme, he seemed to have made the business pay. The bath eventually became a valuable property, and was surrounded by a brick wall, becoming the heart of what would become Coldbath Square. To one side of this, was built Cobham Row, where Lambert de Lintot resided in the 1780s.

    The map of 1874 reveals the location of Cobham Row, the Square around the Cold Bath, and on the other side to the Square, Baynes Row and Great Warner Street can be seen. Great Bath Street can be seen to the back. Number 7 Cobham Row was the corner property that also faced the east side of Coldbath Square, and Number 5, where Lambert de Lintot resided in the 1780s, can be seen indicated on the print. Cobham Row is now part of Rosebery Avenue (not too far from Holborn), a major thoroughfare through modern London, and the much altered properties can be seen on the screenshots below (care of Google images).

    The Rite of Seven Degrees will be published by Lewis Masonic later this year, and is available for pre-order via the author. Many thanks to Brother George Brooks for his astounding research!

     

  • Bram Stoker, Freemasonry and the Byronic Hero

    I have a new academic paper entitled ‘Bram Stoker, Freemasonry and the Byronic Hero’, published in the renowned Romanian Masonic journal Gnosis, Anul VII / nr. 7, (2021), pp.13-32, which can be accessed and downloaded for free at my academia profile here:

    (2) (PDF) ‘Bram Stoker, Freemasonry and the Byronic Hero’, Gnosis, Anul VII / nr. 7 (2021), pp.13-32. | Dr David Harrison – Academia.edu

    Bram Stoker, famous for his Gothic novel Dracula, was also a Freemason, and this paper will argue how the themes of secrecy and mystery, key elements of the Byronic Hero, a characterisation of which Dracula has been associated with, may not only have been inspired from Stoker’s brush with Freemasonry, but also from the fellow Freemasons that were part of his life, such as Sir Henry Irving, Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Byronic Hero was a characterisation that can be found in nineteenth century literature with characters such as Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and the character of Eugene Onegin by Russian Freemason and writer Alexander Pushkin. These characters have elements of mystery and secrecy, and indeed, as we shall see, there is evidence of some Masonic influences with these works. Byron, whose own life, along with the fictional characters within his poetry, significantly inspired the Byronic Hero characterisation, was also a member of the Carbonari and there is evidence that he was aware of Freemasonry, his Great Uncle being Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England. Indeed, the Romantic essence of these literary Byronic Heroes will be explored, along with the darker traits that characters such as Dracula portrayed.

    An advertisement for Stoker’s lecture on his visit to the USA

    The paper was inspired in part by a conversation with a fellow Freemason Lord David Owens, who kindly passed the information on Stoker he had obtained from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and I would like to thank Brother Alexandru Rufanda for his translation of the paper.

  • Review of Turning the Templar Key by Dr Robert Lomas

    Turning the Templar Key, Robert Lomas. Lewis Masonic, paperback, 2020. ISBN: 159233279X

    When I was first initiated into Freemasonry way back in April 1998, I was presented with a gift by my main proposer, that gift was a book called The Hiram Key, and it was co-authored by Dr Robert Lomas. Fast forward a few years and I met Dr Lomas, who is himself a Freemason, at a talk I was giving to a Welsh lodge, and what struck me was that he was a fountain of esoteric knowledge, and that many people can learn from this knowledge. I was sent the new paperback edition of Turning the Templar Key just before Christmas, and being asked to review it, got stuck into it over the holiday period.

    The book was first published in 2007 and can be seen as a book of two parts; the first part examines the origin of the Masonic Order of the Knights Templar, and searches for connections to the medieval Knights Templar Order. In doing so, Lomas takes us on an esoteric journey, looking at numerous rituals, including Richard Carlile and his Masonic exposé, a radical and writer, who I also examined in my disguised Masonic biography of him entitled Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry, which came out last year with Lewis Masonic (an interesting connection here is that Dr Lomas wrote the foreword). Another set of rituals Lomas examines in his search for the essence of Templar Masonry is the Early Grand Rite, a rite with a Scottish connection that also explored a Templar pathway.

    Lomas continues his search in part one, then springs on the reader new questions in part 2, which as Robert informed me, was a reworked part of another earlier work entitled Uriel’s Machine, examining the Goddesses of early religious practices. The two parts, which both blend together and assist in answering the question, make for compelling reading, and are presented in a large chunky work of nearly 400 pages that you won’t be able to put down.

     

  • Review of The Genesis of Freemasonry by ‘Coach’ John S Nagy

    Review of The Genesis of Freemasonry by ‘Coach’ John S Nagy

    I met ‘Coach’ John S Nagy on social media many years ago, but finally got to meet him back in May 2016 when I was giving a talk at the Tampa Valley Scottish Rite Temple. I have always liked John’s work as it provides a much needed guide for new members of the Craft, and indeed, John has published a lot of work and is much respected in the US and in the UK also. I have included some links of John’s below the review that he wrote for my first book The Genesis of Freemasonry, which is in the second imprint of its second edition and is available via www.lewismasonic.co.uk

    Many thanks for the review John….

    The Genesis of Freemasonry

    A BOOK REVIEW by Brother “Coach” John S Nagy, Nov. 2020

    Author of the Building Serious of Uncommon Masonic Education books and videos

    BOOK: The Genesis of Freemasonry by author Bro. David Harrison

    At first glance, you might jump to the conclusion that Brother Harrison’s book appears to be as any other book on Craft origins. But do not let this first impression fool you.  Brother David skilfully lays out a path of informed investigation in the spirit of a classic freemasonic builder.  He begins by providing to the reader a well-thought out transitional period section in three supportive chapters that cover ritual as it was originally put forth in operative form and ultimately adapted by Freemasonic lodges.  Included in these chapters are an elaborate breakdown of ritual and its symbols from an organizational vantage point. This section’s final chapter delves deeply into how Freemasonic ritual writers integrated into its adapted rituals the various explored metaphysical organizations of the era.

    In his continued explorations, Bro. Harrison provides a new section that presents backgrounds of individuals known to have influenced Freemasonry’s beginnings as a newly established organization and the architecture of the period leading up to it.  As a capstone to his efforts, the author dedicates an entire chapter to Freemasons and how members integrated Freemasonic themes and symbols into architectures under their control.

    Leaving no stone uncut, our Brother author then precedes to build into his next section’s work the politics of the era, showing clear and concise connections between the individuals within the Craft and the society in which these members engaged their lives outside the Craft.  Stepping into the arena of subterfuge, he puts forth in an enlightening manner how political parties of the day were influenced, swayed and undermined by members of the Craft who were forces for societal change.

    The book is well-thought-out, presented with professional candour, and provided to the reader with ample support documentation to explore, should the desire occur. I encourage all members who have a passion for Freemasonic history, how it was masterfully Crafted and the masters behind the Crafting, to add this to your reading list.

    To find the works of John Nagy, please follow these links:

    http://www.coach.net/BuildingBuilders.htm

    https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnSNagy

    https://www.facebook.com/johns.nagy

     

  • The Apocryphal Books of Enoch

    The Apocryphal Books of Enoch are not an official part of the Bible, but are seen as an extended text, a Biblical supplement with the story expanding on the character of Enoch, who is briefly mentioned in Biblical text. Biblical scholars are familiar with the Books and their content, such as its prophecies, its apocalyptic themes and its stories of the Angels and the Nephilim.

    Enoch was the great grandfather of Noah, and is referred to in the Book of Genesis as having lived 365 years before being taken by God, Enoch having ‘walked with God: and he was no more; for God took him’ (Genesis 5:21-24), implying that God took Enoch alive into Heaven. As mentioned, the first Book of Enoch is considered non-canonical to most Christian groups, it is however considered canon by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Though knowledge of the Book was previously known, and fragments had been formerly published, the most complete version of the Book of Enoch we have originates from Ethiopian manuscripts, which was brought to Europe by the Scottish traveller and Freemason James Bruce in the eighteenth century.1 Since then, fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls have also aided study of the text.

    There are three Apocrypha associated with Enoch:

    Book of Enoch – or 1 Enoch – dated to the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. This book is rich in dreams and visions and stories of Angels. It starts with the fall of the Watchers; fallen Angels who decide to take human wives and father the Nephilim, giants who ‘devoured mankind’. The fallen Angels also taught men how to work metal and make swords and knives, and taught men magic, all leading to corruption and Godlessness. This led to Michael, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel appealing to God to bring judgement on mankind and the fallen Angels in the form of the flood; Uriel is told to warn Noah of the coming flood, Raphael is dispatched to imprison Azâzêl (who taught men how to work metal) in a place known as God’s Cauldron, Gabriel is ordered to set the Nephilim against each other so ‘that they may destroy each other in battle…’, and Michael is told to bind the fallen Angels for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth.

    Second Book of Enoch, also known as 2 Enoch, or the Book of the Secrets of Enoch, written in Old Church Slavonic – is dated to the 1st century AD. The content of 2 Enoch reveals Enoch being taken on a mystical journey through the ten Heavens, where Enoch comes face-to-face with God, Enoch being anointed by Archangel Michael and then himself takes on the appearance of an Angel. God then reveals the secrets to Enoch, who is then sent back to Earth for thirty days, before being taken back to Heaven forever. The story conveys themes of Jewish apocalyptic literature concerning the Second Temple period.

    3 Enoch, a Hebrew text – dated to the 5th century AD. There are similar elements to 1 Enoch, such as Enoch taken to Heaven in a storm chariot, and Enoch being transformed into an Angel. Indeed, Enoch is transformed into the Angel Metatron.

    Enochian Language

    Enoch has since influenced magicians who have attempted to converse with Angels. Indeed, John Dee (1527-1608/09) stated that his Angelic language that was produced as a result of his scrying techniques with Edward Kelley, had not been used since Enoch, hence the term that has developed of it being ‘Enochian Language’. This Holy language was, according to Dee’s Angels, also used by Adam. Much later, after acquiring Dee’s books, early Freemason and alchemist Elias Ashmole also attempted to converse with these Angels in a series of séances from 1671-1676. During the occult revival in the later nineteenth century, Wynn Westcott and S.L. MacGregor Mathers incorporated part of the Enochian language system into their work, and Aleister Crowley was also greatly influenced by the Angelic language that Dee and Kelley experienced, and wrote the work The Equinox.2 Indeed, the story of Enoch and his association with the Angels has provided creative insight for magicians and still does today. The Enochian language however has been famously analysed by Linguist Donald Laycock, drawing a conclusion that there are phonetic and semantic features that are reminiscent of English. Whatever one believes, Enoch and his Angels continue to inspire and his Books are fascinating documents that can enhance our understanding of Biblical texts.

    Footnotes

    1. James Bruce was a member of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No.2, initiated on 1st August, 1753.
    2. See Donald Laycock, The Complete Enochian Dictionary, (San Francisco: Weiser Books, 2001).
  • Review of the album ‘hum’ by Peter Lindahl

    Review of the album ‘hum’ by Peter Lindahl

    I first met the legendary Swedish musician and artist Peter Lindahl back in the early 2000s on Myspace (back in the days before Facebook became popular). Peter has been involved in many musical projects over the years, but for the last twenty years or so, he has been working with In The Labyrinth, producing a series of albums that are heavily influenced by a wide range of musical genres such as folk, hints of prog as well as eastern musical ideas and mysticism, all entwined with Swedish folklore. Add to the mix some excellent fantasy cover art, and you have music that is right up my street. You can visit Peter’s website for his In The Labyrinth Project here. We swapped albums back in 2005, but now that my album ‘hum’ has recently been remixed, remastered and re-released with some additional tracks, I thought I’d send Peter an updated copy, and I’m extremely honoured that he gave me the following review:
    The first track on David Harrison’s revamped and previously re-released album Hum is a very interesting sound collage with sweeping synthesizers and effects also comprising mysteriously contorted narration from some unknown speaker. This, being the title track, serves as a worthy and intriguing opener, hence hinting at things to come.
    The second track, Luminous circles, I would interpret as being the hit, or at least one of the major tunes on the album, with its great melodic line and captivating chord progressions.
    Walkin’ on water has a beautiful guitar appearing now and then in the distance, this along with the rest of the arrangement helping to illuminate this highly atmospheric song. Great effect there towards the end, by the way, where it sounds as if the music were coming out of a transistor radio!
    The next track, It’s not your scene, sounds like another David Harrison hit, especially by how the refrain takes over from the verses and those fuzzy guitar riffs.
    While I would say Maganda Khar appeals to me the most, with really explicit work from David’s side, both on six string and twelve string guitars. Once again, I simply love that remotely echoing guitar that appears now and then, which is a bit of a signum with several of his songs. Really nice!
    Get out of my hair has some really exciting chord changes, unexpected melodic lines as well as immaculate guitar work and nice flute which interlinks well with David’s vocals and background harmonies.
    Luminous circles, as an instrumental, I like even better than the standard version with vocals. It’s sheer bliss! Such a beautiful piece of music and probably, for me the strongest moment throughout the entire album.
    Megan is also right down my street in being melancholic and mysterious but also romantic at the same time, something that really appeals to me. Great echo drenched background harmonies as well as lead vocals, which – as with most of David’s songs – reminds me vaguely of the legendary Pete Ham of Badfinger with that high soaring voice of his.
    Get out of my hair, version two, is a nice compliment to the official version with its more simplistic arrangement subsequently making for a more naked impression.
    And on I don’t know, Adam Speakman’s sitar works really well among the many instruments featured there. [Adam Speakman also played bass, the lions share of the lead guitar and programming on the tracks]
    As often is the case with David’s way of playing, the guitar riffs on Love rash are beautifully spun around a certain change of key, which does not necessarily provide for a shattered or contrived impression but helps to vary the way the songs are composed and to give them a certain edginess.
    Marie, on the other hand, is more folky and straight forward, this serving to show how versatile David is as an artist and songwriter.
    Which also goes for the last bonus track called Table for two, though here David’s voice sounds deeper than on all the previous tracks, reminding me somewhat of how many vocalists sang during the highlight of synth pop in the eighties.
    Review by Peter Lindahl
    Any one interested in a signed copy of the album can drop me a message…
  • John Dickson Carr, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Detection Club

    John Dickson Carr, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Detection Club

    John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) was an American author of detective mystery stories, and was the first American to become a member of the Detection Club, a club founded in 1930 that included such murder-mystery luminaries as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton and G.D.H. Cole. The club had an initiation ritual, featuring four burning black candles, a skull and a robe wearing director of ceremonies, providing an atmosphere reminiscent of some of the mystery novels that the members have written.

    Carr actually wrote about the club in an essay that was published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Mix, and had begun his piece with the oath that was taken by the initiate:

    ‘Do you solemnly swear never to conceal a vital clue from the reader?‘

    ‘I do.‘

    This was described by Carr as the first article in the oath of the club, Carr going on to reveal that as the oath is taken, the initiate places his or her hand on a skull, which was given the rather enticing name of Eric, the eyes of which light up red as the initiate swears to honour the King’s English, to use legitimate detective methods and to refrain from ‘pinching his fellow members’ plots‘. Apparently the red lights in the skulls eyes was down to the electrical skill of fellow Detection Club member John Rhode. More recently, the skull has been examined and it has now been determined to be a female skull, so its name has been changed to Erica.

    The part of the oath that discussed the use of legitimate detective methods in their stories seems to have been presented thus:

    ‘Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God?‘

    Carr was also a huge Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fan, writing an award winning biography of Conan Doyle in 1950. Carr also included Conan Doyle’s The Valley of Fear in his top ten of detective mystery stories. Conan Doyle was supposed to be the first chairman of the club, but he passed away the year the club was founded. Like Conan Doyle, Carr was obviously captivated by the macabre and by mystery, injecting esoteric themes into his storylines, such as the Tarot in his work The Eight of Swords, magic in his book Castle Skull and the art of the illusionist in perhaps his most famous work The Hollow Man.

    The initiation ceremony of the Detection Club can be seen as a piece of light-hearted drama created during the so called Golden Age of Detective Fiction, a tongue-in-cheek ritual that perhaps borrows certain elements from Freemasonry and certain other secret clubs (the Skull and Bones Society springs to mind). The club is still going strong today, some of the current members including John Le Carre, Colin Dexter and Antonia Fraser and it meets three times a year at the Garrick Club or the Dorchester Hotel in London.

  • Zoom Talk with the 100th Edition of the Grand Lodge of Georgia Lecture Series

    Zoom Talk with the 100th Edition of the Grand Lodge of Georgia Lecture Series

    Since the recent pandemic started and the lodge meetings were cancelled, Masonic talks via zoom became the norm, and since March, I’ve done many, from various research lodges, the UGLE supported Freemasonry Without Borders series, and the Grand Lodge of California lecture series. I also contributed six talks to the Grand Lodge of Georgia series, entitled Sapere Aude, which is due to have its 100th event on the 25th of October. This event features Masonic authors Bob Cooper, Andreas Onnerfors, and myself, discussing the future of Freemasonry.

    As with most of these zoom lectures, the Sapere Aude Masonic lectures can be found on YouTube. My author YouTube channel can be found here:

    Dr David Harrison YouTube

  • New book on The Rite of Seven Degrees

    New book on The Rite of Seven Degrees

    The new book I am working on examines the Rite of Seven Degrees, a rite that existed in London during the latter part of the eighteenth century, and was led by a Frenchman and Freemason by the name of Pierre Lambert de Lintot. The book will construct the story of de Lintot, his career as an engraver and will reveal the translated ritual of the rite. It is due to be published by Lewis Masonic at the end of 2021, all being well.

    This new book will form the final part of an ‘esoteric’ trilogy that started with The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry, published with Lewis Masonic in 2017, the second book being Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry – a disguised Masonic biography of Richard Carlile and an examination of his high degrees displayed in his essential Manual of Freemasonry. Rediscovered Rituals was published by Lewis in May 2020. All three books work well together, weaving together a story of high degree work in England and indeed, the Continent, during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

    The first book in this trilogy; Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry, will also be going into its second edition soon, so a number of additions will be included, along with additional images and the index and bibliography will also be developed.

     

  • Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry

    Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry

    My latest work Rediscovered Rituals of English Freemasonry is now out with Lewis Masonic. The book examines the high grade degrees found in Richard Carlile’s classic expose The Manual of Freemasonry, which has always been a work that I felt needed more attention. The book is divided up into two parts: part one presents a biography of Richard Carlile and looks at the influences for the Manual, and part two examines the degrees presented in the expose, some of which appear to have been practiced in England during the early nineteenth century.

    This new work can be seen as a follow-on from The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry, and indeed, some of the high degrees discussed in the new book are also referred to in the previous book, especially with the Rite of Seven Degrees and in my discussion of the Francken Manuscript. The new book, available in hardback, comprises of over 50,000 words, around 40 images, nearly 400 footnotes, a detailed bibliography and index.

    The book can be purchased direct from the Lewis Masonic online shop by clicking here.